Notes: Joique Bell to lead Belle Island Peace March

Former Detroit Lions running back Joique Bell, who remains very much involved in his native Benton Harbor community, organized an event called the Belle Isle Peace March with Ken Snapp taking place Friday afternoon. Dave Birkett from the Detroit Free Press wrote about how it got started and asked Bell for perspective on the purpose of the event:

“It isn’t just a march just to say we did it,” Bell said. “It’s to march and then to start a dialogue and to bridge that gap with the civilians who are Detroit citizens and also with the local police and the state police, and ultimately kind of be the staple of this is how you should go about creating a change.”

The Wayne State Warrior talks about his life’s interactions with the police in Birkett’s article, from growing up with family members and friends who worked for law enforcement to a tense encounter while playing for the Lions. It is a fine piece of reporting by Birkett, showing where the march’s message comes from in Bell’s first-hand experience:

“But you could tell, he was a younger cop and the other cop was older and probably had seniority over him. He knew it was wrong, he just didn’t say anything. That’s why we need to step up and step out.”

Ultimately, that’s what Bell hopes to accomplish with the march, to work with law enforcement to create change.

“(We’re walking with police) to show solidarity, to show that police are not for police brutality, they are not for what’s going on with the African-Americans in this country,” Bell said. “That they’re standing with us and they hear us cry and that they’re supporting us and that they’re walking with us. And this is just the start. Like I told you, this is just going to help us create that dialogue, to get that seat at the table to bring forth change. And eventually demand police reform.”

You can read the entire article on the Free Press’ site. As mentioned by Bell in the article, the march organizers contacted Bob Quinn and Rod Wood from the Lions, who are supporting the event:

And now, on to the rest of today’s Notes:

• Offensive tackle Tyrell Crosby shared a great message he received from his uncle:

• Fellow offensive lineman Oday Aboushi, whose family does a lot of great things helping others in New York, was a guest on Jim Rome’s radio show on Tuesday. The audio from the 14-minute interview is available online at the show’s site. Among the items discussed was food assistance to Harlem in the form of 35,000 pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables:

Here’s a picture of the second shipment, posted this past Wednesday:

Wonderful work by Oday Aboushi, his sister Tahanie, and PCNY.

• The Detroit Free Press’ Dave Birkett spoke to Detroit Lions scout and former NFL linebacker Roman Phifer about “the hurdles black men face with police.” Phifer began his career with the Los Angeles Rams in 1991, the year right before the Rodney King Riots.

• Remember when Big Play Slay was inviting young defensive backs in the Detroit area to work on their craft with him? Even if he is no longer with the Lions, he’s still doing it (h/t to @mikerothstein):

• A story by Adam Winkler at WTKR3 in North Carolina has some context for a twitter post by Lions wide receiver Travis Fulgham:

• An important notice from running backs coach Kyle Caskey: