Four Ann Arbor City Council members took a knee during the Pledge of Allegiance during Monday's city council meeting.
Video from government television shows the members moving to the front of the council's table, turning toward the flag and taking a knee to recite the pledge.
Among those kneeling was Chuck Warpehoski of Ann Arbor's Fifth Ward. He took to his website to explain why.
"Back in high school football, when my coach wanted to make sure we were listening and not goofing off he’d tell us to 'take a knee.'
If someone was badly hurt on a play and we wanted to show respect and a concern while he was attended to we would also “take a knee.”
I can’t speak to what is in each person’s heart, but for me to 'take a knee' is an act of attention, of concern, and of respect. And it is in that spirit that I take a knee at tonight’s City Council meeting: out of respect for the aspiration that we be a nation 'with liberty and justice for all,' with full attention that we fall short of that ideal in many ways, and with humble dedication to continue to work that the promise of the pledge may be fulfilled."
