Language Matters

If there's one thing that I've learned in my life, it's that there is a difference between speculation and assumption. Speculation is the act playing out a scenario in one's mind without concrete facts but allowing for one or many possibilities to be the end result. Assumption, on the other hand, has already determined an outcome with or without concrete facts. It's a significant difference when one uses language in a position of authority as the assumption can often lead to unintended or dire consequences while speculation often takes into account of those consequences without having them realized. This is important to remember as we found out today that the Las Vegas Police Protective Association raised issues with the Golden Knights over their support the Black Lives Matter movement.

As you're likely aware, Ryan Reeves played a large role in helping the NHL players stop play for two days in an effort to re-affirm their backing of the Black Lives Matter movement. Reeves, a Golden Knights forward, spoke to many players from opposing teams about what the stoppage would mean, and, in the end, the NHL took two days off to show support for the Black Lives Matter movement following the shooting of Jacob Blake.

In a rather shocking move, the Las Vegas Police Protective Association went on the offensive via a written letter to the Golden Knights that accused the team and players of jumping "on the bandwagon of attacking the police profession". The letter, in full, is posted below.

Feel free to click on the letter to read it, but there are sections where the LVPPA have decided to impose assumptions via wild speculation rather than basing its argument on the merits of why the NHL and NHLPA stepped forward to show support for the Black Lives Matter movement.

The entire paragraph where the LVPPA lays out its argument is full of speculation and hearsay. There have only been "facts" based on the Department of Justice's report, yet the officer who wrote the letter not only disbelieves part of the DOJ's report, but then adds in his own beliefs. This, folks, means they are not facts in any manner.

From there, the officer lays out some assumptions based on a series of "what if" statements. It leads to me asking, "What if all of what you're suggesting isn't true?" The officer then admits that none of it may be true. This is why it's dangerous to make assumptions when one doesn't have the full picture. On top of that, it's pretty clear he also has no clue about what the Black Lives Matter movement is.

Hopefully, I need to express this for the last time, but the Black Lives Matter movement isn't about one isolated incident. It's about the way that law enforcement treats black people. It means that people like Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, Eric Garner, and now Jacon Blake. It's condemnation of the use of excessive force by law enforcement in their treatment of black individuals. It is the demand for equality when it comes to presuming innocence rather than using force to presume guilt.

If this officer's last line of "Nobody hates a bad cop more than a good cop" is true, there should be no assumptions made about what the Black Lives Matter movement is about when a hockey team and its players speak out about the injustice seen over and over again. Speculating that the Golden Knights are somehow against the men and women who make up the LVPPA is not only ignorant, but entirely uneducated in what is happening in one's community right now.

The language and tone of this email suggest that the LVPPA expect support from the Golden Knights, and I don't even believe they lost the support of the local NHL team. What this letter and the writer seem to have lost is the point of the movement. The fact that the writer makes some wild assumptions and speculates throughout the letter is why the message isn't being heard by those who need to hear it. The Black Lives Matter movement isn't about hating law enforcement or not supporting law enforcement. Yet here we are again because someone isn't listening.

Stop talking. Start listening. That's what good cops do.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!