A Louisiana sheriff has notified a local Ford dealership that he will will be buying patrol cars elsewhere because the Ford Motor Company continues to advertise on NFL games where players are protesting police brutality during the national anthem.
According to CNBC, Bossier Sheriff Julian Whittington sent a letter to Hixson Ford in Alexandria, Louisiana, stating, "Yes, the NFL players have a right to protest as they deem necessary, but we, the Bossier Sheriff's Office and taxpayers of Bossier Parish have a right to spend our money elsewhere."
Whittington's ire was raised by a statement from Ford, saying they would not pull their advertising, stating: “We respect individuals’ rights to express their views, even if they are not ones we share. That’s part of what makes America great.”
Writing on Facebook, Whittington complained that NFL players protesting against police misconduct against black men -- started by ex-NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick -- are "thumb(ing) their collective noses at the American flag."
"The recent events surrounding the NFL, its players and their audacity to thumb their collective noses at the American flag, the American military as well as the obvious disdain for the profession of law enforcement in general forces me to take a stand," he wrote before adding that he will be sending the letter to the 63 other sheriffs in Louisiana, as well as National Sheriff's Association president, encouraging a nationwide boycott of the car company.
Whittington also included what could be construed as a vague threat, stating: "The men and women of law enforcement make it possible for the Ford Motor Co. to do business in a safe and secure environment. It’s time they took a stand for each of them."
You can read the Facebook post here.
