Los Angeles Lakers basketball player LeBron James created some dialogue when he tweeted a photograph of the latest police officer to shoot and kill a Black person, a teenager in Columbus, Ohio, and wrote: “YOU’RE NEXT #ACCOUNTABILITY.” Presumably speaking about being the next police officer charged and convicted in killing a Black person, in reference to Derek Chauvin being found guilty of killing George Floyd.
A police officer responded to James’ tweet on his Facebook page:
“Your current stance on policing is so off base and extreme. Your tweet that targeted a police officer in Ohio who saved a young woman’s life was irresponsible and disturbing. It showed a complete lack of understanding of the challenge of our job in the heat of a moment. You basically put a target on the back of a human being who had to make a split second decision to save a life from a deadly attack.” <iframe style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FOfficerDeonJoseph1%2Fposts%2F152213183570985&width=500&show_text=true&height=756&appId" width="500" height="756" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen">
He then offers to meet with James:
“I don’t know if this will ever reach you, but my hope is that one day I can sit down with you and talk. As a man of faith, I can have no hatred toward you. But I do feel I can help you understand the reality of the profession of policing, and that there is another side you need to hear.
”Based on this Facebook post, ESPN’s Sage Steele responded with prayer hands on her Twitter account.
This caused a backlash toward Steele as Twitter users went at her for acknowledging that post from the police officer.