Black Lives Matter's "Guiding Principles"

a reply to: crazyewok

This isnt to excuse the criminal behaviour of BLM either. I just see both sides are to blame and there needs to be a descalation both sides.

Exactly. That is why I said we need to listen to the grievances of people within BLM.

originally posted by: ghostrager
After all the recent protests, I've been wondering what exactly it is that BLM wants? Sure, it's to 'stop police brutality', but I haven't seen much from them besides their 'peaceful protests'.

So I went to their website and found this; a list of their Guiding Principles

Diversity - We are committed to acknowledging, respecting and celebrating difference(s) and commonalities.

Restorative Justice - We are committed to collectively, lovingly and courageously working vigorously for freedom and justice for Black people and, by extension all people. As we forge our path, we intentionally build and nurture a beloved community that is bonded together through a beautiful struggle that is restorative, not depleting.

Unapologetically Black - We are unapologetically Black in our positioning. In affirming that Black Lives Matter, we need not qualify our position. To love and desire freedom and justice for ourselves is a necessary prerequisite for wanting the same for others

Globalism - We see ourselves as part of the global Black family and we are aware of the different ways we are impacted or privileged as Black folk who exist in different parts of the world

Black Women - We are committed to building a Black women affirming space free from sexism, misogyny, and male‐centeredness.

Collective Value - We are guided by the fact all Black lives, regardless of actual or perceived sexual identity, gender identity, gender expression, economic status, ability, disability, religious beliefs or disbeliefs, immigration status or location

Transgender -We are committed to embracing and making space for trans brothers and sisters to participate and lead. We are committed to being self-reflexive and doing the work required to dismantle cis-gender privilege and uplift Black trans folk, especially Black trans women who continue to be disproportionately impacted by trans-antagonistic violence.

Black Villages - We are committed to disrupting the Western-prescribed nuclear family structure requirement by supporting each other as extended families and “villages” that collectively care for one another, and especially “our” children to the degree that mothers, parents and children are comfortable.

Empathy - We are committed to practicing empathy; we engage comrades with the intent to learn about and connect with their contexts

Black Families - We are committed to making our spaces family-friendly and enable parents to fully participate with their children. We are committed to dismantling the patriarchal practice that requires mothers to work “double shifts” that require them to mother in private even as they participate in justice work.

Loving Engagement - We are committed to embodying and practicing justice, liberation, and peace in our engagements with one another.

Queer Affirming - We are committed to fostering a queer‐affirming network. When we gather, we do so with the intention of freeing ourselves from the tight grip of heteronormative thinking or, rather, the belief that all in the world are heterosexual unless s/he or they disclose otherwise.

Ageism - We are committed to fostering an intergenerational and communal network free from ageism. We believe that all people, regardless of age, shows up with capacity to lead and learn.

Personally, there is a lot disturbing within this. The one that bothers me the most is "We are committed to disrupting the Western-prescribed nuclear family structure" under their "Black Village" section.

And I had a good laugh under their "Black Families" section that states "We are committed to making our spaces family-friendly and enable parents to fully participate with their children."

Ghost

These are fair enough.

Except the more extreme parts of the movement ruin it with demand5 like:

The more extreme panther types are demanding there own black nation (there are dozens in Africa already, why does the world need another failed violent 3rd world country? )

Or there demand for the release of all black prisoners.

originally posted by: introvert
a reply to: crazyewok

This isnt to excuse the criminal behaviour of BLM either. I just see both sides are to blame and there needs to be a descalation both sides.

Exactly. That is why I said we need to listen to the grievances of people within BLM.

Seems in the USA you have to take one side or the other.


No middle ground or seeing things from the other point of view to negotiate.

Just black white left right.

The USA media really done a number on you guys other there......

My point exactly, and half of them will complain when they see videos of a peaceful protest like the one where the kids got pepper sprayed and cry outrage, they'll se videos of protests getting dismantled because they do not have a permit and say where are our amendment right? and hey we need to go up in arms because this is not fair they have gone too far its time for the people to revolt the government works for the people not the people for the government. now this group does it, though it may no be 100% right or legal and they are being insulted by this same forum?? the one that constantly says the people must go against the government is now the one saying, oh my how rude this is not legal, where are your manners do as the cops say? a reply to: crazyewok

a reply to: crazyewok

I think it's kind of funny.

Although every thing that has transpired hasn't been.

What BLM is basically stating is the party they have been voting for since the days of MLK has utterly failed them.

a reply to: introvert

a reply to: crazyewok

#BLM should pick their battles more judiciously, IMO. That would create a lot more support for what they claim they're trying to accomplish. Michael Brown, for example, was a poor choice of situation for them to demonstrate over. *Most* Americans would agree that, if an officer who is responding to a call is bull rushed and assaulted by a 6'4", 300 lb man who proceeds to lay a whipping on the officer, that officer is within his job description to eliminate the threat. Similarly, most any case which has gone to a jury trial is not a great outlet for #BLM demonstrations... a jury of peers has decided a case, that's the system and there is no fairer system available at this time, so your duty as a citizen is to abide by the decisions you agree with as well as the ones you may disagree with that are born from that system.

I don't doubt that there have been some cases in which #BLM's concerns are well founded, but when they latch on to EVERY example of blacks getting shot by an officer, particularly those cases in which the individual shot posed an immediate threat to public or officer safety, they become like the broken clock which is unreliable and more often than not, in the wrong, despite displaying the correct time twice a day.

a reply to: burdman30ott6

I will agree with that.
Michael brown was a poor case to champion.

BLM unfortunately do pick some bad cases to get behind which overshadoweds some true problems that do need highlighting.

I think the situation needs to be taken out the hands of race baiters both sides and a independent non biased , non goverment affiliated negotiator sent in to sit down with both sides, shift through the BS and high light the problems impartially with both the black community and police then try and sort the mess out.

originally posted by: neo96
a reply to: crazyewok

I think it's kind of funny.

Although every thing that has transpired hasn't been.

What BLM is basically stating is the party they have been voting for since the days of MLK has utterly failed them.

What they dont get is no current party has there intrest at heart.

For the democrats they are just easy votes, nothing more, so there is little point in listening to them or improving there lot.

For the Republicans there are irrelevant and useless eaters.



They are 100% disfranchised but dont know it.

Diversity - We are committed to acknowledging, respecting and celebrating difference(s) and commonalities.

...in appearances only. This doesn't include differences in opinions.

Restorative Justice - We are committed to collectively, lovingly and courageously working vigorously for freedom and justice for Black people and, by extension all people. As we forge our path, we intentionally build and nurture a beloved community that is bonded together through a beautiful struggle that is restorative, not depleting.

Focusing on working for freedom and justice for a preferred subset of humanity, and not all of humanity is injustice, not justice.

Unapologetically Black - We are unapologetically Black in our positioning. In affirming that Black Lives Matter, we need not qualify our position. To love and desire freedom and justice for ourselves is a necessary prerequisite for wanting the same for others

Loving "freedom and justice for ourselves" is not a prerequisite for wanting the same for others. Loving freedom and justice for everyone is a prerequisite for wanting the same for others. Racism.

Globalism - We see ourselves as part of the global Black family and we are aware of the different ways we are impacted or privileged as Black folk who exist in different parts of the world

This is the same Race-based identity politics of white supremacists. Racism.

Black Women - We are committed to building a Black women affirming space free from sexism, misogyny, and male‐centeredness.

Using racism and sexism to defeat racism and sexism is ironic.

Collective Value - We are guided by the fact all Black lives, regardless of actual or perceived sexual identity, gender identity, gender expression, economic status, ability, disability, religious beliefs or disbeliefs, immigration status or location...

In other words, everyone is valued the same because of the color of their skin, not the content of their character. Racism.

Transgender -We are committed to embracing and making space for trans brothers and sisters to participate and lead. We are committed to being self-reflexive and doing the work required to dismantle cis-gender privilege and uplift Black trans folk, especially Black trans women who continue to be disproportionately impacted by trans-antagonistic violence.

Uplift them by tearing everything else down. The new levellers.

Black Villages - We are committed to disrupting the Western-prescribed nuclear family structure requirement by supporting each other as extended families and “villages” that collectively care for one another, and especially “our” children to the degree that mothers, parents and children are comfortable.

...but only if you have a certain color of skin, while other members of the community are left out if they were born differently. Racism.

Empathy - We are committed to practicing empathy; we engage comrades with the intent to learn about and connect with their contexts

...Unless they disagree with the cause.

Black Families - We are committed to making our spaces family-friendly and enable parents to fully participate with their children. We are committed to dismantling the patriarchal practice that requires mothers to work “double shifts” that require them to mother in private even as they participate in justice work.

The irony.

Loving Engagement - We are committed to embodying and practicing justice, liberation, and peace in our engagements with one another.

Principles are principles only if they are applied to everyone.

Queer Affirming - We are committed to fostering a queer‐affirming network. When we gather, we do so with the intention of freeing ourselves from the tight grip of heteronormative thinking or, rather, the belief that all in the world are heterosexual unless s/he or they disclose otherwise.

Close to 95% - 97% of the population are heterosexual. To dismiss that would be stupid.

This manifesto is nonsensical.

a reply to: crazyewok

What they dont get is no current party has there intrest at heart.

Neither does BLM, and I take it you read that article about the 'black' nation.

And what was it really about ?

Control.

Land.

Money.

And power.

a reply to: burdman30ott6

Well said! I do see, with some of the example videos I've seen, without having kept up on the big cases etc, the way the cops unload when they fire how that would inherently cause outrage.

But what you're describing, it reminds me how they were threatening riots basically if OJ was found guilty. Bullying judges & jurors like that is just crazy, criminal even.

a reply to: neo96

There had a item on the news over hear about there silly idea of a black "nation".

Not like there isnt a a number already round the globe they can move too if living with us "whiteys" is to much to bare.

a reply to: crazyewok

Was it this one ?

The end game is land ownership. The endgame is our own government in a nation within a nation. Okay. So we claim the states of Louisiana, we claim the states of Mississippi, we claim the states of South Carolina, we claim the states of Alabama, and we claim the states of Georgia.

There is no way that we can totally separate ourselves in the United States of America and we are aware of that. We know that we are owed land, we are owed monies, we are owed restitutions and we are owed reparations. That’s going to be a continuing process. What we are saying right now is we want to control the economics in our community. We want to control the black dollars. The money that goes in, the money that goes out.

We want to control the politics in our community. If a politician is not bringing anything to the table for the betterment of that community, we are not going to vote for these particular people. And we most definitely want to control the education. What our people are learning in what we call the public fool system, not school system, where they are teaching and misrepresenting the true history of the black man here in the United States.

Nation of ?

a reply to: JAY1980

I don't see what they said there as they want the destruction of the family unit. They said that they don't want the nuclear unit as arequirement for raising kids. I think they are fine with nuclear family units, but they know the realities - many families just don't have both parents there, and even if there are both parents, it's still important that the community takes some responsibility if they see a kid out there doing something they shouldn't be doing. They are asking for the involvement of the community. How is that a bad thing for the community to get involved?

originally posted by: kaylaluv
They are asking for the involvement of the community. How is that a bad thing for the community to get involved?

Most police officers are members of the communities they serve, too... so you tell me.

originally posted by: neo96
a reply to: crazyewok

Was it this one ?

The end game is land ownership. The endgame is our own government in a nation within a nation. Okay. So we claim the states of Louisiana, we claim the states of Mississippi, we claim the states of South Carolina, we claim the states of Alabama, and we claim the states of Georgia.

There is no way that we can totally separate ourselves in the United States of America and we are aware of that. We know that we are owed land, we are owed monies, we are owed restitutions and we are owed reparations. That’s going to be a continuing process. What we are saying right now is we want to control the economics in our community. We want to control the black dollars. The money that goes in, the money that goes out.

We want to control the politics in our community. If a politician is not bringing anything to the table for the betterment of that community, we are not going to vote for these particular people. And we most definitely want to control the education. What our people are learning in what we call the public fool system, not school system, where they are teaching and misrepresenting the true history of the black man here in the United States.

Nation of ?

That is insane.

Radicals, separatists, racists all being walked on a leash down a path by communists.