Both former President Barack Obama and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden have expressed their support for NBA players calling for a boycott of the sport over the shooting of a black criminal by a White police officer in Kenosha, Wisconsin, according to Fox News.
Multiple players on the Milwaukee Bucks team announced that they would be boycotting their NBA playoff game, scheduled for Wednesday, out of protest of the recent shooting of Jacob Blake by police officers. Biden, Obama’s former vice president, tweeted his support for the boycott by calling it “moral leadership,” and claiming that “these players answered by standing up, speaking out, and using their platform for good.”
Obama similarly tweeted in support of the boycott, saying “I commend the players on the Bucks for standing up for what they believe in.” He added, “It’s going to take all our institutions to stand up for our values.”
The shooting of Blake is the latest instance of a police-involved shooting of a black man that has been exploited by far-left radicals as an excuse to riot and destroy property in the cities. Ever since the shooting, which left Blake paralyzed below the waist, violent riots have rocked the city of Kenosha, with multiple businesses and other properties being burned to the ground.
On Tuesday night, multiple armed men defending a friend’s business were forced to open fire when they were attacked by violent rioters, including one rioter armed with a pistol. Two rioters were killed and a third was seriously injured.
On the day of Blake’s shooting, police were responding to a 911 call allegedly involving Blake, who has an extensive criminal record that includes sexual assault, and had an outstanding warrant for his arrest at the time of the shooting. Police officers drew their guns on him and demanded that he comply so they could arrest him; Blake ignored them and walked around to his car, opening the driver’s side door and reaching under the seat. One officer, who was tugging at his shirt in an attempt to stop him, then fired several shots into his back. Investigators later confirmed that Blake was, in fact, reaching for a knife that he had hidden in his car.