Demonstrators March Outside Staples Center To Voice Support For Silver's Action
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — A crowd of demonstrators gathered to march outside Staples Center Tuesday, prior to the Los Angeles Clippers game, to voice support for NBA Commissioner Adam Silver's decision to ban owner Donald Sterling for life.
The crowd of about a hundred gathered at the corner of 12th St. and Figueroa St., marching to the corner of 11th St. and Figueroa St., just outside Staples Center.
Many demonstrators and fans were wearing shirts which read "Clip Him", while others read "Sterling - 1", as they now look to the NBA Board of Governors to vote Sterling out for good.
"We definitely want the owners to now take ownership, and as the commissioner said, vote Sterling out," Rev. Jonathan Moseley said.
Other Clippers fans shared with CBS2/KCAL9's Serene Branson that seeing Sterling part ways with the organization would be a day they had anticipated for years.
"I've been a Clippers fan forever, and no real Clippers fan has ever liked Donald Sterling. Never, in the history of the team," fan Mike Nolan said. "We love our team, we love our city. On the front of the jerseys it says 'Los Angeles', not 'Donald Sterling's Clippers', right?"
Meanwhile, LAPD presence was notably and visibly boosted near Staples Center.
The department said that they had contingency plans in place in case of unrest, had Silver not imposed the maximum punishment on Sterling.