WASHINGTON — The Washington Mystics' players are taking a stance on police shootings and are going on strike to shed light on the brutal shooting of 29-year-old Jacob Blake by police in Kenosha, Wisconsin on Sunday.
Mystics' players collectively wore shirts with seven gunshots on the back to symbolically represent the number of times Jacob Blake was shot by Kenosha police.
The team's unified decision to go on strike and cancel the game on Wednesday night was to use their platform to show what is happening in the world and to put pressure on the leaders that can help move Blake's incident move forward, Mystics' player Ariel Atkins said.
The team considered the business side of canceling the game in comparison to human life and they chose not to play. Atkins said the team talked to other teams within the league to make sure that everyone felt supported during these times.
"Think about that, the fact that we even have to make those two comparisons," Atkins said.
She explained that the move for the team to come together was in an effort to make a bold statement.
"If we do this unified as a league it looks different because this league is close to, if not, 85% black women," said Atkins. "We have cousins, we have brothers, we have sisters, we have mothers, we matter."
She said the goal is to make sure that everyone is having a conversation and to get influential lawmakers to make a change.
"If you have a problem with us saying Black Lives Matter, well you need to check your privilege," said Atkins.
Atlanta Dreams player Elizabeth Williams also shared a message of solidarity after choosing not to play on Wednesday night against the Mystics.
Williams said they want fans to stay focused and is encouraging them to vote and complete the 2020 U.S. Census.
"Black Lives Matter, Say Her Name, Say His Name," Williams said in a statement.
Players with the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers recently voted in favor of canceling the remainder of the NBA playoffs Wednesday, although players on other teams voted to keep playing, according to multiple news outlets. It's not clear what it will mean for the league going forward.
The decision comes after a day where teams across four professional sports leagues postponed games in solidarity after police shot Blake.
Cellphone video caught the moment where Blake was shot several times by police. The footage showed him leaning into his SUV, while three of his children were sitting in the vehicle. The video has since circulated widely on social media. He was hospitalized in serious condition following the incident.
The video sparked nights of unrest in Wisconsin. Protesters set cars on fire, smashed windows and clashed with officers in riot gear.
The family attorney for Blake said Tuesday he is paralyzed and it would “take a miracle” for him to walk again.
Attorney Ben Crump, speaking alongside family members of Blake, said the 29-year-old was in surgery after being shot on Sunday night.
“They shot my son seven times, seven times, like he didn’t matter,” said Blake’s father, who is also named Jacob Blake. “But my son matters. He’s a human being and he matters.”
Another family attorney said they would be filing a civil lawsuit against the police department over the shooting. Police have said little about what happened, other than that they were responding to a domestic dispute.
The Wisconsin Department of Justice is investigating.