Fighting the System[atic Racism]
Is systematic racism a thing of the past? Not according to Black Lives Matter, a social movement co-founded by Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors, and Opal Tometi in 2013. The group finds its roots in the southern United States, where it arose following the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the fatal shooting of black teen Trayvon Martin. Its objective is to end police brutality against the black community, a feat which it hopes to accomplish through protests, awareness, and challenging politicians.
The first national Black Lives Matter (BLM) protest took place in August 2014 in Ferguson, Missouri, subsequent to the shooting death of Michael Brown. Since then, BLM has coordinated over a thousand demonstrations, protesting the shootings of Freddie Gray, Walter Scott, Jamar Clark, and many other victims of racially motivated police brutality.
In Toronto, BLM has organized several protests such as the July 2015 shutdown of Allen Road, which brought attention to the shootings of Andrew Loku and Jermaine Carby at the hands of police. Further demonstrations occurred in September 2015, including participation in Toronto’s Take Back the Night event against sexual and institutionalized violence.
Although the BLM movement is still young, the issue of police brutality against the black community is by no means a new occurrence. In countries abroad, protests such as the 1981 Brixton Riot in England have seen clashes between police and black activists fighting against systematic racism. In the United States, similar protests occurred several years later, including the 1992 Los Angeles riots against the beating of black taxi driver Rodney King by four police officers. Over time, demonstrations have become significantly less aggressive, but levels of police brutality have only escalated.
Critics of the BLM movement have claimed that the title “All Lives Matter” would be more appropriate for addressing the issue. Talk show host Bill Maher responded in saying that such a title “implies that all lives are equally at risk, and they’re not.” Co-founder Alicia Garza refuted the criticism herself, stating, “Changing Black Lives Matter to All Lives Matter is a demonstration of how we don’t actually understand structural racism in this country.” Garza’s sentiment was reiterated by US President Barack Obama, who added that racial injustice is “a legitimate issue that we’ve got to address.”
Obama’s commitment to addressing this issue, however, has been primarily verbal with little corresponding action. Systematic racial inequality in the United States has shown no substantial signs of improvement; black people today are thirteen times more likely to be incarcerated for drug crimes than white people. This frightening statistic, in combination with the many instances of police brutality, demonstrates the necessity of organizations such as Black Lives Matter.
Throughout campaigns for the upcoming 2016 presidential election, BLM protesters have demanded that candidates take real action to address this issue. Martin O’Malley was heckled by demonstrators for saying, “Black lives matter. White lives matter. All lives matter.” — A statement for which he later apologized. Hilary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, the other democratic candidates, have met with BLM members and expressed support for the group. Many republican candidates, including Ben Carson, Rand Paul, and Donald Trump, have questioned the movement, expressing criticism towards its choice of name and direct action tactics.
Despite protests around the world, little action has been taken to combat racially motivated police brutality. With the foundation of social movements such as Black Lives Matter, one must question why legislators have ignored such a serious issue, leaving it to be addressed by those most vulnerable — the black community.
Image Credit: Breitbart
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