Activist (and former Daily Kos staff writer) Shaun King has uncovered a nasty bit of racism in Arkansas, where the Union County Sheriff’s Department apparently forced inmates to wear a Nike shirt while their mugshots were taken, an effort to mock Nike’s deal with former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernik because of his decision to protest police brutality and systemic racism in America by taking a knee during the national anthem.
Once Shaun’s tweet started going viral, local news in Arkansas tried to follow-up and within an hour, the photos went missing from the sheriff’s department website.
Sheriff Ricky Roberts released a letter saying there was ill-intent. He said they regularly provide shirts to people who “lack proper attire” and they were just being courteous. Sheriff, ummmm … we can see that from those photos they are wearing shirts under the Nike shirts.
FWIW, here is the rest of Sheriff Roberts’ comments.
Sheriff Ricky Roberts also said he was hoping to talk with Shaun King. That drew a laugh. After these photos have gone viral, I bet he does want to smooth things over. The truth is, if this is one person inside that sheriff’s department, they clearly do not have enough common sense or decency to be carrying that badge. The sheriff should immediately investigate and take action.