There are legitimate reasons why a black woman would be concerned. Try as she might to raise the kid right, he still lives and studies and goes to work in a neighborhood that has higher crime, more violence, and a different atmosphere than the one I live in when the police arrive after a call for any of the things that the police might be called for: a domestic disturbance, a robbery, an automobile accident, on and on. The neighborhood treats the cops different than mine does, and vice versa. It's chicken or egg thing, and you will NEVER unravel who started it, but it's a fact. And the neighborhoods she and I talked about, on the west end of Louisville, have a lot more violent crime than my neighborhood did/does. So the cops, when they respond there, have to be bearing that in mind and it has to affect their reactions as things play out if there is resistance, a lack of cooperation, etc. I'm not fooling myself, nor will I concede that there is one but not the other. Cops and the community there treat each other differently.
We should be working together to unravel the whole ball of intertwined notions, neighborhood notions about police and police notions about neighborhoods. But as we do that, crime can't be simply ignored because we don't like the people paid to 'police' it. So, I believe there IS work to do, by both law enforcement AND the black community, and by that I especially mean predominantly black neighborhoods, to find and establish a baseline of trust. I don't have the answers, but as of this writing, my intention is to state plainly and clearly, there IS work to do. Period. Blaming, which seems to be the predominant method of debate today, is solving nothing and making matters worse. What matters? Black live's matters.
I'm not in denial. There are white racists. Actually, there are racists of all colors, but here, in the context of discussing black lives matter, I am speaking to white racists. I condemn them. I condemn white racist hate groups. They have no place in my life, and play no role in shaping my opinions, actions, beliefs, or life. None. They're not me. Never were. Never will be. There are some bad cops. They are a SMALL minority, but they exist. And other cops have to step up when bad cops act out. There can't be a blue wall of silence.
Which brings me to Black Lives Matter (BLM), the political organization, which has instigated both protests and riots, voices demanding to be heard but with horrific collateral damage, not just to structures, but to people and people's lives, to black communities, and most concerning to me, damage to the possibility that we do get along better and find solutions. And Black Lives Matter, the organization, has roots, or at a minimum, some of it's leaders have ties to and belief in Marxism. Yeah, it does, they do. Black Lives Matter have aligned themselves so closely with Democrats and the political left, they leave literally no room for white conservatives to support the movement without supporting 100 things we don't support. Start with the fact that I refuse to accept blame, or guilt for the plight of the black man simply because of my own skin color. Follow that with the fact that I refuse to apologize for my own hard earned success, such that it is, on the basis of my skin color giving me some sort of advantage. And then work your way through the laundry list of demands specific to race and those of the political left with which they're aligned.
Because of Black Lives Matter's methods, goals, and political alignment I simply cannot and will not support them. And if some goddamned athlete, team, league, actor, television program, etc. wants me to support black lives matter, I am on board. But if they want me to support Black Lives Matter, they can fucking forget about it. It's never going to happen. Especially as BLM has aligned itself with anarchist, anti-American scumbag Antifa, and is fomenting violence, looting, arson, destruction, harassment of innocent passers-by, condemnation of all police, etc., I consider them an enemy of the USA and a force to be dealt with. Peaceful protesters? Sure. But when the violence and destruction starts, it's time for peaceful protesters to step up en masse and challenge such behavior. Those afraid or incapable of confronting it, fine. Then get the fuck out of there when the bad people start doing bad things. If you don't, then stand by to suffer the same consequences as the perpetrators. Because your presence facilitates the violence and destruction.
Let me sum things up this way: I condemn white supremacists, the KKK, ALL of the small-minded scumbags who have a core belief that their whiteness makes them somehow superior. And I support police and criminal justice reforms to make relations between blacks and black communities and their law enforcement as much better as possible. Easier said than done, I know. But I don't support riots, looting, violence, arson, removal of all monuments and commemorations of our past. I don't support critical race theory, reparations, and all the other nonsense going on now. I want liberty and justice for all. I want fairness, respect, and common decency for all. I want opportunity and prosperity for all. And believe it or not, black lives matter. I believe that. I hope you do, too.
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