Hindsight is 20/20- It’s Easier To Be Wise After The Event
Colin Kaepernick was right. There is no other way to say it. The former NFL QB was right.
After all this time spent bickering, arguing, and ranting over the meaning of his infamous 2016 protest during the national anthem, as a nation, we still failed to address the problem for which he kneeled: Police Brutality. It’s an ugly word… one that hits the ears, stings, and makes you sick to the stomach.
The very idea that an officer of the law would take his position and use it to inflict brutal and, at times, fatal acts upon the local community he swore to protect is a concept that many can’t seem to grasp.
Yet, the truth is more upsetting than an idealistic belief in the morality of the police department.
Since the time of the police war on the Black Panther Party in Oakland, to the now-infamous video of George Floyd’s death, police and ethnic communities, specifically African American ones, have been at odds with law enforcement. Black people have been wary of police for over 100 years in this country.
Many believed the groundbreaking video of Rodney King’s ruthless beating by L.A.P.D. officers would be the divining rod that would wake America up to the realities of the Afro-American condition–the living reality for Black folk in America.
Black people believed that this would be the instance that finally showed the real issues that have poisoned America’s police departments. Unfortunately, almost 30 years later, people are still filming cops abusing their authority. Now, instead of just gross beating with billy clubs, people are capturing cops killing innocent, unarmed civilians. The same crime perpetrated by American soldiers would call for a court-martial and possible life in prison.
Instead, Black people are forced to watch these cops, one by one, end the life of yet another Black person, then face little to no consequences for their actions.
We also watched impactful athletes, who rightfully decided to speak out against the behavior of American Law enforcement, receive more backlash from the public than the cops who perpetrated the murders. Instead, Fox News’ own Laura Ingraham even voiced her disdain for superstar athlete Lebron James’ comments on the matter by telling him to “shut up and dribble,” on live television.
This is the reality of Black people in America, where our stars and leaders who are often great examples of upstanding Americans are criticized for speaking about an issue that directly affects them. This writer understands that what these athletes do is for entertainment. Their skills and talents give the average person an outlet to let go of the stress from their daily lives.
That is understandable, but one must remember that these are still people, too — many of them black and many of them fathers of young children.
Lebron James is a father with two sons who are now 13 and 15 years old. For reference, Treyvon Martin and Mike Brown were 16 and 18 years old, and 15% of all men killed in the U.S. are black men between the ages of 15-34. Lebron and the other black professional athletes have a reason to be afraid for their children and themselves.
They have no choice but to care — to try to find an answer for the violence in the streets perpetrated by police. There are young black men out there who could be the next NBA, MLB, NFL superstar who could easily be gunned down in the street by an officer of the law.
Now, not all cops are “bad apples.” Not all men who choose to wear the uniform and take the oath to protect and serve are men who feel it necessary to pull out their weapon on an unarmed civilian. A policeman in America lives in a terrifying world. Thirty-one police officers were killed in the line of duty in 2020 so far. The idea of the morally ‘good cop’ can still be a reality; the amount of officers kneeling with protestors in the streets shows that many cops still care about doing the job correctly.
They still protect their communities, talk to the kids playing in the streets, and cheer for the same sports team as the members of their communities. For real change to happen, these officers are necessary to facilitate, cultivate, and nurture that change.
With congress presenting a new police reform bill that politicians can debate over for the next several months, those with a platform like Colin Kaepernick who are willing to take the risk of speaking up are the real difference makers. They sacrifice for the good of people they have never met before.
Because they know that if they don’t do something, the next person to lose a life could be someone they care about.
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-JaRon Turner – Franchise Sports Media
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