Why are they still protesting? What do they want?

Status
Not open for further replies.
The protesters want systems in place to assure that bad actors on the police force don’t overstep their bounds and kill people.

The rioters want to act out their rage.
 
0Scarlett_nidiyilii said:
systems in place to assure that bad actors on the police force don’t overstep their bounds and kill people.
Click to expand...
My understandng is that police matters are handled locally by city mayors. In the Minneapolis example, shouldn’t there be discussions in MInnesota regarding the senseless brutality that we have all witnessed? Should local government officials be engaging in some sort of community outreach to determine what the needs are? How are massive demonstrations in DC going to fix the problems of the Minndeapolis police department?
 
ZemD said:
Maybe check “black lives matter” offical website, here are some things they advocate for.

"We disrupt the Western-prescribed nuclear family structure…

We foster a queer‐affirming network.

We are self-reflexive and do the work required to dismantle cisgender privilege…

We build a space that affirms Black women and is free from sexism, misogyny, and environments in which men are centered."
Click to expand...
I was sort of shocked when I went to the website and read all that. It seems like it will unnecessarily alienate a lot of people that would have otherwise supported the cause.
 
If it weren’t for these demonstrations, the incident would have been swept under the rug until another person gets killed again by police.

I would doubt there would be dialogue taking place if it was business as usual.

The whole world is watching and police should now know that they cannot be complacent with the fact that they can get away with murder.
 
That’s a fair point.
I suppose the idea is that nationwide protests put more spotlight and pressure on the people in power who don’t want to make themselves and their city look bad.
 
So, they wan to destroy the traditional family, destroy gender, and revoke Western civilization. Sounds pretty anarchic to me. The original Vandals had a similar effect on , Roman civilization, though they didn’t lay out the plan quite so definitely. Ultimately, the Church rebuilt civilization, but these anarchists reject Christianity too.
 
0Scarlett_nidiyilii said:
That’s a fair point.
I suppose the idea is that nationwide protests put more spotlight and pressure on the people in power who don’t want to make themselves and their city look bad.
Click to expand...
I agree, except that it is not working out that way. When was the last time you saw the mayor of Minneapolic say or do anything? Are there any Minnesotans here? Have I been missing footage of the local government in action there?
 
“Black Lives Matter began as a call to action in response to state-sanctioned violence and anti-Black racism.”

What state or federal law sanctions violence against any group of people? This is rhetorical, I’m aware no law allows this in any state.
 
Adamek said:
My understandng is that police matters are handled locally by city mayors. In the Minneapolis example, shouldn’t there be discussions in MInnesota regarding the senseless brutality that we have all witnessed? Should local government officials be engaging in some sort of community outreach to determine what the needs are? How are massive demonstrations in DC going to fix the problems of the Minndeapolis police department?
Click to expand...
The protests are about more than just police matters in Minneapolis, though. It’s also about the racism, discrimination and inequality that black people face. The protests mean people can call attention to this, and others will listen and take notice, and help change happen.

This is how I see it, anyway.

Of course protesters want attention. They want change, and change won’t happen without people drawing attention to wrongs in society.
 
Adamek said:
I am still not clear what it is that the protesters want to see happen. I know that they want equality, love, peace, justice, etc.
Click to expand...
given the lock downs, I’m 99.999% certain everyone is under some kind of mental pressure,… since stuff is just starting to ReOpen the #BLM demonstrations are a convenience outlet for many to deal w/ cabin fever
phaster said:
…Demonstrations and protests can relieve pressure, allowing people to make their voices heard and allowing them to share pain and to persuade authorities that things need to change.
Click to expand...
 
I agree that’s a bit hyperbolic, but I think the mindset would be similar to war crimes in the military. If a soldier does something criminal, this reflects poorly on the state, even if the soldier was not explicitly ordered to commit the act. Similarly, if the police do something criminal, this reflects poorly on the state, and, since the police are a function of the state, it’s the states job to pass laws or regulations curbing any abuses of power.
 
Make their voices heard? That doesn’t require rioting, That’s why we have social media, internet forums, Twitter, etc. Everybody on the planet can make their voices heard more than at anytime in history.
 
Adamek said:
My question is addressed to the social justice warriors. I too want no more racism, love, peace and all that. But that is a long term project. The utopian dream is difficult to achieve and is likely to take years, decades, millennia. But, what do you want to see happen this week? What will get you off the streets?
Click to expand...
How do you define a “social justice warrior?”
Adamek said:
Where is the list of demands that can be met? Where is the leader who will stand up and say; we want this to happen?
Click to expand...
You’re demanding too much of protesters. Regardless of the cause - pro-life, pro-choice, BLM, gun rights, gun control, etc. - this simply isn’t what protests do. Protests are what precede the roundtable discussions, meetings with lawmakers, brainstorming, etc. Protests simply signal that all of that needs to happen quickly.
Adamek said:
Do you want no more police? No more Trump?
Click to expand...
Is this something you heard specifically from protesters? Or just wild conjecture?
ZemD said:
Maybe check “black lives matter” offical website, here are some things they advocate for.
Click to expand...
Some people took BLM and made it into an official website. But in reality, it’s a very ad hoc movement representing a wide variety of people. Nobody has to break down a nuclear family in order to prevent their son from getting unjustly shot or strangled.
JimG said:
That doesn’t require rioting,
Click to expand...
This is a thread about protesting, not rioting. I hope you understand the difference.
 
I think it is helping people get over their fear of contracting the coronavirus.
 
Adamek said:
Maybe they are protesting because they don’t know what they want? Where is the list of demands that can be met? Where is the leader who will stand up and say; we want this to happen?
Click to expand...
He died on Thursday evening, April 4th, 1968.

That said, if the protestors are adults who have not utilized the institutional mechanisms in place to monitor and correct issues, then those protestors are part of the problem who inadvertently gave free reign for those in power positions to run amuck.

As a US citizen who was a small child in the years after MLK’s assassination, I heard a lot about lawsuits, legislation, monitoring through audits, task forces, internal affairs, oversight agencies, marches, public meetings, prayer breakfasts, etc to ensure civil rights for all.

Decades later, I was shocked and appalled at the lack of dialog and remembrance of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on the 50th anniversary of his death. In my area, it was crickets from leaders and people across all demographics. Maybe the black elders spoke of it in the churches, but little to nothing was done to commemorate the man who died to bring equality, liberty, and justice for all and the movement he inspired as the platform to do so.

“We the people” must get educated as to what it takes to ensure that civil rights are enforced and be willing to do the work to uphold those civil rights. At the same time, we must tackle issues like addiction, violence, poverty, disparities, discrimination, etc. Otherwise, the United States will continue to face these horrific and tragic situations.

This is a wicked problem without a simple solution that we are suffering. Rioting and looting won’t help solve it, but I can where and why it might make some people feel like they get a “piece of the pie” by doing so.
 
Concrete steps, rather than platitudes. This, for example, shouldn’t even have had to happen:


And an end to all the excuses and victim-blaming. “Well, if you’d just comply with the nice police officer . . .”

I am old enough to remember, as a child, seeing news footage of civil rights marchers being attacked by “law enforcement” with fire hoses and dogs. It is both heartbreaking, and absolutely infuriating, that 55 years later, we have black people harassed by Karens, stopped by police just for being in the “wrong” place, and held down with a knee on their necks for 8 minutes and 46 seconds.
And I’m white. I cannot even imagine how I’d feel if I were a person of color.
 
“8 minutes & 46 seconds.”

It was terrible, and now justice is being served. Those cops have been arrested and charged. I’m with the OP. The continuing rioting, looting, and protests that go beyond what is protected by the Constitution are hurting the movement, the positive momentum that it had, and the empathy that MOST Americans felt.
 
puer.dei said:
It is both heartbreaking, and absolutely infuriating, that 55 years later, we have black people harassed by Karens, stopped by police just for being in the “wrong” place, and held down with a knee on their necks for 8 minutes and 46 seconds.
Click to expand...
I remember this very well and I share your sentiment. I don’t know how many civil rights laws exist today, but I imagine there are many. And I just don’t know if more legislation will solve the social problem we are all facing. There has to be social will to identify the problems that exist. As long as the problem is cast in terms of a single issue - police brutality, then it will never be resolved. I am not defending brutal cops, nor do I oppose better “policeing” of the police, but we have gone through all of this before. An honest dialogue free of posturing and slogans needs to be conducted. Only that can lead to some sort of solution.
 
Where were community activist groups when San Fran was hiring (I almost wrote thug cops…) police officers with histories of misconduct? I think this is something early activist groups would have brought lawsuits on a municipality for.

There is definitely a loss of oversight by activists and a lack of utilizing proven, methodical measures to obtain and maintain civil rights. It could be a lack of $$$ to go into court battles where rights are concerned. I don’t know if other social problems are getting more attention than civil rights or where the breakdown is occurring that make civil rights violations are more common.

I’m also furious at the ongoing harassment of blacks and other minority groups by the powers that be. And you’re spot on with the victim blaming. The nice officer doesn’t look like such a good guy when we see on camera how the victim was actually treated.

Oh. My. Goodness.

Healthcare has this:


so why doesn’t law enforcement have something similar with applicable standards for LEOs?
It can’t be that difficult to require law enforcement agencies to report adverse actions and payments for cops if health care facilities and state boards do so for doctors and other medical providers.
 
Last edited:
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top