By Police1 Staff
BOSSIER PARISH, La. – A sheriff has informed a local car dealership that his agency will no longer be purchasing Ford police vehicles as a protest against the car company’s NFL sponsorship.
According to CNBC, the boycott is in reaction to the ongoing national anthem protests.
Ford has previously said it respects the rights of individuals to express their views.
“Yes, the NFL players have a right to protest as they deem necessary, but we, the Bossier Sheriff’s Office and taxpayers of Bossier Parish have a right to spend our money elsewhere,” Bossier Parish Sheriff Julian Whittington said in his letter to the dealership.
https://www.facebook.com/bossiersheriff/posts/1532140823559605
CNBC reported that the agency spent $346,519 buying 14 Ford vehicles from the dealership last year and $400,612 buying 15 Ford models in 2015.
The sheriff says the boycott will continue until Ford pulls its NFL sponsorship.
“Ford has been a part of American history, and has stood for American values, Whittington said. “However, the recent events surrounding the NFL, its players and their audacity to thumb their collective noses at the American Flag, the American military as well as their obvious disdain for the profession of law enforcement in general; forces me to take a stand.”