Athletes Becoming More Strident In Addressing Congress, Motivating Voters
Thursday, June 11, 2020 at 02:26PM By Barry Janoff
June 10, 2020: In the wake of the death of George Floyd and the nationwide movement supporting Black Lives Matter, an estimated 1,400 athletes, coaches and front office personnel have signed a letter from The Players Coalition urging Congress to pass the Ending Qualified Immunity Act.
And NBA star LeBron James has formed “More Than a Vote,” a non-profit group that plans to focus on efforts and issues “affecting the Black community and getting out the vote for the 2020 election.”
The Ending Qualified Immunity Act bill, proposed this week by Congressman Justin Amash (L-Mich). and Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass) would “end qualified immunity and allow government officials and law enforcement to be sued for their actions.”
According to legal experts, “Qualified immunity is a legal doctrine in federal law that shields law enforcement and government officials from civil liability for things they do in the course of their job.
“Unless the action they take clearly violates a constitutional right — and there’s a prior identical case in which the official was held liable — they cannot be sued.”
Among those who signed the letter were Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Carson Wentz, Dak Prescott, Myles Garrett, Matthew Stafford, Alex Bregman, CC Sabathia, Baker Mayfield, Giancarlo Stanton, JJ Redick, Tobias Harris, Steve Kerr and Gregg Popovich.
"It is time for Congress to eliminate qualified immunity and it can do so by passing the Amash-Pressley Bill,” the group wrote in its letter. “When police officers kill an unarmed man, when they beat a woman, or when they shoot a child, the people of this country must have a way to hold them accountable in a court of law.
“And officers must know that if they act in such a manner, there will be repercussions. A legal system that does not provide such a recourse is an illegitimate one.”
On his social media platforms, James posted, “Everyone talking about ‘How do we fix this?’ They say ‘go out and vote?’ What about asking if how we vote is also structurally racist? What More You Want From US?!?!?! #Equality."
He also posted a photo of himself wearing a T-shirt with the word “Equality.”
James has more than 66 million followers on Instagram, more than 46 million followers on Twitter and nearly 24 million followers on Facebook.
In “More Than a Vote,” along with James, the group is fronted by such entertainers and athletes as actor Kevin Hart, NBA players Draymond Green. Trae Young, Derrick Rose and Udonis Haslem; WNBA star Skylar Diggins-Smith; NFL star Alvin Kamara; and ESPN analyst and commentator Jalen Rose.
“Yes, we want you to go out and vote, but we’re also going to give you the tutorial,” James told The New York Times.
“We’re going to give you the background of how to vote and what they’re trying to do, the other side, to stop you from voting.”
Regarding the Ending Qualified Immunity Act, the Players Coalition wrote to Congress, “In their grief, people have taken to the streets because for too long, their government has failed to protect them.
“We’re going to give you the background of how to vote and what they’re trying to do, the other side, to stop you from voting.”
“The Courts and elected officials alike have instead shielded people who caused unspeakable harm. Congress must not be complicit in these injustices, and it should take this important step to show that law enforcement abuse will not be tolerated."
According to the Players Coalition letter, ”We are tired of conversations around police accountability that go nowhere, and we have engaged in too many 'listening sessions,' where we discuss whether there is a problem of police violence in this country.
“There is a problem. The world witnessed it when Officer [Derek] Chauvin murdered George Floyd, and the world is watching it now, as officers deploy enormous force on peaceful protestors like those who were standing outside of the White House last week.
"The time for debate about the unchecked authority of the police is over; it is now time for change."
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