American policeman: You want Justice? Black Lives Matter: We want the truth to be told about how white policemen gun down blacks. American policeman: We live in a country that has violent inner city gangs of blacks. These violent young men account for the majority of homicides in America today. At the current rate, cops would have to kill blacks for 40 years to equal the death toll of blacks killing blacks in one single year. BLM: I don’t believe that. American policeman: 2012. FBI statistics. BLM: You’re killing us all over America. I saw it on CNN. American policeman: Your violent neighborhoods must be patrolled by men with guns because black men have guns. Who's gonna do it? Al Sharpton? Jesse Jackson? Barack Obama? The police force that is called into your violent neighborhoods every night have a greater responsibility than you could possibly fathom. You weep for thugs lying dead in the street with weapons in their hands. You raised those thugs. You curse the police. You have that right. You have the luxury of not knowing what I know. That the deaths of those thugs, while tragic, probably saved lives. And the existence of the police force, while grotesque and incomprehensible to you, saves lives in your violent neighborhoods. You relish the role of victims of white policemen because it allows you to divert attention from the truth. Black lives don’t matter to you unless white policemen shoot a thug. BLM: Policemen arrest us for things that they don’t arrest white people for. American policeman: Maybe you should look at the crime wave in cities that followed your insistence that we back off. White crime didn’t spike. Black crime skyrocketed. You don't want the truth because deep down in places you don't talk about parties, you want us in your neighborhoods. You need us in your neighborhoods. We say things like “Hands up,” “Drop that gun” and “Drop that knife.” We say these things to protect the non-violent people in your neighborhoods. You turn these words into anti-police slogans. You rise and sleep under the blanket of our protection, yet you blame us when we are forced to kill one of you, never acknowledging that it is your own violent culture that requires us to come to your neighborhoods every night. Instead of questioning our motives, why don’t you just say “Thank you for risking your life to defend my neighborhood.” If you can’t do this, why don’t you pick up a weapon and stand a post in your own backyard. And then the policeman wakes up. He puts on his uniform and goes back to another thankless holiday shift standing between thugs who want to kill each other. He bites his tongue and doesn’t complain. He checks his rear view mirror for assassins. Thank you, American policeman. Most of America sees who you are and we are grateful for your service.
I agree, RB. The cure is going to have to come from inside the black community, stopping black-on-black murder. That said, first step would be something "white America" can do and that is get rid of many of the obscene drug laws, three-strike laws (if any still exist) and stop giving these gangs a fiscal lifeline. Other than that, Black America, imho, would do themselves a great service by looking in the mirror and righting what they can right first.
You all assume that their aren't many black leaders and programs already focusing on these issues of black on black crime or that there is an either/or situation at hand, as in you can focus only on black on black crime and police brutality, but not both. To me, the floating of the "why don't you worry about black on black crime instead of police brutality" is a complete red herring. Police have an authority and responsibility, including significantly more power, than anyone committing these crimes. As such, they are held to a higher standard and any abuses by them towards a community are a serious, serious problem of institutional oppression that can't be disregarded because their crime numbers may be a little lower than the average persons (Who has no power, no authority). Sorry, but it's just not the same.
It's the first item addressed on the "misconceptions" part of their website: http://blacklivesmatter.com/11-major-misconceptions-about-the-black-lives-matter-movement/ I didn't even know it was the first item on their misconceptions list, I just know a lot of black leaders are criticized by non-blacks for not saying more about black on black crime, when they actually spend the majority of their time and visits among their own community on it. It is just that if you are not in the community, you aren't really the target of that message and thus aren't likely to hear it.
the problem is that nobody freaking cares what black or white political leaders have to say. Politicians aren't ever the solution.
