Knees on the Field for Hands in the Air

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One of the most enduring American sports traditions occurs before the start of any game, the singing of the national anthem. From high school all the way up to the professional level, athletes, coaches and fans are prompted to stand and pay respect to the stars and stripes that represent our nation’s freedom and beliefs.

Colin Kaepernick, a quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, has been exercising his right to freedom of speech in a controversial way the past several weeks. Instead of standing with his hand over his heart and honoring the American flag during the anthem, Kaepernick took a knee instead. It’s his way of protesting the recent incidents of police violence against members of the black community.

Unfortunately, his attempt to shine a light on these problems our nation faces has been overshadowed by his method of protest. Celebrities and athletes including Kate Upton, Drew Brees and Charles Barkley have criticized Kaepernick’s refusal to stand for the national anthem. Instead of acknowledging the problem he’s attempting to tackle, people seem more concerned about the way he is going about it. It seems news about Kaepernick kneeling has spread faster than potential solutions to the police brutality.

It’s no wonder when he and several other athletes chose to kneel during the national anthem for a game played on the 15th anniversary of 9/11 is when people really reacted. How could someone show disrespect for those who perished on one of the most devastating days in American history? As upset as it made me, I also began to think.

One violent incident in question happened to Terrance Crutcher.

On Sept. 16, 2016, Terrance Crutcher’s SUV broke down in the middle of the road in Tulsa, Okla., according to CNN and multiple media reports. Officer Betty Shelby was on her way to a domestic violence call when she crossed paths with Crutcher. After questioning what he was doing and getting minimal response, she called for backup believing that Crutcher was under the influence. Video footage from a police car dashcam and helicopter captured the disturbing events that followed. The footage showed Crutcher with his hands above his head as multiple officers aimed weapons at him. One officer is heard saying, based on video footage of the event, that Crutcher looked like a “bad dude.” Moments later, an officer said, “Time for a taser.” Crutcher is then tased, forcing him to fall to the ground. While he lies on the tar road, Crutcher is shot several times by another officer’s handgun. The footage then shows Crutcher’s arm roll over, displaying the fatal contrast between his blood and white T-shirt. An officer screamed, “Shots fired!” and Crutcher was pronounced dead later that day.

My first viewing of the footage troubled me. The video was on my mind for the rest of the day and I couldn’t think about anything else. The police violence against blacks and racial profiling that persists is beyond sickening, and efforts to stop this problem need to be initiated.

It’s hard for me to believe what our country has come to in these past several years. In 1992, when Rodney King was beaten, almost half of Los Angeles burned down from riots. Now, in 2016, an unarmed black man has been allegedly shot with his hands held high in the air, and yet people seem to care more about football players taking a knee during the National Anthem.

Athletes such as Russell Westbrook, LeBron James, Tyrann Mathieu, and Richard Sherman have taken to Twitter and other social media sites to show their support for the Crutcher family and help make the hashtag #enoughisenough a trending topic. They’ve also made sure to highlight that more violence won’t help solve the situation.

At  first what I deemed as an irritating behavior, has now presented itself as not being enough. I’m frustrated that the people who have bashed Kaepernick for his actions haven’t spoken at all about the murder of Crutcher either. It’s also very troublesome that the news of Kaepernick kneeling spread faster than the death of Terrance Crutcher. Why do we pay more attention to a man taking a knee during the national anthem than to a seemingly innocent man’s life that was taken suddenly?

One of the most disturbing thoughts about the Crutcher shooting is that while Crutcher is lowered into the ground, people like James Holmes (the Aurora theater shooter) and Ahmad Khan Rahami (the suspect in the recent New York bombings) continue to walk this planet. These criminals are still living after committing atrocious acts of violence against innocent people, while a seemingly-innocent father of four who just needed help with his car is lying in the casket.

I hope this Sunday when Colin Kaepernick kneels for the national anthem, we think about why he is kneeling, and why these are the actions he needs to take in order to stand up for what is right.