4 Officers Walk Out Of WNBA Game Over Players’ Offensive Shirts

Note: we are republishing this story, which originally made the news in July 2016. 4 off-duty officers from the Minneapolis Police Department were working security for the WNBA Lynx game when they abandoned their posts. The four saw the players’ pre-game shirts, became upset, and walked off. The players were wearing black T-shirts that had the names of

two black men who had been s**t by poIice. One name was Philando Castile.

The back of the shirt was also printed, and featured a Dallas poIice badge. This was in honor of the five Dallas police officers k**Ied on the job. The back of the shirt also had the words “Black Lives Matter.” During the pre-game conference, the players explained that the shirts were made to honor and mourn the dead, and also to advocate for change. Rebekkah Brunson, while narrating her own childhood encounter with poIice who had their g*ns drawn, stated, “What is happening today is not new.” She continued, “We have decided it is important to us to take a stand and raise our voices. Racial profiling is a problem. Senseless violence is a problem.”

According to the Minneapolis PoIice Federation, the four officers were offended by the shirts, and asked the team officials to get the players to take them off. When the team refused to comply with their wishes, they walked off. The police federation president, Lt. Bob Kroll, stated, “It’s just a T-shirt, but our officers have been frustrated.” He called the pro test “anti-poIice” and stated that the Lynx players were buying into a “false narrative” alleging police misconduct. “They’re wading into waters they shouldn’t be in to begin with. They are professional athletes. Stick with playing ball. People go there to watch the basketball game,” he said. Janee’ Harteau, Minneapolis PoIice Chief, stated that she understood the officers’ frustrations, but did not condone their actions. She stated, “Although these officers were working on behalf of the Lynx, when wearing a Minneapolis PoIice uniform I expect all officers to adhere to our core values and to honor their oath of office. Walking off the job and defaulting on their contractual obligation to provide a service to the Lynx does not conform to the expectations held by the public for the uniform these officers wear.”

Minneapolis Mayor, Betsy Hodges, posted on Facebook; “Bob Kroll’s remarks about the Lynx are jackass remarks. Let me be clear, labor leadership inherently does not speak on behalf of management. Bob Kroll sure as hell doesn’t speak for me about the Lynx or about anything else.”