Retired NBA forward and TNT basketball analyst Charles Barkley says that Black people ” have to do better.”
Tuesday, the Hall of Famer joined ESPN’s”Dan Le Batard Show” to discuss the recent police shootings of Alton Sterling, Philando Castile and the attack on law enforcement in Dallas.
“The cops have made some mistakes, but that doesn’t give us the right to riot and shoot cops,” Barley said. “We as black people, we’ve got to do better.”
During the interview, Barkley explained that there is blame to go around when it comes to the relationship between the black community and police.
“The cops have made some mistakes, but that doesn’t give us the right to riot and shoot cops. We need the cops, especially in the black community. We as black people, we’ve got to do better. We never get mad when black people kill each other, which that has always bothered me … I’ve always said if we as black people want more respect, we have to give each other respect. You can’t demand respect from white people and the cops if you don’t respect each other. We’ve got to do better as black people.
Barkley added:
“I’m not perfect. I’m not trying to be perfect. But you have to ask yourself, ‘Are you part of the problem or are you part of the solution?’ I respect and admire what cops do. My bodyguard is a cop — a black cop. We talk about situations all the time. One of the problems with this stuff on the media is that all these people are ‘Monday Morning Quarterbacks.’ … Everybody is saying what I would do or what I should do. I think some of these cops are panicking under pressure.”
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