Colin Kaepernick spoke out about protests over George Floyd's death: 'civility leads to death, revolting is the only logical reaction'

kmclaughlin@businessinsider.com (Kelly McLaughlin)
·2 min read
Colin Kaepernick looks on during the Colin Kaepernick NFL workout held at Charles R. Drew High School on November 16, 2019 in Riverdale, Georgia.
Colin Kaepernick looks on during the Colin Kaepernick NFL workout held at Charles R. Drew High School on November 16, 2019 in Riverdale, Georgia.

Carmen Mandato/Getty Images

  • Colin Kaepernick supported protesters in Minneapolis on Thursday, as demonstrators across the country called for the end of police brutality following the death of George Floyd.

  • "When civility leads to death, revolting is the only logical reaction," Kaepernick said in his tweet. "The cries for peace will rain down, and when they do, they will land on deaf ears, because your violence has brought this resistance."

  • Floyd died on Monday after a police officer knelt on his neck for nearly eight minutes as he said "I can't breathe."

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Activist and former NFL player Colin Kaepernick supported protesters in Minneapolis on Thursday following the death of George Floyd, saying "We have the right to fight back."

"When civility leads to death, revolting is the only logical reaction," Kaepernick said. "The cries for peace will rain down, and when they do, they will land on deaf ears, because your violence has brought this resistance."

Floyd, 46, died on Monday after a Minnesota police officer knelt on his neck for nearly eight minutes, despite his pleas of, "I can't breathe." The officer, David Chauvin, has been fired from the force and charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter.

Kaepernick made the statement before Chauvin was charged, while mass protests were being carried out in Minneapolis and across the country calling for the end of police brutality.

 

He has not said anything publicly since Chauvin was charged, but he shared a tweet from Arizona Cardinals player DeAndre Hopkins in which he voiced support for Floyd, and retweeted a post from the organization Know Your Rights Camp, which partnered with him to establish a Legal Defense Initiative to support protesters in Minneapolis.

In the wake of Floyd's death, many athletes and others on social media shared a photo of Floyd next to a photo of Kaepernick, who during the 2016 NFL season knelt during the national anthem in protest of police violence and inequality in the justice system.

 

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