Don’t Let Violence Hijack the Movement

Popular movements call attention to pertinent issues. And right now, the nation’s eyes are yet again on the issues of police brutality and racism. In the wake of well publicized shootings of young black men in Louisiana and Minnesota, public outcry has been enormous. And we’ve been here before. We were here after Rodney King in the nineties. After Trayvon Martin. After Michael Brown. After Freddie Gray. And here we still are. The reaction to these events has been the same. The arguments are the same. And one theme that has continued, to the dismay of most, is violence. After Rodney King’s beating at the hands of police, riots ensued for days causing over fifty deaths and over one billion dollars in property damage. After Trayvon’s death, in the midst of the peaceful public outcry, there were reports of vandalism and a Spike Lee tweet brought harassment and death threats to an innocent Florida family. After Michael Brown, at least two police shootings were reported as retaliation for the incident. We remember the Baltimore riots after Freddie Gray. And now the shooting in Dallas less than a week ago. Black Lives Matter is a peaceful movement with a positive message. Equality for all. Stopping police brutality. Ending racial profiling and systemic racism. But there are always those that believe that violence is a solution. They’re wrong. Violence isn’t the solution to society’s flaws. Violence is an excuse. It’s an excuse for those that disagree with a movement’s goals to criticize it’s ideals. To opponents of a movement, violence is validation. In the face of major problems, it is easy to get caught up in the wave of frustration and anger and it is hard to step back and look at things reasonably. Public outcry empowers us to stand up and stand together, but it shouldn’t embolden us to harm one another. It is important to remember what we are fighting against. It is not men in blue uniforms who deserve hate. It is the idea that young black men are always up to no good that deserves hate. It is the belief that it is race and not social injustice that holds the African-American community captive that needs to die. Violence hijacks movements with great intentions. To those that are angry, I understand, but don’t forget your humanity. Fight with words and reason, not bullets.