Tampa Police refusing to provide security to Beyonce show

originally posted by: Rocker2013
a reply to: UnBreakable
For a start, none of you (and no police officers either) should have any right to police art, or hold it to ransom, or block it, or prevent it, just because it says something you personally find uncomfortable or disagreeable.

No one is policing art, or hold it to ransom, or block it, or prevent it, just because it says something you personally find uncomfortable or disagreeable. But the police can refuse to participate. No one's saying she can't do her act.

awesome ! she thinks she is Beyon the law anyway

originally posted by: theantediluvian
a reply to: pteridine

I think it is more about personal safety when she gets the crowd excited and all those targets in blue are standing there.

No, cops around the country have been butt hurt since the Super Bowl half-time show. FOP heads and the like have been calling for a boycott of Beyonce, there was a protest outside of the NFL headquarters etc.

She can afford private security as she is hosing her fans out of many bucks to see her jiggle about in person.

The promoter/venue pays for the cost of security whether or not that security includes off duty cops. So that's not really an issue.

If she does incite violence with her lyrics, will she be held responsible?

Setting aside the fact that unless she actually told people to kill cops, she wouldn't be inciting anything (this is well tread ground, not least of which when NWA released 'F*** Tha Police'), there are no actual anti-cop lyrics in the song (entitled 'Formation').

What they were pissed about:

1. Imagery in the video including Beyonce on top of a cop car that is in water up to the doors in what is supposed to be Katrina flooded New Orleans and a young black kid dancing in front of a line of cops in riot gear briefly with graffiti on the wall that says, "Please stop shooting us."

2. Her dancers in the half-time show were wearing black berets which is seen as a nod to militants, specifically in this case, the original Black Panthers.

This is all in the context of a song where she says "negro" 2-3 times.

It's not about personal security.

Tennessee Sheriff Blames Beyoncé's Super Bowl Halftime Show for Shootings

During a news conference about the incident Tuesday, Arnold floated the possibility that Beyoncé's politically charged performances of late may have instigated the shooter in a time when police shootings across the country are closely watched.

"With everything that's happened since the Super Bowl, and with law enforcement as a whole. I think we've lost five to seven officers, five deputies, sheriffs since the Super Bowl," Arnold told reporters. "Here's another target on law enforcement."

Like I said, it's the literal "PC Police" in action.

You are hardly the last word on things, Ante. If I was a police officer, I wouldn't want to be in a venue with thousands of easily suggestible youth when she was #BLMing around on stage.

a reply to: Rocker2013

People keep going on about hypocrisy as it relates to free speech. Who exactly is being hypocritical here?

She said what she said. Nobody threw her in jail over it.

Cops have the right to voice their dissenting opinion by not signing up for her event if they choose to do that.

Nobody is throwing them in jail for it.

Seems to be a pretty textbook example of free speech across the board to me.

All of the cops were cheering at the Trump rally today in S.C.

a reply to: Shamrock6

Seems like it to me. Police choose to do something else.

I wonder if she led a protest on the street, would she want them to not be there.

I thought her SB show was kinda skanky but them I am not some teenager. That seems to be the new entertainment style.

a reply to: SlapMonkey

You do understand that exercising your first amendment rights is fine--expecting zero negative reaction to doing so is living in Care-A-Lot with the Care Bears, right?

Are we talking about bears or pigs here?

Yes, of course I'm fully aware of what rights the First Amendment (or rather the hard fought interpretation we enjoy today) protects and what privileges it does not confer.

What you seem to be ignoring is the fact that law enforcement officers are sworn to uphold our laws and protect our rights and are uniquely empowered to do so. In fact, the purpose of the First Amendment IS to protect us from retaliation by public servants who hold legal authority over others.

That's why I find it concerning to see retaliation from people acting not simply as citizens but specifically as citizens who are also law enforcement officers. Not volunteering to do security for a concert is one thing but if these men and women can't set aside their personal feelings while performing their sworn duties, then it's a very serious problem indeed and if there is any indication that this might be the case, then I feel completely justified in my concern.

a reply to: UnBreakable

I hope they hold the line on this. Beyonce ought to be able to contract security there. And then of course, there's her coveted Black Panthers to provide security.

a reply to: theantediluvian

Since when is not taking an overtime shift impacting anybody's free speech rights? Whatever the motivation is to not take an overtime contract is completely moot.

It's a choice.

a reply to: Shamrock6

Is it really moot when they are the ones making the big stink about the reason why?

The first does protect you from retaliation from the state over words, I kinda see what Ante is getting at there.

Some one from the PD is going to end up doing it anyway, so I guess in the end it will all be for naught anyway.

a reply to: Sremmos80

Yes, it is moot. Because they're choosing not to do something their free time. They can say it's because they've decided the moon landings are fake and it would mean the same thing.

Nothing. Because it's their free time. Nobody is shirking their duty to the public. If, and given that another member posted a link saying that there in fact officers signed up I doubt it will happen, they wind up having to assign officers to work the detail and they don't show up to work it? That's when it becomes an issue.

Nobody is facing any retaliation from the state in this case. The state isn't doing a thing to anybody. Individuals are choosing how to spend, or not spend, their time off.

This is all a bit silly. Why would you be offended by Beyonces video and half time show? This apparently is the PC world we live in now, where everyone gets' offended by everything.

Anyone who willingly goes to a Beyoncé concert doesn't deserve security or protection.

originally posted by: Esoterotica
Anyone who willingly goes to a Beyoncé concert doesn't deserve security or protection.

You could say that about a lot of music acts like Cold play, The Killers, Kenny Chesny, Bob Seger, Neil diamond, Taylor swift and Pink Floyd as well.

a reply to: Shamrock6

Since when is not taking an overtime shift impacting anybody's free speech rights? Whatever the motivation is to not take an overtime contract is completely moot.

It's a choice.

I didn't say otherwise. In fact, this is what I said:

Not volunteering to do security for a concert is one thing but if these men and women can't set aside their personal feelings while performing their sworn duties, then it's a very serious problem indeed

Consider the following:

On the one hand we have FOP spokespeople, Sheriffs, politicians, bloggers, pundits and a whole lot of people in this thread suggesting that imagery in Beyonce's video and hats worn by her back up dancers are inciting or could incite violence against cops. In other words, that the actions of people who aren't in law enforcement are being guided by their emotional responses and leading to an elevated potential for violence.

On the other hand are law enforcement officers, their representatives and law enforcement officials whose own emotional responses to the same video and half-time show are being clearly demonstrated by the fact that they're taking to the media to voice their...considerable displeasure. If you need links, I can spend 20 seconds on Google to demonstrate the veracity of this statement.

Should we just pretend that cops are above acting on their emotions because they went to a police academy? Of course not.

Why should I believe that the average cop is less likely to act out of emotion than the average Beyonce fan — particularly when I've seen no evidence of the latter but abundant evidence of the former?

Who poses a greater threat to society? The average unbalanced asshole or an unbalanced asshole with a gun and a badge?

People are getting their panties in a bunch over a persons opinion, since when do people care what beyonce does and says?....This is nothing more than PC rubbish.....

Harden up you bunch of pussies

a reply to: Shamrock6

It was moot until they decided everyone needed to know. If it was no one's business, then keep it that way. Broadcasting the reason kinda goes against that stance.

My opinion is that it is a retaliation and one that is coming form people employed by the state but agree that it won't be a fact unless people that are assigned refuse to do it.
I also agree they have the right to voice their own opinion in the way they did.

Did anyone show how she is being anti cop tho?

a reply to: theantediluvian

And I would ask you to consider the following: a department spokesman, according to article in the OP anyway, says he doesn't know if the halftime show is why they're not signing up (which, again, another member already refuted that claim) or not.

So unless there are Tampa officers giving interviews stating that's why they're not signing up, all this retaliation crap is just that: crap.

I'll repost the other link that was provided, since it appears several members skipped over it in their rush to scream about rights being trampled: www.tbo.com...

Good why is the city paying for her security anyway?

a reply to: SlapMonkey

Thank you for taking the thought and effort to respond. And thank you for speaking for all that's noble and honorable about a conscientious police force. I think we agree far more than we disagree, and I believe you made many of my points for me, albeit coming from an opposite direction.

For what it's worth, I agree that most LEOs are the good guys. I've read a couple analyses of police brutality complaints which shows it's usually a very few officers in a department who garner the most complaints, and the most/highest payouts to victims. I am of the opinion that it continues because the rot starts at the top and allows/encourages such abuse. I've also been told many times that living in the west that I will never understand the systemic abuse in some areas, such as Ferguson and the greater St. Louis area.

I can't explain Beyonce or the BLM... but I'm pretty sure you're right that they don't want cops around. I agree with you that Beyonce has created a hostile and potentially dangerous situation for officers, and if the police had said that, I would have agreed with them. But they didn't say that. Instead, unfortunately, they made it a power play, adding their own fuel to the fire. Beyonce's a diva who wants to sell records. I don't expect much from her. I expect much more from our law enforcement.