American and black community.
According to Because of this movement, there have
B L A C K
L I V E S
M A T T E R
Police Brutality is the unwarranted or
excessive and often illegal use of force against
civilians by U.S. police officers, according to
Encyclopedia Britannica. Forms of police
brutality have ranged from assault and battery
to mayhem, torture, and murder. Harassment,
intimidation, and verbal abuse are often
associated with police brutality as well. The
great majority of victims subjected to police
brutality in the United States are African
Americans, also known as blacks. As a result,
police brutality has become a catalyst for
many social movements, protests, and riots
that have taken place in America.
Fig.1 Statistics show that blacks are 3.28 times more likely to
get killed than a white person by the police in America.
Most recently, an international activist
movement, better known as Black Lives
Matter, was created to combat police brutality
and systematic racism against the African
Black Lives Matter: Racialized Policing in the
United States, the term black lives matter
has become the common response to police
brutality against African Americans. It was
Fig. 2 A woman in the protest holds a sign that reads Pro-
Black isnt Anti-White.
first created by two black women, named
Alicia Garza and Patrisse Cullors, in response
to news about the killing of Trayvon Martin in
2012. BLM centers upon activism against
racialized policing, from black poverty and
genocide to mass incarceration.
Although the Black Lives Matter
movement centers upon blacks, it does not
mean that all lives do not matter. Black Lives
Matter is a response to police brutality and
policing injustices against black communities.
Singling out black lives does not in any shape
or form mean that all lives dont matter. If at
an Alzheimer's Disease Awareness event, it
doesnt mean other diseases dont matter. It
simply brings attention and awareness to
Alzheimer's Disease. Same goes for BLM. The
movement doesnt discredit any other race. It
just singles out the black race, to bring
awareness to the injustices faced by the black
race.
been responses of All Lives Matter and Blue
Lives Matter. These movements did not exist
before people began bringing attention to
black lives following the injustices of Trayvon
Martin, Mike Brown, Eric Garner and many
others. All Lives Matter refocuses and
distracts the conversation away from the
systematic racism faced by blacks. All Lives
Matter silences the oppressed. It undermines
the movement that tries to raise awareness
that black lives continue to be undervalued in
comparison to white lives. Those who respond
with All Lives Matter and Blue Lives Matter find
black to be the problem. If there is
discomfort in the word black, it shows that
race is the problem. Therefore, the attention
to black lives is a necessity.
When people say Black Lives Matter, it
doesnt mean Blue Lives dont matter, it just
means All Lives matter, but right now the big
concern is the fact that the data shows black
folks are more vulnerable to these kinds of
incidents. This isnt a matter of us comparing
the value of lives.
Fig. 3 Former President Barack Obama explained the need for
Black Lives Matter.
As long as these injustices and brutalities
keep occurring in the United States, Black
Lives will be the concern. The goal is to make
sure that All Lives Matter, but until then Black
Lives Matter will keep working to make
combat these wrongs.