“Especially after George Floyd’s case” Magic Johnson still fears how his kids will speak to the police after $27 million settlement
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Magic Johnson and his family
Despite being a renowned basketball player in the Hall of Fame, Magic Johnson is aware of the challenges faced by black men in the United States. Johnson claims that his grandfather and father both prepared him for interactions with police, and that he had “the conversation” with his two sons. It is a topic that all black and brown parents talk with their kids in order to prevent them from saying or acting inappropriately in front of a police officer. Due to the events following George Floyd’s murder in 2020, Magic is still bothered by them, therefore he makes an effort to teach his children how to behave with police.
The year 2020 was depressing for a number of reasons. In the middle of the Covid-19 outbreak, which was at its worst, police violence raised its ugly head. The 46-year-old George Floyd was killed in May 2020 after now-retired Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin repeatedly pushed his knee into Floyd’s neck during an arrest. The former Los Angeles Lakers star, 60, spoke out throughout the widespread protests that followed Floyd’s killing. In order to keep his adult sons, E.J. and Andre safe when they interact with police authorities, Johnson claimed to have conversed with them.
Who is Magic Johnson and how legendary was he?
The 6-foot-9 point guard had an immediate impact with the Lakers when he was drafted and because to his excellent passing and playmaking skills, helped usher in a new era for the NBA. Between 1982 and 1991, Johnson averaged a double-double while four times leading the NBA in assists. He was selected for the first of nine straight All-NBA first teams in 1983, and throughout the course of this time, he has claimed three regular season MVP awards. Johnson guided the Laker squad to five NBA titles while they were known as the “Showtime Lakers.”
Magic Johnson informed the media during a news conference on November 7, 1991, that he had tested positive for HIV and would be retiring from NBA. Despite missing the 1991–92 season, Johnson was voted by the fans to play in the 1992 All-Star Game, where he won his second All-Star Game MVP title. He also participated in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, leading “The Dream Squad,” the finest team ever assembled, in winning the gold medal. Over the course of his 13 NBA seasons, Magic Johnson tallied a whopping 17,707 points, 6,559 rebounds, 10,141 assists, 1,724 steals, and other accomplishments. He still ranks among the top five Lakers players in terms of all these categories.
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Magic’s stern message to his kids
The fear of being unfairly punished by a police officer runs so deep that families feel the need to have this conversation. Of course, sometimes it won’t matter, as it did in Floyd’s case where he got murdered by a police officer. As a result, Magic Johnson’s family and probably a number of other families are aware of the challenges associated with being a black man in the US and instruct their children on how to behave with police officers. It’s just little awkward having this conversation because racism is a systemic problem in the US and they must make sure that their children are aware of the potential for injustice.
The killing of Floyd triggered a global discussion about police violence and the overwhelming number of black individuals who are victims of it. There were sheer number of people who have turned out for protests with the cardboard placards they carried with messages like “Black Lives Matter” and “Stop Killing Us” show how upset Americans were. Families should no longer need to have these talks and should be able to trust police without restraint one day, but for the time being, such freedom does not exist in the US.
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Irvin Philip
(701 Articles Published)