--- title: LeBron James: Cleveland Cavaliers Star on Michael Brelo Protesters description: Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James addressed protesters in the city on Saturday saying "violence is not the answer." canonical: https://time.com/3895224/cleveland-cavaliers-protesters-lebron-james-michael-brelo-verdict/ author: Jack Linshi article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-05-24T13:43:05.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-01T09:08:06.942Z article:section: Sports og:title: LeBron James Asks Cleveland Protesters to Rally Behind Cavaliers og:description: "For the city of Cleveland, let's use our excitement or whatever passion that we have for our sport" og:url: https://time.com/3895224/cleveland-cavaliers-protesters-lebron-james-michael-brelo-verdict/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0fd351f749643a79/6988517f35ba6f3330c0d6d1/lebron-james-cleveland-cavaliers.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 4536 og:image:height: 2552 og:image:alt: Cleveland Cavaliers v Atlanta Hawks - Game Two og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: LeBron James Asks Cleveland Protesters to Rally Behind Cavaliers twitter:description: "For the city of Cleveland, let's use our excitement or whatever passion that we have for our sport" twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0fd351f749643a79/6988517f35ba6f3330c0d6d1/lebron-james-cleveland-cavaliers.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # LeBron James Asks Cleveland Protesters to Rally Behind Cavaliers > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with Ally. Ally is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: July 2026. ## Ally: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition Ally is a digital financial services company offering online-only banking, including checking and savings accounts, through Ally.com and its mobile apps. Launched in 2009 as an original disruptor in financial services, Ally was built to challenge outdated banking norms with a simpler, more convenient way to bank. 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Terms and conditions apply. * Savings buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Savings Account. * No ATM fees from Ally Bank at Allpoint and Moneypass ATMs plus we reimburse for fees charged by other ATM owners nationwide up to $10 per statement cycle. * Early direct deposit offers eligible direct deposits up to two days sooner. * Spending buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Spending Account. ## Video: Arrests, Peaceful Protests Follow Michael Brelo Acquittal [Watch (HLS stream): Arrests, Peaceful Protests Follow Michael Brelo Acquittal](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/lInLPFJf.m3u8) (2:06)  _Published 2015-05-24. Police made dozens of arrests following the acquittal of a Cleveland police officer in the shooting deaths of two people in 2012._  by [Jack Linshi](https://time.com/author/jack-linshi/)  ## Jack Linshi May 24, 2015 1:43 PM UTC Police made dozens of arrests following the acquittal of a Cleveland police officer in the shooting deaths of two people in 2012.  by [Jack Linshi](https://time.com/author/jack-linshi/)  ## Jack Linshi May 24, 2015 1:43 PM UTC Cleveland Cavaliers star LeBron James on Saturday addressed a string of peaceful protests against the [acquittal](http://time.com/3895110/michael-brelo-acquitted/) of a white cop in the shooting deaths of two unarmed black people. “For the city of Cleveland, let’s use our excitement or whatever passion that we have for our sport tomorrow for the game tomorrow night, bring \[the passion\] to the game \[Sunday\] night,” James said, according to _Sports Illustrated_. “And as our team, we’ll try to do our best to give it back to them.” James declined to comment on the specifics of the case, which earlier on Saturday ended in the acquittal officer Michael Brelo of criminal charges for the deaths of Timothy Russell and Malissa Williams in 2012. “Violence is not the answer, and it’s all about trying to find a solution for good or for bad,” James said. “For me, in any case, anything that goes on in our world or in our America, the only people that we should be worried about \[are\] the families that’s lost loved ones. You can’t get them back. You can never get them back. We should worry about the families and how they’re doing and things of that nature.” \[[_Sports Illustrated_](http://www.si.com/nba/2015/05/23/lebron-james-cleveland-cavaliers-michael-brelo-protests)\] ## Transcript [00:00] Police made dozens of arrests following a judges [00:02] acquittal of Cleveland police officer Micheal Brelo on [00:05] manslaughter charges. The defendant proved by a [00:07] preponderance of the evidence that he is legally [00:10] excused from liability for those crimes Because [00:14] he caused a serious physical harm to the victims in a [00:16] constitutionally reasonable effort. Sheriff's deputies [00:20] shielded the Justice Center in Cleveland immediately [00:22] following the verdict. CNN reports police arrested [00:25] multiple groups of protestors in the subsequent hours. [00:28] In total, Cleveland police made 71 arrests, citing [00:31] unlawful behavior that included aggravated riot. And [00:33] felonious assault. A day after the arrests, the scene in [00:36] downtown Cleveland was mostly calm. Vast majority [00:40] listened to community leaders calls for the [00:42] demonstration to remain peaceful. It is my expectation [00:45] that we will show the nation a peaceful demonstration [00:50] and dialogue is the right direction. As we move [00:53] forward as one Cleveland. The chase that lead to the [00:57] deaths of Timothy Russel and Melissa Williams began [00:59] by mistake. More than 100 Cleveland police officers [01:02] pursued the two after reports of shots fired from their [01:05] car. Prosecutors said that sound could've just been the [01:08] car backfiring because Russel and Williams were [01:10] unarmed. The chase spanned more than 20 miles and [01:13] when officers cornered Russell and Williams in a [01:15] middle school parking lot they began shooting nearly [01:17] firing 140 rounds. [ NOISE ] Officer [01:23] Brelo fired 49 of those shots, but Judge O'Donnell said [01:27] Brelos's action were justified because of the [01:29] " objectively reasonable perception" of a threat. Brelo [01:32] was the only officer to face criminal charges because [01:34] prosecutors claimed he intended to kill Russell and [01:37] Williams, firing shots directly into their car after other [01:39] officers stopped shooting. In December former US [01:42] Attorney General Eric Holder gave a scathing review of [01:45] the Cleveland Police Department saying they engaged [01:47] in a pattern of using excessive force in situations when [01:50] those tactics could have been avoided. Five other [01:53] officers Officers involved in that 2012 shooting are [01:55] awaiting trial for dereliction of duty charges. The [01:58] Department of Justice released a statement saying it [02:00] will review testimonies and evidence from [02:02] [ UNKNOWN ] trial to determine if any other legal [02:04] action should be taken. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3895224/cleveland-cavaliers-protesters-lebron-james-michael-brelo-verdict/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3895224/cleveland-cavaliers-protesters-lebron-james-michael-brelo-verdict/"},"headline":"LeBron James Asks Cleveland Protesters to Rally Behind Cavaliers","datePublished":"2015-05-24T13:43:05.000Z","dateModified":"2026-10-01T09:08:06.942Z","description":"\"For the city of Cleveland, let's use our excitement or whatever passion that we have for our sport\"","url":"https://time.com/3895224/cleveland-cavaliers-protesters-lebron-james-michael-brelo-verdict/","keywords":["Basketball","Lebron James","Ohio","Cleveland","Cleveland Cavaliers"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0fd351f749643a79/6988517f35ba6f3330c0d6d1/lebron-james-cleveland-cavaliers.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Jack Linshi","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/jack-linshi/"}],"articleSection":"Sports","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0fd351f749643a79/6988517f35ba6f3330c0d6d1/lebron-james-cleveland-cavaliers.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Cleveland Cavaliers v Atlanta Hawks - Game Two","caption":"Cleveland Cavaliers v Atlanta Hawks - Game Two","creditText":"Kevin C. 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