Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports
A black man’s peaceful knee led to the loss of his job and years of scrutiny over his peaceful protest. That protest was largely because of a white police officer’s knee that was placed on George Floyd’s throat.
In the aftermath of the death of Floyd, who pleaded with Minneapolis officer Derrick Chauvin that “I can’t breathe” before becoming the latest viral death of a black man at police’s hands, Colin Kaepernick is using both his voice and and wallet to help.
First, on Twitter, the former 49ers quarterback endorsed the rage that was enveloping Minnesota as riots broke out.
“When civility leads to death, revolting is the only logical reaction,” Kaepernick wrote Thursday, his famed kneel during the national anthem in protest of police brutality against minorities. “The cries for peace will rain down, and when they do, they will land on deaf ears, because your violence has brought this resistance. We have the right to fight back! Rest in Power George Floyd.”
A day later, Kaepernick offered to help in a more tangible way: with legal representation. He tweeted that his Know Your Rights campaign would pay for the legal defense of Minneapolis protesters who are arrested.
“In fighting for liberation there‘s always retaliation. We must protect our Freedom Fighters,” wrote Kaepernick, out of the NFL since 2016.