76ers' Tobias Harris: 'Y'all hear us, but you ain't listening'

The death of George Floyd has sparked outrage across the nation, and many professional athletes are beginning to condemn and combat racism and police brutality in various ways.

76ers star Tobias Harris recently took part in Philadelphia protests, and he's now discussing racial discrimination in a piece written for The Players' Tribune in which he explains why black Americans are so angry and fed up.

"We been in the streets protesting for years about police brutality," Harris wrote. "But it’s like, 'Y’all hear us, but you ain’t listening.' That’s what’s the most upsetting thing for me. And I know it is for others too, around the world.

"It seems like nothing is really working to get our voices heard. We have normalized this to the point where it’s common to see videos of people on social media being bashed by officers."

Harris continues on to discuss the accountability of police officers and people who discriminate against others, taking himself out of the "celebrity bubble," how "silence is unacceptable" and even includes some of his own experiences growing up in Long Island.

The 27-year-old isn't the only NBA player to take action, though. We've seen Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown drive 15 hours to Atlanta to lead a peaceful protest alongside Indiana Pacers guard Malcolm Brogdon, and Los Angeles Lakers legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar write an emotional op-ed for the Los Angeles Times stating "racism is more deadly than COVID-19." 

All of these actions come after Floyd, an African American man, died last week while being violently apprehended by former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin.

The 46-year-old was pinned to the ground by Chauvin, who then proceeded to kneel on his neck and prevent him from breathing. Floyd pleaded for his life and even told officer Chauvin he couldn't breathe, but Chauvin refused to move off his neck.

Floyd was later pronounced dead at the hospital, and Chauvin was arrested Friday on charges of third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.