If Black Lives Matter, Why Doesn’t The Black Community Protect Them?

This article generated a lot of controversy, which I’ve tried to address in a separate article. Click here for an explanation of the choices I made writing this piece.

I have a friend who doesn’t like cops. His dad was a cop, and he himself is a military veteran, but ask him about it and he will tell you straight up that he has no respect for the force. He has had too many experiences with lazy, domineering, overzealous, and officious officers to have any trust in them. His position is that the police have built a bad reputation for themselves and it’s their fault that people see the institution they’ve built and want to tear it down.

On the other hand, he doesn’t really understand the whole “Black Lives Matter” thing. As a white man himself, most of his bad experiences with cops involve white people, and there are plenty of instances of white people being murdered by police officers, so how could it be about race? Sure, black people are targeted more but they also commit more crimes. Just like with cops, black people have built a reputation for themselves through their actions, and they have to deal with it before they can claim victimhood. If black lives really matter, why don’t community leaders spend more time clearing out crack houses, breaking up gang violence, and building up a strong community…