Kings emcee says parking officer cursed at him, said ‘all lives matter’ while giving ticket
The Kings’ director of entertainment says he was verbally accosted by a Sacramento parking enforcement officer, who told him “F--- the NBA, all lives matter, f--- you” as he handed him a parking ticket.
Scott Freshour, who also is a prominent member of Sacramento’s NBA franchise as the team’s on-court emcee, said Tuesday afternoon on his Twitter account that he understood why he was receiving a parking ticket. He said he shouldn’t have parked there, and the parking meter had expired.
Freshour on Twitter characterized the incident with the parking enforcement officer as “disgusting and embarrassing.” An attempt by The Sacramento Bee to speak to Freshour was not successful Tuesday.
The city of Sacramento’s parking division intends to look into Freshour’s complaint about the parking enforcement officer, said Grace Nunez, a city spokeswoman. Nunez said anyone with complaints about parking enforcement should call 311 for the city’s customer service center.
She said Tuesday afternoon she did not have any more information about what took place between Freshour and the parking enforcement officer. Nunez also said city officials responded to Freshour on Twitter.
Freshour said the parking enforcement officer made those comments as he handed him the parking ticket and walked away. “All Lives Matter” is commonly said or chanted by counterprotesters or critics of the Black Lives Matter movement seeking to end police brutality and establish law enforcement reforms.
Players on the Kings and other NBA teams have been outspoken with their support for the Black Lives Matter movement this summer after the death of George Floyd, who was killed while in Minneapolis police custody.
In June, The NBA and the National Basketball Players Association agreed to give each player the option of replacing the nameplate on his jersey with one of 29 approved social justice messages. The list includes Black Lives Matter, Say Their Names, Vote, I Can’t Breathe, Justice, Peace, Equality and Freedom.
Freshour asked those who follow him on Twitter not to feel sorry for him. But he said the parking enforcement officer’s comments were more concerning.
“This is a bigger issue. If a public official is bold enough to say that to me, imagine what he’s saying to others,” Freshour tweeted in response to comments to his initial Tweet. “Black lives matter. Choose love, not hate.”
This story was originally published September 1, 2020 at 6:05 PM.
