Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul, Dwyane Wade, and LeBron James opened last night’s ESPYs award show with a heartfelt plea to America to work towards changes in the wake of terrible violence perpetrated against both citizens and police officers:
Jim Pasco; the executive director of the Fraternal Order of Police, sat down exclusively with TMZ to give his thoughts on the speech:
“We’d like an opportunity to speak with them about how we can work with them to improve communication and interaction between police and the community.”
“These are 4 of the top athletes in their sport and they are role models in the community.”
Pasco, who’d made it clear he’d heard & WELCOMES the comments, is a pleasant surprise in all of this. Many people who’ve been siding with the police fail to acknowledge systematic problems leading to last week’s events, and although still very tame; Pasco’s stance is good to see.
Realizing how powerful & beneficial these four voices can be to both citizens and officers, it is wise for Pasco to show compassion and competence with this issue, instead of taking offense and jumping on the defensive.
Hopefully the dialogue can stay open and progress can continue to be made on both sides.
