In a series of social media posts last night, Phoenix City Council member Sal DiCiccio called National Basketball Association players “whiny bitches” for boycotting games over the recent police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
Jacob Blake, who is Black, was shot seven times in the back by a Kenosha police officer on August 23 during an attempted arrest following a domestic dispute call. In response, protests have erupted nationwide and the U.S. Department of Justice announced that it will open a civil rights investigation into the shooting.
Players from a variety of major American sports teams have also protested the shooting by boycotting scheduled games. Milwaukee Bucks’ players reportedly refused to leave their locker room on Wednesday, August 26, during a playoff game against the Orlando Magic, according to news reports. Games involving the Seattle Mariners and the San Francisco Giants were postponed to protest the shooting.
