I've supported BLM since the beginning, and I support Bernie now. Here's some thoughts...

[nashville_brook]

2. those of us who've been doing this awhile recognize the signs of manipulation

we saw it early on in Occupy, and it's happening again in BLM.

i think there's always going to be "leaderless/hashtag" activism in the age of social media, but we need to augment that with real organizing. otherwise we'll fall victim to this crap and never get anything accomplished.

one of the biggest untold stories of Occupy, I think, is that it provided the opportunity for people who're really committed to change to lend their expertise to organizations that really needed new blood. without Occupy I don't think we'd be seeing the later movements in immigration and BLM. it's just a footnote...something that we recognize within our coalitions. but with every new "leaderless" movement, there's tons of people who make contact with existing organizations who continue on doing the boring day-to-day stuff that keeps the progressive movement growing as a whole.