It doesn’t take more than a swipe on a cell phone or click on the TV remote to learn that the United States is in a rough patch.
By now, everyone knows the name George Floyd, an African-American man who fell victim to an act of police brutality in Minneapolis on May 25. Protests took to the streets across the country in a call of justice for Floyd, and to tackle the larger issues of racism that we face as a nation.
Protests have been peacefully executed, but looting and rioting have served as a distraction to the injustice of Floyd’s death. Take retired officer David Dorn for example, who was murdered on Tuesday for responding to a burglary alarm at Lee’s Pawn & Jewelry in St. Louis.
Dorn is one of multiple innocent victims who have been killed during the unrest.
At the same time, other Americans’ lives have suffered. Korboi Balla is a retired Minneapolis firefighter whose dream was to open a sports bar. Balla planned to open his new spot in March, but plans fell through after restaurants were forced to close their dining areas because of the coronavirus.
Balla’s establishment was burned during riots in Minneapolis last week. All the time, work, and effort had fallen by the wayside. Luckily, Americans heard word of Balla’s story, and he has already exceeded $1 million in donations to rebuild the venue.
Lost lives and damaged or lost property shouldn’t be happening now. Americans should be more united than ever before. Racism exists, Floyd’s death was an act of police brutality, the four officers should be charged to the full extent of the law, and rioting along with looting have no place in this country.
All of this seems obvious, yet as a nation we are divided. A tragic event like Floyd’s death should not bring division, but unity to move forward and become a better America.
IN today’s age, athletes have a platform to raise awareness on key issues that our country faces. Former NBA star and childhood friend of Floyd, Stephen Jackson, has been heavily involved in seeking justice for the Floyd family. Other figures such as LeBron James, have continued to speak on Floyd’s passing via social media.
Athletes are put on a pedestal. They can use that leverage to be role models or do their own thing like Dennis Rodman — it is completely up to them. For some, Colin Kapernick was a hero when he knelt during the national anthem in 2016.
Others saw it as a sign of disrespect.
Since Floyd was killed by an officer’s knee, many in the Black Lives Matter movement and those fighting for justice in Floyd’s case are saying that this is what Kapernick stood for: That African-Americans are disproportional targets of police brutality and suffer from racial injustice and the country is failing to protect them.
Which begs the question, will we see the return of kneeling for the national anthem prior to kick-off in 2020?
New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees was asked by Yahoo Finance on how the NFL should respond to kneeling, and how Brees as a leader should handle the situation. This is what Brees said:
