Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, Mugello, 2020

No investigation over Hamilton’s Breonna Taylor T-shirt

2020 F1 season

Posted on

| Written by and

Lewis Hamilton is not being investigated by the FIA over the T-shirt he wore before and after Sunday’s Tuscan Grand Prix, demanding the arrest of police officers who shot Breonna Taylor.

The shirt bore the message: “Arrest the cops who killed Breonna Taylor” on the front. It was worn by Hamilton during the pre-race ‘end racism’ observance, his post-race interview and on the podium.

It also featured a picture of Taylor with the phrase “Say her name”, referencing the movement intended to highlight black, particularly female, victims of police brutality. Taylor was shot and killed in her home in March.

Multiple reports on Monday indicated the FIA was considering whether to investigate Hamilton’s decision to wear the T-shirt. However RaceFans understands that no submission was made to the stewards concerning Hamilton’s actions and no investigation is being conducted as a result of them.

Guidelines are issued to drivers about arrangements for pre- and post-race activities, including what may and may not be worn, which will be reviewed.

Hamilton wore the T-shirt instead of the usual ‘Black Lives Matter’ design he has worn at the pre-race ‘end racism’ observance. Other drivers have worn T-shirts bearing the message ‘end racism’.

Don't miss anything new from RaceFans

Follow RaceFans on social media:

Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and go ad-free

2020 F1 season

Browse all 2020 F1 season articles

110 comments on “No investigation over Hamilton’s Breonna Taylor T-shirt”

  1. LOL
    As you were, then, Mr Hamilton.

    1. That’s very fortunate for the FIA.

      Having to decide if it was political was a tough one. Many have said human rights should not be a political issue, but imagine this at the Chinese GP with the Uigher muslims highlighted. They would have found out how political human rights are.

      Luckilyy they didn’t have to penalise Hamilton or worse formally “permit” the message.

  2. RaceFans understands that no submission was made to the stewards

    So FIA have still not actually said anything? Anything at all, whatsoever? This just gets more ridiculous.

    1. Whats ridiculous is that now that we know no complaint was made and there was no investigation, where did this tripe originate? Where has the motive come from? I was told by a customer at work that they seen it in a tabloid whose name i’m not repeating.

      …Interesting,

      1. It is weird isn’t it N. And why have FIA not just simply said ‘there’s no investigation mes amis’? The story is all over the media everywhere. Jean Todt is not someone who’s slightly in charge is he, how can it even be an argument going on in FIA?

        Cos meanwhile it’s making lots of people wonder where FIA stand and how sincere their anti-racism policy is. One of the big hitter teams is tweeting that it’s not a political message, it’s just growing, so why aren’t they shutting the story down with a statement? Perhaps they’re having a debate with Lewis?

    2. One rule for Lewis, and one for everyone else.

      1. Why who else was wearing that t shirt ?

      2. Disagree with you here. If rules aren’t clear and well formulated, then it’s impossible to uphold them. What the FIA is probably doing now is making a ‘technical directive’ / formalising what’s allowed pre- and postrace and what to wear, say, and such. Therefor it perfectly fine that Hamilton isn’t getting a reprimand or anything like that.

        On the topic of the message on the shirt: while it’s understandable from an emotional side that LH wore that shirt, I don’t think he has all the facts, because from what I understand the investigation is still going on. Therefor by stating that the involved police officers should be arrested (when their identities and whereabouts are known to the authorities), it surpasses the outcome of the investigation and following legal trajectory: arresting the officers is needed when they’re found guilty (which they’re not as of this time). There are judges and jury’s to decide that, not a multiple F1 champion.

        The other reason for an arrest is when the society needs to be protected of a repeat offence (which isn’t the case here).

        1. @mcbosch While it’s true that they shouldn’t act prematurely and arrest cops before conducting an investigation, there are a number of historical problems with that approach. Firstly, the police departments have often been allowed to ‘investigate’ themselves, which is obviously a clear conflict of interest. And secondly, cases like this happen frequently and if there is no public pressure then the overwhelmingly common outcome is that there are no repercussions for anyone involved, no justice, and it is quietly brushed away. So while “arrest the cops”, might be a dramatic phrase to use, it is very important to keep the issue in the public eye to keep applying pressure and ensure that some kind of justice is pursued.

          1. Don’t disagree with you there! A change to the ‘system’ is needed when there is no trust in the current one. And I get it why a single case has to be made an example, but (and I’m playing the devils advocate here) what if the involved officers aren’t guilty? Then they’re wrongfully accused (and sentenced) by someone who didn’t have all the facts, but did have a huge fanbase / reach. That’s why in my opinion it’s a dangerous trajectory to go and that’s why I understand the FIA and LM don’t want to have anything to do with it and tighten up the rules. No sane person is for racism, inequality, poverty, pollution, deforesting and so on, so those are pretty save topics for them… individual cases… not so much.

          2. @mcbosch Well to be fair, being arrested isn’t the end of the process. If the officers are arrested, they are still entitled to their day in court where they can lay out their defence and a judge/jury will decide on their guilt or innocence and appropriate sentencing if guilty. Lewis Hamilton, or anyone else who campaigns for justice, are not the ones who pass the sentence (although they may ‘wrongfully accuse’ if their opinion is not in line with the court’s ruling).

          3. @keithedin we’re getting a bit offtopic I guess and this will be my last reply. Looking forward to another discussion on another topic sometime :)

            There are several reasons why someone shouldn’t be outside prison for the trial. For example, the suspect may be dangerous to flee, dangerous for society or it may be necessary to investigate the truth and suspects might interfere with that. There are pretty strict rules to remain in custody. As long as a judge has not ruled on a case, the suspect is innocent and he/she may not be detained without reason. Being locked up while being innocent is one of the worst things for someone personal integrity, regardless if they’re entitled to their day in court. Therefor everyone should be careful to campaign for arrests while the investigation is still going on and aforementioned reasons aren’t applicable.

        2. You don’t arrest someone when they’re guilty. You arrest them when you suspect they’ve committed a crime. You put them in prison when they’re guilty.

          I think a lot of the people protesting what happened in this case would argue otherwise. The argument is that the officer(s) shot someone without justifiable cause, or in a reckless manner. If indeed that’s the case, then leaving that officer on duty while the case is being investigated them would certainly leave society at risk of the officer(s) doing it again. If you suspect someone committed a murder and have sufficient evidence to at least arrest them and hold them until the trial, you would certainly do that.

        3. @mcbosch,”arresting the officers once they are found guilty”, how ironic that the reason for the protests is the police habit of assuming guilt (by skin color or association) acting as judge,jury and executioner before arrest, or using arrest as a weapon of harassment on people they don’t like the look of. “Protect and serve”, my ass.

          1. @mcbosch Except in this case shots were fired through a closed door at the police. I’m pretty sure the police can’t see though solid objects so for all they knew it could have been a white middle aged suburban dentist who fired on them. To sure the subject of their search was for a black man but at that initial moment it could have been anyone of any colour.

            I don’t believe that the vast majority of US police are racist, but I do believe that every moment of every day they are terrified and paranoid about getting killed.

        4. Yes, it’s not a repeat offense because you can only kill her once. No arrest has been made. They showed up at the wrong house and burst in without identifying themselves in the middle of the night. Citizens have a right to defend themselves, which is what the boyfriend did. They then opened fire, killing the victim. At the very least it’s negligence. There may be some other foul play involved, but at this point, nothing has happened to the officers. This happens to Black people all too often in the USA. A cop kills and walks away scott free with no reprimand. If you’re that scared, you’re in the wrong line of work. Blacks are killed for having a tail light out on their vehicle. Meanwhile, white people can do all sorts of crazy crap and live to tell about it. Exhibit A:
          https://wset.com/news/local/heavy-police-presence-in-keeling-area-police-looking-for-armed-man?fbclid=IwAR1KGj3BBgdEUEPMIDFDyAhhnnkR-FVJmGEikdRwl7lh7-xihL-tKg8QVEI

      3. Why? Who did the FIA fine/ban/reprimand for wearing a similar t-shirt?

        Oh wait, you’re one of those troll things right?

  3. The Ranting Brummie
    15th September 2020, 11:07

    No quarrel with the issues Lewis is trying to raise. And nor do I disagree with giving them a platform before the start.

    But keep it off the podium.

    That should remain neutral and for sporting purposes only.

    1. Agree it’s a slippery slope to allow politics into sport. What about other drivers that may want to champion different causes on the podium. Free Tibet….. or if let’s say another driver puts on a police lives matter T-shirt etc. how can one be allowed and another not given the precedent this sets. I just want to see them race, keep the social / political issues to twitter :)

      1. That includes national anthems, visiting politicians/leaders and shows of military pageantry.

      2. Bahrain approves of this comment.

  4. So FIA decided a statement about on going investigation were not political, because if it was political, there was a precedence when Turkey GP organizer fined $5 millions in 2006.

    They should not complain if Lewis wear ‘Arrest Putin & say Alexei Navalny name’ shirt in Russia.

    1. should not complain if Lewis wear ‘Arrest Putin & say Alexei Navalny name’

      That is such utter nonsense @ruliemaulana.

      First of all, talking about Putin and/or Navalny has nothing at all to do with a fight for justice for victims of police violence. Nor with ending discrimination, highlighting how black lives matter nor fighting racism. There is no reason at all for Hamlotn to even want to wear something like that.

      And then, the slogan you mention IS clearly a political one, since both Puting and Navalny are politicians. So it would be 100% clear to anyone that this is a no go, even if common sense wouldn’t tell one to not even mention Navalny in Russia when Russian media, or even their stooges in other countries (Czech communists, for example) seem afraid even to spell out the name of “the corruption investigator” or whatever pseudonyms they come up with to avoid naming Navalny.

      1. Was there any regulation that drivers’ shirt message should only about police violence? If a statement about on going investigation were consider not political, all message should be allowed. Including ‘Ended Fossil Fuel’ or “End Trump’, even ‘End Monarchy’.

        1. The rules say things about not displaying discriminatory, or offensive or political messages

          1. Offensive to whom? FIA? You? What if someone wear Extinction Rebellion shirt?

          2. @ruliemaulana Offensive to the FIA, as it impinges on their right to determine what they can support that counts as remaining apolitical (something the FIA has to do, and has to enforce in all its activities, in order to be permitted to continue to exist under French law).

            As for Extinction Rebellion, regardless of the wider politics involved, the FIA would be incensed because they probably last heard of Extinction Rebellion when a bunch of them got arrested for breaking the COVID bubble at the British Grand Prix. They would likely see it as code for “I hate the FIA and its rules”, which would be more directly offensive to the FIA than anything Extinction Rebellion has in its formal political statements…

    2. @ruliemaulana And there you hit on the fact that F1 is never ‘apolitical’, especially when heads of state turn a GP into a photo opportunity for their government/regime. To some extent unavoidable. However I do think all global sports should have as a ‘no go’ line whether a venue discriminates against a certain section of its own population or outside populations, effectively impeding or barring certain people from attending the sports event. A rejection of universal rights is against the very idea of a global (universal) sport. That applied to South Africa under apartheid. It also applies, I think, to countries that currently discriminate (criminalize) homosexuality like the UAE and Saudi Arabia. I can’t see how a global sport can hold an event it knows some people will be unable to attend (at least as openly gay). Leaving aside other rights abuses, I’d like to see Abu Dhabi axed for now on that basis. No chance I know.

    3. @alianora-la-canta @david-br This is why I have saying that these controversy start when FIA let Lewis wearing different shirt than the other. It’s slippery slope. They should warn Lewis at the first time it happen. Saying ‘end racism’ was okay, raising awareness about another issues should not be allowed.

      F1 is clearly business oriented. Build by the riches. They need to protect their source of income no matter how shady their partners actually are. UK & US created wars to ruin millions lives included. But like other corporation, even the one that having minor makes their products on overseas sweatshop, they want to hide all their own dirty reality with meaningless gestures. The problem is FIA couldn’t control its own narrative.

      1. @ruliemaulana My point was that it’s hypocritical to try to control Hamilton’s messaging because it’s political, but allow the likes of Putin to appear prominently on race day (albeit under a different F1 regime). OK so you can say it’s down to power. But then Hamilton has and is showing his own power within the sport by making BLM such a dominant theme this season. I see that as redressing some of the dominance of those wealth patrons you’re condemning too.

        However I do think my other point about universal access to the sport is valid, and indeed is compatible with ‘end racism.’ That should be matched with ‘end homophobia’, if not in messaging, then at least in how F1 conducts its business. It must ensure equal (non-discriminatory) access for everyone at every level. Otherwise it is not a global sport and is indeed part of the problem.

        1. @david-br My point is exactly the opposite of that. Big business entity was supposed to be hypocrites. Make one meaningless point but banned other things that could disrupt its income.

          Just like NBA. Allow ‘say her name’ on the shirt but banned any athlete to actually said her name.

          No need to add any other ‘end this’ or ‘end that’. Because you can’t say ‘end homophobia’ is more pressing issues than ‘end harvesting political prisoners organ’ or something.

      2. @ruliemaulana The FIA directly referenced Black Lives Matter (the hashtag) during its promotion of #WeRaceAsOne, so any attempt to investigate someone wearing a T-shirt bearing the same words would have failed due to the FIA and Liberty implicitly allowing others to use terms they’d referenced (even if everyone knew that T-shirt was from the organisation and not simply Lewis getting the hashtag printed at his local branding shop).

    4. Lewis’ t-shirt was not exactly political.

      Your example is 100% political.

      1. Sure. Make a 49% political statement then. Print tiny disclaimer below that said it was mostly peaceful and non political.

      2. @invisiblekid Given significant dissent in the USA about how the Breonna Taylor case should be handled, the T-shirt was 100% a breach of Article 1.2 of the FIA Statutes (manifesting difference of political opinion).

  5. Well, I guess it makes sense to have a look at podium and pre race ceremonies. The end racism / for equality message deserves a more prominent place, especialy as we are going to be travelling to a place like Russia and later in the year we’ll be visiting the middle east as well.

  6. Fair play. I can completely understand a review into what can be worn on the podium though. It’s a fine balance. I want drivers to be themselves but don’t want a circus of Free Palestine flags, BLM t shirts and End Uighur Genocide face paint on the podium (all of which are fine causes to campaign for).

    1. geoffgroom44 (@)
      15th September 2020, 11:19

      +1. I am all for free speech. I am all for passionately promoting a cause that is close to the heart. But many of these ’causes’ are so nuanced and complicated that ‘sound byte scenarios’ tend to detract from them.
      Use your ‘power position’ to promote your cause,yes, but I also think it fair for F1 to review this situation to avoid the ‘circus’ effect.

      1. I disliked what Hamilton did, on this podium
        I don’t think F1 is needed to get attention for issues like this

        He can do it on his own, using social media. Hamilton has 20 million followers on Instagram alone, 6 on Twitter.
        He can even ask F1 or Mercedes to support, via social media… not during races on television, that’s meant for watching races

    2. Yes I agree. But this is a fad and will play out.

  7. I wonder how Lewis’ sponsors feel about his political t-shirt covering their logos?

    1. geoffgroom44 (@)
      15th September 2020, 11:22

      is it ‘political?’
      I thought all pols and parties in a civilised society were in favour of Law and Order and the correct application of such society protective rules. My late Father, himself a police officer for over 30 years, always had the mantra ‘nobody is above the law’.

      1. Yet, the police officers in question are under investigation. Isn’t the whole point of law and order investigating what happened and if someone is guilty? Going by proof instead of going by emotion.

        In the west the mantra is still innocent until proven guilty. It isn’t guilty until proven innocent.

        1. It said arrest them. You can arrest still right ?

          1. If they are a flight risk or pose a continuing danger to society or witnesses. Otherwise it’s up to a judge.

      2. Politics does not just relate to governments, have a look in a dictionary….

      3. @geoffgroom44 No, some politicians in the world are definitely against law and order…

    2. That was my thought when I saw it. I had no idea if there were any specific FIA or F1 rules about it, but I’m damn sure there are contractual obligations with sponsors. However if they were miffed I’m pretty sure none of them would wish to push it, partly because of the vast amount of publicity they already get by being associated with Hamilton/Mercedes (particularly when he equals/surpasses Schumacher in the next few races ) and because picking a fight with Hamilton over him trying to promote racial equality and an end to institutional racism and police brutality rather than flogging more of their products is something that isn’t going to look good once the journos jump on it. Ergo I expect any obligations to display sponsors will be overlooked.

    3. I briefly wondered this too, but then realised that it would be PR suicide for any of these brands to complain publicly in this political climate. One-way ticket to cancel-town for you.

      1. @hollidog Especially since Mercedes is openly supportive of Lewis’ conduct (up to, including and probably beyond the T-shirt) and would be first in line to do the cancelling…

  8. I’m surprised he’s even allowed to wear that BLM shirt though.

    1. @f1osaurus Given the FIA primarily knew of it as a hashtag campaign at the time of initial authorisation, and specifically the one that pushed #WeRaceAsOne to exist, I’m not surprised.

      1. @alianora-la-canta Good to know that you are not surprised. I guess we all can feel safer now.

    2. You’re surprised at the FIA letting him wear a BLM shirt? The FIA that organise a standing/kneeling silent protest before the start of a race?

  9. I’m thinking that people might lose sight of one of the reasons why people are watching sports in the first place: the chance to have a moment away from the daily political, economical, and stressful events.
    The argument is always made that we should see sports and politics or human rights as separate, when an event is being organised in a state that doesn’t provide human rights, or when a sport gets sponsored by a such a state owned company.

    1. Not being able to escape or ignore global issues of systemic racism, discrimination, police brutality and suppression is kind of the point though..

      Wanting to have a moment away illustrates perfectly why this issues shouldn’t exist in the first place

      1. Ironically doh the majority of people believe in systems of oppression, discrimination, class/caste, sexism, and racism, and it is called religion.

        1. @SadF1fan False. Most religions don’t believe in generating all of those, and some don’t believe in generating any of them. Of course, in many places religion has not managed to stamp out that sort of things, and in some, at various times, religion has reinforced them. However, many non-religious systems generating oppression, discrimination, class/caste, sexism, racism and other -isms proliferate too.

          It would be fairer to say that the majority of people invest in power dynamics that generate oppression, discrimination, sexism, racism and other -isms – and then try to justify them with whatever excuses they happen to think will persuade others.

  10. So if Greenpeace wants to raise a slogan against the oil companies, they can and will not be investigated?

    1. Which team does Mr Greenpeace drive for?

    2. @1abe They will because they haven’t gone through the proper channels (for a start). Every time they’ve tried so far has been through third-party guerilla marketing, which has always been against the rules and a penalisable offence.

  11. Here’s a serious question I’ve wondered, would the FIA allow Kvyat to wear a T-shirt protesting Putin’s lawless rule? Obviously he wouldn’t dare because his family lives in Russia but if he did would he be stopped?

    1. They wouldn’t. Same with anything questioning concentration camps in China.

      They’re big markets.

      The FIA can’t really say anything to Hamilton because critics will label them as racists trying to silence a black man.

      I don’t think FIA officials will touch it. He can do what he likes.

    2. @canadianjosh No, because that would be a political message, and unlike this occasion, there would definitely be a protest because at least one attendee (Vladimir Putin) would insist on it (and probably pay the protest fee to boot).

      1. BLM is a political message. The insinuation is there is an agenda by police to kill black people in America. BLM is funded by groups affiliated by the Democrats.

        1. And the Republicans and Trump are backed by the NRA. An organization created the same year the KKK was outlawed.

    3. @canadianjosh How can Putin’s rule be lawless? He makes the laws so whatever he does is legal! (Yes, this is historical sarcasm – Richard Nixon actually used this line of defence in his Watergate “troubles”.)

  12. And the hopes of the Hamilton detractors are dashed again!

    1. Be gentle, they are still seething he wasn’t leading the safety car restart which caused the mayhem. We would be up to 200 posts now on why he should take the blame.

      1. Blaize Falconberger (@)
        15th September 2020, 13:25

        @riptide comment of the day! :-)

      2. OH my God what was Lewis doing?!??!!?! He should be banned for at least one race!!

        That Bottas guy did nothing wrong and fair play to him.

  13. So if Daniil Kvyat came to the next race wearing a t-shirt saying “release Russian spies from US custody” would it get the same reaction even though it’s basically saying the same thing? I don’t have an issue with what he’s promoting but if the rules are the rules he should be punished.

    1. If he does we will find out. Why does the justification of one thing only be ok if some other made up situation is also ok ?

  14. I’m not a big fan of Hamilton, but if they try to punish him or investigate him for this …. its ridiculous …. if they do that Better FIA pack bags and everything and see ya……

    1. I guess voicing an opinion on things like unnecessary gun violence is better (from a moral standpoint) than promoting consumption of tobacco, oil, or fashion.

  15. Huh, I guess he really is bigger than the sport.

    1. You betcha!!

    2. Huh?

      As our American cousins would say, this was one big nothingburger.

  16. Great, we don’t need another hero/martyr

  17. Blaize Falconberger (@)
    15th September 2020, 13:33

    Ham’s T-shirt gave me no indication at all what his politics are… I like the man a lot, more than I like the racing driver at times (that could be said for a lot of the grid) but I have no idea which way he leans, other than he promotes kindness and welfare and rallies against injustice. He clearly picks his battles but that’s his privilege as an individual – the same one we all enjoy.

    To punish him for wearing that shirt would be equally political and seen as opposing his view, which would reflect very badly on the person(s) doing the complaining.

    1. @timeslides The issue of whether to arrest Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly, Brett Hankison and Myles Cosgrove is an issue that is considered divisive in certain areas of American politics. Statements like the last one in your post are exactly the sort of thing that would lead to a slam-dunk conviction of having discriminated against political opinion if the FIA did decide to launch an investigation.

  18. My respect for this undoubtedly very good driver
    is diminishing by bucketloads with every single BLM BS he flaunts.
    HELLO ALL LIVES MATTER.
    Racism wasn’t a big bogeyman until the press blew the whole thing up.
    LH concentrate on your driving.
    KEEP ALL & ANY POLITICS OUT OF ALL SPORT.
    I watch F1 to enjoy the spectacle of cars racing.
    Not some rsclown grandstanding for whatever cause.

    1. Agree. Sick of all of this BS.

    2. Stop watching after the chequered flag @wildbiker, if you like these things the way they are. I mean whose responsibility is it what you look at?

    3. It’s funny how predominantly white people echo the “all lives matter” mantra when faced with irrefutable evidence that many police forces (not just in America) are openly racist and treat POC very differently to how they treat ‘nice white folk’.

      Politics and sport are tightly intertwined. Good luck keeping the two completely separate.

      1. Yellow lives matter, Red lives matter, Black lives matter, White lives matter….

        Do you think police force are only racist to black people?
        End racism should be a more appropriate slogan IMO.

        1. Well, 003.5, white lives have always mattered and it’s about time that black lives matter too. Hence BLM.

    4. I don’t think if you’re not black, you get to say racism wasn’t a “Big bogeyman”.
      Racism isn’t going anywhere, sure we’ve moved forward in the last 50 years or so but its still systemic in societies and also linked to classism.

      You’re fed up with hearing about racism in the news for a year, some people have spent decades fighting to be heard and now it’s their time. Feel free to disagree with them of course but silencing the message is not fixing the problem and its never going away.

      That being said, I don’t think wearing the shirt on the podium was appropriate.

    5. “Racism wasn’t a big bogeyman until the press blew the whole thing up.”

      Wow.

      @wildbiker

    6. @wildbiker Considering the number of people who use “All Lives Matter” as an excuse to act as if black lives don’t matter, that post was poorly-advised.

      1. Your life, Your opinion.
        My life, My opinion.
        If you think for one moment that my
        All Lives Matter is poorly advised.
        So be it. However? I stand by what I posted 100%.

  19. Hamilton is abusing his position and F1 with his political stunts at races.

    However important policing methods are in the US, however much they need monitoring and improving using the podium to call for the arrest of individuals is wrong. Who is next to be targeted? How far will this politicisation of F1 be allowed to go? Will we see more witch hunts against individuals lead from the podium?

    He already persuaded the FIA to follow Black Power leads on kneeling and said he was proud to have used the Black Power clench fist salute on the podium. The Black Power movement is a broad political grouping with some parts of which are seriously racist while many, many others of which are not. But all of which are succoured by such overt political actions at a sporting event.

    So Hamilton is giving solace to disparate groups, some very unpleasant, and interfering in matters of justice. As an individual he is free to follow his conscience but not hijack F1 to do so.

    1. Great post!

      While I have sympathy for the vicitims of these incidents, people need to be very careful about virtue-signallin about thee issues as it feeds into anti-police sentiment that can have terrible consequences. Look no further than what just happened in LA for evidence of that.

      In the case of Taylor, it appears that one of the police officers was struck first before they returned fire, killing her in the process. So again, it seems as though the situation got out of control and the wrong person paid the price (I believe her boyfriend didn’t get hit at all). Despite this, there is a way, time, and place to air grievances and concerns about these matters in a way that doesn’t further antagonise relations between communities and officers. For example, a recent survey found that 81% of black Americans want either the same numbers of police in their communities or more. So this notion that they all want to have police departments abolished because cops are literally going around opening fire is simply not reflected in the data and is an extremely dangerous narrative.

  20. USA Member

    Defund the police departments and transfer all the US 911 calls to a proper Indian call center for a Zoom or Facetime connection to speak with the criminal or person having the heart attack (sorry no on site visits are available as we have no onsite police any longer, they all quit because of the stress of the job). At the end of the call you can also order black t-shirts and a lettering kit to create your own shirts. Thankfully in America we have the right to own weapons, although I hope I will never have to use one in my home.

    Its gotten so crazy with hate, misinformation, prejuding and destruction (BLM splinter groups mostly) I maintain my sanity by recording all of the races and simply use the fast forward function. The world has lost its mind and I’m just not going to get it mixed up with my relaxation watching sports. I’ve stopped watching the US NFL – MLB and NBA and took up reading about the history of F1 while learning a new language via Duolingo (Italian, because British wasn’t an option, although Martin Brundle seems to offer proper lessons every week.) .

    Cheers Mates.

    1. Yes it starts with voting in a total nut bar as a President, I’m sorry but after reading your post I had to say it whether or not you voted for him, your country has gone down the toilet because of him alone denying covid was a thing and always stoking racial tensions when he should be putting water on the fire…. no one to blame but your pathetic system.

      1. Typical Canadian perspective.

        1. Yeah those pesky Canadians flip top heads and Terrance Phillip. Grrrrrr.

          Don’t worry about having to use your gun in your home, there is quite a lot of them used in schools and towns.

        2. In Vancouver B.C. at the freedom rally Canadians chanted Trump!
          Trump! Trump!
          So not typical Canadian.. just another brainwashed liberal/commie.
          Just saying.

    2. @octony That’s… …not what anyone was proposing for community safety.

      Although, an option to contact emergency services via online services (not one of the general services due to abuse and outage concerns, but a specialised app) would be a good idea to augment the telephone service. After all, there are quite a few emergency situations where it is helpful to be able to summon assistance without speaking, many young people carry smartphones, and a well-programmed app would be able to triage some non-emergency issues to more appropriate services on-device (calls that don’t need an emergency response are a big problem; while some are prank calls and wouldn’t be prevented by this, some are accidental calls that a screening app would prevent going through, some are for things like mental health problems that are often better redirected to an appropriate mental health provider… …and sometimes people call because the oven’s broken and a quick “common sense” quiz might help them understand this is not the approach to take to resolve it).

  21. According to an Associated Press news article, the City of Louisville will payout millions of dollars to Breonna Taylor’s mother and reform police practices. They claim “A person who has seen the settlement told The Associated Press it is the largest sum paid by the city for a police misconduct case.”

    1. This is a civil settlement but it confirms that the city believes the police acted wrongly. The policemen who did the killing need to be criminally investigated, and such investigations typically start with an arrest.

    2. To offer a load of money before the findings of an independent investigation seems, if anything, suspicious?

      1. @joshgeake It’s fairly common in the USA, and it can happen any time up to the end of a trial if it reaches court, simply because legal cases can get very expensive. If the city is likely to pay more than 12 million (in court fees – note that those who lose pay the fees of those who win in most cases) plus fines and mandatory modifications, then it’s cheaper for them to settle.

        This does not get the individual officers out of criminal proceedings, but that would be for the three of them to field, and the way this case has been settled ahead of the independent investigation’s conclusion makes it likely that the city will not unreservedly back them the way cities usually do in police brutality court cases.

  22. I must say what Lewis set out to do by wearing the t-shirt worked… that is, draw attention to the incident

    I had never heard of Breonna Taylor until I googled her due to Lewis’ actions

    Other than that, I don’t have a view on any part of the matter

  23. Imagine if this had been done by any other driver…

    Does reverse racism have a name?

    1. Yes, it is called racism, just the same

  24. Just imagine if the French also didn’t break out the status quo a few centuries ago

  25. My policy is that I have no intention of making extremely rich people even richer by using pay TV. Therefore, all I get to see on Melbourne, Australia’s so-called free to air TV news is a few seconds of what Daniel Ricciardo has done, and just a few minutes on our Channel Ten Bold in the Monday after ‘Highlights’ broadcast. Mostly commercial breaks and very little racing.

    During the little we saw of the presentation ceremony, while a part of the British National Anthem was being played, we briefly saw the tee shirt message and a quick cut to Toto Wolff, who did not look at all impressed. Frankly, I was disgusted by the episode.

    In addition to that, our ‘Highlights’ broadcast did not mention once that red flags had been deployed during the race.

Comments are closed.