Beyoncé Houston Concert Protested by Police
On Saturday night, Beyoncé performed at NRG Stadium in her hometown of Houston, Texas. The concert was protested by a group of local police, who set up about a mile from NRG Stadium, Houston TV station KHOU reports. “Some of her performances we believe to be anti-police,” Pasadena, Texas Coalition for Police and Sheriffs president Tony Ragsdale told KHOU. During the protest, the police shone a blue light in the direction of the stadium. It wasn’t reported how many people attended the protest. Below, you can watch a news segment on the protest.
In February, Javier Ortiz, the president of the Miami Fraternal Order of Police, Lodge #20, said his union had voted to boycott the first stop on Beyoncé‘s Formation World Tour because of the supposed “anti-police message” in her “Formation” video and Super Bowl performance. He urged all officers to do the same. However, the planned protest of her Miami concert was unsuccessful.
Earlier this year, Beyoncé rejected the anti-police criticism of “Formation” in an interview with ELLE. She said:
I mean, I’m an artist and I think the most powerful art is usually misunderstood. But anyone who perceives my message as anti-police is completely mistaken. I have so much admiration and respect for officers and the families of officers who sacrifice themselves to keep us safe. But let’s be clear: I am against police brutality and injustice. Those are two separate things. If celebrating my roots and culture during Black History Month made anyone uncomfortable, those feelings were there long before a video and long before me. I’m proud of what we created and I’m proud to be a part of a conversation that is pushing things forward in a positive way.
Read “A History of Police Boycotting Musicians in America” on the Pitch.
Revisit the “Formation” video:
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