Is An Apology Needed? - Absolutely Not!

Many people have been demonstrating against the police killings of far too many unarmed Black men (and children), and the police aren't happy about that (even though they know there is nothing they can do about it). But they are even more upset when it is a celebrity making the same statement as the demonstrators. Why? Because they think that celebrities (like star athletes) taking a stand on something can influence a lot of other people to do the same -- and they are probably right about that.

That's why the St. Louis Police Officer's Association (SLPOA) hit the roof when some St. Louis Rams players entered the stadium before a recent game with their arms up (imitating the pose of those demonstrating against the shooting of Michael Brown). The SLPOA demanded an apology from those players and the team. And they went even further by demanding the players be punished.

It's also why the union for Cleveland police officers is demanding an apology from Cleveland Browns wide receiver Andrew Hawkins. Hawkins entered the stadium wearing a t-shirt demanding justice for 12 year-old Tamir Rice and John Crawford, both of whom were killed by police -- Rice because he was holding a toy gun in a public park.

Do the St. Louis and Cleveland police officers deserve an apology from these celebrities (i.e., NFL players)? In a word, NO! And both of these police organizations should be deeply ashamed of themselves for even asking for an apology.

They seem to have forgotten that they represent government employees, and any citizen has the right to criticize his/her government if he/she feels they are not living up to the hig standards they have sworn to uphold (and are indeed paid to uphold). In fact, this right is so important that our Founding Fathers wrote it into the Constitution (in the First Amendment). If any of these officers can't stand to be criticized when some of their fellow officers fail to uphold those high standards, then they should find another line of work outside of government service.

If an apology is needed, it is not from either the demonstrators or the celebrities offering their opinion. It should come from the police, who sprang to the defense of those killing unarmed Blacks and refuse to institute policies that would prevent those incidents from happening in the future.