Officers threaten to boycott 49er games, chief vows safety

Colin Kaepernick is placing his money where his protest is by pledging to give $1 million to charity.

He loves America. He just wants to make it a better place. “We talked about issues that are taking place in this country and how to prompt change, but I also reminded him the great freedoms and luxuries we have in America”.

“The sixth-year 49ers quarterback again protested against racism in the United States as he took a knee while Petty Officer 1st Class Steven Powell from the US Navy sang The Star-Spangled Banner”.

On Thursday night at Qualcomm Stadium, Kaepernick added a little more clarity to that statement, playing well enough to show that he is one of the team’s two best quarterbacks but also that he’s clearly No. 2 behind Blaine Gabbert.

“I believe there are issues in this country, many issues, too many to name”. So did Seattle Seahawks cornerback Jeremy Lane, who sat on the bench while the anthem was played before another preseason game in Oakland.

Colin Kaepernick #7 of the San Francisco 49ers attempts a pass against the Seattle Seahawks during their National Football League game at Levi’s Stadium on October 22, 2015 in Santa Clara, California. We have a lot of people that are oppressed, we have a lot of people that aren’t treated equally, aren’t given equal opportunities. And that’s why, even if Kaepernick is cut this weekend, Reid is strongly considering kneeling during the anthem anyway in an effort to generate awareness for racial injustice and police brutality. Reid, a fourth-year safety with San Francisco, knelt next to Kaepernick before the 49ers preseason game against San Diego.

Kaepernick’s protest is rubbing off on more than Reid.

“He approached me and said, ‘I support what you’re doing”.

“A lot of stuff that has happened in this country touches close to home”, he said.

His protest continued Thursday night when he chose to kneel for the national anthem in San Diego during the Chargers’ Salute to the Military.

“It’s something I plan to keep on doing until I feel justice is being served”, Lane said. “So I have the utmost respect for them, and I think what I did was taken out of context and spun a different way”.

Members of the Santa Clara police union asked the 49ers to take action against Kaepernick or “it could result in police officers choosing not to work at your facilities”, according to a letter obtained by NBC Bay Area.