A Minnesota Timberwolves fan has detailed how he was asked by security at a recent NBA match to remove his shirt that had a message about ICE written across it.
The Timberwolves were playing the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday evening, and the fan in question, who has been identified as Tim Phillips, was sat courtside when a member of security came over to him and asked him to remove his shirt. At first, he offered to put his jumper back on to cover up the message, but instead, they urged him to take it off completely, which ended in him watching the rest of the game in a different grey shirt.
The ICE, which stands for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, is coming under increasing amounts of pressure following the shooting of Renee Nicole Good during a confrontation in the Powderhorn Park neighbourhood of Minneapolis, which is actually located just a few miles away from Target Center, where the Minnesota Timberwolves play their NBA games.
Renee Nicole Good Shooting
On Wednesday of last week, Renee Nicole Good, 37, was shot dead by an ICE agent after a dispute broke out. Footage that has since emerged of the incident shows that Good was killed on a residential street when she was approached and ordered to get out of her vehicle, which was partly blocking one lane, by one of the agents.
After said initial agent tried to open the driver’s side door, another agent stepped in front of the vehicle. As Good then attempted to drive away, she was shot dead. In the aftermath of the tragedy, President Donald Trump and administration officials have said she used her vehicle as a weapon and that the agent acted in self-defence, which hasn't been overly well received by large members of the public.
Tim Phillips Speaks Out About Shirt Removal
While speaking to The Athletic about his shirt incident during Sunday night's game, Phillips, who is a Minneapolis civil rights and criminal defence attorney, explained he was prepared to cover up the message, which simply read 'ICE OUT', but also admitted he was left disappointed by the whole ordeal.
He said: “I had offered to put my hoodie back on over it. But they said they had to take it. We declined to do that. Then we had a conversation and they realised that was their mistake. They didn’t need to take it since I had offered to remove the shirt.
“I was disappointed that they felt that that was a political message. I think that people in Minnesota are in agreement that ICE is terrorising communities. I don’t think that is a political or partisan issue.
"It’s very heartbreaking to see the impact on both immigrants who need to try to survive, but can’t go to work in some circumstances, or they feel that they can’t even leave their homes, some of whom feel that they can’t leave their homes even when they’re citizens. Then, in addition to immigrant communities, there are observers who are simply trying to monitor using their First Amendment rights, and those folks, too, are being terrorised.”
Arena Release Statement on Shirt Gate
Minnesota Timberwolves vs San Antonio Spurs
The Athletic have also received a statement from the arena itself, with a spokesperson saying: “At this evening’s game, a security guard misinterpreted arena policy during an interaction with a guest, resulting in the guest being asked to remove a piece of apparel unnecessarily. We have reiterated all policies to our staff and apologise to the guest for any inconvenience caused.”