There have been 27 bullet casings discovered on the scene of Mario Woods’ demise in San Francisco again in 2015. Armed with a knife and below the affect of methamphetamine, the 26-year-old Black man had ignored a number of orders from police to drop his weapon earlier than 5 officers opened fireplace.
Woods was struck greater than 20 occasions together with twice within the cranium and 6 occasions within the again. Cellphone footage appears to show Woods strolling away from the officers earlier than they started capturing that December day. Investigators would later say the capturing was extreme, however no expenses had been filed as a result of Woods was a official risk. Police received concerned as a result of Woods had been suspected of stabbing somebody earlier that day. Nonetheless, the style of his demise — it seemed like a firing squad — sparked weeks of shock across the Bay Space. That would come with Santa Clara, the place the fiftieth Tremendous Bowl was being performed in Levi Stadium, house of the 49ers.
These days the shorthand for Colin Kaepernick’s story begins at his 2016 protest in the course of the nationwide anthem, then continues with a collusion grievance in opposition to the NFL and a subsequent settlement.
Nevertheless, you want to begin earlier as a result of Kaepernick’s protest didn’t begin in a vacuum. Then the quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, he began his demonstrations within the season following the capturing of Mario Woods.
And sadly, that fatality was not a one-off.
Between 2013, the 12 months Kapernick led the 49ers to the Tremendous Bowl, and 2016, 9 of the 11 folks killed by the San Francisco Police Division had been folks of coloration. After an investigation, the federal authorities in the end handed the division 272 recommendations for improvement.
All of this occurred in Kaepernick’s proverbial yard. A few of the protests in response to Woods’ capturing had been on the stadium he referred to as house. That is the place his saga started.
And after practically a decade, it appears right here is the place it ends.
Earlier this week, director Spike Lee informed Reuters that his extremely anticipated docuseries based mostly on Kaepernick’s activism won’t be launched due to inventive variations. The information was startling on condition that the 2 had been engaged on the undertaking for 3 years. Kaepernick himself had chosen the Oscar winner to direct the ESPN undertaking.
“It’s not popping out. That’s all I can say,” Lee stated.
A nondisclosure settlement prevented him from elaborating, nevertheless ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro later told CNBC that at this time’s political local weather didn’t play a job within the resolution to scrap the documentary. He additionally stated ESPN’s relationship with the NFL wasn’t a factor, regardless of the timing and optics.
“Spike was on the crimson carpet and was requested this query considerably out of the blue and that’s why it grew to become information,” Pitaro stated. “There have been inventive variations. We made the choice in partnership with Colin and Spike to not transfer ahead, many months earlier than any NFL announcement.”
After talking off the report with a number of folks conversant in the Kaepernick undertaking, I can say this a lot appears true: The inventive variations Pitaro referenced had been evident early. Lee needed to make a documentary that was closely centered on police brutality in America, and Kaepernick needed it extra centered on his lived expertise. Both strategy might have made for a robust docuseries. Nevertheless, there have been occasions in the course of the making of the undertaking when the hole of their visions led to intervals of the 2 not speaking. There have been additionally a number of notes. Like … quite a bit.
However right here’s the factor: I’m informed Kaepernick and Lee landed on a model of the undertaking that each had been pleased with, and that ESPN had permission to air it effectively earlier than the 2024 election.
From what I collect, inventive variations extended the completion of the undertaking, and over the course of that added time, the change in America’s political palate gave the community pause. I’m informed Lee used a number of minutes of video from numerous high-profile police shootings within the collection and that it contained important criticism of Trump’s first administration.
After the homicide of George Floyd in Could 2020, Kaepernick’s earlier protests in opposition to police brutality had been most likely considered extra favorably by extra folks. Greenlighting a docuseries about his work in July 2020 most likely felt snug for Pitaro and ESPN. Nevertheless, airing such content material at this time might anger a president who’s focused Kaepernick, the NFL and ESPN earlier than.
How might this not have been an element within the scrapping of the undertaking? To not acknowledge the White Home’s shadow hanging over at this time’s media business basically — and journalism particularly — is simply gaslighting folks.
My guess is the “inventive variations” didn’t kill the undertaking, however the delays attributable to them gave the community a solution to keep away from a potential headache. As disappointing as which will sound, the fact is the Tremendous Bowl has been essentially the most watched program within the nation yearly since protesters gathered close to Levi Stadium to specific outrage over Woods’ demise. And the NFL stays the nation’s hottest league.
The choice to not air Lee’s docuseries on Kaepernick might not be nice for freedom of speech or expression … however it’s undoubtedly nice for enterprise.
YouTube: @LZGrandersonShow
