Texas senate candidate Beto O’Rourke received national attention after he said it was not disrespectful to kneel during the National Anthem. Local citizens and politicians addressed whether or not they agreed with his comments.
Multiple individuals said they support the reasons for the conversation.
“I do support the fact that NFL players are standing up for what they believe when it comes to police cruelty and race discrimination,” said Caleb Gold, a graduate student at Texas Tech University.
However, they debated if the football field was the appropriate place to express those beliefs.
Miguel Levario, democratic congressional candidate for district 19, said he supported O’Rourke’s comments and believed it is a part of what being American means.
“What the NFL players are doing, what Martin Luther King did, what Cesar Chavez did in the farms, those are all examples of the American spirit and American legacy, trying to expand our rights as human beings,” he said.
In Odessa over the weekend, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz spoke in opposition to O’Rourke’s comments.
“This is Texas. If someone wants to protest, there are all sorts of ways you can protest without being disrespectful to the flag, without refusing to stand for the national anthem,” said Cruz.
Local citizens also shared their differing opinions, some saying like any other profession, politics should be kept out of the workplace.
“When it comes to being a professional, you are there to play football. That’s what you are there for, to perform on the field. Maybe speak out after to the reporters or on your personal time,” said Gold.
Others disagreed, saying Americans have freedom of speech for a reason.
“If I’m a teacher, I’m a janitor, everyone has there own voice. It doesn’t matter what they are doing. I can voice my opinion. Politics are for politicians, but people can still speak on them. That’s what people vote for,” said a student at Texas Tech.
