The response of #BLM by white liberals indicates the overall problem...

[PatrickforO]

107. Good point. Let people vent and then go from there.

Because if people who look like me, especially kids, were being killed over and over and over by cops and nothing is being done about it at all by the establishment for years, I'd be pretty focused on that issue.

Racism is profound here in the United States, and even whites who consider themselves non-racist can inadvertently be racist.

I wonder why, though, that BLM isn't more actively going after the current Congress and Administration for some fixes NOW.

I also must point out here that if we become divided, we are playing into the hands of the Koch brothers and the rest of the oligarchs.

Bernie could really win this thing, and if he does it will probably make life better for millions of Americans maybe for quite a few years to come. If Clinton wins, it will be more of the same neoliberal crap we've had since 1980. Nickel and diming us to death, busting unions, driving wages down, ripping off pensions, cutting programs that actually help Americans. And if one of the Republicans wins, it will be the same neoliberal crap doubled down.

I can understand well that if your kids are dying, everything else stops mattering much until you get that problem solved. So let's start working together to solve it. I went on BLM's website and looked at their demands, and then I've read some stuff about how BLM activists are meeting with a few mayors.

But what's the agenda moving forward? First thing is you want it to stop; we all do. But what does that mean in terms of changing policy agendas from the Obama Administration? What does that mean in terms of specific legislation to ask for from members of the US Congress? What about state legislatures? How can pressure be applied to state legislators, as well as county and municipal governments to alleviate the situation? And what is the media strategy? The social media strategy? Are you planning any marches? Like on DC? Or maybe in some of these towns where the outrages have happened? By the way, how is the movement financing itself? Is there a goal for donations to allow BLM to do some media stuff and get the word out to more people?

Is there an economic strategy? Because if you hit the capitalists in the pocketbook with effective boycotts, you 'de facto' enlist them in the cause, because they will begin pressuring the same politicians you are pressuring - they don't want to lose money. Remember the Montgomery Bus Boycott? That WORKED.

The demands on the BLM site are fine - I expect most Americans could get behind them. I read them and I am behind them. Absolutely. But now what are we gonna DO? Because honestly, disrupting two Democratic candidates before the primary season even starts isn't gonna help very much if the goal is to actually solve the problem of innocent kids getting killed by cops because they are black. Solving that requires a pretty concerted effort to pressure those in power to make some positive stuff happen.

I mean, I've been active in getting some things done, and the first thing you DO is to sit down and say OK who can we pressure and get the greatest effect? What specifically should we ask of them? Then you pressure to make that happen while at the same time setting the next goal(s).

See, I was disappointed with Cullors because she doesn't seem to have any plan except to disrupt debates. I don't know what her background is, don't really care, but if you really want change, then disrupting debates isn't gonna help very much. I'm sorry because I'd be doing the same thing, or be inclined to. Protests, riots, uprisings? You bet - I have Irish Catholic roots and we've been there done that. But alas, it doesn't work. Boycotts work. Political pressure works. Ad campaigns work.

Oh, and by the way, if there is an organized effort, I will happily help - I'm not just sitting back here saying oh good luck. Nope. I will help.

However, I will not respond very well to disruptive heckling at what I perceive is the only candidate who cares enough about this racism to act to end it. And you know, if any Democratic candidate needs black people to help get elected, which is true, then it is ALSO true that black people need some other allies to get rid of this police violence.