Are Black Lives Matter
protesters guilty of
selective outrage?
© 2016
Pick any urban city in America. If you watch that city’s local news, you can easily tell the number one problem facing black America. It’s Blacks killing Blacks. A close second is Blacks attempting to kill Blacks. This is happening in record numbers across the country. It’s as if we have our own civil war going on. But we aren’t killing each other in the name of a cause or a country. The only thing that comes close to what we’re doing to each other is what’s going on between Islam’s Sunnis and Shiites.
Yet, despite our urban reality, black America has been incredibly and amazingly indifferent about black-on-black violence. When a black person is killed by a white cop, there is no indifference about that. Suddenly the black community becomes animated, outraged, energized, and ready to protest. When white cops kills Blacks, protests are almost automatic now. Granted, in many situations, the protests are warranted. But the protests, along with the slogans and chants of “Black Lives Matter” are more than just a little bit disingenuous. The protests are disingenuous because all black lives should matter, but the only time we act like black lives matter is when a black person is killed by a white cop. Mama and papa always said, it’s not what you say that matters, it’s what you do.
To date, there have been about 10 major white cop killings of black males. Each one triggered massive, national protests. By contrast, 3,000 to 4,000 Blacks are killed every year by other Blacks. If black lives really do matter, why don’t we see protests over these stunning numbers? When thousands of Blacks are killed each year by Blacks compared to the 10 major white cop killings that captured the public’s attention, ask your rational mind, “Which is the more serious problem?” Do the math.
Lest we be misunderstood, protests against rogue cops are often justified. Certainly, when Blacks are killed under questionable circumstances by police officers, our community should respond and those police officers have to be held accountable. However, a bad trend is developing in the black nation, and we should be mindful.
Ask yourself, do we really want to turn people with long, shady criminal histories into martyrs or freedom fighters? What kind of example will this set? Meanwhile, while we’re making martyrs out of criminals, innocent Blacks, who are being carjacked and murdered by black crooks are too often forgotten.
When you think about it, black lives matter protesters have been “cherry picking” which black lives matter. They’ve focused exclusively on white cops who killed Blacks. Some of these protesters have even traveled to other cities to protest white cop shootings. But these same protesters will not protest in their own neighborhoods where there are rampant shootings, home invasions and carjackings.When was the last time you saw us protesting a brutal carjacking victim’s death chanting, “Black Lives Matter?” You never see it, and it reminds you of the old Marvin Gaye song, “Ain’t That Peculiar.”
Video of LaQuan McDonald’s killing in Chicago triggered black lives matter protests for weeks. At the same time, Chicago was recording nearly 30 homicides every weekend. One of those homicides really stood out. It involved a 9-year-old boy who was intentionally singled out and executed by a gang member. No one protested his execution. There were no marches, and no protesters were chanting, “No justice, no peace.” The family members were the only ones who seemed to care, just like all the other black-on-black killings in the city.
In Dearborn, MI, a suburb of Detroit, a black person was shot and killed after being chased by a white police officer. In response, the now inevitable black lives matter protests sprung up. In the weeks before, at least three innocent Detroiters were carjacked and killed. In addition, a young girl was killed in a crossfire, a man’s home was burglarized, he was killed, and his body was burned. And yet, there wasn’t a whit of outrage by the protesters claiming black lives matter.
With the lofty name, “Black Lives Matter,” it’s only fair that these protesters will be called out. How can they claim black lives matter when they fail to address the number one cause of black lives being taken—black-on-black homicides?
African Americans are not stupid. Many are beginning to recognize the hypocrisy of the Black Lives Matter movement, and they are pushing back. Take Seattle Seahawks Cornerback Richard Sherman. He said:
“As a black man, I do understand that black lives matter," Sherman said. "I stand for that, I believe in that wholeheartedly. But I believe that there is a way to go about things and there’s a way to do things.
“I dealt with a best friend getting killed, and it was by two 35-year-old black men. Wasn’t no police officer involved, wasn’t anybody else involved, and I didn’t hear anybody shouting, 'Black lives matter. If black lives matter, then they should matter all of the time.”
The black lives matter protesters may be somewhat misguided and without “adult” leadership, but they could still be an asset in efforts to make our neighborhoods less violent. Black America could benefit from their outrage, energy and protests. We, and they, can still protest against rogue cops. However, we need to remember that Blacks killing Blacks has to be our number one priority.
This strategic approach would give Black Lives Matter more credibility. It would strengthen our efforts to reduce black-on-black violence, and it would even attract allies to our cause.
protesters guilty of
selective outrage?
© 2016
Pick any urban city in America. If you watch that city’s local news, you can easily tell the number one problem facing black America. It’s Blacks killing Blacks. A close second is Blacks attempting to kill Blacks. This is happening in record numbers across the country. It’s as if we have our own civil war going on. But we aren’t killing each other in the name of a cause or a country. The only thing that comes close to what we’re doing to each other is what’s going on between Islam’s Sunnis and Shiites.
Yet, despite our urban reality, black America has been incredibly and amazingly indifferent about black-on-black violence. When a black person is killed by a white cop, there is no indifference about that. Suddenly the black community becomes animated, outraged, energized, and ready to protest. When white cops kills Blacks, protests are almost automatic now. Granted, in many situations, the protests are warranted. But the protests, along with the slogans and chants of “Black Lives Matter” are more than just a little bit disingenuous. The protests are disingenuous because all black lives should matter, but the only time we act like black lives matter is when a black person is killed by a white cop. Mama and papa always said, it’s not what you say that matters, it’s what you do.
To date, there have been about 10 major white cop killings of black males. Each one triggered massive, national protests. By contrast, 3,000 to 4,000 Blacks are killed every year by other Blacks. If black lives really do matter, why don’t we see protests over these stunning numbers? When thousands of Blacks are killed each year by Blacks compared to the 10 major white cop killings that captured the public’s attention, ask your rational mind, “Which is the more serious problem?” Do the math.
Lest we be misunderstood, protests against rogue cops are often justified. Certainly, when Blacks are killed under questionable circumstances by police officers, our community should respond and those police officers have to be held accountable. However, a bad trend is developing in the black nation, and we should be mindful.
Ask yourself, do we really want to turn people with long, shady criminal histories into martyrs or freedom fighters? What kind of example will this set? Meanwhile, while we’re making martyrs out of criminals, innocent Blacks, who are being carjacked and murdered by black crooks are too often forgotten.
When you think about it, black lives matter protesters have been “cherry picking” which black lives matter. They’ve focused exclusively on white cops who killed Blacks. Some of these protesters have even traveled to other cities to protest white cop shootings. But these same protesters will not protest in their own neighborhoods where there are rampant shootings, home invasions and carjackings.When was the last time you saw us protesting a brutal carjacking victim’s death chanting, “Black Lives Matter?” You never see it, and it reminds you of the old Marvin Gaye song, “Ain’t That Peculiar.”
Video of LaQuan McDonald’s killing in Chicago triggered black lives matter protests for weeks. At the same time, Chicago was recording nearly 30 homicides every weekend. One of those homicides really stood out. It involved a 9-year-old boy who was intentionally singled out and executed by a gang member. No one protested his execution. There were no marches, and no protesters were chanting, “No justice, no peace.” The family members were the only ones who seemed to care, just like all the other black-on-black killings in the city.
In Dearborn, MI, a suburb of Detroit, a black person was shot and killed after being chased by a white police officer. In response, the now inevitable black lives matter protests sprung up. In the weeks before, at least three innocent Detroiters were carjacked and killed. In addition, a young girl was killed in a crossfire, a man’s home was burglarized, he was killed, and his body was burned. And yet, there wasn’t a whit of outrage by the protesters claiming black lives matter.
With the lofty name, “Black Lives Matter,” it’s only fair that these protesters will be called out. How can they claim black lives matter when they fail to address the number one cause of black lives being taken—black-on-black homicides?
African Americans are not stupid. Many are beginning to recognize the hypocrisy of the Black Lives Matter movement, and they are pushing back. Take Seattle Seahawks Cornerback Richard Sherman. He said:
“As a black man, I do understand that black lives matter," Sherman said. "I stand for that, I believe in that wholeheartedly. But I believe that there is a way to go about things and there’s a way to do things.
“I dealt with a best friend getting killed, and it was by two 35-year-old black men. Wasn’t no police officer involved, wasn’t anybody else involved, and I didn’t hear anybody shouting, 'Black lives matter. If black lives matter, then they should matter all of the time.”
The black lives matter protesters may be somewhat misguided and without “adult” leadership, but they could still be an asset in efforts to make our neighborhoods less violent. Black America could benefit from their outrage, energy and protests. We, and they, can still protest against rogue cops. However, we need to remember that Blacks killing Blacks has to be our number one priority.
This strategic approach would give Black Lives Matter more credibility. It would strengthen our efforts to reduce black-on-black violence, and it would even attract allies to our cause.