The #BlackLivesMatter tactics are working

[Cali_Democrat]

How do I know? Well....

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/bernie-sanders-racial-inequality_55c81153e4b0f1cbf1e56b77?section=politics

-------

Were they dicks about it? Perhaps, but black people in America are under siege and there's no time to play nice.

Hats off to #BlackLivesMatter....they are truly changing this country for the better and putting the issue front and center.

Some folks prefer to whine and complain over the interwebz. BLM goes out and gets shit done.

[PeaceNikki]

1. I saw this earlier today.

It's a step in the right direction for sure and it's good news that he's addressing it directly rather than changing the subject to "the oligarchy".

[boatsnhose]

2. Black Lives Matter

needs to officially endorse Bernie. He will be the biggest proponent to the movement and this is definetly a step in the right direction for his campaign. As for their tactics, It is crucial they condemn this type of conduct. There are rumors that those two girls are not even part of BLM. Majority of people, including the media, are against Black Lives Matter, so they must act in a professional manner as opposed to interrupting allies, to gain support and momentum.

[Cha]

24. NO, #BlackLivesMatter needs to do no such thing.. this is bigger than bernie. They are working for

#BlackLIvesMattter.. not BS, not Hillary, or O'Malley.

[brer cat]

28. You are correct, Cha.

Those who post that BLM is a nefarious plot by HRC to disrupt the BS campaign are totally missing and demeaning the point of BLM, and misdirecting our conversation about the issues. BLM is literally fighting for lives, and we should be focused on how we can accomplish meaningful change within a racist society without regard to any candidate.

[Cha]

34. Yes, brer cat. #BlackLiveMatter are fighting for their lives.. and I stand behind them.

[boatsnhose]

35. Bernie is someone

who is fighting for the same objective as they are. Black Lives Matter does not have to necessarily endorse Bernie 2016, but the two parties can come hand in hand and fight for this important message, that black people are being treated like garbage and it is time to do something about it.

[Spazito]

3. This is what AA members have been saying...

what Bravenak has been trying to say over and over again and has been put on a 'time out' for her efforts. I am encouraged the Bernie Sanders campaign has been listening and learning.

[lib87]

4. Bernie Listened and reacted. I Like it!

I'm for/against any dem candidate yet but I appreciate them listening to BLM protestors and reacting with platforms that address the issues.

And yes, those that shamefully complained that the members of the BLM movement are 'race naggers'(dog whistle anyone?) well guess what? The tactics work and BLM is being taken seriously.

[2pooped2pop]

8. the opposite.

BLM was being taken seriously until these 3 made fools of themselves and their movement. Lost a lot of respect and much easier to dismiss now. The absolute only way that they have even made any difference is that during an election no one wants an incorrect message to get out to millions of people who won't bother to look for the truth.

But otherwise, they just played the fool card. Less and less people will listen or even care about what they say they are trying to do if they continue this kind of disruptive crap.

[Number23]

12. Your comments disparaging this movement are not welcome in the AA forum. And calling them "fools"

and your insistence that no one will listen to them now says much more about you than it ever will about #BLM.

Please cut it out or just remove yourself from the forum.

[2pooped2pop]

14. I don't care what you think it says about me

However, I did not realize this was in a forum, so I will remove myself as you ask and attempt to not get caught up in a post that is in this forum again.

carry on

as a matter of fact if you have the ability to block me from this forum, I would appreciate it as it will prevent me from accidently expressing opposing views in a group forum.

[Number23]

16. It definitely says alot. A hell of alot, actually. And thanks for showing yourself out.

[2pooped2pop]

17. lol

takes a bow.

[Number23]

19. Are you leaving now or do you think that you can just keep disrupting this forum?

[lib87]

21. Well,

If these 3 women interrupting BS speaking is all it took for so called allies to dismiss the entire movement to end inequality for Blacks in this country then these allies weren't really allies to begin with.

[gollygee]

31. If you tell African Americans how, and when, to protest

and what they can say or have to avoid saying in order for you to be an ally, you were never an ally and never intended to be an ally.

In other words, I agree.

[JustAnotherGen]

32. That's a really good point! n/t

[Jester Messiah]

33. You need to turn non-allies into allies if you're ever going to get anywhere.

Just saying "you were never a real ally to begin with" might make you feel morally superior, but it doesn't actually advance the cause.

[lib87]

37. Well,

If 3 women cause people to jump ship or refuse to support the overall BLM movement for equality then no, I don't need these 'allies'.

If that makes me morally superior then so be it.

[Jester Messiah]

38. Yeah, actually you do.

Because if you fail to secure allies then you're failing your cause. If you don't have enough people supporting you, they won't recognize the importance of the issues involved, or if they're turned-off to the point of antipathy, then you won't get the votes you need to effect real and lasting change. You will have failed your cause because you gave up on people in a fit of pique. Or you let your pride or self-righteousness stop you from keeping the conversation going. I guess what you have to ask yourself is: are you humble enough to put the cause over your righteous indignation that people don't automatically see things your way?

[Spazito]

39. "Because if you fail to secure allies then you're failing your cause"

Senator Sanders has, as yet, failed to attract the support of the black community, aka black allies to his cause, and he needs their support much more than Black Lives Matter needs his, they would like it to be sure hence the interruptions but it is not essential. Without the support of the black community, a KEY voting block, Senator Sanders will not progress beyond the primaries, imo.

You ask, "are you humble enough to put the cause over your righteous indignation that people don't automatically see things your way?" Are you?

[Jester Messiah]

40. I don't think that's true.

BLM doesn't equal the entire AA community, and there are AA voices rising in opposition to the shenanigans being perpetrated (ostensibly) in their name. I think Bernie's record speaks for itself, but if you look at what he's doing in response to all this it's pretty clear that he's reaching out, and he's listening. As for me, I'm amenable to at least discussion, so long as everyone is reasonable and displays a healthy regard for facts.

[Spazito]

41. The polls are clear, Senator Sanders has very little support from the black community...

it is not just Black Lives Matter at all. They may well, however, be vocalizing the feelings of the majority of the black community that is not supporting him.

The last poll I saw showed Hillary Clinton with 79% support from the black community. It was from a PPP poll done in July:

http://www.publicpolicypolling.com/main/2015/07/bush-leads-gop-field-in-virginia-but-clinton-ahead-for-general.html#more

[lib87]

42. The BLM Movement has and is Securing Allies and Listeners so There is no Failing of the Cause

Once again, if 3 women deter some people from the entire BLM movement, they aren't allies of the movement.


If I let a small number of supporters deter me from supporting a good cause such as immigration, LGBTQ and women's rights just to name a few, I'm not much of an ally to that cause.

[Cha]

25. Yeah, there were fools when #BlackLivesMatter Acitivists Protested NRN but it wasn't

the Protesters.

"Bernie Sanders Blew a Huge Opportunity at Netroots Nation"

snip//

"Both candidates did damage to themselves; Sanders was defensive, and O’Malley’s response included the words “white lives matter.” But Sanders had far more to gain by getting this right.

I approach this incident as a fan of Bernie Sanders. But when he had the opportunity to rewrite his own narrative and broaden his own base, he failed."

MOre..
http://www.thenation.com/article/bernie-sanders-blew-a-huge-opportunity-at-netroots-nation/

[riversedge]

5. BRAVO to #Blacklivesmatter.

[2pooped2pop]

6. they looked like fools

who did no more good for blm than disrupters did for Occupy. They took BLM two steps back.

[JI7]

7. how did they take blm back ? in which area ? what was blm about to do which will no longer be done ?

[2pooped2pop]

11. in the area of respect and willingness for anyone to listen to them

It was like occupy gaining steam until a few disrupters started painting shit and doing childish vandalism. It caused people to rethink joining them, rething supporting them. It made them look childish and not deserving to be taken seriously. People don't like that kind of shit.

[JI7]

13. by who ? who was going to respect and listen to them but no longer will ?

[Cha]

26. you're wrong again.. but, don't let stop ya.. please proceed.

[Starry Messenger]

9. Yes they are.

There are always going to be people who say that resistance is impolite. (I'm in a union--everyone hates strikes too. But you know? That shit gets results, often.)

[Number23]

10. The proof is in the pudding and all of the hair pulling and wailing wrapped up in "concern" from

the supporters of a certain candidate that they "did more harm than good" have been shown for the steaming pile of crap that it is.

#BLM was a strong movement before. But the whole world is talking about them now and every single solitary Dem candidate has had to tailor their messaging to address their concerns. Their profile has increased significantly, they are making everyone think about police violence against black people, and they have totally dominated the conversation this early in the season.

Well done.

[JI7]

15. there is probably some resentment with this also

[Number23]

18. Oh, no doubt. #BLM is succeeding where OWS fizzled. Yeah, that's gotta be a bitter pill for some

But this bit from Sanders is something I truly wish his supporters would fucking listen to:

“It is an obscenity that we stigmatize so many young Americans with a criminal record for smoking marijuana, but not one major Wall Street executive has been prosecuted for causing the near collapse of our entire economy. This must change,” he said. “We must address the lingering unjust stereotypes that lead to the labeling of black youths as ‘thugs.’ We know the truth that, like every community in this country, the vast majority of people of color are trying to work hard, play by the rules and raise their children. It’s time to stop demonizing minority communities.”

and this bit from the article, "Since the incident at Netroots Nation, both Sanders and O’Malley have become more outspoken about the need for criminal justice reform. Last week, O’Malley’s campaign released a comprehensive plan regarding the issue."

proves that all of the caterwauling about how #BLM has "damaged" itself is just the wailing of the politically clueless. They are tearing it UP.

[JI7]

20. certain behavior is ok and even seen as heroic when it's done by someone like michael moore, alan

grayson , etc.

but when it's a black female suddenly it's seen as something else. they claim the difference is who they protest. but the fact is that hillary was the only one focusing on these issues and even that is because she learned from 2008 and from things that happened before she announced her run .

and omalley and sanders are addressing these issues.

when it comes to some sanders supporters many of these were the "class not race" types and i think they feel like blm and just the issues of race are getting in the way of the all important campaign to go after the oligarchs ,1 percent etc and unite everyone against the wealthy.

[Tarheel_Dem]

22. It's window dressing at this point, but Bravo. n/t

[MrScorpio]

23. Amen! nt

[aikoaiko]

27. Black lives matter and #BLM matters.

I will admit I was greatly angered and depressed over the Seattle disruption and lashed out. I apologize.

I am still struggling with the tactics and targets of some #BLMers. I don't think the Seattle disruptors had anything to do with Bernie's recent unveiling. Its not like he dreamed that all up overnight. Much of what your reading in the "new" package is stuff Bernie has been saying, but he never put it together in such a way or with such emphasis.

But I can't deny that #BLM's message is getting heard and rightly so.

[brer cat]

29. K&R

[PeaceNikki]

30. Here's an article that resonates with me.

I see these protests as less about the individual candidates themselves and more about how their White base refuses to center Black lives and Black issues. It’s notable that White Bernie supporters, who consider themselves the most progressive of us all, shouted down and booed Black women who dared to force Blackness into the center of White space.

Because let’s be honest, every Bernie rally is White space.

In watching the over-the-top angry response from White liberals about Bernie being interrupted in Seattle, I can’t help but think of the words of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on White moderates:



What was true in King’s time is true in ours: the greatest stumbling block to racial justice is not the KKK; it’s well-meaning White people who would rather maintain injustice than risk the decentering of our Whiteness and White comfort.

More at link: http://changefromwithin.org/2015/08/09/interrupting-bernie-exposing-the-white-supremacy-of-the-american-left/

[Person 2713]

36. Good read thanks