America the Free
America the Free
An Ode to Stripes that We Earned
What did we get out of BLM Protests? For a lack of a better imagination, the lynching of Aunt Jemmimah and Uncle Ben.
I can't help but wonder, how do we so easily mistake symbolic victories for structural change? A few police departments were stripped bare of their funding ( because…I guess changing the part of training to beat the black out of your perp was just too hard to revise? Err, to not shoot Philando Castille in front of his wife and small child for reaching for the permit that proved he had a lawful right to carry. Apparently we’re all on PCP because tasers don’t work???) But on the real, the darkest era ended thanks to BLM (I swear, no pun intended) with the fundamental destruction of the Dixie Chicks, left only to be known as “the Chicks”, who? I can’t wait until that becomes unconscionable and they become “the” (©hick is a derogatory term, you heard it here first, folks, ‘member that )And thank god the powers that be took down the outrageous and deeply hateful Advanced Dungeons & Dragons episode of Community. We did it Reddit!
Look, I’m not here to belittle a movement that I see as having significance that’s far from theoretical; I just believe BLM lacks the same accountability that is so desperately needed out of our police force. The ironic part is that there is a semblance of a face of authority when it comes to the police…yet there’s still 0 accountability. Oh yeah, unless you’re Derek Chauvin. In some regards, he got a raw deal. On one hand, police should have never been involved with something as petty as a counterfeit $20 dollar bill, on the other, the fact that George Floyd had Fentanyl in his system brings up a dilemma wherein Floyd wouldn’t have died from the asphyxiation. In my opinion, the police state has blood on its hands and its just ill-advised to shoot the messenger (or the harbinger, in this case). We have police budgets that are out-of-control and a modus operandi that is simply perverse when you consider “To Serve and Protect.” Bringing Derek Chauvin to “justice” does not resolve these issues, it is not a win in my book.
If we need it – and we so desperately do, we should get the Federal Government to force the hand of our 50 states into delineating from the militarization of the police force into peace-keeping officers. Guns should be the last resort – but they should absolutely be an option in our gun lovin’ society. Don’t let the media fool you – most interactions with police end…amicably. In retrospect, these infamous murders were spotlighted for political gain, which is tragic. I’d be shocked to learn that the number of murders by police has fallen significantly since 2020, we just don’t hear about it, so we don’t think about it. It’s still ostensibly high but that is proof that the work is far from over.
I believe that little to no work will be done until/if it becomes a hot button issue in the rapid-fire news cycle. So back to the original point at hand – what should be done? Well, I believe we need to look back in history and embrace the ‘60’s and ‘70’s eras’ palpable Civil Rights Movements. We had leaders like MLK, Malcolm X and Fred Hampton who didn’t just move the needle, they moved mountains. We need charismatic, larger-than-life leaders who the hackneyed government mouthpieces can interface with; this is how you ensure accountability and see results. Movements need faces, not hashtags. Today, we're trying to fight a system with memes and viral tweets - it's like bringing a TikTok dance to a chess match.
The simple fact of the matter is this faceless, amorphous style of Social Justice does not work. Think I’m wrong? [1] [2] [^3] These purportedly “Communist” leaders hoodwinked many good-natured donors out of their hard-earned money. Of course, this is an endemic issue that poisons innumerable NFOs but we’re here to discuss BLM. We deserve better than this and we’ve had better. The other issue with BLM-type organizations is that they are by design decentralized and different. Every city has their own flavour of BLM as a result. But I abscond from the notion that this is good. To make waves in an ocean you need a commotion of epic proportions and that’s a matter of reducing the quotient. The only…and yes this is a big ‘un…negative of a monolithic structure is it lives and dies by the brain, the heart of the movement. Look, I generally favour decentralization and, uh, you probably noted that every single Black Power Leader I named was assassinated. So there’s that. However, the FBI is better today (maybe tomorrow’s next brave leader will just be killed in a tragic plane crash, thanks CIA!)!!! But, seriously, the silver lining of our dystopian surveillance state? It’s basically impossible to disappear someone in the modern era. There’s a Ring™ Doorbell on every door, a TikTok™ Live Streamer at every corner and an Amazon™ Prime™ Delivery™ happening just down the street™ (I’ve trademarked this, don’t use it or I’ll sue). Oh and not to forget that unwell classmate from High School who flooded the halls with a cat urine odor and picked his nose incessantly throughout 4th period now spends every waking moment disseminating a conspiracy theory on his Insta story whenever anything happens ever. Nothing gets past our unsung hero.
I guess that’s just the world we live in. But we can do better. We can abolish the CIA…for starters. Better yet, we can divest in Helicopters, SWAT Armored Vehicles ‘n Drug Raids
and invest militantly in our communities. Food for thought. Why react when you can act?[1]: [BLM finances under fire: Only 33% of donations given to charities as execs paid millions](https://thenationaldesk.com/news/americas-news-now/blm-finances-under-fire-only-33-of-donations-given-to-charities-as-execs-paid-millions-black-lives-matter-racism-bankruptcy-deficit-fundraising-fundraisers-george-floyd-breonna-taylor-patrisse-cullors-tamir-rice-fraud-scam) [2]: Black Lives Matter executive accused of ‘syphoning’ $10M from BLM donors, suit says CNN [^3]: Black Lives Matter founders reportedly used donations to buy $6 million California mansion