Protesters, Led by Pastors, Take a Knee Outside Panthers Game

CHARLOTTE, NC – Dozens of people, led by pastors, took a knee Thursday night outside Bank of America Stadium before the Panthers took on the Eagles.

Organizers say they wanted to kneel “in proxy” for NFL players. They insist they are not protesting the flag but instead racial disparity.

They say they want to shed light on police brutality and what they call a lack of accountability in officer-involved shootings.

“The truth of the matter is they’re not divisive they’re confrontational. And you cannot change what you don’t confront,” says Pastor Kevin Long with Temple Church International.

Pastors point to local cases of officer-involved shootings, like Jonathan Farrell and Ruben Galindo as reasons to protest.

Inside no players took a knee during the anthem. At least one Philadelphia Eagle held a fist.

The protest outside the stadium also caught the attention of Travis Curtis who says he would never take a knee during the anthem.

“I will voice my opinion because I’m in America. And I’m gonna stand and put my hand on my heart because all these people died for that flag,” Curtis says.