James Blake said the officer who body-slammed him doesn't deserve a badge and gun

James Blake
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Since being tackled and handcuffed by a police officer who mistook him for a nonviolent criminal suspect in Manhattan on Wednesday, retired tennis star James Blake has made it clear he wants a say in the conversation on police brutality, announcing upcoming meetings with Mayor Bill de Blasio and Police Commissioner Bill Bratton.

"I want [the officer] to know what he did was wrong, and that in my opinion he doesn't deserve to ever have a badge and a gun again, because he doesn't know how to handle that responsibility effectively," Blake told the New York Daily News on Saturday. "He doesn't deserve to have the same title as officers who are doing good work and are really helping keep the rest of the city safe."

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.

Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.

Sign up
Latest Videos FromThe Week
Julie Kliegman

Julie Kliegman is a freelance writer based in New York. Her work has appeared in BuzzFeed, Vox, Mental Floss, Paste, the Tampa Bay Times and PolitiFact. Her cats can do somersaults.