Source: CM Brad Lander (Facebook)
Sept. 28, 2017 By Tara Law
Sixteen council members—including several from Queens– took a symbolic knee on the steps of City Hall yesterday to show their solidarity with the NFL players who made the same gesture on Sunday before their games.
In western Queens, Council members Daniel Dromm, Julissa Ferreras-Copeland and Jimmy Van Bramer participated. Councilman Costa Constantinides did not.
“We #TakeAKnee in solidarity w/others around the country to protest broken police community relations, racism & unfair treatment of immigrants,” wrote Council Member Ferreras-Copeland on Twitter.
The gesture rose to national prominence last year when NFL players, including quarterback Colin Kaepernick, began to take a knee during the national anthem to draw attention to racism and police brutality and to support the Black Lives Matter movement.
The movement gained momentum last week following President Trump’s inflammatory statement that NFL owners should fire these players and accused the players of disrespecting the flag and the military.
“Protesting inequality is patriotic,” Dromm said in a statement. “We need to be allies to those struggling with racism and police brutality on a daily basis. Trump should take a break from social media and learn a thing or two about diversity from Jackson Heights.”
Council Member Costa Constantinides, who represents Astoria, did not participate but issued a statement backing his fellow council members.
“I support my colleagues who took a knee yesterday,” he said. “Their demonstration of their right to free speech and protest of racial inequality is important.”
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20 Comments
It’s trendy , protest for anything – what happened to OCCUPY WALL STREET ? ?
These people just want their picture taken
I’m proud they stand with the players protesting comrade Trump’s fascist regime.
Kneel when you want for however long you want-but you stand at attention with your hand over your heart when OUR national anthem is played!!!! There’s a time and place for everything ……
This is what our political leaders do? Lowlifes.
Greek lives matter
Thank you. So proud of you all. Racism is at the core of this constitutional crisis we are in right now. It’s not about flags or vets. It’s about equality and freedom.
Proud of my Council Member Daniel Dromm! “Protesting inequality is patriotic,” is exactly right! I’ve marched next to Dromm at rallies for our community. NFL players are using their 1st amendment right and their fame to call attention to horrible injustices, not to make a statement about a piece of fabric. Thank you to these brave men and women for joining this cause. If it makes you uncomfortable or angry–that’s the point! It’s not a party IT’S A PROTEST! Have a conversation instead of acting like vile, immature children. NFL players and Council members ARE USING THEIR PROTECTED, CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS. The same rights allowing people to leave hateful comments! I’m proud Council members are using their free speech to bring justice to everyone, I hope ignorant commenters wake up on the right side of history as well.
Hey how about all the anti-Semitic violence perpetrated by black people against Jews in Brooklyn. Bigotry never counts when black people do it. I guess its the old excuse that people in power can’t be prejudiced. Van Brammer is a phony.
Thanks for agreeing that NFL owners are huge bigots. Makes it strange you’d be upset that people are protesting them.
The ignorance of this comment is staggering. Standing in solidarity for disenfranchised people is exactly what these politicians were elected to do. NFL players as well as every human in the world has a voice and should never be told to be quiet because racist fools feel uncomfortable. There is a huge problem when cops go rogue and kill innocent people and it’s unfair that the ones who really protect and serve have are herded in with the racist and bad cops. This issue isn’t new – for centuries people of color, especially African Americans, have fought for equal rights. Too bad you’re too ignorant and racist to see what’s really going on. Maybe when you get shot by a cop for no reason other than the color of your skin, you will understand.
Right on !
Black on black crime is way worse in shear numbers than the number of “people of color,” being killed by cops, obviously unacceptable, yet an easy target since dealing with a culture hell bent on killing each other and selling drugs within their own community, is way to politically incorrect.
I took a screenshot to remind me at next election time.
Van Bramer your a piece of garbage nothing but a phony. Wherever the train stops for you to get a vote you ride. Absolutely worthless. Go help in Florida, Texas or PR.
DISGUSTING!!!! My hard earned tax dollars are paying for Dromm’s, Van Bremer’s, Constantinide’s and Copeland’s salaries and health care?!!!??? Why aren’t they in Texas, Florida or Puerto Rico helping out. Which one of them have fought for the freedom we all enjoy? Call a football player or one of these politicians rather than a cop when there is trouble! ALL OF THIS should be remembered when we vote! How many of these “players” or politicians have fought for this country? They have the NERVE to make millions of dollars PLAYING a GAME! Why aren’t they in Texas, Florida and Puerto Rico helping? BUNCH OF CREEPS! Name another country where they could get away with this behavior. Police brutality?? Racism? What a lot of crap!! Hang your heads in shame!!! Think you big wimps have had your brains knocked around in your heads too many times, while you play your “games”..
Shame is when you continuously try to strip 26 million hard working Americans of their health care. Where is your outrage for the tens of thousands of people who will suffer heart attacks, amputations, strokes blindness and premature death from losing access to their diabetes medication and doctors? Where is your outrage for the thousands of Americans with RA and Lupus who will be disabled from losing access to biological medications and doctors? Where is your outrage for the millions of Americans thrown into the ranks of the working poor by the passage of Right To Work legislation by Vice President Pence and the rest of The Republican politicians? How many people have died, became homeless or went hungry from a peaceful anthem protest? None that’s how many. Your outrage needs to prioritized to scale of actual physical harm done to your fellow Americans. You’re the one who should be ashamed of yourself.
Thank you, Bruno, for your sensible comments. These other folks are too stupid to realize our country is in a state of crisis.
Disgusted- What have you done for disaster victims? A lot guys who have taken to the peaceful protest have devoted time and given lots of money to the victims. Deshaun Watson gave his first NFL pay check to three stadium workers who were flooded out their homes in Houston. What have you done blowhard?
an absolute disgrace all of them — they should be ashamed of themselves – this is not why we pay these politicans to do —
Disgrace is when you continuously try to strip healthcare from 26 million hard working Americans. That’s a disgrace.