Surprise! A peaceful protest by an NFL player sends yet another police union president into a tizzy.
This time, the suspect player under fire was Cleveland Browns’ wide receiver Andrew Hawkins. Before Sunday’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Hawkins wore a shirt over his jersey that read: “Justice for Tamir Rice and John Crawford III.” Hawkins’ sentiment echoed those by LeBron James and numerous players from the St. Louis Rams, Los Angeles Lakers, Washington Redskins, Brooklyn Nets and many more who have chosen to take a stance against police killings of black males.
Both Rice (12-years-old) and Crawford (22-years-old) were killed by Cleveland cops for carrying toy guns. Unsurprisingly, city prosecutors declined to press charges against any of the officers involved, despite the fact that it’s perfectly legal to openly carry real guns in Ohio. Apparently, a toy one justifies a death sentence.
After Hawkins made his statement, Jeffrey Follmer, president of the Cleveland Police Patrolmen’s Association, released the following statement:
“It’s pretty pathetic when athletes think they know the law. They should stick to what they know best on the field. The Cleveland Police protect and serve the Browns stadium and the Browns organization owes us an apology.”
Sound familiar? Follmer’s rant sounds eerily similar to the one St. Louis Police Officer’s Association Business Manager Jeff Roordamade following the Rams’ receivers ‘Hands Up’ gesture. Here’s yet another example of an officer reacting angrily to a peaceful protester. Follmer didn’t stop there. After his initial statement, he went on a MSNBC with Chris Hayes and unleashed the following gems in a tone that was much more attack and destroy than ‘protect and serve’:
“We’re not apologizing to anybody!”
“How about this? Listen to police officers’ commands. Listen to what we tell you, and just stop. That eliminates a lot of problems…The nation needs to realize, when we tell you to do something, do it, and if you’re wrong, you’re wrong, and if you’re right, the courts will figure it out.”
“When you talk about two [police officers] that were put in a situation like these officers were, then you’re talking about all of us.”
Herein lies the problem. The last statement shows precisely why it’s proven so difficult to get the police and those calling for justice on the same page. If officers have the mindset that if someone is critical of one officer or one act, they’re being critical of an entire police force, how can progress possibly be made? That mindset is absolutely wrong and irresponsible. It’s a gang mentality.
It is the duty of police officers to protect the rights and safety of citizens. Most officers do an admirable job. However, our trained, paid law enforcement must realize that when people are killed, people will object. Nobody likes to see dead people. Outrage will occur whenever killings could have been avoided.
Most professional athletes learn to deal with criticism early on. Athletes like James, Kobe Bryant, Tom Brady, Albert Pujols, Floyd Mayweather Jr. and many others are criticized every time they lace up their respective shoes, shorts, pants, gloves, etc. Every shot, pass, swing or punch is scrutinized by the media and the general public. The 21st century of policing will soon be the same. Now that nearly everyone has a smartphone and police forces nationwide are utilizing dash and/or body cameras, the eyes of the world are on police officers.
Imagine if James angrily demanded an apology from every athlete, fan or media member who criticized him on or off the court. What if Bryant flipped his lid every time somebody questioned the talent of one of his teammates, coaches or team executives? It is silly to even imagine such scenarios, yet time after time, when athletes show the courage to stand up for their beliefs they are told to apologize and shut up.
I’ll expect professional athletes to talk solely about sports once only former Presidents are allowed comment on President Obama, former oil executives to comment on gas prices and Hollywood actors and directors are allowed to give reviews on the latest films.
Why is it so difficult for certain individuals to grasp the concept that one can simultaneously be supportive of honest, hardworking law enforcement officials but not want to see dead bodies pile up when lethal force is not required?
In the words of Voltaire, FDR, Winston Churchill and Uncle Ben (Spiderman), “With great power comes great responsibility.” Andrew Hawkins conveyed his opinion in a peaceful, responsible manner. Hopefully Follmer or the next police union president subject to protest will learn something from these ‘pathetic’ professional athletes and do the same. If they cannot, we the people would certainly encourage them to exercise their right to remain silent.
Follow Ishmael and In the Clutch on Twitter @IshmaelSistrunk
