Without the names, just the idea which is much easier and simpler to address -
individuals, having witnessed via the media, actions toward African Americans across the United States over the last couple months, could stand the behavior no longer, and decided to stand up, or rather sit down for the national anthem. This was their protest. This was their way of showing solidarity with any number of African American males and several females who had been victimized by police.
There has been bad behavior by police for many months, years ... and apparently no one thought it necessary to act at that time, but now is the time.
There is a problem. A real problem. One that threatens not just some, but all, and is more insidious than bad policemen or a bad court ... it threatens the family, the children ... it threatens generations of black children, and that threat will perpetuate a cycle of violence and bad behavior by the police, illegal, and violent as it may be and is presently.
I assume those athletes are doing something about a danger that threatens to destroy the black community. They feel strongly enough to sit down for the national anthem, collect their $100 million pay checks ... I am sure they are providing millions in aid, their time, and support.
They don't care what I think, and that's fine because I have no interest in what they think, but until such a time as we hear them speak up and do more publicly to deal with the real issues listed above affecting every African American ... I have no interest in following any sports team. It's a waste of my time. When they are able to understand perspective, the differences between what the police do and the magnitude and scale and .... what we, the people are and have done to make changes for all Americans ... until then I will sit on the sidelines, when they grow up and act responsibly, I will rethink my choice.
individuals, having witnessed via the media, actions toward African Americans across the United States over the last couple months, could stand the behavior no longer, and decided to stand up, or rather sit down for the national anthem. This was their protest. This was their way of showing solidarity with any number of African American males and several females who had been victimized by police.
There has been bad behavior by police for many months, years ... and apparently no one thought it necessary to act at that time, but now is the time.
Evidence suggests that Black youth ages 12 to 19 are victims of violent crime at significantly higher rates than their white peers. Black youth are three times more likely to be victims of reported child abuse or neglect, three times more likely to be victims of robbery, and five times more likely to be victims of homicide. In fact, homicide is the leading cause of death among African American youth ages 15 to 24.
Living in urban environments also increases the risk of exposure to violence and one-quarter of low-income, urban youth have witnessed a murder. In one study of inner-city 7-year-olds, 75 percent had heard gunshots, 60 percent had seen drug deals, 18 percent had seen a dead body outside, and 10 percent had seen a shooting or stabbing at home. In a Chicago study, approximately 25 percent of Black children reported witnessing a person shot and 29 percent indicated that they had seen a stabbing. After one of the children participating in this study described the violent deaths of seven close family members, an eight-year-old remarked that "just" three people in her family had died violently. Such family and community violence is most often perpetrated by persons known to the youth, and is likely to be reoccurring—creating potentially greater harm to a developing child than would a one-time incident of victimization.
Youth exposure to victimization is directly linked to negative outcomes for young people, including increased depression, substance abuse, risky sexual behavior, homelessness, and poor school performance. Youth victimization increases the odds of becoming a perpetrator of violent crimes, including felony assault and intimate partner violence, doubles the likelihood of problematic drug use, and increases the odds of committing property crimes.
Despite the far-reaching impact of crime and violence exposure on children and teens, our nation’s youth do not receive the support and guidance needed to cope with these traumatic experiences. One estimate finds that only between two and fifteen percent of victims of all ages ever receive any victim assistance, and another indicates that among African American victims, only about nine percent of people sought help from non-police agencies that provided services.
There is a problem. A real problem. One that threatens not just some, but all, and is more insidious than bad policemen or a bad court ... it threatens the family, the children ... it threatens generations of black children, and that threat will perpetuate a cycle of violence and bad behavior by the police, illegal, and violent as it may be and is presently.
I assume those athletes are doing something about a danger that threatens to destroy the black community. They feel strongly enough to sit down for the national anthem, collect their $100 million pay checks ... I am sure they are providing millions in aid, their time, and support.
They don't care what I think, and that's fine because I have no interest in what they think, but until such a time as we hear them speak up and do more publicly to deal with the real issues listed above affecting every African American ... I have no interest in following any sports team. It's a waste of my time. When they are able to understand perspective, the differences between what the police do and the magnitude and scale and .... what we, the people are and have done to make changes for all Americans ... until then I will sit on the sidelines, when they grow up and act responsibly, I will rethink my choice.
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