Name: Why Detroit Pistons are turning practice facility into voting center for 2020 elections
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Why Detroit Pistons are turning practice facility into voting center for 2020 elections

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Detroit Free Press In the wake of the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery, the have become politically active. A month ago, they to help raise awareness on police brutality.&nbsp;Now, they’re working to fight voter suppression and encourage people to participate in the upcoming August and November elections. The Pistons announced on Wednesday they’re working with the Michigan Secretary of State’s office on multiple initiatives to educate voters and increase voting turnout this fall.&nbsp;Chief among them:&nbsp;The&nbsp;Henry Ford Pistons Performance Center will become a satellite center for the Nov. 3 election, where people can register and vote on site, and Aug. 4 and Nov. 3 are company-wide paid days off to ensure all employees can vote and volunteer as election workers, should they choose.&nbsp;[&nbsp;&nbsp;]“For me, when I think about George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Aubrey and the others that have been murdered, I think of how the dead cannot cry out for justice,” vice chairman of Palace Sports &amp; Entertainment Arn Tellem told reporters in a conference call. “It’s the duty of the living to do so for them. In our discussion with our players, coaching staff, employees is how we can make ourselves heard and make our voices count. And to me, the vote is the most powerful way we can attack injustice and bring about change.“It was with that in mind that led to our discussions with the Secretary of State and to come up with this partnership and find ways we could educate voters, make them aware, help them make sure their votes count and be civically engaged as an organization, a team, a community and for a city that we care deeply about,” Tellem continued.[&nbsp;&nbsp;]Additionally, the Pistons announced the following initiatives:&nbsp; voters in Michigan were affected by long lines and inoperable or malfunctioning machines. Tellem acknowledged education will be of bigger importance for the Pistons’ initiatives than getting people to register.&nbsp;“Most of the voters, I think in our area, are registered,” Tellem said. “It’s making sure that they vote and making sure that their votes count. One of the problems is when you’re dealing with making their votes count is making sure they fill out their ballots accurately and they know how to fill it out so that their votes can’t be invalidated later. We’re going to spend a lot of time and effort, through PSAs and even one-on-one counseling with our employees, to make sure the voters know how to fill out the ballot, make sure it’s correct, make sure they are voting on all the issues and all the candidates so that it counts in the end. That is a very important part of this initiative.”&nbsp;The Pistons’ efforts to encourage voting turnout comes in the midst of a league-wide commitment by players and officials to draw attention to and support social justice efforts. the NBA will paint&nbsp;"Black Lives Matter" on the sidelines of all three basketball courts in the Orlando bubble hosting the league's restart, and reported&nbsp;players will&nbsp;be allowed to replace the last name on the backs of their jerseys with statements on social justice.On Tuesday, the Atlanta Hawks announced their stadium, State Farm Arena, will become Georgia's largest-ever voting center this fall.&nbsp;The NBA also announced Friday&nbsp;it will continue to find “tangible and sustainable” methods of addressing racial inequality nationwide.&nbsp;“Voting is such a right that sometimes I know the younger generation takes for granted,” Pistons coach Dwane Casey said. “For us older folks, it’s something that I remember where my grandparents talked about when they couldn’t vote. One reason why everyone should get out to vote. It’s a right, it’s a privilege and we should never take it for granted. And also too, if we want to impact change, that’s one opportunity we have that we can impact change with. It should make it easier for folks to get out to get to the&nbsp;Pistons Performance Center. Arn and (Tom) Gores have provided the volunteers to come out, and our staff, the volunteers to help with the voting process to make it easier and try to cut down on some of the systemic voter suppression that we have seen around the country.”&nbsp;

Detroit Free Press In the wake of the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery, the have become politically active. A month ago, they to help raise awareness on police brutality.&nbsp;Now, they’re working to fight voter suppression and encourage people to participate in the upcoming August and November elections. The Pistons announced on Wednesday they’re working with the Michigan Secretary of State’s office on multiple initiatives to educate voters and increase voting turnout this fall.&nbsp;Chief among them:&nbsp;The&nbsp;Henry Ford Pistons Performance Center will become a...

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Omari Sankofa II

The Detroit Free Press is the largest daily newspaper in Detroit, Michigan, US. The Sunday edition is titled the Sunday Free Press. It is sometimes referred to as the Freep (reflected in the paper's web address, www.freep.com). It primarily serves Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Livingston, Washtenaw, and Monroe counties.  The Free Press is also the largest city newspaper owned by Gannett, which also publishes USA Today. The Free Press has received ten Pulitzer Prizes and four Emmy Awards. Its motto is "On Guard for 189 Years".

Why Detroit Pistons are turning practice facility into voting center for 2020 elections

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