Kenny Smith Writes Open Letter To Charles Barkley About Ferguson

Kenny Smith offers up his response to Charles Barkley’s Ferguson opinions

It’s hard to think of Charles Barkley without automatically thinking about the number of opinions he’s expressed on-air; from basketball to social issues, Barkley is seldom quiet in his beliefs.

It was no surprise, then, when the former NBA All-Star went on-air to give his two cents regarding the Ferguson decision.

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He criticized the decision, but went on to argue that the looters who burned businesses and robbed convenience stores in the aftermath were ‘scumbags’. He apprehended those who took offense with the police force as a whole, reminding them that a number of officers will never take the kinds of actions that Darren Wilson did and even going as far as to suggest that many neighborhoods would be like ‘the Wild West’ without police presence.

The backlash he received for his views was rather prolific, but he stood firm in the positions he took on air.

As a rebuttal, his friend and fellow TNT analyst Kenny Smith wrote him a letter; the full response was published by USA Today FTW.

In the letter, Smith starts off by praising Barkley for his numerous basketball-related accolades, then gently criticizes his friend and colleague for attempting to give opinions on a subject he’s less than an expert in. He compares Barkley giving social commentary — that the public then holds up against civil rights activists and President Obama — to the activists or Obama attempting to pass themselves off as NBA analysts.

"“However, what I consistently find interesting is how writers and media members view your insights in politics, and now race relations, with the same reverence as your insights in sports.They did it in the Trayvon Martin trial and now with Mike Brown and the decision in Ferguson. It’s not that you shouldn’t ever have an opinion, but you are often quoted alongside the likes of Al Sharpton and even President Obama. I would hope that Sharpton or President Obama would never be referenced with you when picking the next NBA Champs!”"

He then offers up his own opinion on the matter:

"“The question must be asked: Why is there so much distrust in the police and the legal system from the African American community? Without manifesting what the effects of slavery still have today, Dec 1st still marks only 59 years since Rosa Parks sat on that memorable bus. Many of our parents and grandparents have lived through those times and have passed those stories on to all of us. Those civil rights changes were at one time the law! They were not illegal.”"

He argues that many of those perceived as living “the Struggle” view the looting and riots as their only option for being heard, comparing the actions of those protestors who turned violent to the way one might behave if trapped on a desert island with 100 other individuals and no food. Rather than calling the oppressed population ‘scumbags’, he suggests, those in positions of privilege should work towards providing more positive and beneficial outlets than anger and violence to those who most need it.

He finishes off by voicing the sentiment that many feel, but few have been able to voice as eloquently as he does:

"“Mike Brown wasn’t about race relations, nor Trayvon Martin or even Hurricane Katrina for that matter. It’s about trust. Do I trust you to help me off the island? If so, do you have my best interests at heart? Do I trust that you will you send a ship or allow me access to build my own ship?And you were right Chuck, let’s not discredit that there are great police officers in all neighborhoods, but let’s not credit that we shouldn’t have doubt.See you Thursday night!Kenny Smith”"

The letter, which was published a mere sixteen hours prior to this report, has already received 637 thousand shares on social media.

Going through just the most recent Twitter responses alone, it seems that the message is clear: in the most respectful way possible, Kenny Smith managed to take the viewpoints of a respected colleague, award due credit, then take offense with the parts of the original sound-off in a way that both productively outlined the flaws he found in Barkley’s views and offered a solution. He hit the nail on the head — the Ferguson decision was so jarring because the most prevalent issue at hand is mutual trust between a community and those employed to protect it — without pointing fingers, making blanket judgements, or deepening the chasm created between the two sides of this issues.

Between the two analysts, you’d be hard-pressed to find an American citizen — arguably a global citizen — who hasn’t heard his view echoed on the public stage. Needless to say, “Inside the NBA” might hit some record-high views tonight.

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