Defining Black Lives Matter – Part 3

Is Black Lives Matter a Racist, Anti-Cop Movement?

“Black Lives Matter.”  People of all colors march together chanting it.  Law enforcement officers have marched with protesters who support it. Yet, it’s accused by some, including politicians and former chiefs of police, of being “racist” and “anti-cop.” Why?

In looking for answers to that question, maybe this post should be sub-titled how Black Lives Matter is re-defined by opponents because that seems to be the root of the re-defining.

A piece written by Riley Lewis on The Odyssey Online articulates the misunderstanding that people have about Black Lives Matter, and how it comes about because of those who claim support for Blue Lives Matter.

“The defensive nature that surrounds the use of blue lives matter is troubling. This situation doesn’t have to be a duality; either black lives matter or blue lives matter. The lives of cops are just as valuable as the lives of black people, however black lives are not met with the same level of respect. We aren’t asking for superiority over all other lives when we say Black Lives Matter. We’re asking for equal treatment. With the amount of videos that display unnecessary use of force against African American people, it is almost impossible to claim there isn’t an issue with the treatment of people of color in this nation. “

That peeked my interest, so I researched Blue Lives Matter online.  It turns out that they have a Facebook page and a website.   The Facebook page gives a description for itself which says in pertinent part;

“The name of Blue Lives Matter originated from the incident in Ferguson, Missouri; however, the initiative has been a long fought battle in the history of law enforcement. In today’s evolving society, an increasing number of citizens fail to accept responsibility for their actions and attempt to escape the consequences through outward blame.”

The Blue Lives Matter website states that it is a “media company” and

 “The officers who founded this organization were motivated by the heroic actions of Officer Darren Wilson, and many others, and decided to create this organization in the hopes that it could prevent more officers from being hurt.’

The site doesn’t say how Darren Wilson was hurt.  It is reasonable to think that they are referring to the investigation.  However, people are investigated when they kill another human being, so that’s not out of the ordinary in the criminal justice system.

What is clear is that Blue Lives Matter was formed in reaction to the Black Lives Matter movement.  Black Lives Matter seeks to end police brutality against the Black community.  Blue Lives Matter says that Black Lives Matter gives a false impression of police brutality against people of color.  In reading the website and Facebook comments for Blue Lives Matter, it appears that they pursue their agenda by representing that every Black person killed by law enforcement deserved to be killed.