Bryce DeJean Jones: The Next ‘Black Lives Matter’ Symbol?

Now we look at the aftermath of New Orleans Pelicans Guard Bryce DeJean Jones and his untimely death in a Dallas apartment. As we look at the events, there are a number of things that become immediately evident. First, DeJean Jones was at the wrong apartment, and the resident of that domicile feared for his life. As a result, the man used deadly force upon Dejean Jones as he was trying to enter the man’s bedroom. He was awakened to find the Pelicans guard attempting to kick the door in to what he thought was an acquaintance, and was immediately shot.

Bryce DeJean Jones had just barely started his career with the New Orleans Pelicans, and he averaged 5.6 points per game, 3.4 rebounds per game, and had 12 career three pointers. He was an undrafted free agent who had worked very hard to achieve his dreams of playing in the NBA. During his college career at Iowa State he averaged 10.5 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.1 steals during the 2014 season.

Unfortunately, he was not lucky enough to be drafted, however he had been through that type of situation before, having to redshirt at UNLV as a sophomore. He played in the summer league and eventually impressed enough that he signed a 10-day contract with the New Orleans Pelicans in 2016. He was able to do well enough to convert that into a starting job.

One of the elephants in the room would be in examining how Mr. Jones died. He was allegedly in an intoxicated state, and he was trying to bust down the wrong apartment door by mistake. He was shot as a result by the tenant, who had been awakened from a dead slumber. The question to ask would be this: is Bryce DeJean Jones a symbol? And, if he is, what is he a symbol of?

May I submit to you that Bryce DeJean Jones could be a symbol of the “Black Lives Matter” movement. Let’s try to answer that question. Granted, he was a lot more successful than Freddie Gray, Trayvon Martin, or Eric Garner. Even though there wasn’t any police contact, there are some parallels however. Like Garner, Gray, and Martin, he was caught doing something he shouldn’t have been doing. And like the first three, he is also a black male. While the news reports have not mentioned what the race of the apartment shooter was, there is no question that deadly force was used in this case. When we consider that Eric Garner was put in a choke hold and Trayvon Martin was killed for no apparent reason either, than we have to examine this case as well.

Unfortunately, this is where our case runs into trouble, because Bryce DeJean Jones was intruding into a man’s home. Granted, DeJean Jones was mistaken, and I doubt he would have entered this individual’s apartment had he known it was the wrong one. Thus, there are no easy answers to this situation. Does DeJean Jones deserve to become a symbol of the Black Lives Matter Movement? Probably not, and here’s why.

First of all, the killing was justified much more than in the other cases. Bryce DeJean Jones was shot because there is a Texas law that allows people to use deadly force if someone is breaking into their apartment or place of residence. Second, the tenant in the apartment was probably scared for his life, especially considering the size of most basketball players these days. So this is a great, terrible tragedy, but the answer to our question is no, Bryce DeJean Jones is not a symbol of the Black Lives Matter movement. Definitely a sad case either way you look at it, however.

[AP Photo/Gerald Herbert]