Some people realllllllyyyyy don't like BlackLivesMatter. Period. They hate that group. One of the main reasons stated tends to be, "They don't act civil" or "They're thugs" or "They're vandals that destroy public property"...
So it seems like some of the main discontentment towards the group involves the way the group protests. So let's acknowledge 2 realities here:
#1 The group BlackLivesMatter claims to be -first, foremost, and primarily -a group that advocates AGAINST racism (including systemic racism and racial oppression. Most people would agree that being against racism is a good thing. Or at least you'd hope they would.
#2 The group BLM has had some very Peaceful Protests and definitely some Less Peaceful Protests. There have been some protests that involved vandalism and threats of violence. Therefore there appears to be 2 groups WITHIN BLM -one that calls for Peace and another that calls for "Action" or that leads to vandalism and potential violence.
Most people are against vandalism and everyone is against violence. That being said, HISTORICALLY speaking most protests and groups of people trying to overcome varying forms of oppression have almost ALWAYS resorted to vandalism in particular -the only difference being some were led AWAY from that and other groups weren't.
#1 Boston Tea Party: Trying to liberate themselves from tyrannical monarchy to forge their own way, but not wanting to directly cause violence outright the colonists threw tea overboard in one of the most historical acts of vandalism and "patriotism" known to mankind.
#2 Women's Suffrage: Women wanted to have the right to vote, the organized in groups, there was some vandalism involved though nobody really seems to care now because for someone reason women being able to vote now seems more significant to us than a smashed in glass window.
#3 Gay Rights Movement led by Harvey Milk: They RAN to Harvey Milk multiple times saying, "If you don't step in right now, the rally that's formed might get violent." It's only because Harvey CALMED the group and led them peacefully that there weren't incidents of vandalism -otherwise there would have been.
#4 Civil Rights Movement: Once again there would have been great vandalism and outbreaks of potential violence among protesters but Martin Luther Kng Jr. CALMED the group and told them to lead Peaceful marches -even when he was illegally jailed.
It seems like vandalism is almost an inherent Instinct for groups to resort to. It's not direct violence -which would lead to an immediate disbanding of the group, arrests, and in some instances WAR. But vandalism still gets the point across: "We're pissed, we will not tolerate this, and we will mess up your world like you're messing up ours if you don't change."
I would argue that it's ONLY when a leader steps in and preaches peace and leads in peace that vandalism doesn't happen. This also true for Gandhi's followers and many other historical instances that occurred in other countries.
And vandalism seems to be a pretty petty thing to be focused on in comparison to what people are committing acts of vandalism over.
At this point for those not in the know many innocent black KIDS have been killed. Like Tamir Rice for example. Instances where by no fault of their own young teens and children from the African American community have been shot down -usually by police but some times by those saying they were "upholding justice" in their own vigilante way. As for holding those accountable for killing children... hasn't really happened.
I know when I watch The Hunger Games the thing that hits me is for 75 years they let his event happen annually. They watched their children be murdered and hunted down for sport so the Capital could be amused. I just keep thinking, NOT in America. If someone started rounding up kids in this country and systematically started killing them PARENTS wouldn't stand for that. They wouldn't just sit there and watch their kids die and other kids Die. They would do something.
And yet here we are judging and condemning a group that in part seeks to end this systemic issue of the killing children on the basis of RACE. Past a certain point it's not just an American right to protest, speak out, seek action... but a HUMAN right to seek to protect the well-being of your children from what is an obvious, reoccurring event in this country.
If you actually look at the list of innocent black kids killed in 2015 alone, the number will DISTURB you to your core. And yet people complain of Vandalism.
That;s how you know you live in a materialistic, racist society. When the well being of Property outweighs the welfare of Children and HUMAN LIFE.
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