Colin Kaepernick was one of the first NFL players to speak out on police violence when he knelt during the national anthem during a preseason game while playing for the San Francisco 49ers in protest of police brutality in the United States. Kaepernick has not played in the NFL since 2016, but still is an activist for civil rights.
With the death of George Floyd on Monday in Minneapolis, in which one police officer kneeled on Floyd’s neck subsequently killing him, there have been protests in Minneapolis, calling for justice in Floyd’s death. The protests have gotten violent, seeing confrontations between law enforcement and protestors in the days since video came out of Floyd’s death.
On Thursday, Kaepernick took to Twitter to express his thoughts on Floyd’s death. “When civility leads to death, revolting is the only logical reaction. 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.”
Kaepernick joins numerous other athletes to comment on Floyd’s death and although the four officers involved have since been fired, and the officer who was kneeling on Floyd’s neck, Derek Chauvin, was taken into custody on Friday.
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