Sorry, just a quick and dirty diary here, but I am royally pissed.
I am of Jewish extraction and from Pittsburgh. Despite having moved away years ago, I’m still an avid fan of Pittsburgh sports teams, and I tuned in tonight for what I thought would be a nice escape: an NHL game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the New York Islanders.
Prior to the match, the PA announcer acknowledged the tragedy, named its victims, and asked for an 11 second moment of silence/prayer/meditation/whatever for the victims. All fine so far and a completely appropriate gesture prior to the National Anthem.
But what followed the anthem sickened me. Two responding police officers wounded in the attack were brought to center ice for the ceremonial puck drop. Still fine, in my book. However, accompanying the two was a uniformed officer carrying a “Blue Lives Matter” flag:
For those who don’t know, this variant of the American Flag, which has the red stripes and blue field redone in black, with a single blue stripe supposed to represent the “thin blue line” of the police, has gained massive popularity among conservative cops opposed to Black Lives Matter, their supporters, and hard right conservatives in general. In some cases, the flag includes camo and other militaristic motifs. One version is even based on the Confederate Stars and Bars.
At best, it can be considered a borderline hate symbol.
Considering the motivation for the killings in Pitsburgh, it is nothing less than a slap in the face to those victims who had their lives taken from them to “honor” their memories using a symbol of the same hateful politics that led to the massacre in the first place.
While it’s unclear whether team ownership or the league is behind this travesty, I encourage you to contact both and let them know that this is not OK.
The number for the Penguins’ front office is 412.642.1300
They can also be contacted via their website at www.pittsburghpenguins.com.
I’ve not been able to find a number for the league offices, but they can be contacted through their web page at this page.