Numerous professional athletes both in the NFL and the NBA have recently taken a stand against police violence - first by making Michael Brown's "hands up, don't shoot" gesture, and next by wearing shirts that say "I can't breathe" on them. These words were the last words of Eric Garner, an unarmed black man who was choked to death by police officer David Pantaleo in New York this past month.

As you may know, there has been a lot of public outrage after police officers Darren Wilson and David Pantaleo walked free from their crimes of killing unarmed black men Michael Brown and Eric Garner in supposed self defense. On November 30, five St. Louis Rams players were the first to publicly take part in the protests by making the "hands up, don't shoot" gesture before a game against the Oakland Raiders to remember Brown.

More athletes were quick to follow. This past Saturday, Derrick Rose wore an "I can't breathe" t-shirt during warm-ups before his game against the Golden State Warriors. According to CNN, he stated, "I could care less about who else weighs in on this...Usually athletes tend to stay away from this, but I just felt as if I had to do something it."

This past Monday, NBA players LeBron James and Kyrie Irving of the Cavaliers and four Nets players -  Kevin Garnett, Deron Williams, Jarrett Jack and Alan Anderson - wore "I can't breathe" T-shirts for warm-ups, taking the quiet protest to another level. The game took place at the Barclays Center, where just outside a large crowd of demonstrators swarmed the streets, chanting "hands up, don't shoot" and "black lives matter."

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge - Prince William and Kate Middleton - were attending the Nets vs. Cavaliers game that night, and many activists wanted to make sure their voices were heard. Jibri Nuriddin, a protester from New York, stated, "They need to know this is what America is. ... America is a system where those who benefit from others neglect to see the underclass, the people who are underprivileged, and that's why we're out here."

He continued, "We're going to keep chanting and keep marching...Everyone's going to know that this is an issue. We're not going to let this issue die."