Petition scolds California principal who called Kaepernick a ‘thug’ over Nike ad
More than 500 people have signed a petition chastising an Orange County, California principal who called former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick a thug in a Facebook post Tuesday.
Roni Burns-Ellis, principal of McGaugh Elementary in Seal Beach, took to Facebook in response to apparel giant Nike’s decision to make the former 49ers quarterback and lightning rod civil rights activist the face of its latest “Just Do It” advertising campaign, according to the petition.
“My newest rag! When Nike signs an anti-American thug to represent their brand, I will not support, wear, purchase, or endorse their product. Bye-bye Nike,” Burns-Ellis allegedly wrote in a now-deleted post.
A screenshot of that post now appears on the petition demanding that she and other Los Alamitos Unified School District administrators “please lead by example.”
The petition pointed out that the word “thug” came from the name that the British in India gave “in the 19th century to a member of a band of thieves and murderers.”
As of late Thursday morning, 512 people signed a petition that asked school district employees to “act civilly, treat each other with respect, and not engage in name-calling.”
Both KTLA and the Orange County Register attempted to reach Burns-Ellis for comment, with a KTLA anchor confronting the principal as she was coming to work Thursday morning.
School District Superintendent Sherry Kropp told the OC Register that “One person’s personal opinion on a personal Facebook page does not represent the values of our district.”
Kropp called Burns-Ellis “a spectacular principal,” according to the OC Register.
Some parents disagreed.
Michelle Emterio, a local parent, told KTLA that she signed the petition because she felt the post was inappropriate.
“To me, it’s basically a racist opinion and to post that publicly was very disappointing,” she said.
Another resident, Steve Miller, told the OC Register that, “Thug is a racist comment. And to call someone un-American for peacefully protesting? Protesting is about as American as it gets.”
Other parents rushed to defend Burns-Ellis.
One, Aimee Barber, told the OC Register that “Nike is the one that’s in the wrong.”
This story was originally published September 6, 2018 at 12:10 PM with the headline "Petition scolds California principal who called Kaepernick a ‘thug’ over Nike ad."