The following is an email sent out by Color of Change regarding the harsh and severe punishments being meted out to the 11 and 12 year old children of the Beaumont Bulls football team as well as their parents and coach. Since the young men decided to engage in a silent protest following Colin Kaepernick’s lead by kneeling during the National Anthem, they have been subjected to horrendously racist abuse and death threats from people from outside (and within) the community. Now they are being subjected to even more vile punishment after their entire season was cancelled by the League, and their parents are being threatened with arrest, all because they wouldn’t be subservient and stand for the National Anthem and the oppression it represents.
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Dear Caleb,
The young 11 and 12-year-boys of the Beaumont Bulls football team have been harshly punished for silently protesting the national anthem.1
After these kids knelt during the anthem to protest police violence against Black youth, their local executive board canceled their entire football season, suspended the coaching staff, and threatened to arrest their parents if they attended any future games, practices or events.
This is the most disturbing punishment of a national anthem protest yet. Canceling these kids’ entire season and threatening to have their parents arrested is a gross response to a silent protest asking for basic rights and dignity.The executive board that handed down this punishment and threatened these families with police violence for attending their children’s football events must be held accountable.
Police brutality, wrongful arrests and racial violence plague these children in their town of Beaumont, Texas. Within days of Colin Kaepernick’s protest, the team’s coaching staff, privately discussed the possibility of them taking a knee before their next game, before ultimately deciding against it. The coaches didn’t want to impose anything on the players. To their surprise, though, the young boys came to them and told them they wanted to take a knee. The shooting deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile at the hands of police just two months prior had deeply bothered the young students.
For these young Black kids the plight of injustice in America is their own. Instead of supporting the boys and their protests, their executive board and league officials abandoned them. The board has decided to strip these kids of the team that they love to punish them for asking for basic rights and dignities. This is about the board reinforcing that police violence in our communities doesn’t matter, that our issues aren’t important and that speaking on them makes you subject to punishment.
For these kids, playing on a football team together is likely one of the few places they can step away from the racial injustices they face everyday and just be themselves. But now, that has been unjustly taken away from them in an attempt to deprive them of their dignity and humanity.
These kids are brave for refusing to give in to the executive board and for standing against injustice. We need to support the fight of these children and show them that their protest is heard.
Until justice is real,
–Brandi, Rashad, Arisha, Anika, Evan, Bernard, Jade, Corina and the rest of the Color Of Change team.
References:
1. “KING: After taking a knee, young boys saw their football coach suspended then their whole season canceled,” RawStory, 10-17-2016
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/6959?t=6&akid=6448.1640899.w2Zcfj
Color Of Change is building a movement to elevate the voices of Black folks and our allies, and win real social and political change. Help keep our movement strong.
United States Hypocrisy 
As a life-long observer of “America” from over the northern border I’m never surprised when such things become public, or that a thoroughly racist creature like Donald Trump can actually be a viable presidential candidate. America is the most hypocritical “nation” (actually a hegemony and empire) in the world. America IS the problem here, not a locality in the Hegemon. By the way, and once more, I’m asking, how can a people be a people in a supposed “country” that has no name? I’ve always found that interesting. Americans? We of the North, Central, and South American continents are all Americans. What’s with that? A no-name brand generic nation? And that wants to rule the world? No wonder chaos reigns and grows.
You’re 100% correct! Amazing how those in the United States have the nerve to think that they can colonize the word ‘Americans’ for themselves the way the settlers colonized the Americas. As for Donald Trump, his racism is not an aberration. It’s typical.
I can’t believe this. I’m so angry. They have rights just like everyone else and this is within there right to do this.
It certainly should be. The fascist streak in this country shows itself anytime someone doesn’t bow to so-called “American exceptionalism”.
Land of the free… if you don’t take a knee?
That should be the official slogan of the states.
Yes, this is very bad situation. Especially for the kids who want to make sport. When thinking their ages, and thinking to them young and enthusiastic minds and hearth, it would be probably more hard for them. The other side my Earthling friend, kind of these experiences in these ages, will be very effective for their entire life. Yes, many of people have to support to their resistance. However, if this would be support for “only” in this period, it would be next. Because this event would pass and another one would occur. It would be kind of “the cat which follow own tail”. (I hope I used right determination)
It must be mass and organized resistance. I thought many times about “what is the most effective resistance which is providing to take into really account of the ones who are at the hill”. And I guess I found it.
The elites and their politicians and the puppet people don’t care for example “mass meetings” or “internet campaings”. If people want to disturb them in real means, it would be giving financial damage.
For example, in every region, or area, or city has to popular production area or brand,(it may be in any area, it could be industry, food or husbandry), people has to stop shopping or using their productions. If this can be made, in this time the bosses of these areas says that “heyyy! I cannot earn money, what is going on!” and they will be crazy.
And when they ask” why you don’t buy my productions”, the answer should be “I am the one who causes to earn you money, your city people, and I am not in the mood to buy them, if you support to my reaction, my mood would be good again”. Yes I am aware, this has been funny answer:) but with the same logic and starting thought point, it can be more serious answer instead of that.
Maybe this can seem hard way, but the elites don’t care my Earthling friend to any meeting or campaign, unless they don’t get money.
You are very right about that. The meeting or campaign however can be very important to raise awareness, but ultimately hitting the money-holders in the pocket is what motivates them to change their ways.
Yes, you are right “the campaigns are important to raise awareness.” And, all people should do something real effective, for example my motto and slogan about mainstream media “don’t buy, don’t read, don’t feed mainstream media”. I am saying continuosly this one and applying. We should do and apply something like that. I don’t want to read anymore the children news like in your post. Especially the children all corners at the planet should not have bad experince in any area. So, I feel very sad after reading all. But I also know it would be more news like this news maybe in today, tomorrow and the other days.
When one thinks of the “Freedom Troopers”, who meted out this punishment, it sounds like the Board wants to bring back Slavery. Today, I read approximately half of the excellent book, written by Seymour Hersh, “My Lai4″. The topic refers to the 1968 massacre by elements of the U. S. Army, at the My Lai4 Hamlet, in Vietnam–and the Army’s cover-up. America’s GIs killed some 500 unarmed old men, women, children and babies–and it was covered up. So, the give the football season the Death Penalty, and threaten the parents for what–standing by their sons” How asinine!
IS THAT THE AMERICA, THAT THESE BRAVE YOUNG MEN ARE BEING PUNISHED FOR TAKING, RESPECTING THE FLAG OF–BUT DIFFERENTLY?
I have to think what the League is doing is incredibly counterproductive and not very helpful. Do they think that by treating these children and their parents as if they were criminals they are going to convince them that they were wrong to not stand during the anthem? If anything it only proves that they were right to make their protest all along.
No Court of Law would touch that.