Knicks' Carmelo Anthony: 'System is broken,' calls on athletes to demand change

NEW YORK (WABC) -- New York Knicks forward and NBA superstar Carmelo Anthony called on fellow athletes to step up and demand change Friday in the wake of recent shootings in Minnesota and Louisiana involving police officers and the subsequent targeting of law enforcement in Dallas.

Saying the system is broken, Anthony supported rallying and protesting in a post on his website, but said anger must be steered in the right direction.

"Our anger should be towards the system," he wrote. "If the system doesn't change we will continue to turn on the TVs and see the same thing. We have to put the pressure on the people in charge in order to get this thing we call JUSTICE right."

He also implored for people to work together, adding the violence is not the answer.

"Shooting 11 cops and killing 5 WILL NOT work," he wrote. "While I don't have a solution, and I'm pretty sure a lot of people don't have a solution, we need to come together more than anything at this time."

He called on athletes to fight for change without fear of repercussions when it comes to sponsors or public perception, even volunteering to lead the charge.

"There's NO more sitting back and being afraid of tackling and addressing political issues anymore," he wrote. "Those days are long gone. We have to step up and take charge...I need your voices to be heard. We can demand change. We just have to be willing to. THE TIME IS NOW."

Here is the full text of Carmelo's post:

"First off let me start off by saying 'All Praise Due To The Most High.' Secondly, I'm all about rallying, protesting, fighting for OUR people. Look I'll even lead the charge, By Any Means Necessary. We have to be smart about what we are doing though. We need to steer our anger in the right direction. The system is Broken. Point blank period. It has been this way forever. Martin Luther King marched. Malcolm X rebelled. Muhammad Ali literally fought for US. Our anger should be towards the system. If the system doesn't change we will continue to turn on the TVs and see the same thing. We have to put the pressure on the people in charge in order to get this thing we call JUSTICE right. A march doesn't work. We tried that. I've tried that. A couple social media post/tweet doesn't work. We've all tried that. That didn't work. Shooting 11 cops and killing 5 WILL NOT work. While I don't have a solution, and I'm pretty sure a lot of people don't have a solution, we need to come together more than anything at this time. We need each other. These politicians have to step up and fight for change. I'm calling for all my fellow ATHLETES to step up and take charge. Go to your local officials, leaders, congressman, assemblymen/assemblywoman and demand change. There's NO more sitting back and being afraid of tackling and addressing political issues anymore. Those days are long gone. We have to step up and take charge. We can't worry about what endorsements we gonna lose or whose going to look at us crazy. I need your voices to be heard. We can demand change. We just have to be willing to. THE TIME IS NOW. IM all in. Take Charge. Take Action. DEMAND CHANGE. Peace7 #StayMe7o"