Kneeling Protest Planned Ahead Of Vikings-Saints Playoff Game
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – A "take a knee" rally protesting police violence is planned for Sunday at U.S. Bank Stadium ahead of the Vikings playoff game against the New Orleans Saints.
The group Take A Knee Nation Twin Cities says the demonstration will be in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. On Facebook, the group said that if he were alive today, the civil rights leader would be protesting police violence.
The Sunday demonstration is planned for 2:30 p.m. outside the downtown Minneapolis stadium. It's slated to go for about an hour, up until the game starts at 3:40 p.m.
Over the course of the NFL season, there's been other pre-game demonstrations at U.S.Bank Stadium where dozens knelt against police violence, specifically in regards to the deaths of Jamar Clark, Philando Castile and Justine Damond.
The kneeling protest was first popularized by NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who took a knee during the national anthem to highlight concerns over police shootings and racism in the U.S.
Take A Knee Nation Twin Cities says that over the Super Bowl weekend the group plans to host a conference on race and police violence in Minneapolis.