James Worthy: 'I Hope This Situation Can Be The Last One That Can Bring Us Together'
James Worthy is hoping the protests in Los Angeles and across the country can lead to change.
There was looting, rioting and also peaceful protests on Saturday in Los Angeles -- from downtown to Beverly Hills -- in response to the murder of George Floyd by a white police officer in Minneapolis on Monday.
The city of Los Angeles was placed under an 8 p.m. curfew on Saturday evening, but the protests and looting continued late into the night.
Worthy did a phone interview with Spectrum News1 while the local news station showed live shots of protestors handcuffed and sitting in the street, waiting to be arrested and transported to local jails.
Worthy was asked if there could be a silver lining and perhaps change stemming from the protests.
“Unfortunately, every time we’ve had a situation like this, these protests get worse and worse,” Worthy told Spectrum News1. “But what I have seen throughout America is that they are diverse. There are a lot of white people and a lot of black people that are coming together.
“I hope that through this type of noise and this type of understanding, people aren’t going to take it. I hate to see destruction, but sometimes this is all people have as an outlet. I hope this situation can be the last one that can bring us together at a table to have Republicans and Democrats sit down and be honest about where our world is going. We have to compromise.
“I remember there was a time when our Senate and the House, they were able to compromise and make decisions. They didn’t always agree, but right now, it starts at the top. If we don’t have that type of leadership coming from people that we put in office, this will continue, unfortunately.”
The Hall of Farmer played all 12 seasons of his career with the Lakers from 1982-1994. He was a member of the Lakers when the Rodney King riots happened in Los Angeles in 1992,
Worthy also tweeted on Sunday morning that his Twitter account had been hacked Saturday. He denounced those tweets and deleted them from his account.
Worthy wrote: “Yesterday, someone hacked into my Twitter and sent out a bunch of political tweets that appeared to speak negatively or blame #BLM. That wasn’t me. I understand the frustration and pain my community is experiencing, has experienced throughout history. I’ve experienced it too. 1/2
“I stand 100 percent with those calling for justice for the murder of George Floyd. I pray his family find peace and healing through all this. I pray we all do. 2/2”
