Ron Harper is a five-time NBA champion whose son, Dylan Harper, was drafted by the Spurs this season. A resident of Dayton, Ohio, Ron Harper, found a video online where a social media account claimed that Muslim Immigrants were blocking the streets of Philadelphia to pray’ in public during an active day.
Despite staying over an eight-hour drive away from Philadelphia, Harper found this very disturbing. He went to the comment section and urged the drivers in the cars to take aggressive action.
“Run them over… Get out the streets,” wrote Harper on X.
When the public lashed back at Harper for these comments, he engaged with some people to clarify his stance.
“The streets are for cars and trucks,” he further added when an X user called him out.
“Want if you’ve to pick your kids up or go to work? You can pray in a safe place; everyone knows the time to pray, it’s not a surprise, right?” he said.
“All good, I won’t lose sleep,” said the five-time NBA champion as people threatened to take back their recommendations that helped Harper’s cigar business.
“No, you can pray, but why in the middle of the streets? Unsafe for everyone,” Harper further added when he was accused of promoting an Anti-Arab ideology.
“But they don’t, and others work or pick kids up,” said the NBA legend when an X user asked him if he would be okay with them if they had a permit for blocking the streets.
While his main concern may have been the same if it were people of any other community blocking the streets, Harper did not really need to make such an aggravating comment. It not only encourages violence, but also provides a platform to people on the internet to twist his words and use them as a propagation of hate towards Islam.
Harper may not have intended to attack the community as a whole, but the former Bulls and Lakers player needs to realize that, as an icon in the community, twisted interpretations of his words could be taken to mean anything and may land him in trouble.
Harper can argue that he would respond the same way to any unnecessary blockades on the streets, but he needs to understand that his choice of words was not the most well-thought-through.
Several fans flooded the comment section with hate towards the whole community instead of figuring out a solution to the issue of street blocking. Harper may or may not take back his words; his own words indicate that he intends to stick with what he said. Therefore, he needs to prepare himself for the consequences that may come in the form of public scrutiny from media figures and his fans.
