On Saturday night, four off-duty Minneapolis police officers walked off their jobs working security at a WNBA Lynx game when the players wore T-shirts with the phrase “Black Lives Matter” and held a press conference focusing on healing the divide between law enforcement and the black community.
The president of the Minneapolis Police Federation, Lt. Bob Kroll, praised the action of the officers. “I commend them for it,” he said, as reported by the Minnesota Star Tribune.
The players decided to wear the shirts after having in-depth discussions at practice during a week that saw two black men, Philando Castile and Alton Sterling, murdered by police and five police officers killed in Dallas. Castile was killed in the Minneapolis suburb of Falcon Heights.
During warm-ups, the Lynx players all donned shirts with the message “Change Starts With Us — Justice and Accountability” on the front. The back of the shirt featured the names of Castile and Sterling, the phrase, “Black Lives Matter,” and, notably, the Dallas Police Department shield.
Racial profiling is a problem. Senseless violence is a problem.
“In the wake of the tragedies that have continued to plague our society, we have decided it is important to take a stand and raise our voices,” co-captain Rebekkah Brunson told reporters in a pre-game news conference. “Racial profiling is a problem. Senseless violence is a problem. The divide is way too big between our community and those who have vowed to protect and serve us.”
“We do not in any way condone violence against the men and women who serve in our police force,” three-time WNBA MVP Maya Moore added. “Senseless violence and retaliation do not bring us peace.”
“We as a nation can decide to stand up for what is right, no matter your race, background or social status,” Moore added. “It is time we take a deep look at our ability to be compassionate and empathetic to those suffering from the problems that are deep within our society.”
Kroll told the Tribune that the four officers were not going to be working future games for the Lynx, and warned that other officers might join the boycott.
“If [the players] are going to keep their stance, all officers may refuse to work there,” Kroll said.
He also took a shot at the popularity of the Lynx, who have won three championships in the past five years and have regularly had the second-highest attendance average in the WNBA. When asked by a reporter whether seven or eight officers had walked out of the game, Kroll responded, “They only have four officers working the event because the Lynx have such a pathetic draw.”
They Lynx organization released a statement to ThinkProgress saying that were “aware” of the concerns by the off-duty officers, and that they “respect the right of those individual officers to express their own beliefs in their own way.”
“The Lynx and the entire WNBA have been saddened by the recent shootings in Dallas, Baton Rouge, and St. Paul. We continue to urge a constructive discussion about the issues raised by these tragedies.”