Stop countering “Black Lives Matter” with “Black on Black Crime”

I remember sitting at lunch meeting with some friends. We were discussing issues within our community, and how to mitigate gun violence. Gun violence is so harsh. It wounds me every time a community member is stricken with it. Especially when you live in a small city, you can feel the effects of gun violence massively.

We had been combatting each other about why people marching for “Black Lives Matter” and police brutality weren’t marching for gun violence. This conversation gets me every single time. I often struggle with counterarguing, mainly because I spend time arguing with illogical people. This happened to be one of those moments.

I tried so hard to explain to my friends the difference between the conflicts, yet to no avail. It is something that plagues my mind daily. Why don’t people understand the difference? Why are people not understanding? Why do people suddenly come after those fighting for Black lives matter protestors when there are literally other organizations that specialize in gun violence in their communities? Why do people complain but not do anything? So many questions, I had to deliver my own answers and solutions.

The sickness of gun violence

Gun violence is a plague that impoverished communities have suffered from for decades. Every year, communities in inner cities are stricken with gun violence and people feel the sting of young lives passing away too soon. The sorrow. The pain. The exhaustion. The rage. These all combine into a storm that continues the cycles of violence and condemning the violence. Year after year we see the same problems rise up. And year after year we become more and more desensitized to the horrors. And year after year you hear the same age-old question that makes no sense.

What is this question? You may ask?

Why don’t black lives matter to black people? That is the question. It is a simple question with a complicated answer. So many people go to simple answers that blame victims for their own self-destruction in a seemingly endless cycle of violence.

The consistency in which people only veer into the result, and not the process that dives into the result drives me into insanity. This violence is a combination of a myriad of variables that have to be deconstructed in order to Find Solutions and answers. Yet, for some reason year after year people avoid the hard work in asking these questions. Truth be told there is no solid answer, there’s a combination of variables and solutions that lead up to the elimination of self-destruction.

And it’s high time we start looking within ourselves to do so and apply ourselves to these solutions. One such problem I have with this is that these people won't seek these solutions. However, they will point fingers at people who are trying to find them. for example; people who will sit there and attack black lives matter protest for their “inconsistencies” when it comes to “black-on-black crime”. but will march and protest “Black Lives Matter”

Constantly people question why black lives matter protestors don’t protest violence in their communities or the infamous myth of “black on black violence”. There are a number of problems with these questions that need to be debunked. But there is also the conversation that I’ve heard about Black lives matter not doing anything for the black community. This is also true to an extent. Black Lives Matter is a million-dollar non-profit organization.

It’s not about the corporation. It’s about the phrase. It’s a rallying cry. It’s a symbol of justice. The organization doesn’t fuel the movement. The phrase is a new phrase, but it holds so much weight. It’s not about the corporation working for the people it stands for. The phrase Black Lives matter means hope. It means solidarity. It means fighting for the lives that are unjustly persecuted by systemic racism. An organization is its own entity, the people that utilize the phrase are choosing to battle for black lives and black people

Against police brutality

Against systemic racism

Against poverty

Against unjust violence for black people.

This is no knock on the wonderful woman that created the organization at all. However, before we enter the conversation of this magnitude, we must address A fact. I do not have all the research on what black lives matter has done for black people, however, provided in this article has more information. There are plenty of other scholarly articles that have the research and backing, look them up. I strongly suggest that you check these out. The women who created the organization and phrase are geniuses.

This once again is no attempt to slander their work or diminish their value. However, I’ve done some research and came to the conclusion that Black Lives Matter the organization, and Black Lives Matter the slogan, do two completely different things for black people.

With that out the way, it’s important to address the solutions that I have that can mitigate violence. Understand that these Solutions may not solve the violence within our communities, this is a very large problem that has so many issues. There are so many things that play into this conversation. Therefore my Solutions may not help everything or every situation.

Build within your community

You ever heard the phrase “it takes a village?” This applies here. Build a community that thrives off of each other. Create a village environment, so that the children of that village can grow and learn and love each other. This task isn’t easy, we live in an individualistic world at this moment. People are more worried about themselves than they are about their neighbors. But this is an important piece of the puzzle in my eyes. Creating spaces where people can find shelter and safety and help whenever they need it is important especially when it comes to Broken homes and Broken Dreams. This solution allows people to create to build to find that safety without having to look outside or thinking that they don’t have it.

I know someone who actively works within their community and tirelessly makes their life’s work about their community to build this village. Everything they do is about the community. It is hard work, but it is satisfying. Throughout a pandemic, I worked with this individual delivering pizza, backpacks, and toys for children. Each delivery reached the thousands marker. These are little concepts that help a village. Reaching out to people and helping them. Knowing the names of the kids in the village. Knowing the people that you live close to and helping them in any way, shape, or form you can.

Educate the youth

Teach the youth about their history. Especially black and brown youth about how far they’ve, how far they need to go. Teach them about the trials and tribulations. Every part of it. What has been taken from us, what has been allowed, if anything? What has been built? What has been destroyed? Teach them everything. Teach them how to become functioning members of society, or how to work to make Society work for them. Teach them how to create, how to love how to learn. Teach them in ways that they like to learn. The youth are the tools for the future, give them everything they need to know without making them feel like they are less than anything else.

Pour back into your community monitor monetarily

It Is important to pull your resources back into your communities. Barter systems,” buying back the block”. When you have money buy land within your community that you grew up in, not outside of it. Buy stores, buy community centers. Work within your community centers. Work with the youth.

These are important tools necessary in order to create representation and tangible articles that people can strive for. Are you seeing someone who owns a building that looks like them? Are you creating programs that allow them to create something they can strive for? A lot of things that we chase are things that are around us things that we see. Therefore, pouring into our communities, buying these spaces can allow for us to feel within these faces. Granted, this is not an easy task. Especially with the history that black people have had when it comes to buying property.

Educate those outsides of your community

Have conversations with police officers that are not from your community. Set up coalitions, know your police Chiefs their lieutenants, even their officers. Have them have Community speak-outs and conversations with their residence. A community leader in my city once held a conversation with former gang members and had the police chief present to answer questions and learn about the people he serves. This was integral in educating those outside of their community and humanize people that have been dehumanized.

Have conversations with Mayors and other elected officials. This is not as sounds easy as it sounds. However, it is worth it. People that work outside of a community that they live in usually aren’t obligated to create better spaces for these communities as history has shown. However, it is important that we do so in order to create these relationships that allow us to get into these positions. Also, it allows those that are in these positions to be held accountable.

Create coalitions that fight against violence

Create your own coalitions, instead of pointing fingers at people who are fighting for what they’re fighting for. Create your own space and work with these other coalitions. It is important that you invest in spaces that fight against violence, that each against violence. Teach people how to de-escalate a conflict non-violently. You have the power in your hands, you also have the power to influence other people to do so. Do it without medicating with another person is doing or another organization is doing.

Stop victim-blaming black and brown folks

To paraphrase Malcolm X, the aggressor will attack the victim and then blame the victim for attacking them back. We need to stop victim-blaming. Yes, we live in 2021, yes we have a world that allows so much autonomy. Yes, resources are everywhere. That doesn’t mean that people aren’t victims. It doesn’t mean that there isn’t a system design against so many people. Accountability within ourselves is important. But that doesn’t take away the fact that people are victimized and brutalized. Just because you’ve made the system work for you doesn’t mean that it’s still not set against you. Even the most successful black and brown folks still are victims of systemic racism.

This issue goes deep beyond your ability to see the interface, you must see the deeper meanings behind it. And there are so many deeper meanings to this conversation. But, what you must do is stop victim-blaming people who have for centuries been victimized in the deconstructed and their mindsets. Instead, deliver positive imagery, teach them the importance of who they are. We can only progress if we take each other with us. We can’t take everyone, but eventually, they will come along. So please, stop blaming victims for things they didn’t create.

Create programs that promote positive space is a free black youth

Invest in the youth. Create programs or work for programs that invest in the youth. There are YMCA programs all over the country, there are Boys & Girls Club programs all over the country. You can create your own programs. You can collaborate on programs. Invest in us. When we invest in the youth, we give them the ability to create learn and build something bigger than themselves. Let me give back to our youth they see the imagery of what they can be. And that’s the important part. Imagery for you is almost everything, when they see someone being successful they might want to be that. But we have to create these images.

previous places in programs that promote positive for black and brown people

Give people the space to do so. And don’t get mad when they ruin it. We are creatures of habit. Often times will sabotage things that we need. This is because we’ve been taught to sabotage. We come from spaces filled with lack. Therefore, when we feel like we lack something when something good comes we will destroy it automatically. But you have to continue to fight. You have to continue to create spaces for black and brown people. It is a long road, is a hard road, but it’s a road worth taking. Harriet Tubman went back even when they were slaves that wanted to turn a ring. There will be slaves that want to destroy what you created. But you don’t turn your back on those that don’t know better.

Believe in the fact that this is a long game and it won’t be so soft tomorrow

This is been four hundred years in the making. Slavery ended in 1865, Jim Crow ended in 1965. The War on Drugs recently just ended or is still going on. Marijuana just got legalized and many of the 50 states. There is still a 1 and 3 ratio for black men going to jail. We are just coming out of some of the hardest times and moving forward into a world that is trying to forget it. Literally, slavery ended 170 years ago. They are people’s grandchildren who still believe in the old ways of Jim Crow. This isn’t something that happened in ancient times. Is it something that literally is being removed from the history books that happened so short of a time ago. This is a long game that we’re fighting, and it’s been too long because we shouldn’t have to be fighting this fight. Unfortunately, we have to remember that even if it pains us to do so.

These are just some of the solutions I’ve come up with, I’m not a full-blown expert on this. But I am a black man who has experienced racism experienced combat fighting my own people when it comes to trying to save them from the trials and tribulations of mental slavery, broken homes, and property. And I’ve come across this conversation so many times that it pays me just to talk about it now. But it is something I understand happens when you’re fighting a fight, and you’re fighting a war against the system in the people who have been conditioned to live in the system. But they told Martin Luther King no. They told Malcolm X mo. I told Harriet Tubman no. It’s all Angela Davis no. They told Muhammad Ali no. They tell LeBron James no.

Yet, these people still get up every day and their black skin fighting a fight that so many people are afraid to. Walmart a walk away from this same conversation. So long as there’s breath in my lungs and words the right I will have this conversation over and over again. Is important that we stop blaming the victims for things that happened to them, and work towards the solutions that can stop us from becoming victims.