On Wednesday, the NFL announced their so-called #TakeAKnee compromise, which states players can protest during the national anthem as long as they stay out of sight in the locker room while they do so. The decision has spawned a sea of reactions, including many sports fans calling to emphatically boycott the league. 

While many call the protest un-American, Colin Kaepernick has said that he began the protest for Americans, specifically Americans that suffer violence at the hands of the police.

After feeling extremely frustrated at the several police brutality incidents and the lack of consequences faced by officers caught inflicting violence on the citizens that pay their salaries, Kaepernick decided to take a stand, or more literally — a knee. In addition to police violence, Kaepernick has also said he was protesting racism and inequality in general. 

The Huffington Post recently analyzed police slaying data compiled by The Washington Post, and discovered a sobering fact: at least 378 black Americans have lost their lives to police killings ever since Kaepernick first took a knee in 2016.

378. That is more than one person every other day.

Last August, one year after Kaep began his protest, the number of black Americans killed by police was 223, which means the tally has increased by 155 in the last nine months. The total current number of black Americans killed by police could actually be higher than 378, as at least 253 people killed by police officers have yet to have their race confirmed. Sigh.

In a 2017 HuffPost / YouGov poll, 57 percent of Americans confirmed they were aware Kaepernick and other players were protesting police violence. With these hard numbers, we have to continue to remember — it isn't enough to know better: it's time to do better.  

#TakeAKneeColin-KaepernickNational Anthem protestNflPolice brutalityPolice-Violence