Janelle Irwin Taylor
The Tampa Bay Rays have just one message to protesters taking to the streets to protest the officer-involved killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
Black Lives Matter.
In a statement condemning police brutality, the Major League Baseball team, which also owns the Tampa Bay Rowdies, made no mention of rioting and looting that have occurred in some areas as offshoots of otherwise peaceful protests, a rallying cry, particularly from the right, that has in some cases diminished the efforts of peaceful protesters.
“Our country is mourning the killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and so many others who have perished unnecessarily. The evils of systemic and institutionalized racism continue to plague our nation. We know that, all too often, these cases are dismissed or excused without justice being served,” the team’s leadership wrote in a statement Tuesday.
“Black Lives Matter.”
“Police brutality is inhumane. We fully support the protestors exercising their civil rights. We stand with black families living in fear,” the statement continued.
The Rays are contributing $100,000 annually to supporting causes that fight against systemic racism.
“Our country demands better than this for its people. We can’t breathe,” they wrote, a reference to Floyd crying out from under an officer’s knee and ones all too familiar from a similar incident in 2014 involving the death of Eric Garner.
The Rays said they would be announcing organizations benefiting from their charitable contributions in the coming days. The team’s Diversity and Inclusion committee will direct funds.
The team ended its statement with a quote from late professional baseball great Jackie Robinson.
“Life is not a spectator sport. If you’re going to spend your whole life in the grandstand just watching what goes on, in my opinion you’re wasting your life.”
“While our hearts may be broken, we aren’t giving up,” the team concluded.
One comment
gary
June 2, 2020 at 5:32 pm
Who give a damn what the millionair owner of the Rays supports! They have made it clear they support whatever is good for the box office!
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