Wanda Dorn: SHOULD THE NFL KNEEL

Colin Kaepernick
...byMarcio Sanchez/AP file

SHOULD NFL PLAYERS KNEEL

Some say it's not helping their cause and

They are disrespecting the flag, the military, etc.

They are not protesting the flag nor the anthem. Like the Olympian members before them, namely, Tommie Smith and John Carlos, did back in the day with the simple gesture of the raising of their fists, they found a peaceful way to bring attention to their cause.

It's interesting how those who are not the victims in a cause can tell victims who are deep-rooted in that cause how they should respond.

As for disrespecting the flag or military - Need I remind everyone that more Black men fight in the military per capita than White males. Obviously they respect the military. Need I also remind everyone that it was Crispus Attucks, a Black man who fired the first shot, and was the first person killed in the 1770 Boston Massacre - We obviously respect this Country and it's flag. We have fought, died, (still die), and physically, creatively and massively assisted in the building of this country. We have always pledged our allegiance and saluted our flag for centuries just - for the most part - to be treated as second citizens who pay first class citizen taxes.

It's interesting to note how these same people will protest, pass laws, and allow Whites to protest the killing of their womb babies by abortion, or by passing laws that causes Whites to peacefully protest the killing of their family members by unfair in-effective health care, etc. When whites protest whether by violence, i.e., running cars into people and killing them, or by peacefully protesting - their voices are heard. But when Blacks finally ask for respect, they are called everything but a child of God, and met with all arrogant speed, defensive posturing, and at times excessive force.

For these past many decades, Blacks have been talking/complaining/begging/crying about their "babies" being killed under questionable circumstances, namely by those who are supposed to protect them, and the powers at be has not cared until these young men did something to bring attention to the cause in a non-violent intelligent manner. I add most Americans, no matter their ethnicity, agree this is an important issue, if not addressed, will exacerbate.

Now, I am an avid supporter of law enforcement having work with them as a part of my career for more than twenty years. I have had direct professional and personal contact with Chiefs of Police who would do whatever they could not to have that conduct under their watch, but no matter how hard we try, I call it "the human element" comes into play. The environment that some officers are raised into, or entered into as an adult supersedes that of staff regulations and mandates. They "re-act" on those human elements.

The kneeling is a non-violent way to say it's time for the powers at be to cease callous denial and address these human elements. The time it takes to give these young men a call, or time that should be spent respecting them, asking them: "What should I know" and "How can I help" is minuscule... Better still, "treat people the way you want to be treated" is what I was taught.

John Carlos, one of the Olympians who raised a fist-Hero

There are words to a song that is appropriate, and I paraphrase: "When the killing of a Black Mother's son is as important as the killing of a White Mother's son..." that's when the non-violent protests on this issue will stop.