His three children were then in the car, his lawyer Ben Crump said.
“With yet another example of racial discrimination with the shooting of Jacob Blake, and the illegal abuse of peaceful Protestants, we MUST unite as a society,” the team said on their website. “It is imperative that all people – regardless of race, religion, creed or religion – come together to say, ‘Enough is enough!’
“This is bigger than sport. Racism is embedded in the fabric of the founding of our nation and is a blemish in the history of our country.
“If we want to change course and make our world a better place, we must tackle this problem head-on and act now to bring about positive change.
“It is time to accept responsibility and recognize the ramifications of slavery and racial injustice.
“While we cannot correct all the ills of our country’s history, we can …” the statement continued, citing seven points of action.
Seven action points
The first sought the arrest and charge of the officers responsible for Taylor’s death and the shooting of Blake.
It also demands that U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell bring the George Floyd Justice a 2020 Policing Act to the Senate floor for voting.
Floyd died at the age of 46 when he was pinned by police in Minneapolis in May. One officer held his knee for several minutes on Floyd’s neck.
The Ravens want, moreover, the end of qualified immunity, the use of body cameras and the banning of smokes and no-knock warrants, plus demand “reform of prison sentences that is fair and just.”
The NFL announced that several teams canceled the practice Thursday in response to Blake’s shooting.
In a joint statement issued on Twitter accompanied by a hashtag of Black Lives Matter, the NFL and NFL Players Association said they shared in the “anger and frustration” of what happened.
“The NFL community is more united than ever to support each other in these challenging times,” the bodies said. “We share anger and frustration, recently as a result of the shooting of Jacob Blake.
“While our passions run high, we are proud that our players and clubs, League and Union, are taking the time to have the difficult conversations about these issues affecting the Black community and other communities of color in America.
“We are especially encouraged that these talks are about how we can come together to make the necessary and long-term changes in our country.
“We will continue to not only use our collective platform to eradicate racism and injustice when and where it occurs in our country, but also fight together to eradicate it.”
Baseball moment of silence
In Major League Baseball, the home game of the New York Mets against the Miami Marlins was one of those not played, but not before both teams were silent for 42 seconds to the field.
Friday marks the league’s Jackie Robinson Day. Robinson, the first black head teacher in 1947, carried the number 42. His number was retired 50 years later, in 1997.
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