Tampa Police Refuse to Work Beyonce Concert

As reported on Fox News, Tampa police are hesitant to work Beyonce’s upcoming stadium show in April. Police officers across the nation have boycotted the pop star after her starkly anti-police Super Bowl performance.

For special events like concerts, off-duty officers have the opportunity to sign up for extra pay. So far, the list remains blank. Tampa Police Department spokesman Steve Hegarty isn’t sure if this surprising lack of volunteers is related to the pop star’s controversial Super Bowl performance, but he assured the public that officers would be assigned to the event if none volunteer.

“We’re going to staff it because we have a responsibility to do that regardless of how controversial it might be, who the artist might be, or who the politician might be,” explained Hegarty. “This is a couple of months away, so we’ve still got plenty of time to fill those slots.”

Beyoncé’s racially and politically charged Super Bowl halftime show included her newest song “Formation.” The music video, released the day before the Super Bowl, shows the singer standing on an underwater cop car in post-hurricane New Orleans. The video, which has heightened anti-police sentiment across the nation, features the notorious Black Panthers Party and police officers with their hands up. 

Seven law enforcement officers have been gunned down since the halftime performance that NY Mayor Rudy Giuliani calls an “attack” on police officers. Many believe these tragic deaths are related to the pop star’s performance. Beyoncé latest song reflects “the violence and senseless killing of seven deputies in the U.S. since the show aired. My comments are an observation of the violence that has occurred but in no way is meant to offend anyone,” remarked Tennessee Sheriff Robert Arnold. 

Jay-Z (Beyonce’s husband) announced before the Super Bowl that his streaming music service (Tidal) would be donating over $1 million to social justice organizations including Black Lives Matter.