MIAMI — Charles Barkley says black people have “got to do better” in response to last week’s shootings of black men by police and the sniper attack that left five officers dead in Dallas.
In an interview on ESPN radio’s Dan Le Batard show Tuesday, Barkley said that police “have made some mistakes, that don’t give us the right to riot and shoot cops.” He continued that it bothers him that black people “never get mad when black people kill each other.” He added that “there’s a lot of blame to go around.”
The 11-time NBA all-star and TNT commentator has often been outspoken on issues of race.
He said in full: “There’s a lot of people at fault. The cops have made some mistakes. Black people have made some mistakes. Until we stop …We have to sit back and be honest with each other. The cops have made some mistakes. That don’t give us the right to riot and shoot cops. We need the cops, especially in the black community. We as black people, we’ve got to do better. We never get mad when black people kill each other, which that always has bothered me. It’s always bothered me. And then, somebody is gonna scream like, ‘Well, you can’t change the subject.’ Well, first of all, I’ve never changed the subject. I’ve always said that, ‘We as black people, if you want respect, you have to give each other respect.’ You can’t demand respect from white people and the cops if we don’t respect each other.”
Epoch Times contributed to this report, adding Barkley’s last quote.
