Breathing while black

==Cops vs. Jocks: The Shooting of Steve Foley==
By Dave Zirin
"This one stinks like a beached whale." That’s how
Philadelphia Daily News sports columnist Bill Conlin
described the police shooting of San Diego Chargers
star linebacker Steve Foley. Foley was shot at 3:30
A.M. Saturday night in front of his home by an
off-duty police officer named Aaron Mansker. Mansker,
who has been on the force since 2005, followed Foley
and a friend in an unmarked police car for more than
20 miles without once calling for backup or
identifying himself. Upon reaching Foley's home,
Mansker shot him three times: in the leg, arm and
chest. Please take a moment to digest the scenario. At
3:30 in the morning, in an unmarked car, an off-duty
cop followed Foley to his home and shot him. As Conlin
wrote, "Did this officer fail to charge his cell
phone? Amazing how by day, with TV news helicopters
overhead, a stoned crazy can lead a scary, high-speed
chase through half of SoCal with no shots fired. But
by night, one off-duty cop can go from one end of his
large county to another and end up using his gun in an
apparent solo bust. Charles Bronson lives."
On Sunday, the sheriff's department issued a statement
that Foley's car, driven by his friend, had been
driving erratically, "weaving at high speeds." The
statement failed to mention just how Mansker happened
to be in position to follow Foley and why he didn't so
much as send a smoke signal for assistance. The
statement also didn't address Foley's recent - and
scalding - history with the San Diego police force. In
April, police arrested Foley for multiple crimes
including resisting arrest, battery of an officer, and
public intoxication. Last week, the DA dropped the
case and cleared him of all charges. And now Foley's
shot. "Stinks like a beached whale"? More like a
beached Bull Connor.
The Chargers, in craven fashion befitting a team owned
by the odious Alex Spanos, have now put their ace
defender on the "non-football injured reserve list."
This means Foley has "forfeited" his entire 2006
salary since "the injury occurred in a non-football
capacity." But did it? A case can be made that what
happened to Foley was very much a function of
football. It seems that the combination of large Black
jocks draped in conspicuous wealth is proving to be an
irresistible ambrosia for police officers that dabble
in racial profiling. Over the summer, Wizards All-star
Gilbert Arenas was arrested for getting out of his car
in Miami to speak to a policeman arresting his friend
and teammate, Awvee Storey. The Cincinnati Bengals
have had so many run-ins with the police this summer
they are being called "the Cin-mates." The Portland
Trailblazers, which the sports radio wits - on loan
from the Algonquin Round Table - call "the
Jailblazers", even held a meeting where the team was
advised to avoid cooperation with police. An August
23rd article by John Canzano in the Oregonian revealed
the details of the 2003 meeting where team president
Steve Patterson, told his team, "Remember, the police
are not your friends." Canzano wrote, "That 2003
meeting was a seminar on traffic stops and probable
cause given by a group of legal consultants the
Blazers hired. The consultants instructed team
personnel on what they should do in the event they
were ever pulled over in a traffic stop or sought by
detectives for questioning in a legal matter. If
police ask you if you've been drinking, 'No matter
what the circumstance, say no,' they were told. If
police ask you if it's OK to take a look inside your
automobile, say no. If they ask you anything at all,
those in the room were advised, the answer is always
no." Canzano's piece is a critique of the Blazers'
meeting. His conclusion is, "[The fact] that the
Blazers have assumed an adversarial position with the
men and women who are here to serve and protect is
disappointing. It's weeks like this one that we wish
the seminar had been on civil behavior and not civil
rights."
But it's not the jocks that need the discussion on
"civil behavior" It ain't Peyton Manning getting
cuffed, shot, and maced. This is the unspoken reality
racial profiling being played out your morning sports
page. As the ACLU wrote as part of a recent study,
"Is racial profiling real? Most Americans think so. A
July 2001 Gallup poll reported that 55 percent of
whites and 83 percent of blacks believe racial
profiling is widespread. And the reports of thousands
of racial and ethnic group members across the country
add credibility to the perception that racial
profiling is real. These are stories from all walks of
life, not just hardworking everyday people, but
celebrities, professional athletes, and members of the
military..."
When former Georgia Congresswoman, Cynthia McKinney,
was arrested earlier this year after a confrontation
with Capitol Hill police, her lawyer, said, "Ms.
McKinney is just a victim of being in Congress While
Black [CWB]." Well, let's add being a "Jock While
Black" to the list. Or maybe just call it BWB:
Breathing While Black. At this point, that seems to be
Steve Foley's most obvious offense.
category:news coverage
category:wellness
category:police