ENCOUNTERS WITH HATE
Als’ Jones recalls threats
An emotional Khari Jones revealed on Tuesday how, like so many other African Americans, he has been victimized by racial profiling, police brutality and even death threats.
Perhaps what makes his story so shocking and troubling at the same time, is that one of the incidents occurred in Canada, while he was playing quarterback for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
“Canada’s much better (than the U.S.) and I feel much better (about) the social climate, but there’s still issues,” Jones said during a video conference call.
The Alouettes head coach made it clear he hasn’t spoken much about the incidents. And, while he has been known to get emotional with his players, he rarely discusses such personal and profound matters with the media.
When Jones played for the Bombers in the early 2000s, he said he received a series of threatening letters — not only because he’s black, but also due to his interracial marriage. Jones said he has retained that mail to this day as a reminder of the hatred that still exists.
Police officers were called to watch his house and protect his family, especially while the team was playing on the road.
“I still have those letters. It’s just a reminder that things aren’t always great. It could have been just one person. One is still too many. To do that on the basis of a person’s skin colour, it’s horrible,” said Jones, 49, who will be entering his second season as Montreal’s coach — assuming games are played at all during the coronavirus pandemic. Last year, Jones had the interim title removed from his position after guiding the team to a 10-8 record and its first playoff appearance since 2014.
“I don’t look at (the hateful letters) very often. It’s just a reminder you always have to be on alert a little bit. Whoever that was — and they never found the person — he’s still out there. People like him are still out there,” Jones continued. “It’s a crazy feeling. There was nothing I could do or anything I did that spurred this on. He didn’t like the colour of my skin. That’s a brutal thing. Then there’s worry for your family.
“That was 20-some years ago (but) it’s still happening.”
Jones was with Winnipeg between 2000 and 2004. He enjoyed his most-prolific season in 2001, being named the Canadian
Football League’s most outstanding player after leading the team to a 14-4 record and Grey Cup berth at Olympic Stadium.
Almost a decade earlier, Jones, who was born in Hammond, Ind., but played collegiately at UC Davis, was attending a state fair in California. In a case of mistaken identity, he and a group of friends — including his brother — were detained and handcuffed by several white police officers, who drew their guns.
“I still remember it to this day, how I felt ... a person who never committed a crime. It was just a horrible feeling,” he said. “Five or six (officers) swooped on us from a lot of directions. We thought they were going somewhere else. They were coming right at us. They had us on the ground, made some calls and let us go.”
Although no one filed a complaint or pursued the matter, probably because of their age and inexperience, Jones came to quickly realize the world in
which he lived; the different set of rules that can come with race.
“When you’re black, some things might happen to you,” he said. “I knew what to do, and how to try and behave, whenever I was stopped for a traffic ticket. There’s a certain different way you have to respond to things when tensions are heightened and there’s fear involved.”
While Jones has a Twitter account (@Khari17jones), he’s rarely active on social media. So when he tweeted late Monday night that he couldn’t stop thinking about George Floyd, killed May 25 by a while police officer in Minneapolis — while comparing himself to Floyd — it caught people’s attention.
Jones said he has watched the graphic footage only once of Derek Chauvin applying his knee to Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes. Once was clearly enough, he said. And it prompted him, only after speaking to Als quarterback Vernon Adams Jr., to tweet about his feelings, knowing the injustice against African Americans that has permeated U.S. culture for decades.
“The brutality of it. He didn’t regard (Floyd) as a person. People are yelling at him, telling him to get off and he wouldn’t. It’s just sad,” Jones said, wiping away a tear. “He was fine killing him. He felt he could do it. It’s just horrible.
“As much as it hurt me to see George Floyd and what that officer did to him, it hurts me just as much to see the other officers do nothing. That’s just unacceptable.”
Jones said he has no problems with some of his players, including James Wilder, participating in peaceful protests. He has advised them to do what they believe is necessary, while remaining safe. “I understand (Wilder’s) pain and frustration.”
The brutality of it. He didn’t regard (Floyd) as a person. People are yelling at him, telling him to get off and he wouldn’t.