Kerr calls Breonna Taylor ruling ‘so demoralizing’
Steve Kerr had hoped the first day of minicamp would be an escape. Instead, after Wednesday’s practice, the Warriors were reminded of the turmoil that has shaken the country this year.
A grand jury in Jefferson County, Kentucky, charged Brett Hankison, the former Louisville police officer involved in the March 13 shooting death of Breonna Taylor, with three counts of wanton endangerment in the first degree. Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron stopped short of more punitive action, determining that the officers’ use of force was justified. The grand jury did not charge the other officers involved.
Taylor’s name has become a rallying cry for police reform and racial justice, but the ruling is viewed as a disappointment among those who support the Black Lives Matter movement, including Kerr.
“It’s just so demoralizing and discouraging,” Kerr, who learned of the ruling after practice, said. “I just keep thinking about the generation of American kids, of any color. Is this the world they will live in?
“There’s just so much violence, and it’s demoralizing when we can’t be accountable or hold anyone to account for it.”
In his six years as Warriors head coach, Kerr has been an outspoken advocate of racial justice and gun reform. Since the NBA suspended play due to the coronavirus pandemic in March, he has remained in the public eye, making several media appearances to discuss the importance of maskwearing and police reform.
Kerr, 54, also is part of a committee, which includes Hawks coach Lloyd Pierce and Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, established by the National Basketball Coaches Association in the wake of the Minneapolis police killing of George Floyd in May to address racial injustice and reform.
But, as he recently told the Bay Area News Group, he thought this minicamp would serve as a welcome distraction for Warriors coaches and players.
Starting this week, the NBA is allowing the eight teams not invited to the season restart in the Disney World “bubble” to hold voluntary minicamps in their own markets.
The Warriors have developed their own “bubble,” shuttling between a team-designated hotel in San Francisco and Chase Center. Players and coaches were tested for the coronavirus and quarantined for 48 hours before beginning workouts that will conclude Oct. 6.