<\/a>At the risk of being labeled a wet blanket, I\u2019d like to lodge a complaint against Gun \u2018n\u2019 Hoses<\/a>. The event is an evening of amateur boxing and martial-arts matches pitting St. Louis police officers against St. Louis firefighters. Since its inception 28 years ago, it has been the biggest source of fundraising for St. Louis Backstoppers, an organization that offers financial assistance to police, firefighters and EMTs killed while doing their jobs.<\/p>\n

Whoever came up with the name of the event was quite clever: It\u2019s a pun on the once-popular alt-rock band called Guns \u2018n\u2019 Roses. Cute, right?<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, the cuteness is no longer appropriate. Here\u2019s why.<\/p>\n

The 2014 Guns \u2018n\u2019 Hoses was originally scheduled for Thanksgiving Eve. But in late September, the organization announced that it was postponing the event. According to news reports, organizers \u201cwere concerned that participants would be weary from working long hours of extra duty\u201d\u2014meaning extra time spent dealing with protests and violence in Ferguson after the death of Michael Brown.<\/p>\n

The delay is understandable. What I\u2019m wondering about, though, is why\u2014in the aftermath Ferguson, in which a police officer shot and killed an unarmed teenager whose offense was jaywalking\u2014Backstoppers continues to use the name \u201cGuns \u2018n\u2019 Hoses.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a tone-deaf name.<\/p>\n

I can understand using \u2018hoses\u2019 to symbolize firefighters. But why\u2014with all of the controversy around the police-shooting of Michael Brown\u2014would you want to use \u201cguns\u201d as the symbol for police? If you\u2019re trying to convince the community that police officers are more than just brute enforcers, you might want to de-emphasize the weaponry. The fact that the 2014 event was delayed precisely because of Ferguson should have made someone notice. Apparently, it didn\u2019t. [Do I even need to mention that “Guns ‘n’ Hoses” is sponsored by Anheuser-Busch, whose product has contributed to untold numbers of drunken shootings?]<\/p>\n

I understand that, after 28 years, the name \u201cGuns \u2018n\u2019 Hoses\u201d has become a brand. But so is Washington \u201cRedskins,\u201d and even that is on the verge of change, because it\u2019s no longer appropriate.<\/p>\n

So, Backstoppers, think about it. But be careful what you choose: It wouldn\u2019t help much to change the name to \u201cShoots and Ladders.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

At the risk of being labeled a wet blanket, I\u2019d like to lodge a complaint against Gun \u2018n\u2019 Hoses. The event is an evening<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":31136,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[843,2321,119],"tags":[2533,31,2372,2517],"yoast_head":"\n