A group of Kenner, Louisiana sheriff’s deputies have refused to work detail after a high school football player participated in a national anthem protest akin to Colin Kaepernick’s.
According to FOX 8 Live News, Jefferson Parish deputies have spoken out against Bonnabel High School players who protested against police brutality. Last week, a Bonnabel player posted a photo with nearly all the team’s players kneeling. The Facebook post was captioned: “It’s a shame that my teammates really my brother[s] can’t express themselves without being labeled as the bad guy.”
Eventually, deputies were made aware of the post and saw the post as a slight against them. Many officers decided that they would not detail games if protests continued. Sheriff Newell Normand says his officers have a right to not detail the games despite the public outcry.
“That is a voluntary detail, so I suspect I will have some officers refuse to work the Bonnabel High School games,” Normand tells reporters. “The same way that the Bonnabel players have every right to kneel during the national anthem, my officers have every right not to volunteer to work the Bonnabel High School football game.”
Normand adds that this practice is normal. In the past, deputies have refused to do the voluntary detail if they disagreed with a musician or artist’s message.
