So much

Which is all I'll ever ever need to know about those people.

where DUers don't get it. We all get it. And for you to try to imply we don't get it, or don't give a fuck, because we support Sanders, is ingenuous at best.

BTW no one was targeted by my post it was just a generalization.

But the point is, I'm not offended by your post. I'm just saying you are flat out wrong.

Have a good evening.

Would be an example.

and I choose to focus on the issue rather than the poster/s, but you should be able to tell by looking at the active threads in GD-P.

Where are you getting THAT? You should delete this post and apologize to William.

There has been too much crap flying around here lately concerning BLM, NN and Bernie not supporting AA's.

your support of Bernie. You need to come up for air.

The OP was very moving. Your responses are in poor taste, to say the least.

They had to do with Williams post...he knows what I'm talking about.

It's not a coincidence. It's a hostile display of white privilege, and even worse. Some of Sanders supporters seem to think he is owed support by African Americans, and they think nothing of insulting those voters and everyone else in the process. Sanders stumbled at Netroots, and he likely would learn from the mistake, except some of his supporters are determined he not learn, that he not figure out how to more adeptly address protesters and people of color. Why is that, I wonder? Do they not believe elected officials should have to answer questions from citizens and that instead the role of the citizenry is to serve great men? Or are they simply believe Sanders and themselves superior to the rest of the human race and therefore everyone else should submit themselves to their rule?

If voters don't automatically fall in line, they are a right-wing plant. You seem to think African Americans owe Sanders and the rest of you their allegiance. They do not. They have every right to question Sanders, O'Malley, Clinton, Webb and every other elected official. They have every right to protest the epidemic of police killings of black people, and that some are concerned that those protests may make one politician look bad shows precisely what their priorities are. When people argue Black Lives Matters are a "meme" or right-wing, when they insist African American voters who ask about what candidates will do to address the concerns of their community are "Lee Atwaters," they reveal an unflattering side of themselves.

I am done with such people coopting the words leftism and progressivism, when it is clear that they are anything but. There is a deep seeded right-wing ideology at work, but it isn't on the part of Black Lives Matter. I don't give a shit who anyone supports for president, but I do care that they work to muzzle activists fighting to save human lives.



One of the most incredible parts of this is people think this is actually helping Sanders, when it is doing the opposite. Some of Sanders supporters have effectively declared war on Black Lives Matters over Twitter. In the process, they are ensuring that Sanders does not gain AA support, and in fact they are costing him supporters. How they can't see this is inconceivable to me. The only explanation I can come up with is that their sense of entitlement is so impenetrable, they can't imagine how what any one else thinks could possibly be legitimate. Whatever it is, it makes me physically ill.

of them have been hidden.

Some Sanders supporters have tried to point out the problems, and they have been attacked as a result.

... demonstrates that the OP, and many responding in agreement, don't get it.

thinks you are either ignorant or purposely being obtuse. It doesn't take much looking to see that some white DUers, in fact, do not "get it". For the record, I am a white, middle aged male.

even here on DU. But I think most people here do. I think there is a problem in communications here and it's causing both sides to feel "attacked" and not understood.

I just finished reading another post where a link was posted to a black woman at the NN meeting who said she felt threatened by a Sanders supporter because he kept insisting Bernie gets it because of his history of civic support.

Now I was not there and we can only go by her words, but she probably really felt that way, and I understand that and wish it hadn't happened. But what I'm feeling here from the AA community is that they think all of Bernie supporters think that only fixing the economic issues in this country will fix this racial problem that is killing blacks. No...it won't, and they have a right to scream and they have a right to disrupt meetings and debates with their concerns until they hear a message that reaches them.

I get that. I am not upset with what happened at NN. I am upset that so many people here keep insisting that Sanders supporters "don't" get it and are racist. I don't believe that either. I think part of the communication problem is that Sander's supporters know that Bernie is the kind of guy who will fight for everyone, for every wrong, including changing this damn racist system of policing and jailing and targeting and killing blacks. I understand that he hasn't been addressing this enough in his speeches, but that's only because he hasn't been talking to enough POC audiences, so he's focused mainly on the issue of economic inequality (which really will help everyone, even if it doesn't fix the race problem). See, we see the side of Bernie that has a huge heart and care about everyone. I think he might have addressed the race issue in his speech at NN if he had been allowed to talk. He wasn't allowed. You don't know what he would have said, had he had time to finish his speech.

I personally believe Sanders cares about POC a lot more than Clinton does. And because of that, and because I also care very much about POC and I strongly believe that Black Lives Matter and it needs to be shouted from the rooftops until things are changed...but I believe that people who say Sanders doesn't get it and so they will vote for Hillary, are voting against their own best interest...because he is the one that will in fact, address this issue of racial profiling and using low income black communities to fill our for profit prison system.

That's why we want to defend him so much. Because we believe the voting for him is in your best interest (not because of his stance on economic inequality or education) but because he really does damned care. And I don't want you voting for him because he will help me. He won't. I'm already on SS, so raising the min wage will not help me. Offering free college will not help me. It's all of you I want to see those things for. I don't want you to vote for him because I want him to win...I want you to vote for him because he will help you...all POC more than any other candidate we have running.

I wish you guys could understand this. I really really care about you and want to see things fixed. For everyone!

And getting money out of politics is also a huge issue that he knows needs to be dealt with right away, because until you do that, you won't see the changes that we need to see to fix all these social problems. Because right now the man owns the system and he wants a lot of poor people and scapegoats to misdirect the anger of other low or middle class people.

We need someone in the white house who sees and understands ALL of this.

This is not a rant. This is a plea to please try to understand that we Sanders supporters are on your side and only frustrated because we don't see Hillary as a solution to any of the major problems facing this country right now...not economically, not socially...except maybe on women's issues. But Bernie supports all progressive women's issues too.

Bernie is asking the POC to talk to him to help him understand what he can do to start to help them. Please don't just shut him out. Talk to him. Give him a chance.

Sometimes it helps to clarify, just so DUers don't think you're referring to them.

For the record:
I "get" it as much as an American of European descent can "get" it. There are many forms of injustice in this country that require action (not just rhetoric), and police brutality/killings/mass incarceration of African Americans needs to be a high priority.

The question we should be asking ourselves is which Democratic candidate is best on this issue and the other forms of injustice, based on their public record and steadfast commitment to policies that will make a difference?

If our discussion is not based on substance, then what's going on here?

The meme begun by the right wing is that he doesn't get it.

I doubt the right wing started what you are calling a meme.

they don't all come from the GOP.

There is a lot of talk here about wedge issues, AA, Women, PoC.LGBT are all called wedge issues. I am not a wedge issue.

who will actually take serious effective action to stop it.

Hillary was talking about racial inequality on June 20, 2015 in San Francisco at the Conference of Mayors..

I love your energy in Hawaii.

Thank you for your awesome response, Cha!

earlier..

But, I can really see her as President of our Country..

I can imagine you're tired way the heck over there EST.. I only had 51/2 hrs last night so I won't be lasting as long as I usually do.

Aloha and take good care, she

hug

Jon is no comedian there. He is all business.

Fabulous image Cha. Thank you. Gotta run.

I did not read leve's thread.

They already made up my mind where they stand when they came into the AA group and called 1StrongBlackMan a Lee Atwater type several times over, and a fake black man.

You know why he was called that? He dared ask the question about his life mattering and where the candidates stand.

I guess 1Strongs concerns are a meme.

to 1strongblackman at the time, a couple of times actually. I guess he's taken to calling Bravenak Lee Atwater too.
When those are Sanders supporters, who needs detractors?

all hell broke loose against the Black Community.. after #BlackLivesMatters Protested NRN.. and their supporters started calling out Sanders for the way he conducted himself.

brave

It is not a "meme." Black Lives matters predates those media stories by more than a year. The notion that you would so summarily dismiss concerns of activists fighting for human lives is incredible to me. All because you think this helps a politician? It does not. It does great damage to him. I have seen Sanders lose two AA supporters this week on this site alone. Do you know how few black people there are on DU? Imagine that magnified throughout the black community. The right-wing ideology is the notion that those BLM protesters are "evil," a term that other OP used, or plants. Black Lives Matters have a right to protest. African Americans have a right to question candidates. They are not inferior to you, your friends, or Bernie Sanders. That you would so summarily dismiss basic civil rights and human rights is horrific. All this because you think it helps Bernie? You all couldn't do more to derail his candidacy if you had tries. And you think you are actually helping him?

that won't be happening now. People can't degrade a movement for the very lives of the single most reliable Democratic voting block and then expect to get them to vote for one's candidate. We have seen racism rear its head in order to promote what some clearly see as the far more important matter of one man's political fortunes. The well has been poisoned. People have showed black voters and the rest of us what they really are, and I feel pretty sure I'm not alone in wanting none of it. I stand up for racial justice and equality, and I stand in absolute opposition to those who denounce that in order to promote a single man's career. This will not be forgotten, ever. Either people are all too willing to throw every semblance of principle out the window, or they are finally revealing who they really are. Whichever it is, it is deplorable. That event might have simply been a stumble for Sanders, but some of his supporters took to Twitter and social media to show their contempt for African Americans and in the process--I predict--destroyed Sanders electoral chances.

four, or more, years to get another chance to elect a determined candidate who will actually address their issues to their satisfaction.

Thank you for posting this reminder of all the callous needless murders, and yes that is what they are. Deaths the PD have caused.

So painful to see the truth. It is time that people wake up and DEMAND that this end. Black Lives Matter to many of us, it should matter to all of us.

It is lynching. Particularly hideous because members of a stratum of government are doing it and for the most part getting away with it.

Black Lives MATTER. It goes FAR beyond just economic issues. The best example I suppose would be Sandra Bland. She was on her way to a JOB when she was stopped, and we all know the rest of that story.

All I can do, as a white woman, is to try to relate most intensely and personally - as a mom. Every time I kiss my son goodbye, I don't have to worry as much about whether he'll come home safely at the end of the day. Shit happens, but ordinarily, that's not my inner terror. However, a black mother faces that EVERY SINGLE DAMN DAY!!! What would it feel like to have that running through the back of your mind every time you kissed YOUR kid goodbye for the day? What would it feel like to glance up at the clock multiple times a day while your boy is out, at school or a job or whatever - and you automatically start worrying about where he is, what's happened to him, is he okay, is he safe, will I see him again, ALIVE, by dinnertime tonight? I can't imagine what it's like to LIVE that. And a black mother does. Every minute of every day.

And I get that. MAN-OH-MAN do I get that.

Black fathers worry like that, too, I'm certain. But I'm not a dad so I'm gonna naturally identify more with another mom. And shit - the really awful thing there is - those black fathers are all in constant danger, too. To me, as a fairly sheltered white woman, that's a lot of what the Black Lives Matter imperative means to me. It goes WAAAAAAAAY beyond just economics.

so long.

were murdered by Police. Heartbreaking



Is someone accusing #BlackLivesMatter of using rw memes?

Mahalo Bains

Thank you for putting this together

But I'm glad to see you post this. And I'm glad the Internet has been doing what local DA's and Chiefs of police are failing to do--hold the pigs responsible. Once Twitter gets hold of these fucks, their lives change overnight, and for the worse. It's no substitute for throwing them in prison just like any other murderer, but it does lend to a grim sense of satisfaction.

... insightful, thought-provoking, and eloquent in its entirety.

Law Enforcement is the exclusive purview of the Executive Branch so the President has the power to do that.

This includes the people incarcerated.

This is part of the reason the Right is in a lather over Obama going to a prison. He has the power to pardon millions of people.

We also need a review of the use of Grand Juries as they have obviously become corrupted.

Cops are acting like they have a license to kill. They need to know that they can go to jail too. That goes for the DA's offices all over the country. Imagine reading that a DA is going to jail for attempting to conceal a crime.

The only other thing that gets slippery is the judges. That's a separate branch of government.

DOJ has the power to investigate and sanction via lawsuit local police departments, but it doesn't have direct control. that falls to mayors, county sheriffs, and governors in the case of state police.

Didn't work then to keep Bobby and the FBI out of the comfort zone of sheriffs and deputies cozy with (or members of) the KKK.

"States Rights" is a Right Wing Talking Point.

Funny how it doesn't apply to weed for the Right.

It's basic civics. It's not states rights. We are governed by a federalist system, not a monarchy.

And the cops have to obey lawful orders.

In fact most are not. We all abide by a host of laws, most set by states and municipalities. Every government agency, local, state or federal, has a hierarchy of responsibility. The federal government is constrained by the constitution. DOJ can intervene under certain circumstances, as in the review they conducted in Ferguson and their promise to bring a law suit if the police force does not implement reforms. But neither the Attorney General nor the President hires or fires state and local police officers.

None of this is to make excuses for police behavior. It is rather to point out that the layers of accountability are complex, and it isn't simply a matter of the president issuing orders.

Federal ALWAYS trumps State and Local.

Guidelines can be changed on a national level if the PEOPLE want it.

Up front, we already know the cops are pretty much fine with the way things are.

I will no longer have patience for them and their ignorance and sensitivity when they are offended by our anger. The time is now up.

yet I only included a fraction of them.

because people should not forget what this is about.