Santa Clara police union members have warned the San Francisco 49ers that they may stop providing security at their games over quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s ongoing protest against systemic racism.
Urging team owners to reprimand Kaepernick for sitting during the national anthem and speaking out against police violence, the union said failure to do so “could result in police officers choosing not to work at your facilities,” according to a letter obtained by NBC Bay Area.
“I’m already hearing it this week that next week on Monday Night Football, some officers are not going to work,” Santa Clara Police Officers Association president Frank Saunders told the network.
Saunders said his officers are angry that the 49ers star has spoken out against cops who have gotten “away with murder” in fatal shootings of black Americans, and that he wore socks in practice that showed pigs wearing police uniforms.
“The 49ers are allowing this to come out from an employee and it’s making for a hostile work environment for us at the stadium,” Saunders told NBC.
The team has chosen not to discipline Kaepernick for choosing to sit during “The Star Spangled Banner, citing the principles of “freedom of religion and freedom of expression.”
The quarterback’s stance has angered some, including GOP nominee Donald Trump, who suggested that Kaepernick “find a country that works better for him.”
