Former San Francisco 49ers quarterback-turned-civil rights figure Colin Kaepernick is calling revolution 'the only logical reaction...
Former San Francisco 49ers quarterback-turned-civil rights figure Colin Kaepernick is calling revolution 'the only logical reaction' to the violent arrest and subsequent death of Minnesota man George Floyd.
'When civility leads to death, revolting is the only logical reaction,' Kaepernick tweeted Thursday, three days after Floyd's death. '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.'
Four police officers in Minneapolis were fired Tuesday after the video went viral, showing one cop kneeling on the 46-year-old Floyd's neck as he cried out for help, saying he couldn't breath. Floyd is ultimately seen passing out and he was later declared dead at a local hospital.
The four cops fired after Monday's incident have been officially identified as Derek Chauvin, Thomas Lane, Tou Thao, and J. Alexander Kueng.
Former San Francisco 49ers quarterback and civil rights figure Colin Kaepernick (right) is calling revolution 'the only logical reaction' to the violent arrest and subsequent death of Minnesota man George Floyd (left)
Kaepernick pointed the finger at police, saying 'your violence has brought this resistance'
Derek Chauvin (right) was identified as the officer pinning Floyd down in video footage. Minnesota has seen protests for days in the wake of Floyd's death in police custody
Floyd was being arrested for allegedly using forged documents at a local deli. His family has called for the four officers to be charged with murder. The FBI is investigation the death for a possible civil rights violation.
Kaepernick is far from the only athlete condemning the killing.
LeBron James shared his anger on Instagram, posting a picture of Kaepernick kneeling during the national anthem as a member of the 49ers in 2016 to raise awareness about inequality and racist police brutality.
James's caption explained that tragedies like the one in Minnesota were why Kaepernick took a knee.
The free agent quarterback has been out of the NFL since March of 2017 and has settled a grievance with team owners for an undisclosed amount after accusing them of colluding to keep him unsigned in retaliation for the controversial protests.
LeBron James shared his anger on Instagram, posting a picture of Kaepernick kneeling during the national anthem as a member of the 49ers during the 2016 season to raise awareness about inequality and racist police brutality
Demonstrators chant at police officers outside the Minneapolis police 3rd Precinct
NBA star Stephen Jackson knew Floyd since the late 1990s from their days in Eastern Texas, and he told the Daily Mail that the officers involved in his arrest deserve the death penalty.
'I honestly want the death penalty for the cops because he casually, hand in his pocket, killed my brother,' Jackson, 42, told the Daily Mail. 'No effort. He put no effort into killing him. Kneeled on his neck, had him cuffed, and just suffocated him.
'The only way that people are gonna feel like there's justice, and the only way these police are gonna stop killing people in broad daylight like it ain't nothing, is if they start dying too.'
Jackson (pictured here after a BIG3 game in 2018) has vowed to go to Minnesota to fight for justice after Floyd died in police custody
Jackson, a native of Port Arthur, Texas, and Floyd, a Houston native, met through mutual friends in the late 1990s and had remained close, according to the former NBA forward.
'We met through friends, but as soon as we met, the first thing everyone was saying was "Y'all look like twins,"' Jackson told the DailyMail.com. 'Everybody kept saying it and we started calling each other "twin."'
Jackson has become an advocate for civil rights in retirement, frequently addressing racism on his popular podcast, 'All That Smoke,' which is why he initially thought Floyd's arrest video was being sent to him as simply another example of police brutality.
'I'm on the couch sleeping with my daughter and I get a text from my girlfriend's mom, because we always talk about the police brutality and all the stuff that's going on in the world, how it ain't fair,' he said. 'She sends me the video, and I'm half sleeping. I look at the video, like 'Aw, they killed one of us again.'
'As I click out of the message, I see that I have 15, 20 more messages,' he continued. 'I click into the first message and I see: "See what they did to Floyd in Minnesota."'
Jackson immediately knew what the sender was referencing.
'I put two and two together because my girlfriend's mother lives in Minnesota,' he continued. 'I just broke down and I screamed. I just didn't want to believe it was true. I watched the video and it got worse after that.'
The morning after George Floyd protests erupted in violence and fires in Minneapolis, protesters began assembling at the residence of Derek Chauvin, the fired officer at the center of the Floyd death
To Jackson, the problem is not a complicated one because it's something he's seen before.
'They're racists,' he said, referring to the police who arrested Floyd on Monday.
Although Floyd did not have a weapon or appear to be a threat to the officers, they still forced him to the ground after he allegedly resisted arrest.
Many other athletes voiced their concerns on social media.
'Worlds honestly sickening. It really is..... no explanation,' Browns wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. said in a Twitter post.
'If anybody that follows me is not outraged about these senseless attacks on BLACK MEN, please stop following me!' wrote former WNBA star Lisa Leslie. 'If your spirit is not disturbed, please stop following me! This inflicted Pain but it will never inflict FEAR... sorry, were not made like that! #BlackMenMatter.'
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