NEW YORK CITY — Staff at Madison Square Garden "targeted" Knicks legend Charles Oakley before the scuffle that led to his arrest in a racially motivated move that “would not have happened to" other former players, Brooklyn's borough president said Monday.
After his planned meeting with MSG owner James Dolan was postponed Monday afternoon, Eric Adams shared portions of what he said was the investigation conducted by Madison Square Garden with reporters outside the venue.
Oakley “was treated like some kind of common criminal, and not the common legend that he is,” said Adams, who said he had obtained a copy of the report.
“Based on their report, Oakley kept asking, ‘Why are you staring at me? Why are you all around me like this?’” the borough president said. “He was basically targeted from the time he sat down.”
The Garden’s treatment of Oakley had a clear “racial component,” Adams added.
“We want to be extremely clear that this is so much more than Charles Oakley,” he said. “Just blocks away, you walk inside Macy’s. You may have a platinum card in your pocket, but you’re followed around and treated like a criminal.
“This would not have happened to Bill Bradley and Dave DeBusschere, and it should not have happened to Mr. Oakley,” he added.
Adams on Sunday asked Dolan to drop the charges facing the Knicks legend and backtrack on his decision to ban him from Madison Square Garden. A day earlier, the borough president said he viewed the arrest as "Eric Garner without the chokehold."
On Monday, the borough president called on NYPD Commissioner James O'Neill to examine Oakley’s arrest and asked the Manhattan District Attorney’s office to “expedite an investigation” if the Garden refuses to drop the three misdemeanor charges against him.
He also stood by his statement comparing Oakley’s arrest to that of Garner, maintaining police and security officers should be trained to use better “de-escalation procedures.”
“Some people may say that’s inflammatory to say that, [but] look at the scenario. A person that was doing something [that was] at best, an infraction, was approached, and the level of reproach took to the point that you had to do… a police takedown,” Adams said.
“This was unacceptable behavior, and no legend of the Garden that played his heart out on the Garden floor should lie on the floor in handcuffs."
The Madison Square Garden Company on Monday said the meeting between Adams and Dolan was postponed so that Dolan could meet with Oakley and NBA Commissioner Adam Silver.
