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Former national football league quarterback Colin Kaepernick, whose NFL career basically ended over the scandal caused by his silent kneeling during the anthem to protest police brutality, has turned to another medium to expose injustice.
Kaepernick’s production company Kaepernick Media will release a Hulu docuseries entitled “Killing County” that centers on the police force in Bakersfield, California, and the police killing of Jorge Ramirez in 2013 following a shootout that included several police officers in a hotel parking lot.
The three-part true crime documentary uncovers the alleged corruption and a coverup within a small California town’s police department.
It also documents the Ramirez family’s fight for justice.
Ramirez was shot and killed by Bakersfield police officers in Sept. 2013, outside a Four Points Sheraton hotel, while reportedly working as an off-the-books informant, according to KGET-TV. None of the officers were charged in connection with the shooting, according to ABC 23. However, an investigation uncovered major corruption within the force.
“The series takes a look at Bakersfield, a big city with the soul of a small town deep in California’s heartland, where things are not always what they seem,” according to the synopsis for the series. “A deadly hotel shooting makes the Ramirez family question everything they know about their town. Desperate to find out what really happened to their loved one, they soon learn they are not alone in their tragedy and fight for the truth.”
The synopsis continued: “’Killing County’ is a story of twists and turns, alleged corruption and cover-up. Raising the question: who do you turn to when the ones who are supposed to serve and protect you are the ones you can’t trust?”
The docuseries was produced by ABC News Studios in association with Kaepernick Media. It is directed by Michaela Dowd, narrated by André Holland and executive produced by Kaepernick and Robe Imbriano, The Hollywood Reporter reported.
Kaepernick describes it as “one of the most powerful projects I’ve been involved with,” and seeks to reveal how Ramirez’s death points to a larger culture of corruption and violence within the town and its police force.
All three episodes premiere Friday, Feb. 3 on Hulu.
Kaepernick’s silent protests over police brutality began in 2016 while he was a quarterback with the San Francisco 49ers. Initially, he started to sit down during the playing of “The Star-Spangled Banner,” as opposed to the tradition of standing with one hand over your heart.
During a post-game interview, Kaepernick explained, “I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses Black people and people of color. To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder,” referencing a series of African-American deaths caused by law enforcement.
In the 49ers’ fourth and final preseason game for the 2016 season, Kaepernick kneeled during the U.S. national anthem. He continued to kneel at games until he was released from the team,
On Jan. 1, 2017, Kaepernick played his final NFL game. He was unable to land a contract, with many saying his kneeling protests resulted in him being blackballed by the NFL.
“Killing County” poster/ Colin Kaepernick, co-creator of the Netflix dramatic limited series “Colin in Black and White,” poses at the premiere of the series, Oct. 28, 2021, at The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
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