What if more had knelt with Kaepernick?
On Sep. 1, 2016, Colin Kaepernick knelt during the national anthem in protest of the continued racism in our country that keeps taking the lives of black people.
Many refused to hear the message and condemned the messenger.
Since then, many more people have taken a knee in protest, and sadly many more black lives have been lost to the systemic racism that infects our nation.
Some people called for the firing of these men peacefully protesting the injustice in our country — called them traitors, called them un-American. They were angry that someone would dare do this to our flag, forgetting the Pledge of Allegiance says “with liberty and justice for all.” These men and all the people of color just want this country to live up to that promise.
One person, in particular, unleashed a torrent of condemnation.
Just imagine for a moment if this person had made a different choice and attended a football game, stood with the players on the field and then took a knee because he understood the message and wanted to help bring about the change that is so desperately needed.
It could have been the first step in a very long journey towards ridding our nation of this cancer of racism.
Perhaps, on May 25, 2020, George Floyd would have made it safely home to his family.
Laszlo Soos, Littleton
What would be happening now if more of us had followed Colin Kaepernick’s example? What if more athletes and other people in the public eye had taken a knee? Kaepernick’s peaceful protest was met with scorn, derision and threats. And now what do we have? What ye have sown, so shall ye reap.
Suzanne Welles, Littleton
Broncos coach in need of training
Re: “Sports heroes can no longer stick to sports,” June 3 commentary and “Fangio clarifies remark about racism in the NFL,” June 4 news story.
The Broncos aren’t ready for the season, and training camp won’t help.
The problem is they have a blind spot, and it’s not an issue at left tackle.
The blindspot is a head coach who can’t see, and it’s not because he’s in need of new glasses.
Vic Fangio believes the NFL has “no racism at all.” Yet, it’s shocking to believe Colin Kaepernick doesn’t have a job because his athletic skills don’t merit one. It’s equally shocking to imply few black men have worked hard enough to merit a coaching position.
Fangio quickly issued an apology after social media erupted in criticism over the remarks. Yet an apology doesn’t change his mindset. And the words he used simply reiterated his ignorance: Fangio said there is “no color in the locker rooms.” But his locker room is filled with color. A leader who refuses to see his players’ racial identity also refuses to acknowledge the challenges black men face every day.
Athletes know strength and change come through hard work and training. A team meeting won’t fix a coach’s ignorance. Pledging to listen to players won’t change his mindset when he refuses to see their racial identity. Diversity and equity training is now every bit as important for the Broncos as sprints and out routes.
Fangio may be a veteran in the NFL, but he still has much to learn about the league. His players and the Broncos will benefit from his education.
Michael P. Mazenko, Greenwood Village
Understanding the message of the protesters
I am a 63-year-old white woman and I get why people are rioting now. Let me explain:
When my children were young and they would do something wrong, I would say, “Please stop that.” But they wouldn’t stop, so I would firmly say, “Stop it right now!”
But they still wouldn’t stop. Finally, I would scream, “STOP IT!”
Then they would say, “You don’t have to yell at us!” And I would say, “Obviously, I do.”
Black people in this country have been protesting peacefully and asking and asking for justice in police brutality incidents for decades with no effect. Now people say, “They don’t have to riot!”
Obviously they do.
I think we should listen this time.
Carole A Branstetter, Broomfield
Recently, I received a note from a friend who said her daughter, living in Oakland with her 2-year-old and husband, was afraid. They were boarding up businesses on her street in preparation for a possible violent protest. And then my friend added — as a young woman who is not a person of color, she is fearful for the first time in her life.
I thought that was brave for a mother and grandmother to say. That she had the ability within her own anxiety to acknowledge the fears of mothers and grandmothers of color who have watched for generations as their children (young men in particular) left the house on any given occasion, with a lump in their throat. It seems to me that each of us needs to feel a lump in our collective throats for all the mothers and grandmothers of color out there.
Enough is enough. We must have structural reform so that courts and departments of Internal Affairs and police unions no longer impede justice for police officers who are racially biased and use that bias to commit violence and murder on all our children and grandchildren.
Judith Pettibone, Denver
Useful, important change comes from major crises
Crises have a way of producing change or at least promoting it. The catastrophic horror brought on Europe by the Black Death changed the way buildings were constructed in Europe so that rats, a common vessel of plague-carrying fleas, could not as easily enter. The Black Death also forced the economy of Europe to change as many guilds needed to grant greater benefits to their workers to continue operations, and it prompted the questioning of Catholic authority that eventually culminated in the Protestant Reformation.
Other crises have encouraged and forced changes, both within the United States and beyond. The attacks of Pearl Harbor and September 11 changed how the United States intelligence and defense services conduct their missions. The Hindenburg disaster forever altered the perception of zeppelin travel and the use of hydrogen fuel. And following the successful Sputnik program by the USSR, the federal government invested heavily in educational pursuits of math and science so that a new generation of Americans could win the Space Race.
The COVID-19 pandemic has already forced American society to change, but more lasting changes are required. NATO should develop special task forces specifically focused on identifying potential disease threats. The promotion of scientific and medical learning must be implemented by the federal government through the creation of scholarships and educational shifts to provide the American public with more doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals. This crisis is nowhere near over, but the pursuit of preventing a similar one should commence immediately.
Jackson D. Belva, Colorado Springs
Re: “Pandemic disrupts initiatives,” April 9 news story
The coronavirus is the final straw that should push our legislature and governor to put a constitutional amendment on the ballot to allow online initiatives and referenda.
We citizens should be able to carefully read an initiative or referendum’s language on our computers, consider its pros and cons, and then endorse it in the comfort of our homes. And we should not have to hire hundreds of paid circulators to physically gather over 100,000 signatures, as the corporate and special interests can do, just to get something on the ballot.
The technology is straightforward. The secretary of state would put all initiatives on its website, allowing anyone to read the full language and pro and con statements submitted by the state government, just as in the current Blue Book. (Special interest statements could also be allowed.) Then voters would sign in using their driver’s license number and last four digits of their Social Security number, just as they currently do to register to vote, and endorse one or more petitions. It’s that simple.
Regarding concerns that this would be “too easy” and there would be “too many initiatives,” the legislature could increase the number of required endorsements to a relatively high level, like 10% of voters in the last election.
The legislature could also make statutory initiatives more secure — and reduce the need for constitutional amendments — by requiring that any legislated amendments be consistent with the original initiative’s stated purpose (as Boulder does.)
Steve Pomerance, Boulder
Don’t politicize virus
Re: “Polis’ power grab threatens balance of powers,” June 3 guest commentary
I feel the need to correct comments made by Joshua Sharf in his guest commentary entitled “Polis’ power grab threatens balance of power.” There is absolutely no evidence that the public health emergency is over. The reason the infection rates and hospitalizations have dropped is because the lockdown, social distancing and mask usage have worked. It is yet to be determined how things will progress as society begins to slowly reopen. Until this virus loses its virulence, or until we have viable medications and vaccinations, the emergency will continue to exist. Second, the economic emergency created here was not caused by Gov. Polis; it was caused by an RNA virus called SARS-CoV-2. Attempting to politicize a deadly infectious disease is irresponsible and dangerous.
Mark Berman, Englewood
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