Soldiers kneel to mourn fallen comrades, yes. Kaepernick does it to make a political statement. Clearly, many of us believe that there are be better times to make political statements than during the national anthem.
Not to mention that when the whole controversy began, Kaepernick said this...
I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color.
So initially, it was very clearly an attempt to show anger towards the flag and the anthem; respect was not a concern at all. A polishing of the gesture came a bit later. Regardless, making a political statement during the national anthem is more divisive than saying:
Preston's reverence for those who have served our Nation reminds us why we salute our flag, why we put our hands on our hearts for the pledge of allegiance, and why we proudly stand for the national anthem.
One can muster up offense at that if one wishes to. I'll carry on thinking that it was a well thought out and well executed bit of eloquence, or, in shorthand, a zinger.
To address the issue further, first, let me emphasize that I absolutely think there are problems with police brutality, and the worst police brutality often seems to target racial minorities. With that said, even as a minority, I can't bring myself to support BLM, at least not without a great deal of nuancing. The death of Trayvon Martin was one thing, the death of Tamir Rice was another. The death of Walter Scott was shocking and the death of Philandro Castile and the reaction to it were disgusting, and probably the biggest reasons why I won't join the NRA, even though it did result in a fair trial. It's a complicated issue and while I don't particularly mind the anthem protests, I can see the other side and I won't blame anyone for disagreeing with me.