When nationwide protests erupted in the wake of 46-year-old George Floyd’s May 25 chokehold murder by 44-year-old Minneapolis cop Derek Chauvin and three other officers, protests started around the country, some peaceful but accompanied by riots, looting, arson and anarchy. Black Lives Matter [BLM] among other groups quickly claimed the streets, demanding that police departments around the country be de-funded because of long histories or racial profiling and police brutality. While it’s hard to say whether or not BLM promoted the riots, looting and arson, the militant wing to the group was responsible for the Feb. 26, 2016 Dallas massacre where five police officers were gunned down July 7, 2016 by Micah Xavier Johnson. Whether Johnson was a member of BLM, he had sympathies for the recent slew of murders of unarmed black men and teenagers like 17-year-old Trayvon Martin Feb. 26, 2012.
If BLM got there way de-funding U.S. police department the 250-year experiment in American Democracy would go up in smoke with gangs, criminals and anarchists running the streets. What BLM really wants can’t be obtained by African Americans, namely, to trade places with whites. However blacks made their way to American shores, by slave ships or by any other means, American was already firmly established by white Pilgrims from England, encouraging immigration from other white European countries, eventually bringing in slave laborers, indentured servants and other minorities to work on American projects, including infrastructure and other construction and service trades. No matter how much U.S. courts under the Constitution guarantee civil and human rights, BLM can’t get blacks to trade places with whites. Only playing by the system, can blacks make progress.
Protests around the country, drawing in many sympathetic groups, including whites, share BLM’s concern about racial profiling and police brutality in communities of color. What happened to George Floyd was an egregious example of police brutality, becoming to many African Americans symbolic of their 400-year history in America. But the real issues can’t be solved by protesting or street violence involve complicated sociology involving family structure, education, job training, job opportunity helped by the U.S. government and private sector. No one can deny the progress over the last 100 years made by the civil rights movement but also effort by the federal, state and local governments to provide employment to African Americans, hoping, above all else, to promote a middle class life style to all U.S. citizens that play by the rules and work hard to succeed in careers.
Demanding that white people admit their racism and “white privilege” won’t change anything in society other than breed more resentment. No white person should apologize for being white or, for that matter, express guilt if lucky enough to succeed or inherit any wealth from their families. Wealth has always passed down to the next generation unless expressly given away to charities or other arrangements. Most families have little to pass on to their children, leaving most whites and minorities in the same boat, having to create their own wealth playing by the rule and working hard in various careers. Most U.S. citizens don’t become successful professional athletes, film stars, musicians or any other glamour professions portrayed in TV or movies. Showing empathy for blacks or other minorities doesn’t mean that whites have to kneel to show solidarity with other minority groups’ causes.
Working on police reform, like implementing community policing or banning controversial methods like chokeholds, doesn’t mean that law enforcement agencies won’t make mistakes like what happened with Floyd. Concluding from one or many incidents that “systemic racism” exists in America, isn’t part of today’s civil rights laws, even where they’re not carried out as fully as possible in certain parts of the country. BLM can’t threaten violent revolution if they can’t get rid of “white privilege” or stop law enforcement agencies from making mistakes when going about their business. BLM can help push for more racial sensitivity, better training, hiring practices, and criminal laws that protect minority rights but can’t stop “white privilege” when blacks occupy 13% of the population. Only working within the system, playing by the rules and hard work can improve one’s status in American society.
What BLM wants can’t happen in American Society without violent revolution, something that happened in South Africa with the late Nelson Mandela and the African National Congress. Unlike the United States, South Africa was a black majority country with the white Dutch-originated Afrikan ruling black society. White Americans comprise about 72% of the U.S. population in 2020. Improving U.S. civil rights laws, providing more opportunity for minorities including blacks does not involve riots, looting arson and anarchy. Demanding de-funding of police department around the country puts BLM in the category of a radical group that attempts to undermine U.S. civil society, including for minority groups living in high-crime inner cities. If BLM doesn’t work within the system, reject violence to achieve its aims, it will do nothing to advance civil rights and one day improve “black privilege.”
