UW Tacoma senior buys $1,200 worth of free meals for cops

A UW Tacoma senior is using his stimulus check to show support for cops — and for a small business during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Kendrick Allan, 21, was dismayed when he saw messages of hate directed toward police officers during the past week’s protests. While he agrees with the message of the protesters, he does not feel that all police officers deserve to be painted with one negative brush.

“I understand the protest — I’m mad about George Floyd’s death as well. But the signs that say, ‘All cops bad, kill all cops,’ and things like that — it’s just ridiculous,” Allan said. “Most cops out there are good, they’re good people, they’re risking their lives.”

Allan, who is a math major, decided to take action to show his appreciation for all of the moral and upstanding people who put on the law enforcement uniform every day.

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“I wanted to show cops that there are people in the community who still support what they do — especially people from my generation,” he said.

So Allan used his stimulus check to buy $1,200 worth of meals for cops in advance at Cattin’s Family Dining in downtown Puyallup. Any law enforcement officer who gets a meal there in uniform or showing a badge is to have their food paid for out of that money, until it runs out.

Besides showing support for cops, the gesture was meant to support small businesses as they struggle to make ends meet during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I wanted to use that check for what it was for — to stimulate the economy,” Allan said. “I wanted to help a small business. So if cops can go there and get free food, it’ll help a local restaurant as well.”

Allan encourages police officers from anywhere in the region to go to Cattin’s, show their uniform or badge, and have a free breakfast, lunch, or dinner on him.

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