Winnipeg Jets captain Blake Wheeler says he had to speak up about what’s been happening in Minneapolis after the death of George Floyd.
“Growing up outside of Minneapolis I always felt sheltered from racism. That’s because I was — most people I grew up with looked like me. I never had to be scared when I stopped at a traffic light or saw the police in public. My kids will never know that fear either,” he said in a statement on Twitter.
“I’m heartbroken that we still treat people this way. We need to stand with the Black community and fundamentally change how the leadership in this country has dealt with racism. I’m sorry it has taken this long, but I’m hopeful that we can change this NOW.”
Cities across the United States have seen protests after the death of George Floyd, a Black man who died Monday after a white Minneapolis police officer pressed his knee on his neck until he stopped breathing.
“George Floyd’s life mattered, Ahmaud Arbery’s life mattered. So did every other life that has been lost by this senseless violence and racism,” Wheeler said.
“America is not OK.”