NYC Councilman Receiving Hate Mail For Silent Protest During National Anthem

A New York City councilman named Jumaane Williams decided to publicly embrace San Francisco 49er’s Colin Kaepernicks’ silent protest which started as sitting during the national anthem and eventually he started kneeling.  According to the New York Daily News, Williams hasn’t recited the pledge in quite some time choosing instead to stand in silence out of respect but given the continued violence against Black men and women by police in this country, Williams is now making his silent protest public and he’s facing some pretty serious backlash.  He’s been receiving hate mail that pretty much shows why sitting or kneeling during the national anthem is so important for those protesting violence perpetrating by officers who have sworn to uphold the law and protect citizens of the United States, which includes people of all skin colors.  Here’s what some of the letters say according to the Grio:  

“Plantation owner should have aborted your great-grandmother. You sit during the pledge.  Well hope you have an accident that causes such physical trauma you will not be able to stand or kneel.”  

“Black parents wait (some pray) that a son will get shot by a cop; of course he was on his way to college or usually church. This is called Payday for them. The ghetto lottery. What’s one kid when they usually have 6-8 maybe 10.”

Another letter said Williams deciding to protest “brings attention to how pathetic some if not most Blacks are.”

The same people who are so disgusting with Black people choosing to sit or kneel during the national anthem say nothing when unarmed Black men and women get shot and killed by police or end up dead in a jail cell after being taken into custody for a traffic violation or minor offenses.  

Williams is not letting the hate mail stop him from doing his job or protesting injustice.  He says the hate mail he is receiving “underscores that we really haven’t gone as far as we think we have on these issues.  People try to pretend we’re past that in this country, and we’re not. I feel sorry for someone who can’t even see how illogical it is what they’re saying.  They’re walking around with so much anger in their hearts. It’s a disappointing thing, but that’s what we’re dealing with.”