St. Louis Rams Blasted Via Twitter: ‘Hands Up, Don’t Shoot’ Gesture In Support Of Ferguson Protestors Sparks Outrage

The St. Louis Rams are currently in hot water with some fans for their controversial gestures prior to the start of today’s game. According to Bleacher Report, several of the players took the field holding their hands up. For those who don’t know, the “Hands Up, Don’t Shoot” gesture originated from a statement given by key witness Dorian Johnson, who stated Michael Brown had his hands up and told Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson not to shoot just moments before he was fatally shot.

Following the Ferguson grand jury decision, many protestors used the gesture during protests. Now the Rams have used the gesture in show of support for Ferguson protestors. While many fans found their efforts commendable, a substantial number of fans and viewers were outraged and took to Twitter to share their opinions. Needless to say, a lot of the comments definitely weren’t nice.

Here’s a few of the tweets.

Here is a four-square photo of STL Rams #handsup solidarity w/#Ferguson Thank you @MatthewACherry http://t.co/TwNonjCtYl”

— Dave Zirin (@EdgeofSports) November 30, 2014

https://twitter.com/MBoyleAZ/status/539126385617276928

@EdgeofSports @kimberlyarchie @MatthewACherry embarassing to watch when they do not know the facts.

— Doug Andreassen (@dandreassen) November 30, 2014

Apparently, the St. Louis Police Department isn’t too happy about the gesture either. The St. Louis Police Officers Association has also demanded a formal apology from the players who participated in the support of the Ferguson protestors. SLPOA Business Manager Jeff Roorda released a statement on behalf of the organization in reference to the offensive gesture.

“The St. Louis Police Officers Association is profoundly disappointed with the members of the St. Louis Rams football team who chose to ignore the mountains of evidence released from the St. Louis County Grand Jury this week and engage in a display that police officers around the nation found tasteless, offensive and inflammatory.”

“The players take to the turf to call a now-exonerated officer a murderer, that is way out-of-bounds,” the statement read. “The SLPOA is calling for the players involved to be disciplined and for the Rams and the NFL to deliver a very public apology.”

The NFL has not yet addressed the controversial matter.

Do you think the St. Louis Rams’ gesture was offensive? Share your thoughts.

[Image via Sports Pull Zone]