I really don’t understand!! Why are people making this so difficult? Why Kaepernick chooses to kneel during the national anthem is a simple stance against the genocide of African Americans by those who have taken an oath to never betray public trust.
He’s Kneeling for those African Americans who cannot trust police officers in general due to actions of corrupt officers and a system that twists, turns, bends, and flips the law in an attempt to “Make America Great Again”. You know, the “great again” where killings of blacks were justified by the justice system if the case was even brought to the justice system. Ok, I’ll give America that… the cases are at least brought to the justice system today…Yeah, that Great Again.
He’s kneeling for those who lost their lives to hands that are only trigger happy when their eyes detect a certain hue. He’s kneeling for the families who have lost their loved ones and are still suffering from their loss to officers that took an oath to never betray public trust.
He’s kneeling for future African Americans that will lose thier lives to the officers that took an oath to never betray public trust.
He’s kneeling for hope that in the future some way some how that even if an African American committs a crime that he/she will be ale to at least live to have the opportunity to a just trial.
He’s kneeling for those whose images play in the media like a mini movie featuring a “thug” as the leading actor instead of a once upstanding citizen who came from a troubled past and became a terrorist- oops, excuse me, shooter.
He’s kneeling for those who feel like their voices aren’t being heard so they riot while Kaepernick hopes that their voices are heard in his silence.
He’s kneeling for those who were on their ground like Tamir Rice but were gunned down by officers that will attempt to justify that they didn’t have a choice but to stand theirs.
He’s kneeling for African Americans and brown people who live majority of their lives behind bars for some of the same crimes that their counter parts committ but get the opportunity to live their lives on the other side, the “free” side, of the bars.
So instead of being so quick to burn Nikes, why not take a walk in the Nikes of people of color. We don’t have a choice but to walk in the Nikes of white America. Why not walk in the Nikes left behind by the Eric Garner, Trayvon Martin, Sandra Bland, Philando Castile, etc. (I hate that I have to use “etc.”) who no longer have the option to stand or sit and place their hand over their heart as the National Anthem plays and the flag waves.
The question remains, why make this so difficult? Where is the disrespect? The real disrespect is America’s neglect!! … If we all just take a walk in the Nikes of others, we’d have a better understanding of our sisters and brothers. Just Do It!!