@ashwinvis Why would whites being 75% of the population make it ok for unarmed whites to be murdered?

@freemo @ashwinvis look what you did, you invited people into your thread that are rambling about black on black crime statistics from the CIA, an organization that as everyone knows, loves blacks.

@penny

One person, and sadly those people would exist regardless. They are not an excuse for us to have intentional tunnel vision around the issue however.

Best to just ignore them (or set them straight) and focus on the truth without remorse for how people might twist the facts.

@ashwinvis

@freemo @ashwinvis The truth is this is incredibly tone deaf, this is not about a single person, this is about systematic issues and victims of systematic issues. When white people are killed proportionally 2-3x less they are not victims of systematic racial issues.

@penny

systemic racism is absolutely **part** of the discussion. I made that clear in my post. but no that is not the whole of the issue.

The issue is that police brutality is murdering thousands upon thousands of unarmed people each year of every color. There is a racist element in that which needs to be discussed, and I am glad you are willing to discuss that aspect, but it is not the whole of the problem, nor where the solution lies, at least not in its entierty.

Most of the solutions we need to look at are things like how police cover up for each other whent hey murder someone (of any color), or how they are militarized, also an issue that faces people of every color. Those are just as relevant as the fact taht racism is allowed to exist in the police force at all, which also needs to be addressed.

To assume that the whole problem reduces to racism while ignore then non-racial issues of police brutality and corruption in general, will not lead us down any last solution.

@ashwinvis

@freemo @ashwinvis almost every detail you gave is irrelevant in the face of two things

1) if you read this movement as anything but a racially motivated movement against racist institutions, you read it wrong

2) The movement has declared the police unfixable for all the reasons you said and more and demand they be defunded disbanded immediately, and they already are being disbanded in Minneapolis. We DO recognize that the police are fundamentally broken.

@penny

Again none of that seems accurate..

On point #1 I have seen countless people bringing up points outside of race from police brutality, to classism. The movement is not what you dictate it to be and there are many issues at play for many different people. Most of their respective tunnel vision to the parts they care about. Race is one major aspect, so are others.

2) no the movement didnt demand that or determine any such things. There are many different opinions and views as to the solution and you are in fact the first who has declared that specific set of demands which I have heard.

I think you suffer from a line of thinking where you assume the views of you and your friends (who are most likely to think like you) somehow represents a consensus of the whole, it does not.

@ashwinvis

@freemo @ashwinvis It is absolutely the opinion of the black lives matter movement that the police must be disbanded immediately, and this movement, which is organized by Black Lives Matters leaders, is absolutely racial. They plan the protests, they write the pamphlets, those are the things we're supporting when we are on the ground out there. Unless you have also been inj the ground you cannot sit here and tell me what blacklivesmatter is; Police departments are being disbanded because people who believe what I'm saying are on the ground
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@penny

I literally live in the middle of one of the worst riot zones in this whole mess.. Yes I am on the ground and the entire city has been involved in this.

I am aware of the opinions of the Black Lives Matter leadership, they do not, however, get to speak for the whole of society, though their opinions should be considered. Many, if not most, disagree with their proposed solution and offer their own, even many black people.

@ashwinvis

@freemo @ashwinvis Here's the critical flaw in this: while the BLM movement is talking about racially motivated deaths which occur to them 2-3x proportionally you are asking why we are focusing on them? Because 2-3x as much is a bigger issue! An issue we're tackling now! Investigatons are opening all over the USA, schools and businesses are cutting off their contracts with police to cut them out of funding and the entire public psyche in America has finally been exposed to the idea that we don't need cops, even if it doesn't root everywhere yet.

And it just so happens that when we're done with the police, they won't kill white people too

@penny

Except abolishing police simply wont happen and the vast majority of people dont support it. So while its a nice dream perhaps, that isnt how any of this is going to go even if racism stays the only focus.

@ashwinvis

@penny

except this isnt an accurate analogy. to be an accurate analogy it would have to be someone with two legs shot and bleeding out being cared for and another person with just one leg shot and bleeding out asking "arent you going to take care of me too?"

@ashwinvis

@freemo @ashwinvis It's most like putting out a house fire that's already spreading, the other ones need attention but they aren't spreading the flames yet

@penny

Well again, we are talking in pure analogy. I'd say the debate is over this point as it isnt going to generate anything useful beyond the points we have already raised.

Thank you for your input.

@ashwinvis

@freemo @ashwinvis I think all I was trying to say is that when you say that "we" "need" to talk about something it's tone deaf because it implies that BLM supporters are doing something wrong by campaigning for the things that fuel their movement and disproportionately effects them. In general we just shouldn't boss each other around, too

@penny

Which is why i never said we need to talk about something. I did say it is harmful to progress not to however.

In fact I have reiterated multiple times and even stated in my original post that not only are BLM supporters correct for bringing their perspective of the issue to the larger debate, but that it should be only one aspect of the larger debate.

Only that we cant have tunnel vision for just that one aspect and expect it to be a positive result.

@ashwinvis

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