Oscar De La Hoya Comments On Recent Violence In America.
Boxing Hall Of Fame legend Oscar De La Hoya recently took to his Facebook page in a plead for unity in the wake of the killings of Alton Sterling,Philando Castille, and the murders of five Dallas police officers Brent Thompson,Patrick Zamarripa, Michael Krol,Michael Smith, and Lorne Ahrens.
"This last 10 days has been an extremely dark time for our country. African-American civilians have been gunned down for seemingly no reason; police officers protecting the freedoms we all enjoy have been assassinated; some Americans have unfortunately chosen sides.But unlike in a boxing match, there is no winner here. When our country is pulled apart, we are all losers.I grew up at a time of great racial division in Los Angeles, the only city I’ve ever called home. Not long before I headed to Barcelona to compete in the Olympics, the horrendous beating of Rodney King and subsequent acquittal of the police officers involved sparked a riot that none of us in the city will ever forget.My worry is that if we don’t quickly recognize that brutality, violence and murder is exactly that – regardless of the color of those involved -- we are dangerously close to following a similar path.I am reminded of a quote from President John F. Kennedy that offers, in my humble opinion, a good guide for how to proceed out of these dark times.President Kennedy said, “Our most basic common link is that we all inhabit this planet. We all breathe the same air. We all cherish our children's future. And we are all mortal.”I hope we will all heed those words in the weeks, months and years ahead."