Black Lives Matter Movement - Gaining support from an unlikely source
Young white American adults support The Black Lives Matter Movement and because of that, the movement is growing a recent poll showed.
In fact, the poll showed that not only are young white Americans supporting the movement so are young Hispanics who showed that 62% support the movement and young Asian’s who showed that 67% support the movement.
Some of you may scoff at that and think that it simply does not matter, or that it’s a fad and will pass as all fads do..the fact is, it does matter as confusing at may seem.
According to the poll that was conducted by GenForward, 51% of young white adults that are between 18-30 said they strongly or somewhat support The Black Lives Matter Movement.
That said, most young whites also tend to believe that the movement does in fact encourage violence against police while the young black Americans who support the movement disagree with that…
Here’s what it boils down to, many Americans not just the youth feel that police do in fact target black’s more often than not and cover for each other when things were not conducted let’s say, exactly by the book.
While conducting the poll, many that participated did feel rather strongly that the recent police shootings were part of a bigger problem with police in this country, that the shootings are part of a patterned behavior police have towards anyone who isn’t a cop.
Impressionable minds are easily shaped...
What many see on TV with regards to police targeting of young Black American’s is truly just a handful of incidents when compared to the number of police departments and police in this country.
Bias does exist however, yet it does also depend on where you are. Police in communities that are predominantly African American do tend to have some degree of bias because the criminals they typically encounter are from the very communities they police.
Police have also been known to be bias when dealing with poor white Americans as well. If you are dirty and appear to be poor and just hanging out, you are more likely to have a run in with a cop.
The perceived problem with police is exactly that, it is a perceived problem. It does not exist in every state, in every city or community in this country. The truth about every news story you see is that you truly do only get one side of it and it’s usually the side that will sell the most advertising.
It doesn’t make it the full truth of the matter.
In fact, the media has done a rather fine job of making cops look like a militant group of guerrillas waiting to wage war on us, when that really isn’t what police want to look like not to mention the vast majority are not like that at all.
Does something need to be done with police and departments that are running wild? Yes absolutely. When police are caught targeting more blacks than whites in communities that are pretty evenly mixed, then we need to address that and put an end to that.
Still the same, making it sound like all police and all police departments are a problem, that is not exactly honest, let alone the truth.
Part of the reason police are given things like tanks and are outfitted with things that are from the military is because they are our front line when shit goes down in this country like Mass Shootings and Bombings.
Love them or hate them, they are here to protect and serve and to ensure that we abide by the laws of our country.
The police don’t make the laws, they take an oath to enforce them
I am not so sure that I believe that police are entirely the reason movements like Black Lives Matter and their supporters are unhappy.
Overall Angst plays a large role in all of the unhappiness.
In the private industry, businesses have this saying about bad customer reviews, well they actually have more than just the one but, just one bad customer review will reach twice as many potential customers than customers who praise the business.
In today’s world of policing that is exactly what is happening.
Bias, oppression, abuse and discrimination all happen to many individuals regardless of race, everywhere, at shops, restaurants, gas stations, everywhere.
Women encounter oppression and targeted bias, abusive behaviors regardless of race, as do the poor, anyone who is LGBTQ, handicapped, anyone suffering a mental or physical illness, even the way you dress or the color of your hair can make one a target for targeted bias and oppressive, abusive behavior.
You do not have to be black to experience it. Yet this is one of the many reasons people are beginning to get on board with The Black Lives Matter Movement.
The movement means something to people who are tired of being treated with bias because of who they are on all fronts. Black Lives Matter helped shape Campaign Zero and speaks volumes to young impressionable minds, because campaign zero, didn't make it's list of demands an entirely black or white thing.
They made is more of a this makes sense to end type of thing.
It’s called conquering, you win one battle then you move on to the next.
The movement has potential and people are starting to see that and until our Government can find a bridge for the gap, they stand to be on the losing end because it is only a small matter of time before the citizens realize that asking for the DOJ's help ended up costing them millions.
On 8/15/16 - 7 activists joined together in an effort to protest the murder of innocent 19 year old Arshell Dennis, son of a Chicago police officer.
A young African American man who had a promising future, he had everything to live for and did nothing that warranted his murder on this past Sunday in Chicago.
He came home for a few days to surprise his sick mother for her birthday. It’s been reported by local media that at the news of her son’s death, her screams could be heard echoing down the block.
While this made the news all over, what didn’t make the news was the protest, except for local media outlets in Chicago, large networks failed to cover the story endlessly and with as much drama and gusto as they do when they cover a protest that involved a police officer shooting someone, moreover a white police officer who has shot an African American. Which shows just how those networks truly practice in the art of fair and unbiased reporting.
I believe it is very much worth our attention because the 7 activists that gathered are activists who also protest police misconduct and brutality. Guess that's what made it less of a newsworthy story to the more major national media outlets.
According to activist activist Ja'Mal Green "This young man was taken supposedly by our own, and we're going to stand up for Arshell, we want this killer to be brought in so that we can have justice, because Arshell didn't deserve this. Nineteen years old. Nineteen."
Ja'Mal was arrested last month by the way, during a protest about recent police shootings, he was charged with hitting an officer.
Ja’Mal and the other 6 protesters get it, they truly get that all black lives matter, regardless of who pulled the trigger.
The activists met at the corner of where Arshell was murdered on Sunday morning. Arshell was heading back to college at St. Johns University in New York where he was in his junior year studying journalism.
A gunman approached Arshell and his friend as they sat on the front porch of a residence and opened fire, police officials said. The friend, who is 20, was shot in the arm and side.
On Monday, the activists expressed their support for the family of Arshell, and told reporters that they condemn violence against police officers and their families.
Michael Davis, the local block club president and member of the Wrightwood Improvement Association told local reporters "We want to let people know that this is not the new normal. That our community is not taking this lying down."
He went on to say "In the wake of what's going on today in Minneapolis and other cities where we see police shootings and riots, we want people to know that we protest peacefully, for both situations that involve police and that involve criminals. It doesn't matter to us which."
The Black Lives Matter Movement as a whole should be standing in solidarity with these 7 individuals who not only protest what they feel is police bias and brutality against black Americans, but also the murder, shooting and brutality by their own against each other.
The number of shootings in Chicago went up this week from last week by the way, we are sitting at 2,677 shootings for the year. 121 people have been shot in Chicago within the last 8 days.
Stand together against against the 2,677 people who have been shot in Chicago this year most of which were shot by their own or the White Supremacist who on Tuesday night, thought that it would a good idea to stab a black man in Olympia, Washington in some crusade against Black Lives Matter to avenge police…
So although these 7 individuals did not gain national, non-stop media coverage for their efforts.. I paid attention and I applaud these 7 individuals who are leading by example by not only protesting what they consider police bias and brutality but, also protesting the killing of an innocent young African American Man by one of his own.
This past weekend several media outlets reported on the Black Lives Matter protesters getting out of control during protests across the US. I just saw a news clip out of St, Paul telling viewers that an officer has suffered serious spinal injuries because protesters dropped a cinder block on the officer's head?!?!?
Are you kidding me? Not even a week after 5 officers were gunned down and killed in Dallas, TX some folks thought it would be a good idea to drop a cinder block on an officer’s head?
The leaders of this movement need to reign it in before the message gets lost.
To be fair however, the day after the shooting in Dallas, I had the TV on while getting ready for work and sneaking in an 3 AM workout, 4 hours of nonstop news coverage was dedicated to the shooting in Dallas. 4 hours of no other news but the shooting in Dallas, I think even the weather was cut short that morning to continue live coverage about the shooting in Dallas.
The media was camped out at the hospital while hospital workers made a line blocking the media from actually filming the bodies of the officers being removed from the hospital.
The media is so goddamned classless they can’t even give the fellow officers, families, loved one’s or hospital any breathing room, while they try to broadcast live on TV the dead, lifeless bodies of the officers being wheeled out on a gurney and loaded up for the morgue.
Is that what we American viewers want to see broadcast whilst eating breakfast? The bodies of dead police being wheeled out to an awaiting vehicle?
Wouldn’t mainstream media be happier if they were allowed into the morgue to film the autopsy for all of us to see on live TV?
I was horrified to see the news about Dallas, my heart sank. I was also horrified by the coverage by our media industry and I was disgusted by the lack of decency. They reminded me rabid dogs in the wild.
That’s classy!
Two men were shot and killed by police last week, two African American men which is why the Black Lives Matter movement was protesting at the time of the shooting in Dallas.
So getting back to being fair, I did not see 4 hours of solid coverage of either of those two shootings and quite frankly that is part of the problem.
The movement feels unheard so in order to get heard, they become destructive and out of control in some cases. It matters not that the movements leaders ask that protesters remain peaceful, the followers want to be heard and when they feel unheard, they get out of control.
Some members of the movement see that a black man just shot 5 officers as everyone saw on TV nonstop for 24 hours the day after. That member then gets an idea.. If we want to bring attention to our cause, I have to do something risky in order to get it otherwise the media is not going to cover it.
As we have seen with every mass shooting in this country, they get bigger, bolder and dirtier. The reason’s get crazier, the shooters get crazier, and the reason why they did it get’s lost thanks to every live news broadcast on TV.
The media is as equally out of control and out of hand with its thirst for violence. I mean nonstop man, 24/7 the Dallas shooter is in the news, his picture, his name, this headline from Business Insider “The Dallas shooter was 'ostracized' by black power groups before he opened fire on police officers in Dallas.”
“Black” power groups. Again, I’ve said this before too, why do we always feel the need to highlight “black” rather than just “power” group? By using words that lean towards racial division, we instill it into the reader's mind.
The media released details about his military service, an image of a social media account he had was online the day after the shooting as the media was so thirsty for anything they could find out about the guy.
I’ve said this before as well, it is not the media’s job to investigate these types of situations and bring us the details until law enforcement is ready to release it.
I’ve hinted at this in my past pieces about the Ferguson Effect, the media should be held accountable for some of this violence because of the way they report it.
Countless headlines keep popping up about why the guy did it and the media is bringing in experts, blaming the cops, blaming things like radicalization, the Black Lives Matter Movement...let’s be honest and call it like it is.
Maybe the man felt alone, he wanted to be part of something, he felt held down, held back, he wasn’t getting anywhere with his life, finding a job that’ll cover the bills is not easy these days for anyone.
Maybe he was discriminated against not only for being black but because maybe being in the military messed with him mentally a little bit and no one would hire him. Yes employers do that, they just choose not to report that they do. Maybe he had a run in with police and he was angry about that, maybe he had a fine that he was upset about…
Maybe he did try to join some type of group that had a propensity for violence...
The point is, the media should stop trying to suggest reasons why he did it and let law enforcement tell us when they finish with the investigation. The media should stop trying to “help” us understand the shooter, they are hindering the outcome.
A lot of times when someone get’s to a breaking point, they will try to be part of a group that will help provide basic necessities for them, or bring them much needed resources, such as living expenses, food, even if that group is a radical one. When even that doesn’t work, well this is exactly how it turns out.
The goal of law enforcement is always to understand why, to get to that goal investigators go through the person’s life very carefully not in the course of a newscast or two or just a quick look at his social media. Investigations take so long because investigators actually investigate not grasp at any meat on the bone they can get to.
At least investigators make the effort to the understand the person and the why so they can better prevent shootings like this in the future. I am not even sure what in the hell the media is trying to do. All I know is that by the time investigators usually release the details as to why no one is listening any longer because the media painted the picture for us, the way they wanted to.
Someone should reign those guys in...while we are at it.
I have also seen countless headlines that are really divided about whether or not our country is divided by racism or even if we have a problem with racism. Even social media is deeply divided.
Well, we do have a problem with racism, we also have a problem with sexism, we are divided over whether or not to treat those in the LGBT community as equal, women have to fight for the same pay a man gets for doing the same job…
So should BLM just get over it then?
The Black Lives Matter Movement provides a venue for those that are fed up, but because of the movements lack of control over its own protests, the movement provides a venue to those who are willing to behave violently just to get the point across. They are providing the perfect storm for those seeking to cause violence, kill or harm police and in general aren’t at the protest in an effort to make things better or so that they can be part of making sure the world hears the movements cause.
Things like blocking traffic on major roadways, impeding the passage of pedestrians trying to get somewhere safely, bringing guns to protests, dropping cinder blocks on the heads of our police, shooting our police, do not fall under the category of a peaceful protests.
Protesters are better served if they direct the protests to the appropriate parties, not interfering with the public's right or ability to get to and from on major roadways or walkways.
By that I mean, a protest held at that cities capital, state building and the like, instead of interfering with the general public's ability to travel by car or foot. That just makes the public decline to support your cause because you are causing problems.
So is the Black Lives Matter Movement out of control?
I’m not sure it ever was in control, it’s always been riddled with rioting and violent behavior. They seem to think that the general public has to hear their message and the message isn’t even clear.
Saying things like “Stop Shooting Unarmed African American Men” while some of those of those men were shot while committing a crime and failing to do as police instructed, well most people feel the shooting was justified and not racially motivated. That is because BLM has not provided any facts to say that it was.
So the message becomes lost because while BLM and it’s supporters want you to believe most police shootings of African American males are racially motivated, the statistics simply and undeniably never have supported that. To be honest, when you are asked to comply with orders from a police officer and fail to do that, you could potentially escalate the situation to the point where someone gets shot. Black, white, whatever race.
Before anyone starts, we could argue that all day long because anyone can get google gun stats and police shooting stats all day until they find the one they want to use.
I get mine from the FBI because I enjoy things like drinking coffee, if I google searched the stats on officer involved shootings I’d have less time to make (I use a press) and then enjoy a delicious cup or two or more of coffee.
So in short no I do not believe that BLM ever had control, it’s message was never clear. They tried to raise awareness about officers shooting unarmed individuals and went about it by saying race had something to do with it. It didn’t. Cops shoot unarmed individuals of every race.
The leaders of BLM went about this whole idea the wrong way and lost complete control of it, which is exactly why no one listens to it. The point that they tried to get across is that black's are more likely to get arrested, pulled over, serve longer sentences than whites. But clearly from the protests I have seen they centered the efforts around black males who were shot, some of which were shot while breaking the law, not complying with police orders, reaching for a gun or what appeared to be a gun after the situation had escalated.
The point is, the reason people don't respect or believe in BLM is because they have centered around individuals who were caught behaving badly. IF the individuals had not been, well the outcome would have been different.
All save for the media, they love reporting on the violence so that keeps the movement alive at least.
If it were me and thankfully it’s not, I’d scrap the movement or get my ass in gear and save it. Until then the police are now leary and untrusting of these large scale protests, who could blame them if they overreact then and whatever message, well it will get further lost.
Again, I’ve said this before in my Ferguson pieces, cops are less racist than BLM makes them out to be. Racism in this country is being perpetuated by it’s citizens, the media and movements like Black Lives Matter.
While it racism is alive and well, so are other discrimination's against others and they all deserve attention.
I see this all over social media, “All Lives Matter.” Until we decide to understand that we will always be divided.
