Following the death of George Floyd at the hands of police, many people of color have been having difficult conversations with their children. These discussions have been centered around police brutality and how one should approach an interaction with the police, regardless of context. NBA legend Shaq is no stranger to these conversations and during an appearance on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!," Shaq divulged what he has been telling his sons over the years.
As he explains, he tells his kids to comply and try to reason with the officer's demands. Shaq noted that whatever happens, he would ultimately take it from there if need be. However, Shaq did note that complying doesn't always work, as we so clearly saw in the instance of Floyd.
“I have that talk with them all the time,” O’Neal said. “I tell them, first of all, you have to try to diffuse the situation by showing respect because you have to understand that these people are also out here doing their job. So, you try to diffuse the situation. And if it happens to get rough, don’t say anything, don’t do anything. Just comply. And then, when all is said and done, you call me. And if stuff gets out of hand, then I will handle it. I will be the one to come down there and act crazy. I don’t want you to act crazy while you’re out there by yourself. So, I just try to tell them to just comply, to just listen.”
With protests against police brutality happening all across the country, perhaps we could see a shift in police culture in the United States. A change of this magnitude is well overdue.