Carmelo Anthony returned to his hometown of Baltimore to march with protesters and investigate the environment in the wake of the Freddie Gray social movement.
“This is my community. It’s not only my community, it’s everybody’s community. It’s America’s community,” Anthony said in an interview with CNN.
Anthony, who plays for the Knicks, moved to Baltimore when he was eight and stayed until college when he left to attend Syracuse.
“I was one of them,” Anthony said while walking with protesters. “I’m here for a different cause. I’m here to talk to the youth about kind of calming things down here in the city. We shouldn’t tear our city down; we’ve got to rebuild our city. We’re going to get the justice that we want. It’s going to take some time.
“My message to everybody is calm down, let’s just be patient. I know that’s easier said than done right now, to be patient. But we have to be patient in order for us to get what we want.”
Anthony said he understood that everyone was fed up, but he wants them to protest peacefully and not destructively.
“I had to come. It was only right that I come,” said Anthony, who is preaching leadership.
Anthony was notably wearing a sweatshirt that says “Cassius Clay” on it, which is Muhammad Ali’s birth name. Ali was just as famous for taking stands on social matters as he was for his boxing career.
Knicks @carmeloanthony among the marchers for #FreddieGray. He grew up here and hopes this is a turning point pic.twitter.com/Pi81UlJPYL
— Miguel Marquez (@miguelmarquez) April 30, 2015
