When you say people should protest gun violence Chicago, and evidence is shown that people already do, but you dismiss that evidence with ease it says to me your concern was disingenuous from the start. Bringing it up was merely a tactic to dismiss any and all complaints from the community. It’s moving the goal posts.

I was already aware of protests, marches, and organizations created to stop gun violence. Anybody who’s really interested would know as well. A friend of mine and myself were texting yesterday morning and spitballing more innovative things we could do through his organization to address that specific issue. Gun safety training. Fun and informative. Job programs. Nothing would help more than being able to raise them up out of poverty stricken situations, but we do what we can.

I get it. Y’all believe police brutality is a non-issue and y’all don’t give a **** what anybody has to say about it, and that’s fine. Just say that. Don’t pretend to care about other things to downplay what’s going on now. “What about Black on Black crime?” is an inappropriate response.

As far as the original post is concern, I’m speaking on the Saints. Drew’s teammates and former teammates seem to be on the same accord. Thomas, Kamara, Jenkins, Sanders, and Jordan all had something to say. That’s almost every leader on the team. I’m sure the silent majority is powerful in the United States. That’s evident. However, the majority in the NFL is different from the majority in real life.

No comment would have sufficed.

You have a voice and you think more than you talk, which is why I have more respect for you than most humans. A lot of people talk more than they think and are just bad at conveying what they mean, and yes some are just idiots.

You are trying to solve a problem, I risk manage and trouble shoot for a living. Hopefully I can provide some value.

Symptom vs Problem
Most people treat fevers. A fever is rarely the problem, its a symptom of something else. In regards to what is going on right now there are multiple symptoms and multiple problems.

Causation vs Correlation
A white cop shoots a black person. Why?

• Did he know him personally and have a problem.

• Was he a bad cop.

• Was he an incompetent cop.

• Is the difference in race the cause or just a correlation in this incident?

Right now you are thinking that none of this should matter and it should have never happened... and you are 100% correct. However, it does happen and until you know why you cant fix what is broken.

At the end of the day, what I am reading from you seems to be on the right path. Keep people off the streets will keep them out of the corss-hairs. Education and employment will go a long way to keeping them off the streets. Working with guardians and parents to drive the education will put children in position to have a future. That is how you work on your community... We do not live in a vacuum so on the other side of that coin you will have to find a way to bridge the relationship between the community and those who are supposed to be protecting the community. Having to place blind trust in an Iraqi interpreter or guide while at war in Iraq is a real damn challenge at 3am in the dark of night.

The hard part and where I might start is to find someone or someones within the community that will resonate across the age ranges because it will have to be a combined effort that cuts through the bull**** fog trying to keep everyone from seeing clearly.

I have to preface the statement by reiterating that I'm not a reformist in ideology. However, most of my community are proponents of reform. When Malcolm X said "By Any Means Necessary" what that really meant was use whatever works. If non-violent protest works, do it. If voting works, do it. If looting and rioting works, do it. If all out warfare works, do it. So I must meet my people where they are.

Therefore, we need legislation that helps put more control of the land, resources, and the means of production in our hands. There was a Homestead Act in 1862 that gave Americans up to 160 acres of federal land in the West. You had the Boomer-Sooner rush of Oklahoma. We need something like that to shrink this large wealth gap.

Again, this is a capitalistic society. How can we fix our faces to say things are equal when one race controls well over 70% (likely and understatement) of the wealth? So if reform is the route, we need any and all legislation that will spread the balance of power more evenly; even if that only means that the amount of wealth, land, and resources is equivalent to our overall population. That would be a VAST improvement.

STEM is the way of the future. Within our own communities we could emphasize focusing on that. You can take those skills anywhere. It doesn't even have to be here in America. I'm pro-gun. So I'm sure we all have a lot in common there.

We need emphasis on self-empowerment and an establishment of the cultural identity we had to give up because of the power structure. It's a lot we can do on our own, and legislation is only as good as the people enforcing it, but a genuine effort goes a long way.

We must all humble ourselves and kneel, then still get kicked in the teeth.

The media, the talking heads, these times, nothing is good enough.

Brees .. is human. Imperfect like us all.

.. However, the majority in the NFL is different from the majority in real life.

I fought to give them that right but I will never support their movement until that stops.

Brees isn't done. You give too little respect for the integrity of players like Demario Davis and Malcolm Jenkins. Davis has already come out praising Brees' leadership in admitting to making a mistake. I have little doubt Jenkins, and the rest of the team, will do the same. This is an opportunity for ALL involved to learn something new.

At first I was one of those that didn't get the kneeling action during the anthem, but I have since learned that players that kneel have the right to do just that as Americans and I no longer have an issue with it at all. I feel Brees is learning that more and more Americans are feeling the same way. Good people do and say stupid things every day. Good people also forgive those that do and say stupid things, especially if they can learn from their mistakes.

Interesting points. I can't say I agree with "any means necessary", but I do understand the thought behind it. Violence only leads to escalation of violence. I thought MLK was much more effective than Malcolm for that reason, he brought all people together in the face of violence and it made his argument much more clear. Throwing violence into the equation and the message no longer becomes the focus.

For example, everyone was outraged by Floyd's death and the country as a whole saw the abuse taking place. If a MLK figure were around to channel that into massive marches and sit-ins EVERYONE would be aligned. Instead, we see the media constantly talking about the riots, constantly looking for the next thing to be outraged at (Drew). It's diluting the message...

I agree that the wealth gap in this country has grown to a extreme, and it's not acceptable. Unfortunately, the elite in this country do not care about the working or middle class regardless of race. Upward mobility has slowed down since the 90's, and the reason for it? Globalism. In 1998 this country's 'elite' sold the future to China. We lost millions of middle class jobs and the most impacted were minority communities. 30 Years ago you could come out of high school, go to work and land a job to support a family and house...

I wish I knew the answer to the wealth disparity, but the problem is those that really control the wealth are no longer American's, they are Global citizens. If you impose laws on them to take some of that wealth, they'll move their assets to another country.

Who are the top lobbying groups?
Who are the people controlling the media?
What do they have in common (aside from race)?
Why do they hold meetings every year (Bilderberg meetings)?
All questions that Americans should want answers to.

I love your last few paragraphs Rez, think we have a lot in common on those fronts.

I will not attend any games if any Saints players kneel during the National Anthem and I will have tickets for sale. Enough of this BS. Protest at any other time you want. Don't do it during the National Anthem!