Earlier this week, the WNBA’s Minnesota Lynx represented the “Black Lives Matter” movement by wearing shirts supporting Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, who were shot and killed by police officers last week, ahead of a game.
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Minneapolis police chief Janeé Harteau on Tuesday issued a critical, measured response to off-duty officers who walked off their job over the decision by Minnesota Lynx players to send a message through their warmup gear. These athletes extended an olive branch to the police, and stated that they condemn violence both by and against police officers. Bob Kroll, the Minneapolis police union’s president, told the Minneapolis Star Tribune.
Knoll also says that more officers may not work games as long as the players keep their stance on the issue.
The shirts listed Alton Sterling and Philando Castille, two men who died at the hands of police last week, and showed the Dallas police shield above the phrase “Black Lives Matter”. He continued that there were only four officers at the game because the Lynx draw such small crowds to Minneapolis’s Target Center.
“Rushing to judgment before the facts are in is unwarranted and reckless”, Kroll said.
Swin Cash and other Liberty players wore similar shirts Sunday with hashtags #BlackLivesMatter and #Dallas5. The players also spoke out against the killings of police officers in Dallas on Thursday night, Sports Illustrated reports.
He also said that the Lynx may have a problem attracting off-duty cops to work security in the future.
“Each one of our players from the African American community have at least one story of racial profiling – so it’s very painful for our group”, she added.
An article on that march in the Minneapolis newspaper City Pages reported that protesters accused Kroll of making racist comments and being associated with white power organizations.
Kroll accused Lynx players of perpetuating “false narratives” since 2014, as some allegations of police misconduct leading to Black deaths were denied.
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Before the Saturday game, Lynx captains Seimone Augustus, Rebekkah Brunson, Maya Moore and Lindsay Whalen held a news conference, speaking out about the shootings in Louisiana, Minnesota and Dallas. The Lynx and the entire WNBA have been saddened by the recent shootings in Dallas, Baton Rouge, and St. Paul.
