The Black Lives Matter Movement (BLM) that has spread over recent years is destroying police-black citizen relations. They are constantly spreading hateful propaganda and creating danger for the number-one protector of black lives, police officers. BLM is damaging race relations in addition to putting police in danger. The organization is reversing years of wounds that throw us back into race-relations from decades ago. Another way the relationship of black men and police officers is being harmed is by the lack of respect that is being given to officers. Subsequently, police have backed down on their proactive methods and therefore weakened our justice system, and the effects of a weak justice system could be deadly. Americans have to change their views in this area, or race relations in America will progressively worsen. The Black Lives Matter Movement should focus more on being proactive to stop the violence that breeds from the criminal culture.
The facts about crime that BLM doesn’t want to tell are so critical in this argument. Close to 5,000 black men are murdered by other black men every year (Shaw 12); in 2015, out of the 987 total civilian murders by police, 258 were black men. (Mac Donald 2). Numbers of black-on-black murders are so much higher than police homicides of black people, and yet the organization continues to ignore the truth; that police are not the problem. BLM continues to stir the pot of racism and cause distress for people around the country. Officers are backing away from their fight of crime due to the racial inflammation. Heather Mac Donald tells how the officers are reacting to the danger in her article: “Police officers continue to rush to 911 calls when there is already a victim, but when it comes to making discretionary stops—such as getting out of their cars and questioning people hanging out at drug corners at 1:00 a.m.—many cops worry that doing so could put their careers on the line” (6). BLM is causing this to happen by not building up and encouraging the respect of the police.
Not only is BLM misrepresenting facts, but the government is distorting the truth about black crime. Politicians such as the president refuse to back the justice system, which causes mass chaos. If the justice system is not defended, then the illusion of racism will continue to spread. (Bessette 23) The government was created to work as a well-oiled-machine, and without each branch working together, there is a conflict of authority which causes confusion for citizens. The consequences of an unorganized leadership can be deadly, and that is what Americans are seeing the effects of today.
Color does not define a human being. My biology teacher reminds us nearly every class period that every human being is 99.9 percent genetically identical (Saums). Yet the propaganda that is ruling the racial divide seems to portray that black and white people are from different planets. When truly, the culture is the cause of the violence. Black families are lacking the structure to grow these young men into strong members of society. Illegitimate pregnancy, drugs, alcohol, and low employment rates are some of the elements that are causing a “degradation” of the black family unit (Shaw 15).
Some cultures are stronger than others, they consist of strong family units, encourage hard work, and teach moral integrity. Yet, the manner in which BLM is handling ‘racism’ is harming communities around the country. There are cultures that should be feared, ones that breed violence and crime, but there are strong black cultures that have risen above the stereotypes that haunt them. Based on the culture that people are raised in, they are more inclined to commit violent crimes (Shaw 15). There are so many successful black people in the world. In the article “Making Black Lives Matter,” Mitchell Shaw gives a powerful example of that when he says: “Racism is incapable of holding black people down. Evidence of that is easy to find. Not only is a black man sitting in the Oval Office, but blacks hold power in cities all across America. That would never happen in a world that was holding black people down” (Shaw 13.) When taken into consideration, there are many African Americans that have accomplished amazing feats, even something as taken-for-granted as graduating college and getting a middle class job. They are the true American heroes that this country was founded for.
Aside from the family complications, the solution to the racial unrest is a topic that has been argued over for years. Martin Luther King Jr. believed that “colorblindness” should be used when dealing with race relations. He believed that it was the way to heal the racial divide (Jonsson 4). King’s opinion seems to not have had a positive effect on the country today. All races want to be recognized as being different. Every human is craving for attention to be given to their individuality; standing up for the weak, and not tolerating violence is a step towards a better future. Trevor Reichle writes: “Regardless of race, background, or cultural identity, it should be true in this country and around the world that when we see an injustice committed against another group of human beings, we should do everything in our power to make a change for our communities as a whole” (1).
Black Lives Matter has a self-proclaimed mission that states: “[BLM]…is an ideological and political intervention; we are not controlled by the same political machine we are attempting to hold accountable. In the year leading up to elections, we are committed to holding all candidates for office accountable to the needs and dreams of black people” (Marino 6). The movement has done far from that, they have wreaked havoc on the country by lying about police and the other branches of the justice system. Americans need to learn to appreciate the differences of individuals. The country will not move forward in race-relations if organizations like BLM continue to inflame hatred.
