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Sooners DB Chanse Sylvie Hoping to Create Meaningful Change in Law Enforcement

As protests erupt across America in the aftermath of George Floyd's murder, Sylvie has outlined four simple bullet points to help eradicate police brutality
John E. Hoover|
Sooners DB Chanse Sylvie Hoping to Create Meaningful Change in Law Enforcement
Sooners DB Chanse Sylvie Hoping to Create Meaningful Change in Law Enforcement

Frustrated and afraid and ready to take action, Oklahoma football player Chanse Sylvie is hoping to become an agent of change.

Sylvie, a defensive back from Shreveport, LA, who graduated last year with a degree in political science, tweeted Tuesday that he’s published a 700-word manifesto, “Equal Protection Under the Law, Seeking Meaningful Steps for Policing in America,” has printed 100 copies and intends to deliver them in Houston to mourners at George Floyd’s funeral on June 9.

“I’m seeing the same thing happen over and over and over again,” Sylvie told the OU Daily. “How does this keep occurring?”

Sylvie, 22, isn’t just marching, isn’t just protesting, isn’t just tweeting. He has “a plethora of ideas,” he wrote, and begins by outlining a four-point plan that he thinks can effect meaningful change in law enforcement.

  1. A lifetime ban for law enforcement officers who have been terminated for misconduct.
  2. All misconduct complaints against law enforcement officers should be made public.
  3. Stricter hiring and recruiting guidelines for future law enforcement officers.
  4. Independent investigations of all alleged misconduct by law enforcement officers.

Sylvie’s plan is to present his document to officials who can do something about it.

“I’m looking for those lawyers,” Sylvie told the OU Daily. “I’m looking for those city officials. I’m looking for those representatives. I’m looking for those mayors, I’m looking for those senators and governors.”

Sylvie described tension from his own experiences with law enforcement.

“As a black male in America, when we see those red and blue lights flashing, we’re thinking, ‘I hope the person coming of his his car likes me. I hope this person is having a good day.’ ”

“Eventually,” Sylvie writes, “the protesting will come to an end, and when the dust settles, what will come from this outcry? Will George Floyd’s death be a distant memory, or will it be the defining moment that leads to effective solutions? The protesting certainly has gotten the public’s attention, but we need more to get the public to work toward solutions.”

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John E. Hoover
JOHN E. HOOVER

John is an award-winning journalist whose work spans five decades in Oklahoma, with multiple state, regional and national awards as a sportswriter at various newspapers. During his newspaper career, John covered the Dallas Cowboys, the Kansas City Chiefs, the Oklahoma Sooners, the Oklahoma State Cowboys, the Arkansas Razorbacks and much more. In 2016, John changed careers, migrating into radio and launching a YouTube channel, and has built a successful independent media company, DanCam Media. From there, John has written under the banners of Sporting News, Sports Illustrated, Fan Nation and a handful of local and national magazines while hosting daily sports talk radio shows in Oklahoma City, Tulsa and statewide. John has also spoken on Capitol Hill in Oklahoma City in a successful effort to put more certified athletic trainers in Oklahoma public high schools. Among the dozens of awards he has won, John most cherishes his national "Beat Writer of the Year" from the Associated Press Sports Editors, Oklahoma's "Best Sports Column" from the Society of Professional Journalists, and Two "Excellence in Sports Medicine Reporting" Awards from the National Athletic Trainers Association. John holds a bachelor's degree in Mass Communications from East Central University in Ada, OK. Born and raised in North Pole, Alaska, John played football and wrote for the school paper at Ada High School in Ada, OK. He enjoys books, movies and travel, and lives in Broken Arrow, OK, with his wife and two kids.

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