Storyline: It’s easy to point the finger. But how many times have you had a gun drawn on you? Been stopped by police? …because of the color of your skin….
As I sit on my couch and begin to write this article I can’t help but laugh slightly at the fact that I’m wearing red and blue socks with white stars. Not that it’s anything comical, but more a sign of my patriotism.
You see, I’m simply OUTRAGED with some of the comments made by certain athletes and coaches regarding San Francisco 49ers quarterback, Colin Kaepernick.
Courtesy: sportsgrid.com
Kaepernick has been protesting the unjust and unfair practices of this “great nation of ours” with regards to police brutality and other very sensitive issues.
But since day one of Kaepernick’s protest, he has not said a negative word about the military. He has not degraded or demeaned any branch of the armed forces. He has not gone out of his way to say anything about how the armed forces operate.
Yet some people claim he was being disrespectful to the military.
THE FIRST AMENDMENT is about FREEDOM OF SPEECH. So, all of you football naysayers– Drew Brees, Alejandro Villanueva, Alex Boone, Rex Ryan, John Harbaugh, Jim Harbaugh, and Kaepernick’s teammate, Torrey Smith–the First Amendment gives Colin Kaepernick the right to exercise his voice. He’s speaking out about inequalities that still exist in modern day society.
And here’s another thing. It’s easy to mock or point the finger at situations or experiences that YOU’VE NEVER EXPERIENCED. But I wonder how many times the Harbaughs, Brees, Rex Ryan, or Alex Boone had a gun drawn on them while moving out of an apartment because of the color of their skin?
I wonder how many times have these men been pulled over in their Mercedes Benz in an affluent neighborhood because of the color of their skin?
I wonder how many of these men have ever been walking down the street with friends and then have been questioned by police because of the color of their skin?
Courtesy: themuslimvibe.com
I’ll bet the answers to each of these questions is NONE!
The Pledge of Allegiance includes the words “with liberty and justice FOR ALL.” It also says “ONE nation under God.”
Really? Liberty and justice for ALL?
Eric Garner was placed in an illegal choke hold by an NYPD Detective and was murdered in the process. This atrocious act was caught on camera! They decided not to indict!
In 1991, eye witness George Holliday videotaped the violent beating of unarmed motorist Rodney King by white Los Angeles Police Officers. An 8-4 deadlocked acquittal in favor of the officers is generally considered to be what triggered the 1992 Los Angeles riots.
Twenty-four years ago that incident was videotaped. Eric Garner was videotaped. Alton Sterling was being videotaped as Officers Blane Salamoni and Howie Lake pinned him to the ground and proceeded to pump six bullets into his body.
So, once again, I would like to reiterate to all of those football critics that Colin Kaepernick has given numerous interviews regarding his protest of the American flag. Not once in any of those interviews did he speak negatively about the military. He did mention that family members and friends are in the military and he spoke of respect and admiration for their service, defending this country’s freedom.
Kaepernick is saying something important: he notes the principles on which our flag stands and says we’re not living up as a country to those principles.
When you gentlemen start personally experiencing the police brutalities spoken about in this article–or any of the other injustices against people of color in this country–then let’s hear YOU defend the flag and its principles while pointing the finger at citizens willing to speak out and encourage change.
