Celtics release statement on nationwide protests that spread to Boston
By 98.5 The Sports Hub Staff
The Celtics released a statement on Sunday night, just as a day of peaceful protest in Boston turned violent after sundown.
Protests erupted across the United States last week, in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Many areas descended into riots, vandalism, looting, and clashes with police, including parts of Boston. As of this writing, the Celtics are the only major Boston sports team to issue a statement on the events.
Read the full statement below:
“Like many others across the country, the heartbreaking and senseless deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery, along with other recent events, have left the entire Celtics organization struggling with grief and anger.
The Celtics issued a statement Sunday night on the nationwide protests over the death of George Floyd. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
During a time in which the phrase ‘new normal’ has often been used as our nation has struggled with the devastation of a pandemic, we imagine and hope for a ‘new normal’ where every citizen is afforded the same rights, has the same opportunities, receives the same treatment, and can peacefully enjoy every freedom promised to all of us.
The Boston Celtics have always stood for the ideals of equality, understanding, and respect. We can’t simply hope and pray for these things, we need to lead through our actions. We stand with our players, employees, partners, and fans in being committed to championing the changes we need. We need to be honest about confronting racism and abuse of power. We can and must demand equality for everyone. We can and will respond by committing to being part of the solution.”
Celtics players have been active in the protests as well. Jaylen Brown traveled to his hometown of Atlanta to peacefully protest over the weekend, while Marcus Smart and Enes Kanter participated in the peaceful daytime protests in Boston.
Store owners in the Downtown Crossing area of Boston arrived early Monday morning to vandalized businesses and began to clean up. According to the Boston Globe, seven Boston police officers were hospitalized with injuries on Sunday night, while 40 protesters were arrested and 21 cruisers were damaged, including one that was set on fire.
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