Shaq Thompson Wants Justice for Breonna Taylor, Stephon Clark

Panthers linebacker Shaq Thompson has been pretty vocal about the systemic racism that exists within America this year. This largely has to do with the widespread protests that have occurred due to the killings of George Floyd, Stephon Clark, Breonna Taylor, and many other Black lives that were lost at the hands of the police.

We have seen that many Panthers players have been active in the community, and Thompson is certainly not an exception. He is a proud member of Panthers’ Player Impact Committee, which is a group of players dedicated to making an impact on social justice in the Carolinas. He also participated in a "Justice Walk" along with his teammates at Dilworth-Myers Park in support of the Black Lives Matter movement back in June. He also formed a charitable cause with Christian McCaffrey to help empower those in economically disadvantaged communities in the Charlotte area.

When he was asked about what can be done about the current race relations in this country during his press conference, here's what he had to say:

"Just continue to make change. Continue to support your African-American males that are playing this sport, really everybody. Support us in any and every way and that’s really it about that situation.”

Thompson was asked what he would like to see from the NFL during the season in its continued support for the Black Lives Matter movement. He ended his press conference with this response:

“I just want to see the cops be arrested, who killed Breonna Taylor, and for the investigation for Stephon Clark to be reopened.”

For those who are unaware, here is what happened with Taylor, via The New York Times:

"Shortly after midnight on March 13, Louisville police officers executing a search warrant used a battering ram to enter the apartment of Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old emergency room technician. Ms. Taylor and her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, had been in bed, but got up when they heard a loud banging at the door. After a brief exchange, Mr. Walker fired his gun. The police also fired several shots, striking Ms. Taylor. Mr. Walker told investigators that Ms. Taylor coughed and struggled to breathe for at least five minutes after she was shot, according to The Louisville Courier Journal. She received no medical attention for more than 20 minutes after she was struck, The Courier Journal reported, citing dispatch logs."

Here are the details of the Stephon Clark shooting, via NPR:

"Clark was killed March 18 after Sacramento police responded to a 911 call of a man breaking car windows in the South Sacramento neighborhood of Meadowview. During Saturday's press conference, Schubert said DNA evidence confirmed that Clark was the individual who broke the windows, and also smashed a home's sliding glass door with a cinder block. Two officers arrived on the scene that night, searched outside a nearby residence and, after spotting Clark, eventually pursued him into a backyard — which they later learned was his grandmother's home — where they shot at him. After the shooting, Robinet and Mercadal said they thought Clark had a gun, but they only found a cellphone at the scene."

Thompson wants to highlight these two, because he feels that justice has not been reached for either case.

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