by Micah J. Fleck
Let’s not waste any time, here – I recently wrote an article defending the Black Lives Matter movement as a truly well-meaning, non-hateful activist group that actually goes out of its way to denounce the violent acts oftentimes done either in their name or spun by the media to be so. But that didn’t seem to be enough, sources and all, to stop the comments from reeking of didn’t-even-read-itis. So I suppose the only thing left to do is actively draw the reader’s attention to the sources themselves by making each of them an item on a list.
So, here we go – seven times BLM, and/or an affiliated voice, stood up innocent white people and cops.
7. Baton Rogue
When a lone gunman opened fire on innocent cops, killing three, in Baton Rogue, during the stir following Alton Sterling’s killing, prominent BLM leader DeRay Mckesson spoke on the phone to the New York Times:
DeRay Mckesson, one of the best known voices for the Black Lives Matter movement, and who was arrested at a demonstration in Baton Rouge, La., earlier this month, called for peace in a phone interview after news of the shooting broke on Sunday.
“I’m waiting for more information like everybody else,” he said. “I have more questions than answers”
“The movement began as a call to end violence. That call remains.”
Mr. Mckesson and several others traveled to Baton Rouge to protest the death of Alton Sterling, who was fatally shot by the police on July 5. The authorities arrested more than 100 people in connection with a protest outside the city’s Police Headquarters, charging most of them with obstructing the road. Eight firearms were confiscated and one officer lost several teeth after he was struck by a projectile, the police said.
“My prayers are with the victims of all violence,” Mr. Mckesson said Sunday.
6. & 5.
Huffington Post and The Nation
The following is an except from my previous article, with the appropriate sources cited:
Lilly Workneh and Kai Wright, spokespeople for black social issues and BLM commentators, shortly after the deadly Dallas shootings of innocent cops wrote pieces in The Huffington Post and The Nation, respectively, both emphasizing the fact that BLM “spreads love, not hate ― and it condemns violence altogether” (Workneh), as well as the reality that “if Dallas changes anything about the movement for black lives, it is only to remind us that in order to truly ensure black lives are valued, we will have to confront the broader culture of violence that has long gripped this nation” (Wright). This last statement is especially important, because it is very inclusive of whites and blacks as American citizens against a common threat of police- and state-enforced violence.
4. Dallas
When Micah Xavier Johnson opened fire at a peaceful BLM protest in Dallas being held on behalf of Philando Castile, killing five innocent police officers, there was much confusion and outrage and an attempt to link Johnson to BLM.
However, the leaders and demonstrators in the movement had already begun to speak out against Johnson’s actions, many of them saying that the Dallas police were actually their friends and protectors at the event – before and after the firefight.
And Shaun King, one of the most vocal members of BLM leadership, said this on his Twitter feed:
“I hate police brutality. I don’t hate police. This violence is wrong on every level. It is as American as apple pie, but wrong nonetheless.”
3. Los Angeles, August 2016
When an unarmed white man named William Bowers was brutally shot and killed by L.A. police, black activists rallied in his name and against police brutality of all people, because it was “the right thing to do.”
“We can’t only be advocates when black people are killed by police unjustly,” one protester was quoted as saying.
2. The “Top 11” List
On Black Lives Matter’s own website, a list was made tackling what the movement sees as the most prominent misconceptions about the movement. The full list can be read here, but two of the points as they pertain to this particular issue were as follows:
8. The movement hates white people. The statement “black lives matter” is not an anti-white proposition. Contained within the statement is an unspoken but implied “too,” as in “black lives matter, too,” which suggests that the statement is one of inclusion rather than exclusion. However, those white people who continue to mischaracterize the affirmation of the value of black life as being anti-white are suggesting that in order for white lives to matter, black lives cannot. That is a foundational premise of white supremacy. It is antithetical to what the Black Lives Matter movement stands for, which is the simple proposition that “black lives also matter.” The Black Lives Matter movement demands that the country affirm the value of black life in practical and pragmatic ways, including addressing an increasing racial wealth gap, fixing public schools that are failing, combating issues of housing inequality and gentrification that continue to push people of color out of communities they have lived in for generations, and dismantling the prison industrial complex. None of this is about hatred for white life. It is about acknowledging that the system already treats white lives as if they have more value, as if they are more worthy of protection, safety, education, and a good quality of life than black lives are. This must change.
9. The movement hates police officers. Police officers are people. Their lives have inherent value. This movement is not an anti-people movement; therefore it is not an anti-police-officer movement. Most police officers are just everyday people who want to do their jobs, make a living for their families, and come home safely at the end of their shift. This does not mean, however, that police are not implicated in a system that criminalizes black people, that demands that they view black people as unsafe and dangerous, that trains them to be more aggressive and less accommodating with black citizens, and that does not stress that we are taxpayers who deserve to be protected and served just like everyone else. Thus the Black Lives Matter movement is not trying to make the world more unsafe for police officers; it hopes to make police officers less of a threat to communities of color. Thus, we reject the idea that asking officers questions about why one is being stopped or arrested, about what one is being charged with, constitutes either disrespect or resistance. We reject the use of military-grade weapons as appropriate policing mechanisms for any American community. We reject the faulty idea that disrespect is a crime, that black people should be nice or civil when they are being hassled or arrested on trumped-up charges. And we question the idea that police officers should be given the benefit of the doubt when it comes to policing black communities. Increasingly, the presence of police makes black people feel less rather than more safe. And that has everything to do with the antagonistic and power-laden ways in which police interact with citizens more generally and black citizens in particular. Therefore, police officers must rebuild trust with the communities they police. Not the other way around.
1. The Official Statement
Once again, the official website, run by the official organizers of the BLM movement, had this to say, officially, on the topic of violence against police who do not deserve it:
The Black Lives Matter Network advocates for dignity, justice, and respect.
In the last few days, this country witnessed the recorded murders of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile at the hands of police, the latest victims in this country’s failed policing system. As we have done for decades, we marched and protested to highlight the urgent need to transform policing in America, to call for justice, transparency and accountability, and to demand that Black Lives Matter.
In Dallas, many gathered to do the same, joining in a day of action with friends, family, and co-workers. Their efforts were cut short when a lone gunman targeted and attacked 11 police officers, killing five. This is a tragedy–both for those who have been impacted by yesterday’s attack and for our democracy. There are some who would use these events to stifle a movement for change and quicken the demise of a vibrant discourse on the human rights of Black Americans. We should reject all of this.
Black activists have raised the call for an end to violence, not an escalation of it. Yesterday’s attack was the result of the actions of a lone gunman. To assign the actions of one person to an entire movement is dangerous and irresponsible. We continue our efforts to bring about a better world for all of us.