Area athletes react to Floyd, protests
Several black Central Florida high school football players express their feelings.
Several black Central Florida high school football players say they are angry, confused, discouraged, nervous and experiencing many more emotions as they have watched large protests unfold across the country.
Many used the same word to sum up the social unrest: crazy.
“It’s crazy, just plain nonsense,” Edgewater rising senior defensive lineman Kenneth Brown said Sunday, six days after black man George Floyd died while complaining he could not breath as he was being detained by a white Minneapolis police officer.
“It was crazy and it hurt because if it could happen to him, it could happen to anybody,” West Orange rising sophomore defensive back Jordan Castell said.
The death of Floyd has sparked protests across the country. Officer Derek Chauvin was captured on video pressing his knee to Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes as he lay on the ground in handcuffs.
Floyd’s death was added to a long list of unarmed black men and women killed by police the past few years, triggering a mix of grief and outrage. While many daytime protests have been peaceful, they have turned violent at night in cities all over the United States for five consecutive nights. Officials in 13 states, including Florida, have responded to destruction of property and looting by calling up the National Guard.
“The [rioters] are destroying a beautiful nation trying to get one point across,” Brown said. “I don’t think it’s going to work. They’re getting the point across, but at the same time it’s going to put everyone more on their toes and on alert in the wrong way.
“But the riot parts and the going out and breaking everything, that’s a selfish way of trying to get your point across. It’s like they’re trying to make a good point, but they’re all still going to look bad while doing it.”
Seminole rising senior quarterback Timmy McClain Jr., however, said maybe the protests are exactly what’s needed.
“The protests and what people are doing right now, I think it’s right for them to do that,” McClain said. “I don’t think that’s a problem at all because all of this other stuff
needs to stop. The only way it can stop is that everyone needs to come together.
“[Floyd’s death] was wrong and it was a tragic death. It didn’t need to happen like that at all. I just hope one day all colors of skin can respect each other and end racism, really. … The stuff going on right now is going to work, hopefully.
“The looting and stuff and burning down Target, though. … That doesn’t work.”
Boone rising senior defensive lineman Shambre Jackson said he understands the protests, but that doesn’t mean he figures there will be change.
“I think it’s crazy and disgusting; everything about it. I do understand it and with the George Floyd situation, it’s crazy and people have had enough of it,” Jackson said. “My mom always taught me to respect police even though they might even treat you as a bad guy or a thug because of my skin color.
“I understand it and it’s just something you gotta live with.”
Jones High rising senior defensive back Ricky Smith said he isn’t sure how effective the protests will be, but he understands why they are drawing big crowds.
“I got two opinions. Some of [the rioting] is not worth it because it can make things worse than what it is already,” Smith said. “But at the same time, we tried to be peaceful and all of that and it didn’t work either, so now they’re taking it to a new level. They’re just trying to get attention because it’s been happening for so long.
“But when I saw that video [of George Floyd] I thought, ‘Man, that could happen to anybody right now.’”
Many of the players said they were concerned that government officials, all the way up to President Donald Trump, have not done enough to help.
“I feel like they’re not really trying to do anything because if they wanted to make a change, they would have done something by now,” Smith said. “They would have stressed that the police need to enforce the rules the same way [for black people] that regular people already have.”
Many players struggle to understand why —157 years after President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, freeing slaves in the rebellious states — inequality still persists for black men and women.
“I used to hear about it a lot when I was young,’’ Castell said, “but now that I’m living it, this is crazy.”
The players said some of what they’re feeling is familiar. This isn’t the first time they’ve watched as people have spoken out after an unarmed black man was killed by police.
“I am surprised, but then again, I’m not. This has been going on for a long time and there has been no change, whatsoever. I think this happens every year … that a cop sees a black man and they need to shoot him.” McClain said. “We need to stop all the killing.
“I know I feel nervous when a cop pulls me over. Black people get nervous and cops are supposed to rescue people and stop crime. When black people are nervous, cops aren’t doing their jobs.”
Now many black players do not think they can trust police.
“Immediately I thought that was wrong. You have people who are supposed to be there for our protection and, not only one guy, but you have multiple [police officers] there who are supposed to be there for our protection,” Brown said, “But how can we expect you to protect us when y’all just going around and killing. It’s almost like they’re having fun with it.
“How can I trust them when they’re going around killing unarmed people? So what if something is wrong? Am I supposed to call the police? Is it safer? No. Don’t call the police. They might end up killing one of us. So for me, it’s nerve-wracking.
It’s a headache.
“Already it feels like they fear us because of our skin, but it’s anything. You look at them wrong or shake their hand wrong, or because of whatever you wear they feel some type of fear. If your pants are saggy, they feel some type of fear. … They’re judging people before they even know them, and that’s not how life’s supposed to go.”
Brown compared the divided country to one at war.
“It’s more than just riots. A lot of tension is being built. The last time something really happened like this was during the war for our independence,” Brown said, alluding to freeing the slaves during the Civil War. “What did that lead to? The destruction of our whole nation. It was destroyed and had to be rebuilt. All across the United States, that’s what’s going on right now. To me it feels like there’s a war going on right now.
“I’m disgusted, to tell you the truth. It makes me sick to my stomach. You can’t be embarrassed for our country because our country isn’t embarrassed for itself. Am I sympathetic? No. … I’ve just lost confidence in a lot of things. This is just making it a lot worse.”
The players don’t have much hope the issues leading to the protests will be resolved soon.
“I think it will always be like that,” Castell said.