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Wizards and Mystics hold D.C. march, Bradley Beal and John Wall talk about negative police encounters

The teams made the march from Capital One Arena to the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in a sign of solidarity. Also, the Wizards’ best players had negative encounters with police, even as professional athletes.

By Albert Lee
Juneteenth Celebrated In Cities Across America
The Washington Wizards and Mystics held a joint march in D.C. on Friday, June 19.
Photo by Michael A. McCoy/Getty Images

On Friday, the Washington Wizards and Mystics held a march starting at Capital One Arena going to the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial. This also happened on Juneteenth, a day that commemorates the end of slavery and a start toward equality.

Here are some of the highlights.

The players have also experienced racial bias themselves.

After the march, Beal revealed that two years ago, he was pulled over on I-495 while in his vehicle, with the officer saying “What if I fuck up your Monday and put you on a headlock and arrest you right now?”

John Wall also mentioned in a Twitter Live session with Wizards alumnus Caron Butler that he was pulled over and told to exit his vehicle because of window tints after a practice. “I’m scared to get pulled over,” Wall mentioned.

This is just the start of a major movement nationwide, and kudos to both teams for holding this march together.