Colin Kaepernick is once again shaking the table in the name of social justice with a new documentary shining a spotlight on the corruption throughout a California police department.
The three-part docu-series, titled “Killing County,” concentrates on the Bakersfield Police Department and its history of violence against Black and brown people. One well-known case that the NFL-pro turned activist focuses heavily on is the case of Jorge Ramirez Jr. The unarmed man was murdered by Bakersfield police officers in September 2013 outside a Four Points Sheraton hotel while working as an undercover informant. Ramirez was helping the officers catch a dangerous suspect in exchange for leniency in his own criminal cases. While the department initially denied making Ramirez an informant, it was discovered that they did so off the record and without proper protection and documentation. No officers were ever charged with his murder, despite it being determined that they jeopardized his life and ultimately killed him. The department would eventually settle with the family for $400,000.
Kaepernick worked closely with the Ramirez family to produce the series as they continue their quest for justice. In addition to the Ramirez case, the series investigates the deep-rooted distrust between the Bakersfield Police and the community that has been brewing for years. Produced by ABC News Studios and Hulu, the doc also discusses the internal breakdown within the force from a former officer who admitted to selling drugs confiscated during arrests.
In a trailer for the explosive Hulu original, Kaepernick calls it “one of the most powerful projects” that he’s ever worked on.
All three episodes will debut on Friday, February 3rd, exclusively on Hulu.
