Who is Jaylen Brown and what's his role in the George Floyd movement?
Jaylen Brown is a guard from the Celtics who drove 15 hours from Boston to Atlanta to lead a peaceful protest over the death of George Floyd.
While more than 30 cities across the United States are experiencing violent protests over the death of George Floyd by a police officer in Minneapolis, Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown set the example for millions of Americans who are angry and in pain.
Who is Jaylen Brown and what's his role in the George Floyd movement?
The NBA star drove 15 hours from Boston to Atlanta to lead a peaceful protest march through the city on Saturday night. Brown streamed the entire march through his Instagram live account as well as posting videos of the protest.
“I drove 15 hours to get to Georgia, my community. This is a peaceful protest. Being a celebrity, being an NBA player, don’t exclude me from no conservations at all. First and foremost, I’m a black man and I am a member of this community. We are raising awareness for some of the injustices that we’ve been seeing. It is not OK,” Brown said.
Brown is the vice president of the National Basketball Players Association and he said it hit him hard the way Floyd was killed, “as a young person , you’ve got to listen to our perspective. Our voices need to be heard. I am 23-years-old and I don’t know all the answers. But I feel how everybody else is feeling, for sure, no question.”
During this peaceful protest, Brown marched with a megaphone and a white sign with black writing that read, “I Can’t Breathe,” a reference to the death of Floyd in Minneapolis on Monday. Pacers guard Malcolm Brogdon and forward Justin Anderson, who is a member of the Nets' organization, also joined Brown.
On Friday, former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who was was seen on video kneeling on Floyd's neck, was arrested on charges of third-degree murder and manslaughter. An investigation is ongoing regarding the other officers involved in Floyd's death.