Black Lives Matter protesters interrupt Pride mural unveiling by Toronto police

[romanic]

Black Lives Matter protesters chanting “No pride in police” crashed a Toronto Police news conference Friday, where Chief Mark Saunders unveiled a mural honouring the local LGBTQ community.

The mural, in the gay village near the corner of Church and Wood Sts., is meant to celebrate the history, diversity and strength of Toronto’s LGBTQ community, according to a police news release.

But the protesters claim the media event, like the Toronto police chief’s public apology this week for the 1981 bathhouse raids, was a publicity stunt.

They are “PR tools used to mask the reality of police relations amongst the queer and trans community: black people, indigenous people, sex workers et cetera,” said Black Lives Matter co-founder Rodney Diverlus, 26, after disrupting the unveiling.

The reverend and gay rights activist, Brent Hawkes, tried to mediate between Black Lives Matter and the police, to no avail, according to the queer activist and journalist, Andrea Houston, who live tweeted the encounter.

Black Lives Matter is still waiting for the police to meet the demands it made after its tent city protest outside police headquarters on College St. this spring, Diverlus added.

https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2016/06/24/black-lives-matter-protesters-interrupt-pride-mural-unveiling-by-toronto-police.html

It seems like BLM is trying to wedge itself into the aftermath of the Orlando shooting. I get that this unveiling by the police could be a PR stunt, but the same could be said for this latest shut-down by BLM.

[frazzled]

1. That's pretty unfortunate

I strongly support the goals behind BLM, but I think the tactics have become rather muddled and sometimes misplaced. This seems like the wrong place and the wrong time. Not the way to effectively transmit the message to the public, and not particularly the way to win hearts and minds. Please, BLM, get your act together. Hone the message, pick the battles wisely.

[Aerows]

3. Great advice

Pick your battles wisely.

These types of demonstrations are unnecessarily divisive.

[some guy]

4. It seems like BLM

is trying to keep in the public's mind tha Black Lives *stiil* matter, and justice is *still* missing from the black communiy. LEOs continue to not be held accountable for deaths which they caused.

BLM should be anywhere they feel they need to be to get the justice they need. Anywhere they know in advance that news cameras will be seems a good idea.

[loyalsister]

6. I hope to see them find common ground and joint strategies

But, expecting people who continue to be opressed under this unjust system to put it all aside and join hands in a warm fuzzy event is a lot to ask. They will have the same fear before, during, and after the event. I don't understand why it is so difficult to have respect for that experience while asking for it in return.
Intersectional events where organizers make space for additional groups and issues are possible.

[SMC22307]

5. This sort of stunt won't help #BLM's cause.

Wrong time and place, people, wrong time and place.

[LeftyMom]

7. Queer and trans POC have their lives ruined and ended by police.

Letting the police brand themselves as allies is some bullshit and it's a damn good thing somebody pointed out the reality of the situation.

[Meldread]

8. Exactly.

All Queer Lives Matter, not just the white, male, cis and hetero-conforming ones, or the ones that work "respectable" jobs. Every life in our community matters, and so long as someone in our community is under threat we are all under threat.

We shouldn't allow respectability politics to override our duty to one another.