LAPD Officer Condemns LeBron For ‘YOU’RE NEXT’ Tweet Following Ma’Khia Shooting:‘You Put A Target On [Officer Nicholas Reardon’s] Back”
A Los Angeles police officer who has worked in the city’s Skid Row area for two decades has invited LeBron James to have a discussion about policing following the NBA star’s controversial reaction to the latest police-involved shooting.
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Over the weekend, Deon Joseph, a 24-year veteran of the LAPD, posted a letter to his Facebook page addressed to James where he called his stance on policing “off base and extreme.” As we previously reported, LeBron came under fire last week after tweeting an image of a Columbus, Ohio police officer Nicholas Reardon following the shooting of Ma’Khia Bryant, who was shot by him as she was seen running towards another teen with a knife. “YOU’RE NEXT #ACCOUNTABILITY,” James tweeted with the officer’s image. He later went ahead and deleted the post, saying it was being used to “create more hate.”
Officer Joseph said in his post, “Your tweet that targeted a police officer in Ohio who saved a young woman’s life was irresponsible and disturbing,” Joseph wrote. “It showed a complete lack of understanding of the challenge of our job in the heat of a moment. You basically put a target on the back of a human being who had to make a split-second decision to save a life from a deadly attack.”
He added, “Instead of apologizing, you deflected. You said you took your tweet down because you did not want it to be used for hate when the tweet itself was the embodiment of hatred, rooted in a lack of understanding of the danger of the situation.” From there, he went on to invite James for a sit-down:
“The offer is on the table Lebron. No cameras. No fanfare,” Joseph said. “Just two men who care talking. I know it’s a long shot. But this division and hatred must stop.” He also tthanked James for the positive things he’s done at the end of his letter.
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