Critics continue to slam Colin Kaepernick at every turn.
This time the former San Francisco 49ers QB has drawn criticism from correction officers after speaking with inmates at the infamous Rikers Island prison in New York on Tuesday.
Kaep's presence at the prison quickly riled up the Correction Officers Benevolent Association. The organization retracted its sponsorship of a Christmas tree lighting celebration as punishment for the visit.
For little over a year, the nation has been rocked by the NFL protests Kaepernick started to bring the focus of racism and police brutality into the public conscious. He began sitting down during the national anthem but the protest evolved into kneeling. Taking a knee means fighting against injustice now. But critics find the movement to be anti-American and disrespectful to veterans the national anthem.
"This will only encourage inmates to continue to attack correction officers at a time when we need more protection," said Elias Husamudeen, president of the Correction Officers Benevolent Association.
The New York Daily News reports that socks Kaepernick wore in September 2016 depicting cops as little cartoon pigs were the bone of contention. They see his visit as a political maneuver on Mayor Bill de Blasio's part and not genuine to his commitment to correction officers.
"Once again, correction officers find themselves caught in Mayor de Blasio's political con-game,” Husamudeen said. “This is yet another brazen display of the hypocrisy of this mayor who pretends to support us in public, yet does everything possible to jeopardize our security in private."
However, not all people oppose the visit. Correction Department Spokesman Peter Thorne said Kaep was offering hope to the inmates. Glenn Martin, the founder of JustLeadershipUSA, a group advocating for the closure of Rikers, believes that Kaep's presence further exposes the conditions detainees deal with day-to-day.
"The world should see the hell that is Rikers Island," he said. "Colin's profile has helped shed light where it is needed. The fact that correction officers are more focused on his socks while people are getting their brains bashed in is despicable."
