Colin Kaepernick Publishing Book of Essays Focused on Abolishing the Police
May 11, 2021
Former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick is publishing and serving as an editor for a book titled Abolition for the People: The Movement for a Future Without Policing & Prisons that calls for the abolition of policing and prisons.
TMZ Sports reported the news, noting the book that will be released in October features 30 essays, one of which Kaepernick wrote.
"The omnipresent threat of premature death at the hands, knees, chokeholds, tasers, and guns of law enforcement has only further engrained its anti-Black foundation into the institutions of policing," Kaepernick wrote. "In order to eradicate anti-Blackness, we must also abolish the police. The abolition of one without the other is impossible."
TMZ noted the 33-year-old wants readers to think about other alternatives for communities outside of a militarized police presence.
Kaepernick made headlines by kneeling during the national anthem as a way of protesting police brutality and racial injustice when he played for the 49ers.
He opted out of his contract following the 2016 season after he threw for 16 touchdowns and four interceptions, but no NFL team has signed him since. During his playing days, he helped lead San Francisco to the Super Bowl and NFC Championship Game in back-to-back seasons in 2012 and 2013.
While he is no longer in the NFL, Kaepernick has continued his fight for social justice and against police brutality.
After George Floyd's murder by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin sparked worldwide protests in May 2020, Kaepernick's Know Your Rights Camp Legal Defense Initiative raised money for defense lawyers in an effort to represent those who were arrested while protesting.
His Know Your Rights Camp also donated more than $1.75 million to assist "Black and Brown communities" with COVID-19 relief.