“Make Pence Pay The Money He Wasted Targeting Black Athletes Back”

Dear Friends

I just started a petition to the House Oversight Committee demanding they Make Pence Pay The Money He Wasted Targeting Black Athletes Back

On Sunday, Mike Pence spent an estimated $200,000 American tax dollars to stage a fake protest against athletes who chose to #TakeTheKnee. He flew from Indianapolis to Las Vegas, where the city and state spent thousands providing him security–only to use the game as an opportunity to instigate hatred against Black football players exercising their first amendment rights. The cynicism of this publicity stunt is punctuated by Pence telling his media detail not to move because they wouldn’t be staying at the game, his scheduled flight to California being set before he “protested” players kneeling, and Trump’s tweet where he boasted of setting the entire thing up beforehand directing Mike Pence to walk out of the game. Feigning respect for the military and veterans as his cause, Pence spent thousands of our dollars on a cheap political stunt instead of directing that money towards services that would actually benefit the people who served and need help.

Tell the House Oversight Committee to make Mike Pence pay back the $200K he wasted into the United States Department of Veteran Affairs!

This gross misuse of tax money to target Black players and Black protest falls into a long and deliberate pattern where the very money Black people pay in taxes is then used directly against them. Every dollar spent by Pence on this poorly thought out publicity stunt is one less dollar spent on improving schools, roads, and providing jobs. Every dollar spent on attacking Black protest is a dollar that could have been used to change our criminal justice system or voting system. If Mike Pence wants to demonstrate his love for veterans he would have written a check for the amount he’s wasted grandstanding towards helping Black veterans as they return to the states.

Under Jim Crow, Black tax dollars were used to maintain institutions we couldn’t utilize, now they’re also being used for shameful political attacks too. Make sure the House Oversight Committee acts!

We will no longer allow public money, our money, Black money to be used to oppress Black people. Pence’s trip to Indianapolis was a gross misuse of funds made worse so because the money was used for the express purpose of attacking the First Amendment rights of Black people. The House Oversight Committee should make Mike Pence return every cent to the people, or donate an equal amount towards helping Black veterans.

Join us if you want the House Oversight Committee to make Mike Pence pay the money back now!

Thank you,

James Petty