Racial tensions as well as those between officers and citizens are higher now than most care to remember. Between the deaths of Alton Sterling, Philando Castile, and five police officers in Dallas, it's clear that our law enforcement system is broken and in need of repair. In response to these tragedies, athletes everywhere, from Carmelo Anthony to LeBron James, have spoken up on these issues. On July 9, athletes on the Minnesota Lynx decided to step up as well by wearing T-shirts that read "Change Starts With Us: Justice & Accountability" and were printed with logos for both the Dallas Police Dept. and Black Lives Matter movement.
In response, four off-duty officers who were working security at the arena in a freelance capacity simply left.
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That's right: Four people who were hired to protect fans at a basketball game quit doing their jobs because their feelings got hurt. It's exactly this kind of emotional, knee-jerk response that escalates the tensions between citizens and the police. Maya Moore, Lynx Guard and three time WNBA champion, stated "If we take this time to see that this is a human issue and speak out together, we can greatly decrease fear and create change." These athletes extended an olive branch to the police, and stated that they condemn violence both by and against police officers. By walking out, these officers snapped that olive branch in half.
According to Deadspin, Lt. Bob Kroll, president of the Minneapolis Police Federation commended these four for their actions. He continued that there were only four officers at the game because the Lynx draw such small crowds to Minneapolis's Target Center. Way to go, man: There's nothing like doubling down and teasing those who are trying to help to inspire faith in the community.
