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Parker Puts Out Call for Peaceful Protest
The city of Louisville, Kentucky, was the site of the recent death of Breonna Taylor in a police shooting and Dolphins wide receiver DeVante Parker used his social media presence to encourage people to attend a peaceful protest in her honor Saturday in his hometown.
Parker, who played at the University of Louisville before the Dolphins selected him in the first round of the 2015 NFL draft, put out the message on Twitter and Instagram.
The event is a peaceful protest at the Waterfront in Louisville starting at 4 p.m. ET "in remembrance and celebration of Breonna Taylor's life. The images was bordered with #BLACKLIVES MATTER.
Taylor, who would have turned 27 on Friday, was killed in her apartment March 13 when police officers broke down the door to her apartment in an attempted drug sting and shot her eight times.
Parker will become the second Dolphins player to participate in a protest related to police violence and racial inequality.
Newly signed safety Kavon Frazier attended a protest in Texas on Monday evening.
Frazier revealed on Twitter his own police violence experience when his face was pushed against a brick wall when he was only 10 years old.
Frazier told USA Today attending protests was a "no-brainer."
“When I look back now, I realize I could’ve been one of those people,” Frazier told USA Today. “I could’ve been the next hashtag, or one of the earlier hashtags.
“It sucks that we have to protest about this in 2020. It’s unfortunate. But a change has to be made. It’s spreading awareness because a lot of white people don’t really realize what we go through until we speak up and say it or it’s caught on video.”
Head Coach Brian Flores said Thursday he respected his players' decision to protest but also was hoping they'd be careful.
“My number one thing for guys is they have a right to protest and I support their right to protest, but even more than that, it’s about being careful," Flores said. "I want my players to be careful. ... I’ve had a lot of conversations with players over the last few days and I support these guys. I understand the emotions that they’re going through, but at the same time, I want them to be smart."
