The slogan is BLM for a reason..

[PrincessConsueIaBananaHammock]

A lot of people dig deep in the past of black victims of police brutality,racism,murder etc. and then they use it to distract and derail from what is going on.

The background of the victims doesn't matter to the police so why should it matter to us? What difference does a criminal record make when you are being killed in the street, in broad daylight , in front of witnesses?

They've killed 12 yo children,men, women, EMT's, accountants, doctors,criminals. All these people have in common is that they are black.

Just this year we had

Ahmaud Arbery
Breonna Taylor
Maurice Gordon
George Floyd.

Late last year there were Atatiana Williamson and Botham Jean.

It's not about a particular person or victim, even if some are more publicised due to video evidence and witnesses.

It's about ALL black lives.

The slogan is Black Lives matter not Only Black Exemplary Lives Matter.

@lemonsandlimes123 I didn’t imply no such thing at all.

However I will call you out and tell you that from your comments about you don’t understand the BLM and the officers were in US.
Your indirectly saying what are the UK protests trying to achieve. By no means did I try call you a murderer behave!!!!

But I do find your view racist!

& that fact you have continued to respond is your choice.

I think 'they' refers to anyone who tries to derail supporters of the BLM movement with retorts like 'George Floyd was a criminal though, wasn't he?' I'm sure any right-minded person would agree that even criminals don't deserve to be murdered in the street - that's why there's a criminal justice system.

But it's a valid question - you can't have a debate if you don't first define your terms.

namedy - the OP has clarified that the 'they' she is referring to in the OP is the US police. It was a simple question, easily answered and hopefully the thread can move on.

OP - "They've killed 12 yo children,men, women, EMT's, accountants, doctors,criminals. All these people have in common is that they are black."

Me - 'Just for clarity - who is 'they' in this context?'

sweetlikecoca - 'Most probably people like yourself'

It's there in black and white!

princessconsuela - I think it arises when people who aren't subject to discrimination need to find an explanation that seems more understandable (to them). Because to accept that the police murder people is so disruptive to their world view it is easier and more comfortable to find a way to blame the victim. I do find it interesting that Breonna Taylor's case hasn't had more prominence and wonder about the role of sexism in that. Bur the role of the police is protect everyone not just 'good' people.

@lemonsandlimes123

Not really given that there are BLM protests going on all over the UK and it would seem odd if their sole purpose was to protest against the US police force.

It would seem odd if it was the sole purpose.... BUT IT IS NOT THE SOLE purpose that’s just it!!

When I said people like you I meant people like you holding ignorant views such as these and being deliberately obtuse.

sweetlikecoca - Oh dear? You can't claim you were responding to something I hadn't even posted at that point, you look utterly ridiculous. The thread is perfectly clear, you can't reorder time to try and make yourself look better

20th Nov 2014. Akai Gurley, 28, was shot and killed by a police officer whilst walking up a housing stairwell in New York with his girlfriend. He was unarmed. The shooting was called an "accidental discharge."

The officer was charged with second-degree manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide, second-degree assault, reckless endangerment, and two counts of official misconduct. The officer received five years of probation and community service.

I let you have the last word Goodnight

There is an issue with black people being disproportionately stopped and searched, arrested, convicted and being harmed while in custody.

Approximately 54% of the UK's black population live in london and around 50% of all stop and searches are carried out in London. The ratio of stop and searches in London is 37% white, 37% black and 26% asian, mixed or other (Outwith london it's 78% white, 8% black and 14% asian, mixed or other). Considering 54% of street crimes 58% of robberies, 67% of gun crimes, 66% of knife crime and 46% of car crime is committed by black suspects those figures are hardly disproportional.

My theory about Breonna is that there was no video footage. There have been massive protests in the US and headlines but not as visible or widespread as other murders on videos.

Once you start looking it makes for a bleak,disturbing and depressing reading. Not just the number of victims, who they were, how young they were (a 7 yo girl was shot while asleep during a SWAT raid), but the fact that the people involved got found not guilty again and again and again , that's even if it went to trial.

That's why protests won't stop, that's why BLM won't stop or pick and mix their figureheads.

Fatemau5 - Not sure that those stats illustrate what you think they do.

America is a foreign country we live in the UK. Police brutality is not a big problem here.

princess - This is not intended as whataboutery so much as an aside but the more you read about it the overall level of fatal encounters with US law enforcement is terrifying. It's one of many reasons I am very glad police in the UK are not routinely armed. I agree about the filming aspect i think it's one of the most powerful weapons people now have, the ability to record encounters.

@agentstarling black people have been killed by the police and while in police custody too. It's not something that never happens. But it's not just about brutality, it's about racism,discrimination and institutional racism and bias.

Have a look at these numbers, they don't paint a pretty picture. In particular, have a look at length of custodial sentence.

Thirteen dead and nothing said.

I'd like people to remember the 13 black people killed in the New Cross fire in 1981. I have family who lived in the area at the time.

The New Cross Fire killed 13 young Black people during a birthday party in a house in New Cross, southeast London on Sunday January 18, 1981. The party was a joint birthday celebration for Yvonne Ruddock and Angela Jackson and was held at 439 New Cross Road, going on throughout the night. There was a fairly high degree of racial tension in New Cross, as it was well known that the far right group the National Front were active in the area. It has been claimed that there had been early complaints about noise from the party leading the police to deduce that the house had been bombed either as a revenge attack or to stop the noise.

When arrests were not forthcoming, the Black community was shocked by the indifference of the white population and accused the London Metropolitan Police of covering up the cause, which they suspected was an arson attack motivated by racism. The protests arising out of the fire led to a mobilisation of Black political activity, but nobody has ever been charged in relation to the fire and the Police now claim that this was not an arson attack.

In addition to the original 13, Anthony Berbeck died after falling from the balcony of a block of council flats in South London on July 9, 1983. He was at the party and never recovered from the death of his best friends.

Victims of the New Cross Fire:

• Andrew Gooding (18.02.1962 – 18.01.1981)
• Owen Thompson (11.09.1964 – 18.01.1981)
• Patricia Johnson (16.05.1965 – 18.01.1981)
• Patrick Cummings (21.09.1964 – 18.01.1981)
• Steve Collins (2.05.1963 – 18.01.1981)
• Lloyd Hall (28.11.1960 – 18.01.1981)
• Humphrey Geoffrey Brown (4.07.1962 – 18.01.1981)
• Roseline Henry (23.09.1964 – 18.01.1981)
• Peter Campbell (23.02.1962 – 18.01.1981)
• Gerry Paul Francis (21.08.1963 – 18.01.1981)
• Glenton Powell (18.01.1966 – 25.01.1981)
• Paul Ruddock (19.11.1960 – 09.02.1981)
• Yvonne Ruddock (17.01.1965 – 24.01.1981)
• Anthony Berbeck (17.08.1962 – 09.07.1983)

You could list 5 white name as well as 5 black so listing 5 black names But I do think three are issues. The trouble is we are the uk and should not be getting muddled up with USA which is what is happening.

@june2007 so are you saying that there is no racism in the UK? that no black people have been killed by the police in the uk?that no black people have been victims of racism/bias at the hands of the police? that there isn't ANY institutionalised racism in the UK,including in the police force?

princess - from the sentence construction I am not sure june even knows what she is saying!

@Fatemau5

Where are those stats from?

Have I denyed that black were killed/ (I notice I have made a typing error which may have confused you.) In fact I said "II do think there are issues".

My main point is we are UK not USA we do have issues but to the same degree. But my main issue is I want strategies, ideas. not cardboard with BLM written on them.

Jonah Adunbi, a race relations advisor working with Bristol police was shot in the face with a stun gun over a case of mistaken identity in 2017. He was pulled over again in 2018.

Not to same degree sorr,y not "the same degree". Dyslexic typing at this time of night not good.

@june2007

Have I denyed that black were killed/ (I notice I have made a typing error which may have confused you.) In fact I said "II do think there are issues".

My main point is we are UK not USA we do have issues but to the same degree. But my main issue is I want strategies, ideas. not cardboard with BLM written on them.

We would like the same. It’s not as simple as that. What ideas do you have?