San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick said his socks depicting police officers as pigs are part of a personal protest against “rogue cops” who endanger their well-intentioned colleagues and the community.
Photos of Kaepernick wearing the socks surfaced Thursday, insulting law enforcement, stirring controversy and vaulting the quarterback back into the news. Kaepernick had another front-page moment last week, when he decided to exercise his First Amendment rights and protest the national anthem during a preseason game.
But are Kaepernick’s socks worse ― or even on the same level ― as an NFL team with a racist name?
“Redskins” is a disparaging term used for Native Americans. Washington, D.C.’s, NFL team has been under pressure to change the team’s name and logo to something less offensive for years. Studies have shown that the team’s mascot may encourage racial hostility toward Native Americans.
Native Americans are killed by police at high rates relative to their numbers. They make up around 0.8 percent of the U.S. population. But they account for 1.9 percent of people killed by police, according to an analysis by the Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice.
Kaepernick responded to criticism of his socks in an Instagram post on Thursday.
“I wore these socks, in the past, because the rogue cops that are allowed to hold positions in police departments, not only put the community in danger, but also put the cops that have the right intentions in danger by creating an environment of tension and mistrust,” he wrote.
The focus on Kaepernick’s socks ― just like the focus on whether his national anthem comments offended veterans ― is a diversion from the fact that the quarterback is calling attention to systemic injustices faced by all people of color in America.
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