Screw reform! At least that’s what Colin Kaepernick is saying now as he begins to kick off his “Kaepernick Publishing” essay series this Tuesday. He is starting off the series with a bang, and it is sure to be a hit with all of his radical leftist friends.
His newest missive describes how he has had a total change of heart, and instead of his original desire to reform the police, he would like to see the whole idea of law enforcement and prisons totally abolished. In a word, even though his 2017 protest was about reforming the police, now he thinks that this endeavor is no longer possible.
His subheading is no less controversial than the rest of his life, and he titled it “F_k Reform”. In it, he said that his original thinking was tied to a “reformist framework” but he was now admitting that he had “missed the larger picture.”
He now feels that even major changes to law enforcement would not fix any of the problems that currently plague law enforcement; instead they would simply just create new problems.
“Focusing on individual punishment is something that will never change the inherent problems we are facing because this is rooted in Black Death,” Kaepernick wrote. “I wanted things to change. I wanted to see it stop. I wanted to reform everything I saw.
However, these reforms often proposed various use-of-force policies, body cameras, more police training, and more accountability. These are just the same recycled programs from the police that are always proposed. In both the past and present, these reforms have done nothing at all to stop any of these terrible actions that force us to #SayTheirNames.”
In a nutshell, Kaepernick believes that the solution is no longer police reform. Instead, he believes that even comprehensive and significant reform will fall short. Instead, he believes that the only way to fully eliminate the systemic and institutional racism in law enforcement would be to eliminate police departments entirely.
“Even with the steady cavalcade of anti-Black violence occurring across the country, I still hold the hope that we can build a future where justice is viewed and performed differently. We need a future without the terror of policing and prisons.
We need a future where redemption, harm reduction, and the promotion of public well-being will create a world that is more just and humane for everyone,” he wrote. If it sounds like an unrealistic utopia to you, then rest assured, that’s what we’re all thinking too!
“People of color still have the ever-present threat of premature death just because they are subject to chokeholds, tasers, and the guns from law enforcement. This has only further engrained the anti-Black foundation into the institutions of policing.
If we want to eradicate this anti-Black culture, we must eradicate the police in turn. Abolishing one without the other would be an impossible endeavor,” Kaepernick continued.
There is no question that the abolition that Kaepernick is calling for would have wide-ranging effects, but would it eradicate all of the normal social ills that we all have? Kaepernick did not seem to have an answer for this, only saying that the normal money spent on policing would be redirected in a way that is bound to “white supremacy.”
In the last three years, Kaepernick has become more well-known for his protests against racism and against the police than for his ability to throw a touchdown pass. This started with his famous protest in 2017 where he kneeled for the national anthem in protest of the “policing” problem.
Of course, the kneeling protest only caught on after President Trump started criticizing it. The protest would ultimately end after Kaepernick turned down a one-year extension to stay with the 49ers. He wanted to try his luck with other teams, but he didn’t land on a team and sued the NFL, accusing them of collusion to keep him off the team. He ultimately received an undisclosed settlement.
Kaepernick has experienced a bit of a rebirth in his activism because of the death of George Floyd. However, the fact remains that the NFL is only getting more open-minded about the activism; they are still not seriously considering Kaepernick for a spot on an NFL roster. Do YOU think that Kaepernick is way off base here? Feel free to comment and let us know!