Black Lives Matter is a perfect example. People don't get it immediately. It often needs explaining. This is what I hear a lot, "All Lives Matter." Of course, they do. When someone says this, they are obviously missing the point. Some white people think that we are saying their lives don't matter. I assume it is one of these people stealing my BLM sign off of my lawn. The message is supposed to say that we acknowledge that there is a problem with racism, particularly in policing, in this country. We stand by our black friends and the oppression needs to stop. This is just too long for a sign. How about Black Lives ALSO Matter. The "also" makes it more clear, it does seem to fall flat. Maybe there would be less resistance to it if it was more inclusive. A lot of white people suffer from oppression from police. Pulling them into your plight may be more helpful.
Another slogan that needs explaining is Defund the Police. Of course, we don't want to completely cut the budget of the police. I can't imagine what sort of mess our cities would be under those conditions. Currently, the police do too much. They direct traffic, mediate domestic abuse, investigate murder, chase bank robbers, respond to noise complaints .. the list is too long. No one has all the skills needed for this job. By defund the police, we mean to divvy up some of these responsibilities elsewhere and adjust the budget accordingly. Perhaps social workers could be dispatched to domestic violence situations instead of the cops. Seattle has volunteers policing the "protest zone" which seems to be working. The other problem is that cities are using their police as a revenue stream. Seven percent of Chicago's revenue comes from tickets ... not the police department's revenue .. the city's revenue. Yeow! This is such bullshit. It is usually the poor they go after, because the wealthy have the resources to fight back. If you ever wonder why people hate the cops, here is Exhibit A.
I know I have said it here before. I am a 50+ year old white man and I have yet to have a positive interaction with the police. Ever. When I was young, I seemed to have a target on my back and I really didn't make a lot of trouble. I was a bit obnoxious but I barely broke the law. I smoked pot, that was about it. I can't imagine how it would have been if I were black. Even now, as an older man, cops are rude and seem to be on a power trip no matter what the situation. A situation would have to be very bad for me to call the police. I have never called them, about anything, because I just don't trust them. I'd rather take care of problems on my own. Things are much better since I have left southern New England but it is still ingrained in me to be scared when I see a cop. The bad part of town doesn't scare me. Seeing gang colors don't scare me. See a police cruiser does. That is just wrong.
Few things make me shutter more, than when I think about how militarized our police have become in the past few years. I didn't need to see George Floyd killed to figure out we needed a change. I am glad others are finally figuring it out.
