#Biden offers support for Milwaukee Bucks following boycott of playoff game

Democratic Presidential Candidate Joe Biden offered his support for the Milwaukee Bucks after the team boycotted a playoff game Wednesday in solidarity with Jacob Blake.

“This moment demands moral leadership. And these players answered by standing up, speaking out, and using their platform for good,” Biden tweeted. “Now is not the time for silence.”

Biden shared a Twitter link to a video statement from the team, in which the Bucks called for the Wisconsin state Legislature to hold a special session addressing police reform.

Bucks guard George Hill read the team statement, urging for peaceful demonstrations and for residents to make their voices heard in the ballot box on Nov. 3.

“We are calling for justice for Jacob Blake and demand the officers be held accountable,” Hill said. “For this to occur, it is imperative for the Wisconsin legislature to reconvene after months of inaction and take meaningful measures to address police accountability, brutality and criminal justice reform.”

Wisconsin police officer Rusten Sheskey shot Blake seven times in the back at point-blank range on Sunday as they attempted to place him under arrest in front of his three young sons.

Blake has been paralyzed and may never walk again.

The Bucks on Wednesday also had a conference call with Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul as they pushed for action in response to Blake’s shootings.

Kaul said he was proud of the team for taking a stand.

“I had begun telling them just a little bit about how Wisconsin’s process works,” Kaul said. “I want to say, I commend the Bucks — and now all NBA teams have suspended their games today — for stepping up and participating in the dialogue about these issues and making their issues known.”

“The Bucks have, frankly, done more to address these issues than [State Assembly Speaker] Robin Vos or [State Sen.] Scott Fitzgerald have done, so I applaud them for stepping up and playing a leadership role in the debate.”