Editorial: Beyonce boycott draws unnecessary division

From topping charts to breaking records, Beyoncé is under the spotlight for different reasons this week in Pittsburgh.

Beyoncé will perform May 31, at Heinz Field as part of The Formation World Tour. The pop star announced the tour following her Super Bowl halftime performance, which came under scrutiny from law enforcement groups for using imagery inspired by the Black Panthers.

Her appearance in Pittsburgh has become especially controversial, combining accusations of promoting anti-police messaging and a pre-existing labor conflict between the officers and the city. Tensions peaked May 19, when Robert Swartzwelder, president of the Fraternal Order of Police, made a post on the organization’s website encouraging officers not to cover the event.

Rather than appealing to the community and rallying support from the people they protect, the police leaders supporting the initiative decided to make safety a bargaining chip. Whether Beyoncé’s music is “anti-police” is up for debate, but the duty officers have to the citizens of Pittsburgh is not. The conflict has widened an unnecessary divide between the public and law enforcement instead of being an opportunity to show that public safety is the true priority.

Since the event counts as secondary employment, officers voluntarily choose to work for the overtime shifts, paid for through private funds. In April, when there was initially not enough volunteers working for the Pittsburgh Marathon, officers claimed the police chief forced them to work against their will, saying the excess enforcement violated their labor contracts.

The lack of thorough planning for the marathon justifies the city police’s outrage. Police Chief Cameron McLay admitted the poor planning was his fault and made steps to address them accordingly.

No one should be forced to work more than they can manage, but using personal grievances to create a spectacle is not the way to attract the public’s support. Instead of placing the labor dispute before the safety of Beyoncé’s concert, the officers in question could have framed their service to the public as proof of their exemplary work in the face of unfair conditions.

Political resentment and in-fighting between the city and its police force — a frequent problem in Pittsburgh within the past few years — is not a reason for those who have sworn to serve and protect to suspend their responsibilities. If officers want to send the proper message that they are for the people, they would unite the community rather than embroiling it in drama.

Most importantly, if the opposition towards Beyoncé’s concert is partially fueled by clashes between law enforcement and communities of color, city police should not be reinforcing the idea that officers can pick and choose who is worthy of protection.

Members of the black community asking for respect are not “anti-police,” they are against a broken criminal-justice system that allows white lives to take precedence over their own.

While McLay has assured the public that the concert has enough off-duty volunteers to work the event — with no additional obligations for on-duty officers — the damage to community relations is done.

Choosing to battle your employer over forced overtime is understandable, but a leader in the law enforcement community throwing a fit on the Internet is not.