It’s a simple question directed to the majority team owners of each of the NBA franchises: “If Black lives matter, what are you doing about Detroit Pistons owner Tom Gores?”
The question, posed by Bianca Tylek, an activist for prison reform, wasn’t in a conversation in a coffee house or simply yelled in an outdoor protest.
It was in a full-page ad in the New York Times on Dec. 20.
The message was addressed to NBA commissioner Adam Silver and the majority owners of the 29 other NBA franchises, all mentioned by name.
The center of the issue is Securus Technologies, one of the many companies owned by Gores’ multi-billion-dollar private-equity firm, Platinum Equity.