Stephen A. Smith has been known to ruffle a few feathers for his candid sports commentary. However his most recent thoughts are a far cry from the world of athletics — and they’ve landed him in hot water.
On Tuesday, Smith received criticism for his series of tweets that defended comments made by Democratic presidential candidate, Martin O’Malley during a recent Netroots Nation conference in Maryland. O’Malley declared: “Black lives matter. White lives matter. All lives matter” in response to demonstrators who chanted “Black lives matter.” Smith responded to those who reportedly booed O’Malley’s comment.
Where is all the noise about #BlackLivesMatter when black folks are killing black folks?
— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) July 21, 2015
There’s nothing wrong when a presidential candidate says “All lives Matter”!
— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) July 21, 2015
I’m a black man. Of course I know #BlackLivesMatter. You can’t boo a presidential candidate just b/c he says “all lives matter”.
— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) July 21, 2015
Rapper-activist Talib Kweli responded to Smith’s tweets online and called out the 47-year-old host for his controversial comments.
(No man. No. Don’t do this.) RT @stephenasmith: Where is all the noise about #BlackLivesMatter when black folks are killing black folks?
— Talib Kweli Greene (@TalibKweli) July 21, 2015
@stephenasmith also #BlackLivesMatter is a direct response to police brutality of POC. We should not say it because poor ppl commit crimes?
— Talib Kweli Greene (@TalibKweli) July 21, 2015
@stephenasmith 90% of blacks who kill other blacks get arrested & go to jail. Cops who kill unarmed … http://t.co/autB7ocaU1
— Talib Kweli Greene (@TalibKweli) July 21, 2015
(Unless all lives are not treated like they matter) RT @stephenasmith: There’s nothing wrong when a candidate says “All lives Matter”!
— Talib Kweli Greene (@TalibKweli) July 21, 2015
@stephenasmith so I guess you show up at funerals and yell out “what’s the big deal? Everyone dies!”
— Talib Kweli Greene (@TalibKweli) July 21, 2015
@stephenasmith you too smart for this fam
— Talib Kweli Greene (@TalibKweli) July 21, 2015
Smith went on to share some of his same thoughts on his SiriusXM radio show, “The Stephen A. Smith Show,” and released a statement on Tuesday (below).
I didn’t hear Gov. Martin O’Malley’s interview. And I’m not debating the significance of “Black Lives Matter.” I’m a BLACK MAN! I know this.
Nor am I focusing on O’Malley’s words or context itself. That’s really not the issue to me.
The issue is: as much as attention was so desperately aimed towards “Black Lives Matter,” where is all this noise when Black folks are getting killed in our communities every single day? Does it only matter when we’re getting killed OUTSIDE OF OUR COMMUNITY, by folks who look differently than us?
That was my point. It IS my point. It will REMAIN my point. And I’m not changing my position one bit.
Whatever context O’Malley made in saying “All Lives Matter” is his issue to deal with. The same could be said for Hillary Rodham-Clinton when she alluded to that weeks ago. But it still does not negate the point that if we’ve reached a point where a PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE is forced to apologize and engage in clarification when choosing to say “ALL LIVES MATTER” — while a few Black Folks are allowed to reign terror throughout our own community by killing one another with nary a word said about it, then the problems that truly permeate the Black Community will never be resolved.
It’s the truth. Deal with it.
No Black Man with a soul would dream of attacking the movement that is “Black Lives Matter.” I’m certainly not doing any such thing. I never will.
Just make sure I hear #BlackLivesMatter ALL the time.
Specifically, when we’re getting killed by one another.”
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