Earlier this month, Beyoncé took centerstage during halftime at Super Bowl 50 and paid homage to the Black Panthers with a live rendition of “Formation.” Since then, the Houston-bred songstress has faced a slew of criticism, particularly from those in law enforcement. In fact, the performance has lead to a possible boycott of her upcoming concerts by the Miami Police Union.
According to The Guardian, Javier Ortiz, the President of the Miami Fraternal Order of Police, has issued a statement asking law enforcement to boycott Beyoncé’s shows following the singer’s performance.
In his statement, Ortiz says that while he did not watch Bey’s halftime performance, he did watch her “Formation” video by mistake. He just so happened to catch the scene of a young black boy dancing in front of police in riot gear. Elsewhere, he justified his decision to boycott her shows by referencing “dozens of law enforcement officers that have been assassinated by members of the Black Panthers.”
“While Beyoncé physically saluted the 50th anniversary of the Black Panthers movement at the Super Bowl, I salute NYPD Officer Richard Rainey, who succumbed to his injuries on 16 February 2016 from being shot by two Black Panthers who he had pulled over in a traffic stop,” Ortiz’s statement reads in part. “I also salute the dozens of law enforcement officers that have been assassinated by members of the Black Panthers. We ask all law enforcement labour organizations to join our boycott across the country and to boycott all of her concerts.”
A spokesperson for the Miami-Dade Police Department later responded to Ortiz’s statement, reiterating that his stance does not mean officers have abandoned their duties.
“Right now the union president has his first amendment right to say whatever he wants to say, but that doesn’t always translate to reality. As far as we see, there’s no indication that anything that is said there will translate into police officers not working the job.”
Beyoncé’s Formation world tour is slated to kick off on April 27 in Miami and will extend out in North America until June 14 when it wraps in Detroit. She will take the tour overseas beginning on June 28 and hit a string of European cities until July 31.
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