Since Beyoncé’s music video for Formation and her evidently controversial Super Bowl performance came out, people have been up in arms about her evident support of black people. So the only logical conclusion is that, as a black person, she hates the police and, according to Miami chapter of the Fraternal Order of Police, Beyoncé has “used this year’s Super Bowl to divide Americans by promoting the Black Panthers and her anti-police message.” Because this isn’t a reach at all.
Her video was openly concerned with black issues, and her (all black) back-up dancers at the Super Bowl were wearing Black Panther-esque outfits. Also they were in an X formation at one point, which people are making out to be a tribute to Malcom X? (Although, even if that is the case, how is it a bad thing?). Her new video for Formation, which came out February 6, features Beyoncé sitting on a cop car as it sinks in a flood, New Orleans imagery, and a small black child dancing in front of a riot squad. Sure, it is provocative, but Beyoncé is an artist making her art.
The police have now decided to boycott Beyoncé. They assure the world that if Beyoncé really needed police assistance, they would not deny that of her. However, they are urging other police officers not to volunteer as security at any of her performances because of her ‘anti-police’ views. The way that Sgt. Danny Hale, president of the Nashville Fraternal Order of Police says, “If we volunteer to work her event, we’re basically saying, ‘you can say and do anything you want to when it comes to police officers, and we’re just going to sit and take it.’” It just makes me wonder why the police have such fragile masculinity that they take any statement on the #BlackLivesMatter movement as a personal attack.
Beyoncé was making a statement, and she has good reason to be making this statement, but the way that statement is being received with such immaturity from police is proof that her statement is necessary. All she is saying, essentially is that black lives matter. However, to the police, this is an indication of attack against the police force: “We’ve been under attack for the past eight, 10, 12 months. Some things that are done and said are just not fair, and it’s not right,” claims Andrew Jackson Lodge of the Nashville police.
