The italicized comments were directed to me in response to my posting on Colin Kaepernick’s refusal to stand for our national anthem. I think it is important that you digest it in its entirety before I respond. My one fear is that I will fail to honor the writer’s first seven words because I know him as a good human being and this feeling goes back more than 5o years.
Oscar, I hope I don’t regret responding, but I submit this in good faith: of course Kaepernick has the right to sit, but here is my problem with his stance (or lack of it): Has he thought about the more than 200 cops who have been killed in the line of duty the last year and a half? Does he realize that more than 500 white people have been killed in confrontations with police in the last calendar year? Does he think all police killings of black people are based on race? If so, to what does he attribute police killings of white people and people of other races? Does he realize that some of the officers involved in fatal confrontations are themselves black? Does he care that officers, black and white, have literally been assassinated by people who want revenge for this perceived wrong? And did he consider what was going on – whether the subject was black, white or other – before those fatal confrontations occurred? I am not in any way denying or minimizing the existence of racism. I’ve seen it up close many times and in many ways, both obvious and subtle, sometimes from the other angle. But this issue is very complex. Three officers in my community – one whose family I know very well – have been killed in the line of duty in the last 10 years, and – I think I have mentioned this before – I had someone I was fairly close to me killed by police. (He was unarmed, but he had indeed committed a crime.) There wasn’t a peep out of anyone in response to that. In a way, I kind of like Kaepernick’s willingness to put himself out there, but I think he has taken a very emotional and simplistic view of the situtation. ….
Now, I will address his points in bold. I can’t speak for Kaepernick but here goes:
Oscar, I hope I don’t regret responding, but I submit this in good faith:of course Kaepernick has the right to sit, but here is my problem with his stance (or lack of it): Has he thought about the more than 200 cops who have been killed in the line of duty the last year and a half? I would doubt very much whether he could tell us the number of police officers who were killed in the line of duty during any precise period of time. His frame of reference is the events that led to #BlackLivesMatter. The focus I see him articulating revolves around supposed community protectors killing unarmed black citizens without accountability.
Does he realize that more than 500 white people have been killed in confrontations with police in the last calendar year? First, I doubt it. Second, every single instance of a white person being killed in situations mimicking the atrocious black murders equally merits outrage. Third, many, if not most, police shootings do not cause outrage because they are legit.
Does he think all police killings of black people are based on race? If so, to what does he attribute police killings of white people and people of other races? No, all police killings of black are not based on race. If you accept the proposition that black, red, brown and yellow lives historically do not have a value equal to a white life, then treating white lives as equal is a perversion of fact. The issue is colored lives are treated differently.
Does he realize that some of the officers involved in fatal confrontations are themselves black? I am assuming that he does. If he has narrowed his focus to indicting only white officers, then he has weakened his case. The officer’s race is immaterial once the uniform is slipped on. S/he is the police and that is what matters.
Does he care that officers, black and white, have literally been assassinated by people who want revenge for this perceived wrong? Why must Kaepernick be confronted with the vile acts of cowardice displayed by police ambushers? Refusing to stand for the national anthem is not an act of disobedience. It is one man’s courageous statement that the USA has consistently fallen short of its idealistic rhetoric. Again, I applaud him.
And did he consider what was going on – whether the subject was black, white or other – before those fatal confrontations occurred? The less than 20 minute locker room interview doesn’t provide any way of addressing this concern.
I am not in any way denying or minimizing the existence of racism. I’ve seen it up close many times and in many ways, both obvious and subtle, sometimes from the other angle. But this issue is very complex. The complexity is enhanced by the very unwillingness to address the very simple proposition that Kaepernick is raising. Equality is lacking for black Americans. Simple question: When, in our nation’s history, has the black community been on an equal footing with the whites? And, I do believe that simplifies the issue.
Three officers in my community – one whose family I know very well – have been killed in the line of duty in the last 10 years, and – I think I have mentioned this before – I had someone I was fairly close to me killed by police. (He was unarmed, but he had indeed committed a crime.) There wasn’t a peep out of anyone in response to that. Unarmed and killed? Race doesn’t matter; it’s outrageous.
In a way, I kind of like Kaepernick’s willingness to put himself out there, but I think he has taken a very emotional and simplistic view of the situation. …. I hope the simplicity is heard coast to coast, border to border.