PT 1: I was very disappointed by the speech and question answer segment given by Black Lives Matter founder Patrisse Cullors. I expected a rational discussion on real ills between police/local government and the black community and possibly reasonable ideas on how to go about improving those relations. What I heard was wholly divisive rhetoric that was contradictory to any reasonable positive change in any facet of the community. At the very end of her speech she had the audience engage in taking an oath that came from a woman named Assata Shakur who Cullor claimed to be living in exile in Cuba. The words of the oath were very inspiring and talked about fighting for freedom and the only thing that people had to lose was their chains. What Cullor did not mention was why the woman she was praising was in Cuba. Assata Shakur is an alias of a woman named Joanne Deborah Chesimard, who is a domestic terrorist and wanted fugitive. Chesimard is wanted by the FBI for a slew of violent felonies including bank robbery and the execution style murder of a New Jersey State Trooper on the New Jersey turnpike in 1977. The link to the FBI wanted page is here: (https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/wanted_terrorists/joanne-deborah-chesimard) I've always thought that the Black Lives Matter movement was supposed to be about protesting the idea that people can be wrongfully killed and that their killers can avoid any form of persecution, but when Cullors had a room full of people who likely had no idea what they were even saying swear to an oath that they likely had no idea was written by a true wanted murderer she showed what her movement was really about.
Exalting a murderer while claiming to be against injustice was not the only time Cullor exposed her own hypocrisy. There was another point in her speech where she was asked about white people participating in groups that aimed to improve conditions for black communities. Her response seemed to be almost in favor of segregation. She claimed that white people should form their own anti-hate groups separate from those groups consisting of black people. From her rhetoric she showed that she does not support the equality under the law or working together for a better country that she claims to.
Another thing I heard that disgusted me that night was the disrespect for a person who simply asked a question that introduced an opposing view. When she was asked by an audience member who wanted to know about Cullor's opinion of people who compared her organization to radical white nationalist organizations like the KKK she did something that she did not do for anyone else who asked a question that night. She called the person who asked the question out by name and in a belittling tone to be booed and hissed at by the audience. There was no implication that the person who asked the question even believed that the two groups were comparable, she was just bringing up that they were compared before by asking a legitimate question.
There was also an instance where an audience member yelled the phrase "No free speech for fascists!" Instead of being ridiculed for being disruptive his statement was supported by Cullor. When she gave that audience member support she gave support to the idea that not every person is deserving of the right to express their own idea and people with opposing views should be shut down from speaking. The cruel irony is that shutting down political opposition is exactly something that a fascist would do, and she gave support to it.
PT 2: Apart from the division she preached, she did not offer a single viable solution to any of the problems that are faced by people in Peoria. In one part of her speech she even advocated for people not to vote, the basic civic duty of a citizen, if they did not like the people on the ballot. Which is a surefire way to get any grievance disregarded by a government official. When the issue of police body cameras was brought up she ridiculed the idea, even though camera footage is a definite way to ensure that a police interaction is fully documented with complete video evidence. She also complained about the time period that it took for footage to be released even though such footage is normally not released in order to ensure an unbiased jury.
One of the most outrageous things that Cullors said that night was when she added the phrase "No Jails" to the phrase "No wall, no ban" while over incarceration is certainly an issue in America today, the idea of getting rid of them entirely is unthinkable and certainly impossible. She didn't even present an alternative to incarceration, she just said "no Jails".
The only comfort that I had that night was knowing that the people who mindlessly followed her in that final chant are going to change their political views almost immediately after they leave that social bubble that fosters it; and that even though people like Cullors claim to be representative of the views of African Americans I have met enough African American people through my college and military experience to know that they are not all like Patrisse Cullors. I had the pleasure of serving under and alongside, as well as learning from and with some of the best people I have ever met and people who I respected most who were black. It makes me glad that they are the ones who shaped my mind to see that black people are just like me except in a different shade and are not divisive and despicable people like Cullors who get most of the media attention. CoolGuy001
I have mixed feelings about the black lives matter movement at this point. I’ll get my negative thoughts out of the way first. Before attending the speech, I knew nothing about BLM aside from the fact that it existed. After Thursday, I feel like advocates of BLM (assuming they have identical or very similar feelings as Cullors) have good intentions, but perhaps allow their passion to push them a little further than it should. For example, Cullors very blatantly supported the sentiment shouted from the stands that there should be no free speech for "fascists". Let me be clear, I have absolutely no love for fascism, but I do have love for free speech. As much as you might not like what someone says, it is important that they have the right to say it. Even terrible people are entitled to free speech. When you start deciding that certain groups don't get certain rights, you will do nothing but harm. Who decides which groups are "fascist"? At this point it seems like anyone even slightly right of center in their political views who says anything that the left disagrees with is labeled bigot and fascist. It is a slippery slope and would likely have the exact opposite affect than what is intended. That crap must stop.
Cullors seems to be highly supportive of peaceful protest, but she condones the intentional blocking of highways. It is difficult to fathom the harmful ripple effect that this can have, and it is anything but peaceful. It only seems peaceful because the protesters are not directly assaulting anyone or breaking anything. How many innocent people might suffer if you block a major highway for a prolonged period? That might seem dramatic, but a lot of people (including people who would normally support the protest) rely on those highways for more than just heading to Starbucks. Maybe you cause car accidents. Maybe a protester gets run over. Maybe a woman in a protest-created traffic jam is in labor and her husband is just trying to get her to the hospital but now they are boxed in and she gives birth in the car and there are complications. Maybe the woman and the baby die. Maybe a man is being taken by ambulance to the hospital after a stroke and has little time before he either dies or wakes up with brain damage because he couldn’t get where he needed to be. Maybe several people are already on strike three with their workplace for tardiness, and they are about to lose their jobs because you’re blocking the highway like children who cannot see passed themselves. This crap must also stop.
Having said all that, I do like that Cullors puts a lot of emphasis on other forms of peaceful protest. I also like that she emphasizes how difficult it is to change anything alone, so it is very important that we come together to be heard – something that doesn’t happen nearly enough, especially in this age of technology where we feel closer than we really are. Poet005
The speech by Patrisse Cullors was positive I thought. I felt she could have give us a little bit more. I will say that I know there will be a lot of backlashing behind this one. Everyone is free to have their own thoughts and opinions. I loved the part where she named many of the young black people that loss their life to police violence and anti-black racism. Cullors stated at it’s time to make a change this need to stop. I will definitely agree with her there this is 2017 we should be beyond all of this. I will say I wish she could have gave more guidance or ideas on how to step forth to try and help stop the police violence in our community. She did not give us any thoughtful suggestion. On the other hand I didn’t care for the part where she said that she will not answer certain questions. She could have worded that a little differently. I feel she should have answered any question that came up. My reasonings for that is if you’re coming to explain your organization then, you come to hear what your audience has to say as well. Some people will take it as she’s not a positive activist. In my opinion I feel there will be people that are going to take her presents and her words the wrong way. Cupcake005….
BLM The speech with Patrisse Cullors it self was overall good I think she discussed several valid points even beyond just black lives, she touched on all backgrounds. I did expect more to come from the speech like ways the BLM can help the community against all types of issues our society as well as other lower income families on a day to day basis. No I don't expect her to fix anything outside of what our own community can't or haven't fixed maybe I went in with the wrong mindset of the speech itself. I figured she would go in great details on ways we as locals can be beneficial on making a change in black society as a whole. I also see that the issue free speech may have struck a chord with several being that it was several questions she refused to answer however we have a "leader of the free world" who does this on a daily so I don't see the big issue. Seems to me it's unfortunately becoming our new normal! Leathas005
I personally was disappointed with Cullors speech. I expected it to be a very moving experience or even something to help change the way Peoria is. She also was saying that "Black Lives Matter" and don't get me wrong, they do, but don't we as human beings all matter??? Instead of saying Black Lives Matter how about we say "Life Matters". Instead of hearing about This race of a person killed this race, how about we say, a tragic life has been lost. Not that a "black boy died by a white cop" The race of a person had nothing to do with what happened. Cops are not driving around saying, "I am going to shoot someone of a different race". They have better things to be doing. The moment we stop looking at people as they are different because of the skin, the sooner we all can move past the racial differences. We need to stop raising our kids to look at people that we are different from each other. I wish these were some of the items that Cullors could have brought up. hotfox003
I believe a lot of questions went unanswered, but the questions that got answered were dead on. Black Lives Do Matter. Period. People like to sweep race under the rug and say "race has nothing to do with it". In all actuality it does. I feel for Cullors because she fights for something and stands up for people around the nation who can't do it for themselves, but shes one person she cant do it all by herself. Unity will be the only way to solve our problems as African Americans and im not saying other people can't be supportive but support because you care and not come on board for personal agendas. No matter what RACE in this country will always play apart in what takes place around the world because it always has! Im not saying it cant stop, but i feel like dont try and tell us that race doesnt matter and that we should be concerned about all lives; the last time I checked all lives matter didnt have to endure slavery, now did they? Cullors was right, we have nothing to lose but our chains. the real question is, are we going to break the chains or be content with oppression?MelaninQueen005
It is incorrect to say that other races have not endured slavery. Slavery of black people in America is only the most recent example of slavery so it is fresh in our minds. Black lives definitely matter, that is not even debatable in my eyes, but you're wrong about the rest not having to endure slavery though. All races (there may be some very obscure exceptions in remote parts of the world) have been slaves at some point. How do you think the great wall of China was built? It wasn't the hard work of the Chinese nobility, it was Chinese slaves and slaves from neighboring nations. They would work literally to death, and once they died their corpses were used as building material for the foundation. How about the pyramids in Egypt? Again, it was not the ruling class that built them, it was enslaved Jews and criminals. You can make the argument that many of them were technically black, but it was not their skin color that was the problem there. Ancient Rome and Greece also made use of slaves -- European ones. In addition, the slave trade of African Americans in early America was largely facilitated by black people themselves. If you don't believe me do some research on it. Black people in Africa would capture other black people and sell them off to America (a lot).
What I'm trying to get at here is that being a victim of slavery is not exclusive to black people, and black people are not innocent in the matter either. They are simply the most recent example so the wound is still somewhat fresh, so to speak. With all this knowledge it is impossible to single out any one race or religious affiliation as victim or oppressor. This may sound negative at first to you, but it is in fact a less segregationist way of thinking. This way of thinking allows for more inclusive thought patterns and puts us all in the same boat which touches on the matter of unity that you mentioned.
Having said all that though, I do believe that black people are often unjustly profiled by government and the police force and without getting into causes for that, it does need to change. Poet005
for a long time to took to me understand that all lives really do matter of course BLM matter as well with all the unjust and racial profiling and in my words I say all lives matter but for just a second blm is the focus at this present matter. what about immigrant and the lgbt or the Muslims who aren't terriost but just because they muslims they still get treated differently just a thought. kyw005
I thought it started off great due to the idea of the uniting together to make a community better, but it seem to be a one sided organization. I started to get disappointed we she started to try and make it political by saying some generalizations about the right wing. Then it kept going down hill when she added no prisons to the the no wall no ban. which if she is going to bring up not having prisons then she is going to have to come of with solutions that would work to replace the punishment of incarceration. Cullor stated that we need spend the money on other programs instead of the body cameras. she did not say what programs but she tried to discredit body cameras because they are not always on or they don't share the recording with the public, but the main reason to have the body camera is to protect the officer and the individual that the officer has come in contact with.Steel001Banshee002
I am very disappointing how she did not want to talk about all lives mater and black on black crime. For he all live matter questioned it made me think that she did not care about all the other people but her own. For the reason why she did no want to talk about black on black crimes is that she did not want to talk bad about them or realize it. I have looked up the percentage rate for black on black crime and it was at 90 percent of 2014. They go on and talk about how they do not make enough money on were they work and deserve a better pay. We just can not give you the money you have to work at getting a better job to make the money. As for the lady that says her son keeps on getting pulled over it is probably because the cops do not know him a lot. So it takes time to know he is not dangerous. I think she said something about not being in a cage or something. And I interpreted as her race not being locked up. Basically saying even though they committed the crime and there is evidence to prove it, they should not be locked up. adelle002
I too was disappointed when Patrice refused to discuss "All Lives Matter" and "black on black killing". The entire purpose of the speech was to inform the audience about Black Lives Matter, so the fact that she could not distinguish BLM and ALM was quite sad. Interesting that black on black crime had such a high percentage, sitting at 90% in 2014. I wish Patrice would have been prepared to discuss those issues, so then the audience can be more informed and understanding of her speech. Instead, she left us in the dark, simply just refusing to answer any questions related to the campaign "All Lives Matter" and "black on black killing". Bry001
I will start off by saying that I was overall disappointed with the presentation. Going into the speech, I expected to be hearing about how when she started this group that she did not intend for so much violence to be started out of the "peaceful protests". I also did not like how in one part of the presentation she mentioned "no jails". I would love to hear her ideas on how she would replace jails? I will not say that our prisons are not overpopulated, because they are, I will say that we can not just get rid of jails. I thought the speech would be more aimed at bringing people together and joining different groups and races of people to make a change, but instead she mentioned that white people should form their own groups to bring about change. I also did not agree with her statement telling people not to vote, how else do you expect to make a difference if you cannot even participate in basic civil duties. So you do not want people to vote, so when the candidate you oppose wins because you did not vote, you start "peaceful" protests, shut down highways, destroy and loot businesses. Sounds like a productive plan to me... I was also very interested to hear her response to the black on black crime rates, only to find out that she would not be answering the question. If you are protesting that black lives matter, then you would think that you would also be addressing the fact that the black on black homicide rate is at an all time high in many areas all around the country. Why is it that if a white officer kills an african american suspect, the whole country knows about it and protests flare up all around? But, when an african american gang member kills an innocent african american, no-one hears about it. The officer is automatically labeled as a racist and the media jumps to conclusions without exploring all options. Blackhawks001
I was a little disappointed at the black lives matter event. I guess what I expected was a little far-fetched. Her speech was okay I guess. What I was a little disappointed in was the questions part. I didn’t like the fact that she wouldn’t address black on black crime. I mean it’s just as big of a problem as white on black crime. If black lives don’t matter to black people first, why should it matter to anyone else. One thing that I find hypocritical about the black lives matter movement is that black people will be the first to support it but will also be the first to kill another black man or women. Why should people take interest in black people lives if we don’t interest in our fellow brother and sister’s life’s. Overall her speech was good and she hit some basic points on how to fight oppression of the African American race.Food005
I am still unsure about Cullor. Not knowing much about the movement already I came in with the hopes of learning about where I stand or should stand. Before the Q&A, there were many times her words gave me goosebumps. I feel for the mother of Trevon Martin, and all the ones who have been mistreated with injustice. I believe BLM is a movement well needed right now. People should stand up for people who can not stand for them selves. I truly think ALL people should do there part in movements like BLM. I think in order to be heard in our society more voices are louder then few. Another point that moved me was seeing this group of vastly different people becoming a small community because of their similar interest. I felt honored to be apart of a positive movement in history. But then Cullor, went to the Q&As and I became more confused then before. When she shut down the "all lives matter" question and the "black on black killing" issue, I was disappointed. I know I could always go look this up online, like she said but, I wanted to hear her opinion, that particular information was important for me to understand. When the community leader who addressed the issue about trying to make public meetings to discuss change for African Americans in peoria community but mostly white people have showed up, I felt that she was genuine and humbly seeking advise to better the out reach to our black community. It surprised me that Cullor came off as offended. She responded with the idea that any white group that gets together to talk about black people is never good in the long run for black people. I don't think that was fair. I wanted to tell the black man asking for advise to get the younger generation involved in the NAACP, to talk to the white community leader who seems to be meeting for that purpose. My heart broke for the mother who said her son was being racially profiled on our communities streets, just as much as it broke for the muslim African man and his profiling from the FBI. She didn't seem to be as interested in his, or any other minority's fight. It felt like every time someone who was not black tried to relate to this movement, they were swept aside. I know I could be looking at this wrong, but our country has so many things it needs to fix, there is inequality issues along with then black/white. I guess I just expected an achievable goal for this movement, but I left there feeling that I was not wanted there. I had to drive around for a couple hours just to process it all. I just hope that our community finds some peace and supports each other by working with and not against each other. Lastly I want to restate that I could be analyzing this completely wrong. I can not pretend to say I know what it is like to be African American in this country today. I can not say I have personally been racially profiled. However my family has. People do bad things when they are scared. People can do worse things when they feel threatened and separated. The best way to eliminate fear is to try to understand one another. Jimmys005
Perhaps there was a sense of hope when this meeting began, but as we progressed with the topics I began to wonder why we were only concerned with only black lives and not all lives. I am not trying to make this about race, color, or any type of difference. I agree with the way you stated that many of us did not as much as we should about the BLM and also hoped to learn more about the movement and ourselves. She was, indeed, a very vibrant, charismatic, and impassioned speaker. I wanted to hear more about the manner in which we were going to confront the issues, peacefully, and find resolutions and answers to the problems. We always seemed to skirt just at the edge of the topics without really getting at the meat of the material. She continued to speak out against “no wall, no ban”, but added no jails to this phrase. Over incarceration is definitely a growing problem, but without theses jails the problem would only increase. I wanted to say the same about the incident with the community leader and that the statement was offensive in the way she made light of this man’s concern with the lack of participation by the black community. Again, it is a “community” of individuals who must come together to resolve the issues of our communities. I have grown up in this city for all my life and I am constantly amazed at the lack of compassion, at times, and how little these same movements, groups, and organizations do not always make that extra effort to “spread the word” out better than they attempted to. Can’t agree more. If we do not begin trying more to understand our community and the people within we may never know how great, we can become. Seoulman005
I found the Black Lives Matter event interesting to say the least. I expected an informative event from both the co-founder Patrisse Cullors and the Peoria City Police Department. Instead Cullors argued for her event and for a change in the way we treat African Americans in Peoria. I can agree with that noble cause, Peoria naturally does segregate in certain ways, whether it be directly for that purpose or not. This is widely done through the lines between school districts and tax districts. Peoria may have racial issues that I didn't realize or perceive, and this event has urged me to pay attention to those signs if and when they are present. However, I do not think things are as severely bad as to say that there are white supremacist in the white house, though I do not deny or confirm that fact. Cullors also pleads for black lives while denying questions about all lives or black on black crime. This is alarming to me, but I could see how it would distract from her overall intend and create a sort of divergent topic. She wanted to keep the audience focused, but in doing so, I fear she turned a lot of people away by not entertaining alternative views on the same subject. The Black Lives Matter event or movement has some truly noble causes, but I don't know if this is the next Civil Rights movement it seems Cullors wants it to be. It would be interesting to see her speak alongside the mayor or an official from the Peoria Police Department on the topics she suggests. I would like to see what the Peoria Police Chief would say in response to her allegations on racism and police brutality. Whether or not these issues are present is up for discovery, but I do believe in action against them if they do and I hope in the future we won't feel the need to draw a line between black or white, maybe we could come together instead of creating new ways to separate us. After all, if Cullors idea of white supremacists is true then dividing and conquering ourselves might not change much for the people on top. Ghost003, Ghost004
Going into the speech with Patrisse Cullors I expect to learn more about her vision behind the movement and more clarity about their mission. I didn’t really get those answered after her speech. I understand why she went through all the acts of racial violence that’s been going on lately but I feel like everyone already knows these situations and she could have spent more time on other issues. Going to the speech I didn’t believe in some of things that have been happening around this movement. Such as the blocking of highways and rioting. I didn’t expect the head of the organization to support these types of things. I expect the head of an organization to show more leadership and promote peaceful acts. I think there’s other ways you can go about getting your voice heard then blocking highways or tearing a community apart by violent riots. She did say you can go to local government and make your voice heard that’s the best way to get a voice heard I believe. You can also call or email government officials. I think everyone has a right of freedom of speech this is a free country even if you don’t believe in what the people are talking about. Cardinals005.
I really enjoyed listening to Cullors speak. I had never really thought about how the Black Lives Matter Movement actually started itself, and it was very interesting hearing her talk about how it began. I never thought that a movement like that could start through social media; that something that spread as far as it has was built of a simple hashtag. I was hoping that Cullors would touch on some of the violent protests that have happened with people brandishing "black lives matter" signs, although, I do understand why she didn't. Those people are not representative of the movement that she started, and with any group of people, there will be a small percentage of them that cause the vast majority of the problems. I also notice that in some of the comments that people are upset that she wouldn't answer the question regarding the "all lives matter" counter movement. The black lives matter movement is not saying that "only black lives matter," but rather that "black lives matter too." The creators of this movement were stating that it seems as though black lives were not being thought of as important and they were saying that they matter just as much as everyone, not that only black lives matter. Saying that All Lives Matter in response to this movement is simply trying to diminish what these girls have created. They saw that people of their race were being killed and they decided to take a stand to try to stop it, of course all lives matter, they are just saying that so do theirs. JAG001 , JAG002
I was disappointed with the presentation overall. I was expecting to hear about her vision for BLM and what she thinks of what it has become, but instead she spewed hypocritical and divisive rhetoric. She was quick to tear down police and really white people in general but did not offer any solutions to the problems that she brought up, and in some cases inflated, other than to have white people “stay in their lane and let the black people handle it.” It amazed me how she handled some of the questions that were asked. One time this really stuck out to me what when someone asked a question about her opinion on BLM being compared by some to the KKK, she called the questioner out by name, mocked and belittled them, and encouraged the audience to boo and hiss at them, even though the person did not say that THEY compared the two organizations, and they were asking a very valid question of the presenter. Another time that really stuck out to me was when the audience member yelled “no free speech for fascists.” Cullor’s did not quiet this behavior or try to explain that if we sensor one group then that could lead to the censorship of all, and that there isn’t really free speech as the constitution promises if we sensor some groups instead of others, OR that just because one group of people has an opinion that is different than yours, that does not mean that it is any less valid (no matter how awful it may be). She instead egged him on and gave support to the censorship that he was suggesting. Another thing that really bothered me is that she advocated for people not vote. Change does not come from staying home on voting day, change comes from voting people into office that will do something good for the community. THIS WILL NOT HAPPEN IF YOU SIT ON YOUR BUTT ON VOTING DAY. There will never be someone that you will agree with 100% of the time, and if there aren’t any candidates that you really can get behind, then write someone in, but don’t just stay home, because things will only stay the same if you sit on your butt at home instead of getting out to your polling place. The thing that really bothered me most though was when she equated “no prisons” to “no border” and “no ban.” Over incarceration is a very real problem in our country, but there are a lot of people who need to be in prison and away from the public, and she, again, offered no solution to the problem. EKT004
Before even going to watch Ms. Cullor speak, I have always been disappointed with the movement of black lives matter. Instead of it being black lives matter I believe it should be more of all lives matter. And after going and listening to her speak I was still disappointed but also agreed with some things that I heard from her. I was disappointed to hear that she would not answer any questions on all lives matter and on the subject of black on black crime. Unusual for someone to avoid talking about important topics like those. I also had a problem with the comparison of African Americans who are incarcerated in jails and prisons to slavery. That somehow them being in the jail or prison cells is them being in cages and linked to slavery. These people didn't just get there for nothing. They committed a crime that sent them to where they are today. But, I did agree with the idea of unifying all different groups together to be one. I do think that that would be a good idea. hawkshockey004
Before going to listen Ms. Collur speak i always believe black lives matter. Everyones defense is always "all lives matter" the movement of black lives matter does not mean that all lives don't matter. What black lives matter is trying to say is we understand that but right now black lives matter. Black lives are the ones being targeted right now. Listening to her speak was very informative and eye opening. I believe it's important for people to understand black lives especially law enforcement. A lot of people who go into law enforcement come from middle-class white homes. Let's be honest a lot of us (not all of us) don't live outside of where we are from, or don't hangout outside of our own communities. I think it's very important for all of us to know what it's like outside of our communities, that way we can police better and be better informed. Im not saying we don't know what it's like to feel poverty and things of that matter. But it's very different in the life of a black person than it is in a life of a white person, or latino, asian, etc. Listening to someone from another race to me is very informative and I feel as if i learned a little inside of their world. It's very easy for all of us to subject or categorize one race to a certain behavior. But what we need to understand is that just because one person of a particular race behaves a certain way does not mean all of them do. For example the protesters that lede and cause violence is not the way anyone intended for all black lives matter protesters to be seen that way. It also goes that way for police officers (going back to the 80-20 rule) That rule applies to a lot of things. We need to understand that black lives are being targeted and that's the reason for black lives matter. We've all come too far to be set back 100 years. -dicaprio001
This was the first time that I had heard any one of the creators of black lives matters speak and i was not impressed. This whole black lives matters movement is a childish, non-progressive movement. I didn't get to stay for the whole speech but the highly educated Ms. Cullers didn't make any highly educated recommendations to help Peoria's problems for the quality of life for minorities. First of all Cullers started her speech with a clear leftist rhetoric saying that all conservative or "Right handed" people are white supremacists. This is an erroneous comment, the KKK are white supremacists not conservative people. This woman actually thinks that creating a change in traffic flow by standing in the highway will create a change in communities across this country. This is childish and has no place in a movement to help our communities. Tolerance for this type of activity is what causes the rioting and cop killing that this organization has taken part in. Many people now look at black lives matter as a domestic terrorist organization because they have killed people. Black lives matter has done nothing to help the communities they live in but instead destroyed them. Yes I do believe that sometimes we have police officers who use force to quick and we all do have our implicit biases but this movement is not the way to go about it. This whole movement supports segregation and is not productive at all. I suggest that Collurs restructures her rhetoric and make it actually solve our nations problems rather than make them worse. Bike001, Bike004
I went into this presentation with an open mind and was honestly excited to hear others viewpoints on Black Lives Matter. Unfortunately, I left Bradley with my head down and my mind wandering. I will not say that I left with less knowledge of the matter than i came with because some of the material was educated facts and statistics but i did feel as if most of the information was biased and in some ways ridiculed. When it came time for questions and answers, i feel as if Cullor's responses were both unprofessional and rude. One question i remember in particular is, "How do you feel about All Lives Matter?" Cullor refused to answer and shook her head as if the question was a bizarre one to ask. If the discussion could be on how black lives matter, why can't we discuss how they all matter all the same? I understand that the said focus of the whole night was how black people are being murdered with little to no justice, so a in depth answer would be too strung out but i feel something would be appropriate. Cullor's also was asked by an audience member how she felt about black on black crime. I also understand how that was a question aside from the focus, but it is a topic of discussion that could also have been addressed if we can talk about other races causing violence on blacks. I also felt like Cullor could have given a better reasoning and advice on how white people can be a part of organizations that support this matter and what can be done to add to the positive views. Cullors basically said that as a white person in the community, we should form our own groups as if we couldn't be involved with the organizations and groups that are formed by blacks and other minorities. A part of the speech that also caught my attention was when she said "no jails." We have learned in class that jails and prisons are overpopulated and what we can do to change that statistic. But with no jails in general? I think that is crazy. There are some offenses that have no discussion; that need to go straight to incarceration without question. With that being said, i think that aside from the negative views Cullor is a fan of peaceful protest. She explained to the audience how to make movements and protest take place in a positive way. For example, going to city council, the chief of police, etc. That information is extremely important and should be addressed. I just feel like some people who are in this boat are pushed to express what they believe, which is very beneficial. But on the other hand, it can be pushed to the extreme. Black, white, poor, rich, if you are on this earth your life matters. behappy001
I was overall not impressed at all with this presentation. I think I was so disappointed in this just because going into it I figured that she was going to talk more about how she didn’t mean for the protest to end up violent. I was so interested in hearing about all of that but, she just talked about everything that I’ve heard before in the news I felt like. Not only that though the two biggest things people wanted to hear about she wouldn’t even talk about. That irritated me because I guarantee you majority of the people wanted to know what she had to say about those questions. You always hear about a white officer killing a African American and people get all crazy and start rioting. You never hear people rioting over black on black crimes and that just doesn’t make since to me because if you’re going to start a movement like this you have to be fair about all. It just would have been very interesting because I’ve read before as well that there are more African American police officers who have shot and killed other African Americans so I would have just loved to hear what she had to say about all that. I will agree though that if it’s the worst place for Africans Americans she states that they need to go to the council and make sure those people don’t get voted on the board of Peoria. If not like what she said nothing will change and twenty years from now it’s only going to get worse.CRC001,CRC002
Personally, I was disappointed with the presentation. There were several things Ms. Cullor said that irritated me and some things that just outright did not make sense. Probably the biggest thing she said that stuck out was that we should get rid of prisons. Sure, our prisons are overpopulated and rehabilitation would be more effective for a lot of offenders, but there are some people that deserve to be locked up for the rest of their lives for the atrocities they have committed. Getting rid of prisons would only allow for serial killers to roam freely, and without prisons there really is not a need for police. Another thing was how she refused to answer questions about black on black crimes and all lives matter. There are an excruciating amount of black on black crimes that no one likes to talk about and it simply never gets addressed even though it should. In fact, ninety three percent of murders committed against blacks are done by blacks. I think it is stupid that she would not even respond to a question regarding all lives matter. If you believe strongly in your cause then you should be willing to defend it and shut down any opposing views no matter how many times. Another thing that really bugged me was when one of the white members of the audience asked a question about how herself and other white people can help the movement, she basically told her that white people need to stay in their lane. If I were her, I would want as many white people as I could get to support the movement and protest with us because in my eyes that would seem like they are getting closer and closer to victory. I am glad that I went so that I could actually have first hand experience of the black lives matter movement, but I did not enjoy it. zmw001
The speaker we went to at Bradley University was a very different experience for me. Going in to hear the speech I was very open minded to listen to and learn about the Black Lives Matter movement. When hearing the speech I was very bothered by it because the questions that needed to be answered about all lives matter issue or anything about the crime rate of black on black crime wouldn't be even mentioned. I have to remember that she was paid to give this speech and that the intended audience would be African American community. As a criminal justice student it didn't make sense some of the facts that she was saying with the crime rates that directly affect anything to do with criminal justice. I understand that there are some bad cops and that's a community is suffering because of them but we cannot blame all cops for some of the mistakes that are being made. It really bothered me the “white” people were made to be the bad ones out of the whole speech, again she did not mention anything about the black on black crime rate. Pie001 002 004
It was very interesting to be able to attend this Black Lives Matter Seminar. It was a little eye opening just for the fact she was kind of one sided in her argument. I knew it when she didn't want to answer a question on all lives matter. That bothered me because if she is trying to unify the world then why wouldn't want to support all lives matter? I would say supporting it would be a smart move for her to show that she loves everybody who is trying to just live their lives without racism. But to me all of this stuff doesn't matter. The movements, I just live life and if you haven't wronged me then I don't want to wrong you. I don't have to create a whole movement just to have everyone know that. I think actions speak louder than words and they are saying a lot words. Flannel001
Finally going to a black lives matter event was really something to see. Because I have always read about who the black lives matter foundation are and watched videos about them. But to see it in person really changes a persons perspective on whether a person agrees or not with what they are doing. I for one definitely agree with why they started the foundation and how they are going to change the world. Because even though I am in law enforcement for a profession I am still human and I still care about others and how the are treated against police, firefighters, AMT's, etc. So When hearing Ms. Cullors speak at the black lives matter event really broadened my opinion about the way cops treat everyone they come in contact with. As she mentioned, the Travon Martin case was tremendously shocking to the world. Because everyone thought that Zimmerman was going to receive a very long sentence from killing a very young black male. But all he got was his gun being taken away and a few other minor punishments. She also stated that one day while she was at a pep rally, she meet a women who was chanting "Black Lives Matter." They made her realized that its more to the killings then just recognizing it as another homicide. Because if a white person was killed the city would have every cop out there on that scene trying to get every possible evidence and witnesses as they can. To get that particular case solved but that is definitely not the case with African Americans. During Ms. Cullor speech she made excellent points on to why they protest and why they resist cops. Because their trying to show the world why African Americans are the number one most hated race in America. Because it goes all the way back to the early times when slavery was still a thing. So in the end I support the foundation and what they are trying to accomplish 100% but I definitely do not support them when they begin to break laws and use the name black lives matter in a completely negative way.-NIKE001/NIKE002
I'm a firm supporter of the Black Lives Matter movement, but I think Cullor's presentation could've been better. I'll admit, I was left feeling a little underwhelmed at the end of the speech and kind of regretted paying my coworker $10 to take my shift so I could go. Although inspirational and full of advice, Cullor's refusal to answer select questions and belittling those who asked them made me feel like if I asked a question she saw as dumb or obvious, she would ridicule me. That's why I didn't tweet a question. I liked the idea of the question and answer session because it changes the event from a lecture to a discussion, but it could've been executed better. Overall, I wish Cullors would've explained what the movement was about more thoroughly. I feel like her talk of the movement made it seem like it was an exclusive club and yes, BLM isn't about white people, but saying that white people should stay out of it and stick to their own groups turns people off of supporting the movement. When I was listening to the people around me talking after the event, they were still wondering what the movement stood for and what it didn't. Cullors spoke as if everyone there understood what BLM was and what it wasn't. I had high hopes for this speech and was left disappointed. lasagna005
I agree she could have went into more depth about what the movement was about. She went about the wrong way in answering questions or lack of answering questions. I feel like I have more concerns about this movement then I did before. Going into the speech I thought it was just a select few people causing problems and blm was suppose to be a peace movement. After hearing Cullor talk I dont believe this is suppose to be as peaceful as I thought. Cardinals005.
While attending the event Thursday night, I had variant thoughts on the whole event. I totally respect the fact that people are standing up for their rights and that this woman Patrisse wanted to take a stand. However, when listening to what Patrisse had to say it almost seemed like she only cared about whoever followed her, instead of listening to both sides. It definitely caught my attention when at the end of her speech she was taking questions. She was answering a variety of different questions that had to do with her movement, but there were a few questions she would not even address. For example, she was asked the question of what she thought about hashtag All Lives Matter, and she simply rolled her eyes and said that if the audience wanted to know what she thought, they could look up the answer on the internet. She then went ahead and said that she was not going to address the question of black on black crime. I did not understand her reasoning behind this, because they were simply questions and she was answering other questions as well. To me it just made me feel as if she did not care about anyone other than those who were following in her mindset. Another instance that rubbed me the wrong way was when she got the audience to boo at someone who was asking another question that had to do with her movement being compared to the KKK. That person did not even necessarily have those views of her movement, yet he was ridiculed and that to me was not an act of a good leader. I did agree with her on the George Zimmerman case and that there needs to be more awareness about the hate crimes that happen, but Patrisse seemed like to me that she wanted to get rid of prisons altogether. She was talking about them and comparing them to a cage and it seemed like she wanted prisons to be wiped off the planet. I think prisons are a necessary form of punishment, just not overusing them like we have been. With that said, I agreed with the idea of standing up for rights, but I do not think that Patrisse did a good job at that speech. Rayder004
I love to talk about the #BlackLivesMatter movement. It’s a positive movement that a has a goal in mind that they want to achieve. All at the same time I hate talking about the movement. Me being of African descent my family and friends believe that I should feel differently about #BlackLivesMatter than I do. I personally believe that the way that their protests are carried out are ridiculous. Now if the protests were carried out differently than they were then I could be on board more, but when you do things like block busy interstates with thousands of people. I’m not 100% sure but I believe it’s a law against being a pedestrian in the roadway on the highway. So, that is one tactic that they have used that I have never liked. Now the boycott of the Minnesota State Fair early in the movement, I believe that was a good tactic. Thousands of people in attendance to hear your voices is a good way to start. Do I believe there are alternatives, yes but this was just the start. I’m hoping to see more powerful movements. Gather those 10,000 right at the city hall in St. Paul or in Ferguson. Peaceful protests. Now as the movement progresses, I believe they should start going to the source. Stay away from the highways and fairs, aim for city council or city hall. Talk to ones that can really make a difference. Blocking the highways will only do so much. You must progressively move forward and upward. Bread003
Overall, I felt that Cullor’s speech could have been better than it was. I was disappointed when she shot down the question about “all lives matter”. In my opinion, really all lives matter. Not just white lives, not just black lives, or whatever, but all lives. This makes me assume that she only cares about African Americans and does not care about all the other races. It would have been really interesting to hear what she had to say on that subject, but instead she decided to reject it. She really should have mentioned before her speech that there were going to be certain questions that she will not answer. Being open to other points of view would have made her presentation a lot better in my opinion rather than her being so completely one-sided and not wanting to hear anything from another side. CAE004.
I agree that her speech had plenty of flaws as well as flawless moments,I do agree the choice to decline several questions should have been known well before the speech itself began but however I disagree with the point of her only caring for black people. I think her focus points may have given you this impression of her but I'm not in agreement that she only cares for black society. ALL LIVES MATTER!Leathas005
I agree that her speech had plenty of flaws as well as flawless moments,I do agree the choice to decline several questions should have been known well before the speech itself began but however I disagree with the point of her only caring for black people. I think her focus points may have given you this impression of her but I'm not in agreement that she only cares for black society. ALL LIVES MATTER!Leathas005
Wow this discussion is heated!!!!! But I feel like there is a line between freedom of speech, and hate speech in which a certain group of people is targeted, things get sensitive. In today's world every thing has been an iffy touchy subject. We have to be careful about what we say or do. In some cases definitely we have to do something about it, in others we should let them slide. For example braids I find it okay if a white person wears braids, but if media popularizes it I will obviously take it to offense but it has been an existing hair style that's belonged to the Africans, or someone who's wearing an native American head dress and has relative significance to the culture. But speaking as an African American women, some time I feel like the black lives matter movement gets out of hand, I do understand we're fighting for justice, people take it to a point where their placing this over every thing else such as Superiorism that only black lives matter, it could have been worded more differently from what I understand. I've seen on social media that reverse racism doesn't exist, I which I find to be absurd. I wonder if this movement expands to other minorites. Honeytea005
I wasn't there for the whole thing but I wonder if she talked about citizen taking matters into their own hands, that's the only way social change is going to happen. And also about people building better relationships with their police, and getting involved in the community, I feel as that is an important factor to build ties and lines of friendship, but if a community is being stubborn, it may be difficult to open up and build those relations. Honeytea005
I did not plan on taking this long to submit a response to the blog. I have actually been trying to compose my thoughts from Thursday nights speech and how conflicted I had become when I left the auditorium. Patrisse Cullors spoke with conviction about the atrocities that have affected the black communities, the dissention among local and state police/government and black communities, and the issues with over incarceration. After reading many of the first blogs I began to fall into the mindset of disappointment, concern, some outrage, but mostly confusion. I was expecting a rational discussion pertaining to the issues between police/local government and black communities. I hoped to hear some possible ideas, suggestions, advise, or even promising solutions that might help in improving the present situations. Much of what I listened to that night was a young woman who had witnessed many issues in “her neighborhood”, in “her community”, in “her own reality”. With this in mind I still had issues about how I regarded these issues as they affected “our reality”. This is Peoria Illinois. California could actually be described as whole other planet or world. I do not disagree that these same issues do exist here in Illinois, but not to the same extent as in California or New York. The BLM movement protested the idea that people can be wrongfully killed and that their killers can avoid any form of persecution. This is what I came to stand up and be counted for. When she spoke I listened to a young woman who believed in a purpose to bring to light the problems that we “ALL” face, not because of the color, race, or ethnicity of the individual involved, but rather, the repercussions of the tolerance of our own government and law enforcement agencies when these situations happen. The lack of admitting that there is a problem and that we all need to take notice and start resolving this situation, not just waiting for the “proper authorities” to “fix” it. When she was interrupted by the “gentleman” in the audience with his statement of “No free speech for Fascists!” I was surprised me when there was no comment made other than support for the statement. I truly believe in the freedom of speech, no matter the person or group. I served my country defending this right to all people of this great nation. I do not have to agree with their politics, prejudices, or beliefs, because this is my right. Everyone deserves to be heard, no matter how off-putting the comments may be, because this is how this country was founded, with the belief that all are created equal and should have opportunity to speak. Yes, when she agreed with this man I began to question what I was actually hearing. If we fall into the same thought pattern as those who would deny us the right to free speech, are we not being hypocritical? During the question and answer portion, you could see that she was getting tired, but there seemed to be some tension about answering certain questions. I do understand not wanting to answer questions about topics that have been pasted all over the social media pages, but to state that there would be no “black on black” violence questions, gave the whole point of the assembly some tension as to what we were going to be allowed to ask. The woman that had asked about the KKK was called out by name, belittled, and then booed at by the audience. She was an older woman, not a student, and white, but her question was not about the BLM she was asking about Cullors opinion of the comparison.
Part II The chant at the end of the speech: It is our duty to fight for our freedom. It is our duty to win. We must love each other and support each other. We have nothing to lose but our chains. This Is definitely an empowering statement, and one that should be studied for what it represents, not about how it is being used. I believe that we are chained by our inability to look at another person and see them for who they are not what they are. Black, white, Asian, Muslim, Christian. We are people, human beings that need to learn how to respect the individual right next to you or in your neighborhoods, communities, and cities. I expected to listen to the advice of a young woman who was fed up with no one listening and caring about how we can begin the changes we need. Seoulman005 This Is definitely an empowering statement, and one that should be studied for what it represents, not about how it is being used. I believe that we are chained by our inability to look at another person and see them for who they are not what they are. Black, white, Asian, Muslim, Christian. We are people, human beings that need to learn how to respect the individual right next to you or in your neighborhoods, communities, and cities. I expected to listen to the advice of a young woman who was fed up with no one listening and caring about how we can begin the changes we need.Seoulman005
First, I would like to say thank for for stating a positive aspect from the Black lives Matter speech, because it was hard for me to see through certain moments of the speech. I loved the fact that you pointed out the importance of the chant she proclaimed at the end of the speech. When first participating in the chant, I only did so out of respect, because of how disappointed I was in the presentation of her information. After you have thoroughly examined the meaning of this chant I have now gained a better understanding of what it truly means. I wish it all could have been done differently though.
As a BLM advocate, I had very mixed emotions about this presentation. In my opinion, Patrice did not display the purpose of BLM correctly in its entirety. The fact that she refused to answer certain questions that some people had really threw me off; wasn’t the purpose of the assembly to educate people on what exactly we stand for in any and every aspect? The questions that were asked regarding “All Lives Matter” and another controversial subject were rejected, and that really put Patrice in a bad light for me. We can’t just ignore what needs to be talked about. She had the PERFECT opportunity to clear the air and differentiate between the two topics, so the domino effect would occur and others would be more educated on why we don’t say “all lives matter”. It upset me that she wouldn’t say “Donald Trump”, but instead would call him “45”. No, I never wanted him as our president, but by not addressing him the way he should be, she may have potentially lost some of her audience (perhaps there were some Pro-Trump people that wanted to broaden their outlooks by attending her event). She also overqualified some of her statements, like saying that we shouldn’t have incarceration… Huh? By her saying this, is she making the assumption that EVERY individual that is currently incarcerated is… Innocent? Yes, I understand that there is a high percentage of people that are and shouldn’t be incarcerated, maybe not for the length of time they are sentenced or at all, but the fact that she said we shouldn’t have ANY prisons really bothered me. I personally didn’t learn much from her presentation as I was already knowledgeable about the movement, but I fear for those who do not think critically about everything they hear and are told. Puppies005
Before attending this Black Lives Matter event, I did not know much about the cause. I will say right now, even afterwards I still did not know why Black Lives Matter was created and what its true purpose was. Patrice failed to inform that audience of the origins of Black Lives Matter, along with its intended purpose. Instead, Patrice should have taught the audience exactly what Black Lives Matter stands for, rather than just stand up on the stage and rant about how Peoria and other places are discriminating against black individuals throughout the community. She even says something along the lines of "Peoria is one of the worst communities for black people today" without giving extensive facts or information supporting why that is supposedly true. A member from the audience asked about the campaign "All Lives Matter", which Patrice refused to discuss even though she just asked the audience for questions. Patrice failed to point out the difference between BLM and "All Lives Matter" which completely defeats the purpose of having the event. She simply cannot just assume that the audience knows enough about BLM before attending the speech. One of the reasons I even went was to gain a better understanding of Black Lives Matter and what their goal was. The last thing that Patrice said that caught my attention was the statement about prisons and jails. After rambling on about how many black inmates there are, she then advocates the elimination of jails/prisons without providing any alternative options or reasonable suggestions. We cannot just make our prison facilities vanish into thin air and have everybody's crime be magically expunged from their record. Overall, I feel that Patrice could have gone a different route when giving this presentation. I think Patrice was expecting to target a different kind of audience than she got that night. By that I mean, she was expecting BLM supporters to crowd the gym and chant with her rather than a bunch of college students and professors along with other citizens. Bry001
I will be honest, I did not much appreciate the events that unfolded that night. I have always been taught equality from my family (although crude jokes are not forbidden, either). I was raised that everyone is equal, and I support that idea. In my eyes, race and gender do not give reason for any individual to be lesser than another. But this event did not go as I was told. Firstly, I was under the impression that this Black Lives Matter co-founder, Patrisse Cullors, was not behind all of the violence and chaos her organization has caused. However, I believe she just ignores the problems and does not even consider it when she thinks of her own organization. The Black Lives Matters movement has been seen as the major group behind many violent actions across our country, and Patrisse did not seem to pay any attention to these activities. Another negative I found was her declaration to take over. A member of the audience asked for advice in taking seats in a student council. Patrisse offered some advice (although this response was vague, like many of her other responses) and ended it with a statement saying that this individual should claim her seat, help some like-minded individuals get their seats, and then take all of the seats. As I said before, I support equality and the organized groups that are attempting to reach that goal. But, fact is, many groups truly just want to be above everyone else. Take a fair amount of the seats in a council is equality, taking every seat is simply claiming this council as your own. Society cannot be equal if a single group does all of the decision making. Another thing I really did not like was Cullor's notion to remove prisons. Throughout the event, she said several times that prisons were not a form of public safety. To Cullor, public safety was public shelter for those who need it, food and water, and personal rights. I am going to be very blunt, I think this statement is absolutely ignorant. Fact is, many people are in prison that likely don't really belong there. However, many individuals completely deserve their lives to be thrown away. And using a mass public shelter is nothing close to public safety. Public shelters are riddled with crime, as many of the individuals are desperate and are not watched closely. (We've learned in class that certainty of punishment was the biggest deterrence, and feeling no chance of punishment will cause crime to be done more often). Basically, she is saying that we should get rid of prisons. I don't feel this is a good way to go by any means. Not locking up the sick murderers and rapists, but having more public shelter for everyone? In my eyes, this will only make things worse. Now these murderers and rapists have a hub of civilians that are unable to defend themselves, a perfect place to commit endless crime. All in all, I feel like this woman is very close-minded towards her goal. She almost seemed to completely ignore outside opinion, and talked a lot about building her organization's power. Her completely blocking off black on black crime, accusations of Black Lives Matter being a terrorist organization, and the All Lives Matter movement only goes to show that she wants power for herself and those of her movement, with little care about those whom she may cause to suffer. - AJC001 (Also in Online CRJ 114)
I will be honest, I did not much appreciate the events that unfolded that night. I have always been taught equality from my family (although crude jokes are not forbidden, either). I was raised that everyone is equal, and I support that idea. In my eyes, race and gender do not give reason for any individual to be lesser than another. But this event did not go as I was told. Firstly, I was under the impression that this Black Lives Matter co-founder, Patrisse Cullors, was not behind all of the violence and chaos her organization has caused. However, I believe she just ignores the problems and does not even consider it when she thinks of her own organization. The Black Lives Matters movement has been seen as the major group behind many violent actions across our country, and Patrisse did not seem to pay any attention to these activities. Another negative I found was her declaration to take over. A member of the audience asked for advice in taking seats in a student council. Patrisse offered some advice (although this response was vague, like many of her other responses) and ended it with a statement saying that this individual should claim her seat, help some like-minded individuals get their seats, and then take all of the seats. As I said before, I support equality and the organized groups that are attempting to reach that goal. But, fact is, many groups truly just want to be above everyone else. Take a fair amount of the seats in a council is equality, taking every seat is simply claiming this council as your own. Society cannot be equal if a single group does all of the decision making. Another thing I really did not like was Cullor's notion to remove prisons. Throughout the event, she said several times that prisons were not a form of public safety. To Cullor, public safety was public shelter for those who need it, food and water, and personal rights. I am going to be very blunt, I think this statement is absolutely ignorant. Fact is, many people are in prison that likely don't really belong there. However, many individuals completely deserve their lives to be thrown away. And using a mass public shelter is nothing close to public safety. Public shelters are riddled with crime, as many of the individuals are desperate and are not watched closely. (We've learned in class that certainty of punishment was the biggest deterrence, and feeling no chance of punishment will cause crime to be done more often). Basically, she is saying that we should get rid of prisons. I don't feel this is a good way to go by any means. Not locking up the sick murderers and rapists, but having more public shelter for everyone? In my eyes, this will only make things worse. Now these murderers and rapists have a hub of civilians that are unable to defend themselves, a perfect place to commit endless crime. All in all, I feel like this woman is very close-minded towards her goal. She almost seemed to completely ignore outside opinion, and talked a lot about building her organization's power. Her completely blocking off black on black crime, accusations of Black Lives Matter being a terrorist organization, and the All Lives Matter movement only goes to show that she wants power for herself and those of her movement, with little care about those whom she may cause to suffer. - AJC001 (Also in Online CRJ 114)
I agree with you. For someone who is supposed to have all of these awards and represent empowerment, you sure dont have too much to say when asked. I feel like as a whole, she was very vague. She jokes about President Trump but in ways can be like him with her remarks. She didnt think about how her responses would affect others when she made them. They were bias and in some view racist. I remember hearing someone on a tweet or maybe even in the audience asking why doesnt she support all lives matter( something like that) and she paused and said something about because white people are the cause or doesnt go through..something like that. Are you kidding me? Im african american and even i took offense to that. I understand where she is coming from but at that moment you shouldve said something that wouldnt offend her in that way. There were more caucasion people than blacks. Some came for extra credit, some to actually support and thats what you have to say to them. They want to offer their support and thats how you treat them? She was making it seem okay to treat whites differently and thats the problem that were already facing, why encourage it? PurpleHearts005
I wasn't really sure what to expect going to Thurday nights event. I had heard about it through the teachers at school after being formed by Professor White. They all talked to each other excitedly about how great it was supposed to be and how empowering it was expected to become. The only reason I originally was going was because it was extra credit. After hearing some people talk im like yea, okay this could be great. As the days approach, I get a little more excited and now the day is here. The first thing that I noticed was that it was supposed to start at 7;00. When It's supposed to be something as emowering as bragged, you would expect it to start on time..it did not. Soon after starting, we were introduced to Ms. Cullors. The presentation was not at all what I expected. It reminded me of my Communications class and how we are supposed to present a speech. Right off the bat, she spoke SO SLOWLY, it made me lose interest very fast. I still managed to pay attention and It just amazed me at how cockey she seemed as a person. She didnt really speak of how to better the problems going on in the world. She only spoke of her experiences in one part of America..where shes from. She stated facts, stuff that we already knew about. No new information or empowerment was given to us by the speech. Like that, the speech was over. When the questioning seminar began, I thought that she was kind of rude. She didnt answer the questions intelligently, her answers were bias and left peoples questions unanswered. Im not that best at giving speeches or presentations but if I were to present it in that manor in that way, id get an F. I guess I cant do too much complaining though..it was for extra credit. PurpleHearts005
Unfortunately, overall, I was very disappointed with the Black Lives Matter speech given by cofounder Patrice Colurs. I say this because of two main reasons: the lack of speech structure and the lack of passion. First off, there were multiple moments within her speech that I was highly confused. I find this to be a major issue, because as an activist from minorities; you are representing more than yourself. With that being said, one such as Ms. Colurs, must present themselves in a manner in which there is no errors. I say this because as an influential leader, you have multiple people who stand against what you believe in, and when you open opportunities for those to spot a weakness it is not a good thing. Also, the lack of structure within her speech made people, such as myself, fade away and not pay attention to the point she was attempting to get across, which I do not know what that point was. Next, ,I find it to be an even bigger issue that I do not believe Patrice believed what she was talking about. From this point all I can say is: why would I care about something that you’re talking to me about when I don’t feel as if you care about it yourself?
Going into the event i wasn't sure as to what i was going to expect, but there was one thing that i was waiting to hear and she never spoke on it. I really wanted to hear her opinion on when people say all lives matter because if you start a movement like she did then you should have an opinion on the feedback that you are getting. When Ms. wasn't came out i expected her to be more energetic but she wasn't and i was thinking that if she is so passionate about BLM then she should of been more enthusiastic throughout her speech. Some of the information she gave was good, but most of the things that she spoke about i already knew, she brought up a few familiar cases but i wanted her to get more into depth with things and to talk about more then what we already know since she is the one who started the group. Overall it was a good experience but not talking about All lives matter and Black on Black crime was a disappointment to me. I also thought that she doesn't need to bash politics to get her point across, in my opinion that made things worse for her. If she started a movement that went viral, there is no need to bash all of the politics and politicians that she doesn't like, she just needs to focus on her movement. Overall i would say this experience was interesting. bball001, bball002, bball005
PT 1: I was very disappointed by the speech and question answer segment given by Black Lives Matter founder Patrisse Cullors. I expected a rational discussion on real ills between police/local government and the black community and possibly reasonable ideas on how to go about improving those relations. What I heard was wholly divisive rhetoric that was contradictory to any reasonable positive change in any facet of the community. At the very end of her speech she had the audience engage in taking an oath that came from a woman named Assata Shakur who Cullor claimed to be living in exile in Cuba. The words of the oath were very inspiring and talked about fighting for freedom and the only thing that people had to lose was their chains. What Cullor did not mention was why the woman she was praising was in Cuba. Assata Shakur is an alias of a woman named Joanne Deborah Chesimard, who is a domestic terrorist and wanted fugitive. Chesimard is wanted by the FBI for a slew of violent felonies including bank robbery and the execution style murder of a New Jersey State Trooper on the New Jersey turnpike in 1977. The link to the FBI wanted page is here: (https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/wanted_terrorists/joanne-deborah-chesimard)
ReplyDeleteI've always thought that the Black Lives Matter movement was supposed to be about protesting the idea that people can be wrongfully killed and that their killers can avoid any form of persecution, but when Cullors had a room full of people who likely had no idea what they were even saying swear to an oath that they likely had no idea was written by a true wanted murderer she showed what her movement was really about.
Exalting a murderer while claiming to be against injustice was not the only time Cullor exposed her own hypocrisy. There was another point in her speech where she was asked about white people participating in groups that aimed to improve conditions for black communities. Her response seemed to be almost in favor of segregation. She claimed that white people should form their own anti-hate groups separate from those groups consisting of black people. From her rhetoric she showed that she does not support the equality under the law or working together for a better country that she claims to.
Another thing I heard that disgusted me that night was the disrespect for a person who simply asked a question that introduced an opposing view. When she was asked by an audience member who wanted to know about Cullor's opinion of people who compared her organization to radical white nationalist organizations like the KKK she did something that she did not do for anyone else who asked a question that night. She called the person who asked the question out by name and in a belittling tone to be booed and hissed at by the audience. There was no implication that the person who asked the question even believed that the two groups were comparable, she was just bringing up that they were compared before by asking a legitimate question.
There was also an instance where an audience member yelled the phrase "No free speech for fascists!" Instead of being ridiculed for being disruptive his statement was supported by Cullor. When she gave that audience member support she gave support to the idea that not every person is deserving of the right to express their own idea and people with opposing views should be shut down from speaking. The cruel irony is that shutting down political opposition is exactly something that a fascist would do, and she gave support to it.
PT 2: Apart from the division she preached, she did not offer a single viable solution to any of the problems that are faced by people in Peoria. In one part of her speech she even advocated for people not to vote, the basic civic duty of a citizen, if they did not like the people on the ballot. Which is a surefire way to get any grievance disregarded by a government official. When the issue of police body cameras was brought up she ridiculed the idea, even though camera footage is a definite way to ensure that a police interaction is fully documented with complete video evidence. She also complained about the time period that it took for footage to be released even though such footage is normally not released in order to ensure an unbiased jury.
DeleteOne of the most outrageous things that Cullors said that night was when she added the phrase "No Jails" to the phrase "No wall, no ban" while over incarceration is certainly an issue in America today, the idea of getting rid of them entirely is unthinkable and certainly impossible. She didn't even present an alternative to incarceration, she just said "no Jails".
The only comfort that I had that night was knowing that the people who mindlessly followed her in that final chant are going to change their political views almost immediately after they leave that social bubble that fosters it; and that even though people like Cullors claim to be representative of the views of African Americans I have met enough African American people through my college and military experience to know that they are not all like Patrisse Cullors. I had the pleasure of serving under and alongside, as well as learning from and with some of the best people I have ever met and people who I respected most who were black. It makes me glad that they are the ones who shaped my mind to see that black people are just like me except in a different shade and are not divisive and despicable people like Cullors who get most of the media attention. CoolGuy001
Wow, I did not even know that the person who came up with that chant at the end was a terrorist. Rayder004
DeleteThat is actually really scary. Honeytea005
DeleteAn informed and poignant view. Nicely articulated.....#AgreeingWithSomeOfThis003
ReplyDeleteI have mixed feelings about the black lives matter movement at this point. I’ll get my negative thoughts out of the way first. Before attending the speech, I knew nothing about BLM aside from the fact that it existed. After Thursday, I feel like advocates of BLM (assuming they have identical or very similar feelings as Cullors) have good intentions, but perhaps allow their passion to push them a little further than it should. For example, Cullors very blatantly supported the sentiment shouted from the stands that there should be no free speech for "fascists". Let me be clear, I have absolutely no love for fascism, but I do have love for free speech. As much as you might not like what someone says, it is important that they have the right to say it. Even terrible people are entitled to free speech. When you start deciding that certain groups don't get certain rights, you will do nothing but harm. Who decides which groups are "fascist"? At this point it seems like anyone even slightly right of center in their political views who says anything that the left disagrees with is labeled bigot and fascist. It is a slippery slope and would likely have the exact opposite affect than what is intended. That crap must stop.
ReplyDeleteCullors seems to be highly supportive of peaceful protest, but she condones the intentional blocking of highways. It is difficult to fathom the harmful ripple effect that this can have, and it is anything but peaceful. It only seems peaceful because the protesters are not directly assaulting anyone or breaking anything. How many innocent people might suffer if you block a major highway for a prolonged period? That might seem dramatic, but a lot of people (including people who would normally support the protest) rely on those highways for more than just heading to Starbucks. Maybe you cause car accidents. Maybe a protester gets run over. Maybe a woman in a protest-created traffic jam is in labor and her husband is just trying to get her to the hospital but now they are boxed in and she gives birth in the car and there are complications. Maybe the woman and the baby die. Maybe a man is being taken by ambulance to the hospital after a stroke and has little time before he either dies or wakes up with brain damage because he couldn’t get where he needed to be. Maybe several people are already on strike three with their workplace for tardiness, and they are about to lose their jobs because you’re blocking the highway like children who cannot see passed themselves. This crap must also stop.
Having said all that, I do like that Cullors puts a lot of emphasis on other forms of peaceful protest. I also like that she emphasizes how difficult it is to change anything alone, so it is very important that we come together to be heard – something that doesn’t happen nearly enough, especially in this age of technology where we feel closer than we really are. Poet005
The speech by Patrisse Cullors was positive I thought. I felt she could have give us a little bit more. I will say that I know there will be a lot of backlashing behind this one. Everyone is free to have their own thoughts and opinions. I loved the part where she named many of the young black people that loss their life to police violence and anti-black racism. Cullors stated at it’s time to make a change this need to stop. I will definitely agree with her there this is 2017 we should be beyond all of this. I will say I wish she could have gave more guidance or ideas on how to step forth to try and help stop the police violence in our community. She did not give us any thoughtful suggestion. On the other hand I didn’t care for the part where she said that she will not answer certain questions. She could have worded that a little differently. I feel she should have answered any question that came up. My reasonings for that is if you’re coming to explain your organization then, you come to hear what your audience has to say as well. Some people will take it as she’s not a positive activist. In my opinion I feel there will be people that are going to take her presents and her words the wrong way. Cupcake005….
ReplyDeleteBLM The speech with Patrisse Cullors it self was overall good I think she discussed several valid points even beyond just black lives, she touched on all backgrounds. I did expect more to come from the speech like ways the BLM can help the community against all types of issues our society as well as other lower income families on a day to day basis. No I don't expect her to fix anything outside of what our own community can't or haven't fixed maybe I went in with the wrong mindset of the speech itself. I figured she would go in great details on ways we as locals can be beneficial on making a change in black society as a whole. I also see that the issue free speech may have struck a chord with several being that it was several questions she refused to answer however we have a "leader of the free world" who does this on a daily so I don't see the big issue. Seems to me it's unfortunately becoming our new normal! Leathas005
ReplyDeleteI personally was disappointed with Cullors speech. I expected it to be a very moving experience or even something to help change the way Peoria is. She also was saying that "Black Lives Matter" and don't get me wrong, they do, but don't we as human beings all matter??? Instead of saying Black Lives Matter how about we say "Life Matters". Instead of hearing about This race of a person killed this race, how about we say, a tragic life has been lost. Not that a "black boy died by a white cop" The race of a person had nothing to do with what happened. Cops are not driving around saying, "I am going to shoot someone of a different race". They have better things to be doing. The moment we stop looking at people as they are different because of the skin, the sooner we all can move past the racial differences. We need to stop raising our kids to look at people that we are different from each other. I wish these were some of the items that Cullors could have brought up. hotfox003
ReplyDeleteI believe a lot of questions went unanswered, but the questions that got answered were dead on. Black Lives Do Matter. Period. People like to sweep race under the rug and say "race has nothing to do with it". In all actuality it does. I feel for Cullors because she fights for something and stands up for people around the nation who can't do it for themselves, but shes one person she cant do it all by herself. Unity will be the only way to solve our problems as African Americans and im not saying other people can't be supportive but support because you care and not come on board for personal agendas. No matter what RACE in this country will always play apart in what takes place around the world because it always has! Im not saying it cant stop, but i feel like dont try and tell us that race doesnt matter and that we should be concerned about all lives; the last time I checked all lives matter didnt have to endure slavery, now did they? Cullors was right, we have nothing to lose but our chains. the real question is, are we going to break the chains or be content with oppression?MelaninQueen005
ReplyDeleteIt is incorrect to say that other races have not endured slavery. Slavery of black people in America is only the most recent example of slavery so it is fresh in our minds. Black lives definitely matter, that is not even debatable in my eyes, but you're wrong about the rest not having to endure slavery though. All races (there may be some very obscure exceptions in remote parts of the world) have been slaves at some point. How do you think the great wall of China was built? It wasn't the hard work of the Chinese nobility, it was Chinese slaves and slaves from neighboring nations. They would work literally to death, and once they died their corpses were used as building material for the foundation. How about the pyramids in Egypt? Again, it was not the ruling class that built them, it was enslaved Jews and criminals. You can make the argument that many of them were technically black, but it was not their skin color that was the problem there. Ancient Rome and Greece also made use of slaves -- European ones. In addition, the slave trade of African Americans in early America was largely facilitated by black people themselves. If you don't believe me do some research on it. Black people in Africa would capture other black people and sell them off to America (a lot).
DeleteWhat I'm trying to get at here is that being a victim of slavery is not exclusive to black people, and black people are not innocent in the matter either. They are simply the most recent example so the wound is still somewhat fresh, so to speak. With all this knowledge it is impossible to single out any one race or religious affiliation as victim or oppressor. This may sound negative at first to you, but it is in fact a less segregationist way of thinking. This way of thinking allows for more inclusive thought patterns and puts us all in the same boat which touches on the matter of unity that you mentioned.
Having said all that though, I do believe that black people are often unjustly profiled by government and the police force and without getting into causes for that, it does need to change. Poet005
for a long time to took to me understand that all lives really do matter of course BLM matter as well with all the unjust and racial profiling and in my words I say all lives matter but for just a second blm is the focus at this present matter. what about immigrant and the lgbt or the Muslims who aren't terriost but just because they muslims they still get treated differently just a thought. kyw005
DeleteI thought it started off great due to the idea of the uniting together to make a community better, but it seem to be a one sided organization. I started to get disappointed we she started to try and make it political by saying some generalizations about the right wing. Then it kept going down hill when she added no prisons to the the no wall no ban. which if she is going to bring up not having prisons then she is going to have to come of with solutions that would work to replace the punishment of incarceration. Cullor stated that we need spend the money on other programs instead of the body cameras. she did not say what programs but she tried to discredit body cameras because they are not always on or they don't share the recording with the public, but the main reason to have the body camera is to protect the officer and the individual that the officer has come in contact with.Steel001Banshee002
ReplyDeleteI am very disappointing how she did not want to talk about all lives mater and black on black crime. For he all live matter questioned it made me think that she did not care about all the other people but her own. For the reason why she did no want to talk about black on black crimes is that she did not want to talk bad about them or realize it. I have looked up the percentage rate for black on black crime and it was at 90 percent of 2014. They go on and talk about how they do not make enough money on were they work and deserve a better pay. We just can not give you the money you have to work at getting a better job to make the money. As for the lady that says her son keeps on getting pulled over it is probably because the cops do not know him a lot. So it takes time to know he is not dangerous. I think she said something about not being in a cage or something. And I interpreted as her race not being locked up. Basically saying even though they committed the crime and there is evidence to prove it, they should not be locked up. adelle002
ReplyDeleteI too was disappointed when Patrice refused to discuss "All Lives Matter" and "black on black killing". The entire purpose of the speech was to inform the audience about Black Lives Matter, so the fact that she could not distinguish BLM and ALM was quite sad. Interesting that black on black crime had such a high percentage, sitting at 90% in 2014. I wish Patrice would have been prepared to discuss those issues, so then the audience can be more informed and understanding of her speech. Instead, she left us in the dark, simply just refusing to answer any questions related to the campaign "All Lives Matter" and "black on black killing". Bry001
DeleteI will start off by saying that I was overall disappointed with the presentation. Going into the speech, I expected to be hearing about how when she started this group that she did not intend for so much violence to be started out of the "peaceful protests". I also did not like how in one part of the presentation she mentioned "no jails". I would love to hear her ideas on how she would replace jails? I will not say that our prisons are not overpopulated, because they are, I will say that we can not just get rid of jails. I thought the speech would be more aimed at bringing people together and joining different groups and races of people to make a change, but instead she mentioned that white people should form their own groups to bring about change. I also did not agree with her statement telling people not to vote, how else do you expect to make a difference if you cannot even participate in basic civil duties. So you do not want people to vote, so when the candidate you oppose wins because you did not vote, you start "peaceful" protests, shut down highways, destroy and loot businesses. Sounds like a productive plan to me... I was also very interested to hear her response to the black on black crime rates, only to find out that she would not be answering the question. If you are protesting that black lives matter, then you would think that you would also be addressing the fact that the black on black homicide rate is at an all time high in many areas all around the country. Why is it that if a white officer kills an african american suspect, the whole country knows about it and protests flare up all around? But, when an african american gang member kills an innocent african american, no-one hears about it. The officer is automatically labeled as a racist and the media jumps to conclusions without exploring all options. Blackhawks001
ReplyDeleteI was a little disappointed at the black lives matter event. I guess what I expected was a little far-fetched. Her speech was okay I guess. What I was a little disappointed in was the questions part. I didn’t like the fact that she wouldn’t address black on black crime. I mean it’s just as big of a problem as white on black crime. If black lives don’t matter to black people first, why should it matter to anyone else. One thing that I find hypocritical about the black lives matter movement is that black people will be the first to support it but will also be the first to kill another black man or women. Why should people take interest in black people lives if we don’t interest in our fellow brother and sister’s life’s. Overall her speech was good and she hit some basic points on how to fight oppression of the African American race.Food005
ReplyDeleteI am still unsure about Cullor. Not knowing much about the movement already I came in with the hopes of learning about where I stand or should stand. Before the Q&A, there were many times her words gave me goosebumps. I feel for the mother of Trevon Martin, and all the ones who have been mistreated with injustice. I believe BLM is a movement well needed right now. People should stand up for people who can not stand for them selves. I truly think ALL people should do there part in movements like BLM. I think in order to be heard in our society more voices are louder then few. Another point that moved me was seeing this group of vastly different people becoming a small community because of their similar interest. I felt honored to be apart of a positive movement in history. But then Cullor, went to the Q&As and I became more confused then before.
ReplyDeleteWhen she shut down the "all lives matter" question and the "black on black killing" issue, I was disappointed. I know I could always go look this up online, like she said but, I wanted to hear her opinion, that particular information was important for me to understand. When the community leader who addressed the issue about trying to make public meetings to discuss change for African Americans in peoria community but mostly white people have showed up, I felt that she was genuine and humbly seeking advise to better the out reach to our black community. It surprised me that Cullor came off as offended. She responded with the idea that any white group that gets together to talk about black people is never good in the long run for black people. I don't think that was fair. I wanted to tell the black man asking for advise to get the younger generation involved in the NAACP, to talk to the white community leader who seems to be meeting for that purpose. My heart broke for the mother who said her son was being racially profiled on our communities streets, just as much as it broke for the muslim African man and his profiling from the FBI. She didn't seem to be as interested in his, or any other minority's fight. It felt like every time someone who was not black tried to relate to this movement, they were swept aside. I know I could be looking at this wrong, but our country has so many things it needs to fix, there is inequality issues along with then black/white. I guess I just expected an achievable goal for this movement, but I left there feeling that I was not wanted there. I had to drive around for a couple hours just to process it all. I just hope that our community finds some peace and supports each other by working with and not against each other.
Lastly I want to restate that I could be analyzing this completely wrong. I can not pretend to say I know what it is like to be African American in this country today. I can not say I have personally been racially profiled. However my family has. People do bad things when they are scared. People can do worse things when they feel threatened and separated. The best way to eliminate fear is to try to understand one another. Jimmys005
Perhaps there was a sense of hope when this meeting began, but as we progressed with the topics I began to wonder why we were only concerned with only black lives and not all lives. I am not trying to make this about race, color, or any type of difference. I agree with the way you stated that many of us did not as much as we should about the BLM and also hoped to learn more about the movement and ourselves. She was, indeed, a very vibrant, charismatic, and impassioned speaker. I wanted to hear more about the manner in which we were going to confront the issues, peacefully, and find resolutions and answers to the problems. We always seemed to skirt just at the edge of the topics without really getting at the meat of the material. She continued to speak out against “no wall, no ban”, but added no jails to this phrase. Over incarceration is definitely a growing problem, but without theses jails the problem would only increase. I wanted to say the same about the incident with the community leader and that the statement was offensive in the way she made light of this man’s concern with the lack of participation by the black community. Again, it is a “community” of individuals who must come together to resolve the issues of our communities. I have grown up in this city for all my life and I am constantly amazed at the lack of compassion, at times, and how little these same movements, groups, and organizations do not always make that extra effort to “spread the word” out better than they attempted to. Can’t agree more. If we do not begin trying more to understand our community and the people within we may never know how great, we can become. Seoulman005
DeleteI found the Black Lives Matter event interesting to say the least. I expected an informative event from both the co-founder Patrisse Cullors and the Peoria City Police Department. Instead Cullors argued for her event and for a change in the way we treat African Americans in Peoria. I can agree with that noble cause, Peoria naturally does segregate in certain ways, whether it be directly for that purpose or not. This is widely done through the lines between school districts and tax districts. Peoria may have racial issues that I didn't realize or perceive, and this event has urged me to pay attention to those signs if and when they are present. However, I do not think things are as severely bad as to say that there are white supremacist in the white house, though I do not deny or confirm that fact. Cullors also pleads for black lives while denying questions about all lives or black on black crime. This is alarming to me, but I could see how it would distract from her overall intend and create a sort of divergent topic. She wanted to keep the audience focused, but in doing so, I fear she turned a lot of people away by not entertaining alternative views on the same subject. The Black Lives Matter event or movement has some truly noble causes, but I don't know if this is the next Civil Rights movement it seems Cullors wants it to be. It would be interesting to see her speak alongside the mayor or an official from the Peoria Police Department on the topics she suggests. I would like to see what the Peoria Police Chief would say in response to her allegations on racism and police brutality. Whether or not these issues are present is up for discovery, but I do believe in action against them if they do and I hope in the future we won't feel the need to draw a line between black or white, maybe we could come together instead of creating new ways to separate us. After all, if Cullors idea of white supremacists is true then dividing and conquering ourselves might not change much for the people on top. Ghost003, Ghost004
ReplyDeleteGoing into the speech with Patrisse Cullors I expect to learn more about her vision behind the movement and more clarity about their mission. I didn’t really get those answered after her speech. I understand why she went through all the acts of racial violence that’s been going on lately but I feel like everyone already knows these situations and she could have spent more time on other issues. Going to the speech I didn’t believe in some of things that have been happening around this movement. Such as the blocking of highways and rioting. I didn’t expect the head of the organization to support these types of things. I expect the head of an organization to show more leadership and promote peaceful acts. I think there’s other ways you can go about getting your voice heard then blocking highways or tearing a community apart by violent riots. She did say you can go to local government and make your voice heard that’s the best way to get a voice heard I believe. You can also call or email government officials. I think everyone has a right of freedom of speech this is a free country even if you don’t believe in what the people are talking about. Cardinals005.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed listening to Cullors speak. I had never really thought about how the Black Lives Matter Movement actually started itself, and it was very interesting hearing her talk about how it began. I never thought that a movement like that could start through social media; that something that spread as far as it has was built of a simple hashtag. I was hoping that Cullors would touch on some of the violent protests that have happened with people brandishing "black lives matter" signs, although, I do understand why she didn't. Those people are not representative of the movement that she started, and with any group of people, there will be a small percentage of them that cause the vast majority of the problems. I also notice that in some of the comments that people are upset that she wouldn't answer the question regarding the "all lives matter" counter movement. The black lives matter movement is not saying that "only black lives matter," but rather that "black lives matter too." The creators of this movement were stating that it seems as though black lives were not being thought of as important and they were saying that they matter just as much as everyone, not that only black lives matter. Saying that All Lives Matter in response to this movement is simply trying to diminish what these girls have created. They saw that people of their race were being killed and they decided to take a stand to try to stop it, of course all lives matter, they are just saying that so do theirs. JAG001 , JAG002
ReplyDeleteI was disappointed with the presentation overall. I was expecting to hear about her vision for BLM and what she thinks of what it has become, but instead she spewed hypocritical and divisive rhetoric. She was quick to tear down police and really white people in general but did not offer any solutions to the problems that she brought up, and in some cases inflated, other than to have white people “stay in their lane and let the black people handle it.” It amazed me how she handled some of the questions that were asked. One time this really stuck out to me what when someone asked a question about her opinion on BLM being compared by some to the KKK, she called the questioner out by name, mocked and belittled them, and encouraged the audience to boo and hiss at them, even though the person did not say that THEY compared the two organizations, and they were asking a very valid question of the presenter. Another time that really stuck out to me was when the audience member yelled “no free speech for fascists.” Cullor’s did not quiet this behavior or try to explain that if we sensor one group then that could lead to the censorship of all, and that there isn’t really free speech as the constitution promises if we sensor some groups instead of others, OR that just because one group of people has an opinion that is different than yours, that does not mean that it is any less valid (no matter how awful it may be). She instead egged him on and gave support to the censorship that he was suggesting. Another thing that really bothered me is that she advocated for people not vote. Change does not come from staying home on voting day, change comes from voting people into office that will do something good for the community. THIS WILL NOT HAPPEN IF YOU SIT ON YOUR BUTT ON VOTING DAY. There will never be someone that you will agree with 100% of the time, and if there aren’t any candidates that you really can get behind, then write someone in, but don’t just stay home, because things will only stay the same if you sit on your butt at home instead of getting out to your polling place. The thing that really bothered me most though was when she equated “no prisons” to “no border” and “no ban.” Over incarceration is a very real problem in our country, but there are a lot of people who need to be in prison and away from the public, and she, again, offered no solution to the problem. EKT004
ReplyDeleteBefore even going to watch Ms. Cullor speak, I have always been disappointed with the movement of black lives matter. Instead of it being black lives matter I believe it should be more of all lives matter. And after going and listening to her speak I was still disappointed but also agreed with some things that I heard from her. I was disappointed to hear that she would not answer any questions on all lives matter and on the subject of black on black crime. Unusual for someone to avoid talking about important topics like those. I also had a problem with the comparison of African Americans who are incarcerated in jails and prisons to slavery. That somehow them being in the jail or prison cells is them being in cages and linked to slavery. These people didn't just get there for nothing. They committed a crime that sent them to where they are today. But, I did agree with the idea of unifying all different groups together to be one. I do think that that would be a good idea. hawkshockey004
ReplyDeleteBefore going to listen Ms. Collur speak i always believe black lives matter. Everyones defense is always "all lives matter" the movement of black lives matter does not mean that all lives don't matter. What black lives matter is trying to say is we understand that but right now black lives matter. Black lives are the ones being targeted right now. Listening to her speak was very informative and eye opening. I believe it's important for people to understand black lives especially law enforcement. A lot of people who go into law enforcement come from middle-class white homes. Let's be honest a lot of us (not all of us) don't live outside of where we are from, or don't hangout outside of our own communities. I think it's very important for all of us to know what it's like outside of our communities, that way we can police better and be better informed. Im not saying we don't know what it's like to feel poverty and things of that matter. But it's very different in the life of a black person than it is in a life of a white person, or latino, asian, etc. Listening to someone from another race to me is very informative and I feel as if i learned a little inside of their world. It's very easy for all of us to subject or categorize one race to a certain behavior. But what we need to understand is that just because one person of a particular race behaves a certain way does not mean all of them do. For example the protesters that lede and cause violence is not the way anyone intended for all black lives matter protesters to be seen that way. It also goes that way for police officers (going back to the 80-20 rule) That rule applies to a lot of things. We need to understand that black lives are being targeted and that's the reason for black lives matter. We've all come too far to be set back 100 years. -dicaprio001
ReplyDeleteThis was the first time that I had heard any one of the creators of black lives matters speak and i was not impressed. This whole black lives matters movement is a childish, non-progressive movement. I didn't get to stay for the whole speech but the highly educated Ms. Cullers didn't make any highly educated recommendations to help Peoria's problems for the quality of life for minorities. First of all Cullers started her speech with a clear leftist rhetoric saying that all conservative or "Right handed" people are white supremacists. This is an erroneous comment, the KKK are white supremacists not conservative people. This woman actually thinks that creating a change in traffic flow by standing in the highway will create a change in communities across this country. This is childish and has no place in a movement to help our communities. Tolerance for this type of activity is what causes the rioting and cop killing that this organization has taken part in. Many people now look at black lives matter as a domestic terrorist organization because they have killed people. Black lives matter has done nothing to help the communities they live in but instead destroyed them. Yes I do believe that sometimes we have police officers who use force to quick and we all do have our implicit biases but this movement is not the way to go about it. This whole movement supports segregation and is not productive at all. I suggest that Collurs restructures her rhetoric and make it actually solve our nations problems rather than make them worse. Bike001, Bike004
ReplyDeleteI went into this presentation with an open mind and was honestly excited to hear others viewpoints on Black Lives Matter. Unfortunately, I left Bradley with my head down and my mind wandering. I will not say that I left with less knowledge of the matter than i came with because some of the material was educated facts and statistics but i did feel as if most of the information was biased and in some ways ridiculed. When it came time for questions and answers, i feel as if Cullor's responses were both unprofessional and rude. One question i remember in particular is, "How do you feel about All Lives Matter?" Cullor refused to answer and shook her head as if the question was a bizarre one to ask. If the discussion could be on how black lives matter, why can't we discuss how they all matter all the same? I understand that the said focus of the whole night was how black people are being murdered with little to no justice, so a in depth answer would be too strung out but i feel something would be appropriate. Cullor's also was asked by an audience member how she felt about black on black crime. I also understand how that was a question aside from the focus, but it is a topic of discussion that could also have been addressed if we can talk about other races causing violence on blacks. I also felt like Cullor could have given a better reasoning and advice on how white people can be a part of organizations that support this matter and what can be done to add to the positive views. Cullors basically said that as a white person in the community, we should form our own groups as if we couldn't be involved with the organizations and groups that are formed by blacks and other minorities. A part of the speech that also caught my attention was when she said "no jails." We have learned in class that jails and prisons are overpopulated and what we can do to change that statistic. But with no jails in general? I think that is crazy. There are some offenses that have no discussion; that need to go straight to incarceration without question. With that being said, i think that aside from the negative views Cullor is a fan of peaceful protest. She explained to the audience how to make movements and protest take place in a positive way. For example, going to city council, the chief of police, etc. That information is extremely important and should be addressed. I just feel like some people who are in this boat are pushed to express what they believe, which is very beneficial. But on the other hand, it can be pushed to the extreme. Black, white, poor, rich, if you are on this earth your life matters. behappy001
ReplyDeleteI was overall not impressed at all with this presentation. I think I was so disappointed in this just because going into it I figured that she was going to talk more about how she didn’t mean for the protest to end up violent. I was so interested in hearing about all of that but, she just talked about everything that I’ve heard before in the news I felt like. Not only that though the two biggest things people wanted to hear about she wouldn’t even talk about. That irritated me because I guarantee you majority of the people wanted to know what she had to say about those questions. You always hear about a white officer killing a African American and people get all crazy and start rioting. You never hear people rioting over black on black crimes and that just doesn’t make since to me because if you’re going to start a movement like this you have to be fair about all. It just would have been very interesting because I’ve read before as well that there are more African American police officers who have shot and killed other African Americans so I would have just loved to hear what she had to say about all that. I will agree though that if it’s the worst place for Africans Americans she states that they need to go to the council and make sure those people don’t get voted on the board of Peoria. If not like what she said nothing will change and twenty years from now it’s only going to get worse.CRC001,CRC002
ReplyDeletePersonally, I was disappointed with the presentation. There were several things Ms. Cullor said that irritated me and some things that just outright did not make sense. Probably the biggest thing she said that stuck out was that we should get rid of prisons. Sure, our prisons are overpopulated and rehabilitation would be more effective for a lot of offenders, but there are some people that deserve to be locked up for the rest of their lives for the atrocities they have committed. Getting rid of prisons would only allow for serial killers to roam freely, and without prisons there really is not a need for police. Another thing was how she refused to answer questions about black on black crimes and all lives matter. There are an excruciating amount of black on black crimes that no one likes to talk about and it simply never gets addressed even though it should. In fact, ninety three percent of murders committed against blacks are done by blacks. I think it is stupid that she would not even respond to a question regarding all lives matter. If you believe strongly in your cause then you should be willing to defend it and shut down any opposing views no matter how many times. Another thing that really bugged me was when one of the white members of the audience asked a question about how herself and other white people can help the movement, she basically told her that white people need to stay in their lane. If I were her, I would want as many white people as I could get to support the movement and protest with us because in my eyes that would seem like they are getting closer and closer to victory. I am glad that I went so that I could actually have first hand experience of the black lives matter movement, but I did not enjoy it. zmw001
ReplyDeleteThe speaker we went to at Bradley University was a very different experience for me. Going in to hear the speech I was very open minded to listen to and learn about the Black Lives Matter movement. When hearing the speech I was very bothered by it because the questions that needed to be answered about all lives matter issue or anything about the crime rate of black on black crime wouldn't be even mentioned. I have to remember that she was paid to give this speech and that the intended audience would be African American community. As a criminal justice student it didn't make sense some of the facts that she was saying with the crime rates that directly affect anything to do with criminal justice. I understand that there are some bad cops and that's a community is suffering because of them but we cannot blame all cops for some of the mistakes that are being made. It really bothered me the “white” people were made to be the bad ones out of the whole speech, again she did not mention anything about the black on black crime rate. Pie001 002 004
ReplyDeleteIt was very interesting to be able to attend this Black Lives Matter Seminar. It was a little eye opening just for the fact she was kind of one sided in her argument. I knew it when she didn't want to answer a question on all lives matter. That bothered me because if she is trying to unify the world then why wouldn't want to support all lives matter? I would say supporting it would be a smart move for her to show that she loves everybody who is trying to just live their lives without racism. But to me all of this stuff doesn't matter. The movements, I just live life and if you haven't wronged me then I don't want to wrong you. I don't have to create a whole movement just to have everyone know that. I think actions speak louder than words and they are saying a lot words. Flannel001
ReplyDeleteFinally going to a black lives matter event was really something to see. Because I have always read about who the black lives matter foundation are and watched videos about them. But to see it in person really changes a persons perspective on whether a person agrees or not with what they are doing. I for one definitely agree with why they started the foundation and how they are going to change the world. Because even though I am in law enforcement for a profession I am still human and I still care about others and how the are treated against police, firefighters, AMT's, etc. So When hearing Ms. Cullors speak at the black lives matter event really broadened my opinion about the way cops treat everyone they come in contact with. As she mentioned, the Travon Martin case was tremendously shocking to the world. Because everyone thought that Zimmerman was going to receive a very long sentence from killing a very young black male. But all he got was his gun being taken away and a few other minor punishments. She also stated that one day while she was at a pep rally, she meet a women who was chanting "Black Lives Matter." They made her realized that its more to the killings then just recognizing it as another homicide. Because if a white person was killed the city would have every cop out there on that scene trying to get every possible evidence and witnesses as they can. To get that particular case solved but that is definitely not the case with African Americans. During Ms. Cullor speech she made excellent points on to why they protest and why they resist cops. Because their trying to show the world why African Americans are the number one most hated race in America. Because it goes all the way back to the early times when slavery was still a thing. So in the end I support the foundation and what they are trying to accomplish 100% but I definitely do not support them when they begin to break laws and use the name black lives matter in a completely negative way.-NIKE001/NIKE002
ReplyDeleteI'm a firm supporter of the Black Lives Matter movement, but I think Cullor's presentation could've been better. I'll admit, I was left feeling a little underwhelmed at the end of the speech and kind of regretted paying my coworker $10 to take my shift so I could go. Although inspirational and full of advice, Cullor's refusal to answer select questions and belittling those who asked them made me feel like if I asked a question she saw as dumb or obvious, she would ridicule me. That's why I didn't tweet a question. I liked the idea of the question and answer session because it changes the event from a lecture to a discussion, but it could've been executed better. Overall, I wish Cullors would've explained what the movement was about more thoroughly. I feel like her talk of the movement made it seem like it was an exclusive club and yes, BLM isn't about white people, but saying that white people should stay out of it and stick to their own groups turns people off of supporting the movement. When I was listening to the people around me talking after the event, they were still wondering what the movement stood for and what it didn't. Cullors spoke as if everyone there understood what BLM was and what it wasn't. I had high hopes for this speech and was left disappointed. lasagna005
ReplyDeleteI agree she could have went into more depth about what the movement was about. She went about the wrong way in answering questions or lack of answering questions. I feel like I have more concerns about this movement then I did before. Going into the speech I thought it was just a select few people causing problems and blm was suppose to be a peace movement. After hearing Cullor talk I dont believe this is suppose to be as peaceful as I thought. Cardinals005.
DeleteWhile attending the event Thursday night, I had variant thoughts on the whole event. I totally respect the fact that people are standing up for their rights and that this woman Patrisse wanted to take a stand. However, when listening to what Patrisse had to say it almost seemed like she only cared about whoever followed her, instead of listening to both sides. It definitely caught my attention when at the end of her speech she was taking questions. She was answering a variety of different questions that had to do with her movement, but there were a few questions she would not even address. For example, she was asked the question of what she thought about hashtag All Lives Matter, and she simply rolled her eyes and said that if the audience wanted to know what she thought, they could look up the answer on the internet. She then went ahead and said that she was not going to address the question of black on black crime. I did not understand her reasoning behind this, because they were simply questions and she was answering other questions as well. To me it just made me feel as if she did not care about anyone other than those who were following in her mindset. Another instance that rubbed me the wrong way was when she got the audience to boo at someone who was asking another question that had to do with her movement being compared to the KKK. That person did not even necessarily have those views of her movement, yet he was ridiculed and that to me was not an act of a good leader. I did agree with her on the George Zimmerman case and that there needs to be more awareness about the hate crimes that happen, but Patrisse seemed like to me that she wanted to get rid of prisons altogether. She was talking about them and comparing them to a cage and it seemed like she wanted prisons to be wiped off the planet. I think prisons are a necessary form of punishment, just not overusing them like we have been. With that said, I agreed with the idea of standing up for rights, but I do not think that Patrisse did a good job at that speech. Rayder004
ReplyDeleteI love to talk about the #BlackLivesMatter movement. It’s a positive movement that a has a goal in mind that they want to achieve. All at the same time I hate talking about the movement. Me being of African descent my family and friends believe that I should feel differently about #BlackLivesMatter than I do. I personally believe that the way that their protests are carried out are ridiculous. Now if the protests were carried out differently than they were then I could be on board more, but when you do things like block busy interstates with thousands of people. I’m not 100% sure but I believe it’s a law against being a pedestrian in the roadway on the highway. So, that is one tactic that they have used that I have never liked. Now the boycott of the Minnesota State Fair early in the movement, I believe that was a good tactic. Thousands of people in attendance to hear your voices is a good way to start. Do I believe there are alternatives, yes but this was just the start. I’m hoping to see more powerful movements. Gather those 10,000 right at the city hall in St. Paul or in Ferguson. Peaceful protests. Now as the movement progresses, I believe they should start going to the source. Stay away from the highways and fairs, aim for city council or city hall. Talk to ones that can really make a difference. Blocking the highways will only do so much. You must progressively move forward and upward.
ReplyDeleteBread003
Overall, I felt that Cullor’s speech could have been better than it was. I was disappointed when she shot down the question about “all lives matter”. In my opinion, really all lives matter. Not just white lives, not just black lives, or whatever, but all lives. This makes me assume that she only cares about African Americans and does not care about all the other races. It would have been really interesting to hear what she had to say on that subject, but instead she decided to reject it. She really should have mentioned before her speech that there were going to be certain questions that she will not answer. Being open to other points of view would have made her presentation a lot better in my opinion rather than her being so completely one-sided and not wanting to hear anything from another side. CAE004.
ReplyDeleteI agree that her speech had plenty of flaws as well as flawless moments,I do agree the choice to decline several questions should have been known well before the speech itself began but however I disagree with the point of her only caring for black people. I think her focus points may have given you this impression of her but I'm not in agreement that she only cares for black society. ALL LIVES MATTER!Leathas005
DeleteI agree that her speech had plenty of flaws as well as flawless moments,I do agree the choice to decline several questions should have been known well before the speech itself began but however I disagree with the point of her only caring for black people. I think her focus points may have given you this impression of her but I'm not in agreement that she only cares for black society. ALL LIVES MATTER!Leathas005
ReplyDeleteWow this discussion is heated!!!!! But I feel like there is a line between freedom of speech, and hate speech in which a certain group of people is targeted, things get sensitive. In today's world every thing has been an iffy touchy subject. We have to be careful about what we say or do. In some cases definitely we have to do something about it, in others we should let them slide. For example braids I find it okay if a white person wears braids, but if media popularizes it I will obviously take it to offense but it has been an existing hair style that's belonged to the Africans, or someone who's wearing an native American head dress and has relative significance to the culture. But speaking as an African American women, some time I feel like the black lives matter movement gets out of hand, I do understand we're fighting for justice, people take it to a point where their placing this over every thing else such as Superiorism that only black lives matter, it could have been worded more differently from what I understand. I've seen on social media that reverse racism doesn't exist, I which I find to be absurd. I wonder if this movement expands to other minorites. Honeytea005
ReplyDeleteI wasn't there for the whole thing but I wonder if she talked about citizen taking matters into their own hands, that's the only way social change is going to happen. And also about people building better relationships with their police, and getting involved in the community, I feel as that is an important factor to build ties and lines of friendship, but if a community is being stubborn, it may be difficult to open up and build those relations. Honeytea005
ReplyDeleteI did not plan on taking this long to submit a response to the blog. I have actually been trying to compose my thoughts from Thursday nights speech and how conflicted I had become when I left the auditorium. Patrisse Cullors spoke with conviction about the atrocities that have affected the black communities, the dissention among local and state police/government and black communities, and the issues with over incarceration. After reading many of the first blogs I began to fall into the mindset of disappointment, concern, some outrage, but mostly confusion. I was expecting a rational discussion pertaining to the issues between police/local government and black communities. I hoped to hear some possible ideas, suggestions, advise, or even promising solutions that might help in improving the present situations. Much of what I listened to that night was a young woman who had witnessed many issues in “her neighborhood”, in “her community”, in “her own reality”. With this in mind I still had issues about how I regarded these issues as they affected “our reality”. This is Peoria Illinois. California could actually be described as whole other planet or world. I do not disagree that these same issues do exist here in Illinois, but not to the same extent as in California or New York. The BLM movement protested the idea that people can be wrongfully killed and that their killers can avoid any form of persecution. This is what I came to stand up and be counted for. When she spoke I listened to a young woman who believed in a purpose to bring to light the problems that we “ALL” face, not because of the color, race, or ethnicity of the individual involved, but rather, the repercussions of the tolerance of our own government and law enforcement agencies when these situations happen. The lack of admitting that there is a problem and that we all need to take notice and start resolving this situation, not just waiting for the “proper authorities” to “fix” it.
ReplyDeleteWhen she was interrupted by the “gentleman” in the audience with his statement of “No free speech for Fascists!” I was surprised me when there was no comment made other than support for the statement. I truly believe in the freedom of speech, no matter the person or group. I served my country defending this right to all people of this great nation. I do not have to agree with their politics, prejudices, or beliefs, because this is my right. Everyone deserves to be heard, no matter how off-putting the comments may be, because this is how this country was founded, with the belief that all are created equal and should have opportunity to speak. Yes, when she agreed with this man I began to question what I was actually hearing. If we fall into the same thought pattern as those who would deny us the right to free speech, are we not being hypocritical? During the question and answer portion, you could see that she was getting tired, but there seemed to be some tension about answering certain questions. I do understand not wanting to answer questions about topics that have been pasted all over the social media pages, but to state that there would be no “black on black” violence questions, gave the whole point of the assembly some tension as to what we were going to be allowed to ask. The woman that had asked about the KKK was called out by name, belittled, and then booed at by the audience. She was an older woman, not a student, and white, but her question was not about the BLM she was asking about Cullors opinion of the comparison.
Part II
ReplyDeleteThe chant at the end of the speech: It is our duty to fight for our freedom. It is our duty to win. We must love each other and support each other. We have nothing to lose but our chains.
This Is definitely an empowering statement, and one that should be studied for what it represents, not about how it is being used.
I believe that we are chained by our inability to look at another person and see them for who they are not what they are. Black, white, Asian, Muslim, Christian. We are people, human beings that need to learn how to respect the individual right next to you or in your neighborhoods, communities, and cities. I expected to listen to the advice of a young woman who was fed up with no one listening and caring about how we can begin the changes we need. Seoulman005
This Is definitely an empowering statement, and one that should be studied for what it represents, not about how it is being used.
I believe that we are chained by our inability to look at another person and see them for who they are not what they are. Black, white, Asian, Muslim, Christian. We are people, human beings that need to learn how to respect the individual right next to you or in your neighborhoods, communities, and cities. I expected to listen to the advice of a young woman who was fed up with no one listening and caring about how we can begin the changes we need.Seoulman005
First, I would like to say thank for for stating a positive aspect from the Black lives Matter speech, because it was hard for me to see through certain moments of the speech. I loved the fact that you pointed out the importance of the chant she proclaimed at the end of the speech. When first participating in the chant, I only did so out of respect, because of how disappointed I was in the presentation of her information. After you have thoroughly examined the meaning of this chant I have now gained a better understanding of what it truly means. I wish it all could have been done differently though.
DeleteS&D005
As a BLM advocate, I had very mixed emotions about this presentation.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, Patrice did not display the purpose of BLM correctly in its entirety. The fact that she refused to answer certain questions that some people had really threw me off; wasn’t the purpose of the assembly to educate people on what exactly we stand for in any and every aspect? The questions that were asked regarding “All Lives Matter” and another controversial subject were rejected, and that really put Patrice in a bad light for me. We can’t just ignore what needs to be talked about. She had the PERFECT opportunity to clear the air and differentiate between the two topics, so the domino effect would occur and others would be more educated on why we don’t say “all lives matter”. It upset me that she wouldn’t say “Donald Trump”, but instead would call him “45”. No, I never wanted him as our president, but by not addressing him the way he should be, she may have potentially lost some of her audience (perhaps there were some Pro-Trump people that wanted to broaden their outlooks by attending her event). She also overqualified some of her statements, like saying that we shouldn’t have incarceration… Huh? By her saying this, is she making the assumption that EVERY individual that is currently incarcerated is… Innocent? Yes, I understand that there is a high percentage of people that are and shouldn’t be incarcerated, maybe not for the length of time they are sentenced or at all, but the fact that she said we shouldn’t have ANY prisons really bothered me. I personally didn’t learn much from her presentation as I was already knowledgeable about the movement, but I fear for those who do not think critically about everything they hear and are told. Puppies005
Before attending this Black Lives Matter event, I did not know much about the cause. I will say right now, even afterwards I still did not know why Black Lives Matter was created and what its true purpose was. Patrice failed to inform that audience of the origins of Black Lives Matter, along with its intended purpose. Instead, Patrice should have taught the audience exactly what Black Lives Matter stands for, rather than just stand up on the stage and rant about how Peoria and other places are discriminating against black individuals throughout the community. She even says something along the lines of "Peoria is one of the worst communities for black people today" without giving extensive facts or information supporting why that is supposedly true. A member from the audience asked about the campaign "All Lives Matter", which Patrice refused to discuss even though she just asked the audience for questions. Patrice failed to point out the difference between BLM and "All Lives Matter" which completely defeats the purpose of having the event. She simply cannot just assume that the audience knows enough about BLM before attending the speech. One of the reasons I even went was to gain a better understanding of Black Lives Matter and what their goal was. The last thing that Patrice said that caught my attention was the statement about prisons and jails. After rambling on about how many black inmates there are, she then advocates the elimination of jails/prisons without providing any alternative options or reasonable suggestions. We cannot just make our prison facilities vanish into thin air and have everybody's crime be magically expunged from their record. Overall, I feel that Patrice could have gone a different route when giving this presentation. I think Patrice was expecting to target a different kind of audience than she got that night. By that I mean, she was expecting BLM supporters to crowd the gym and chant with her rather than a bunch of college students and professors along with other citizens. Bry001
ReplyDeleteI will be honest, I did not much appreciate the events that unfolded that night. I have always been taught equality from my family (although crude jokes are not forbidden, either). I was raised that everyone is equal, and I support that idea. In my eyes, race and gender do not give reason for any individual to be lesser than another. But this event did not go as I was told. Firstly, I was under the impression that this Black Lives Matter co-founder, Patrisse Cullors, was not behind all of the violence and chaos her organization has caused. However, I believe she just ignores the problems and does not even consider it when she thinks of her own organization. The Black Lives Matters movement has been seen as the major group behind many violent actions across our country, and Patrisse did not seem to pay any attention to these activities. Another negative I found was her declaration to take over. A member of the audience asked for advice in taking seats in a student council. Patrisse offered some advice (although this response was vague, like many of her other responses) and ended it with a statement saying that this individual should claim her seat, help some like-minded individuals get their seats, and then take all of the seats. As I said before, I support equality and the organized groups that are attempting to reach that goal. But, fact is, many groups truly just want to be above everyone else. Take a fair amount of the seats in a council is equality, taking every seat is simply claiming this council as your own. Society cannot be equal if a single group does all of the decision making. Another thing I really did not like was Cullor's notion to remove prisons. Throughout the event, she said several times that prisons were not a form of public safety. To Cullor, public safety was public shelter for those who need it, food and water, and personal rights. I am going to be very blunt, I think this statement is absolutely ignorant. Fact is, many people are in prison that likely don't really belong there. However, many individuals completely deserve their lives to be thrown away. And using a mass public shelter is nothing close to public safety. Public shelters are riddled with crime, as many of the individuals are desperate and are not watched closely. (We've learned in class that certainty of punishment was the biggest deterrence, and feeling no chance of punishment will cause crime to be done more often). Basically, she is saying that we should get rid of prisons. I don't feel this is a good way to go by any means. Not locking up the sick murderers and rapists, but having more public shelter for everyone? In my eyes, this will only make things worse. Now these murderers and rapists have a hub of civilians that are unable to defend themselves, a perfect place to commit endless crime.
ReplyDeleteAll in all, I feel like this woman is very close-minded towards her goal. She almost seemed to completely ignore outside opinion, and talked a lot about building her organization's power. Her completely blocking off black on black crime, accusations of Black Lives Matter being a terrorist organization, and the All Lives Matter movement only goes to show that she wants power for herself and those of her movement, with little care about those whom she may cause to suffer. - AJC001 (Also in Online CRJ 114)
I will be honest, I did not much appreciate the events that unfolded that night. I have always been taught equality from my family (although crude jokes are not forbidden, either). I was raised that everyone is equal, and I support that idea. In my eyes, race and gender do not give reason for any individual to be lesser than another. But this event did not go as I was told. Firstly, I was under the impression that this Black Lives Matter co-founder, Patrisse Cullors, was not behind all of the violence and chaos her organization has caused. However, I believe she just ignores the problems and does not even consider it when she thinks of her own organization. The Black Lives Matters movement has been seen as the major group behind many violent actions across our country, and Patrisse did not seem to pay any attention to these activities. Another negative I found was her declaration to take over. A member of the audience asked for advice in taking seats in a student council. Patrisse offered some advice (although this response was vague, like many of her other responses) and ended it with a statement saying that this individual should claim her seat, help some like-minded individuals get their seats, and then take all of the seats. As I said before, I support equality and the organized groups that are attempting to reach that goal. But, fact is, many groups truly just want to be above everyone else. Take a fair amount of the seats in a council is equality, taking every seat is simply claiming this council as your own. Society cannot be equal if a single group does all of the decision making. Another thing I really did not like was Cullor's notion to remove prisons. Throughout the event, she said several times that prisons were not a form of public safety. To Cullor, public safety was public shelter for those who need it, food and water, and personal rights. I am going to be very blunt, I think this statement is absolutely ignorant. Fact is, many people are in prison that likely don't really belong there. However, many individuals completely deserve their lives to be thrown away. And using a mass public shelter is nothing close to public safety. Public shelters are riddled with crime, as many of the individuals are desperate and are not watched closely. (We've learned in class that certainty of punishment was the biggest deterrence, and feeling no chance of punishment will cause crime to be done more often). Basically, she is saying that we should get rid of prisons. I don't feel this is a good way to go by any means. Not locking up the sick murderers and rapists, but having more public shelter for everyone? In my eyes, this will only make things worse. Now these murderers and rapists have a hub of civilians that are unable to defend themselves, a perfect place to commit endless crime.
ReplyDeleteAll in all, I feel like this woman is very close-minded towards her goal. She almost seemed to completely ignore outside opinion, and talked a lot about building her organization's power. Her completely blocking off black on black crime, accusations of Black Lives Matter being a terrorist organization, and the All Lives Matter movement only goes to show that she wants power for herself and those of her movement, with little care about those whom she may cause to suffer. - AJC001 (Also in Online CRJ 114)
I agree with you. For someone who is supposed to have all of these awards and represent empowerment, you sure dont have too much to say when asked. I feel like as a whole, she was very vague. She jokes about President Trump but in ways can be like him with her remarks. She didnt think about how her responses would affect others when she made them. They were bias and in some view racist. I remember hearing someone on a tweet or maybe even in the audience asking why doesnt she support all lives matter( something like that) and she paused and said something about because white people are the cause or doesnt go through..something like that. Are you kidding me? Im african american and even i took offense to that. I understand where she is coming from but at that moment you shouldve said something that wouldnt offend her in that way. There were more caucasion people than blacks. Some came for extra credit, some to actually support and thats what you have to say to them. They want to offer their support and thats how you treat them? She was making it seem okay to treat whites differently and thats the problem that were already facing, why encourage it? PurpleHearts005
DeleteI wasn't really sure what to expect going to Thurday nights event. I had heard about it through the teachers at school after being formed by Professor White. They all talked to each other excitedly about how great it was supposed to be and how empowering it was expected to become. The only reason I originally was going was because it was extra credit. After hearing some people talk im like yea, okay this could be great. As the days approach, I get a little more excited and now the day is here. The first thing that I noticed was that it was supposed to start at 7;00. When It's supposed to be something as emowering as bragged, you would expect it to start on time..it did not. Soon after starting, we were introduced to Ms. Cullors. The presentation was not at all what I expected. It reminded me of my Communications class and how we are supposed to present a speech. Right off the bat, she spoke SO SLOWLY, it made me lose interest very fast. I still managed to pay attention and It just amazed me at how cockey she seemed as a person. She didnt really speak of how to better the problems going on in the world. She only spoke of her experiences in one part of America..where shes from. She stated facts, stuff that we already knew about. No new information or empowerment was given to us by the speech. Like that, the speech was over. When the questioning seminar began, I thought that she was kind of rude. She didnt answer the questions intelligently, her answers were bias and left peoples questions unanswered. Im not that best at giving speeches or presentations but if I were to present it in that manor in that way, id get an F. I guess I cant do too much complaining though..it was for extra credit. PurpleHearts005
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, overall, I was very disappointed with the Black Lives Matter speech given by cofounder Patrice Colurs. I say this because of two main reasons: the lack of speech structure and the lack of passion. First off, there were multiple moments within her speech that I was highly confused. I find this to be a major issue, because as an activist from minorities; you are representing more than yourself. With that being said, one such as Ms. Colurs, must present themselves in a manner in which there is no errors. I say this because as an influential leader, you have multiple people who stand against what you believe in, and when you open opportunities for those to spot a weakness it is not a good thing. Also, the lack of structure within her speech made people, such as myself, fade away and not pay attention to the point she was attempting to get across, which I do not know what that point was. Next, ,I find it to be an even bigger issue that I do not believe Patrice believed what she was talking about. From this point all I can say is: why would I care about something that you’re talking to me about when I don’t feel as if you care about it yourself?
ReplyDeleteS&D005
Going into the event i wasn't sure as to what i was going to expect, but there was one thing that i was waiting to hear and she never spoke on it. I really wanted to hear her opinion on when people say all lives matter because if you start a movement like she did then you should have an opinion on the feedback that you are getting. When Ms. wasn't came out i expected her to be more energetic but she wasn't and i was thinking that if she is so passionate about BLM then she should of been more enthusiastic throughout her speech. Some of the information she gave was good, but most of the things that she spoke about i already knew, she brought up a few familiar cases but i wanted her to get more into depth with things and to talk about more then what we already know since she is the one who started the group. Overall it was a good experience but not talking about All lives matter and Black on Black crime was a disappointment to me. I also thought that she doesn't need to bash politics to get her point across, in my opinion that made things worse for her. If she started a movement that went viral, there is no need to bash all of the politics and politicians that she doesn't like, she just needs to focus on her movement. Overall i would say this experience was interesting. bball001, bball002, bball005
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