Dwyane Wade speaks on the fatal shooting of Ahmaud Arbery
Former Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade took his time before commenting.
It took him a couple days before addressing the fatal shooting of Ahmaud Arbery, who was shot after being chased by two men while jogging in Georgia two months ago. Arbery, who is black, was killed by a white father and son tandem after a struggle in the middle of a street. Gregory McMichael and Travis McMichael thought Arbery was responsible for a string of robberies in the neighborhood but he was unarmed.
“I’ve been trying to find the right words to say to my kids,” Wade said in an Instagram post. “I want to tell my kids over and over and over again that just by the color of your skin, just because you were born African-American, that you are deemed a threat — at all times. No matter what you’re doing, no matter where you’re at, no matter what your family has, you’re deemed a threat.”
Wade is no stranger to making his stance known on social justice issues. He participated in the Heat's support of Trayvon Martin and Eric Garner, who were both killed in similar situations. Wade posed for a team photo with all the players donning hoodies after Martin was shot by George Zimmerman in 2012. In 2014, Wade wore an "I Can't Breath" T-shirt during pregame warmups after Garner died following an altercation with New York City police.
The Arbery case made national news last week because no arrests were made until weeks after the incident and has since sparked protests. Arbery would have turned 26 Friday.
“I don’t believe in the celebration of justice until justice has been served,” Wade said. “We watched Trayvon Martin’s killer go to court and be let free. So on this day, we keep fighting. We keep fighting for Ahmaud. Happy birthday, brother.”
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