It’s been nearly a year since Colin Kaepernick began his protests during the national anthem at football games. And now, some members of the New York Police Department are showing their support for the former 49ers quarterback’s fight against racial injustice and police brutality.
Nearly 100 active and retired officers, mostly cops of color, wearing black shirts reading ”#ImWithKap” rallied in Brooklyn Bridge Park on Saturday, The New York Timesreports. Sergeant Edwin Raymond, who organized the event, told The Times that he was planning this event prior to the Charlottesville incident, but the violence made the need for the event even more pressing.
During the event, speakers related the backlash Kaepernick faced for his demonstration to the recent violence in Charlottesville sparked by a white supremacist rally. Kaepernick’s non-profit, Know Your Rights Camp, shared photos from the event on Twitter.
Look at this love from NYPD officers from 5 boroughs in their shirts saying #ImWithKap In the red is Brooklyn… https://t.co/vTLBmPuRys pic.twitter.com/2lx1GPWJ5W
— Know Your Rights Camp (@yourrightscamp) August 19, 2017
“As members of law enforcement, we can confirm that the issues he is saying exist in policing, and throughout the criminal justice system, indeed exist,” Raymond said at the rally (watch in the video below).