We received this letter from a reader today. While by and large, police officers in Cleveland are a decent bunch, it seems this one is a douchenozzle of the highest order.
Earlier this season, my brother and I decided to take in a Tribe game on a pleasant Sunday afternoon. Besides the come to be expected high vendor prices, being asked to see our tickets by three different ushers on three separate occasions, and the lack of run support, the experience had promise. However, after not standing up for the singing of “God Bless America” in the 7th inning, a Cleveland police officer stood over me at my seat questioning my patriotism. I told him that I was neither a christian or a nationalist, and believed the song inappropriate for a public venue. He then called me a coward. I showed him my service tattoo, and informed him I was a Post 9/11 veteran exercising my 1st Amendment right, in which he replied “You’re a piece of crap coward!”
Needless to say I left the game shortly after, both offended and deeply angered. Is this how the Tribe plans to treat their customers? We already know how the police treat the civilians they swore an oath to serve and protect. What is more inappropriate, an egocentric song being forced on others, or an armed man calling an unarmed man a coward?
-Andy, South Tremont
This article appears in Jun 19-25, 2013.
That’s ok, I don’t stand for the hillbilly national anthem, Lee Greenwood’s “Proud to be American” at Clowns games. Good for you, I’m glad to see you exercise your rights. Thanks for your service and don’t let the d-bag keep you down.
You should have got his badge number and called the Indians front office, they would likely take action and see to it that the douche-bag officer wouldn’t be assigned to anymore Indians games in the future.
WHILE YOU ARE COMPLAINING ABOUT THE POLICE OFFICER AND YOUR RIGHTS, WHAT ABOUT HIS RIGHTS THAT YOU ARE BLASTING NOW OF HIS FREE SPEECH AND IF YOU DONT BELIEVE IN BEING A PATRIOT, YOU ARE FREE TO LEAVE ANY TIME BECAUSE YOU ARE IN THE MINORITY i AM SURE
.Someone should give that cop a snickers because when he’s hungry he’s not himself – oh wait, he is himself an arrogant badge flashing gun toting thug who probably got pushed around the playground far too many times in his soiled undies…
I second the badge number thing. The Indians organization is generally, in my experience, pretty serious about the fan experience.
I am sorry you were treated poorly in that public venue by someone with apparent government authority. He was wrong.
By the way, niether God Bless America, nor the Lee Greenwood songs are the national anthem. People seemed confused by that, when they stand and/or insist that caps be removed. It cheapens the national anthem, in my opinion, when these other songs are elevated in importance to the same level as the national anthem.
And @NJL1966 would respectfully disagree with your analysis. The first amendment protects the indians fan from the government official not vice versa. Thanks.
The cop – a typical wannabe tough guy – was probably itching to toss someone out of the place…..and brag about to his buddies the next day.
The police officers at Indians games are not employees of the Cleveland Indians, they are Cleveland Police Officers. The Indians would still really, really, really want to know about something like this though, especially since it happened in their own backyard.
One thing here though, you may feel that God Bless America is “an egocentric song that is being forced” on you, and that is absolutely 100% your right to feel that way. The vast majority of people, however, do not feel this way. As bad as your exchange with the officer was, the worst thing would be if they decided not to play that song just because a small percentage of people didn’t care for it.
Wow, just wow. I almost got in a fight once at Wrigley Field for the same reason. The non-cop dimwit yelling at me backed down very quickly (a) when I explained “God Bless America” wasn’t the national anthem and (b) when he realized I was younger, larger, fitter, and (unlike him) sober.
But a cop? Wow, that’s chilling. I fear for our country. I really do.