Norman Powell Speaks About Officers Not Being Charged in Shooting of Jacob Blake

Raptors guard Norman Powell's frustration remains the same after no charges were brought against Kenosha police for the shooting of Jacob Blake

Just over fourth months ago, Norman Powell sat at the Toronto Raptors' Zoom press conference table in Orlando heartbroken. He swayed in his seat, rocking from side to side thinking about America. He said he'd been thinking about what he'd wanted to say, but even still, the words seemed hard to find.

"I'm frustrated," he said. "I'm disappointed. I have a wide range of emotions with everything that's going in today's world and with what we keep seeing going on over and over again. [I'm] pretty tired and sick to my stomach to have to sit up here and have to talk about this again and continue this long fight that we've been fighting since Day 1, since slavery."

It was August 25, just two days after police in Kenosha, Wisc. shot Jacob Blake, a Black man, in the back seven times and left him paralyzed, and two days before NBA players decided to strike to protest police brutality.

"I'm tired of sitting up here and talking about Black Lives Matter and doing this, that, and the other, and trying to effect change, and you constantly see people in law enforcement, some people, I'm not going to put that burden and say everybody in law enforcement," he continued. "But there are some officers in law enforcement that need to be held accountable for their actions and I'm tired of reading these incidences and then seeing these police officers getting put on administrative leave."

On Tuesday, prosecutors in Kenosha decided not to file criminal charges against the police involved in the shooting. For Powell, the message was the same.

"Man, I’m frustrated," Powell said on Wednesday, repeating those same words from just a few months ago. "It makes you feel like the work that you’re doing is not enough. The outcries and things from everybody around the world coming together over these issues and topics aren’t being heard.

"When the officers that are in charge of protecting us and keeping us safe aren’t held for the responsibilities of physical abuse or aggressive aggression when it’s not needed, it’s tough. Who keeps them in check when they cross the line? We have people, rules, and laws that keep us in check from breaking and hurting other people, but when the officers involved in these shootings and situations aren’t checked for when they abuse their power or cross the line, it puts fear in people’s heart. They know that they can be next, that they’re in trouble for having these encounters with officers who are sworn to protect and keep the people safe.

"So it’s very frustrating," he continued. "It just shows that there is a lot more work to be done. There’s a lot more protesting and talking to officials and people in charge that make sure that the people involved are held responsible just like we are. It’s not right that just because they have a uniform they’re protected and see no wrongdoing for whatever reason. But some of these situations are just disgusting and the fact that no charges are being brought to people who are losing their lives, losing their loved ones. So, it’s very frustrating for me to see that and now we’ve just got to continue to fight and continue to keep going to make change."

When Blake was shot, the NBA shut down. It took a three-day hiatus from the playoffs to reflect and devise a plan of action to create change. The Raptors were leaders in the movement and Powell was a leading voice.

But now, little has changed. The frustration and desire for real change remain the same.