Masai Ujiri Speaks on racism, says our voices must be heard

Masai Ujiri, popularly known as the president of Toronto Raptors and co-founder of Giants of Africa, finally speaks on overcoming racism, while reflecting on the need to raise our voices.

Speaking on the recent brutal killing of George Floyd, he said. ‘‘I watched it again, and again, before I understood. This was new. It was a police officer choosing to place his knee on the neck of a black man until he was bleeding from his nose, and he lost control of his bladder, and then he died. It began right there on the street in Minneapolis, as people pleaded for his life and he asked for his mother. That man’s name was George Floyd, and he was 46”.

Ujiri, further addressed the issue of police maltreatment to citizens, saying ‘‘No one can deny the police have a tough job. But they are peace officers. They are supposed to protect all of us. This is the profession they chose. I didn’t see any peace or protection when that officer had his knee on Mr. Floyd’s neck. I saw indifference. The “order” in “law and order” should not mean the deadly suppression of people of colour; it should mean preserving a society so we can all feel free and safe, to live in peace with each other.