Four Minneapolis police officers, who were working private security at the WNBA's Minnesota Lynx game, walked out after players donned warm-up jerseys and made comments praising the Black Lives Matter movement. Over the weekend, 27 police officers were injured (one with a broken vertebra) after a Black Lives Matter protest in St. Paul turned violent.
Minneapolis Police Federation President Lt. Bob Kroll praised the officers for their decision to leave the game. He also elaborated that the four officers have refused to provide security for any future Lynx game, and that other officers had followed suit.
From the StarTribune:
The three-time WNBA champions wore black T-shirts that read “Change starts with us, justice and accountability” and on the back had Philando Castile’s and Alton Sterling’s names along with “Black Lives Matter” and a Dallas Police Department emblem.
Police officers killed Castile in Falcon Heights and Sterling in Baton Rouge, La., last week, setting off protests here and nationwide.
At a pregame news conference, Lynx forward Rebekkah Brunson said the players were “wearing shirts to honor and mourn the loss of precious American citizens and to plead change for all of us.”
The Minnesota Lynx aren't the first to face a police boycott related to Black Lives Matter--in several cities, police refused to provide security for Beyonce concerts after the singer's comments that some called anti-police.
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