Colin Kaepernick joined many others’ outrage on Wednesday (Sept. 23) after a grand jury failed to indict two Louisville police officers — Myles Cosgrove and Jonathan Mattingly — for the shooting death of Breonna Taylor. Ex-cop Brett Hankison was the only person indicted in the fatal raid and was charged with three counts of wanton endangerment in the first degree for firing multiple shots at Taylor’s and neighboring apartments.
On Twitter, Kaepernick responded to the grand jury’s decision, which was announced by Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron. In his tweet, the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback called for the abolition of police.
“The white supremacist institution of policing that stole Breonna Taylor’s life from us must be abolished for the safety and well being of our people,” he wrote.
Kaepernick has continued to be vocal about racial injustice since beginning his kneeling protests in 2016. Earlier this month, he accused the NFL of not being genuine in their recent social justice efforts.
“While the NFL runs propaganda about how they care about Black Life, they are still actively blackballing Eric Reid for fighting for the Black community,” he tweeted, referring to Reid’s release from the Carolina Panthers this March. “Eric set 2 franchise records last year, and is one of the best defensive players in the league.”
Kaepernick also voiced support for the NBA’s strike, which rippled throughout the sports world, last month. Several teams — including the The Los Angeles Lakers — refused to attend their games in protest following the police shooting of Jacob Blake. On social media, Kaepernick praised LeBron James for leading the strike.
“Four years ago on August 14, 2016, I began protesting against systemic racism and social injustice,” Kaepernick wrote. “Truth is what I sought. Solidarity is what you showed me. Love is what moves us forward. Thank you for staying true.”
See Kaepernick’s tweet about the Breonna Taylor decision below.