The Nets/NBA and the crowd (plus mayoral candidates) at the Barclays Center plaza (now with John Lewis quote) react to the police murder verdict in Minneapolis

And nearly ten months after Black Lives Matter demonstrations grew frequent at the Barclays Center plaza, arena operators have gotten much better--after hesitating for more than a week, as I wrote for Bklyner--at swapping out programmatic advertising for more meaningful, if gnomic, statements about justice.

Before former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, a white man, was convicted yesterday of second-degree murder (and more) in the gruesome killing of arrestee George Floyd, a black man, demonstrations were planned for Barclays, with the Brooklyn Nets not inconveniently playing in New Orleans.

Outside Barclays Center in Brooklyn where demonstration is planned at 7pm.

“We will stand up for what is right, for what is fair, and what is just.” - John Lewis 1940-2020 pic.twitter.com/Dqp9AUDv66

— Bryan Llenas (@BryanLlenas) April 20, 2021

Given the conviction, the demonstrations were peaceful--but charged. As shown below, some protesters' sentiments--"Fuck 12" refers to the police--were not exactly the tone set by Martin Luther King Jr. and John Lewis, favored for the oculus.

Headlines include Words of John Lewis greet Brooklyn demonstrators: 'We will stand up for what is right', from NBC; Peaceful marches held across Brooklyn in wake of guilty verdict of Derek Chauvin, from News12; Political candidates descend on Barclays Center calling for police reform after George Floyd trial, from NY1; After Chauvin Verdict, Mayoral Candidates Promise Police Reform, from Gothamist; Crowds Gather At Barclays Center In Response To Derek Chauvin Verdict, from CBS; and Protesters in NYC demand full police abolition, harass diners after jury finds Chauvin guilty for Floyd murder, from RT.

Faced with protests, NY pols express relief at 'justice' after #Chauvin guilty verdicts https://t.co/TfBVaDaiQU via @nypmetro

— MetroFocus (@MetroFocus) April 21, 2021

One guilty verdict is not justice. NYC is at Barclays Center pushing for abolition. pic.twitter.com/4bBcYsMAqP

— Joshua Potash (@JoshuaPotash) April 21, 2021

Hundreds gathered at Barclays in Brooklyn to honor Black lives lost to or otherwise poisoned by police violence.

Some celebrate the Derek Chauvin verdict by dancing to "Fight the Power" by Public Enemy. pic.twitter.com/EG9f9sTUfw

— PROTEST_NYC (@protest_nyc) April 20, 2021

The ratio of press to real people here remains around 1:1.

— Nick Pinto (@macfathom) April 20, 2021

On Vanderbilt now, organizers pause outside of Maya Taqueria to castigate the outdoor diners: “We don’t want you here,” they say. “We don’t want your fucking money. We don’t want your fucking taquerias.” Then on again, northward, in the street. “Fire! Fire to the gentrifiers!”

— Nick Pinto (@macfathom) April 20, 2021

Some candidates are out

A mayoral candidate gauntlet over here. pic.twitter.com/ZQmlWxSXZA

— Gwynne Hogan (@GwynneFitz) April 21, 2021

Mayoral candidate ⁦@mayawiley⁩ is at Barclays, she was serving in the administration when #EricGarner was killed at the hands of NYPD. She says city has made significant strides since then. “Today, for once we got justice. For once, we got a little bit of what we deserve” pic.twitter.com/VOzdIYNQXe

— Gloria Pazmino (@GloriaPazmino) April 20, 2021

Just flagging. @Dianne4NYC is there on her own accord. I am her home base because I know she’ll stay after the cameras leave & NYPD gets dangerous for protestors. https://t.co/4lmKdHnId6

— Whitney Hu 胡安行 ☀️ (@whitney_hu) April 20, 2021

The NBA/Nets angle 

Note that the Knicks position themselves to the right of the Nets--and much of the league.

Joe Tsai and Clara Wu Tsai stand with George Floyd’s family, and our organization remains committed to working to end systemic racism and injustice. https://t.co/rYeXJ7DpR9 pic.twitter.com/IRFxMTE1xI

— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) April 20, 2021

Statement from the Knicks: pic.twitter.com/J1Lf6KUD7e

— Howard Beck (@HowardBeck) April 20, 2021

"I just hope that this is the type of statement by our justice system that gives hope and precedence for these type of verdicts to be the norm." pic.twitter.com/OucAdsFss6

— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) April 20, 2021