Happy Blue Friday, 12s!
Here's a look at what's 'out there' for today – Friday, July 31 – about your Seattle Seahawks.
Topic of Discussion: Policing in the Community
There's a new episode of Topic of Discussion out this week, and this one focuses on policing in the community. The podcast, hosted by linebacker K.J., former Seahawks linebacker (2011-2016) Mike Morgan, and Ali Samael, is described as a "multi-generational show about real life topics from different perspectives". Previous episodes have focused on a wide variety of topics ranging from social media to going to college to depression, and often include a subject matter expert in the discussion. For this week's conversation, they were joined by Sergeant Jones, a longtime member of the local police force who shared his own perspective on several topics being discussed around the police.
The entire 52-minute roundtable is worth listening to, and I hesitate to pick which topics to highlight since they are all so important, but here are a few particularly powerful moments from the discussion.
On complying with the police as a Black citizen:
"Officer, I've got three kids, two boys," Wright said to Jones. "What I'm trying to teach them is if you don't do what the cop tells you, you're going to be in trouble. It's hard for me to tell my kids, 'If an officer asks you to get out of the car, you can refuse' because I don't know what the hell is going to happen. That's some scary stuff…I feel like to give myself the best chance to get home, I've gotta do what I've gotta do. I've got to step out. I can't exercise my rights even if I do have them."
"My dad always taught me you comply," Morgan added. "At the end of the day, whatever happens in that situation, you want to make sure you come home. I don't have the right to talk back or say anything. I've seen videos and I know what happens."
On the murder of George Floyd and police accountability:
"When stuff like this does happen, these cops need to be held accountable," Wright said. "If you do this, you need to be in jail. That's why I feel like this [officer] with George Floyd, he's seeing these other instances where these cops got off. These folks need to be in jail. Period. That's the issue. They need to go to court, the case needs to be covered, and you need to go to jail. So you think twice before doing certain stuff. Cops need to be held more accountable for their actions."
"We're human beings and we can get emotional," Jones responded. "When you see your fellow officers tripping, getting emotional, getting wound up for whatever reason, you've got to physically intervene. That's what should have happened with George Floyd. Someone needed to grab that dude…What got me was when George Floyd went unconscious. The worst thing that can happen for a police officer besides being seriously injured or killed yourself is having someone die under my watch. That is brutal. That officer never shifted gears into life-saving mode…You've got to switch gears. When that never happened, okay this is…this is dark. It's wrong. We are the police. We're supposed to do better than that."
On ways to build trust between the police and their communities:
"I think police officers should be in the communities that they work in," Morgan said. "Be in the community. Let them see your face."
Wright agreed, saying "the only time you see kids [shouldn't be] when they're putting someone in handcuffs. It would be so nice if [officers] were more into the schools, you pull up to barbecues, you pull up to people hooping in the gym. You've got to be more involved positively in the community…Cops do way more good than bad, but people have got to see it more.
As the show was beginning to wrap up, Sergeant Jones offered an optimistic outlook about the future of policing in America: "I think there's a change coming, and I'm excited about it."
The Seahawks have partnered with the Dairy Farmers of Washington and the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association to help provide students with meals this summer and into the fall. The three organizations are teaming up to match up to $50,000 in donations, which will be used to provide grants to Washington and Alaska schools.
"With increased demand at summer meal sites and schools having to rethink how breakfast and lunch will be served this upcoming school year, the pandemic has created a nutrition gap for many students and families across our state," said Steve Seppi, Executive Director of Dairy Farmers of Washington.
The grants will help schools purchase supplies for meal distribution and delivery, including:
- Equipment for cold storage of milk or other perishable items
- Equipment for transporting or serving food or milk
- Sanitation equipment
- Cafeteria equipment for food preparation
- Stipends for staff
To make a donation of your own, visit www.feedwayouth.org.
Social Post Of The Day
Russell Wilson shares the latest brilliant Nike production celebrating the return of sports. He shows up at 1:18.
More From Around The Web
Seahawks.com's John Boyle recaps Jamal Adams' first press conference with Seattle media.
Joe Fann of NBC Sports NW looks at what to expect from first-round linebacker Jordyn Brooks during his rookie season.
SportsPressNW.com's Art Thiel expands on the relationship between Jamal Adams and Quandre Diggs.
Michael Shawn Dugar of The Athletic answers questions from fans in a Seahawks mailbag.
