On Sunday, 20-year-old Daunte Wright was shot and killed by a police officer in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota during a traffic stop. The officer has claimed that she fired her handgun accidentally when she meant to use her taser, but that excuse has drawn skepticism from some and, even if true, doesn’t change the fact that Wright was killed whether it was an accidental shot or not.
That Wright was killed not far from where the trial into Derek Chauvin, the Minneapolis police officer who killed George Floyd by kneeling on his neck for nearly nine minutes, is ongoing has not been lost on many, and after demonstrations on Sunday night, more are expected on Monday in response the latest instance of a police officer shooting and killing a Black person in America.
The Minnesota Twins were scheduled to play the Red Sox at Target Field on Monday night, but announced they would be postponing the game after talking with MLB, local, and state officials, offering their sympathies to the family of Daunte Wright in the statement.
The Twins have postponed their game today against the Red Sox. Here’s the official statement: pic.twitter.com/dP6uSqAXjO
— Betsy Helfand (@betsyhelfand) April 12, 2021
The Twins are not the only Minnesota team with a game scheduled for Monday at home, as the Timberwolves are scheduled to play the Nets on Monday night, and as of now that game is still ongoing but that could potentially change. Wright’s tragic death at the hands of the police once again underscores the ongoing fight for racial justice, and if the Nets and Wolves do proceed with the game, one would expect some form of statement made by the two teams on the court.