Protests over the acquittal of former St. Louis police officer Jason Stockley in the shooting death of Anthony Lamar Smith are still going strong, with students at an area high school walking out of class Thursday to protest.
One protest that’s been gaining a lot of attention of social media actually happened Sunday, at a game featuring the Cahokia Quarterback Club football team, made up of players ages 8 and under. The entire team took a knee during the national anthem, according to KTVI in St. Louis.
Do you have an issue with an 8-year-old football player kneeling during the national anthem? pic.twitter.com/v6lFbbQMOZ
— FOX2now (@FOX2now) September 19, 2017
According to the team’s coach, he thought it was a good “teaching moment”:
“One of the kids asked me if I saw (people) protesting and rioting in St. Louis. I said yes; I said, ‘Do you know why they are doing it?'” said Coach Orlando Gooden.
Coach Gooden said his player responded, “Because black people are getting killed and nobody’s going to jail.”
…
“One of the kids asked, ‘Can we do that?’ I said, ‘As long as we know why we’re doing it, I don’t have a problem with any of it.'”
A lot of people who’ve seen the report online have a problem with it, considering the ages of the children involved. Did they know why they were doing it?
They're doing it because they saw a professional football player did it. Nice role models we have in sports.
— Crack N Ag (@BillJPoe) September 19, 2017
OK. If kneeling is in response to the #StockleyVerdict & they know about it, then they know why the prosecution failed to make its case?
— The Reality OF It (@TR0FI) September 19, 2017
"Black people are getting killed and nobody is going to jail". That's the lies these kids are being told by adults. How sickening
— thisisjames (@thisisjames) September 20, 2017
8 yo…I was learning about MY nation, Learning PRIDE in MY nation.. Not this BUNK allowed https://t.co/Wim96mkz2M
— Dan Laflin (@dandlaf) September 20, 2017
It's nice to see these kids doing what they are told…now teach them something constructive rather than disrespecting our flag.
— Bud Stallman (@budeehuh) September 19, 2017
A teaching moment? Maybe you should learn some respect for the veterans that gave you the opportunity to " teach ".
— My Infojsten (@ir469) September 19, 2017
Yes I do have a problem. Disrespectful to our veterans that fought for this country. Are people filling there heads with BS
— Steve Herberts (@Blazingbobwhite) September 19, 2017
Sad to see such disrespect sweeping across this Nation and being taught to our youth .
— Ricki Torres (@TorresRicki) September 20, 2017
https://twitter.com/former13bravo/status/910201236883955712
So disrespectful! maybe they need to be taught what it means and why we should have respect for the anthem and our flag.
— Denise Kleekamp (@kleekamp_denise) September 19, 2017
How 'bout we reach them to read, write, math and history. Especially history maybe they'll learn to respect the country.
— Crack N Ag (@BillJPoe) September 19, 2017
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Related:
Protester in ‘F*** THE POLICE’ shirt open carries handgun in the dumbest way possible #JasonStockley https://t.co/ITDAGgbTeG
— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) September 16, 2017
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