BLACK LIVES MATTER

The BLACK LIVES MATTER movement gained momentum in 2014 following the deaths of two Black men, Eric Garner and Michael Brown, at the hands of the police. Garner passed away in Staten Island, New York, following the use of an unlawful chokehold by a Caucasian police officer. This incident was recorded by a nearby observer. A white police officer in Ferguson, Missouri fatally shot and killed Brown, a teenager.

The fatalities, coupled with the prosecutor’s decision not to press charges against the police, sparked significant demonstrations under the banner of Black Lives Matter, garnering widespread recognition both domestically and internationally. Subsequently, the BLM movement maintained a significant presence in protests against police brutality and racism. Significantly, activists from the Black Lives Matter movement demonstrated against the fatalities of several African American individuals, such as Sandra Bland, Philando Castile, Freddie Gray, Laquan McDonald, Tamir Rice, Walter Scott, and Alton Sterling, which occurred either due to police actions or while under police custody.

In May 2020, George Floyd, an African American man who was not armed, was declared deceased following the actions of Derek Chauvin, a Caucasian police officer from Minneapolis. Chauvin applied pressure on Floyd’s neck for a duration exceeding nine minutes, disregarding Floyd’s repeated pleas that he was unable to breathe. The widespread dissemination of a bystander’s video depicting Floyd’s final moments incited extensive protests in cities across the United States and around the world.

The incident also garnered national recognition for the preceding fatalities of two additional African Americans: Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor. In February 2020, Arbery was engaged in the act of running in Glynn county, Georgia, when two individuals of Caucasian descent, suspecting his involvement in a string of burglaries, initiated pursuit of him using a motor vehicle. Armed individuals surrounded Arbery, leading to a confrontation and ultimately resulting in Arbery’s deadly shooting. In Louisville, Kentucky, the subsequent month, Taylor, an emergency medical technician, lost her life during a failed police raid at her residence. Despite first receiving limited media attention, Arbery and Taylor subsequently became the focus of nationwide protests following Floyd’s death.

These occurrences influenced the American public’s perspective in support of the Black Lives Matter movement, while also bringing significant awareness to the issue of deeply rooted racism in American society. Demands for enhanced police accountability were made, and in 2021, Chauvin was convicted of murder. It was an exceptional instance of law enforcement brutality leading to a guilty verdict.

BLACK LIVES MATTER

The objective of the Black Lives Matter movement is to address and combat systemic racism and violence against Black individuals.
The Black Lives Matter movement encompasses a multitude of objectives. BLM activists aim to highlight the various forms of inequitable treatment that Black individuals experience in society, as well as the role played by institutions, laws, and policies in perpetuating this injustice. The movement has combated racism using strategies such as political activism, correspondence initiatives, and peaceful demonstrations. The objective of the Black Lives Matter movement is to address and counteract instances of excessive force by law enforcement, the disproportionate presence of police in minority communities, and the misconduct perpetrated by privately-owned correctional facilities.

The organization has made endeavors to advocate for enhanced police training and increased responsibility for instances of police misconduct. BLM activists have advocated for the “defunding” of the police, which entails decreasing the budgets of police departments and reallocating the saved revenue towards community social services, such as mental health and conflict-resolution programs. BLM activists have actively engaged in voter registration and mobilization efforts inside Black neighborhoods. Furthermore, BLM initiatives have commemorated and honored the contributions of Black artists and authors.

The endorsement of the Black Lives Matter movement frequently aligned with individuals’ political affiliations and racial or cultural backgrounds. African Americans and other minority groups, like Japanese-Haitian tennis star Naomi Osaka, exhibited the highest level of support, whilst white individuals demonstrated the lowest level of support, frequently below 50 percent. The political parties were sharply divided, with just a small number of Republicans showing support for BLM, in stark contrast to the overwhelming majority of Democrats.

Detractors of the Black Lives Matter movement put forth a range of assertions, including the denial of the existence of systematic racism in the United States and the accusation that BLM promoted violence against law enforcement. As a reaction to the Black Lives Matter movement, several alternative groups emerged, such as Blue Lives Matter, which advocates for law enforcement, and White Lives Matter, established by white nationalists.

Due to the political division and the growing impact of the Black Lives Matter movement, it was expected that the movement would be a significant topic during the 2020 U.S. presidential election. In the midst of a challenging competition, President Donald Trump, a member of the Republican party, strongly criticized the Black Lives Matter movement, specifically highlighting individual incidents of violence and theft that occurred during some protests against racism and police misconduct.

Additionally, he leveraged the protests as a strategy to advance a law-and-order agenda, simultaneously appealing to the complaints of certain white individuals. Democrat Joe Biden, his opponent, wholeheartedly supported the movement and garnered significant support from Black voters, which played a crucial role in his ultimate triumph.

A social movement is a loosely structured yet persistent effort to advocate for a specific social objective, often involving the promotion or prevention of a societal transformation or alteration of values. Regardless of their scale, all social movements are fundamentally collaborative in nature. These groups form as a result of individuals with undefined relationships and no formal rules or procedures, but who simply have a same perspective on society.

Crowds, panics, and primitive kinds of collective activity, such as milling, are characterized by their short duration and episodic nature. These behaviors are primarily driven by impulsive actions. A social movement emerges when fleeting impulses are replaced by enduring objectives, and when enduring connections replace temporary gatherings of individuals.

A movement is more than just a continuous gathering of people, as a gathering lacks the organizational and motivational elements necessary to maintain membership throughout periods of inactivity and waiting. Moreover, crowd techniques are inadequate for facilitating communication and coordinating activities on a large scale, such as across a nation or continent. A movement is a blend of structured arrangement and unplanned spontaneity. Typically, a movement is led and organized by one or more organizations, but the scope of the movement does not always align exactly with these organizations.

For instance, while groups like California’s Sierra Club have significant influence in the effort to protect the natural environment, anyone who actively supports and collaborates with other individuals in pursuit of this objective is considered a participant in the conservationist movement. Despite not being affiliated with any prominent abolitionist group, John Brown’s martyrdom elevated him to a position of leadership and became a symbol for the movement. However, organizational leaders were hesitant to officially acknowledge his role.
Social movements are inherently connected to social transformation, as indicated by all definitions of social movement.

They fail to include the actions of individuals as participants in enduring social collectives characterized by established, unchallenged frameworks, standards, and beliefs. The conduct of individuals involved in social movements deviates from the presumption that the existing social structure will persist in its fundamental form. Instead, it embodies the belief that societal transformation can be achieved or hindered via collective efforts and unwavering commitment to a common objective.

While uncommitted spectators may perceive these ambitions as delusions, the members view them as hopeful aspirations that can indeed be achieved. When questioned about their actions, individuals belonging to a social movement do not respond with phrases like “I do it because it’s tradition” or “It’s just the way things are done.” They understand that their behavior is motivated by the movement’s objective, which is to either initiate a transformation in established practices or to hinder such a transformation from occurring.