Since its inception following the not guilty verdict of George Zimmerman in the killing of Trayvon Martin, I've been a firm supporter of the Black Lives Matter movement. Yes, "all lives matter," but it seems that black lives often get tossed to the side like they're of little or no value, to the point where many decided to stand up and say, "Black lives matter (too)!" However, like with all movements, as well as the police force, Black Lives Matter is far from perfect.
I, for one, just from a nationwide perception standpoint, didn't think taking the mic away from Bernie Sanders at a rally was the wisest of moves. Did it create a buzz? Yes. Did it inspire some people to join the cause? Yes again. However, did it sway people who were on the fence about the movement? Unlikely.
Then this past weekend, during a march at the gates of the Minnesota State Fair, for approximately thirty seconds, some Black Lives Matter members were heard chanting, "Pigs in a blanket, fry 'em like bacon." Yes, this was just thirty seconds from a multiple-hour march, and no, the Black Lives Matter marchers shouldn't all be judged based on these few individuals. However, guess which story grabbed the headlines? The majority of peaceful marchers or the few who unloaded the violent anti-police chant? Yes, sadly, it was the latter.
The BLM movement needs to be smarter about these things. Fox News is already jumping the guns to call Black Lives Matter a hate group, falsely claiming that there was a link between the movement and the recent tragic killing of Texas deputy sheriff Darren H. Goforth. Between Fox News and other conservative media outlets, they're waiting for any kind of minor BLM screw-up to tell viewers, "You see? This is what the group is all about!," falsely painting the entire movement on perhaps a few bad eggs (yes, every movement has them, Fox News more than most).
Black Lives Matter needs to strip Fox News' false narrative away from them and truly show the world what it's all about. Some leaders of the movement need to step up and hold fellow members accountable for crossing the line, just as we would police officers, and loudly declare that BLM isn't about violence against the police or violence against anybody; it's about bringing attention to the racial injustices suffered by African-Americans throughout this country's history, and bringing about change so we can finally end the seemingly never-ending cycle of racism and oppression at their expense; for as United States citizens, we're all brothers and sisters, regardless of the color of our skin, and should fight for one another as such.
http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2015/08/30/black-lives-matter-chant-called-disgusting-by-police-leader/
http://mediamatters.org/blog/2015/09/01/vox-exposes-fox-news-groundless-attempt-to-conn/205309
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