The singer for the first Sacramento Kings pre-season home game took a knee as she was performing the national anthem on Monday.
CBS Sacramento reported that Bay Area performer Leah Tysse took a knee as she finished the national anthem before Sacramento's game against Maccabi Haifa from Israel. Tysse said that her act was a protest against police treatment toward African Americans.
The notion of protesting during the national anthem began with the NFL's Colin Kaepernick, who began taking a knee during the San Francisco 49ers pre-season games in August and drew national attention. He has received both strong criticism and praise for his acts, with some athletes mimicking his protest during playing of the Star-Spangled Banner.
While some in the crowd cheered Tysee's action, some veterans in the crowd were not pleased. CBS Sacramento spoke with two in attendance, Army veteran Alfred Haney and Air Force veteran Martin Walker.
"I’m not crazy for that at all," Walker said. "It sends a bad message to other people in our country, and it definitely sends a bad message around the world."
"I think the national anthem should be respected as is," Haney said.
Leah Tysee, part of KFBK's 31 Survivors in 31 Days breast cancer series, kneels while singing National Anthem at @SacramentoKings game. pic.twitter.com/Xo0DmAUFIs
— HeatherPeterson KFBK (@heatherp_kfbk) October 11, 2016