The town council of North Smithfield in Rhode Island has voted to ban the town’s local departments from purchasing Nike products, according to the Providence Journal.
Council President John Beauregard is a former state trooper who is upset with Nike’s decision to use former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick in ads.
North Smithfield hasn’t said what it buys from Nike, if anything. The ACLU of Rhode Island says it could be held liable for violating the First Amendment.
“Over 100 cops were killed in the line of duty last year,” Beauregard told the Providence Journal. “Some were accidents. They are the ones who have sacrificed everything. Colin lives a millionaire’s lifestyle.”
The mayor of a New Orleans suburb recently rescinded a similar directive based on an attorney’s advice.
Mississippi’s public safety chief said over the weekend that state police would no longer buy Nike products.
The quarterback has been snubbed by the NFL after he began taking a knee during the national anthem to protest police violence against people of color.
