LOS ANGELES - Former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick has
helped start a fund to provide defense lawyers for those who are
arrested in Minneapolis protesting the police killing of George
Floyd.
Kaepernick has created the Know Your Rights Camp Legal Defense
Initiative web page, which says it has identified top lawyers "to
provide legal resources for those in need."
The web page provides resources for protesters, including a form to
fill out if in need of an attorney.
Criminal charges were filed Friday against Derek Chauvin, the white
police officer who held his knee for nearly nine minutes on the neck
of Floyd, a black man who was handcuffed at the time after being
detained on suspicion of trying to pass a counterfeit 20-dollar bill.
Chauvin has been charged with third-degree murder and second-degree
manslaughter.
Chauvin and three other officers at the scene of Floyd's death were
fired after video showed their encounter with Floyd, who did not
appear to be resisting arrest as police reported. No charges have
been filed against the other officers.
Kaepernick, who hasn't played in the NFL since 2016 with the San
Francisco 49ers, was at the center of protests about racial and
social injustice after he knelt during the national anthem before
games.
In February, the league settled a grievance filed by Kaepernick and
former 49ers teammate Eric Reid.
The web page created for Kaepernick's legal assistance includes a
quote from Malcolm X: "Concerning nonviolence, it is criminal to
teach a man not to defend himself when he is the constant victim of
brutal attacks."