When NFL players led by Colin Kaepernick decided to start kneeling for the national anthem, it was vilified by some people as disrespectful to the flag and the country. Find another way to protest. Well, Tampa Bay Lightning player, JT Brown, decided to kneel for the anthem, and the same people are still crying about disrespect. In fact, Brown says he’s received death threats according to The Root.
“This is about bringing awareness to the real issue [of police brutality] and not changing the narrative,” Brown said.
“I have received racist remarks and death threats because [people] disagree with me because [of] how I chose to raise awareness,” he said. “We need to be able to listen to those with an opposing view and talk to one another if [we] want to learn, grow and make change.”
At this point, we can all agree that these same people will never think there is a better way to protest. In fact, Brown plays in the same city where a very large confederate flag is waved and can be seen clear as day by anyone driving down the I-75.
Brown became the first NHL player to protest on Saturday night, and the more this happens, the more awareness is brought to the issue at hand. Injustice for people of color, specifically black people, and police brutality to those same people must come to an end.