Black Lives Matter

Black Lives Matter (BLM) is a grassroots human rights activist movement and Twitter hashtag that began in July 2013 after the acquittal of George Zimmerman for the fatal shooting of African American teenager Trayvon Martin.
The movement gained momentum in 2014 following the killings of and BLM leaders have met with prominent leaders such as "the Kenyan Marxist" and have staged many protests in the aftermath of those killings, notably the mass protests in Ferguson, Missouri and Baltimore, Maryland.
BLM has encountered harsh opposition from conservative groups in the United States and other run-of-the-mill racists.Unbelievably Racist and Violently Angry White Man Threatens to Kill Black Americans by Benjamin Dixon (September 1, 2015) If You Only News.com (archived from September 2, 2015).Black Lives Matter Racists Strike Again: The return of the Ferguson lynch mob. by Arnold Ahlert (Aug 11, 2015) Front Page Mag Archive (archived from 3 Jan 2021 04:34:09 UTC). This usually takes the form of loaded questions such as "Why not 'All Lives Matter'?", a move that reveals a profound ignorance of the central message of BLM: when it comes to the police, black lives don't always matter while white lives generally do.Black men nearly 3 times as likely to die from police use of force, study says by Jacqueline Howard (Updated 2221 GMT December 20, 2016) CNN.
==The Founding Mothers==
The movement was founded by three women: Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors, and Opal Tometi, who were members of BOLD (Black Organizing for Leadership and Dignity).
* a community organizer who currently is the Special Projects Director of the National Domestic Workers Alliance.
* a Los Angeles, California artist and playwright, she was kicked out of her home when she came out as queer.Queerness on the front lines of #BlackLivesMatter (Feb. 19, 2015) MSNBC. She was largely inspired by the brutalization of her then 19-year old brother in a Los Angeles County jail. She's also influential in the movement's extensive use of social media to bring awareness to police brutality. She has been accused of laundering money for the organization after buying herself an expensive home; however, she actually bought it with money she earned through book deals.
* a daughter of Nigerian immigrants. She's the executive director of the Black Alliance for Just Immigration.
By its very nature as a largely "leaderless" movement, many people using the hashtag and going to rallies may not be familiar with the founders or their positions on other issues. Just like many people calling themselves "Anonymous" don't necessarily support — or know about — the entirety of issues that Anonymous cares about. The fact that black lives matter, however, is consensus among all who consider themselves part of the movement, for obvious reasons.
==Positions==
In general, BLM supporters believe that black people are systemically discriminated against in police interactions. 
===Support for Palestinians and BDS===
Given the leaderless nature of BLM, it is difficult to make blanket statements about what the movement supports outside of its core mission of exposing and resisting police violence. That said, BLM has reflected the historical tendency of African-American activists to support Palestinian resistance to Israeli occupation.Dream Defenders, Black Lives Matter & Ferguson Reps Take Historic Trip to Palestine by Kristian Davis Bailey (January 9, 2015) Ebony. Prominent BLM activists have come out in support of the movement: Patrisse Cullors — along with a thousand other black activistsView the Signatories Blacks for Palestine. — was a signatory of a 2015 letter "reaffirm[ing] solidarity with the Palestinian struggle and commitment to the liberation of Palestine's land and people".Black activists send clear message to Palestinians: "Now is the time for Palestinian liberation, just as now is the time for our own in the United States" by David Palumbo-Liu (August 18, 2015 11:00PM UTC) Salon. The statement calls for "black and U.S. institutions to support the Palestinian call for boycotts of Israel" and declares that "refugees' to their homeland in present-day Israel is the most important aspect of justice for Palestinians". 
Moreover, Washington Post columnist Colbert King links the growing support for Palestinians in the BLM movement with what is perceived as an insulting behavior of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu toward US President Barack Obama. Obama's national security advisor, Susan Rice, is reported to have said that Netanyahu has done everything except "use 'the N-word' in describing the president."When 'Black Lives Matter' is linked with 'Palestinian Lives Matter' by Colbert King (November 6, 2015) The Washington Post. Even The Jerusalem Post has noted that Netanyahu has "burned bridges" with black Americans, including the Congressional Black Caucus.JPost.com Staff, 'Netanyahu has burned his bridges with Black Democrats" (March 27, 2015 19:00) The Jerusalem Post.
In October 2015, a Black-Palestinian solidarity video featuring musician Lauryn Hill, actor Danny Glover, Palestinian BDS founder Omar Barghouti and other black and Palestinian activists trended at #1 on Facebook. The video's theme is "When I see them, I see us.""Your walls will never cage our freedom": Black-Palestinian solidarity video goes viral by Ben Norton (October 19, 2015 7:30PM UTC) Salon.
During the uprising in Ferguson, Palestinians took to the Internet to show their own support for African-American protestors, tweeting advice on how to deal with tear gas and other crowd-control methods used by police.Palestinians tweet tear gas advice to protesters in Ferguson by Mark Molloy et al. (15 August 2014 • 10:54 am ) The Telegraph.
On August 1, the Black Lives Matter Coalition published a manifesto in which it called Israel an apartheid state and accused it of committing genocide against the Palestinian people.Black Lives Matter's Jewish Problem Is Also a Black Problem by Chloe Valdery (August 4, 2016) Tablet. 
===Stance on the 2016 Presidential race===
During the 2016 U.S. presidential election, Black Lives Matter protesters disrupted events of all Democratic candidates (including the irrelevant, unelectable ones)'Hell You Talmbout!' #BlackLivesMatter Protesters Shout Down Hillary at Campaign Event by Josh Feldman (Oct 30th, 2015, 3:48 pm) Mediaite.Black Lives Matter Protesters Disrupt Clinton Campaign Event In Atlanta by Darren Sands (October 30, 2015, at 3:45 p.m. ET) BuzzFeed. but none of the Republicans. Bit by bit, Sanders and Clinton (mostly) came around to the goals of the movement, though Clinton still disagreed with the means and proposed a more compromise-based approach.Hillary Clinton declares 'black lives matter' by Jessica Chasmar (July 21, 2015) The Washington Times.Watch: Full Video of Hillary Clinton's Meeting with Black Lives Matter Activists (August 19, 2015) Democracy Now!.
Still, some BLM activists have expressed their anti-Semitism against Sanders with dogwhistles, even though he is more pro-Palestinian than either Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump.
===Support for the Cuban dictatorship===
BLM faced backlash during July 2021 after calling for the end of the U.S. government’s embargo on Cuba while praising the country for its “solidarity with oppressed peoples of African descent”. This has drawn the ire of academics and organizers who said that while the decades long embargo should be lifted, the statement both lets the Cuban government off the hook for and ignores the protesters’ demands for change, also arguing that BLM was effectively supporting the exploitation of Cuban workers.Opinion: Black Lives Matter is supporting the exploitation of Cuban workers Only a few months before the George Floyd protests in the US, the Cuban dictatorship prevented protests over the killing of a black man by police.Cuba prevents protest over police killing of Black man
===Support for Jussie Smollett===
On December 9, 2021, actor and musician Jussie Smollett was convicted on five felony accounts for As the trial was coming to a close, BLM issued a statement in solidarity with Smollett, calling the trial a “white supremacist charade”, equating the case to murder of Fred Hampton, and overall claiming that the case was yet another example of racism in police and the justice system. Given that Smollett had, among other things, paid his co-conspirators by check, white supremacy was decidedly not the issue in this case.Statement Regarding the Ongoing Trial of Jussie Smollett (December 7, 2021) by Dr. Melina Abdullah, Black Lives Matter.
==Spreading the message==
BLM has spread outside the US.Black Lives Matter Has Become a Global Movement by Janaya Khan (Aug. 7 2015 3:01 AM) The Root (archived from August 7, 2015). For example, the in Israel who — or whose ancestors — were airlifted to that country during by the Israeli government, now engage in BLM protests against racism and police brutality in that country.Thousands rally in Israel against racism and police brutality toward Ethiopian Jews by Andrew Freedman (May 03, 2015) Mashable. The UK has also seen the BLM movement expand there.Black Lives Matter is a movement the UK needs – and our work here is just starting by Laura Barker (10 Aug 2016 10.44 EDT) The Guardian. It has spread to include the transgender black community as well.Black Lives Matter rallies for transgender women after multiple murders this year so far by Rebecca Ruiz (Aug 25, 2015) Mashable. Native Americans have adopted the slogan as "#NativeLivesMatter",Native Lives Matter, Too by Lydia Millet (Oct. 13, 2015) The New York Times. but a Latino counterpart has been slow to organize.There's a Reason You Haven’t Heard About the 'Latino Lives Matter' Movement by Britni Danielle (Mar 28, 2015) TakePart. In the Philippines, people have drawn parallels with the killing of George Floyd in the US and the police brutality and extrajudicial killings under Rodrigo Duterte regime.
==Government hostility and surveillance==
Just as the FBI targeted 1960s civil rights activists during the COINTELPRO era, so too does the government today undertake surveillance of BLM activists, and no doubt compiles dossiers on many of them. The Department of Homeland Security has been monitoring the Black Lives Matter movement since protests erupted in Ferguson, Missouri over the cop shooting of Michael Brown. DHS collects information, including location data, on BLM activities from public social media accounts, including Facebook, Twitter, and Vine.Exclusive: Feds Regularly Monitored Black Lives Matter Since Ferguson: The Department of Homeland Security has used social media to closely track activists. by George Joseph (July 24 2015, 11:50 a.m.) The Intercept. 
The NYPD is using undercover officers in "monitor[ing BLM] activists, tracking their movements and keeping individual photos of them on file."Undercover Police Have Regularly Spied On Black Lives Matter Activists in New York: Nearly 300 MTA documents confirm that undercover officers attended numerous Black Lives Matter protests in New York and that police have tracked their movements and kept individual photos of them on file. by George Joseph (August 18 2015, 2:27 p.m.) The Intercept. Moreover:
Additionally, the Criminal Justice Division of the Oregon Department of Justice has secretly surveilled Oregonians who use the Black Lives Matter hashtag on Twitter — including the state’s director of civil rights, Erious Johnson. It is unconstitutional and thus illegal for the government to target individuals based on exercising their First Amendment free speech rights. As the ACLU puts it, "The simple act of expressing concern about racial justice on social media should not be enough to trigger information gathering by the Oregon Department of Justice."Black Lives Matter Supporters in Oregon Targeted by State Surveillance by David Rogers (November 11, 2015 | 2:30 PM) ACLU.
===Repression in spaces that used to be public===
Historically, downtown areas and public parks have been venues for robust First Amendment activity and protests. But, in an era of increasing privatization, public areas have been greatly diminished. This has allowed private entities to prohibit protests that would have occurred in prior times. The distinction between a private area and a public area can be unclear, as it is with the massive Mall of America, just outside Minneapolis, Minnesota. Taxpayers coughed up $186 million of the mall's $886 million cost, yet, in the case of State v. Wicklund, Minnesota's conclusion was that, 
Or basically, "Yeah, they took 186 million from the general public, but you still can't do anything there." 
(For most purposes, the constitutional protection of freedom of speech does not restrain private entities from abridging speech.) 
BLM has sought many times to hold protests at the Mall of America, the largest mall in the U.S. A December 23, 2015 protest over the fatal police shooting of 24-year-old was planned, but Mall management had the location "locked down" and the protesters had no sooner entered than they were led away by a throng of cops.Why It’s Scary That the Mall of America Can Crush Dissent: America’s largest mall tried to shut down a Black Lives Matter protest before it began. Its right to do so stems from a long line of court rulings. by Alleen Brown (January 6 2016, 8:33 a.m.) The Intercept. Moreover:
Spokespersons for the Mall paid lip service to respecting free speech rights, but stated that "the courts have affirmed our right as private property owners to prohibit demonstrations on our property."
===Smear tactics===
Law enforcement members and multiple media outlets tried to pin several shooting deaths of members of law enforcement on BLM and the so-called “war on cops" that the movement purportedly has caused. But it turned out that, contrary to early reporting, Fox Lake, Illinois police Lt. Charles Joseph Gliniewicz killed himself, and Houston Dep. Darren Goforth was murdered by a mentally-ill man who had previously almost killed a guy during an argument over what to watch on TV."A partial list of pundits, politicians and media outlets who used Joseph Gliniewicz’s death to push the ‘war on cops’ narrative" by Radley Balko (November 5, 2015 at 9:57 a.m. PST) The Washington Post.
The Edward R. Murrows RWNJs at Fox "News" have variously called BLM: "terrorists", "an extreme group, the Nazi Party", "like the Ku Klux Klan", "garbage", and, of course, "divisive". This crew also hosted a law enforcement officer who announced "there is no police brutality in the United States."From "Hate Group" To "Nazis": Fox News Ramps Up Their War On Black Lives Matter by Brennan Suen (10/26/15 12:41 PM EDT) Media Matters for America. If that's not enough, they are constantly tied into the horrifying conspiracy theories surrounding antifascist militias, despite the extremely varying ties between those groups and BLM.
==Opposition==
BLM's opponents have made vicious threats and personal attacks against some of the more prominent speakers of the movement. has been attacked for his opposition to the Confederate flag in South Carolina subsequent to racism-fueled murder of black people in their church.Conservative Twitter trolls attack activist DeRay McKesson after Charleston appearances by Joanna Walters (June 23, 2015) Raw Story. was accused of lying about his racial background by Breitbart writer Milo Yiannopoulos (of Gamergate infamy) who "revealed" that King's birth certificate said both his parents were white and compared him to forcing King to reveal that his mother had had an affair with a black man who is his actual biological father."Activist Shaun King says man on birth certificate isn’t his biological father" by Wesley Lowery & Michael E. Miller (August 20, 2015 at 5:28 p.m. PDT) The Washington Post."Race, love, hate, and me: A distinctly American story" by Shaun King (August 20, 2015 · 2:39 PM PDT) Daily Kos.
==="But don't all lives matter?"===
Many have countered with "All lives matter". The problem is neatly illustrated by a Reddit user:
On Real Time with Bill Maher, Bill Maher expressed support of the "Black Lives Matter" phrase, arguing that "All Lives Matter" "implies that all lives are equally at risk, and they're not".Real Time with Bill Maher: Hashtags vs. Legislation (Aug 21, 2015) YouTube.
All Lives Matter is also a white supremacist dogwhistle.This Is What You Mean When You Say, Tweet Or Sing 'All Lives Matter' by Joshua Ostroff (07/13/2016 05:47am EDT | Updated July 15, 2016) Huffington Post. Although it may seem innocuous (who doesn't think that all lives matter?), it's used by white supremacists to delegitimize the concerns of black people.
Had "All Lives Matter" arisen as a slogan on its own, then it would not be as problematic as it is. However, "All Lives Matter" arose as a direct response to the phrase "Black Lives Matter". "Black Lives Matter" arose as a manageable abbreviation for saying: 
: "Black lives matter as much as any other life; unfortunately, the history and effects of systemic racism in our country, along with those of the implicit discrimination built into the foundation of so many of the country's civic systems, give credence to the idea that many people do not believe black lives matter as much as other people's lives; this should not be the way we are and it needs to be changed." 
Given that context, when you respond to the claim "Black Lives Matter" by saying "All Lives Matter", you are trivializing/minimizing the experience of Blacks in the U.S. and claiming that all lives (ie. white lives) have been equally impacted by the racism and discrimination in the U.S. Basically, you are saying blacks should just pipe down.
 has illustrated the issue with "All Lives Matter" quite nicely. Seems pretty similar to concern trolling.
==="It's a hate group!"===
Like most of history's revolutionary movements, BLM is not without its extremists, although those who have committed acts of violence, which goes against the ethos of the movement itself, are generally outnumbered by those who seek to commit themselves to actual activism. Such crimes are not what Black Lives Matter, on an ethical and organizational level, are about.
====Shooting====
At a Dallas, Texas march in 2016, an alleged member of the movement shot and killed six police officers.He was actually affiliated with black supremacist organizations such as the Nation of Islam, and had no ties with Black Lives Matter. As reactionaries and right-wing keyboard warriors started cranking out their usual sensationalized stories about how BLM are a bunch of terrorists, the group leaders spoke out publicly and reasonably stated that it would be unfair to blame an entire movement of people on the actions of a single messed-up individual.Black Lives Matter: Don't blame movement for Dallas police ambush by Aamer Madhani (Published 3:47 p.m. ET Jul. 8, 2016; Updated 6:13 p.m. ET Jul. 8, 2016) USA Today. There's a huge difference between thinking "police should stop murdering innocent people and trying to cover it up" and "police officers should die."
====Kidnapping====
Later in 2016, several African American teenagers kidnapped an autistic young man after assuming, for some reason, that he was a supporter of the United States' reigning mango monarch at the time. Causing him physical torment and saying racially-charged things towards him, they recorded a video of them doing so. There were consistent suggestions by multiple parties suggesting that they were a part of the movement, and so the internet, like always, sensationalized the whole thing and started calling BLM a hate group.
It was never confirmed if the assailants were part of the organization or not, as their behaviors clearly do not align themselves with the ethics of the cause, but BLM leadership did make sure to denounce them if they were, proclaiming that there was no place for violence or hate crimes in the activist movement, as such would completely contradict its entire purpose.Chicago torture video: 4 charged with hate crimes, kidnapping by Holly Yan et al. (Updated 9:48 PM EST, Thu January 5, 2017) CNN. Any violent wings it and other groups may have are fringe at most. BLM is, first and foremost, a civil organization with a cause. It is confrontational, which provides a healthy mean between overtly pacifistic and, at the other end, violent. In other words, Aristotle would be thrilled.
===Counter-responses===
Thanks to the success of Black Lives Matter, there have been groups that have attempted to emulate the movement, including the following:
* Blue Lives Matter: Founded in 2014. Blue Lives Matter was founded as a counter-movement to Black Lives Matter after two NYPD officers (Raphael Ramos and Wenjian Liu) were killed in Brooklyn, New York. Blue Lives Matter is about raising awareness about police officers getting killed. The movement's flag is a black and white flag version of the United States flag with a blue stripe. Most notably, Blue Lives Matter was responsible for a state law in Louisiana that makes targeting police officers or firefighters illegal. This was widely criticized by organizations such as the ACLU.Statement from ACLU of Wisconsin on Blue Lives Matter Bill (January 10, 2017) ACLU Wisconsin.
*White Lives Matter: A white nationalist version of Black Lives Matter, because of course. According to the SPLC, White Lives Matter was founded in 2015 by two white people, Rebecca Barnette and Kevin Harris thanks in no small part to the Neo-Nazi organization Aryan Renaissance Society.White Lives Matter Southern Poverty Law Center. White Lives Matter has become a slogan for white nationalists and neo-Nazis who can be found in events such as Unite the Right in Charlottesville, Virginia (and chanted in combination with "Black Lives Splatter", because of course) and the "White Lives Matter" rally in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Another variant of White Lives Matter is the idea of a White Student Union.'Unapologetically white' posters dot Minnesota city by Clairissa Baker (6:22 p.m. ET Jan. 17, 2018) USA Today.
==See also==
*Antifa
*Ferguson effect
*Libertarianism
==External links==
*Black Lives Matter's official organizing site.
*Campaign Zero: BLM's comprehensive list of police reforms.
*A Vision for Black Lives: BLM's list of reforms beyond police misconduct.
*Looking for Accountability in Police-Involved Deaths of Blacks
*The Raw Videos That Have Sparked Outrage Over Police Treatment of Blacks
*Groundhog Day for a Black Man (2016 film)
*Black Lives Matter fourth anniversary report
==Notes==
==References==
Category:Civil rights
Category:Conspiracy theorist scapegoats
Category:Human rights
Category:Political action groups
Category:Social justice