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  • 2018-09-14 (xsd:date)
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  • Did the National Association of Police Organizations Call for a Boycott of Nike? (en)
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  • In September 2018, Nike's announcement of a commercial deal with free agent quarterback Colin Kaepernick prompted fierce debate over the national anthem protests led by Kaepernick, as well as widespread calls for a boycott of Nike products. Kaepernick began to take a knee during the playing of the national anthem in 2016 as a protest against racial injustice and police brutality and was at the forefront of such protests among National Football League players and staff. In the days following the announcement, we received multiple enquiries from readers about a letter purportedly written by the National Association of Police Organizations (NAPO) which called upon its members to boycott Nike. The letter is authentic and was issued by NAPO president Michael McHale, addressed to Nike CEO Mark Parker. NAPO is a law enforcement union founded in 1978 and described as representing 241,000 officers from more than 1,000 police organizations. The letter, dated 4 September, read as follows: NAPO was joined in critizing Nike and Kaepernick by the National Fraternal Order of Police, whose president, Chuck Canterbury, issued a press release addressing (but not calling for) a boycott of Nike: These vehement criticisms sparked something of a controversy among police unions, with the National Black Police Association (NBPA) issuing a strong rejection of McHale's letter. On 5 September, NBPA chairperson Sonia Y.W. Pruitt wrote a letter of her own to Nike's CEO, offering the support of her organization's members: (en)
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