Black Lives Matter Plaza
June 5, 2020 9:20 AM Subscribe
In Washington, DC, the capital of the USA, 16th Street runs directly into Lafayette Park, across from the White House, the residence of the President. That street now sends a message to the current resident, thanks to DC's Mayor Muriel Bowser.
It is very funny to imagine how upset this would make Trump, because he is a baby-man, but it's worth noting: BLMDC is unimpressed.posted by Merus at 9:44 AM on June 5, 2020 [64 favorites]
I was coming in to say the same thing. This is a gesture to take the pot off the boil, but is not even in the same vicinity as the core ask.
posted by SoundInhabitant at 9:51 AM on June 5, 2020 [2 favorites]
posted by SoundInhabitant at 9:51 AM on June 5, 2020 [2 favorites]
I both appreciate the stick in the eye of our federal occupiers and agree with BLMDC's broader critique that our mayor has a lot more she needs to do here in our own house. She could start by explaining wtf went down on Swann St on Monday night.
posted by fancypants at 9:53 AM on June 5, 2020 [16 favorites]
posted by fancypants at 9:53 AM on June 5, 2020 [16 favorites]
One specific criticism:
The proposed DC budget cuts funding for the city’s violence intervention program (among a ton of other vital services) while increasing MPD’s budget to nearly $600 millionposted by foxfirefey at 9:53 AM on June 5, 2020 [17 favorites]
BLMDC is not wrong that this is performative.
And yet, the silver lining I see is that it could cause Trump to have another hissy fit, and since each time he has one he loses more support....
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 9:59 AM on June 5, 2020 [22 favorites]
And yet, the silver lining I see is that it could cause Trump to have another hissy fit, and since each time he has one he loses more support....
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 9:59 AM on June 5, 2020 [22 favorites]
Ugh, I hate this 'IT'S NOT ENOUGH' knee-jerk reaction EVERY SINGLE TIME. It alienates much more than it inspires folks to do more.
I get it, we're all fucking frustrated, and we want more, and it's ridiculous that we're still here, asking. But there's a way to say 'nice first step! Now let's talk about the budget' that acknowledges the effort and still holds someone accountable.
posted by widdershins at 10:03 AM on June 5, 2020 [76 favorites]
I get it, we're all fucking frustrated, and we want more, and it's ridiculous that we're still here, asking. But there's a way to say 'nice first step! Now let's talk about the budget' that acknowledges the effort and still holds someone accountable.
posted by widdershins at 10:03 AM on June 5, 2020 [76 favorites]
I guess if we were to put this on a scale this is less performative than cops taking a knee and then tear-gassing protesters.
posted by graventy at 10:08 AM on June 5, 2020 [10 favorites]
posted by graventy at 10:08 AM on June 5, 2020 [10 favorites]
But it's not enough. Every single time. I'm sure they are getting claps on the back for it. People still need to hold their feet to the fire.
posted by yellowbinder at 10:10 AM on June 5, 2020 [5 favorites]
posted by yellowbinder at 10:10 AM on June 5, 2020 [5 favorites]
Sometimes I think these obviously performative things that happen are great *because* they are ways for the public to hold them accountable after the fact. "Remember that time you made the giant mural? Great! Since you have publicly professed support for our cause, here's what you can do next." It also normalizes the message, giving BLM more support in the long run. How could that be bad? 'Not enough on its own' is different from 'bad'.
posted by BuddhaInABucket at 10:12 AM on June 5, 2020 [43 favorites]
posted by BuddhaInABucket at 10:12 AM on June 5, 2020 [43 favorites]
each time he has one he loses more support
[citation needed]
posted by hanov3r at 10:14 AM on June 5, 2020 [10 favorites]
[citation needed]
posted by hanov3r at 10:14 AM on June 5, 2020 [10 favorites]
Ugh, I hate this 'IT'S NOT ENOUGH' knee-jerk reaction EVERY SINGLE TIME. It alienates much more than it inspires folks to do more.
Do you have a cite for this? I've actually read things that said that performative gestures like this actually decrease people's participation since they believe more is being done than actually is, so they don't need to bother.
To me this just comes off as tone-policing.
posted by fryman at 10:15 AM on June 5, 2020 [10 favorites]
Do you have a cite for this? I've actually read things that said that performative gestures like this actually decrease people's participation since they believe more is being done than actually is, so they don't need to bother.
To me this just comes off as tone-policing.
posted by fryman at 10:15 AM on June 5, 2020 [10 favorites]
I unabashedly love this. She the people!
posted by Oyéah at 10:22 AM on June 5, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by Oyéah at 10:22 AM on June 5, 2020 [1 favorite]
Yeah, this is not enough. Bowser invoking the 3rd Amendment to kick Utah National Guard Units out of DC hotels is not enough. At this point, really nothing is going to be enough for a long, long time. But we can be happy with wins as long as we are not satisfied with them.
posted by rikschell at 10:23 AM on June 5, 2020 [16 favorites]
posted by rikschell at 10:23 AM on June 5, 2020 [16 favorites]
Bowser has consistently been on the wrong side of BLMDC history.
And how. For those that are unaware, Bowser loves stop-and-frisk so much that she brought it to DC and then spent over three years making sure it wasn't held accountable, to the point where BLMDC sued her over it and won.
She directed her police force to terrorize black residents with no real oversight for years because she's a fan of white supremacist law enforcement policies, and then just a few days ago called the National Guard on her constituents for protesting against that. Painting an intersection to piss off Trump instead of doing anything useful at all to rein in her own militarized police force is, quite frankly, insulting. So, no, it's not enough.
posted by Glegrinof the Pig-Man at 10:24 AM on June 5, 2020 [34 favorites]
And how. For those that are unaware, Bowser loves stop-and-frisk so much that she brought it to DC and then spent over three years making sure it wasn't held accountable, to the point where BLMDC sued her over it and won.
She directed her police force to terrorize black residents with no real oversight for years because she's a fan of white supremacist law enforcement policies, and then just a few days ago called the National Guard on her constituents for protesting against that. Painting an intersection to piss off Trump instead of doing anything useful at all to rein in her own militarized police force is, quite frankly, insulting. So, no, it's not enough.
posted by Glegrinof the Pig-Man at 10:24 AM on June 5, 2020 [34 favorites]
Ugh, I hate this 'IT'S NOT ENOUGH' knee-jerk reaction EVERY SINGLE TIME. It alienates much more than it inspires folks to do more.
I get it, we're all fucking frustrated, and we want more, and it's ridiculous that we're still here, asking. But there's a way to say 'nice first step! Now let's talk about the budget' that acknowledges the effort and still holds someone accountable.
But the mayor who is implementing it has consistently failed the city and BLM.
People need to be made aware of this kind of liberal emptiness, it's fucking up politics and serving as a neutralizing force to placate demands for real change.
Make no mistake, white people are absolutely ready to move on from all of this at the FIRST moment their hearts are sufficiently warmed here. I know, because I see tons of well-intentioned white boomers all over my social media feeds right now who learned what systemic racism is ten seconds ago and are now sharing this and applauding a mayor who, again, has consistently been on the wrong side of almost everything with the exception of making kind-hearted performative gestures of solidarity. I agree with BLM DC, this is a consensus and frankly an entire style of politics that needs to go. Deliver real change or GTFO.
posted by windbox at 10:27 AM on June 5, 2020 [24 favorites]
I get it, we're all fucking frustrated, and we want more, and it's ridiculous that we're still here, asking. But there's a way to say 'nice first step! Now let's talk about the budget' that acknowledges the effort and still holds someone accountable.
But the mayor who is implementing it has consistently failed the city and BLM.
People need to be made aware of this kind of liberal emptiness, it's fucking up politics and serving as a neutralizing force to placate demands for real change.
Make no mistake, white people are absolutely ready to move on from all of this at the FIRST moment their hearts are sufficiently warmed here. I know, because I see tons of well-intentioned white boomers all over my social media feeds right now who learned what systemic racism is ten seconds ago and are now sharing this and applauding a mayor who, again, has consistently been on the wrong side of almost everything with the exception of making kind-hearted performative gestures of solidarity. I agree with BLM DC, this is a consensus and frankly an entire style of politics that needs to go. Deliver real change or GTFO.
posted by windbox at 10:27 AM on June 5, 2020 [24 favorites]
It has never been enough, any of it. We must always be pushing, always being active, always keep trying for more. We also need to celebrate when something happens that surprises and pleases us and sends a message. And then keep pushing. No, Bowser's motives aren't pure. She's a politician. They are by definition impure folks and as Terry Pratchett said, "you think there are good people and bad people. You're wrong, of course. There are, always and only, the bad people, but some of them are on opposite sides.”
Yes, it's performative, yes, it reassures white people that Things Are Being Done, but just as with Mattis's statement and Kelly's agreement, where I fundamentally mistrust motives, it does represent a shift in what is acceptable to believe when Establishment members join the pile-on.
posted by Peach at 10:35 AM on June 5, 2020 [5 favorites]
Yes, it's performative, yes, it reassures white people that Things Are Being Done, but just as with Mattis's statement and Kelly's agreement, where I fundamentally mistrust motives, it does represent a shift in what is acceptable to believe when Establishment members join the pile-on.
posted by Peach at 10:35 AM on June 5, 2020 [5 favorites]
But there's a way to say 'nice first step! Now let's talk about the budget' that acknowledges the effort and still holds someone accountable.
That's the thing - this isn't an effort, it's a PR stunt. It's no more a step towards more substantial change than Gillette making an ad about toxic masculinity and then not following it up in any way.
posted by Merus at 10:36 AM on June 5, 2020 [5 favorites]
That's the thing - this isn't an effort, it's a PR stunt. It's no more a step towards more substantial change than Gillette making an ad about toxic masculinity and then not following it up in any way.
posted by Merus at 10:36 AM on June 5, 2020 [5 favorites]
I support any trolling of the president*, performative or otherwise, that lends greater legitimacy to those who are fighting for larger goals and longer-term policies, which I also support.
posted by They sucked his brains out! at 10:37 AM on June 5, 2020 [13 favorites]
posted by They sucked his brains out! at 10:37 AM on June 5, 2020 [13 favorites]
Those people are literally telling you that this is some white liberal bullshit.
posted by Glegrinof the Pig-Man at 10:41 AM on June 5, 2020 [15 favorites]
posted by Glegrinof the Pig-Man at 10:41 AM on June 5, 2020 [15 favorites]
If you're a fan of big, showy public pieces like this, you can support them, but say "this is nice, what's next?"
For example, Minneapolis City Council to vote Friday on first changes to police (Star Tribune, June 5, 2020)
To which, someone asked "Will you be able to work with the Mayor's office on this? Frey increased the police budget." Bender replied: "Doesn’t matter anymore. I think we have the help we need no matter what happens there."
That sounds like actual planning for change.
For more reading, see the recently posted article Performative Allyship Is Deadly (Here’s What to Do Instead) (discussion on the topic, posted by stoneweaver)
posted by filthy light thief at 10:42 AM on June 5, 2020 [18 favorites]
For example, Minneapolis City Council to vote Friday on first changes to police (Star Tribune, June 5, 2020)
Minneapolis City Council members plan to vote Friday on some of the first changes to be made to the Police Department in response to the death of George Floyd.City Council President Lisa Bender said pledges to "dismantle" the police (tweet from Lisa Bender on June 4, 2020).
Representatives for the Minnesota Department of Human Rights and city elected officials were working Thursday to negotiate a stipulated temporary restraining order that will mandate some immediate changes and also set a timeline for the state’s investigation into whether the Minneapolis Police Department engaged in racial discrimination over the past 10 years.
City Council President Lisa Bender said the city was still working Thursday evening on details of the document, which the council planned to vote on during a public meeting Friday afternoon.
To which, someone asked "Will you be able to work with the Mayor's office on this? Frey increased the police budget." Bender replied: "Doesn’t matter anymore. I think we have the help we need no matter what happens there."
That sounds like actual planning for change.
For more reading, see the recently posted article Performative Allyship Is Deadly (Here’s What to Do Instead) (discussion on the topic, posted by stoneweaver)
posted by filthy light thief at 10:42 AM on June 5, 2020 [18 favorites]
For what it's worth, my sense is that Bowser's anger at Trump has more to do with his heavy-handed encroachments on Home Rule than with anything related to the substance of the protests. She's angry because he's blatantly, contemptuously ignoring the city's elected leaders and imposing things on D.C. that he would not be able to impose on other cities. And that's very, very bad, but it's not the same issue as Black Lives Matter, and I understand why BLM activists would not be amused by her hijacking their movement to protest something that is, among other things, a threat to her own authority.
posted by ArbitraryAndCapricious at 10:42 AM on June 5, 2020 [19 favorites]
posted by ArbitraryAndCapricious at 10:42 AM on June 5, 2020 [19 favorites]
Painting "Black Lives Matter" on a street where protesters for racial justice were recently gassed and beaten isn't "a good first step." It's not a first step. It's not a step. It's not anything. Taken alongside the mayor's support for expanding the police budget rather than diminishing it, it's an orwellian bit of gaslighting that just makes our current dystopia a bit more nightmarish. What's next? "Black Lives Matter" stickers for the cops to affix to their beating batons?
posted by the turtle's teeth at 10:44 AM on June 5, 2020 [20 favorites]
posted by the turtle's teeth at 10:44 AM on June 5, 2020 [20 favorites]
And yet, the silver lining I see is that it could cause Trump to have another hissy fit, and since each time he has one he loses more support....
The calculus a little more complicated than that. It's causing him to make a lot of unforced errors, yes, but it's not clear that his stupid temper tantrums actually do anything to discourage his base. If his supporters didn't like giant orange man-children pitching fits and shitting their pants on the national stage, they wouldn't be his supporters. So-called "moderates" who we want to peel off of the Trump train (1) are virtually nonexistent and (2) have had three and a half years of watching this idiot make a disgrace of himself day after day after day, so why would this particular temper tantrum move the needle?
More important, though, is that every one of these hissy fits increases the chances that 45 is going to actually order the honest-to-god military he's ordered into DC under the Insurrection Act to open fire on the crowds. They ain't using rubber bullets. Long-term, that probably hurts Trump a whole lot, but short-term, the people who are going to be killed by this are predominately people of color. I'm not willing to sacrifice the lives of minority protesters to score political points, and if BLMDC says this is a bad idea, I'm inclined to listen to them.
posted by Mayor West at 10:58 AM on June 5, 2020 [10 favorites]
The calculus a little more complicated than that. It's causing him to make a lot of unforced errors, yes, but it's not clear that his stupid temper tantrums actually do anything to discourage his base. If his supporters didn't like giant orange man-children pitching fits and shitting their pants on the national stage, they wouldn't be his supporters. So-called "moderates" who we want to peel off of the Trump train (1) are virtually nonexistent and (2) have had three and a half years of watching this idiot make a disgrace of himself day after day after day, so why would this particular temper tantrum move the needle?
More important, though, is that every one of these hissy fits increases the chances that 45 is going to actually order the honest-to-god military he's ordered into DC under the Insurrection Act to open fire on the crowds. They ain't using rubber bullets. Long-term, that probably hurts Trump a whole lot, but short-term, the people who are going to be killed by this are predominately people of color. I'm not willing to sacrifice the lives of minority protesters to score political points, and if BLMDC says this is a bad idea, I'm inclined to listen to them.
posted by Mayor West at 10:58 AM on June 5, 2020 [10 favorites]
Painting an intersection to piss off Trump
It's waaaaaaay bigger than just an intersection
posted by Jacqueline at 11:04 AM on June 5, 2020 [6 favorites]
It's waaaaaaay bigger than just an intersection
posted by Jacqueline at 11:04 AM on June 5, 2020 [6 favorites]
Those people are literally telling you that this is some white liberal bullshit.
Mayor Bowser is Black.
posted by biogeo at 11:15 AM on June 5, 2020 [6 favorites]
Mayor Bowser is Black.
posted by biogeo at 11:15 AM on June 5, 2020 [6 favorites]
I don't know that BLMDC thinks it's a bad idea, just that it's a stunt and there's a lot of actual work to be done too and Bowser hasn't always been particularly great on these issues. Per this latest Twitter barrage, Bowser has succeeded in baiting Trump at least.
posted by fancypants at 11:16 AM on June 5, 2020 [4 favorites]
posted by fancypants at 11:16 AM on June 5, 2020 [4 favorites]
Do you have a cite for this?
I don't have a "cite", but my place of business never publicly communicates the full extent of its contributions, even to the point of what it does internally to employees. I don't have any official reasoning for why, but my personal opinion is that even with the nation-state level of contributions that do happen, all we'd get in response was "why not more??" without ever acknowledging the "more than everyone else combined" aspect of what was given.
posted by sideshow at 11:18 AM on June 5, 2020
I don't have a "cite", but my place of business never publicly communicates the full extent of its contributions, even to the point of what it does internally to employees. I don't have any official reasoning for why, but my personal opinion is that even with the nation-state level of contributions that do happen, all we'd get in response was "why not more??" without ever acknowledging the "more than everyone else combined" aspect of what was given.
posted by sideshow at 11:18 AM on June 5, 2020
Those people are literally telling you that this is some white liberal bullshit.
Mayor Bowser is Black.
She's painting a target on her reasonably insulated back for a while.
posted by Mrs Potato at 11:25 AM on June 5, 2020
Mayor Bowser is Black.
She's painting a target on her reasonably insulated back for a while.
posted by Mrs Potato at 11:25 AM on June 5, 2020
Mayor Bowser is Black.
The statement from BLM DC says "[t]his is to appease white liberals while ignoring our demands," you don't exactly need a translator from Star Trek understand that they think this is white liberal bullshit. Also, because it apparently bears repeating: She ran her own version of stop-and-frisk. Being black doesn't give her a "get out of white supremacy free" card.
posted by Glegrinof the Pig-Man at 11:25 AM on June 5, 2020 [24 favorites]
The statement from BLM DC says "[t]his is to appease white liberals while ignoring our demands," you don't exactly need a translator from Star Trek understand that they think this is white liberal bullshit. Also, because it apparently bears repeating: She ran her own version of stop-and-frisk. Being black doesn't give her a "get out of white supremacy free" card.
posted by Glegrinof the Pig-Man at 11:25 AM on June 5, 2020 [24 favorites]
The calculus a little more complicated than that. It's causing him to make a lot of unforced errors, yes, but it's not clear that his stupid temper tantrums actually do anything to discourage his base
His base isn't enough to move the needle from "fucking embarrassing defeat" to "landslide defeat" when it comes to the Nov election. He can keep his base.
posted by sideshow at 11:31 AM on June 5, 2020 [2 favorites]
His base isn't enough to move the needle from "fucking embarrassing defeat" to "landslide defeat" when it comes to the Nov election. He can keep his base.
posted by sideshow at 11:31 AM on June 5, 2020 [2 favorites]
Yeah, he can keep his base. Even if the Russian give him the Potus thing again, what has America left for it outside its narrow parochial borders?
posted by Mrs Potato at 11:49 AM on June 5, 2020
posted by Mrs Potato at 11:49 AM on June 5, 2020
It's really amazing how Democratic mayors have managed to still leverage Trump as a prop even at the literal moment that their own police forces are beating constituents in the street.
posted by dusty potato at 11:54 AM on June 5, 2020 [13 favorites]
posted by dusty potato at 11:54 AM on June 5, 2020 [13 favorites]
The calculus a little more complicated than that. It's causing him to make a lot of unforced errors, yes, but it's not clear that his stupid temper tantrums actually do anything to discourage his base.
But it's also causing people like Mattis to finally say something about how fucked up he is. John Q. Maga-Hat is gonna roll with him no matter what, but I'm talking about the number of former staffers and GOP members that finally, finally, seem to be growing spines and saying "okay, he's toxic." Because they may make the John Q. Centrists in the GOP rethink their stances.
Would that that kind of thing had happened sooner, for certain. But every time a former staffer finally comes around, it's one more tiny nudge into sanity - and if we can't get the avalanche all at once, I'll take the pebbles as they come.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 11:54 AM on June 5, 2020 [5 favorites]
But it's also causing people like Mattis to finally say something about how fucked up he is. John Q. Maga-Hat is gonna roll with him no matter what, but I'm talking about the number of former staffers and GOP members that finally, finally, seem to be growing spines and saying "okay, he's toxic." Because they may make the John Q. Centrists in the GOP rethink their stances.
Would that that kind of thing had happened sooner, for certain. But every time a former staffer finally comes around, it's one more tiny nudge into sanity - and if we can't get the avalanche all at once, I'll take the pebbles as they come.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 11:54 AM on June 5, 2020 [5 favorites]
(And keep working for more progress, of course)
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 11:57 AM on June 5, 2020 [2 favorites]
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 11:57 AM on June 5, 2020 [2 favorites]
I think it's important to remember that legislators' feigned hamstrungness on urgent issues at least has some theoretical plausibility to it, but mayors are in an executive role and in many or most cities have direct responsibility and control over the police force.
posted by dusty potato at 11:59 AM on June 5, 2020 [3 favorites]
posted by dusty potato at 11:59 AM on June 5, 2020 [3 favorites]
I agree with all the criticisms, but I have to admit it will absolutely positively piss off the president. With a normal human I wouldn't think much of that, but he's so childish and sensitive that upsetting him is a powerful gesture in a way it wouldn't be with a grownup. But yeah, no points for the mayor.
posted by hilberseimer at 12:04 PM on June 5, 2020 [2 favorites]
posted by hilberseimer at 12:04 PM on June 5, 2020 [2 favorites]
I'm just going to say that as someone who is not Black, I am very hesitant to assume motives like "this is a PR stunt" or "this is mostly about home rule" when a Black mayor helps make a statement of Black lives mattering, when it's her own community and her own lived experience she's talking about. And while BLMDC is an important activist group, Washington, DC, a city which is 45% Black, elected Mayor Bowser as the leader of their government, not the leadership of BLMDC, and dismissing her actions as "appeas[ing] white liberals" could be seen as politically self-serving on their part, as well.
As someone who is not Black, when there are substantive disagreements between the Black mayor of a city with more Black residents than any other racial or ethnic group and the leadership of a Black civil rights group, this seems to me like a good time to listen and not jump into the fray, and I hope other non-Black folks will consider that just loudly supporting a specific Black activist group against the Black mayor of DC doesn't necessarily make for good allyship. This isn't meant to call out anyone here specifically, as I mostly don't know and am not asking whether any of you are Black, it's just something I hope people will reflect on when deciding how to engage here.
Personally I am glad to see a firm message of support for peaceful protesters and against police brutality, and I hope that message of support is backed by further action to demilitarize and reform the DC police, and that activists on the ground continue pushing their government to ensure that it happens.
posted by biogeo at 12:05 PM on June 5, 2020 [11 favorites]
As someone who is not Black, when there are substantive disagreements between the Black mayor of a city with more Black residents than any other racial or ethnic group and the leadership of a Black civil rights group, this seems to me like a good time to listen and not jump into the fray, and I hope other non-Black folks will consider that just loudly supporting a specific Black activist group against the Black mayor of DC doesn't necessarily make for good allyship. This isn't meant to call out anyone here specifically, as I mostly don't know and am not asking whether any of you are Black, it's just something I hope people will reflect on when deciding how to engage here.
Personally I am glad to see a firm message of support for peaceful protesters and against police brutality, and I hope that message of support is backed by further action to demilitarize and reform the DC police, and that activists on the ground continue pushing their government to ensure that it happens.
posted by biogeo at 12:05 PM on June 5, 2020 [11 favorites]
[...] but I'm talking about the number of former staffers and GOP members that finally, finally, seem to be growing spines and saying "okay, he's toxic."The only similarity between Trump and Jesus is that, as he falls, many of Trump's advocates and enablers are also going to be saying, "I know not the man."
That wasn't a great look 2,000 years ago. Perhaps it has improved with age.
posted by springo at 12:46 PM on June 5, 2020 [3 favorites]
I keep thinking of all the US cities I've been in who had an "MLK Drive" named after the Rev Dr. Martin Luther King, Junior. They didn't fix much of anything, but there were cities that opposed these gestures, and that was important to fight. And those places in opposition also tended to protect their hollow brass statues of slavers from an army that was the enemy of the United States.
This seemed to me like a very camera-ready MLK Drive unveiling for 2020. That's not a bad thing: merely insufficient. We can't ignore symbols any more than we can rely on them alone.
posted by rum-soaked space hobo at 12:55 PM on June 5, 2020 [8 favorites]
This seemed to me like a very camera-ready MLK Drive unveiling for 2020. That's not a bad thing: merely insufficient. We can't ignore symbols any more than we can rely on them alone.
posted by rum-soaked space hobo at 12:55 PM on June 5, 2020 [8 favorites]
And while BLMDC is an important activist group, Washington, DC, a city which is 45% Black, elected Mayor Bowser as the leader of their government, not the leadership of BLMDC, and dismissing her actions as "appeas[ing] white liberals" could be seen as politically self-serving on their part, as well.
Beyond infighting, appeasing white liberals or anyone else in the mainstream with symbolic gestures can often be a good thing, in its own way. Symbols take on a life of their own and make you visible. Symbols can help in moving parts of the Overton window back to sanity. Speaking from a gay point-of-view, I might roll my eyes at businesses that put rainbow flags in their windows to get foot traffic, even though they had absolutely nothing to do with the gay liberation movement, but it shows the needle on civil rights has moved leftwards — forwards — in some important ways. Same with rainbow crosswalks in gayborhoods — and pan-African-flag crosswalks in majority-black neighborhoods, which can help raise questions about historical issues like segregation and gentrification in white-liberal-mainstream-etc. minds. Some symbols legitimize our existence in various important ways and can bring about discussion, thought, and positive change. Maybe having an elected black mayor install such a symbol in an official way can help the larger arc, whatever her reasons for doing it.
posted by They sucked his brains out! at 1:14 PM on June 5, 2020 [16 favorites]
Beyond infighting, appeasing white liberals or anyone else in the mainstream with symbolic gestures can often be a good thing, in its own way. Symbols take on a life of their own and make you visible. Symbols can help in moving parts of the Overton window back to sanity. Speaking from a gay point-of-view, I might roll my eyes at businesses that put rainbow flags in their windows to get foot traffic, even though they had absolutely nothing to do with the gay liberation movement, but it shows the needle on civil rights has moved leftwards — forwards — in some important ways. Same with rainbow crosswalks in gayborhoods — and pan-African-flag crosswalks in majority-black neighborhoods, which can help raise questions about historical issues like segregation and gentrification in white-liberal-mainstream-etc. minds. Some symbols legitimize our existence in various important ways and can bring about discussion, thought, and positive change. Maybe having an elected black mayor install such a symbol in an official way can help the larger arc, whatever her reasons for doing it.
posted by They sucked his brains out! at 1:14 PM on June 5, 2020 [16 favorites]
I hope it does get Trump riled up, but this is basically like one of those feel-good astroturf viral marketing campaigns by Pepsi, McDonalds or Exxon.
posted by snofoam at 2:04 PM on June 5, 2020 [2 favorites]
posted by snofoam at 2:04 PM on June 5, 2020 [2 favorites]
This is the two blocks of 16th immediately north of H and 16th but if there's someone who know's DC geography beyond what I can read off a map, what's there? St John's is at that intersection, so the next time President Trump heads there for a photo op, it seems impossible that he'd miss seeing it. Is it a street that members of Congress would nominally pass by on the way to the Capitol building? Can it be seen from the White House roof? It seems kinda far from the mall for tourists to walk to inadvertently.
posted by fragmede at 2:20 PM on June 5, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by fragmede at 2:20 PM on June 5, 2020 [1 favorite]
biogeo: as someone who is not Black, I am very hesitant to assume motives like "this is a PR stunt" or "this is mostly about home rule" when a Black mayor helps make a statement of Black lives mattering, when it's her own community and her own lived experience she's talking about.
I'm not Black either but I do live in DC. "We elected Bowser, not BLMDC, to lead our city" is a false dichotomy; we had no other viable candidate but her to elect. If you think it's important to step back and listen to the communities directly impacted by this, could you please step back and listen to what the DC residents in this conversation are saying?
posted by capricorn at 2:56 PM on June 5, 2020 [7 favorites]
I'm not Black either but I do live in DC. "We elected Bowser, not BLMDC, to lead our city" is a false dichotomy; we had no other viable candidate but her to elect. If you think it's important to step back and listen to the communities directly impacted by this, could you please step back and listen to what the DC residents in this conversation are saying?
posted by capricorn at 2:56 PM on June 5, 2020 [7 favorites]
this is white liberal bullshit. it is also pretty funny. get out in those streets. support your local bail fund and mutual aid networks. defund the police.
posted by eustatic at 2:56 PM on June 5, 2020 [5 favorites]
posted by eustatic at 2:56 PM on June 5, 2020 [5 favorites]
Ugh, I hate this 'IT'S NOT ENOUGH' knee-jerk reaction EVERY SINGLE TIME. It alienates much more than it inspires folks to do more.
...
As someone who is not Black, when there are substantive disagreements between the Black mayor of a city with more Black residents than any other racial or ethnic group and the leadership of a Black civil rights group, this seems to me like a good time to listen and not jump into the fray, and I hope other non-Black folks will consider that just loudly supporting a specific Black activist group against the Black mayor of DC doesn't necessarily make for good allyship. This isn't meant to call out anyone here specifically, as I mostly don't know and am not asking whether any of you are Black, it's just something I hope people will reflect on when deciding how to engage here.
Indirectly chiding BLMDC for being insufficiently pleased with this gesture as in the first comment I quoted, or endorsing that paternalism with a favorite, is most definitely not good allyship.
posted by invitapriore at 2:58 PM on June 5, 2020 [5 favorites]
...
As someone who is not Black, when there are substantive disagreements between the Black mayor of a city with more Black residents than any other racial or ethnic group and the leadership of a Black civil rights group, this seems to me like a good time to listen and not jump into the fray, and I hope other non-Black folks will consider that just loudly supporting a specific Black activist group against the Black mayor of DC doesn't necessarily make for good allyship. This isn't meant to call out anyone here specifically, as I mostly don't know and am not asking whether any of you are Black, it's just something I hope people will reflect on when deciding how to engage here.
Indirectly chiding BLMDC for being insufficiently pleased with this gesture as in the first comment I quoted, or endorsing that paternalism with a favorite, is most definitely not good allyship.
posted by invitapriore at 2:58 PM on June 5, 2020 [5 favorites]
support your local bail fund and mutual aid networks.D.C. has many, many, many faults, but it abolished cash bail twenty-five years ago, so as far as I can tell, there isn't a bail fund.
A bigger issue is that the Feds may decide to charge protesters here with Federal crimes, which can carry really draconian penalties.
posted by ArbitraryAndCapricious at 3:05 PM on June 5, 2020 [10 favorites]
This is the two blocks of 16th immediately north of H and 16th but if there's someone who know's DC geography beyond what I can read off a map, what's there?
Lafayette Park is covered with tourists (in non COVID times) because that's one of the two main views of the white house, and there is always a protest going on in the park. If someone "wants to see the white house", there's a good chance they'll go to Lafayette park. There are also a lot of federal and other office buildings in the area, so it's a visible location. 16th st is a major thoroughfare which terminates at the park, so any driver coming down 16th is going to see the BLM letters among the traffic. I think there is going to be lots of tourist traffic to that corner.
As an art installation, it's striking, and I initially appreciated the thumb in the president's eye, but I am deferring to BLMDC and am giving side eye to Bowser until she follows up with action in her own police force. Policing public spaces is also weird in DC because there is a mish mash of other federal forces: Park Police, Capitol Police, Secret Service, etc that have jurisdiction in their own spaces, and protesting often crosses jurisdictional boundaries. But that doesn't excuse the DC police for their everyday actions within the city.
posted by Hermeowne Grangepurr at 3:26 PM on June 5, 2020 [9 favorites]
Lafayette Park is covered with tourists (in non COVID times) because that's one of the two main views of the white house, and there is always a protest going on in the park. If someone "wants to see the white house", there's a good chance they'll go to Lafayette park. There are also a lot of federal and other office buildings in the area, so it's a visible location. 16th st is a major thoroughfare which terminates at the park, so any driver coming down 16th is going to see the BLM letters among the traffic. I think there is going to be lots of tourist traffic to that corner.
As an art installation, it's striking, and I initially appreciated the thumb in the president's eye, but I am deferring to BLMDC and am giving side eye to Bowser until she follows up with action in her own police force. Policing public spaces is also weird in DC because there is a mish mash of other federal forces: Park Police, Capitol Police, Secret Service, etc that have jurisdiction in their own spaces, and protesting often crosses jurisdictional boundaries. But that doesn't excuse the DC police for their everyday actions within the city.
posted by Hermeowne Grangepurr at 3:26 PM on June 5, 2020 [9 favorites]
For what it's worth, capricorn, I was born and raised in Alexandria, Virginia. Which, you know, isn't DC, but is inside the beltway and is very much part of DC's cultural sphere. I grew up with my friends listening to go-go and describing everything as "jont"; I have close personal ties to DC, and I'm familiar with its local politics. I have no interest in trying to push out the voices of non-Black DC residents here, either, but quite frankly the speculation in this thread that a Black politician born and raised in DC would be using a statement about Black Lives Matter purely as a political tool for appealing to White liberal voters and not because she has any personal stake in the matter makes me feel kind of sick. I don't think that asking people to simply reflect on this dynamic before commenting is an undue burden on non-Black residents of DC.
posted by biogeo at 4:05 PM on June 5, 2020 [6 favorites]
posted by biogeo at 4:05 PM on June 5, 2020 [6 favorites]
That stretch of 16th street is frequently traveled by Presidential Motorcades
posted by interogative mood at 4:54 PM on June 5, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by interogative mood at 4:54 PM on June 5, 2020 [1 favorite]
Statements are important. Making America's Top Racist look at an enormous version of a slogan as crucial as BLM is great, as was the awesome graffiti that went up all over the Robert E Lee statue that was (finally) taken down after the tagging. It's not the solution, but the message, loud and clear, helps to get us there.
posted by bearwife at 5:56 PM on June 5, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by bearwife at 5:56 PM on June 5, 2020 [1 favorite]
Gotcha, biogeo, I'm sorry to assume. I'm actually from Alexandria myself! It is nice to meet another Alexandrian even if it is someone I'm disagreeing with on the internet :)
But I still think you're misunderstanding what the political situation is here today. Especially now that I've had some bourbon I'll leave it to DCist senior editor Rachel Kurzius to explain (twitter thread link).
posted by capricorn at 7:04 PM on June 5, 2020 [8 favorites]
But I still think you're misunderstanding what the political situation is here today. Especially now that I've had some bourbon I'll leave it to DCist senior editor Rachel Kurzius to explain (twitter thread link).
posted by capricorn at 7:04 PM on June 5, 2020 [8 favorites]
Always nice to meet a fellow Alexandrian, capricorn! T.C. '02 here. And I appreciate the link to local reporting/opinion. I hope it's clear that I'm not trying to defend Bowser's record as mayor, here, though I do think there's more factors in play than Bowser's critics are acknowledging (her 2019 budget proposal, for example, included increased spending on both the police and non-police programs treating violence as a public health matter, the latter being something I think is sorely needed everywhere, the former being something that is certainly problematic in an era of militarized police). All I've suggested is that non-Black Mefites stop and consider what it means to accuse a Black mayor of using Black Lives Matter as an empty prop, and I'll add especially if they don't have direct on-the-ground knowledge of the situation. If, after consideration, people really feel that that's what's going on and that they need to comment on it, I have neither the desire nor the ability to stop them.
posted by biogeo at 7:47 PM on June 5, 2020
posted by biogeo at 7:47 PM on June 5, 2020
and then just a few days ago called the National Guard on her constituents for protesting against that.
Inaccurate. Defense Secretary Mark T. "dominate the battlespace" Esper called the National Guard on orders from Trump. Mayor Bowser did not request any out-of-state aid, and the Democrat governors of VA, NY, PA and DE cited her wishes as one reason why they did not send any National Guard troops from their states at Esper's request.
WaPo, 3 June (may be paywalled)
posted by Pallas Athena at 7:52 PM on June 5, 2020 [7 favorites]
Inaccurate. Defense Secretary Mark T. "dominate the battlespace" Esper called the National Guard on orders from Trump. Mayor Bowser did not request any out-of-state aid, and the Democrat governors of VA, NY, PA and DE cited her wishes as one reason why they did not send any National Guard troops from their states at Esper's request.
WaPo, 3 June (may be paywalled)
D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) said she had not requested any help from outside the city.Mayor Bowser, and all politicians, should be held accountable for their policies and the consequences of those policies. But let's hold them accountable for the right things.
Bowser said she has been pushing back on Trump’s attempts to deploy thousands, including active-duty military, to quell unrest in Washington. “We don’t want the armed National Guard, armed military, and we don’t want any of those things on D.C. streets,” she said.
posted by Pallas Athena at 7:52 PM on June 5, 2020 [7 favorites]
Oh Jebus, yes of course this is a stunt. But it's a brilliant stunt. Along the lines of the Liberty Bell or The Star Spangled Banner, neither of which really means shit except for the fact that they are indelible markers of the time and future generations of idiots will always travel across the country on their vacations and feel patriotic about the sacrifices generations before them made to the mythology of Our Great Country. Imagine that every future President has to walk across the "Black Lives Matter" street on their way to take the oath and deliver the inaugural address and little kids ask their parents "Why do they have that Black Lives Matter?" on TV.
I mean, yes, I fully expect and welcome the nation to split apart in the wake of fascism. But on the off chance that we survive like we did in 1776, 1812, 1860, 1920, 1936, and 1968, the "Black Lives Matter" street might end up being an enduring and important symbol of our history.
posted by Slarty Bartfast at 9:31 PM on June 5, 2020 [10 favorites]
I mean, yes, I fully expect and welcome the nation to split apart in the wake of fascism. But on the off chance that we survive like we did in 1776, 1812, 1860, 1920, 1936, and 1968, the "Black Lives Matter" street might end up being an enduring and important symbol of our history.
posted by Slarty Bartfast at 9:31 PM on June 5, 2020 [10 favorites]
I mean, yes, I fully expect and welcome the nation to split apart in the wake of fascism. But on the off chance that we survive like we did in 1776, 1812, 1860, 1920, 1936, and 1968, the "Black Lives Matter" street might end up being an enduring and important symbol of our history.
I'm not a black person, but I live in a city where black people make up a significant portion of its citizenry and which is nominally helmed by a white woman from one of its richest districts, who has offered in her tenure any number of symbolic declarations in favor of "solidarity" as she presides over the defunding of so many municipal functions in favor of increased police funding, and I'll say that the activists I know here who have remained a target of those police don't put much stock in the value of that symbology. It doesn't mean much when they got tear-gassed fifteen minutes before the curfew that they were only informed about fifteen minutes prior, and it doesn't mean much when they got told by the interim chief of police that the cops' only concern was abating violence when an officer with a history of racist violence was documented as being deployed downtown. FUCK YOUR SYMBOLS, BLACK PEOPLE ARE BEING KILLED. If symbolism worked, we wouldn't still be talking about this, and we need to stop apologizing for the bureaucrats that enable this violence just because they have a (D) next to their name.
posted by invitapriore at 10:15 PM on June 5, 2020 [8 favorites]
I'm not a black person, but I live in a city where black people make up a significant portion of its citizenry and which is nominally helmed by a white woman from one of its richest districts, who has offered in her tenure any number of symbolic declarations in favor of "solidarity" as she presides over the defunding of so many municipal functions in favor of increased police funding, and I'll say that the activists I know here who have remained a target of those police don't put much stock in the value of that symbology. It doesn't mean much when they got tear-gassed fifteen minutes before the curfew that they were only informed about fifteen minutes prior, and it doesn't mean much when they got told by the interim chief of police that the cops' only concern was abating violence when an officer with a history of racist violence was documented as being deployed downtown. FUCK YOUR SYMBOLS, BLACK PEOPLE ARE BEING KILLED. If symbolism worked, we wouldn't still be talking about this, and we need to stop apologizing for the bureaucrats that enable this violence just because they have a (D) next to their name.
posted by invitapriore at 10:15 PM on June 5, 2020 [8 favorites]
From capricorn's twitter link:
I genuinely often forget this bc this has been a year but Bowser endorsed Bloomberg and worked hard as a surrogate, including defending his record on stop and frisk https://dcist.com/story/20/02/13posted by el gran combo at 9:57 AM on June 6, 2020 [1 favorite]
Sorry, I should've referenced Glegrinof the Pig-Man's post. I wanted to highlight that, out of all the Democratic candidates left in the primary at the end of January 2020, Bowser chose to endorse Bloomberg.
posted by el gran combo at 10:23 AM on June 6, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by el gran combo at 10:23 AM on June 6, 2020 [1 favorite]
I understand why BLM activists would not be amused by her hijacking their movement to protest something that is, among other things, a threat to her own authority.The District of Columbia is a majority-black city that the federal government routinely disrespects, and treats as its plaything, largely, if not exclusively because of the race of its residents. It's possible to be disappointed in Mayor Bowser, but you absolutely cannot divorce the politics of DC home rule from anti-black racism. They are deeply, deeply intertwined. Painting Home Rule activism as a power-grab by Mayor Bowser is disingenuous at best.
Issues around the MPD are also.... complicated. While there are many issues with the department (and I'm pretty fucking angry with them this week), I don't think it's fair to say that they have the same issues as many other big-city police departments. This is to the credit of local leaders and activists who worked to get it that way.
posted by schmod at 11:50 AM on June 6, 2020 [6 favorites]
I'm not a black person, but I live in a city where black people make up a significant portion of its citizenry and which is nominally helmed by a white woman from one of its richest districts, who has offered in her tenure any number of symbolic declarations in favor of "solidarity"
Hello, fellow Oakland resident!
posted by suelac at 2:00 PM on June 6, 2020 [3 favorites]
Hello, fellow Oakland resident!
posted by suelac at 2:00 PM on June 6, 2020 [3 favorites]
I often find Bowser disappointing for doing too little (on most issues - don’t get our local cycling community started on Vision Zero) but I think she’s done more than that here. Lots of school groups, conference attendees, or White House visitors are going to be reminded of BLM every day, and much as I wish a 6 year old didn’t have to ask that their right to exist be respected a symbol right next to the seat of power has more weight than the things cities often do like renaming a rec center in a poor neighborhood.
I think she’s also reading the local political shifts: DC has a lot of people demanding change — Trump barely managed 4% of the vote here and he’s really shown that the best way to get under his thin, thin skin is to do go down a less conservative path than she might choose otherwise. My council member (Brandon Todd) is Bowser’s hand-picked successor and he just handily lost to Janeese Lewis George, endorsed by BLM and most of the progressive groups and non-police unions. Todd’s campaign let a DeVos-backed “education reform” group mail out fliers attacking Janeese for her support of criminal justice reform, telling people it’d make us less safe — they thought that would be the best attack but it apparently backfired with him losing by a fair margin. Bowser may not be a bold reformer but I doubt she’s not reading the room.
posted by adamsc at 5:07 PM on June 6, 2020 [8 favorites]
I think she’s also reading the local political shifts: DC has a lot of people demanding change — Trump barely managed 4% of the vote here and he’s really shown that the best way to get under his thin, thin skin is to do go down a less conservative path than she might choose otherwise. My council member (Brandon Todd) is Bowser’s hand-picked successor and he just handily lost to Janeese Lewis George, endorsed by BLM and most of the progressive groups and non-police unions. Todd’s campaign let a DeVos-backed “education reform” group mail out fliers attacking Janeese for her support of criminal justice reform, telling people it’d make us less safe — they thought that would be the best attack but it apparently backfired with him losing by a fair margin. Bowser may not be a bold reformer but I doubt she’s not reading the room.
posted by adamsc at 5:07 PM on June 6, 2020 [8 favorites]
Update: yesterday evening Black Lives Matter added "defund the police" to the mural. I was hearing rumors last night that the city government planned to remove the addition, but they did not which was very nice to see!
posted by capricorn at 10:54 AM on June 7, 2020 [4 favorites]
posted by capricorn at 10:54 AM on June 7, 2020 [4 favorites]
Speaking as somebody who is not a huge fan of the mayor, I am not particularly pleased that we’ve somehow refocused the energy of these protests as a referendum on DC, MPD, and Bowser. All three are far from perfect, but also have little to do with the national protests.
I feel like Trump offered us bait, and we took it.
posted by schmod at 4:30 PM on June 7, 2020
I feel like Trump offered us bait, and we took it.
posted by schmod at 4:30 PM on June 7, 2020
we’ve somehow refocused the energy of these protests as a referendum on DC, MPD, and Bowser
I feel you but I don't think that's what's going on. I appreciate the context that DC residents and others have been providing us here. I personally have the bandwidth to both be grateful for the statement in paint on the street and to hope that DC leadership can do better.
posted by el gran combo at 12:32 AM on June 8, 2020
I feel you but I don't think that's what's going on. I appreciate the context that DC residents and others have been providing us here. I personally have the bandwidth to both be grateful for the statement in paint on the street and to hope that DC leadership can do better.
posted by el gran combo at 12:32 AM on June 8, 2020
yesterday evening Black Lives Matter added "defund the police" to the mural.
Now that the members of NWA are all respectable pillars of the community and admired heritage artists, perhaps they could go back into the studio and rerecord their hit with the title changed to the above, to lend their moral authority to the push...
posted by acb at 3:53 PM on June 8, 2020 [1 favorite]
Now that the members of NWA are all respectable pillars of the community and admired heritage artists, perhaps they could go back into the studio and rerecord their hit with the title changed to the above, to lend their moral authority to the push...
posted by acb at 3:53 PM on June 8, 2020 [1 favorite]
I might roll my eyes at businesses that put rainbow flags in their windows to get foot traffic, even though they had absolutely nothing to do with the gay liberation movement, but it shows the needle on civil rights has moved leftwards — forwards — in some important ways.
Yes, a rainbow in the bank window is good not because it's a sign that the bank is some great LGBT ally, but rather that society has changed enough that the bank wants to be seen as an LGBT ally.
Similarly we can be skeptical of performative gestures and demand more substantive responses and reforms while still being glad that we have got to the place where painting BLACK LIVES MATTER on a city street is the sort of performative gesture a politician would want to make.
The key is not to let either the rainbow or the street mural be mistaken for some sort of MISSION ACCOMPLISHED banner.
posted by straight at 4:18 PM on June 8, 2020 [7 favorites]
Yes, a rainbow in the bank window is good not because it's a sign that the bank is some great LGBT ally, but rather that society has changed enough that the bank wants to be seen as an LGBT ally.
Similarly we can be skeptical of performative gestures and demand more substantive responses and reforms while still being glad that we have got to the place where painting BLACK LIVES MATTER on a city street is the sort of performative gesture a politician would want to make.
The key is not to let either the rainbow or the street mural be mistaken for some sort of MISSION ACCOMPLISHED banner.
posted by straight at 4:18 PM on June 8, 2020 [7 favorites]
The key is not to let either the rainbow or the street mural be mistaken for some sort of MISSION ACCOMPLISHED banner.
I'm sure banks (or whatever business one wants to bring up) still discriminate against some LGBT customers and employees who try to work up the promotion ladder.
These symbols were never end goals, but they do mark visibility. And their use in other contexts does signal change in a better direction, a sign that we don't tolerate shitty behaviors that were commonplace a few years ago, and they remind us we all need to work harder to preserve and build on those gains. These are all bricks that pave the way for a better tomorrow.
It's so damn easy to tear things down and so hard to build them back up. Dismissing actions as performative does not reflect the larger reality of how things really have changed, nor does it do one single thing to honor those who were and are discriminated against, who fought for the rights that we enjoy today, and who have to keep fighting for them every day.
Visibility really does matter, and dismissal of that is poisonous in its own way, perhaps almost as much as bigotry, because a lot of that dismissal is often an expression of empty, lazy cynicism from people, many of whom have little or nothing to lose.
When I see a pair of teenagers break the line to stand up to Capitol Hill militia, to help defend each other from getting beaten and gassed, and when I see people getting inspired to get together to take a neighborhood back from militarized police and paint BLACK LIVES MATTER on two street blocks, actions of that kind are a million times more meaningful than someone doing a "meh, performance" from behind computer screens.
posted by They sucked his brains out! at 2:46 AM on June 12, 2020 [2 favorites]
I'm sure banks (or whatever business one wants to bring up) still discriminate against some LGBT customers and employees who try to work up the promotion ladder.
These symbols were never end goals, but they do mark visibility. And their use in other contexts does signal change in a better direction, a sign that we don't tolerate shitty behaviors that were commonplace a few years ago, and they remind us we all need to work harder to preserve and build on those gains. These are all bricks that pave the way for a better tomorrow.
It's so damn easy to tear things down and so hard to build them back up. Dismissing actions as performative does not reflect the larger reality of how things really have changed, nor does it do one single thing to honor those who were and are discriminated against, who fought for the rights that we enjoy today, and who have to keep fighting for them every day.
Visibility really does matter, and dismissal of that is poisonous in its own way, perhaps almost as much as bigotry, because a lot of that dismissal is often an expression of empty, lazy cynicism from people, many of whom have little or nothing to lose.
When I see a pair of teenagers break the line to stand up to Capitol Hill militia, to help defend each other from getting beaten and gassed, and when I see people getting inspired to get together to take a neighborhood back from militarized police and paint BLACK LIVES MATTER on two street blocks, actions of that kind are a million times more meaningful than someone doing a "meh, performance" from behind computer screens.
posted by They sucked his brains out! at 2:46 AM on June 12, 2020 [2 favorites]
They sucked his brains out!: when I see people getting inspired to get together to take a neighborhood back from militarized police and paint BLACK LIVES MATTER on two street blocks
That's not what happened. This was not a guerrilla effort. What happened was: the mayor sent cops to beat and tear gas protestors, the mayor painted the mural, and then the mayor said she refuses to consider defunding the police. I will stop commenting in this thread now, but this narrative has been stolen and twisted and needs to belong to Black Lives Matter and the people of DC.
posted by capricorn at 8:30 AM on June 13, 2020 [1 favorite]
That's not what happened. This was not a guerrilla effort. What happened was: the mayor sent cops to beat and tear gas protestors, the mayor painted the mural, and then the mayor said she refuses to consider defunding the police. I will stop commenting in this thread now, but this narrative has been stolen and twisted and needs to belong to Black Lives Matter and the people of DC.
posted by capricorn at 8:30 AM on June 13, 2020 [1 favorite]
That is what happened in Seattle's Capitol Hill, though. People got inspired by what happened in DC and made their own mark. That's why it matters.
posted by They sucked his brains out! at 11:35 AM on June 13, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by They sucked his brains out! at 11:35 AM on June 13, 2020 [1 favorite]
lol, I'm a dumbass, I thought you meant Capitol Hill DC.
/actual last comment in thread
posted by capricorn at 8:12 PM on June 13, 2020
/actual last comment in thread
posted by capricorn at 8:12 PM on June 13, 2020
Nah, I wasn't clear, my fault.
posted by They sucked his brains out! at 10:07 PM on June 13, 2020
posted by They sucked his brains out! at 10:07 PM on June 13, 2020
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