Riders stars speak out against racial injustice
Two prominent members of the Saskatchewan Roughriders — linebacker Solomon Elimimian and quarterback Cody Fajardo — are decrying racial injustice after George Floyd, an unarmed black man, died May 25 in Minneapolis while in police custody.
A white police officer, who has been charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter, had held a knee against Floyd’s throat in his final minutes. Floyd was in handcuffs at the time.
“Like many of you, I have been following the terrible news of the too many instances of racism against African-americans that’s been happening in the U.S. — from the killings of Ahmaud Arbery and George Floyd to the egregious actions of Amy Cooper, toward Christian Cooper, in Central Park,” wrote Elimimian, president of the CFL Players’ Association.
“These stories have caused me great sadness, anger and discouragement. They are not about politics, religion or nationality. These horrific scenarios are acts against humanity.
“Upon hearing the latest tragedy in the case of George Floyd, I was immediately brought back to my upbringing as a youth in Los Angeles. I’ve dealt with racism many times in my life. Many of these instances involved the people who swore an oath to protect and serve our communities.
“One instance in particular I recall riding as a passenger with my best friend in Los Angeles where we were pulled over by the police who had their guns drawn. We were roughed up, handcuffed, harassed and humiliated as we sat on the curb and treated like criminals while my friend’s car was searched. When asked why we were being detained, the only reason given was that ‘we fit the description of a crime committed.’
“I would hear this phrase many times during my encounters with the police in Los Angeles. As I reflect upon that time, I chose to accept this injustice because I wanted to make it home alive, but perhaps more troubling is that I came to accept these racist and humiliating interactions with police and others as normal.
“My own experiences along with the many others from Rodney King, to Eric Garner, to Trayvon Martin, and the many untold stories that we know happen regularly have caused deep-seated trauma. That trauma caused me to soon look at police officers in an untrustworthy light.
“It was not until I went off to Hawaii for university and later lived in Canada that my experiences with law enforcement as well as society in general was drastically different. I now can see, and have experienced, the good in people. Even though I am not ignorant to the fact that racism exists everywhere, I came to know that normalizing racist behaviour by anyone would not help heal communities.
“There is deep systemic oppression and racism that needs to be rooted out in society; and it starts by speaking out against it. We must combat evil with good by shining a light on darkness.”
Fajardo stands with his teammate and every other person of colour.
“As a white male I will never know what it is like to live as a POC nor will I ever pretend to know how it truly feels,” he tweeted.
“Therefore I want to make it clear that I stand behind all my brothers and sisters in Christ and that there needs to be an immediate change in the world so that everyone has the same equal rights to live without fear and to enjoy every precious second we have on this earth TOGETHER AS ONE because life is too short.”