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elleng

(136,055 posts)
Thu Jul 23, 2015, 12:02 AM Jul 2015

Stephen A. Smith Catches Twitter Heat For Backing Martin O'Malley's 'All Lives Matter' Comment.

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.

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.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/stephen-a-smith-blacklivesmatter-backlash_55afe3fbe4b07af29d57333e?utm_hp_ref=media&ir=Media&section=media

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Stephen A. Smith Catches Twitter Heat For Backing Martin O'Malley's 'All Lives Matter' Comment. (Original Post) elleng Jul 2015 OP
That's a hard line for O'Malley to walk JustAnotherGen Jul 2015 #1

JustAnotherGen

(33,550 posts)
1. That's a hard line for O'Malley to walk
Thu Jul 23, 2015, 10:44 AM
Jul 2015

He was addressing the issues in Baltimore - and look how he was 'painted' when the protests and riot started? I'm hoping this gentleman is pro O'Malley and he's just not ginning up trouble for him.

Right now O'M is posting pics from events in Iowa and STILL folks with Confederate Flags in their profile pics and whose 'About' info includes Donald Trump, Republican Party, Tea Party, Allen West, etc. etc. are going after him for changing it back to Black Lives Matter.

*sigh*

You can't win - but at the end of the day O'Malley has a much better shot at the black voters in the Primary - than these Republican Asshats in a General Election.

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