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Ex-Man City, QPR, Sunderland player reveals he doesn’t feel safe living in America

Ex-Man City, QPR, Sunderland player Nedum Onuoha reveals he doesn’t feel safe living in America following the death of George Floyd.

The 33 year old defender, who currently played for MLS club Real Salt Lake, revealed his growing wariness of police and fear he could be targeted, saying he ‘never’ feels completely safe when he leaves his house.

His comments come during the Black Lives Matter movement and protests across the country after Floyd, an unarmed black man, died in Minneapolis on the 25th of May after a white police officer placed a knee on his neck for several minutes. The officer has been charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.

Former Premier League player  Onuoha explained how he distrusts for police since moving to the United States.

He told BBC 5 Live: “I am always very wary of how I behave and how it could be viewed by people who have power.

“For me personally, overall I don’t like to say it but I have a fear and distrust towards police.

“I have loved living in this country but there is [another] side of it.

“In the UK, I am more comfortable because if something happens it probably will not be deadly – but over here because of their rights it is more common that altercations become deadly. I am always very aware of that whenever I go around anywhere.

“I am comfortable but when it comes to any kind of brutality, if it’s from the police, if they read me the wrong way then my life could be taken. I feel that every single day. It is not just me but everybody else as well.

“I am not trying to be overly critical to the police, there are plenty of good police officers out there, but sometimes I feel like people put police on a pedestal and make them seem superhuman.

“But the fact is over here they are just people from society with a badge and a gun and a lot more power.

“If you worry about the man next door, why would you not worry about the person patrolling the streets who now has more power, more guns but the same views? I never go out and feel 100% safe.”

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Onuoha has also backed the protestors: “It is emotional; it is something that is overdue to be honest,” he said.

“There has been a big wave of energy towards this, there has been a lot of talk about George Floyd – these issues have been around for decades.

“People have been trying to make noise. I have been trying to say things but it gets pushed away for too long. Enough is enough; what gives me strength is that it’s not just black people who are protesting now.

“The change will come but within that, there are so many nuanced things within the protest – for example, a lot of black people are scared to do what some of the white people are doing to the police.

“It’s crazy to see but it is very necessary. I am not going to say to them that they shouldn’t do anything because they haven’t been heard for this long so let them be heard now.”

After the ex-Man City, QPR, Sunderland player reveals he doesn’t feel safe living in America, fans gave their reaction…

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