Police union criticizes Knights for supporting Jacob Blake

The president of the union that represents Metro police officers denounced the Golden Knights’ and majority owner Bill Foley’s statement regarding the recent shooting of Jacob Blake and the postponement of Thursday’s game.

Steve Grammas, president of the Las Vegas Police Police Protective Association, expressed his “disappointment” with the Knights and wrote in a letter to the organization, “It appears, to my law enforcement brothers and sisters, that the Golden Knights would rather jump on the bandwagon of attacking the police profession rather than waiting for the facts of an event to be brought to light.”

Grammas confirmed to the Las Vegas Review-Journal on Saturday that he authored the letter and said high-ranking members of the Knights’ organization have reached out to him to continue their dialogue. He declined to comment further.

The Knights organization released a statement Saturday night less than an hour before the start of their Western Conference semifinal game against the Vancouver Canucks.

“We are aware of the recent open letter to our organization from the Las Vegas Police Protective Association,” the team said. “We had a productive conversation with the association on Saturday and look forward to continued dialogue.”

Clark County Sheriff Joseph Lombardo also released a statement Saturday.

“While the LVPPA represents a number of the men and women at the LVMPD, as sheriff I support the rights of everyone including a sports team to express its beliefs without criticism,” Lombardo said.

Knights forward Reilly Smith said Saturday after the team’s morning skate that he heard about the letter but was not comfortable commenting until he reads it.

“I know they know the amount of respect that we have for what they do,” said coach Pete DeBoer, who added that one of his brothers-in-law is a deputy police chief. “I know I can tell you the guys in the (locker) room the amount of respect they have for what those men and women do every day. Hopefully, that isn’t misinterpreted.”

Blake, a Black man, was shot by a white officer in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on Sunday. A video of the incident sparked nationwide protests, including the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks refusing to play their playoff game Wednesday in protest of social injustice and police brutality.

Athletes from several professional sports leagues followed by choosing not to participate in games Thursday and Friday. The Knights’ playoff game against the Vancouver Canucks was postponed from Thursday to Saturday.

Knights forward Ryan Reaves, who is biracial, was one of the point men for NHL players on their decision to sit out Thursday and Friday as a form of protest. His father was a sergeant with the Manitoba Sheriff Services in Winnipeg.

The Knights released a statement Thursday that said, in part, “We are committed to bringing about lasting, meaningful change that has been needed for far too long through actions, not words. We understand this one action will not alone solve a deep-rooted systemic problem. However, our hope is that it helps shine a brighter light on the issue of racial equality and helps amplify marginalized voices that need to be heard at this time.”

In the letter, Grammas said he watched the video of Blake being shot and detailed several “facts” of the case, based on a Wisconsin Department of Justice report.

Grammas wrote, “Your organization is extremely quick to turn their back on law enforcement, which lends me to wonder if we have an incident in Las Vegas, where other sports groups or political parties say what the police did was wrong, with no facts, would you turn on us as well. It appears clear, the answer is yes!”

Grammas cited the Knights’ support after the June 1 shooting of Metro officer Shay Mikalonis.

“It is clear, now, that your veiled support of the heroes of law enforcement, the same ones you praised for 1 October, is only when the media or a certain political party or other un-informed athletes tell you it is OK,” Grammas wrote. “That is not OK to me and it is not OK to the men and women I represent as is evident from the many texts, emails and Facebook posts that I have received.”

Contact David Schoen at dschoen@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5203. Follow @DavidSchoenLVRJ on Twitter.