What happened to those men is awful as well. I am confused as to why people bring up specific instances of police brutality against white people, like that makes up for any police brutality against POC. It’s all trash and just further supports the need for police reform. Just read about Tony Timpa now and it makes my blood boil.
It doesn’t change that a black person is 3x more likely to be killed by police. It doesn’t change that black people are 1.3x more likely to be unarmed than white people. It doesn’t change that one in every one thousand black men will be killed by police. It doesn’t change that qualified immunity prevents those officers who have done wrong from being held accountable. It doesn’t change that the protests against police brutality have been met with an increase in police brutality.
So please tell me, what are you really trying to say?
Is it hard to understand that all lives can’t matter until black lives do? If you can sit here and say white lives matter, but can’t say black lives matter then why is that? Is black not part of all?
If you cut your pinky, do you put bandaids on all 10 fingers? If someone’s parent dies do you meet their pain by telling them everyone’s parents die?
Just because one community is hurting and needs your support at this time doesn’t make anyone else less valuable.
I’ll tell you what creates division, a sitting president refusing to follow CDC guidelines and turning a mask into a political statement during a pandemic. A sitting president tweeting that a man who was bleeding from the ears after police shoved him was a paid actor. A sitting president tweeting to the commissioner of a sports league to cause drama and unrest.
But please, tell me how the media bringing attention to the killing of a black man who use suffocated to death for nearly 9 minutes is intended to create division. That police officer had 500 seconds, many of which while his victim was telling him he couldn’t breathe, to change his course of action and just arrest the man instead of murdering him. He didn’t. And that’s a problem. Maybe ask yourself why the police officer felt compelled and righteous to do so, and ask yourself while the other 3 keepers of peace around him protected him during the murder, instead of asking why it’s on the news.
The Michigan protests were not about haircuts, it was about opening businesses back up so that people can earn a living. It was peaceful.
It still doesn’t compare, even if this were entirely accurate. Given that there was an end in sight I don’t fully buy that the protests were only about opening business back up and had more to do with who the Governor is and Trump’s ability to manipulate his base for political show.
It’s easier to have a peaceful protest when police aren’t antagonizing and instigating. Just imagine if BLM protests started with POC legally brandishing their weapons.