In The United States District Court
For The Southern
District of Texas
Black Lives
Matter
Vs. U.S.
Docket No. 3:17-MC-00003
Donald John Trump Sr. 45th President
United States of America et al
Defendant(s)
Before
the Court Slave Negro U.S. Judge George C. Hanks, Jr. Pro Se Counsel of Record motion for leave to proceed in forma pauperis pursuant to 28
U.S.C. § 1915 on “Appeal” to Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, “Plaintiffs “Black
Lives Matter” vs. Donald John Trump Sr. 45th President et al,
Background for the Confused BLM
On August 9th
2017 United States of Appeals Court, requesting in “connection with this
“Appeal” in the case on behalf of “Black Lives Matter”, decision of this Court
which holds that a Corporation is a fictional legal entity which can be
represented only by a licensed counsel and cannot be represent by an officer of
the “corporation who is not an “attorney”. See In Re K.M.A., Inc., 652, F.2d
398, 399 (5th Cir 1981) therefore, unless you are an attorney
licensed to practice before this Court, you may
not represent this party in
this appeal. Please notify this office within 15 days of this date whether you
will be retaining counsel to represent this party, or you may file a motion
advising why the cited authority dose not preclude you from representation.
Failure to comply will result in dismissal of the appeal on behalf of the party
name above.
First and
foremost to United States of Appeals Court Fifth Circuit and Before the
Court Slave Negro U.S. Judge George C. Hanks, Jr with the ( 1800s Colonial Harvard and Duke Law degrees) pursuant to the
13th Amendment of Mississippi Constitution based solely upon
the
allegations of the See In Re K.M.A., Inc., 652, F.2d 398, 399 (5th
Cir 1981), the Court is Fraudulent “once again” in this Colonia America rules
of Laws,
Pursuant to
Rule 12(d) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure (“FRCP”), 44.5 Million
Plaintiffs Black Lives Matter” moved to strike the following:
K.M.A., Inc., 652, F.2d
398, 399 (5th Cir 1981),
United States Court of
Appeals,Fifth Circuit.
Manzoor
A. MEMON; et al., Plaintiffs, Memon Corporation Inc., Plaintiff-Appellant, v.
ALLIED DOMECQ QSR; et al., Defendants, Baskin-Robbins Incorporated;
Baskin-Robbins USA Co., Defendants-Appellees.
No. 04-20064
Decided:
September 17, 2004
Before KING, Chief Judge, and
JOLLY and CLEMENT, Circuit Judges.Greggory Scott Williams, Houston, TX, for
Plaintiff-Appellant. Jeffrey L. Karlin, Roland B. Ninomiya, Schmeltzer, Aptker
& Shepard, Washington, DC, for Defendants-Appellees.
Plaintiff-Appellant Memon
Corporation Inc. (“Memon Corp.”) appeals from the district court's grant of
Defendants-Appellees' motion to dismiss and the district court's denial of
Memon Corp.'s motion for new trial or relief from judgment under Rule 60(b). For
the following reasons, we REVERSE the district court's order insofar as it
dismissed Memon Corp.'s suit and REMAND for further proceedings not
inconsistent with this opinion.
I. BACKGROUND
On April 24, 2003, Manzoor Memon,
an officer of Memon Corp., filed a pro se complaint in Texas state court
against Allied Domecq QSR.1 The complaint raised a number of claims arising out of Memon
Corp.'s operation of a Baskin-Robbins ice cream franchise, including breach of
the franchise agreement, conspiracy, fraud, and breach of the duty of good
faith and fair dealing. Manzoor Memon (“Mr. Memon”) is not a licensed
attorney, but he nevertheless brought the suit on behalf of himself, his
brother and sister-in-law (Aamir H. Memon and Sanam A. Memon), and the family's
corporation (Memon Corp.).
Baskin-Robbins timely removed the case to federal
district court.
On June 11, 2003, Baskin-Robbins
moved under Rule 12(b)(6) to dismiss Mr. Memon's claims for lack of standing
because he was not a party to the franchise agreement and to dismiss his
siblings' and Memon Corp.'s claims on the grounds that they were improperly
represented by Mr. Memon, a non-lawyer.
On October 15, 2003, without having filed a response
to defendant's motion to dismiss, Mr. Memon moved the district court to dismiss
the case without prejudice. At an October 22 scheduling conference, Mr. Memon
requested that the judge rule on his motion to dismiss without prejudice.
When asked by the district judge why he so
moved, Mr. Memon replied that he lacked funds to hire an attorney. The judge
promptly denied Mr. Memon's motion orally and set the case for trial. In
response to the ruling, Mr. Memon asked the judge, “Can I get an attorney?”
The judge replied, “I can't practice law so I can't advise you on that.”
Eight days later, on October 30,
2003, the district court granted Baskin-Robbins's 12(b)(6) motion, finding that
Mr. Memon lacked standing and that the other named plaintiffs, including Memon
Corp., were impermissibly represented by a non-lawyer. The district judge had
never ordered Memon Corp. to retain an attorney nor had he admonished the
plaintiffs that Memon Corp. could not proceed without an attorney.
Soon after the dismissal, Memon
Corp. hired an attorney and filed a motion for new trial or, alternatively, a
motion for relief from final judgment under Rule 60(b). The district court
denied the motion. Memon Corp., now represented by counsel, appeals the grant
of the motion to dismiss and the denial of the motion for new trial or relief
from judgment.2
II. DISCUSSION
We review dismissals under Rule
12(b)(6) de novo. Gregson v. Zurich Am. Ins. Co., 322 F.3d 883, 885 (5th
Cir.2003). Further, this court accepts “all well-pleaded facts as true,
viewing them in the light most favorable to the plaintiff.” Jones v.
Greninger, 188 F.3d 322, 324 (5th Cir.1999). “Thus, the court should not
dismiss [a] claim unless the plaintiff would not be entitled to relief under
any set of facts or any possible theory that [it] could prove consistent with
the allegations in the complaint.” Id.
Memon Corp. asserts that de novo review is
inappropriate, arguing that Rule 12(b)(6) was not the proper procedural vehicle
through which to challenge its lack of legal representation. Instead, Memon
Corp. argues that this court should review the motion to dismiss under the same
abuse-of-discretion standard under which we would review a Rule 41(b)
involuntary dismissal.3 Memon Corp.'s objection is well taken, as no precedent exists
for dismissing under Rule 12(b)(6) on these grounds,4
and the appropriate measure for a judge to take when confronted with an
unrepresented corporation is inherently discretionary.5 Noting the lack of clarity surrounding the proper procedure
(and the corresponding standard of review),
We find that we need not decide
the proper standard of review, as we would reverse the district court under
either standard. Memon Corp. does not deny the well-settled rule of law that a
corporation cannot appear in federal court unless represented by a licensed
attorney. See, e.g., Rowland v. California Men's Colony, 506 U.S. 194, 202,
113 S.Ct. 716, 121 L.Ed.2d 656 (1993) (“the lower courts have uniformly held
that 28 U.S.C. § 1654 ․ does not allow corporations, partnerships, or
associations to appear in federal court otherwise than by licensed counsel”);
Southwest Express Co. v. ICC, 670
F.2d 53, 55 (5th Cir.1982). Although 28 U.S.C. § 1654 authorizes individuals
to appear in federal courts pro se, the statute is silent regarding corporations.
The lack of authorization in § 1654 has been interpreted as barring
corporations from appearing in federal court without an attorney. Rowland, 506
U.S. at 202, 113 S.Ct. 716.
Memon Corp. argues, however, that the district
court erred in dismissing its claims with prejudice.6 We agree. This court has consistently recognized “that
dismissal with prejudice is an extreme sanction that deprives a litigant of the
opportunity to pursue his claim.”
Callip v. Harris County Child Welfare Dep't,
757 F.2d 1513, 1519 (5th Cir.1985) (internal quotation marks omitted) (quoting
McGowan v. Faulkner Concrete Pipe Co., 659 F.2d 554, 556 (5th Cir.1981)).
Dismissal with prejudice was too extreme a sanction in this instance.
In virtually every case in which a
district court dismissed the claims (or struck the pleadings) of a corporation
that appeared without counsel, the court expressly warned the corporation that
it must retain counsel or formally ordered it to do so before dismissing the
case. See, e.g., Donovan v. Road Rangers Country Junction, Inc., 736 F.2d
1004, 1005 (5th Cir.1984) (per curiam); K.M.A., Inc., 652 F.2d at 399 ;
D-Beam Ltd. P'ship v. Roller Derby Skates, Inc., 366 F.3d 972, 973 (9th
Cir.2004). Other courts have dismissed such cases without prejudice, allowing
the corporation to re-file after acquiring a lawyer. See, e.g., Capital
Group, Inc. v. Gaston & Snow, 768 F.Supp. 264, 265-66 (E.D.Wis.1991).
The district judge never admonished Memon Corp. that
it was required to hire an attorney (or ordered it to do so) before he
dismissed the case with prejudice. We do not agree with Baskin-Robbins's
assertion that the following dialogue during the October 22 scheduling
conference constituted sufficient warning from the court:
The Court: [Y]ou also have a motion to dismiss; is
that correct?
Counsel for Baskin-Robbins: That's correct, Your
Honor.
The Court: All right. We're working on that.
All right. If you know what I mean. All right?
Counsel for Baskin-Robbins: Okay.
The Court: Now, we're just going to set a
scheduling order today. All right? It may or may not go away, but right now
we're here to set a scheduling order. You understand Mr. Memon?
Mr. Memon: Yes, sir.
We cannot accept that the judge's
statement that “[i]t may or may not go away” in the midst of this exchange
adequately admonished Mr. Memon that the court would soon dismiss the case with
prejudice unless Memon Corp. retained counsel.
Although Baskin-Robbins's motion
to dismiss had been pending for nearly four months, Mr. Memon apparently
believed that his own motion to dismiss without prejudice obviated the need to
respond to Baskin-Robbins's motion.7 We do not see how Memon Corp.'s failure to respond to the
motion to dismiss would justify dismissal with prejudice in this instance.
See Rogers v. Kroger Co., 669 F.2d 317, 320 (5th Cir.1982) (reversing district
court's dismissal with prejudice under Rule 41(b) for failure to prosecute;
noting that dismissal with prejudice is “reserved for the most egregious of
cases”).
Moreover, we find the colloquy
between the district judge and Mr. Memon especially important. After the
district court denied Mr. Memon's motion to dismiss without prejudice, the
following exchange occurred:
The Court: At this time we stand adjourned. The
case is still going on, sir. Okay. You understand that?
Mr. Memon: Can I get an attorney?
The Court: What?
Mr. Memon: Am I allowed to-
The Court: I can't practice law so I can't advise
you on that. All right. Off the record.
This conversation casts sufficient
doubt on Baskin-Robbins's contention that Mr. Memon knew that he needed either
to hire a lawyer or face dismissal with prejudice. Eight days later, without
providing any warning to Memon Corp., the district court dismissed with
prejudice. Under these particular facts, this was error.
Finally, because we have
determined that the district court erred in dismissing Memon Corp.'s claims
with prejudice, we need not reach the question of Memon Corp.'s motion for new
trial or relief from judgment pursuant to Rule 60(b).
III. CONCLUSION
For the foregoing reasons, we REVERSE the judgment
of the district court insofar as it dismissed Memon Corp.'s case with prejudice
and REMAND for further proceedings not inconsistent with this opinion.
FOOTNOTES
1. On June 11, 2003,
Allied Domecq filed a Rule 21 motion to substitute as defendants Baskin-Robbins
Incorporated and Baskin-Robbins USA, Co. (collectively “Baskin-Robbins”). The
district court granted the motion on October 30, 2003. For the purpose of
convenience, we therefore refer to the defendants below as Baskin-Robbins.
2. Neither Mr. Memon
nor his siblings appeal the district court's judgment dismissing their
individual claims.
3. We affirm dismissals
with prejudice under Rule 41(b) “only upon a showing of a clear record of delay
or contumacious conduct by the plaintiff” and “where lesser sanctions would not
serve the best interest of justice.” Dorsey v. Scott Wetzel Serv., Inc., 84
F.3d 170, 171 (5th Cir.1996) (per curiam) (quoting Salinas v. Sun Oil Co., 819
F.2d 105, 106 (5th Cir.1987)).
4. Memon Corp.
correctly observes that most courts resolving claims by unrepresented
corporations do not identify the source of their authority. See, e.g.,
K.M.A., Inc. v. Gen. Motors Acceptance Corp. (In re K.M.A., Inc.), 652 F.2d
398, 399 (5th Cir.1981); Palazzo v. Gulf Oil Corp., 764 F.2d 1381, 1384-86
(11th Cir.1985). Some courts have specified that Rule 41(b) authorizes
dismissal under such circumstances. E.g., Transportes Aereos de Angola v.
Ronair, Inc., 104 F.R.D. 482, 504-05 (D.Del.1985). Those cases, however,
involved instances in which the litigant failed to comply with a court order to
retain counsel or a local rule requiring representation. See id.; see also
Fed.R.Civ.P. 41(b) (“For failure of the plaintiff to prosecute or to comply
with these rules or any order of court, a defendant may move for dismissal of
an action or of any claim against the defendant.”). Neither is the case here,
making Rule 41(b) inapplicable. As we discuss below, the only authority for
dismissing a corporation for failure to retain counsel, absent a court order or
local rule, appears to be based on a judicial interpretation of 28 U.S.C. § 1654.
See Rowland v. California Men's Colony, 506 U.S. 194, 202, 113 S.Ct. 716, 121
L.Ed.2d 656 (1993); Palazzo, 764 F.2d at 1384-86.
5. As explained below,
the judge might, inter alia, admonish the corporation that it cannot proceed
without counsel, order the corporation to retain counsel within a certain
period of time (the appropriate amount of time also being within the judge's
discretion), or dismiss the case without prejudice and allow the corporation to
re-file.
6. Although the
dismissal order in this case did not specify whether it was with or without
prejudice, the order constituted a dismissal with prejudice. See Hall v.
Tower Land & Inv. Co., 512 F.2d 481, 483 (5th Cir.1975) (noting that the
grant of a motion to dismiss for failure to state a claim constitutes a
judgment on the merits, even if it fails to indicate that it is a dismissal
with prejudice); Fed.R.Civ.P. 41(b) ( “Unless the court in its order for
dismissal otherwise specifies, a dismissal under this subdivision and any
dismissal not provided for in this rule, other than a dismissal for lack of
jurisdiction, for improper venue, or for failure to join a party under Rule 19,
operates as an adjudication upon the merits.” (emphasis added)).
7. We note that this
belief was not unreasonable, since Baskin-Robbins had not filed an answer or a
motion for summary judgment. See Fed.R.Civ.P. 41(a) (“[A]n action may be
dismissed by the plaintiff without order of court ․ by filing a notice of
dismissal at any time before service by the adverse party of an answer or of a
motion for summary judgment, whichever first occurs․”); 9 Charles Alan Wright
& Arthur R. Miller, Federal Practice and Procedure § 2363, at 259 (2d ed.
1995) (“[A] motion to dismiss under Rule 12 does not terminate the right of
dismissal by notice.”).
PER CURIAM:
44.5 Million Plaintiffs Black Lives
Matter” Affirmed that:
1.
K.M.A., Inc.,
652, F.2d 398, 399 (5th Cir 1981), United States of America did not
exist, till precisely February 7th 2013 all (50) States became a “Union”
as defiend by Law. *See exhibit A attached herein to “Probable Cause” and for
the direct issue of said ARREST WARRANT(s) for Defendant Haley Reeves Barbour
63rd Governor of Defendant Mississippi,
from 2004 to 2012
Defendant Haley Reeves Barbour
American politician, lobbyist, and member of the Republican GOP Party who
served as the 63rd Governor of Mississippi, from 2004 to
2012, being official (8) years within the Jurisdiction of defendant
“United States of America” RICO criminal endeavor includes, maintaining,
securing, possession, custody and control to
Kept 44.5 Million (plus) DNA Negro
Plaintiffs Black Lives Matter as Living 1800s Continue Century living “Slaves” and physical property of (USA) as a “whole
until Defendant State of Mississippi Ratified the 13th Amendment of
1865 as define and
“Outlaw” Slavery Servitude” on the
legal “behalf interest” of the
Plaintiffs Black Lives Matter” which this never occurred for (8) years,
as the 13th amendments not fully complete and ratified back in 1865,
as co-defendant “State of Mississippi”, “very plain” factual allegations base
on actual government records for federal question jurisdiction being the
“Plaintiffs 44.5 Million legal inquiries of
the complaint, which the Court has no choice but to accept as true base upon
the statutory requirement grounded in the “13th amendment
"Neither slavery nor
involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall
have been duly convicted shall exist within the United States, or any place
subject to their jurisdiction" Formally abolishing slavery in the United
States, the 13th Amendment was passed by the Congress on January 31, 1865, and
ratified by the states on
December 6, 1865, as “Formally
abolishing slavery in defendant “United States of America” by original
Defendant State of Mississippi et al
Defendant Haley Reeves Barbour 63rd
Governor of Mississippi, from 2004 to 2012, being official (8)
years within the Jurisdiction of defendant “United States of America” had not ratified
the 13th amendment freeing all “Slaves” which this did not occurred
till well in 2013…?
2.
Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals
and (Especially) Slave Negro U.S. Judge George C. Hanks, Jr (Harvard
and Duke Law Degree) and Senior Slave Status Negro U.S. Judge Kenneth M. Hoyt,
“Black Lives Matter” not a (Dam)
corporation, which they are “Slaves” demanding freedom from defendant GOP criminal(s)
of white slave trading gang still “alive and kicking since 1865, “United States
of America holding the entire “World-Wide”
Negro Race held “Captive” as Posted you “Fools” stop playing with the lives of
the “entire World DNA Negro Race held hostage by Colonial 1800s Whites Supremacy
America still stuck on stupid with their hostile (Nigger Judges), dealing
“Black Codes”, Jim Crow laws, and
Never Ending Slavery 1619 August 20th until (Actually) when
Mississippi free all “Slaves” well into 2013 thereby pardon my “French” stop
lying You “Crooks at the Crooked Court House,
I am Black and My Dam Life Matters (you
pigs) get over your- self at the
Courthouse
*See Exhibit A Mississippi 13th
Amendment attached to Case No. 17 – 40280 Plaintiff – Appellant Louis Charles
Hamilton II Cmdr. USN #2712 vs. Defendant 45th Plaintiff – Appellant
NOTICE TO STRIKE” UNITED STATES COURT OF
APPEALS FIFTH CIRCUIT, Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure (pursuant) TO:
President Donald John Trump Sr. -
Appellees : “Original Black Lives Matter”,
1619 – 2013 hereby being “Enslaved” Plaintiffs since 1619 – 2013 with direct
cause of action for crimes against humanity, before the “International Criminal
Court (ICC) as always have no rights “ever” in these White Man Rules while
being held “captive”, nor do they apply to the White Man” when being “prosecuted
by the same FRCP, which
Black Lives Matter (BLM)
is an international activist movement, originating in the African-American
community, that campaigns against violence and systemic racism toward black
people. BLM regularly holds protests against police killings of black people and broader
issues of racial profiling, police brutality, and racial inequality in
the United States criminal justice system.
In 2013, the movement began with the use of the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter
on social
media after the acquittal of George
Zimmerman in the shooting death of African-American
teen Trayvon Martin. Black Lives Matter became nationally
recognized for its street demonstrations following the 2014 deaths of two
African Americans: Michael Brown, resulting in protests
and unrest in Ferguson, and Eric Garner in New York City.[1][2]
Since the Ferguson protests, participants in the movement have demonstrated
against the deaths of numerous other African Americans by police actions or
while in police custody. In the summer of 2015, Black Lives Matter activists
became involved in the 2016 United States
presidential election.[3]
The originators of the hashtag and call to action, Alicia
Garza, Patrisse Cullors, and Opal
Tometi, expanded their project into a national network of over 30 local
chapters between 2014 and 2016.[4]
The overall Black Lives Matter movement, however, is a decentralized network
and has no formal hierarchy.[5]
Black Lives Matter has also been criticized. Some
black civil rights leaders have criticized the tactics of BLM. Some critics
accuse Black Lives Matter of being anti-police, and question the statistics
provided by BLM activists regarding the rate at which black people are killed
by police. Other criticisms include: BLM's lack of focus on intra-racial
violence, allegations of racism and sexism, and criticism of the policy
statements laid out by the Movement for Black Lives.
There have been many reactions to
the Black Lives Matter movement. The U.S. population's perception of Black
Lives Matter varies considerably by race.[6]
The phrase "All Lives Matter" sprang up as a response to
the Black Lives Matter movement, but has been criticized for dismissing or
misunderstanding the message of "Black Lives Matter".[7][8]
Following the shooting of two police officers in Ferguson, the hashtag Blue
Lives Matter was created by supporters of the police.[9 Earlier movements
BLM claims inspiration from the Civil Rights Movement, the Black Power movement, the 1980s Black
feminist movement, Pan-Africanism, the Anti-Apartheid Movement, hip hop, LGBTQ social movements, and Occupy Wall Street.[10]
Several media organizations have referred to BLM as "a new civil rights
movement."[1][11][12]
Some of the protesters, however, actively distinguish themselves from the older
generation of black leadership, such as Al
Sharpton, by their aversion to middle-class traditions such as
church
involvement, Democratic Party loyalty, and respectability politics.[13][14]
Political scientist Frederick C. Harris has argued that this
"group-centered model of leadership" is distinct from the older charismatic leadership model that
characterized civil rights organizations like Jesse
Jackson's Rainbow PUSH Coalition and Sharpton's National Action Network.[15]
Online campaign
"Million Hoodie March" in Union Square, Manhattan on March 21, 2012, protesting George Zimmerman's shooting of Trayvon Martin
In the summer of 2013, after George
Zimmerman's acquittal for the shooting death of Trayvon
Martin, the movement began with the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter.[16]
The movement was co-founded by three black community organizers: Alicia
Garza, Patrisse Cullors, and Opal
Tometi.[17][18]
Garza, Cullors and Tometi met through "Black Organizing for Leadership
& Dignity" (BOLD), a national organization that trains community organizers.[10]
They began to question how they were going to respond to what they saw as the
devaluation of black lives after Zimmerman's acquittal. Garza wrote a Facebook
post titled "A Love Note to Black People" in which she said:
"Our Lives Matter, Black Lives Matter". Cullors replied:
"#BlackLivesMatter". Tometi then added her support, and Black Lives
Matter was born as an online campaign.[10]
Ferguson activism
Protests in Ferguson, Missouri, August 17, 2014
In August 2014, BLM members organized their first
in-person national protest in the form of a "Black Lives Matter Freedom
Ride" to Ferguson, Missouri after the shooting of Michael Brown.[10]
More than five hundred members descended upon Ferguson to participate in
non-violent demonstrations. Of the many groups that descended on Ferguson,
Black Lives Matter emerged from Ferguson as one of the best organized and most
visible groups, becoming nationally recognized as symbolic of the emerging
movement.[10]
Since then, Black Lives Matter has organized
thousands of protests and demonstrations. Expanding beyond street protests, BLM
has expanded to activism on American college campuses, such as the 2015–16 University of Missouri
protests.[19]
Inclusivity of the movement
Black Lives Matter incorporates those traditionally
on the margins of black freedom movements.[10]
The organization's website, for instance, states that Black Lives Matter is
"a unique contribution that goes beyond extrajudicial killings of Black people by
police and vigilantes" and, embracing intersectionality,
that "Black Lives Matter affirms the lives of Black queer and trans folks,
disabled folks, black-undocumented folks, folks with records, women
and all Black lives along the gender spectrum."[20]
All three founders of the Black Lives Matter movement are women, and Garza and
Cullors identify as queer.[21]
The founders believe that their backgrounds have paved the way for Black Lives
Matter to be an intersectional movement. Several hashtags such as
#BlackWomenMatter, #BlackGirlsMatter, #BlackQueerLivesMatter, and
#BlackTransLivesMatter have surfaced on the BLM website and throughout social
media networks. Marcia Chatelain, associate professor of history at Georgetown University, has praised BLM for
allowing "young, queer women [to] play a central role" in the
movement.[22]
Black Lives Matter supporters and allies gather inside the Minneapolis City Hall rotunda on December 3,
2015, after an early morning raid and eviction of demonstrators occupying the
space outside the Minneapolis Police Department's 4th Precinct, following the
police shooting death of Jamar Clark.
Structure and organization
Loose structure
The phrase "Black Lives Matter" can refer
to a Twitter hashtag, a slogan, a social
movement, or a loose confederation of groups advocating for racial justice.
As a movement, Black Lives Matter is decentralized, and leaders have emphasized
the importance of local organizing over national leadership.[23]
Activist DeRay McKesson has commented that the movement
"encompasses all who publicly declare that black lives matter and devote
their time and energy accordingly."[24]
In 2013, Patrisse Cullors, Alicia Garza, and Opal
Tometi formed the Black Lives Matter Network. Alicia Garza described the
network as an online platform that existed to provide activists with a shared set
of principles and goals. Local Black Lives Matter chapters are asked to commit
to the organization's list of guiding principles, but operate without a central
structure or hierarchy. Alicia Garza has commented that the Network was not
interested in "policing who is and who is not part of the movement."[25][26]
Currently, there are at least 30 Black Lives Matter chapters in the U.S., England, Canada, Australia,
and Ghana.[4][27][28][29]
Notable Black Lives Matter activists include
co-founder of the Seattle Black Lives Matter chapter Marissa
Johnson, lawyer and president of the Minneapolis chapter of the NAACP Nekima Levy-Pounds, and writer Shaun King. In a September 2016 interview
with W.
Kamau Bell and Hari Kondabolu, King described himself as part of
the broader Black Lives Matter movement and supportive of the formal
organization Black Lives Matter, but not affiliated with the latter.[30]
The loose structure of Black Lives Matter has
contributed to confusion in the press and among activists, as actions or
statements from chapters or individuals are sometimes attributed to "Black
Lives Matter" as a whole.[31][32]
Matt
Pearce, writing for the Los
Angeles Times, commented that "the words could be serving as a
political rallying cry or referring to the activist organization. Or it could
be the fuzzily applied label used to describe a wide range of protests and
conversations focused on racial inequality."[33]
Guiding principles
According to the Black Lives Matter website, there
are thirteen guiding principles that should apply to those who choose to become
involved under the Black Lives Matter banner, among them Diversity, Globalism, Empathy, Restorative Justice and Intergenerational.[34]
Broader movement
Concurrently, a broader movement involving several
other organizations and activists emerged under the banner of "Black Lives
Matter" as well.[4][35]
For example, BLM is a member organization of the Movement for Black Lives established to
respond to sustained and increasingly visible violence against black
communities in the U.S. and globally.[36]
In 2015 Johnetta Elzie, DeRay
Mckesson, Brittany Packnett, and Samuel
Sinyangwe, initiated Campaign Zero, aimed at promoting policy reforms to
end police brutality. The campaign released a ten-point plan for reforms to
policing, with recommendations including: ending broken
windows policing, increasing community oversight of police departments, and
creating stricter guidelines for the use of force.[37]
New York Times reporter John Eligon reported
that some activists had expressed concerns that the campaign was overly focused
on legislative remedies for police violence.[38]
Strategies and tactics
Black Lives Matter protest against police brutality in St. Paul, Minnesota
Black Lives Matter originally used social
media—including hashtag activism—to reach thousands of people
rapidly.[10]
Since then, Black Lives Matters has embraced a diversity of tactics.[39]
Internet and social media
In 2014, the American Dialect Society chose
#BlackLivesMatter as their word
of the year.[40][41]
Yes! Magazine picked #BlackLivesMatter
as one of the twelve hashtags that changed the world in 2014.[42]
Memes are also
important in garnering support for the Black Lives Matter new social movement. Information communication
technologies such as Facebook and Twitter spread memes and are important tools for garnering
web support in hopes of producing a spillover effect into the offline world.[43]
However, Blue Lives Matter and other opponents of BLM
have also used memes
to criticize and parody the movement,[44]
especially its ignorance of how many killings of black people are results of
"black-on-black" crime.
As of September 2016, the phrase "Black Lives
Matter" has been tweeted over 30 million times,[45]
and Black Twitter has been credited with bringing
international attention to the BLM movement. Using the hashtag
#BlackLivesMatter has helped activists communicate the scale of their movement
to the wider online community and stand in solidarity amongst other
participants.[46]
Dr. Khadijah White, a professor at Rutgers University, argues that BLM has ushered
in a new era of black university student movements. The ease with which bystanders
can record graphic videos of police violence and post them onto social media
has driven activism all over the world.[47]
Direct action
Black Lives Matter demonstration in Oakland, California
BLM generally engages in direct
action tactics that make people uncomfortable enough that they must address
the issue.[48]
BLM has been known to build power through protest and rallies.[49]
BLM has also staged die-ins and held one during the 2015 Twin Cities Marathon.[50]
"Hands up!" sign displayed at a Ferguson
protest
Political
slogans used during demonstrations include the eponymous
"Black Lives Matter", "Hands up, don't shoot" (a later
discredited reference attributed to Michael Brown[51]),
"I can't breathe"[52][53]
(referring to Eric Garner), "White silence is violence",[54]
"No justice, no peace",[55][56]
and "Is my son next?",[57]
among others.
Media
Beyoncé's most recent production Lemonade featured the mothers of Michael Brown, Trayvon Martin, and Eric
Garner, holding photographs of their sons.[58][59]
The video for Beyoncé's single "Formation"
(2016) celebrates Southern black culture and features a line of
policemen holding up their hands while a hooded black boy dances in front of
them. The video also features a shot of graffiti on a
wall reading "stop shooting us".[60]
Songs such as Kendrick Lamar's "Alright" have been used as a
rallying call at demonstrations.[61]
The short documentary film Bars4Justice
features brief appearances by various activists and recording artists
affiliated with the Black Lives Matter movement. The film is an official
selection of the 24th Annual Pan African Film Festival. Stay Woke: The Black Lives
Matter Movement is a 2016 American television documentary film starring
Jesse Williams about the Black Lives Matter
movement.[62][63]
Timeline of notable U.S. events and demonstrations
2014
Black Lives Matter protester at Macy's Herald Square
In 2014, Black Lives Matter demonstrated against the
deaths of numerous African Americans by police actions, including those of Dontre Hamilton, Eric Garner, John Crawford III, Michael Brown, Ezell Ford, Laquan McDonald, Akai Gurley, Tamir Rice, Antonio Martin, and Jerame Reid, among others.
In July, Eric
Garner died in New York City, after a New York City Police Department
officer put him in a chokehold while arresting him. Garner's death has been
cited as one of several police killings of African Americans that sparked the
Black Lives Matter movement.[64]
In August, during Labor Day weekend, Black Lives
Matter organized a "Freedom Ride", that brought more than 500 African-Americans
from across the United States into Ferguson, Missouri, to support the work being
done on the ground by local organizations.[65][66]
The movement continued to be involved in the Ferguson
unrest, following the death of Michael Brown.[67]
Also in August, Los Angeles Police Department
officers shot and killed Ezell Ford. Following the shooting, BLM
protested his death in Los Angeles into 2015.[68]
In November, a New York City Police Department
officer shot and killed, Akai Gurley, a 28-year-old African-American man.
Gurley's death was later protested by Black Lives Matter in New York City.[69]
In Oakland, California, fourteen Black Lives
Matter activists were arrested after they stopped a Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) train for more
than an hour on Black Friday, one of the biggest shopping
days of the year. The protest, led by Black Lives Matter co-founder Alicia
Garza, was organized in response to the grand jury decision not to indict
Darren Wilson for the death of Mike Brown.[70][71]
Also in November, Tamir Rice,
a 12-year-old African-American boy was shot and killed by a Cleveland police
officer. Rice's death has also been cited as "sparking" the Black
Lives Matter movement.[64][72][73]
A Black Lives Matter protest of police brutality in the rotunda of the Mall
of America in Bloomington, Minnesota
In December, 2,000–3,000 people gathered at the Mall
of America in Bloomington, Minnesota, to protest the
killings of unarmed black men by police.[74]
At least twenty members of a protest that had been using the slogan were
arrested.[75]
In Milwaukee, Wisconsin, BLM protested the police
shooting of Dontre Hamilton, who died
in April.[76]
Black Lives Matter protested the shooting of John Crawford III.[77]
The shooting of Renisha McBride was
protested by Black Lives Matter.[78]
Also in December, in response to the decision by the
grand jury not to indict Darren Wilson on any charges related to the death of
Michael Brown, a protest march was held in Berkeley, California. Later, in 2015,
protesters and journalists who participated in that rally filed a lawsuit
alleging "unconstitutional police attacks" on attendees.[79]
2015
In 2015, Black Lives Matter demonstrated against the
deaths of numerous African Americans by police actions, including those of Charley Leundeu Keunang, Tony Robinson, Anthony Hill, Meagan Hockaday, Eric Harris, Walter Scott, Freddie Gray, William Chapman, The Charleston Nine, Jonathan Sanders, Sandra Bland, Samuel DuBose, Jeremy McDole, Corey Jones, and Jamar Clark, among others.
In March, BLM protested at Chicago Mayor Rahm
Emanuel's office, demanding reforms within the Chicago Police Department.[80]
Charley Leundeu Keunang, a
43-year-old Cameroonian national, was fatally shot by Los Angeles Police Department
officers. The LAPD arrested fourteen following BLM demonstrations.[81]
A demonstrator, wearing the uniform of the Orioles
baseball team on the street in Baltimore
In April, Black Lives Matter across the United
States protested over the death of Freddie Gray which included the 2015 Baltimore protests.[82][83]
After the shooting of Walter Scott in North Charleston, South Carolina,
Black Lives Matter protested Scott's death and called for citizen
oversight of police.[84]
In May, a protest by BLM in San Francisco was part
of a nationwide protest, Say Her Name, decrying the police killing of black
women and girls, which included the deaths of Meagan Hockaday, Aiyana
Jones, Rekia
Boyd, and others.[85]
In Cleveland, Ohio, after an officer was acquitted at
trial in the shooting of Timothy
Russell and Malissa Williams, BLM protested.[86]
In Madison, Wisconsin, BLM protested after the
officer was not charged in the shooting of Tony Robinson.[87]
Black Lives Matter protest against St. Paul police
brutality at Metro Green Line
In June, after Dylann
Roof's shooting in a historically black church
in Charleston, South Carolina, BLM issued a
statement and condemned the shooting as an act of terror.[88]
BLM across the country marched, protested and held vigil for several days after
the shooting.[89][90]
BLM was part of a march for peace on the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge in South
Carolina.[91]
After the Charleston shooting, a number of memorials to the Confederate States of America were
graffitied with "Black Lives Matter" or otherwise vandalized.[92][93]
Around 800 people protested in McKinney, Texas after a video was released showing an
officer pinning a girl—at a pool party in McKinney,
Texas—to the ground with his knees.[94]
In July, BLM activists across the United States
began protests over the death of Sandra Bland, an African-American
woman, who was allegedly found hanged in a jail cell in Waller County, Texas.[95][96]
In Cincinnati, Ohio, BLM rallied and protested the death of Samuel DuBose after he was shot and
killed by a University of Cincinnati police officer.[97]
In Newark, New Jersey, over a thousand BLM
activists marched against police brutality, racial injustice, and economic
inequality.[98]
Also in July, BLM protested the death of Jonathan Sanders who died while
being arrested by police in Mississippi.[99][100]
One-year commemoration of the shooting of Michael Brown and the Ferguson
unrest at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New
York
In August, BLM organizers held a rally in Washington,
D.C., calling for a stop to violence against transgender
women.[101]
In Charlotte, North Carolina, after a judge
declared a mistrial
in the trial of a white Charlotte police officer who killed an unarmed black
man, Jonathan Ferrell, BLM protested and
staged die-ins.[102]
In Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania,
Janelle
Monáe, Jidenna,
and other BLM activists marched through North Philadelphia to bring awareness to police
brutality and Black Lives Matter.[103]
Around August 9, the first anniversary of Michael Brown's death, BLM rallied, held
vigil and marched in St. Louis and across the country.[104][105]
In September, over five hundred BLM protesters in Austin,
Texas rallied against police brutality, and several briefly carried protest
banners onto Interstate 35.[106]
In Baltimore, Maryland, BLM activists marched and
protested as hearings began in the Freddie Gray police
brutality case.[107]
In Sacramento, California, about eight hundred
BLM protesters rallied to support a California
Senate bill that would increase police oversight.[108]
BLM protested the shooting of Jeremy McDole.[109]
In October, Black Lives Matters activists were
arrested during a protest of a police chiefs conference in Chicago.[110]
"Rise Up October" straddled the Black Lives Matter Campaign, and
brought several protests.[111]
Quentin Tarantino and Cornel
West, participating in "Rise Up October", decried police
violence.[112]
Protest march in response to the Jamar Clark shooting, Minneapolis, Minnesota
An activist holds a "Black Lives Matter"
sign outside the Minneapolis Police Fourth Precinct building following the
officer-involved shooting of Jamar Clark on November 15, 2015.
In November, BLM activists protested after Jamar Clark was shot by Minneapolis Police Department.[113]
A continuous protest was organized at the Minneapolis 4th Precinct Police.
During the encamped protest, protestors and outside agitators clashed with
police, vandalized the station and attempted to ram the station with an SUV.[114][115]
Later that month a march was organized to honor Jamar Clark, from the 4th
Precinct to downtown Minneapolis. After the march, a group of men carrying
firearms and body armor[116]
appeared and began calling the protesters racial slurs according to a
spokesperson for Black Lives Matter. After protesters asked the armed men to
leave, the men opened fire, shooting five protesters.[117][118]
All injuries required hospitalization, but were not life-threatening. The men
fled the scene only to be found later and arrested. The three men arrested were
young and white, and observers called them white supremacists.[119][120]
In February 2017, one of the men arrested, Allen Scarsella, was convicted of a
dozen felony counts of assault and riot in connection with the shooting. Based
in part on months of racist messages Scarsella had sent his friends before the
shooting, the judge rejected arguments by his defense that Scarsella was
"naïve" and sentenced him in April 2017 to 15 years out of a maximum
20-year sentence.[121][122]
From November into 2016, BLM protested the shooting death of Laquan McDonald,
calling for the resignation of numerous Chicago officials in the wake of the
shooting and its handling. McDonald was shot 16 times by Chicago Police Officer
Jason Van Dyke.[123]
2016
In 2016, Black Lives Matter demonstrated against the
deaths of numerous African Americans by police actions, including those of
Bruce Kelley Jr., Alton Sterling, Philando Castile, Joseph Mann, Abdirahman Abdi, Paul O'Neal, Korryn Gaines, Sylville
Smith, Terence Crutcher, Keith Lamont Scott, Alfred Olango, and Deborah Danner, among others.
In January, hundreds of BLM protesters marched in San
Francisco to protest the December 2, 2015, shooting death of Mario Woods,
who was shot by San Francisco Police officers. The march was
held during a Super Bowl event.[124]
BLM held protests, community meetings, teach-ins and direct actions across the
country with the goal of restoring the radical legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.[125]
In February, Abdullahi Omar Mohamed, a
17-year-old Somali refugee, was shot and injured by Salt
Lake City, Utah
police after allegedly being involved in a confrontation with another person.
The shooting led to BLM protests.[126]
In June, members of BLM and Color
of Change protested the California conviction and sentencing of Jasmine
Richards for a 2015 incident in which she attempted to stop a police officer
from arresting another woman. Richards was convicted of "attempting to
unlawfully take a person from the lawful custody of a peace officer", a
charge that the state penal code had designated as "lynching" until that word was
removed two months prior to the incident.[127]
On July 5, Alton
Sterling, a 37-year-old black man, was shot several times at point blank
range while pinned to the ground by two white Baton Rouge Police Department
officers in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. On the night of July
5, more than 100 demonstrators in Baton Rouge shouted "no justice, no
peace," set off fireworks, and blocked an intersection to protest
Sterling's death.[128]
On July 6, Black Lives Matter held a candlelight
vigil in Baton Rouge, with chants of "We love Baton Rouge" and
calls for justice.[129]
On July 6, Philando
Castile was fatally shot by Jeronimo Yanez, a St. Anthony, Minnesota police officer, after
being pulled over in Falcon Heights, a suburb of St. Paul. Castile was driving a car with his
girlfriend and her 4-year-old daughter as passengers when he was pulled over by
Yanez and another officer.[130]
According to his girlfriend, after being asked for his license and
registration, Castile told the officer he was licensed to carry a weapon and had one in the car.[131]
She stated: "The officer said don't move. As he was putting his hands back
up, the officer shot him in the arm four or five times."[132]
She live-streamed
a video on Facebook
in the immediate aftermath of the shooting. Following the fatal shooting of
Castile, BLM protested throughout Minnesota and the United States.[133]
Protest march in response to the shooting of Philando Castile, St.
Paul, Minnesota on July 7, 2016
On July 7, a BLM protest was held in Dallas, Texas that
was organized to protest the deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile. At the end of the
peaceful protest, Micah Xavier Johnson opened fire in an ambush,
killing five police officers and wounding seven others and two civilians. The
gunman was then killed by a robot-delivered bomb.[134]
Before he died, according to police, Johnson said that "he was upset about
Black Lives Matter", and that "he wanted to kill white people,
especially white officers."[135][135]
Texas Lt. Governor Dan Patrick and other conservative
lawmakers blamed the shootings on the Black Lives Matter movement.[136][137]
The Black Lives Matter network released a statement denouncing the shootings.[138][139][140]
On July 8, more than 100 people were arrested at Black Lives Matter protests
across the United States.[141]
Protest in response to the Alton Sterling shooting, San Francisco,
California, July 8, 2016
In the first half of July, there were at least 112
protests in 88 American cities.[142]
In July 2016, NBA
stars LeBron
James, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul,
and Dwyane
Wade opened the 2016 ESPY Awards with a Black Lives Matter
message.[143]
On July 26, Black Lives Matter held a protest in Austin,
Texas, to mark the third anniversary of the shooting death of Larry Jackson Jr.[144]
On July 28, Chicago Police Department officers shot Paul O'Neal in the back and killed him
following a car chase.[145]
After the shooting, hundred marched in Chicago,
Illinois.[146]
In Randallstown, Maryland, near Baltimore,
on August 1, 2016, police officers shot and killed Korryn Gaines, a
23-year-old African-American woman, also shooting and injuring her son.[147]
Gaines' death was protested throughout the country.[148]
In August, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Black Lives
Matter protested the death of Bruce Kelley Jr. who was shot after fatally
stabbing a police dog while trying to escape from police the previous January.[149]
Beginning in August, several professional athletes
have participated in the 2016 U.S. national anthem protests.
The protests began in the National Football League (NFL) after Colin
Kaepernick of the San Francisco 49ers sat during the anthem, as
opposed to the tradition of standing, before his team's third preseason
game of 2016.[150]
During a post-game interview he explained his position stating, "I am not
going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black
people and people of color. To me, this is bigger than football
and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in
the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder,"[151]
a protest widely interpreted as in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter
movement.[152][153][154]
The protests have generated mixed reactions, and have since spread to other
U.S. sports leagues.
In September 2016, BLM protested the shooting deaths
by police officers of Terence Crutcher in Tulsa,
Oklahoma, and Keith Lamont Scott in Charlotte, North Carolina.[155][156][157]
The Charlotte Observer reported
"The protesters began to gather as night fell, hours after the shooting.
They held signs that said 'Stop Killing Us' and 'Black Lives Matter,' and they
chanted 'No justice, no peace.' The scene was sometimes chaotic and tense, with
water bottles and stones chucked at police lines, but many protesters called
for peace and implored their fellow demonstrators not to act violently."[158]
Multiple nights of protests from September to October 2016 were held in El Cajon, California, following the shooting of Alfred Olango.[159][160]
2017
In 2017, in Black History Month, a month-long "Black
Lives Matter" art exhibition was organized by three Richmond, Virginia
artists at the First
Unitarian Universalist Church in the Byrd Park area of the city. The show
featured more than 30 diverse multicultural artists on a theme exploring racial
equality and justice.[161]
In the same month Virginia Commonwealth University's
James Branch Cabell Library focused on a month-long schedule of events relating
to Black history[162]
and showed photos from the church's "Black Lives Matter" exhibition
on its outdoor screen.[163]
The VCU schedule of
events included: the Real Life Film Series The Angry Heart: The Impact of
Racism on Heart Disease among African-Americans; Keith Knight presented the 14th Annual
VCU Libraries Black History Month lecture; Lawrence
Ross, author of the book Blackballed: The Black and White Politics of
Race on America's Campuses talked about how his book related to the
"Black Lives Matter" movement; and Velma
P. Scantlebury, M.D., the first black female transplant surgeon in the
United States, discussed "Health Equity in Kidney Transplantation:
Experiences from a surgeon's perspective."
Black Lives Matter protested the shooting of Jocques Clemmons which
occurred in Nashville, Tennessee on February 10, 2017.[164]
On May 12, 2017, a day after Glenn Funk, the district attorney
of Davidson County decided not to prosecute
police officer Joshua Lippert, the Nashville chapter of BLM held a
demonstration near the Vanderbilt University campus all the way to
the residence of Nashville mayor Megan
Barry.[165][166]
BLM international movement
Black Lives Matter protest at Union Square,
Manhattan
In 2015, after the death of Freddie Gray in Baltimore, Maryland, black activists around the
world modeled efforts for reform on Black Lives Matter and the Arab
Spring.[10][167]
This international movement has been referred to as the "Black
Spring".[168][169]
Connections have also been forged with parallel international efforts such as
the Dalit rights
movement.[170]
Australia
In July 2016, a BLM rally was organized in Melbourne,
Australia, in which 3,500 people attended. The protest also emphasized on the
issues of mistreatment of Aboriginal Australians by the Australian
police and government.[171]
In May 2017, Black Lives Matter was awarded the Sydney Peace Prize, which "honours a
nominee who has promoted 'peace with justice', human rights and
non-violence".[172]
Canada
In July 2015, BLM protesters shut down Allen Road
in Toronto, Ontario, protesting the shooting deaths of two black men in the
metropolitan area—Andrew Loku and Jermaine Carby—at the hands of police.[173]
In September, BLM activists shut down streets in Toronto, rallied against
police brutality, and stood in solidarity with marginalized black lives. Black
Lives Matter was a featured part of the Take Back the Night event in Toronto.[174]
In June 2016, Black Lives Matter was selected by Pride
Toronto as the honoured group in that year's Pride parade, during which
they staged a sit-in
to block the parade from moving forward for approximately half an hour.[175]
They issued a number of demands for Pride to adjust its relationship with LGBTQ people of colour,
including stable funding and a suitable venue for the established Blockrama
event, improved diversity in the organization's staff and volunteer base, and
most famously that Toronto Police officers be banned from
marching in the parade in uniform.[176]
Pride executive director Mathieu Chantelois signed BLM's statement of
demand, but later asserted that he had signed it only to end the sit-in and get
the parade moving, and had not agreed to honour the demands.[177]
In late August 2016, the Toronto chapter protested
outside the Special Investigations Unit in Mississauga
in response to the death of Abdirahman Abdi, who died during
an arrest in Ottawa.[178]
United Kingdom
On August 4, 2016, BLM protesters blocked the London Heathrow Airport in London,
England. Several demonstrators chained themselves together and lay against
the motorway leading to the airport.[179][180]
Ten people were arrested in connection with the incident. There were also
BLM-themed protests in other English cities including Birmingham
and Nottingham.
The UK-held protests marked the fifth anniversary of the shooting death of Mark Duggan.[181]
On June 25, 2017, BLM supporters protested in Stratford,
London the death of Edson Da Costa, who died in police
custody. There were no arrests made at the protest.[182][183]
2016 U.S. presidential election
Main article: United States presidential
election, 2016
Bern Machine with a BLM sticker, September 18, 2015
Primaries
Democrats
At the Netroots Nation Conference in July 2015, dozens of
Black Lives Matter activists took over the stage at an event featuring Martin
O'Malley and Bernie Sanders. Activists, including Black Lives Matter
co-founder Patrisse Cullors, asked both candidates for specific policy
proposals to address deaths in police custody.[184]
The protesters chanted several slogans, including "if I die in police
custody, burn everything down". After conference organizers pleaded with
the protesters for several minutes, O'Malley responded by pledging to release a
wide-ranging plan for criminal justice reform. Protesters later booed O'Malley
when he stated "Black lives matter. White lives matter. All lives
matter."[185]
O'Malley later apologized for his remarks, saying that he did not mean to
disrespect the black community.[185]
Bernie
Sanders and Black Lives Matter activists in Westlake Park, Seattle
On August 8, 2015, a speech by Democratic presidential candidate
and civil rights activist Bernie Sanders was disrupted by a group from the
Seattle Chapter of Black Lives Matter including chapter co-founder Marissa
Johnson[186]
who walked onstage, seized the microphone from him and called his supporters
racists and white supremacists.[187][188][189]
Sanders issued a platform in response.[190]
Nikki Stephens, the operator of a Facebook page called "Black Lives
Matter: Seattle" issued an apology to Sanders' supporters, claiming these
actions did not represent her understanding of BLM. She was then sent messages
by members of the Seattle Chapter which she described as threatening, and was
forced to change the name of her group to "Black in Seattle". The
founders of Black Lives Matter stated that they had not issued an apology.[191]
In August 2015, the Democratic National Committee passed
a resolution supporting Black Lives Matter.[192]
In the first Democratic primary debate, the
presidential candidates were asked whether black lives matter or all lives
matter.[193]
In reply, Bernie Sanders stated, "Black lives
matter."[193]
Martin O'Malley said, "Black lives
matter," and that the "movement is making is a very, very legitimate
and serious point, and that is that as a nation we have undervalued the lives
of black lives, people of color."[194]
In response, Hillary Clinton pushed for criminal justice reform, and said,
"We need a new New Deal for communities of color."[195]
Jim Webb,
on the other hand, replied: "As the president of the United States, every
life in this country matters."[193]
Hillary
Clinton was not directly asked the same question, but was instead asked:
"What would you do for African Americans in this country that President
Obama couldn't?"[196]
Clinton had already met with Black Lives Matter representatives, and emphasized
what she described as a more pragmatic approach to enacting change, stating
"Look, I don't believe you change hearts. I believe you change laws".
Without policy change, she felt "we'll be back here in 10 years having the
same conversation."[197]
In June 2015, Clinton used the phrase "all lives matter" in a speech
about the opportunities of young people of color, prompting backlash that she
may misunderstand the message of "Black Lives Matter"[198][199]
A week after the first Democratic primary debate was
held in Las Vegas, BLM launched a petition targeted at the DNC and its
chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz demanding more
debates, and "specifically for a #BlackLivesMatter themed Presidential
debate."[200][201]
The petition received over 10,000 signatures within 24 hours of being launched,[202]
and had over 33,000 signatures as of October 27, 2015.[203]
The DNC said that it would permit presidential candidates to attend a
presidential town hall organized by activists, but that it would not add
another debate to its official schedule.[204]
In response, the organization released a press statement on its Facebook page
stating that "[i]n consultation with our chapters, our communities,
allies, and supporters, we remain unequivocal that a Presidential Town Hall
with support from the DNC does not sufficiently respond to the concerns raised
by our members", continuing to demand a full additional debate.[202]
After the first debate, in October 2015, a speech by
Hillary
Clinton on criminal justice reform and race at Atlanta University Center was interrupted
by BLM activists.[205]
In February 2016, two Black Lives Matters activists
protested at a private fundraiser for Clinton about statements she made in 1996
in which she referred to young people as "super-predators". One of
the activists wanted Clinton to apologize for "mass incarceration" in
connection with her support for her husband, then-President Bill Clinton's 1994 criminal reform law.[206]
Republicans
Republican candidates have been mostly critical of
BLM. In August 2015, Ben Carson, the only African American vying for the
Republican nomination for the presidency, called the movement
"silly".[207]
Carson also said that BLM should care for all black lives, not just a few.[208]
In the first Republican presidential debate, which took place in Cleveland, one
question referenced Black Lives Matter.[209]
In response to the question, Scott Walker advocated for the proper
training of law enforcement[209]
and blamed the movement for rising anti-police sentiment,[210]
while Marco
Rubio was the first candidate to publicly sympathize with the movement's
point of view.[211]
In August 2015, activists chanting "Black Lives
Matter" interrupted the Las Vegas rally of Republican presidential
candidate Jeb
Bush.[212]
As Bush exited early, some of his supporters started responding to the
protesters by chanting "white lives matter" or "all lives
matter".[213]
Several conservative pundits have labeled the
movement a "hate group".[214]
Candidate Chris Christie, the New Jersey Governor, criticized President
Obama for supporting BLM, stating that the movement calls for the murder of
police officers.[215]
Christie's statement was condemned by New Jersey chapters of the NAACP and
ACLU.[216]
BLM activists also called on the Republican National Committee to have
a presidential debate focused on issues of racial justice.[217]
The RNC, however, declined to alter their debate schedule, and instead also
supported a townhall or forum.[204]
In November 2015, a BLM protester was physically
assaulted at a Donald Trump rally in Birmingham, Alabama. In response, Trump said,
"maybe he should have been roughed up because it was absolutely disgusting
what he was doing."[218]
Trump had previously threatened to fight any Black Lives Matter protesters if
they attempted to speak at one of his events.[219]
Anti-Trump protest in NYC, beginning of day, March
19, 2016
In March 2016, Black Lives Matter helped organize
the 2016 Donald Trump Chicago rally
protest that forced Trump to cancel the event.[220][221]
Four individuals were arrested and charged in the incident. Two were
"charged with felony aggravated battery to a police officer and resisting
arrest", one was "charged with two misdemeanor counts of resisting
and obstructing a peace officer", and the fourth "was charged with
one misdemeanor count of resisting and obstructing a peace officer".[222]
A CBS reporter was
one of those arrested outside the rally. He was charged with resisting arrest.[223]
General election
A group called Mothers of the Movement, which includes the
mothers of Michael Brown, Sandra Bland, Eric Garner, and other mothers whose
"unarmed African-American children have been killed by law enforcement or
due to gun violence,"[224]
addressed the 2016 Democratic National Convention
on July 26.[225][226]
Commenting on the first of 2016 Presidential debates between Hillary
Clinton and Donald Trump, some media outlets characterized Clinton's references
to implicit bias and systemic racism[227]
as speaking "the language of the Black Lives Matter movement,"[228]
while others pointed out neither Clinton nor Trump used the words "Black
Lives Matter."[229]
In a Washington
Post op-ed, DeRay Mckesson endorsed Hillary Clinton, because her
"platform on racial justice is strong". He articulated that voting
alone is not the only way to bring about "transformational change".
He said that "I voted my entire life, and I was still tear-gassed in the
streets of St. Louis and Baltimore. I voted my entire life, and those votes did
not convict the killers of Sandra Bland, Freddie Gray or Michael Brown".[230][231]
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