Americans are coming out in full force these days to display their displeasure for the double standards in our society. The latest deaths of citizens at the hands of law enforcement has the entire country calling for changes in attitudes and procedures. There is a new light being shined on how our cities and towns are policed and the masses are protesting every day all over the country in a relentless push to force change.
Many celebrities and sports stars are leading the way. In his hometown of Norwalk, California, New York Giants fullback Elijah Penny found himself leading a march for justice.
“Somehow I ended up leading it,” Penny told the New York Daily News. “But I feel like for our city, nobody can rep that city more than me and my family.”
Penny and his brother, Rashaad, also an NFL player with the Seattle Seahawks, attended the protest at City Hall. Rashaad, who is rehabbing from a knee injury, did not march so Eli took up the mantle.
“At first everyone was on the curb, and I was like, ‘In what kind of protest does everyone stay on the curb?'” he said. “So I told everybody to get off the curb and get in the street. You’re not gonna get attention if you stay on the curb. I told everybody to get in the streets. You’ve gotta be heard to protest and gain attention.”
Penny said the Giants and his teammates are behind much of what is happening on the streets right now in terms of protests and shifting attitudes.
“The things we talked about as a team to create change are exactly what I’ve been talking about: voting local, going to city council meetings,” he said. “And it’s about getting to kids where all the minorities are, and getting the police and kids together so police understand who these kids are. You can’t label them because of where they come from…You shouldn’t be judging someone because of the color of their skin. We want to get them together so there is less unarmed killing.”
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