Mark Davis: Who ordered Grapevine police to grovel over Patriot Mobile pizza donation? | Opinion

The change in tone on the Grapevine Police Department Facebook page could hardly have been more swift, or more surprising. On Jan. 12, the department posted the kind of thing one might see any day in any community, a show of appreciation for a kind donation from a local business.

“Sincere thanks to our friends at Patriot Mobile,” it began, above a smiling group photo of police and company employees. “We are blessed to have their support and encouragement. Today they presented us with a certificate to host a pizza party for our staff. We are grateful for the opportunity to have a fun and relaxing meal together as a team.”

By Jan. 14, any semblance of fun and relaxation had vanished, replaced by a lengthy, groveling missive of atonement. While the department appreciates various acts of community kindness, it said, “this donation brought out deep emotion.”

Well, that’s one way of putting it.

What the donation elicited was a wave of revulsion from some who were mightily triggered by the prospect of a police department showing gratitude to a conservative business. What we have seen since is the city caving under the noise of that tempest and insulting countless city residents in the process.

Shrinking obediently from its prior graciousness, the Grapevine police Facebook post on Saturday dripped with regret at having sinned so egregiously. After riffing on the value of “dignity,” a concept apparently sullied by sharing fellowship with conservatives, the department knelt in supplication to the online mob that had demanded a corrective stance. “Our actions were not intended to create distrust,” one hand-wringing paragraph pleaded. “We vow to do better moving forward.”

One presumes “doing better” means accepting donations from a list of groups meeting the approval of these suddenly offended activists.

What is the source of their offense? Patriot Mobile is a cellular company that directs its profits to a variety of causes under the broad banner of Christian-based conservatism. Full disclosure: I have been a broadcast endorser of theirs for years. My familiarity with their efforts springs not just from ideological agreement but also from a close partnership. But I would issue the same defense of a company I did not know, or even a company I disagreed with if they were shown such taxpayer-funded hostility.

This whole story is filled with figures I deeply admire. Grapevine is a magnificent community with a superb police department. That’s why it is so distressing to see that department buckle under political pressure in a fashion that delivers the back of its hand to thousands of residents.

You can’t miss Patriot Mobile in the news lately. It has mobilized to elect school board candidates who oppose critical race theory and gender indoctrination; it deployed statewide resources to keep Texas red; it donates to causes ranging from religious freedom to strong borders to Second Amendment advocacy. It has also long supported veterans and first responders.

So how did this particular organization of first responders suddenly decide to repel an overture from a company that backs them?

A Grapevine resident quoted in news reports asked: “Why would you think it was appropriate to associate with a group like Patriot Mobile? I am absolutely appalled. … So much for a fair and just police force.”

Residents are free to spew venom at any conservative businesses they please. But when government embraces those tantrums with the kinship of agreement, we have a problem.

And make no mistake, this is the Grapevine PD locking arms with the complainers. That “dignity” paragraph on Facebook invokes “the inherent worth of all persons,” making clear the belief that the deplorables at Patriot Mobile do not share that value. The remaining paragraphs are an exercise in self-flagellation, as if they had been caught taking blood money from organized crime or a casserole from the Klan.

This was precisely the goal of the activist rabble — to have the city of Grapevine condemn the conservative pursuits of a city business. For the moment, the bullies have won.

It is impossible to imagine a convulsive reversal by the actual police employee who posted the original uplifting message. This smacks of mischief from above. Who ordered this? The police chief’s office? City Hall?

Hard-working police, fire or other departments in our communities should be able to receive and acknowledge kind donations from local businesses of any political stripe without a resulting political firestorm from the other side.

Grapevine is filled with people whose opinions of Patriot Mobile range from strong support to visceral opposition. That is to be expected. But the residents who share and support the company’s conservatism should know which city officials consider those beliefs worthy of such bitter disregard.