Michael Bennett Sr. Opens Up After His Son Is Detained By Vegas Police
Bennett Sr. talks about overcoming stereotypes about black men in a new Sports Illustrated interview.
While some fans were shocked to hear about Michael Bennett‘s arrest after the McGregor-Mayweather fight in August, no one was more heartbroken than his father.
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Michael Bennett Sr. got the call at 4:30 on the morning of Sunday Aug. 27. He knew that the early morning ringing was a terrible sign.
“You don’t want to answer the phone because you don’t want to find out [what happened], but you know you got to. So I answered it. And it was Michael,” Bennett Sr. told Sports Illustrated.
Bennett told his father the horrifying story of how what sounded like gun shots erupted in Vegas, which led to an officer putting a gun near his head and telling him he’d “blow his f***ing head off,” if he moved.
Bennett Sr. could hear the fear in his eldest son’s voice: “He was really upset, he was nervous, he was scared, he was shook. He felt like his life just flashed right before him. Any wrong move and he would have lost his life that night. Fortunately for him he didn’t say anything. If he had said something, maybe he wouldn’t be with us today.”
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And, as Bennett would go on to explain, that’s what it’s like to grow up Black and raise sons who have to live with that fear. Hanging out with friends is never that simple. Two Black kids in a car are fine, but four is a gang.
Michael Bennett will keep pushing for equality for the oppressed. pic.twitter.com/7ewLE1HWlX
— SB Nation (@SBNation) September 7, 2017
“They’d be looked at as a gang and they’d get treated as such. That should not be the case. Nobody should have to tell their 15-year-old son he can’t go get a burger with his friends because you look like you’re in a gang. Because of the color of your skin. Growing up we taught them that, we instilled that in them because we wanted them to be safe when they were not with us,” said Michael’s father.
The eldest Bennett, who served in the military, also finds it interesting that people are criticizing his son for being “unpatriotic” because he sits during the national anthem.
“I joined the military so people like Michael and Martellus and whoever else out there can take a knee or make a stand, peacefully, and get their point across and not be ridiculed,” he said.
Read the rest of Michael Bennett Sr.’s Sports Illustrated interview here.
SOURCE: Sports Illustrated
SEE ALSO:
How Michael Bennett’s Arrest May Help Colin Kaepernick Return To The NFL
Martellus Bennett Posts Chicken-Eating, Kool-Aid-Drinking Black Olympics Video

67 Black Men And Boys Killed By Police
67 Black Men And Boys Killed By Police
1. De’von Bailey, 19
Grand jury rules fatal officers' shooting of Devon Bailey was justified. https://t.co/MHXYQn87aH
— Scott Kilbury (@SKilburyFOX21) November 14, 2019
2. Christopher Whitfield, 31
Cop Shoots, Kills Mentally Ill Black Man #ChristopherWhitfield As He Ran Away With Foodhttps://t.co/40a5i5QnEZ pic.twitter.com/nqsIRK6JZe
— Benjamin Young Savage (ᐱᓐᒋᐱᓐ) (@benjancewicz) October 16, 2019
3. Anthony Hill, 26
Former Officer Robert Olsen killed Anthony Hill over four years ago and was finally convicted (not of murder). Will get get the Amber Guyger treatment? #AnthonyHillhttps://t.co/HZVf3tOEOL
— NewsOne (@newsone) October 25, 2019
4. De'Von Bailey, 19
De'Von Bailey was shot in the back and killed by police, his family says. They're rallying for 'justice' https://t.co/vqaIOSAaWC pic.twitter.com/3ArNAcuanP
— newnoticetrump (@donald17t) August 14, 2019
5. Eric Logan, 54
BREAKING NEWS OUT OF SOUTH BEND:
— Joshua Short (@JoshuaShortWNDU) June 27, 2019
Two lawyers representing the estate of 54-year-old Eric Logan, who was shot and killed by a South Bend police officer, have sued that officer, Sgt. Ryan O'Neill and Mayor Pete Buttigieg.
The suit was filed in federal court today.
(READ THREAD) pic.twitter.com/frOpKFQIAV
6. Jamarion Robinson, 26
Please join the family of Jamarion Robinson and community organizations on 8/5 to demand #justiceforjam #justiceforjamarion #76shots pic.twitter.com/wpVAoqmiQA
— Tiff Roberts (@shedefendsit) July 27, 2017
7. Gregory Hill Jr., 30
Gregory Hill, Jr. - the family of Greg Hill grants permission to use these photos to honor Greg or tell his story. pic.twitter.com/uhn1RbEQBv
— John M. Phillips (@JohnPhillips) June 1, 2018
8. JaQuavion Slaton, 20
This is Jaquavion Slaton, the 20-year-old who was was shot & killed by Fort Worth Police on Sunday. Community demanding release of body camera video, but FWPD hasn’t said when/if that will happen. #WFAA pic.twitter.com/iakQyWrRCl
— Teresa Woodard (@twoodard8) June 10, 2019
9. Ryan Twyman, 24
9 of 6710. Brandon Webber, 20
When they see us, they kill us...
— Jeneisha Harris (@JeneishaCHarris) June 13, 2019
Brandon Webber, father of 3, shot by U. S. Marshalls 16-20 times in Memphis.
No one deserves to be shot and killed like this.
I could say so much but I’m really at a loss for words. pic.twitter.com/9EFhUplHDw
11. Jimmy Atchison, 21
11 of 6712. Willie McCoy, 20
One of six officers who fired at Willie McCoy had killed unarmed man in 2018 || Via: Guardian https://t.co/CjrSIa8r1Z
— SafetyPin-Daily (@SafetyPinDaily) February 23, 2019
13. Emantic "EJ" Fitzgerald Bradford Jr., 21
My God.
— Shaun King (@shaunking) November 24, 2018
American police just killed another "good guy with a gun."
Emantic Fitzgerald Bradford Jr., better known as EJ, the son of a police officer, was an active duty officer for the Army, home for Thanksgiving.
Murdered by police yesterday in a mall shooting in Alabama. pic.twitter.com/xHsiOPUD5y
14. D’ettrick Griffin, 18
Family of D’Ettrick Griffin, man fatally shot by police while trying to steal an unmarked cruiser, is suing City of Atlanta and officer involved https://t.co/4oBbxFAvoF pic.twitter.com/0KMeVwST9I
— CBS46 (@cbs46) February 8, 2019
15. Jemel Roberson, 26
Security guard Jemel Roberson was holding down a shooting suspect when police burst in and shot Roberson instead. pic.twitter.com/zNsYvQMRg8
— HuffPost (@HuffPost) November 14, 2018
16. DeAndre Ballard, 23
#NCCU remembers Fallen Eagle, Mr. DeAndre Ballard. A vigil will be held on Sun., 9/23, 11 a.m., in the A.E. Student Union lobby. https://t.co/4rnPAX1wlG #SoarInPeace pic.twitter.com/RZZxKJaivh
— N.C. Central University (@NCCU) September 21, 2018
17. Botham Shem Jean, 26
The young man who was killed by a Dallas police officer in his own apartment this morning has been identified as 26-year-old Botham Jean. He worked at the PwC firm in Downtown Dallas. https://t.co/oyjHMdMXVv pic.twitter.com/uSvJWJ062e
— FOX 4 NEWS (@FOX4) September 7, 2018
18. Robert Lawrence White, 41
The kind and well-loved Robert Lawrence White was gunned down, unarmed, by a Montgomery County police officer. Now his family faces not only this traumatic... https://t.co/Xbrq1PdNdq
— KB (@Yklaab) June 16, 2018
19. Anthony Lamar Smith, 24

20. Ramarley Graham, 18

21. Manuel Loggins Jr., 31

22. Trayvon Martin, 17

23. Wendell Allen, 20

24. Kendrec McDade, 19

25. Larry Jackson Jr., 32

26. Jonathan Ferrell, 24

27. Jordan Baker, 26

28. Victor White lll, 22

29. Dontre Hamilton, 31

30. Eric Garner, 43

31. John Crawford lll, 22

32. Michael Brown, 18

33. Ezell Ford, 25

34. Dante Parker, 36

35. Kajieme Powell, 25

36. Laquan McDonald, 17

37. Akai Gurley, 28

38. Tamir Rice, 12

39. Rumain Brisbon, 34

40. Jerame Reid, 36

41. Charly Keunang, 43

42. Tony Robinson, 19

43. Walter Scott, 50

44. Freddie Gray, 25

45. Brendon Glenn, 29

46. Samuel DuBose, 43

47. Christian Taylor, 19

48. Jamar Clark, 24

49. Mario Woods, 26

50. Quintonio LeGrier, 19

51. Gregory Gunn, 58

52. Akiel Denkins, 24

53. Alton Sterling, 37

54. Philando Castile, 32

55. Terrence Sterling, 31

56. Terence Crutcher, 40

57. Keith Lamont Scott, 43

58. Alfred Olango, 38

59. Jordan Edwards, 15

60. Stephon Clark, 22
Please, do not forget #BlackLivesMatter #StephonClark pic.twitter.com/474DSVBGLm
— Zendaya (@Zendaya) March 27, 2018
61. Danny Ray Thomas, 34
Source:false 61 of 6762. DeJuan Guillory, 27
DeJuan Guillory #TakeAKnee4Me pic.twitter.com/SrSaweU6dY
— Faces Of Injustice (@takeaknee4me) October 12, 2017
63. Patrick Harmon, 50
Patrick Harmon was shot and killed by police in Salt Lake City, Utah. The district attorney says the shooting was "legally justified." pic.twitter.com/zYBOwlTzRb
— NBC News (@NBCNews) October 7, 2017
64. Jonathan Hart, 21
Friends and family of Jonathan Heart aka Sky Young, a young #homeless man killed last Sunday at a Walgreens in #Hollywood for allegedly shoplifting, gather tonight to remember the 20-year-old. pic.twitter.com/uiMRiFnutq
— Jasmyne Cannick (@Jasmyne) December 9, 2018
65. Maurice Granton, 24
Dash cam footage of police killing Maurice Granton Jr. has been released. His family says it proves that he was unarmed pic.twitter.com/YLAM7my1ny
— NowThis (@nowthisnews) July 26, 2018
66. Julius Johnson, 23
66 of 6767 Black Men And Boys Killed By Police
UPDATED: 9:54 a.m. EDT, November 16, 2019 -- Police shooting and killing Black males is all but a centuries-old American tradition among law enforcement in the U.S. But the fact that this apparent rite of police passage was still thriving in 2019 and expected to continue well into 2020 and beyond should give any American citizen pause as more and more names of Black males continue to be added to a growing list of victims with what seems like a new shooting every week. READ MORE: Police Shootings And The Public Execution Of Black People Other victims' names include, but certainly, aren't limited to: Tamir Rice; Botham Shem Jean; E.J. Bradford; and Michael Brown. As NewsOne continues covering these shootings that so often go ignored by mainstream media, the below running list Black men and boys who have been shot and killed by police under suspicious circumstances can serve as a tragic reminder of the danger they face upon being born into a world of hate that branded them as suspects since birth.
Michael Bennett Sr. Opens Up After His Son Is Detained By Vegas Police was originally published on newsone.com