The area extending out for several miles around Soldier Field, the home turf of the Chicago Bears, is a "death zone" where 408 people (mostly black and Hispanic) have been killed since January 1.
Despite the violence, the Bears' organization and media are crowing about the team spending $500,000 on social justice issues that apparently won't address this 800-pound Bear in the living room. Neither the Bears or the many media reporting on their social justice spending are mentioning the ever-mounting death toll.
The blog 247sports reports: "The Bears are the first organization in the league to maximize the NFL's new social justice initiative that was announced back in March. The group noted that Colin Kaepernick kneeling during the anthem is one of the reasons that sparked this group to make this decision. Bears' tight end Trey Burton says:
"I think one of the coolest things we came to collectively together and talked about was that we don't want to stray too far from the real issue. The issue came from Kaepernick, police brutality and things like that, so we want to make sure that whatever organization we choose it has to do with police involvement, so we can bridge the gap with the community and the police as well."
"It's a cool time to be a Bear," says linebacker Sam Acho (see above photo). "Not only do we have great stuff going on the field, but off the field we are united. We are a team together. ... If it weren’t for Kap taking a knee, I wouldn’t be standing here right now (talking about social justice issues)."
Police brutality? It seems citizen brutality is by far the bigger problem in Chicago.
Never mind that, though, because the Bears' Akiem Hicks tweeted his excitement about the new social justice initiative:
Hicks: "We're all in."#Bears players & ownership are committing more than $500,000 to local social justice programs, becoming the first team to maximize the NFL’s new social justice initiative. The committee spearheading the cause sits down to discuss why it’s important.
The Bears haven't decided exactly how to use the money, but, as Yahoo Sports' Jay Busbee notes "the Bears have taken multiple off-field steps to address matters of inequality." They're talking about visiting prisons, riding along with Chicago police officers, reading with children in classrooms, visiting crime labs to learn more about the challenges that face the community and the police.
All well and good, but what about killings? What about the death zone? What does reading with the children do to make Chicago safer or bring about that ever elusive equality that social justice warriors constantly harp on? Media are giddy about the words "social justice" being thrown around; crickets are chirping about the mayhem on the streets.
NBC Sports writer Josh Alper writes the Bears were motivated by Kaepernick to form a committee of five players — Acho, Burton, Chase Daniel, Hicks and Mitchell Trubisky — and four executives, including team chairman George McCaskey, who will determine how to disperse the $500,000.
What's transpiring in Chicago is paralleling NFL players' $89 million shakedown of the league for social justice causes. So far that money has been used to politically advocate for voting rights for felons in Louisiana and Massachusetts, a series of "Let's Listen" events, and players pushing for alleged armed robbers getting out on bail as they await trial. And amid all this spending and all the talk, the disrespect by NFL players for the national anthem and the veterans who sacrificed for our liberty continues.
