What is Black Lives Matter
What is Black Lives Matter? Aren’t we all born equal? Don’t we all matter? Living in Oakland, I have heard the news showing protests occurring in Ferguson. The verdict of Brown v Ferguson had just been released, and the news that Officer Darren Wilson would not be charged for the murder of Michael Brown had put the country in distress. To me, I didn’t understand why there were so many protests and riots. I knew that both sides were given the chance to present their case in front of a court of law, I knew that a jury of their peers made the final decision, and I knew that an officer had the right to use his or her firearm when they feel threatened. But still, I heard accusations that the ruling was unfair, that the jury was composed of mainly white jurors, and that Wilson was let off the hook because he was white and had a badge on his chest. These comments seemed to be targeting the white privilege instilled in our justice system, and that people of color, particularly African-Americans, would not stand for it anymore. Although many Black people are fatally shot every day by law enforcement officers ( Particular white), Would Black people have been killed by police officers if they had been white?
The Ferguson case
First of all, the Ferguson case was the first time I had heard about #BlackLivesMatter. Although the movement had started a year before, when another young man, Trayvon Martin, was shot by a police officer. The movement had created a community, containing a group of people who wanted to fight for what is right and just, and to bring attention to the issues African-Americans are troubled with in today’s society. Peaceful protests emerged all over the country, all with the same slogan, “Black Lives Matter.” At first, I did not understand. I did not understand why African-Americans were separating themselves based on their race, when they had worked so hard to diminish the race barrier in the past. When I asked a classmate, “Why shouldn’t it be: all lives matter? I mean police brutality affects all races, so why is the movement just focusing on African-Americans?” Her answer was, “Well, that would take the focus away from the race.” When she said this, it just made me feel like the movement took a step back when it came to race equality, or so I thought. I have been personally debating with myself on whether or not I should accept the movement as it is, or if it should be inclusive of other races as well, and adapt the new name “All Lives Matter.” At first, I thought that All Lives Matter would help unite a large group of people, all fighting for the same thing, working together towards the same end result. But after careful research, I have now learned how Black Lives Matter is, in fact, fighting for everyone.
In addition, According to the New York times article by Sendhil Mullainathan, a professor at Economics at Harvard University shows that 31.8 percent of people shot by police officers in the United states are black. The shooting of tamir rice, a 12 year old black kid who was carrying a toy gun was shot by police officers. The shooting of police is based on racial discrimination.
Injustices Black Lives Matter is fighting against
These are only a handful of injustices Black Lives Matter is fighting against. African-Americans live everyday of their lives knowing that they don’t have the same privileges or rights a white citizen has access to. It is upsetting to see how many people believe that there are no traces of racism left in our country, and to see how far from racial equality we actually are. It is not right to know that African-American men are feared and killed by police without proper justice carried out, that African-American women and children are assaulted, and that the elderly are considered to be subjects in an experiment. The oppression it causes and the lack of human rights that are received from these injustices go unacknowledged by the majority of the country. Which is unfortunate, because the injustices against African-Americans are affecting everyone, regardless of race.
Police brutality towards African Americans.
One of the issues Black Lives Matter addresses is police brutality towards African Americans. Police officers are here to protect us and our communities, to keep us safe. But, when recurring reports are released concerning a white police officer killing an African American man, the issue starts to gain attention. When officers can no longer be trusted to protect you, the community you live in doesn’t feel as safe as it once was. Accused of being racists, you wonder if you can trust officers to make the right decisions, or, if you are a person of color, if you can trust them to protect you. Author and social justice advocate, Susan Smith, makes the argument that the officers aren’t racist, but that they were raised to be afraid, “Police recruits are, for the most part, very young, some just out of high school. Many come from rural areas or suburbs where they have had little to no interaction with black people. They really are scared of black people because all they know is what they have heard from their families, their churches, the media, and television.” There seems to be a circle of fear here, the white officers are afraid of the black citizens and the black citizens are afraid of the white officers. Now, maybe society has started to raise their children in fear of others, but that doesn’t justify shooting a person with an excessive amount of bullets. Michael Brown had twelve rounds shot at him, and there at least seven that hit him (“Ferguson Unrest”). Several reports similar to Brown’s have arisen, where police officers have killed a person and used too many bullets in the process. The excessive use of deadly force is inexcusable, there is no need nor justification for anyone to shoot at someone twelve times. The attention brought to these issues by Black Lives Matter has awoken a nation that has remained dormant for too long.
Protests
Since the creation of Black Lives Matter, thousands of protests have arisen across the country. The majority of these protests are peaceful, and are trying to spread the message of change, but on the off chance violence breaks out, the movement is put into a negative context. While analyzing photos of protests, the police are decked out in protective gear and are armed with heavy duty weapons. Watching at home, this sends the wrong idea of what Black Lives Matter is all about, especially when it comes to police brutality. In the past, there have been protesters who have shot at police officers, trying to take out their frustration on the type of person by targeting the individual, but these violent protestors are not part of Black Lives Matter. One of the demands of the Black Lives matter movement is to change the legal which shows that many police officers are never prosecuted for their misconduct. The movement only supports peaceful protest, those who do choose to be violent are no longer welcome to participate. Dr. Marc Lamont Hill, a political commentator for CNN, said during an interview, “The argument of Black Lives Matter is: Police officers should be held to standards of accountability just like everybody else” (“Sheriff Clarke on ‘Black Lives Matter’”). The protestors that claim police officers are to blame, and that they need to pay for what they have done, are not supporting the movement, they are just using the slogan. Those who stick to the guidelines of peaceful protest, are the true supporters of Black Lives matter, because fighting violence with violence will get the movement nowhere.
Look at the community you live in, This is when I came to the conclusion that Black Lives Matter isn’t just fighting for black people, they are fighting for changes for people of all races. The world Black Lives Matter is fighting for, is one where police officers will be held accountable for their actions, trust between police officers and their communities can be reached, and African-Americans are able to obtain their full rights as citizens. This is a world where everyone can benefit. This is a world where everyone can feel safe. This is a world I want to live in.
Works Cited
‘Ferguson Unrest: From Shooting to Nationwide Protests.’ BBC News. N.p., 10 Aug. 2015. Web. 27 Apr. 2016. .
Garza, Alicia. ‘HerstoryBlack Lives Matter.’ Black Lives Matter RSS2. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 May 2016. .
Jones, Tim, et al. ‘Shootings Return Black Lives Matter to the Streets: QuickTake.’ Bloomberg QuickTake: Hard-to-explain topics, explained simply, edited by Bloomberg, 1st edition, 2018. Credo Reference, http://0-search.credoreference.com.webpac.peralta.edu/content/entry/bloombergqt/shootings_return_black_lives_matter_to_the_streets_quicktake/0?institutionId=4850. Accessed 19 May 2018.
Mullainathan, Sendhil. ‘Police Killings of Blacks: Here Is What the Data Say.’ The New York Times. The New York Times, 16 Oct. 2015. Web. 12 May 2018.
‘Sheriff Clarke on ‘Black Lives Matter’: ‘It’s a Vile Vulgar Slimy Movement” YouTube. YouTube, 31 Aug. 2015. Web. 09 May 2016. .
Smith, Rev. Dr. Susan K. ‘Are Police Officers Really Afraid?’ The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 2 Dec. 2015. Web. 25 Apr. 2016. .
