Hold on. Let me get this right. It’s okay for the KKK, Alt-Right, Neo-Nazis, and White Supremacists to exercise their right to free speech by marching into any city of the U.S under the color of a Confederate (i.e., rebellious) flag with guns and clubs and mace and shields but it is not okay for Colin Kaepernick to exercise his right to free speech by taking a knee during the playing of the National Anthem?
The KKK and other racist groups actually got a wink and a nod from the president, while Colin can’t find a job.
NFL owners and the football commissioner have effectively conspired to lock him out because of the stance he took over a year ago to highlight the mounting killings of black men, women and boys by police with itchy trigger fingers and no respect for black lives. Protesters at a “United We Stand” rally, organized by the NAACP called on NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to get involved before things get any uglier.
https://www.facebook.com/Black0utNFL/videos/371780329905687/
I think Goodell should be pushed to intervene– just like Trump should have intervened when the protests in Charlottesville turned violent. Not that violence is an outcome of these protests. It isn’t. But what is likely is that a major portion of the NFL fan and ticket base will stop going to games, stop watching on TV, stop buying NFL paraphernalia. Goodell will only have himself to blame if he doesn’t allow himself to see the economic damage coming the League’s way.
When Kaepernick took that knee he merged his conscience with his sports persona and took the courageous of stand of saying “it ain’t right” for the hundreds of thousands of unarmed black men who have encounters with police every day.
When he took that knee he took it for my sons, who I taught to be strong, respectful and proud and to never allow anyone to make them less that who they are.
When he took that knee he stood in the gap for every young black child forbidden by police to play with a toy gun outside his house or in a playground lot under fear of pain and death.
When he took that knee he brought attention to every traffic stop instigated by police for some minor infraction that ended with the taking of a human life.
And he did it without saying a word.
The NFL has also been silent. And just like Kaepernick’s silence spoke volumes, the NFL’s silence has been deafening. Colin Kaepernick is still unemployed after declaring his free agency at the end of last season. The 29-year-old was overlooked by every team in the NFL despite his undeniable talent and stats. It’s hard to conclude anything but he is being punished for exercising his free speech.
Breitbart News pointed out that “there are a dozen other players also protested last year and many are taking up the protest this year and none of them have faced any consequences,” suggesting that Kaepernick’s treatment has nothing to do with free speech. But in the real world of payback, it is the “leader” who suffers the most.
Kaepernick is more closely aligned with the protest than any of the other players who also take a knee or raise a fist. He is, after all, the face of the protest. I would suggest that in the minds of the team owners, hiring Kaepernick would put a stamp of approval on the stance he took and signal to even more players that the protests are okay. They fear the protests will grow.
What the team owners can’t see is that this movement is not going away. Black, white, brown and yellow– it matters not the color of the sports fan’s skin– Kaepernick supporters are growing daily.
According to the New York Daily News, New York police held a rally in Brooklyn last Saturday supporting Kaepernick. A group of retired and active cops, including legendary NYPD whistleblower Frank Serpico, stood united in his support, saying they have Kaepernick’s back.
“What Colin Kaepernick did is try to bring awareness that this nation unfortunately has ignored for far too long,” NYPD Sgt. Edwin Raymond told the Daily News. Raymond helped organize the Brooklyn event. “And that’s the issue of racism in America and policing in America. We decided to gather here today because of the way he’s being railroaded for speaking the obvious truth.”
The NAACP mentioned that a boycott might be forthcoming, but the boycott is already underway.
Bottom line: if the NFL owners can’t support Kaepernick, we shouldn’t support the NFL. I know I won’t– not until the “whiteballing” of Kaepernick ends.
