Linking Black Live Matters To Murder Is Wrong

“Our assumption is that he (Goforth) was a target because he wore a uniform,” said Hickman. “We’ve heard Black Lives Matter, All Lives Matter. Well, cop’s lives matter, too.”

Hickman is insinuating that the BLM movement is inciting violence towards the police. However, there is nothing could be further from the truth. The  BLM movement is, among other things,  working to end police brutality towards black people.  They have repeatedly offered as one of the means to that end closer more cordial relationships between the police and the communities they police.

Hickman’s rhetoric is precisely why black folk hold their breath when a tragedy like this happens. As a community, African-American  know  the actions of one individual is  likely to be lumped on the community as whole, which is precisely what Hickman did.

But BLM is not the KKK, or some white supremist group, with a history of violence.  Their movement is  just  (even though I don’t agree with all of their actions like interrupting speakers on stage).  And  although deputy Goforth was brutally murdered, it does not eliminate the need for BLM.  The fact is African-Americans die at a disproportionate rate at the hands of police is of great concern.

The problem we have in our society is we have good people and bad people. We have good cops, and bad cops. We have law abiding people, and criminals. We have groups that work for peace, and groups that work for hate.  We must, therefore, be careful not to conflate the acts of one person with an entire group.

The person to be held accountable here is the shooter. The police have him  in custody. If he is found guilty, put  him away for the rest of his life. Put him up under the jail. Punish him to the highest degree.

But, do not assert he represents ‘Black Lives Matter’, or the African-American community. That man  doesn’t represent them any more than the kid who brutally murdered nine people in a South Carolina church, represents the KKK, or  the white community.