Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden endorsed the Milwaukee Bucks’ decision Wednesday to sit out a playoff game in protest of the police shooting of Jacob Blake.
“This moment demands moral leadership. And these players answered by standing up, speaking out, and using their platform for good,” the former vice president tweeted Wednesday. “Now is not the time for silence.”
He linked to a statement from the NBA team on its decision not to play its scheduled game against the Orlando Magic. In the clip, the team called on the state legislature to reconvene to tackle police reform.
“We are calling for justice for Jacob Blake and demand the officers be held accountable,” Bucks guard George Hill said in a statement to reporters. “For this to occur, it is imperative for the Wisconsin legislature to reconvene after months of inaction and take meaningful measures to address police accountability, brutality and criminal justice reform.”
Kenosha, Wis., police on Sunday shot Blake, a 29-year-old Black man, in the back several times as he leaned into an SUV containing his three children. Blake’s father has said his son is now paralyzed from the waist down.
The city has broken out in riots and protests in recent days. Earlier Wednesday, Biden condemned the shooting but also spoke out against violence at protests in Kenosha.
“Burning down communities is not protest, it’s needless violence,” he said. “Violence that endangers lives. Violence that guts businesses and shutters businesses that serve the community. That’s wrong.”
Former President Obama has also praised the Bucks’ move, tweeting “I commend the players on the @Bucks for standing up for what they believe in, coaches like @DocRivers, and the @NBA and @WNBA for setting an example. It’s going to take all our institutions to stand up for our values.”