Tuesday April 13th 2021
Biden commemorates 20-year-old victim
Game cancellations after fatal police shots
Another black man is shot dead by the police in the USA. After massive protests, the top sports leagues, the NBA, NHL and MLB, are also reacting to the cancellation of games and commemorating 20-year-old Daunte Wright. US President Joe Biden recalls the “pain, anger and trauma” of “Black America”.
After another black death during a police operation in the US state of Minnesota, games of the professional teams located there in the NBA, NHL and MLB have been canceled. After the decision in Major League Baseball to cancel the game of the Minnesota Twins with Berlin’s Max Kepler in the squad against the Boston Red Sox due to safety concerns, the NBA and the NHL followed shortly thereafter.
In the NBA, the Minnesota Timberwolves would have played basketball against the Brooklyn Nets on Monday evening, in the National Hockey League the encounter between the Minnesota Wild and Augsburg’s Nico Sturm against the St. Louis Blues is affected.
The NHL justified the decision with respect for the community and rescheduled the meeting for May 12th. There is not yet a new date for the MLB game and the duel between the Timberwolves and the Nets. “The decision to postpone was made by the NBA after consulting the Timberwolves organization and local and state officials. Our thoughts remain with Daunte Wright’s family and friends during this difficult time,” the NBA said in a statement.
On Sunday, the 20-year-old Wright was killed by the police during a traffic stop. Wright died from a gunshot wound to the chest. According to the Hennepin County coroner, the death has been classified as manslaughter.
“Pain, Anger and Trauma”
Brooklyn Center police chief Tim Gannon said he believed a female police officer accidentally fired a fatal shot. According to a press release from the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA), the officer was identified as Kim Potter, who has worked for the Brooklyn Center Police Department for 26 years. She was on leave until further notice as part of the standard procedure.
The new death sparked serious protests. US media reported that hundreds of demonstrators surrounded a police station after the incident on Sunday afternoon (local time). There were clashes with security forces who, among other things, used tear gas. The Mayors of Minneapolis and St. Paul issued a curfew for Monday evening until the next morning.
US President Joe Biden commented on the fatal shots at Wright on Monday night via Twitter, saying he thinks of the 20-year-old and his family “and the pain, anger and trauma that Black America faces every day experience”.
After the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis on May 25, 2020, there were mass protests against police violence and racism in the USA for months. The ex-cop Chauvin is accused of pressing his knee on George Floyd’s neck for minutes during the last year’s mission, even though the latter said he could not breathe. The case is currently underway.
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