“That’s part of what makes America great,” said Ford in a statement about the NFL protests, where coaches and players have been kneeling, linking arms and generally being a nuisance during the National Anthem before games.
Last month, the Ford Motor Company said that they “respect individuals’ rights to express their views, even if they are not ones we share.” Sneaky statement, one that could easily mean that they don’t agree with the players who continued to stand for the anthem.
But due to their squishy statement, they’ve earned themselves a unique boycott. In Louisiana, Sheriff Julian Whittington has said that his Bossier Parish department will no longer purchase Ford vehicles or other products until the NFL gets its players to “show proper respect for our nation’s colors.”
In a letter sent to Hixson Ford, a dealership in Alexandria, he said that he recognizes that NFL players “have a right to protest” and that, in turn, the Bossier Parish Police Department has a right to spend the money collected from taxpayers elsewhere. “I realize that Ford Motor Co. has made this decision and may not necessarily be supported by your company, but you are our dealer.”
Last year, Sheriff Whittington’s office spent about $747,000 on Ford products, including 21 Ford Police Interceptors.
The owner of the dealership, Dallas Hixson, was quick to get back to the Sheriff and said that he would be taking things up the line at the Ford Motor Company to argue their stance on the NFL protests.
Sheriff Whittington hopes that his form of peaceful protest will catch on as a boycott method by other departments and he’s made sure to send a copy of his letter to every other Sheriff in his state — all 63 of them.
All because Kaepernick started the ball rolling in a protest that rests on the lie that American police are racist.
In January, right before Trump’s Inauguration, Ford announced that they were cancelling their plans to build a new plant in Mexico and instead would be spending $700 million in the state of Michigan, bringing with it 700 new jobs. CEO Mark Field said that the investment represents a “vote of confidence” in the business environment being fostered by the upcoming Trump administration and that Ford had not made any other special deals with Trump, saying that they are making the move to Michigan “for our business.” The plan was announced to invest in a particular plan already existing in Flat Rock with the aim of producing both self-driving and electric cars, with even a hybrid Mustang in the works.