By Jim Holland
… in 1963 Dr. Martin Luther King, Junior repeated words of the Declaration of Independence, hailing them as a promissory note of American freedom and equality. The reason and cause of the occasion at the Lincoln Memorial that day was a thing, a way of thinking. It was anti-Black racism.
What does a good person when we see something around us that is wrong? Some took to the street to in protest.
During the summer of 2020 thousands marched in protest of the killing of George Floyd in police custody, but their target was broader—the same target as Dr. King—a thing, a way of thinking. It was anti-Black racism.
The protestors have marched and used a variety of slogans to rally support to and to describe anti-Black racism. Black Lives Matter and BLM, systemic racism, Defund the Police are prominent.
Those annoyed with the marchers and the slogans have had their say about these happenings and slogans. Criticism without acknowledging or addressing the complaint, anti-Black racism. They don’t say anti-Black racism was not a thing. In their say they do take on an obtuse understanding of the protests and slogans. One that ignores the contextual circumstance.
Defund the Police. This slogan met with a claim that it called for a doing away with law enforcement and crime prevention because nothing is said about a successor agency. A similar mode of understanding (misunderstanding) would condemn the Declaration of Independence for demanding the doing away with the functions of government.
Black Lives Matter. This slogan met with the counter All Lives Matter. Pretending the slogan disrespects the human life others. Ignoring that the street protests were occurring in the wake of the murder of a Black man by police.
They say the disruption and damage brought on by the marches and protests was awful. conservative media outlets have charged that, after George Floyd’s murder last summer, BLM-inspired protests were “tearing apart our cities” and argued that it is “not a civil rights movement.” In short, what you are doing is making things worse. Therefore the legitimate goal of reforming the police system in America can been neglected in favor of other concerns.Jim Holland