#BlackLivesMatter Protesters Are Not the Problem
This is an African-American group post.
http://www.newrepublic.com/article/122510/blacklivesmatter-protesters-are-not-problem
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A page entitled “Racial Justice” only appeared on his site early Sunday morning, containing a long list of proposals. A campaign representative reached out to me to say that those proposals, in the works for the three weeks since Netroots, were derived from a speech that’s been on the site since July 25. Given the pressure being put on them and the urgency they showed in creating the platform, it’s odd that the campaign put it online, essentially, under the cover of darkness.
The policies on Sanders’s racial justice page, while surely more welcome than none at all, are undeniably blurrier than those O’Malley put forth, and need considerably more specificity and clarity. There’s a lot of the typically forcefully liberal language Sanders likes to employ in order to inspire, but it seems even more fanciful than the O’Malley plan. But those ideas are certainly signs that he is hearing #BlackLivesMatter’s message. The problem isn’t so much him as it is his supporters, cursing protesters and later, on social media, touting their guy’s record whenever they are challenged on his (heretofore) lack of a platform regarding structural racism. They continue to misunderstand the primary goals of the #BlackLivesMatter protest actions, as have been clearly stated: Firm policy proposals, not rhetoric. Black voters have moved past "hope and change.” And hiring Symone Sanders, a black woman, as his press secretary—as the Sanders campaign announced hours after the protest—can't be expected to mollify the movement. #BlackLivesMatter wants policies for black people, not black people for his policies.
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The common mistake made by both Carson and certain Sanders supporters is that in the midst of people dying at the hands of police and a still-largely racist justice system, their reaction is to blame the victim. Carson implies that the real problem lies with the people complaining about being killed and abused and denied opportunities, not the white supremacy that tilts the game against them on a daily, nay, hourly basis. Forget the White House for a moment; Sanders acolytes insist upon nominating their candidate first as an ally for black people. They act insulted that they are not trusted to recommend their candidate as the top advocate for black liberation in the presidential race. Yet, they and the campaign spend time devising tone-deaf chants ("We Stand Together"
to drown out any future protesters, as Ms. Sanders announced during a Sunday night event in Portland. I'm not against criticizing activist tactics, but the idea that #BlackLivesMatter protesters are hurting their cause by challenging candidates, even those considered allies, is based in the notion that the burden of making change is on them. It isn't. Too many Sanders supporters appear to be caught up in their feelings when a protester rubs them the wrong way. They ask, why are the protesters so rude, or annoying, or targeting the “wrong guy”?
In response, I ask simply: Since when are protest tactics designed to make the people whom they are targeting feel more comfortable and less annoyed? And since when is Sanders, or Carson, or any candidate exempt from being pushed? Just since Friday, we’ve passed the anniversary of Michael Brown's death, having seen both another young man killed by a cop and more violence in Ferguson. Yet we still have black conservatives like Carson letting the world believe that black activists trying to fix this are the true racial problem, and some white liberals telling them to ask for help more politely.
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= new reply since forum marked as read
Exactly. Thanks for that.
in Seattle and .. No, she's not a palin supporter.. surprise. BS supporters don't like her because the was "rude to Bernie".. so they tried to smear her..
The interview plays clips of the vicious crowd background too.
Bains Bane
It's enlightening and very interesting.. when you have the time.. about 30 minutes long.
Thank you for your OP, Starry
Being forced (or gently nudged) isn't the optimal response, but it is a response. I remember back in the good old days when change came about as a result of activism, there were catfights about the way it was achieved, but then there was celebration. I don't see celebrating about this. Most "Democrats" & even Republican campaigns already know about diversity hiring. Jezus, it's 2015, ferchrissakes.
Ron Christie, Former Bush Advisor & GOP Consultant
I thought the hiring of that woman was absolutely hilarious. And when MADem told me that she used to work for Nader that made it even more so. 
BLM, to whom I am sympathetic, but not a part of is not the only ethnic group seeking redress. Since you obviously have a computer, you could do your own research. To imply that the president and his administration aren't doing anything on race is just ridiculous and not worthy of much of a response.
Are people still being killed? Of course they are. But all these many years after the Voting Rights Act of 1965, we're seeing jurisdictions across the country still mucking around with the right to vote. You can't prevent the bad actions of all the authority figures, but you can sure as hell prosecute them to fullest extent of the law after the bad act. So, I don't expect the killings to stop overnight, and neither should you.
Now apparently, that's all part of the vast conspiracy as well. Because they obviously didn't really "mean" to protest her. It was all just some elaborate act, you know.
