Staying Focused in the Movement for Racial Justice
By Opal Tometi
Executive Director of the Black Alliance for Just Immigration, Co-Founder of Black Lives Matter
In this 24-hour news cycle -- we continue to be concerned about how #BlackLivesMatter is covered and we challenge the ways in which a senseless tragedy, an isolated incident, is being used to send a chilling message to protesters and to shape a dangerous narrative primarily by the Patrolmen Benevolent Association's Patrick Lynch. Mayor de Blasio and Chief Bratton have not pushed back on the newly shaping narrative. Our hearts go out to the families of officers Liu and Ramos. We ask the media not to erase from these tragic events that the shooting of Shaneka Nicole Thompson in Baltimore, is where these unfortunate events began, ending with the alleged shooter, Ismaaiyl Brinsleyn, taking his own life. According to his own family we know he had a history of mental illness and instability that was not properly addressed. Our hearts go out to all of the families that have suffered violence and loss connected to these events. In light of all we know, and with respect to all who hurt most now, we must not let misconceptions prevail.
This is a challenging moment, but we must maintain the integrity of our message and moral movement. We still have the moral high ground, and we cannot allow for it to be undermined. In 2011 when I was still in Arizona, I saw a similar dynamic play out with Sheriff Joe Arpaio. While human rights activists were clear and backed by evidence of racial profiling inherent in the "Show Me Your Papers" law, Sheriff Arpaio was intent on mocking and villainizing protesters and the communities that were suffering the most. He helped to set up a false dichotomy about how he was protecting "law and order" and the community was lawless. He stoked racial hatred and used his power and platform that helped build a base of extremists and positioned them to speak, in effect positioning politicians, lukewarm reformers, as having a moral center with "common sense" and "practical" solutions and proposals. We cannot allow that to happen. We do not have time for the platforms of people who stoke hatred or confuse the debate, and we cannot be satisfied with politicians telling us what is or is not possible.
The energy on the street is about justice and accountability -- the system of policing is what is making us unsafe. With months of protests and organizing, we are finally at a moment where more people are newly open to understanding the institutional and systemic problems with policing that hurt communities of color and disproportionately black people. Policemen and young people who are considering joining the police should understand this too -- it's the system. Despite claims that there are good and bad cops -- we know that the system is failing everyone, including the police. That's why Lynch's inflammatory rhetoric is alarming. For one, it continues to pit the police against the communities they serve in, fueling distrust further on both ends. Secondly it derails an important conversation. Thirdly -- it serves to consolidate a base of people like those wearing "I can breathe" shirts and the teachers wearing NYPD shirts to school -- and our energy is sucked into addressing their defensiveness and derailing difficult and courageous conversations about race. Conversations on how this is not about interpersonal racism -- and police, even good-hearted ones, can unintentionally hold up a racially biased system that has damaging and dangerous life-changing outcomes for communities of color. According to the Stolen Lives Project, at least 265 people have been killed by the NYPD since Amadou Diallo, 133 since Sean Bell. The does not even get into the incidences of unnecessary use of force and police brutality and mistreatment on the street.
In addition to that, it is the everyday interactions and overwhelming police presence in our neighborhoods that also wear people down. Due to broken windows policing, the following interactions can lead to tickets, arrests and summonses, warrants if tickets go unpaid and in some cases, violence: jaywalking, sleeping on a park bench, spitting, putting your feet up on the subway and more.
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Read More: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/opal-tometi/staying-focused-in-the-mo_b_6366618.html
There is a lot more at the link, well worth your time to read.
= new reply since forum marked as read
Response to sheshe2 (Original post)
I wish these idiots would learn a new schtick already. Then again, that would require evolving and progressing, which is not exactly one of their strengths.
"They freed you from slavery"
before it was shown the door. Poor Cha's thread has been littered with trolls.
And yeah, next we'll hear "Go back to Africa1!!1!!!" 
And it's sad that there are DUers who don't believe this happens... I guess because MIRT does do a good job at scrubbing and sanitizing the mess that gets left. 
Can't get distracted.
