“If Kyrie Irving has to have the Covid-19 vaccine, New York Police Department (NYPD) too should get it”: BLM activist tangentially blames NYPD for not enforcing vaccine mandate as 16,000 cops stay unvaccinated

Well-known and respected BLM activist Shaun King decried how New York City Police is exempt from the vaccine mandate, unlike Kyrie Irving.

Kyrie Irving has become by far the most notorious basketball player in the world over the past few days. His steadfast refusal to get the Covid-19 vaccines, citing the ‘illegitimacy’ of the mandate, has devoured every news cycle.

There’s simply been no respite from discussion of his antics and statements whenever any basketball topic comes up. Irving is the one name on the lips of both right wing politicians and left-leaning media members.

Given his standing as one of America’s most recognizable athletes, Kyrie could already have done irreversible damage. His anti-vaccine or anti-vaccine mandate stand is bound to put some miscalculating laymen’s lives at risk.

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So it’s understandable that he is under the microscope and is facing the heat from everyone. But he’s hardly the lone anti-vax offender in New York City. And some of them are in such positions of power as to be able to make a huge difference.

Civil rights activist attempts to make sense of Kyrie Irving and NYC vaccine mandate

Shaun King is one of the foremost voices of the Black Lives Matter movement. He doesn’t normally talk about basketball players or the sport. But given the intersection of sport and politics that Kyrie has led us to, King feels necessary to shed light on the NYPD. His latest tweet reads:

“It’s outrageous that over 16,000 employees of the NYPD are not vaccinated. But ALL of the attention is on Kyrie Irving. Police have been given a pass, but 400% more police died from Covid this past year than gunfire. If Kyrie has to have it, the NYPD should too.”

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This is a statement designed to read like a whataboutism – but only for those looking to argue with it. It is clear that Kyrie is in the wrong. But what is also incongruous is the amount of negative publicity that his actions have garnered.

Above all, police serve as public servants and are in constant contact with more people than anyone else. This means that they’re at a high risk of acting as super-spreaders. The mandate has to extend to the NYPD as well, there are no two ways to handle this.