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‘You see a country that’s one fire and you lose sight of the fact that we tried a silent protest.’ NBA and Iowa State Star Royce White honors Colin Kaepernick as he leads protest in Minneapolis

Des Moines Register

MINNEAPOLIS — Royce White saw his city in turmoil, and he responded by doing what he so often has — he lent his voice to a cause.

The former NBA player and Iowa State star was one of the organizers of a peaceful protest here Friday after a night of anger, frustration and destruction as protests of the death of George Floyd devolved in some places to significant property damage and looting.

“I’m so happy to see all these people here,” White said after the protest on the downtown Hennepin Avenue Bridge, “and for us to be able to hold this bridge down and really give you that feeling of Selma back in the ‘60s.”

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Former Iowa State Basketball player Royce White speaks as peaceful protestors take over the Hennepin Ave. Bridge Friday, May 29, 2020. Protests continued around the city following the death of George Floyd, a black man who died in police custody. (Photo: Zach Boyden-Holmes/The Register)

Floyd, who was black, died Monday after being restrained by a white Minneapolis police officer driving his knee into the back of Floyd’s neck in an interaction that was videoed by bystanders.

That officer, Derek Chauvin, was arrested Friday and charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter. Three other officers at the scene of the arrest, who, like Chauvin, were fired by the Minneapolis Police Department, have not been charged with any crimes, but Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman said Friday he anticipated they will be prosecuted, though he declined to speculate on potential charges.

Floyd’s death has sparked demonstrations across the country to protest police violence against the black community.

“It was unspeakable,” White said of the footage of Floyd’s death. “It’s just a heinous thing to see. Somebody to kneel on somebody’s neck, somebody to squeeze the life out of somebody in that way and that we can all watch it on camera and there still be a debate.

“That’s the part that you really have to look at and say, ‘What has this country come to? What is going on here?’ We know what it’s come to. Like I’ve said to these people out here today, we don’t have a social injustice problem. We have a corporate injustice problem. This country has become a tyrannical corporation.

“We have to rein that in. We have to regain some sovereignty as communities, start to police ourselves and really start to reshape what being an American is going to look like every day.”

White is a native of Minneapolis and starred at the city’s powerhouse high school basketball program, DeLaSalle, before finishing his prep career at suburban Hopkins High School. He attended the University of Minnesota as a freshman, but transferred to Iowa State after off-the-court incidents.

He starred in his lone season for the Cyclones, averaging 13.4 points, 9.3 rebounds and 5 assists per game in 2011-12 to help lead Iowa State and second-year coach Fred Hoiberg to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2005.

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Hundreds of Protestors take over the Hennepin Ave. bridge Friday, May 29, 2020. Protests continued around the city following the death of George Floyd, a black man who died in police custody. (Photo: Zach Boyden-Holmes/The Register)

He was a first-round draft pick of the Houston Rockets, but never played for the team as he and the franchise battled over medical care protocol. By that time, White had gone public with his diagnosed anxiety disorder and had become a vocal mental health advocate.

He ultimately played in just three NBA games for the Sacramento Kings in 2013-14, but has continued to be a visible activist.

The protest he helped organize Friday was inspired by NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick, White said. Kaepernick famously kneeled during the national anthem before games to protest police brutality. He has not played in the NFL since 2016, and filed a grievance against the league alleging it was colluding to keep him from playing because of his protests.

“The whole goal of it was for us to come and kneel here on the bridge and have a moment of silence, a moment of protest that was peaceful,” White said, “because this protest was peaceful and it got tarnished in a lot of ways. It got sidetracked. Now you see a country that’s on fire and you lose sight of the fact that we tried to silent protest. You lose sight of the fact that silent protest is the way we’ve chosen for a long time and to no avail. We wanted to honor that today.

“Had they just listened to (Kaepernick), had they just listened to some of these voices that speak that truth, some of these things could be avoided.”

White also addressed the destruction and looting that has occurred in Minneapolis in relation to the protests.

“The looters are a response of a lack of justice,” White said. “Am I saying that’s the way to hone the political efforts and the political energy? No. Absolutely not. That wouldn’t be my vote, but at the end of the day, I don’t think they want the honed version, either.”

The White-led protest drew approximately 1,000 people who, after listening to remarks from religious and community leaders, marched through downtown and onto Interstate 35W.

“This is what we wanted to accomplish,” he said. “We wanted as many people as we could have out here. We had no clue this many people would show up. 

“We had a hunch if we dressed in all black in honor of the prophecy, so to speak, of Colin Kaepernick, that we would be powerful and symbolic. That’s what we’re trying to do.”

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