Black Lives Matter

[*JACKAL*]

...that's not true at all. no one wants to "stick it to police and make money", they want to stop seeing family members, friends, community members, and random innocent black and brown people get killed or mistreated by a system designed to hurt them.
the creation of police was to catch runaway slaves. many of the confederate statues were put up in the 60s to scare black and brown folk into silence.
i've been to two protests - one with at least 10k people marching through the capital city of my state - and no looting occured. looting is actually not very widespread at rallies and protests, but they make so much noise about their looting that it seems like a lot of people. you may have heard of the w/stboro baptist church, which is a family church of only ~60 people, but they make such a fuss that it sounds like hundreds of people. this is how looting is going.
many looters are actually trying to invite violence against peaceful protestors and discredit the blm movement

There are a lot of bad cops out there and badly trained ones too. I know, I've seen the vids. And no not all the protesters around the world are bad because we've had our own lined up on the road where I live in the UK. Now that was true BLM where people actually want equality for black people.

What I mean is that BLM especially in US is being taken advantage of, and of course they are sticking it to the police, those that are looting. They are basically saying "Ha you can't do anything cos everyone hates you!" It's not for BLM itself. The looting has ruined the lives of black and white inocents that can't even get a scrap of food for their kids, without picking it off the floor.

In this thread we are basiclly better to look and support the idea of father figures and education. Black deaths are not solely on cops heads which is where all this protesting and rioting started off again in the first place.

That cop was simply a murderer, what about ALL the other murders and human trafficing for the current slave trade.

[Zeena]

Hey everyone,
I've removed a few posts from this topic due to an argument starting. Please remember everyone is expected to be respectful of one another at all times on CS. If you disagree with someone that's completely fine so long as you explain why in a respectful manner. Please keep this in mind going forward.

[vaermina]

We shouldn't rioting in any country, everyone needs protection and Respect. Black, white, LGBTQ+, all shapes, sizes, religions etc etc.

We are so busy not getting the basics right, and the funny thing is, it's actually easier than everyone is trying to make out. We can put a man on moon, but we can't recognise the fact that someone has a darker shade of basically orange skin than us? It doesn't take riots to retrain police, and if BLM is making a difference, way wasn't this corrected in 2013? Why is this post even here right now? CS has been up since 2008, why not this discussion then? We do know all of this is actually over a murder of a criminal right? Cops have killed more unarmed whites and Latinos than blacks. Black on Black is where most black deaths come from.

So why BLM now?

... stating that "this is actually over a murder of a criminal" is, to be honest, extremely insensitive (especially posting that on a black lives matter thread) and i'm only assuming you're referring to george floyd's killing since his death is what caused the movement to sprout again in full force. george floyd was a father, a man who had a family and friends. over a decade ago he was arrested, yes but after serving his time he later went on to work for a ministry and even created an anti-violence gun video. people can change, and trying to legitimately justify someone's murder because they have a criminal background is vile. police officers are not supposed to kill the people they're arresting. george floyd had no weapon on him, he was not trying to cause harm to those cops. just because someone may or may not have committed a crime in their life, does not mean they deserve to be suffocated by a person who had pledged to protect the general public.

also, 'black-on-black' crime is a concept extremely distorted by media and analysts. here is a paper written by harvard attendees on why, since i don't have the energy to explain that. and either way, trying to bring that up to try and discredit the movement is also insensitive. here's another good source that also dismantles the concept of 'black-on-white' crime. when it comes to unarmed white people and latinos being victims of police more than blacks, please look at this government statistics page from 2009 to 2012. trying to get some .org or .gov sources since those are more legitimate than .com ones, but this website gathers its data from death certificates, coroner information and le reports. according to the data, victims were majority white but disproportionately black, with fatality rates being higher for black people than white people. most of the victims were armed, too but black victims were found to be more likely unarmed than white or latino victims. so, yes, other races can be victims of police violence but black people are - statistically and historically - more likely to be targeted and killed by police officers.
either way, this thread is not for posting about 'black-on-black' crime or trying to discredit the movement by saying a victim of police brutality essentially deserved it because he was a 'criminal'. it's insensitive, and honestly makes me feel very twisted up inside to see this posted on here, when everyone has - for the most part - been so supportive and happy about chicken smoothie's stance on the movement.

[*JACKAL*]

I already asked for all my posts to be removed since I’m apparently wrong. I’ll just know not to trust anything I read or hear again.

I’m sorry.

[LOCW_Bluestarwarrior]

Thank you Tess and CS staff! It's late and I don't have eloquent words to use rn but thank you for stating your stance

EDIT: As for the deerskin outfit, I can't really give a true opinion on it because I'm not a native person. But... I think we should listen to the indigenous people who are uncomfortable with it and just change the item entirely. I don't think the item 'code' should be deleted, just swap the image out like you did the name. Maybe just make it a deer pelt item, like the cat has a cape that's a deer pelt. Then 'deerskin' will still be accurate but it won't be culturally insensitive? Just remove any connotation that the item has in regards to native american people.

Like i said, I'm not a native person. BUT I do think that, even if those bothered by it are in the minority, the comfort and mental well-being in regards to a stereotype with reach far, FAR beyond this pet site is vastly more important than a majority being bummed that their pixels changed.

And maybe in the future, if there are native artists on the team, they could design a set of accurate outfits following certain tribes or something similar! Just... halloween would not be the time to release them.

(please let me know if any of this sounds insensitive in any way!)

[*JACKAL*]

i'm interested in hearing more about your position. what sources do you have on blm killing people? and how is blm racist?

Probably the same stuff I’ve hearing, I would like to learn more too.

[Guest]

jackal, can you provide sources in the form of links then? i can't find information on any killings or racism caused by people in the name of blm.

[dontdrinkthepoison]

i'm interested in hearing more about your position. what sources do you have on blm killing people? and how is blm racist?

Probably the same stuff I’ve hearing, I would like to learn more too.

Did you completely miss the black people killed in the riots? David Dorn, David McAtee, Javar Harrell, Patrick Underwood, Itailia Kelly, Calvin Horton, James Scurlock, etc. Did you miss the business being destroyed? For what? You don't have to be a conspiracy theorist to see that one.

BLM is run by rich white anarchists. They don't even try to hide it. Look up the facts. Follow the money trail. It's all a big lie. People back them because they think it sounds virtuous. Virtue signaling doesn't help anyone.

You want to help? Take action. Get out and DO something that actually helps someone improve their life. Quit seeing race and see people. But if you believe black are treated badly then get out there and help them. BLM destroys. That's all they care about.... Revenge and destruction

[Guest]

i'm interested in hearing more about your position. what sources do you have on blm killing people? and how is blm racist?

Probably the same stuff I’ve hearing, I would like to learn more too.

Did you completely miss the black people killed in the riots? David Dorn, David McAtee, Javar Harrell, Patrick Underwood, Itailia Kelly, Calvin Horton, James Scurlock, etc. Did you miss the business being destroyed? For what? You don't have to be a conspiracy theorist to see that one.

BLM is run by rich white anarchists. They don't even try to hide it. Look up the facts. Follow the money trail. It's all a big lie. People back them because they think it sounds virtuous. Virtue signaling doesn't help anyone.

You want to help? Take action. Get out and DO something that actually helps someone improve their life. Quit seeing race and see people. But if you believe black are treated badly then get out there and help them. BLM destroys. That's all they care about.... Revenge and destruction

well, those arent sources, but okay.
1. i have been unable to keep up with all the latest news on protests or "riots", i am only human. but some of the people you mentioned are white, or have been killed by p/lice, or have unidentified killers. i did not miss the businesses being destroyed, or the deaths. many of the rioters are unrelated to the peaceful protests or even using the violence to discredit the movement, which obviously works if we're having this conversation.
2. you tell me to look up the facts but give me nothing to look up. black lives matter is not "run" by anyone, because it is not an organization. it's a movement that has been going on for years now. please provide me with sources or keywords to extreme claims like that.
3. how can i help? i have been attending peaceful protests, trying to get the names of charities out in public view, and educate people. i'm an unemployed minor and currently saving my money for a driver's education course, so i can't donate, but i have been trying to get others who can donate to do so.
race is a beautiful thing. forgetting race would be forgetting history and culture. our differences are what make us unique, and our backgrounds are easily part of that. again, please tell me how i can be more active and assist my poc siblings in their fight for equality.
blm is not a "them", it is an ideal. it's a thought process, a way to show support, and a call for action. "blm" only cares about equality for poc, that is the entire point.

[ghostmaker]

So disappointed that CS would choose to back such a hateful racist organization. The movement itself is racist. Hard working mostly poor people of all races are being hurt and even killed because of BLM. So many people with good intentions but either lack the facts, refuse to follow the money trail, or just simply don't care about the truth.

I generally stay out of controversy... but CS felt the need to not only get involved but actually post it on the front page. I guess the mods were bored and needed a challenge.

Fyi... I married a black man and have 3 mixed children and 3 black children. I grew up in "the system." I know what I'm talking about. Please be careful. Don't be brainwashed.

"i'm not racist, i have black family!"

you yourself are not black. you may think you do, but you do not know what you are talking about because you are not black.

BLM is more than just an organization at this point. it's a uniting point across the world and by saying "black lives matter," people aren't directly allying themselves with the organization itself.

for myself and other POC, especially BIPOC, simply "ignoring race" is impossible. in a country built on systemic racism and genocide, there is no way for us to somehow remove our skin colors and history from the equation.

check your privilege <3