What do you think about BLM movement right now in the USA

Emma Main

TuesdayNov 24 at 1:26pm

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First off, I would like to say that we had a Black Lives Matter protest here in downtown Spokane a few months back. I actually got to be a part of this which was definitely a new experience for me. The Black Lives Matter movement is not a recent movement. It had started in 2013, after a young Black man, by the name of Trayvon Martin, was unarmed and killed. Many incidents like this spark the movement. In 2020, George Floyd was unarmed and had been killed by a police officer. My understanding of this movement is that it is dedicated to fighting against racism and police brutality against Black people. Saying "All Lives Matter" in counter to this movement communicates that Black lives do not matter, it goes against the whole point of the movement. Some say all lives matter to provoke conflict, while others say it harmlessly because they truly believe that all people are equal in this environment, but they aren't and many fail to see that. Many act like race and color is not a thing, which will not make everyone equal. By saying black lives matter, people are not saying they matter more, just that they matter as well and we need to recognize that. Saying all lives matter only really accounts for white lives, because all lives cannot matter until black ones do too

Safiya Nazerali

Safiya Nazerali (She/Her)

Nov 18, 2020Nov 18 at 12:01pm

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In the constitution, it says every man is created equally. Now, I do not think the people who owned slaves and wrote everyone is created equally had a good understanding. 

Around 300 people marched peacefully through, a low-income neighborhood in the South Bronx of New York City, on the evening of June 4, 2020, to protest police brutality and systemic racism. Less than an hour before the march, and ten minutes or so before 8 p.m. The curfew went into effect, with riot gear, including helmets, shields, and batons, the marchers encountered scores of police officers.  At the beginning of the Pandemic, right-wingers were protesting the virus and wearing a mask in public. They had Confederate flags, Trump Flags, and Assult Weapons yet there were not police officers. I think White Privilege has a huge factor in this. Amhud Abrey was a young African American Man going jogging in his neighborhood, but he was shot by white supremacists. Meanwhile many white Americans can feel safe jogging in their own neighborhood. This is why Black Lives Matter is emphasized. People of color have never had it easy especially black people. Tamir Rice, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd were innocent black people whose lives were taken by law enforcement. Black Lives Matter is emphasizing the issue of police brutality in the African American community. 

I understand why people could be concerned with rioting. However, the rioting was only a factor because the protestors were fighting fire with fire. If the police were being strict with a curfew and not respecting the peaceful protest so the only way to come back from this was rioting. Even though I personally do not agree with the looting and such I think something needed to happen to show how powerful people can be when they are angry.  

I do not think people understand when they say "All lives matter". I believe everyone is created equally but that is not the point. The point is to express that black people are being killed in this country for no reason really. The point of the BLM movement is to make it known that the black community is important