43There’s no
such thing as a
selective patriot
BY EDDIE S. GLAUDE JR.Tulsa, Okla., police killed Terence
Crutcher in cold blood. The video
is hard to watch. You see a black
man with his hands up, walking
toward his stalled vehicle and
posing little threat to the officer,
who has her weapon drawn. He
was unarmed. Within 30 seconds
of the arrival of police backup,
Crutcher was tased and shot.
The aerial footage showed his
body falling helplessly to the
ground. Blood poured into the
street under him. And the police
offered little assistance to save
the man one officer described as
“a bad dude.”
On Sept. 14, just two days
earlier, Tyre King was killed by
police officers in Columbus,
Ohio. He was only 13 years old.
Officers responded to a report of
teenagers engaged in an armed
robbery of $10. When theyarrived on the scene, the police
confronted three black males
who matched the description.
King, the police reported, ran,
then reached for what turned out
to be a BB gun in his waistband
and was shot “multiple times.”
His parents hired an inde-
pendent forensic pathologist.
“Based on the location and the
direction of the wound paths it
is more likely than not Tyre King
was in the process of running
away from the shooter or shoot-
ers when he suffered all three
gunshot wounds,” Dr. Francisco
Diaz, the medical examiner
in Wayne County, Michigan,
reported. King was only 5 ft. tall
and weighed less than 100 lb.—
visibly a child.
Colin Kaepernick of the San
Francisco 49ers has refused to
stand for the national anthem in
protest of monstrous acts like
these. He and other athletes
who have followed his lead
have been viciously criticized.
Accused of being unpatriotic
and of betraying the sacrifice of
our men and women in uniform.
These are the same people
who recently booed President
Obama’s 9/11 tribute video in
football stadiums across the
country; the same people who
would describe Cliven Bundy,
the Nevada cattle rancher who
launched an armed standoff with
law enforcement, as a patriot;
the same people who defend
the Confederate flag. They are
selective patriots. We should not
take them seriously.
Instead, we must continue to
fight for our dead. Protect our
children. And defend an idea of
democracy where lives of the
likes of Terence Crutcher and
Tyre King are valued as much as
those of any white person in this
country. Until then, continue to
take a knee, Colin Kaepernick.
And the selective patriots can
go to hell.Glaude chairs the department
of African American studies at
Princeton University‘The bottom line is: You have the right,
because it’s that kind of country.
But on the other hand, as one [team]
owner said, “What’s your plan?”’—JIM BROWN, RECORD-SETTING FORMER NFL RUNNING BACK^
At a Falcons-Raiders game in Oakland, Calif., on Sept. 18, a fan
expresses her opinion in the standsWhy I knelt in solidarity
BY JELANI JENKINS
At A very young Age, I wAs tAught thAt god hAd
a special plan for me and my life. My parents raised me
to be confident in my own skin and to love each and
every person unconditionally. They also taught me the
importance of reading, studying and learning from the
elders and ancestors who preceded me.
What I want is simple: equal rights and equal
opportunities for every single person living in this
country. The dream Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. had. The
same dream my great-grandfather Esau Jenkins had as he
fought for equal rights in Charleston, S.C. To stand idly
by and witness men and children who look like me being
senselessly shot and killed is not an option. No more
hashtags. Enough is enough. Racial, social and economic
inequality is very real in this country, and it is time for
real change with real results. In order to help stimulate
meaningful change, sometimes it takes a controversial—
but meaningful—stand. After standing with my team-
mates as we honored those who were victims of the 9/11
attacks with a moment of silence, I knelt during the
singing of the national anthem. I have the utmost love and
respect for those who risk their lives and died serving this
country. I come from a spirit of love, and I aim to unite—
not divide. This is not about football, the flag, the military
or Jelani Jenkins.
I do not expect change to happen overnight. It will take
consistent work and cooperation from people all over the
world who, like me, love humanity. My grandfather Esau’s
motto was “Love is progress, hate is expensive.” It is with
the full support of friends, family and community that I
continue to fight for what is right.
OPPOSITE PAGE: JUSTIN SULLIVAN—GETTY IMAGES; THIS PAGE: JASON O. WATSON—GETTY IMAGESJenkins is a linebacker for the Miami Dolphins