The St. Louis Police Officers Association doesn't speak for all of the city's cops. The Ethical Society of Police, which represents a majority of African American police officers in St. Louis, issued a statement Monday expressing support for five players from the Rams who made the "Hands Up, Don't Shoot" gesture during introductions before Sunday's game.
Black police officers express support for Rams players over ‘Hands Up’ gesture
The group representing a majority of African American police officers in St. Louis stood by the five St. Louis Rams players who expressed support for the family of Michael Brown and the Ferguson community prior to last Sunday’s game.
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In a statement posted on its Facebook page, the organization called the players’ actions “commendable.” The ESOP further broke from the police union’s stance saying that the players should not be punished (which both the NFL and Rams declined to do) and instead praised the players for “taking a stand on this very important issue which is of great concern around the world and especially in the community where these players work.”
The Police Officers Association issued a statement following Sunday's game calling for the five players -- Tavon Austin, Stedman Bailey, Kenny Britt, Jared Cook and Chris Givens -- to be disciplined and demanding an apology from the NFL and the Rams.
The Fraternal Order of Police, the nation's largest police union, sent letters to the NFL and the NFLPA "expressing disappointment" with the Rams players, using language similar to the letter sent by the St. Louis police organization.
After the game, players told the press that they made the "Hands Up" gesture as a show of support for the community and as an effort to raise awareness of the issues dividing the community exposed in the wake of Michael Brown's shooting death by former Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson in August.
On Monday, the St. Louis County Police chief claimed that Rams officials apologized for the players. The Rams denied making an apology. Team officials and the police department were reportedly going to continue meeting this week over the issue.
Here’s the text of the full statement from the ESOP:
THE ETHICAL SOCIETY OF POLICE, is the primary voice of African American Police Officers in St. Louis City, and as such it COMPLETELY SUPPORTS THE ACTIONS OF THE ST. LOUIS RAMS FOOTBALL PLAYERS IN WHICH THEY SHOWED SUPPORT FOR THE FAMILY OF MICHAEL BROWN BY ENTERING THE STADIUM WITH THEIR HANDS UP.
We think that their actions were commendable and that they should not be ridiculed, disciplined or punished for taking a stand on this very important issue which is of great concern around the world and especially in the community where these players work.
THE STATEMENTS OF THE ST. LOUIS POLICE OFFICERS ASSOCIATION DO NOT REFLECT THE OPINIONS OF THE MAJORITY OF AFRICAN AMERICAN POLICE OFFICERS IN THE DEPARTMENT BECAUSE THERE ARE NO AFRICAN AMERICAN OFFICERS ON THEIR GOVERNING BOARD AND THEY HAVE A MINIMAL AMOUNT OF AFRICAN AMERICAN MEMBERS.
The Ethical Society of Police has been the primary bridge between African American community and the police department for many years. The Ethical Society will use its best efforts to continue to work with the community leaders and the Department of Justice to address issues that affect our community such as racial profiling, police brutality and disparities in hiring and disciplining practices of African American Officers.
The ESOP also took exception with Jeff Roorda, the business manager for the police union who was quoted in the statement that group issued Sunday. From the ESOP Facebook page, posted on Dec. 1:
Additionally, the ESOP condemns the St. Louis Police Officer's Association for allowing Roorda to embarrass the officers of the St. Louis Police Department with his insensitive, conservative, right-winged opinions on the police brutality and excessive force issues, which continue to boil surrounding the police involved shooting death of Michael Brown, and he subsequent non-indictment of former Ferguson Police Officer, Darren Wilson.
Racial divisions within the St. Louis Police Department as well as the St. Louis County Police and municipal departments within the area have been highlighted in the wake of the Brown shooting, but they aren’t new problems for the police there. Roughly 30 percent of the St. Louis Police Department is African American, roughly the same ratio for the last 30 years.
In 2013, racial tensions within the department ran high after an African American officer received a racist letter, touching off a conversation about reforms within the department that including expanded recruiting and promotion of African American officers.
The problem hasn’t been limited to St. Louis, either. In 1973, the Afro-American Patrolmen’s League sued the Chicago Police Department for discrimination. The case went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled in favor of the AAPL, forcing the department to change recruiting practices to better reflect the city’s population mix.
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