LeBron James reacted to the tragic events in Charlottesville, VA, over the weekend, questioning the direction America is headed in, and mocking president Donald Trump’s campaign slogan.
It's sad what's going on in Charlottesville. Is this the direction our country is heading? Make America Great Again huh?! He said that🤦🏾♂️
— LeBron James (@KingJames) August 12, 2017
White nationalist groups descended on the college town, inciting violence and chaos, and a woman was killed (with 26 others suffering injuries) when a car drove into a crowd of protesters.
James says the country’s youth deserve better.
Our youth deserves better!! Flat out
— LeBron James (@KingJames) August 12, 2017
Per Cleveland.com:
James has emerged as one of the NBA’s most high-profile voices on social issues. In the past, along with his Miami Heat teammates, James wore a hoodie after Trayvon Martin’s death. While with the Cavaliers, James donned an “I Can’t Breathe” T-shirt in honor of Eric Garner. In 2015, following a Cleveland infant being killed by gunfire, James called for greater regulation of firearms.
Last summer, James tweeted in support of Black Lives Matter and said he “shed multiple tears” after police shot and killed Alton Sterling and Philando Castile. Then during the ESPYS, James, Chris Paul, Dwyane Wade and Carmelo Anthony called for social change in a powerful, heartfelt speech.
The Charlottesville tragedy, as chaos boiled over at what is believed to be the largest group of white nationalists to come together in a decade, becomes the latest to impact James, driving him to share his thoughts on social media.
Gov. Terry McAuliffe, who had declared a state of emergency in the morning, said at an evening news conference that he had a message for “all the white supremacists and the Nazis who came into Charlottesville: Go home. You are not wanted in this great commonwealth.”
