Doug Baldwin has been very outspoken on the topic of national anthem protests, and the Seattle Seahawks receiver is an advocate of establishing better relations between police officers and the community. On Monday, Baldwin and some teammates tried to make some progress on that front.
According to Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times, Baldwin and other Seahawks players met with members of the Seattle Police Department at the team’s practice facility. The details of the meeting have not been disclosed.
As Condotta notes, Baldwin said last month that the Seahawks were working to arrange meetings with local politicians and law enforcement.
“At this very moment, we’re scheduling a meeting with the mayor of Seattle, with police chiefs across the country, across the state I should say, and we’re discussing ways to just start discussion,” he said. “That’s the first step, is to have communication. We need to know the perspective of other people. The greatest tragedy for any human being is going through their entire lives believing the only perspective that matters is their own. We need to break down those walls and barriers and get people to see that there’s perspectives outside of their own eyes.”
Baldwin’s comments came after the Seahawks decided to show team unity during the national anthem rather than placing their hands over their hearts.
We all know the type of influence professional athletes can have over the community, so you have to commend Baldwin and the Seahawks for choosing to have an open dialogue with local law enforcement rather than merely criticizing the police.
