Charles Barkley Should Shut Up!

Charles Barkley the NBA “great,” in response to the Michael Brown killing in Ferguson, Missouri, stated in a CNN interview that “this notion, that cops are out there just killing black men, is ridiculous.”

Remember the “I am not a role model” Nike Air commercial, where Charles Barkley stated such, that he was not a role model…because he could dunk a basketball? Whether or not we liked this statement, there was some truth to it. Barkley added that “parents should be role models.”

Similarly, just because Barkley at one time could dunk a basketball, those same credentials do not give him any standing or authority to comment on “incidents” like Michael Brown’s and Eric Garner’s killings by white cops.

Charles Barkley, shut up!

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About William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

William Eric Waters is an award-winning poet, fiction writer, essayist, educator, criminal-justice scholar, and nonprofit executive. Writing as William E. Waters, he is the author of the epic poem Black Shadows and Through the White Looking Glass and three poetry collections: Sometimes Blue Knights Wear Black Hats, The Black Feminine Mystique, and The Black Blood of Poetry. Under the pen name Easy Waters, he is the author of the novel Streets of Rage and the short-story collection Conundrums: Stories of Law & Justice. His work explores Black history, race, law, punishment, institutional power, accountability, redemption, and resilience.
This entry was posted in Criminal Justice & Punishment, Justice Chronicles, juveniles, MIssouri, Murder, police involved shooting, police-involved killing, Politics & Public Affairs, raising black boys, Urban Impact and tagged , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

2 Responses to Charles Barkley Should Shut Up!

  1. Hello Mr. Waters, I saw an older excerpt about your brother who was in the Marcy Chaplains. I would love to get in touch with you about him if possible? I am researching NYC youth gangs from the 1950s.

    Regards,

    David

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