Stay Connected
Atlanta Black Star/Politics/National
NationalNews

Police Chief Apologizes But ‘No Policy In Place’ to Discipline Officer Over Colin Kaepernick Costume

Posted byBy Kiersten Willis | Published on: CommentsComments (0)
Kaepernick costume

Colin Kaepernick has been a free agent since March.
(Scott Cunningham/Getty Images)

Backlash over a campus cop’s Colin Kaepernick costume has led his chief to issue an apology. The University of Nevada, Reno Police Chief Adam Garcia issued the statement after social media erupted over Antonio Gutierrez’s portrayal of the free agent quarterback.

Gutierrez spurred a firestorm when he posed with a costumed woman in an Afro wig, homemade San Francisco 49ers jersey, hooked nose and a cardboard sign that read, “Will stand for food.”

Kaepernick began sitting and then kneeling during the national anthem during the 2016 NFL season to protest police brutality.

“For those who have seen the Halloween costume of one of our officers apparently mocking a citizen who has chosen to take advantage of his constitutional right to protest, I offer my sincere apologies,” Garcia said in a Sunday, Oct. 29 statement obtained by News4-Fox 11 “Members of our profession are held to a higher standard and denigrating — on or off duty — is insensitive for its lack of respect and lack of understanding on how others may negatively view their actions and may be impacted.”

Colin Kaepernick’s Protest Aftermath

CBS Sports Reporter Backtracks on Colin Kaepernick Anthem Report

Colin Kaepernick Files Grievance Against NFL, Alleging Collusion

Master P Has a Better Solution for Colin Kaepernick NFL Woes

The chief, who also addressed the feeling of unease on campus in the wake of a police officer’s comment to a Black graduate student in September that he’s “just going to shoot him if this goes sideways,” did not confirm or deny the cop in question was Gutierrez.

However, UNR spokeswoman Kerri Garcia told the Reno Gazette Journal there is “no policy that would dictate any disciplinary action” despite how “insensitive and inappropriate” the situation is.

Gutierrez’s costume came after a Friday, Oct. 27 student and community rally in support of Kaepernick.

Independent journalism doesn't fund itself.

We hope this story was worth your time. For over 14 years, Atlanta Black Star has stayed Black-owned and independently run. We didn't get here by waiting on ad budgets that were never built to prioritize us. Our readers did that.

Corporate support for Black media has always been thin. Outlets like ours get roughly 1% of the $170 billion spent on U.S. advertising each year, and that margin is shrinking further as advertisers walk back the DEI-linked commitments they made in 2020. That's the backdrop. It's not why we're asking.

We know a request for support isn't why you came here. But without readers choosing to fund this work directly, the depth of reporting we can do at home and abroad shrinks along with everyone else's. If you're not in a position to give, that doesn't change how much we value you as a reader.

If you are able to, a recurring contribution does more for us than a single one-time gift, because it lets us plan the next investigation instead of just the next invoice. It takes about 30 seconds, no long form, no account. Thank you for continuing to support independent journalism and freedom of the press.

Give once Give monthly Support another way

Related Stories

Back to top