The Lakers are looking into a woman's claims she was verbally harassed by guards Nick Young and Jordan Clarkson on the streets of Los Angeles over the weekend.
Alexis Jones, an author and activist against sexual harassment, sexual abuse and domestic violence committed by athletes, posted on her Instagram account Sunday night an account of an incident involving a group of four males who pulled up in a vehicle and began making "vulgar, sexual gestures" about her and her mother.
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Two of the men, whose faces can be seen in photos taken by Jones, were later identified online as Young and Clarkson. Jones posted this photo to Instagram but has since deleted her account (screengrab via Vice Sports):
This was her caption with the photo:
I pray these pics go viral because THIS is the problem with little boys. Five minutes ago, at the intersection of Melrose and La Bre here in LA, a jeep of four boys pulled up at a red light and started yelling and making the most disgustingly vulgar gestures at my mom and me. I rarely "rant" about things but this is the f%+#ing problem and the reason I've now dedicated my life to educating young men about respect, not just for women but for everyone. I'm angry. I'm insulted. I'm hurt. They were laughing hysterically until they realized I was filming them and immediately they panicked like the cowards they are. Thank you to all the real men out there who would never treat a mother and daughter that way... Speaking of, I'd love for this to make it back to their mothers!!! Help me find who these guys are!!! Let's see the power of social media and hold them accountable. I'd LOVE to have a candid conversation with them about sexual harassment not simply to shame them, but to understand their mentality so we can better educate young men to be respectful in the future. #littleboys #cowards #realmenrespectwomen #messedwiththewrongchick #wewillfindyou @iamthatgirl
Jones said the incident took place about 7:30 p.m. Sunday while she and her 69-year-old mother were in their vehicle near the intersection of La Brea and Melrose avenues after dining at a Hollywood restaurant. A Jeep pulled up alongside them, and Jones said the men began catcalling her mother.
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"She was super rattled. That's the truth. It scared her," Jones told ESPN.com. "We were in a small car, and they were in a big Jeep, and it was a bunch of big dudes. They're leaning out of the car and making vulgar, sexual gestures. My mom was really shocked. That immediately turned into sobbing."
After posting the photos of the men to her Instagram account, Jones said several commenters identified Young and Clarkson. Jones contacted the Lakers, and she said she received a call from team spokesman John Black about 8:30 a.m. Monday apologizing on behalf of the organization.
Black told ESPN on Monday the team is taking the matter "very seriously" and that Lakers coach Byron Scott had been notified of the situation. Black said Scott met with the players on Monday to discuss the matter.
Young appeared to comment on the matter on his Twitter account Sunday night.
"Aye if you want some attention take a pic of me and say anything next to it and post ... The world we live in," he wrote in the since-deleted tweet.
Jones, founder of I AM THAT GIRL, a nonprofit that aims to empower women, said she has "been inspired by how the Lakers have responded." She told ESPN she was invited to the team's facility to speak with Clarkson and Young but was unable to. Instead, she asked if a phone call could be arranged for the players to apologize, a request she said was denied by the Lakers.
"The irony is I created a program called 'ProtectHer' out of the urgency to address sexual abuse in athletics, and I was on phone calls with the NBA as of Friday talking with them about integrating this message and this program into the NBA," Jones said.
"I'm not special. This is happening to women everywhere. I'm not here to shame them. That's the last thing I want to do ... I don't want to crucify them. I want to use it as an opportunity to change behavior."
