With Gov. Bryant's support, Mississippi law enforcement agency to dump Nike

[riversedge]

Source: MississippiToday.com




By Bobby Harrison 2 hours ago




The Mississippi Department of Public Safety, which includes the state’s Highway Patrol troopers, will no longer purchase any Nike products, according to Commissioner Marshall Fisher and Gov. Phi Bryant.

The decision by the public-safety department is a reaction to a recent Nike decision to run an ad campaign starring Colin Kaepernick. In 2016, as quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, Kaepernick began sitting and, then, kneeling during the national anthem to protest social injustice, particularly police killings of African Americans.


In response to an inquiry by Mississippi Today, Fisher said: “As commissioner of the Department of Public Safety. I will not support vendors who do not support law enforcement and the military.”

Bryant, who appointed Fisher as public safety commissioner, voiced support for Fisher’s action.
..................................

Sen. John Horhn, D-Jackson, said: “The governor had been spending too much time with the president,” referring to Donald Trump, whom Horhn said has politicized Kaepernick. Horhn said while Trump has attempted to paint Kaepernick as unpatriotic, in reality he was engaging in peaceful protests against police brutality.

.....................................................

Read more: https://mississippitoday.org/2018/09/14/with-gov-bryants-support-mississippi-law-enforcement-agency-to-dump-nike/

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Link to tweet

General overall view of Nike ad featuring former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the "Just Do It" campaign on the side of building on W. Washington Blvd. between S. Hill Street and S. Broadway in Los Angeles, Friday, Sept., 14, 2018. “Believe in something,” the advertisement reads in white letters in front of a black-and-white portrait of Kaepernick. “Even if it means sacrificing everything.”

[madaboutharry]

1. How predictable was that!

I’ll refrain from making a joke about Mississippi.

[democratisphere]

2. I don't support racist states like Mississippi.

[elmac]

9. i never have and never will visit, spend money in any rascist state. nt

[democratisphere]

12. I feel exactly the same!

[Scruffy1]

33. Not the whole stae is racist.

I've spent a lot of time in the Delta., especially Greenville. It is the least racist place I have ever been in. Of course most of the places I go to are majority black. I sure don't regret the dough I've spent at the Blues Saloon.

[Southerngirl808]

57. Whew!

Hahahaha. I guess this means you don't live in any state in the US or plan to leave the country.

[paleotn]

54. Your not missing much

I’ve been there. Not high on my list of places to revisit.

[Croney]

3. I suggest they switch to Converse.

Great shoes! Good quality for the price!

(Owned by Nike? Nah, that's fake news.)

[Fred Sanders]

7. How many cop departments purchase from Nike? For what? Transparent political ploy because

sometimes you have to stroke the knuckledraggers, already in a delirious fact-free rage via a Fox.

More publicity and profit for Nike!

Nike's stroke of brilliance was realizing the racists are outnumber and by a huge margin. Only makes business sense.

P.s. No one ever here of illegal bills of attainder in RacistLand? It is a democratic kind of thing to protect against political abuse of power targeting specific entities. These racists should look it up.

[trixie2]

4. Good! Nike will be even cooler

without "the man".

[iluvtennis]

17. ++++ agree.

[onit2day]

41. Thought it was illegal to discriminate due to a man's race. No matter what

they claim if Colin wasn't black they'd still be using Nike. Hope he sues them.

[UncleTomsEvilBrother]

5. I lived in Mississippi for a year

Trust me...Nike stock is going to go up now that Mississippi is no longer associated with it.

[Luciferous]

8. I lived there for 2- besides the mild winters and the coast I hated it.

Last edited Sat Sep 15, 2018, 06:02 PM - Edit history (1)

[sandensea]

15. And I, for 10.

If I ever seem a little edgy or out of sorts in my posts (and I try not to be), now you know why.

[Jedi Guy]

43. Where in Mississippi did you live, if you don't mind my asking?

I lived on the coast (Ocean Springs) and I have a lot of very fond memories of my time there. It's been 20 years since I left, and I still get homesick from time to time. I never spent a lot of time in the interior of the state, apart from one semester at Ole Miss. I also didn't encounter much racism or racist people on the coast.

I understand that a lot of the really backwards, racist folks are in the middle of the state, like north of Jackson. That'd definitely square with what I observed while driving to and from university. There were times when I could've sworn I heard banjos in the distance when I stopped to get gas in some tiny little town.

[Luciferous]

44. Ocean Springs is great! The coast is the only area of the state I enjoyed. I lived in DeSoto

County, right outside of Memphis.

[nwduke]

6. Again..

You just can’t fix stupid!

[Cha]

10. How devastating for NIKE! They have to go

on without a Racist Fucking State buying their shoes.

They support the Fucking Evil anti-Christ instead.

[Fred Sanders]

27. Nike stock dropped 3 cents on the news. Then recovered 3 dollars as News spread....idiots.

[Solly Mack]

11. Warped fucks.

[Gore1FL]

13. Ultimately, this is publicity gold for Nike.

Amazingly, no one expects the Streisand Effect (or the Spanish Inquisition).

[Takket]

14. Nike is laughing at these hissy fits as their stocks and sales soar.

[keithbvadu2]

16. Is Mississippi also boycotting Harley Davidson and Ford?

[DoctorJoJo]

18. What An Embarrassment of a State!

[George Eliot]

19. Lot of ways to show racism. Putting patriotic labels on it, it still stinks.

I'm so sick of all the racism these people show and try to make it all sound so rational and patriotic. Ef um.

[Honeycombe8]

20. So silly. A temper tantrum by a wacko Governor. In the real world...

In the real world, Nike stock hit an all time high today. Keep on keepin' on.

[ProudLib72]

21. Isn't that about like the governor saying "I am a racist, and my state is racist"?

I think it is. You have to wonder how many cops in Mississippi are rolling their eyes and trying to disguise the Nike symbol on their shoes.

[DFW]

22. On a practical level

If this means Mississippi state troopers will no longer be wearing Nike sneakers when they stop out-of-state cars at speed traps and relieve them of their cash, well I doubt too many of them were wearing Nike sneakers before the decision, either.

I think Nike will weather this storm just fine. Their business won't drop nearly as much as the country's opinion of Mississippi.

[sdfernando]

37. LOL...I don't think the country's opinion of Mississippi can get any lower. /nt

[DFW]

38. At least not outside of Mississippi

I know some very cool people from Mississippi, as a matter of fact, but the one thing they all have in common is that none of them choose to live there.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

51. Did Mississippi state troopers ever wear Nike sneakers, at least

as part of an official uniform? I though cops wore those big heavy black oxfords they could stomp on people with. I'm sure the state's purchase of Nike products was somewhere close to $0.

[GoneOffShore]

23. Back in the 1960's Phil Ochs got it right.

[sinkingfeeling]

24. Excuse me, but when did the flag and national anthem become the sole

symbols of law enforcement and the military?

Here, I always thought they represented the entire country. If that is all they are now, I will never bother with either again.

[GoneOffShore]

31. I haven't bothered with either since the 1960's.

[amcgrath]

25. Apart from the concern about politics playing a part in policing

There is something very Trumpian about the 'Department of Public Safety' protesting a company that links itself to a movement, whose goal is to reduce the number of citizens being indiscriminately beaten and killed by public servants, for no reason whatsoever

[SWBTATTReg]

26. All of this is sad, for these so called economic boycotts, made purely for political benefit...

(such as this one by MS re. NIKE, and rump vs. tariffs on everything) and do not really accomplish a thing. If anything, they simply drive demand underground (such as across the state border) and get what they need just as easy.

Boycotts don't seem to accomplish anything, and if anything, highlight the item(s) being boycotted.

Because of these constant 'political grandstanding' by states such as MS, for items like this (it seems to happen frequently in states like this) economic development in the long term, as well as well as possible future economic development in states like MS are hurt quite a bit. Especially in view of the fact that NIKE is simply expressing its first amendment right too, and the state of MS is denying NIKE its' right to free speech too?

What's MS going to do should someone break it's NIKE boycott? Arrest them and throw them in jail? What about their first amendment rights too?

What really gets me is that these governors and / or president seem to think that they have unlimited power to wield their economic axes freely, when I don't think they have any authority to do so, after all, they are impacting others' first amendment right.

[ET Awful]

28. Now if only Kaep would get an endorsement deal from Ford or Chevy

So they would have to dump their whole fleet of police cruisers . . . .

[dlk]

29. Faux Outrage Over the Nonexistent Connection Between Football and the Military

Apparently, their lives are so small and unsatisfying they have to manufacture a bogus issue to feel significant. The world has changed. Where one buys athletic shoes has no relation whatsoever to that fact.

[dameatball]

30. I worked in procurement both in Virginia and Florida. No state is allowed to boycott any product

offered for sale to any state agency (that I know of) for political reasons. If Nike wanted to, I think they would legally be able to contest this. Every procurement agency that I have ever been associated with specifically prohibits any form of favoritism.....and hence any form of discrimination.
For instance, if a vendor can show that they were arbitrarily prevented from participating in any bid proposal they would likely be able to sue the state and be awarded the contract and possibly damages.

BUT.....then again this is Mississippi, so who knows?

[Mosby]

40. +1

[dameatball]

45. For anyone interested, the state of Mississippi procurement manual is easily viewed online.

Like most states it is very lengthy. However, it does specifically address competitive bidding for like items.

[yardwork]

46. I'm sure that the governor is lying about this.

The officials get high fives from their racist supporters for this announcement and the departments go right on buying Nike products.

[dameatball]

47. Probably so.

[yardwork]

48. Thank you for posting the procurement rules.

It's disappointing that the news reports don't mention that context.

[malthaussen]

32. More political grandstanding.

Expect this to be withdrawn about two days from now, just as the Kenner "ban" was.

-- Mal

[workinclasszero]

34. Nike stock price reaches all-time high after Colin Kaepernick ad

Last Updated Sep 14, 2018 4:15 PM EDT By JONATHAN BERR MONEYWATCH September 14, 2018, 11:13 AM

Shares of Nike reached an all-time high Friday afternoon, rebounding from a recent dip spurred by concerns about consumer boycott after the athletic apparel maker signed a high-profile deal with former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick.

The company's stock rose slightly on Friday, closing at $83.49. Since Nike announced the campaign on Labor Day, shares are up about 4 percent. Longer-term, Nike stock has surged 33 percent this year as Wall Street bet that the company would be able to ride out the negative publicity. Online sales of Nike gear jumped 31 percent from Sept. 2 through Sept. 4, nearly double the company's sales during the same period a year ago, according to Edison Trends, a digital commerce research company.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/nike-stock-price-reaches-all-time-high-despite-colin-kaepernick-ad-boycott/

****************************************************************************
Nike can't hear the cross burners in Mississippi, the noise from the all time high stock price party is drowning out the haters!

[ROB-ROX]

35. THIS IS A POOR STATE

This state has historically been poor. The leadership is even poorer. I do not think this nickel and dime state will affect the sales since who listens to those people? They have historically always been WRONG and losers. I think my state has a county bigger then this small state......I do feel sorry for the people who are trapped in that state...........SHAME

[sdfernando]

36. I am waiting for those awesome people that project images

onto the old Post Office hotel (not gonna use its name) in Washington DC to project this ad on the side of the building. That would be so awesome!

[truthisfreedom]

39. I hope they get shin splints.

[Nitram]

42. OK, this is what we've come to? Police Departments making political decisions about footwear

instead of defending the civil rights of the citizens in their jurisdiction?

[maxrandb]

49. Spent a "year there one 6 months" precomming a Navy ship in Pascagoula

This was in 1992. 6 months felt like over a year.

Anyway, in the Navy, whenever you report to a new command, you go through something called INDOC. This is where the various Department Heads, XO, CO, Command Master Chief, etc., come in to brief you on the command and the surrounding area. Tell you which areas are considered "off-limits" and the such.

There were several Barber Shops that were place "off-limits" by the Navy because they refused to cut African Americans hair. and Dry Cleaners that wouldn't clear African Americans clothes. There were also several bars and areas that African Americans were told "they could not go".

Was out with one of my Shipmates of Asian decent, and we decided to stop at a local bar. We went up to the bar and ordered some beers. People weren't friendly, but they didn't seem hostile either. Suddenly my friend chugged his beer and said; "let's get out of here". He looked nervous and angry. It was then that he pointed out several cartoons that were taped up behind the bar. I'm talking like the most despicable "Sambo" type cartoons and one in particular depicting an Asian with caricature features being lynched.

We got the hell out of there, and it pissed me the fuck off.

Here it was, 1992, with many young men of every color, volunteering and willing to put their lives on the line for their country and they couldn't get a haircut, get their uniforms dry cleaned, or enjoy a beer, without first having to figure out if they would be welcomed.

Mind you, the ship we were on was a massive amphibious ship that had as one of it's major missions, disaster relief. I wondered how many of our Sailors would be asked to go an lend assistance to these people should a major hurricane or other disaster impact the MS Gulf Coast.

I'll never step foot in that godforsaken den of MAGAts again.

And to those who will say; "there are good people in MS", I'm not disputing that...I'm just wondering why those "good people" didn't shut those discriminatory businesses down.

I would be willing to bet that they INDOC brief for Sailors in Pascagoula in 2018 is NOT much different than the one I went through in 1992.

[Southerngirl808]

56. ...........This is not true.

I was checking out the site and decided to join to comment on this. I am Black and grew up on the Mississippi Gulf Coast in the 90s up until Katrina...mainly Jackson County. This is a very small area that doesn't have a lot of businesses and word travels extremely fast. All due respect, while there are some extremely racist areas in Mississippi, this reads extremely exaggerated.

There were and still are a good bit of barbershops in Jackson County that are Black owned by talented barbers. That is not true that Black men couldn't get a hair cut there because racists refuse to cut their hair. In the 90s, most of my classmates/friends took jeans to the cleaners as it was in style back then. No problems with businesses refusing to service us because we were Black.

I've never heard of or saw a club in Jackson or Harrison County with racist images taped to the bar. So if there is some truth to that, it had to be an extreme one off in a bar that no one goes to or else that would have been all over town. We pretty much partied in both Jackson/Harrison County... there were not several bars we "could not go to".

Yes, there are racist business owners that we chose not to do business with (like everywhere else). But we weren't a bunch of weak Black kids allowing racists to tell us where we could and couldn't go, in the 90s...much less in 2018.

[maxrandb]

59. It absolutely is true

I was there and witnessed it. Didn't say that ALL Barber Shop and Dry Cleaners refused service to African Americans, but we had a listing of those that wouldn't. The Navy put them off-limits to all Sailors.

The bar was just east of Singing River Mall.

I'm retired now but I'll see if I can find the current list of off-limits places in pascagoula

[Southerngirl808]

66. ...... SMH

Last edited Mon Sep 24, 2018, 04:48 PM - Edit history (1)

AGAIN, IF... that happened...it was an extreme one off at a po dunk bar that no one goes too. There was racist business owners that we chose not to do business with like any other area in the US.

You can pull whatever list you want. I’m a Black woman who lived in that area a lot longer than 6 months in the 90s. There was not SEVERAL businesses in Jackson County that we (Black people) weren’t allowed to go to or we were refused service.

Yes, we dealt with racism but it is not nearly to the extreme that you are making it out to be.

Edit: Adding to this, I am aware that military banned personnel from certain businesses, clubs/bars, etc.

[ck4829]

50. Need to get the right to hate Dow components

[MichMan]

52. They probably didn't care for his "pig" socks..

The ones that depicted police as pigs. That probably angered then more than just the anthem did

[DFW]

53. This was sent to me 5 years ago by my friend, Adrian Cronauer

A US Navy cruiser anchored in Mississippi for a week's shore leave.

The first evening, the ship's Captain received the following note from

the wife of a very wealthy and influential plantation owner:



"Dear Captain, Thursday will be my daughter Melinda's Debutante Ball.

I would like you to send four well-mannered, handsome, unmarried

officers in their formal dress uniforms to attend the dance."



"They should arrive promptly at 8:00 PM prepared for an evening of

polite Southern conversation. They should be excellent dancers, as

they will be the escorts of lovely refined young ladies. One last

point: *"No Jews please."*



Sending a written message by his own yeoman, the captain replied:

"Madam, thank you for your invitation. In order to present the widest

possible knowledge base for polite conversation, I am sending four of

my best and most prized officers."



"One is a lieutenant commander, and a graduate of Annapolis with an

additional Master’s degree from MIT in fluid technologies and ship

design."



"The second is a Lieutenant, one of our helicopter pilots, and a

graduate of Northwestern University in Chicago , with a BS in

Aeronautical Engineering. His Master’s Degree and PhD. In Aeronautical

and Mechanical Engineering are from Texas Tech University and he is

also an astronaut candidate."



"The third officer is also a lieutenant, with degrees in both computer

systems and information technology from SMU and he is awaiting

notification on his Doctoral Dissertation from Cal Tech."



"Finally, the fourth officer, also a lieutenant commander, is our

ship's doctor, with an undergraduate degree from the University of

Georgia and his medical degree is from the University of North

Carolina . We are very proud of him, as he is also a senior fellow in

Trauma Surgery at Bethesda ."



Upon receiving this letter, Melinda's mother was quite excited and

looked forward to Thursday with pleasure. Her daughter would be

escorted by four handsome naval officers without peer (and the other

women in her social circle would be insanely jealous).



At precisely 8:00 PM on Thursday, Melinda's mother heard a polite rap

at the door which she opened to find, in full dress uniform, four very

handsome, smiling Black officers.



Her mouth fell open, but pulling herself together, she stammered,

"There must be some mistake."

"No, Madam," said the first officer.

"Captain Goldberg never makes mistakes."

[Rhiannon12866]

60. Wow! Priceless!

[DFW]

61. Adrian always used to send me stuff like that

His sense of humor never diminished since his "Good Morning Vietnam" days, though he was nothing like how Robin Williams portrayed him in the film. I'll always miss him.

[Rhiannon12866]

62. I do remember you telling us that, too bad it was such a "claim to fame" for him

Sounds to me like he was even more amusing in his own right.

[DFW]

63. Adrian was a unique, fascinating man

A Republican, he was the last one I knew who was a Republican in the Javits-Eisenhower mold. An intellectual non-conformist to the last, he used to show up at Renaissance Weekend dinners in a T-shirt and jeans. Decided to go to Law School at age 50 just for the hell of it. Ended up his Pentagon career in a little-known unsung office whose task was to work with Vietnam and Cambodia looking for the remains of US MIAs so they could give their families closure, even 40 years later. He and I had lunch once near his office in Arlington and we just rambled on over about 20 different subjects, from politics to the Dynasties of ancient Egypt. I never knew anyone else like him (though Wes Clark had a similarly vast knowledge of almost everything).

One thing you noticed immediately is that he was extremely well-spoken, cool and measured, nothing remotely like the film portrayal. There are some youtube clips of Adrian addressing various audiences, often talking about his Vietnam days. If you find one of them, you can see how different he was from the Robin Williams version.

[Rhiannon12866]

64. I agree, there used to be some admirable Republicans

My Dad was one of them, I guess he'd be described as a liberal Republican, something that doesn't exist anymore. He also had quite a sense of humor and was a world traveler, too - he just liked people and had some stories...

Your friend sounds like quite a character, no doubt more complex and interesting than the movie portrayal. You've sure been fortunate to know some fascinating people, I often think of another memorable friend of yours these days - someone who we could depend on to put the current liar-in-chief in his place like no one else!

[DFW]

65. She would not have minced words

And she would have made sawdust out of Sarah Huckasanders.

[Yavin4]

55. Mississippi God Damn

[Southerngirl808]

58. Not Suprised

A guilty dog barks the loudest.... MS Law Enforcement is notorious for racial profiling.


Sen. John Horhn is absolutely correct. Phil Bryant is pathetic when it comes to Trump and always getting involved in 45's racist drama. One thing I hate about leaving Mississippi is that I took my vote with me because the state is not going to go anywhere as long as we continue to make these stupid political decisions.

[MineralMan]

67. I didn't know that Nike made jackboots.