Doyel: I will follow Carmelo Anthony
INDIANAPOLIS – Never met NBA star Carmelo Anthony. Didn’t much like him, though. Not after the “stop snitching” video of 2004, then the 2006 brawl between the New York Knicks and Anthony’s Denver Nuggets, when he sucker-punched Mardy Collins and ran away as fast as he could.
But that was a long time ago, and people can change. And Carmelo Anthony has. Where once there was an insecure kid, trying to impress the wrong crowd, now there is a man trying to lead a righteous movement. Where once there was a scared punk, wanting to fight but lacking the guts to fight with honor, now there is a 32-year-old man strong enough to ask the fighting to stop.
Can you be proud of an adult, one you’ve never met? Can you do it without coming off as condescending? Hope so, because I’m so very proud of Carmelo Anthony.
Anthony has emerged as a leading voice – the leading voice – of NBA athletes opposed to the two-way violence between African-Americans and police officers. As such, he is emerging as the conscience of a faction of America, the faction that wants this violence to stop and isn’t interested in pointing fingers at black people, white people, police officers, civilians.
The guilty parties are a mixture of individuals from all groups, not a popular thing to say – watch how toxic the comments below this story become – but the truth. Too many people can’t handle or even recognize the truth, which is why our social discourse has become so divisive, so obstructive. People on one side are screaming at the other, and getting screamed at in return. As if both sides don’t share some blame.
The Carmelo Anthony who appeared on a “stop snitching” video that surfaced in 2004 was playing to one side, and it was not a good side. He was appearing in a video that threatened retaliatory violence against anyone who went to police to “snitch” on drug dealers. He later contended he was joking – but even if he was, his appearance on that video wasn’t helpful. It was hurtful.
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That Carmelo Anthony has been replaced by the elder statesman of the 2016 U.S. Olympic team, who on Monday organized an open forum in Los Angeles between the L.A. Police Department, the men’s and women’s U.S. Olympic basketball teams, and about 80 kids. Afterward, he was joined at a news conference by representatives of the LAPD, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Los Angeles, and the Brotherhood Crusade – a grassroots organization in South Los Angeles that champions “low-income, underserved, under-represented and disenfranchised individuals.”
Carmelo also was joined on that dais by Indiana Fever forward Tamika Catchings, who was born with what Carmelo Anthony has developed: a voice of love, bravery and gentle ferocity. He appeared on the ESPYs on July 13 alongside LeBron James, Chris Paul and Dwyane Wade as they made a plea to America – in the wake of the killings of black men in Minneapolis and Baton Rouge, La., and of five police officers in Dallas – to stop the killing.
Those four NBA stars took no sides. They urged an end to “all violence,” and referenced the “endless gun violence in places like Chicago, Dallas, not to mention Orlando.” And they told professional athletes to get involved.
That came a week after Carmelo responded to the shooting of police officers in Dallas with a post on Instagram – he has 4.1 million followers – showing a 1960s picture of Jim Brown, Lew Alcindor and Muhammad Ali. Below that Carmelo wrote 307 beautiful words, including these: “Shooting 11 cops and killing 5 WILL NOT work. While I don't have a solution, and I'm pretty sure a lot of people don't have a solution, we need to come together more than anything at this time. We need each other.”
We need someone to lead. I can follow Carmelo Anthony.
Find IndyStar columnist Gregg Doyel on Twitter at@GreggDoyelStar or atwww.facebook.com/gregg.doyel.