Failed NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick trashed the United States on “Unthanksgiving Day,” accusing the United States of having “stolen” billions of acres of land from “Indigenous people.”
In a tweet that featured a video, Kaepernick wrote, “Spent the morning at the Indigenous People’s Sunrise Ceremony on the 50 year anniversary of the Occupation of Alcatraz. The US government has stolen over 1.5 billion acres of land from Indigenous people. Thank you to my Indigenous family, I’m with you today and always.”
Mother Jones reports:
Native Americans in northern California gather annually for a sunrise ceremony, called “Unthanksgiving Day,” on Alcatraz Island in the San Francisco Bay. This year’s gathering, though, was special: It marked 50 years since Bay Area Natives, having left reservations and flocked to cities, staked a claim to Alcatraz (where the infamous federal prison was decommissioned in 1963). On November 20, 1969, Indigenous activists began their 19-month occupation of the island—a watershed moment for Native organizing that pushed President Richard Nixon to end the brutal “termination” era, during which over 100 tribes lost federal assistance. The occupation sparked a chain reaction of radical organizing that continues to this day.While remembering that occupation, Unthanksgiving Day also honors a much more expansive legacy of Indigenous resistance, one spanning more than 500 years.
In the video that Kaepernick tweeted out, the former NFL quarterback said, “It’s been 50 years since the occupation, and that struggle has continued for that 50 years, before that 50 years, it will continue from this point. It’s our responsibility to honor our ancestors and honor our elders by carrying on that struggle. Don’t let their sacrifices be in vain. That’s why it’s important for all of us to be here today, to show that we’re together, that we’re unified, that we have that solidarity. And I hope to spend many more of these with you.”
WATCH:
Spent the morning at the Indigenous People’s Sunrise Ceremony on the 50 year anniversary of the Occupation of Alcatraz. The US government has stolen over 1.5 billion acres of land from Indigenous people. Thank you to my Indigenous family, I’m with you today and always.
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“Kaepernick has been unemployed for three years. He led the San Francisco 49ers to the Super Bowl in 2012 and did quite well as quarterback in 2013, but then his career started to wane,” The Daily Wire reported last week. “In 2016 he started kneeling during the national anthem as a protest of police brutality. His move angered fans but delighted political pundits who loved his anti-America message. Kaepernick was on his way out of the NFL due to his mediocrity, but the protest made him one of the most famous NFL players in the country. Despite not having a playing job, he was hired as a Nike spokesman.”
Earlier this month, Kaepernick tried to re-enter the NFL by holding a workout in front of all 32 NFL teams to show that he could still play football.
However, a week after his tryout, not a single team reached out to express interest in signing him.
After essentially being rejected by the NFL, Kaepernick released a statement attacking the league, saying in a video, “I’ve been ready for three years. I’ve been denied for three years. I continue to be ready… We have nothing to hide… We’re waiting for the 32 owners, 32 teams, Roger Goodell, all of them to stop running. To stop running from the truth. To stop running from the people.”
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