Damian Lillard on Trump protests: 'Tearing apart your own city just isn't the place to begin'

[SlyPokerDog]

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Trail Blazers All-Star guard Damian Lillard is questioning the damage and violence taking place in Portland, Oregon, during anti-Donald Trump protests, saying that isn't the proper way to go about implementing change.

"I think it's very unfortunate that people have done some of the things they have done during the protest. A lot of harm and damage has been done," Lillard told ESPN on Saturday. "I do understand their frustration, and I commend people wanting to come together for some kind of change. Tearing apart your own city just isn't the place to begin, and also making your own city less of a safe place isn't the answer."

Read the rest here --------> http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/...rtland-oregon-following-donald-trump-election

 

[SlyPokerDog]

Lillard for President 2040!

 

[SlyPokerDog]

"Portland has been a great place since I've been here and long before, but this type of activity doesn't even seem to fit the description of Portland," Lillard said. "Especially when the majority of the people here voted for Hillary. So if this is an anti-Trump rally, then you're probably harming the people that you side with in most cases. So again I share the same worry, but I don't think this is the solution."

- Lillard

 

[Denny Crane]

Gotta love the guy.

 

[Pinwheel1]

"Portland has been a great place since I've been here and long before, but this type of activity doesn't even seem to fit the description of Portland," Lillard said. "Especially when the majority of the people here voted for Hillary. So if this is an anti-Trump rally, then you're probably harming the people that you side with in most cases. So again I share the same worry, but I don't think this is the solution."

- Lillard

Perfectly stated by Dame.

 

[TBpup]

First let me state, I had/have no dog in this fight. Secondly, majority of votes is not how the elections works. If it did, more people would spend time in California trying to get votes to make the margin not so big. Since they know that state will always vote Democratic, there is no point in going there and they voted for Hillary by about 3.5 million votes. Take out California and Trump won the rest of the country by 3 million votes.

The system was designed to not let one state or city control the rest of the country. If it was by popular vote, Trump (or Republicans in the past) would spend time there trying to even out the margin.

I'm no Trump fan but when people who didn't vote for him are trashing the businesses of friends of mine who actually voted for Hillary, I find that tough to accept. Someone got in my face the other day (having no idea who I voted for but probably because I was dressed for work and in a suit) and started in with how racist and intolerant I was.

I found that quite ironic since they were being very intolerant of me and I was just standing there doing nothing waiting to meet a client.

A gay, married client of mine voted for Trump because he correctly pointed out that Hillary had been anti gay marriage as recently as 2014 while Trump really hasn't cared one way or the other. I found that to be an interesting opinion and was shocked by his vote but couldn't fight his logic. He also brought up another interesting point. If this country was so racist, where were the demonstrations, riots and damage done when Obama was elected in 2008 and 2012? He said he couldn't find anything that came near the disruption and damage that these protesters are causing. Again, I couldn't argue back.

I get the frustration and don't think most people really thought either candidate was great. A political friend of mine said that if the Democratic party hadn't treated Bernie Sanders so poorly, Hillary would have won as 20+% of Bernie voters voted for Trump.

Now that was ironic.

Markets were supposed to crash but instead are at an all-time high. He is supposed to hate minorities but has people like a single, African American female running his charities for him. Mind you, that lady had some type of criminal record and yet he hired her anyhow and she rose the to the point where she is now.

About every other President is one that one side or the other doesn't like. I've just never seen this type of 'reaction' to it.

 

[GriLtCheeZ]

When is the protest against the Democrats who didn't bother to vote? I'll definitely show up to that one.

 

[riverman]

I've just never seen this type of 'reaction' to it.

Us old geezers have....from the 60s and 70s the riots were way worse...we even suffered an assassination of our president..thought I'd link a list of riots against the US govt in history....be warned..it's a long list, including the military rioting against the govt early in our history
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_incidents_of_civil_unrest_in_the_United_States

 

[TBpup]

Us old geezers have....from the 60s and 70s the riots were way worse...we even suffered an assassination of our president..thought I'd link a list of riots against the US govt in history....be warned..it's a long list, including the military rioting against the govt early in our history
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_incidents_of_civil_unrest_in_the_United_States

I may not be an old geezer but my clock certainly is ticking...lol/ Hopefully it just ticks to Lillard time. Of course there have been riots but I was referring to riots/damage/disruption in relation to an elected President. I'm sure there were people who didn't like Obama for what he stood for and sadly some idiots who didn't like him because of his race, but I don't remember this type of reaction, damage, response, or disruption that we are seeing now.

He won based on the rules presented to him at the beginning of the race. Many people chose not to vote because they didn't like either candidate. So we have what we have. I was not optimistic but there are some things that might be better than I thought. How world leaders have reacted was surprisingly positive including some leaders that had become so frustrated with Obama they wouldn't take to him at all anymore. Also, some of the people listed for cabinet positions are not the typical career politicians and maybe that is what we need to get us out of what he will walk into on day 1......a $20 trillion deficit which is bigger than all of the deficits of all the other presidents in the history of this country.....combined.

That was going to be a big hole to dig out of no matter who became the President.

 

[Driew]

When is the protest against the Democrats who didn't bother to vote? I'll definitely show up to that one.

Not to mention in the purple states that were projected to go blue but went red instead had Trump winning with a margin that Stein and Johnson supporters voted instead of for Hillary. So when people say voting third party doesn't hurt this is proof that it does.

 

[riverman]

So when people say voting third party doesn't hurt this is proof that it does.

Only if you want the two major parties to continue to clench power and fight amongst each other....this was the first election in my life I've chosen not to vote against someone because of their political party or vote for a major party candidate...I feel good about it...I don't think my vote hurt the country as much as hurt the status quo..I voted for change and to send a msg that as much as I hate Trump....I won't vote for deception either...from this election forward, I'm an independent voter.....no more team sports....I've had a lifetime of Dems and Republicans not playing well with each other. When the govt works for the people again instead of the people working for them.....and they accomplish some long overdue infrastructure reforms....I'll re-evaluate my politics

 

[riverman]

So when people say voting third party doesn't hurt

when all of the candidates get invited to the debates at least to the point where folks even know who they are....then get back to me....not allowing them a fair shot at competing is what hurts the country....the election runoff should have been a four way story all year...not just a major party celebration

 

[TBpup]

Not to mention in the purple states that were projected to go blue but went red instead had Trump winning with a margin that Stein and Johnson supporters voted instead of for Hillary. So when people say voting third party doesn't hurt this is proof that it does.

Sometimes 3rd party hurts one side, sometimes it hurts the other.

 

[riverman]

I read there were more write in votes this election than previously.....even Ernie Johnson wrote in Kasich....more people could not live with a Trump or Clinton choice and in the end, refused to be forced into it. People say 3rd party vote, but there were many parties....Green Party, Constitution Party, Libertarian Party....and yes...even a Socialist Party..(it's been a party since 1901) on and on but they never get ink or are given a platform to debate. In that way....the elections are rigged to favor a two party election....

 

[Orion Bailey]

First let me state, I had/have no dog in this fight. Secondly, majority of votes is not how the elections works. If it did, more people would spend time in California trying to get votes to make the margin not so big. Since they know that state will always vote Democratic, there is no point in going there and they voted for Hillary by about 3.5 million votes. Take out California and Trump won the rest of the country by 3 million votes.

The system was designed to not let one state or city control the rest of the country. If it was by popular vote, Trump (or Republicans in the past) would spend time there trying to even out the margin.

I'm no Trump fan but when people who didn't vote for him are trashing the businesses of friends of mine who actually voted for Hillary, I find that tough to accept. Someone got in my face the other day (having no idea who I voted for but probably because I was dressed for work and in a suit) and started in with how racist and intolerant I was.

I found that quite ironic since they were being very intolerant of me and I was just standing there doing nothing waiting to meet a client.

A gay, married client of mine voted for Trump because he correctly pointed out that Hillary had been anti gay marriage as recently as 2014 while Trump really hasn't cared one way or the other. I found that to be an interesting opinion and was shocked by his vote but couldn't fight his logic. He also brought up another interesting point. If this country was so racist, where were the demonstrations, riots and damage done when Obama was elected in 2008 and 2012? He said he couldn't find anything that came near the disruption and damage that these protesters are causing. Again, I couldn't argue back.

I get the frustration and don't think most people really thought either candidate was great. A political friend of mine said that if the Democratic party hadn't treated Bernie Sanders so poorly, Hillary would have won as 20+% of Bernie voters voted for Trump.

Now that was ironic.

Markets were supposed to crash but instead are at an all-time high. He is supposed to hate minorities but has people like a single, African American female running his charities for him. Mind you, that lady had some type of criminal record and yet he hired her anyhow and she rose the to the point where she is now.

About every other President is one that one side or the other doesn't like. I've just never seen this type of 'reaction' to it.

It comes down to this. The ignorant ones of this country think we are a democracy. We aren't. we are a republic.

 

[KingSpeed]

Way to go, Dame! I've wanted Hillary in the White House since 2004 and have given much money to the cause so this was a big punch to the gut. However, now that I've had a few days to recover, I'm absolutely ready to give Trump the benefit of the doubt. I hope he's a great President. If not, I'm putting my energy into Julian Castro for 2020. We need young blood in there, someone without excessive baggage. Castro is my age so that's what I'm thinking. But for now, Go Trump!

 

[Denny Crane]

Way to go, Dame! I've wanted Hillary in the White House since 2004 and have given much money to the cause so this was a big punch to the gut. However, now that I've had a few days to recover, I'm absolutely ready to give Trump the benefit of the doubt. I hope he's a great President. If not, I'm putting my energy into Julian Castro for 2020. We need young blood in there, someone without excessive baggage. Castro is my age so that's what I'm thinking. But for now, Go Trump!

 

[SlyPokerDog]

Hey everyone, we have some great discussions going on in the off topic about the election results and all things political. I almost posted this article in the OT section because of the subject matter but it's Lillard related so I posted it here. It's tough but can we try and keep the political arguments out of this thread.

 

[riverman]

political arguments

I think you're reading a different thread dude....this one has been very civil

 

[SlyPokerDog]

I think you're reading a different thread dude....this one has been very civil

Didn't say it wasn't civil. Just trying to keep the discussion from going too far off the rails.

 

[riverman]

I almost posted this article in the OT

Dame discussed the political topic......don't see an argument here and I'm sure you could move it without complaint if you'd rather keep it out of the basketball forum..sure doesn't bother me.

 

[riverman]

Didn't say it wasn't civil. Just trying to keep the discussion from going too far off the rails.

That would be the OT section