Rev. Jesse L. Jackson to Hold News Conference Calling on President Trump to End NFL Attacks on Free Speech and First Amendment

Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, Sr., clergy and elected officials will hold a news conference in Detroit today to call on President Trump to end the name-calling and un-American attacks on the First Amendment and peaceful, Constitutionally-protected protests:

“We applaud the NFL players, coaches, owners and fans for standing up Sunday for free speech and justice. Your rights as an American citizen don’t end when you step on a football field. President Trump’s crude name calling is beneath the dignity of the office – way, way below. Attacking a citizen for expressing his or her political opinions in a legal, peaceful, non-violent fashion as Colin Kaepernick did last season is a chilling commentary on the current state of affairs and discourse in Washington. We the people deserve so much better than this. The President should leave the NFL players alone and spend his time and energy doing his job by helping hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico recover.” – Rev. Jesse L. Jackson

Rev. Jackson will also discuss the huge role suppression of the African American vote played in the 2016 presidential election and a new Commission for Voter Justice that he, civil rights attorney Barbara Arnwine and a broad coalition of elected officials, community activists and experts on voting rights recently established in Washington to combat the scourge of suppression.