Michael Jordan, who is owner of the Charlotte Hornets and played college ball at UNC, is pressing for calm in the city, which was rocked by protests following the police killing of Keith Lamont Scott.
“In light of the tragic events of the past three days, it is more important than ever that we restore calm and come together, as a community, in peaceful demonstration and conversation, and in constructive and non-violent ways,” he said in a statement released through the Hornets.
Jordan also offered his condolences to Scott’s family and said the Hornets are “committed to working with civil leaders, our elected leaders and law enforcement to foster more trust, transparency and understanding so we can heal and grow together as a community.”
Jordan surprised everyone this past July when, following the back-to-back police killings of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, he wrote an emotional open letter, saying he could no longer be silence about the police violence inflicted upon the black community. Jordan, who’d long been criticized for his silence about political and social issues as they pertained to black people, also donated $1 million to The International Association of Chiefs of Police’s Institute for Community-Police Relations and the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.
A state of emergency was declared in Charlotte after another night of violent protests.
