Former NFL wide receiver Brandon Marshall released an Instagram video on Thursday, Aug. 27, that showed him having an exchange with a security guard. Marshall was stymied at the entrance of the gated community as he was trying to move into his new home in Weston, Florida.
He then wrote in another post that outrage seen in current protests for racial equality must be turned into votes in this year’s presidential election.
It’s not clear what happened prior to what the video shows, as it starts with Marshall voicing his objection to the security guard calling the police on him at the front gate of the upscale suburban Miami subdivision. The clip was released at a time when the phenomenon of people calling the cops on Black citizens engaged in everyday activities is under a growing spotlight.
“This is the problem. I come here you feel uncomfortable, my first day moving into my new house because my name not on the list you call the cops,” Marshall yelled at the guard.
A Broward Sheriff’s deputy also appears in the video, but he merely waved at the camera without saying anything. The security guard then appeared to say that he was just doing his job by phoning the police.
“No you’re not trying to do your job,” Marshall told him. “There was no threat for you to call the cops. This what we’re seeing every single day … I got two kids in the car right now. We’re in Weston, Florida, one of the most affluent areas.”
The security guard responded to the former Denver Broncos star, but his words can’t be heard. But Marshall told him, “Yes, I know there’s other Black people that live here.”
In the video’s caption, Marshall addressed his reaction to the guard.
“It’s Real!!! I was so disappointed in myself for getting so emotional with my kids in the car BUT then I realized that being numb isn’t an option anymore. #vote,” he wrote.
Many of Marshall’s Instagram followers left comments under the video and told him that he responded appropriately.
“Don’t be disappointed dawg!! They need to be reminded & confronted,” wrote one follower.
“SPEAK AS YOU SEE FIT MY BROTHER .. no time to protect the system,” another person let him know.
The ex-NFL player wrote another Instagram message on the same day, next to a PSA where he encouraged people to vote this November.
“I’ve been watching and processing the same injustice and unrest as you all the last few months,” he wrote. “We have experienced this pain our entire life. The awareness and conversations being started by protests are great, but it can’t end there. I’m tired of talking that leads to nowhere. I’m calling on powerful networks to take a chance and showcase the most important message in our country right now.”
“The path toward real change flows through the ballot box,” added Marshall. “The power belongs in the people’s hands. I’m not telling you to vote or who to vote for. I’m reminding you that you CAN vote. It is your RIGHT to have your voice heard.”
The six-time Pro Bowl receiver played in the NFL from 2006 to 2018, starting his career with the Denver Broncos and ending it with the New Orleans Saints.
