NFL Players Salute Ferguson–Cops’ Turn To Protest

Good For Them

It’s encouraging to see athletes stand up, show leadership, and express connection to the communities that support them.  I take exception to the old “I’m not a role model” stance of celebrities, particularly athletes, as expressed by Charles Barkley so many years ago.  When these performers accept millions upon millions of dollars to play games or, in the case of actors, play make believe, they do so knowing full well that the spotlight follows–and they should accept that with the spotlight comes a tacit responsibility to conduct themselves in a manner befitting the adulation and compensation they receive.

http://thefreethoughtproject.com/rams-players-bold-political-statement-entering-field-hands-up-dont-shoot-pose/

So, its “Us Against Them”…

And, once again, some Police demonstrate the how and  why our nation continues to have these incidents of conflict, escalation, and and brutality with an overt “how dare they” response to public criticism and opinions contrary to their own.  The best thing the police could have done, in this instance, is to sit back quietly rather than respond aggressively to what they saw as an affrontry, but what most people regarded as a demonstration of solidarity.  Notably, the SLPOA spokesperson, Jeff Roorda, is a former police officer who was dismissed after twice being charged with falsifying reports–he appealed, but lost.

The St. Louis Police Officers Association called for the players involved to be disciplined and for the Rams and the NFL to deliver a “very public apology,” its statement read in part.

“I know that there are those that will say that these players are simply exercising their First Amendment rights,” SLPOA business manager Jeff Roorda said in the statement. “Well, I’ve got news for people who think that way: Cops have First Amendment rights too, and we plan to exercise ours. I’d remind the NFL and their players that it is not the violent thugs burning down buildings that buy their advertiser’s products. It’s cops and the good people of St. Louis and other NFL towns that do. Somebody needs to throw a flag on this play. If it’s not the NFL and the Rams, then it’ll be cops and their supporters.”