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All Lives Matter Movement — Right Movement But Wrong Time, BLM Movement Means So Much More

By Dee Sharp
Published on: 10:46 PST, Jul 12, 2016

In a previous Inquisitr article, I wrote about the Twitter firestorm that erupted concerning the All Lives Matter movement after the incident in which a gunman shot and killed five police officers in Dallas, Texas, last Thursday. It angered many people and the question was raised as to why the All Lives Matter movement is so offensive right now. I decided to write another article to try to explain why the ALM movement is wrong at this time. In another day and time, the movement would be something we could all aspire to, but many don’t understand the reason why Black Lives Matter more right now. It is not to condemn other races, or say that any other lives don’t matter, but the BLM movement was born out of prejudice against people of color. The BLM movement began soon after George Zimmerman killed Trayvon Martin and was acquitted of his murder in 2012.

Before you get mad at this article and start saying that all lives should matter no matter the color of their skin, think of this: have you ever been pulled over just because you were white? It has been well documented that black people get pulled over all the time, simply because of the color of their skin. The fact that black people are profiled by police is a hot topic that has been around since before the Civil Rights movement in the 1960s, and it is a reality of life for them. There shouldn’t be any movement at all about whether or not lives matter based on the color of their skin, but there is, and black people have decided that enough is enough.

This article is not intended to bash policemen whatsoever, however. There are way more good cops than bad cops, but because of the fluent use of cellphone cameras today, many bad cops have been brought out into public display and it always seems that they are the ones who are shooting black men sometimes for no reason. While every cop has a right to defend themselves when apprehending a suspect, too many black men have been killed for simply reaching for their ID. The best movement would be for better training for policemen in these situations, or better yet, to stop profiling black people.

For those of you who don’t really understand the BLM movement, USA Today posted an article that gives a few ideas. Aside from being born out of contempt for the Zimmerman acquittal, the movement has become so much more than an outcry for justice. The hashtag #BlackLivesMatter was created using the words of community activist Alicia Garza who wrote a heartfelt Facebook post that ended with those words. Since then, the movement has moved from social media into the streets, with BLM followers holding peaceful protests around the country to decry racial discrimination.

https://www.facebook.com/newyorker/posts/10153856954823869

I get the Black Lives Matter movement. I too have said that all lives matter, but in the current context, no lives matter more than black lives right now because they are right, far too many black lives have been taken unnecessarily. Many people have demonized the BLM movement because of the words of a few people who have threatened the lives of white people.

The Dallas shooter, Micah Johnson, had affiliated himself with the BLM movement and labeled a “BLM extremist,” but the group denounced Johnson’s actions on their website. Think about this — don’t judge a whole group or race for the actions of a few extremists. For some examples, don’t judge all Muslims by the actions of ISIS extremists. Don’t judge all Christians by what the Westboro Baptist Church followers do. Don’t judge all policemen for the actions of a few. Don’t judge all white people by the actions of the KKK and white supremacists, and most importantly, don’t judge the Black Lives Matter movement by the actions of a few extremists like the Dallas shooter.

Although the BLM group does not condone violence, many of their followers have said that violence should be met with violence, and have gone so far as to say white people should be killed so that they know “what it feels like.” The Dallas shooter even said that he wanted to kill white people, mainly white police officers, and that is what he accomplished. Unfortunately, many have said that he was justified in his actions, but again, the BLM group website denounced his actions.

The main point I am trying to get across with this article is that while all lives do matter, right now, black lives are the focus. They are tired of being singled out for the color of their skin. When you say that we should think about all lives and not just one group of people, fine, but wait until all lives really DO matter, because to some right now, they do not. If you don’t understand the difference, you might be part of the problem rather than the solution.

[Photo by Sue Ogrocki/AP Images]

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