John F. Kennedy once said, “Those who make peaceful revolution impossible, make violent revolution inevitable.” We have never lived in a world that is completely peaceful, violence has always made itself known. But what good comes from a violent atmosphere? In a midst of racial injustice, we often find ourselves surrounded by beliefs and opinions begging to be heard. These voices make it difficult to understand and see different points of views. With this comes frustration, and with frustration, can come violence. The Black Lives Matter Movement has been surrounded by many feelings; anger and hope being two of the most prevalent. However, this anger has caused violent outbreaks in our cities and in our homes. In one weekend of protests, at least 309 people were arrested for the violent acts they committed while protesting the death of two African American men by police officers (Fantz). Some protests have even turned deadly. A man was shot to death at a protest in Charlotte, North Carolina after the killing of Keith Scott. Is this how we get our voices heard? Is this how we demand our hopes for equality? Todd Starnes from Fox News explains that yes, race issues are a huge problem, but opinions should be spread safely and legally. Violence only creates more violence. Disruption to the lives of others will not earn you the respect you deserve. The Black Lives Matter controversy is going to continue to grow if it remains unsolved and will soon negatively affect our country as a whole because of the disruption created by the continual violent protests, disagreements, and racial discrimination. 

Black Lives Matter is a controversy that has taken over many topics of conversation, especially within the last couple of years. There are many different views on the issue, and people are not afraid to voice their opinions over the matter. Alicia Garza, Opal Tometi, and Patrisse Cullors founded black Lives Matter to take a stand against police brutality and inequality towards African Americans (Cullors). These women are African American activists, writers, and artists. Black Lives Matter is not just a saying on social media, but way more than that. It is a racial justice movement created to fight back against violence and racism towards African American people. It is a way to make voices be heard and give those who are not always respected and listened to a way to have an opinion that truly matters and affects the people around them. Racial inequality has been an issue in the United States for decades. There have been many movements in the past created in hopes to fix this gap between races, but have never been 100% successful. Erasing racism is going to take a lot more than a movement. It is going to take patience, acceptance, and powerful leaders who are ready to lead America into the direction it has been trying to go for years. 

The most recent racial movement is the Black Lives Matter Movement. The Black Lives Matter Movement began in the Summer of 2013 after a police officer shot an unarmed man by the name of Trayvon Martin (Starnes). It all began as a simple hashtag on the app “Twitter” and soon became much more than that. In this generation and with the upcoming of technology and the internet, when any event happens around the world everyone has the opportunity to learn about it within just a couple of hours, maybe less. News is traveling faster than ever and it can be known around the world in no time. Sometimes it is even made possible for people to be able to see the events through their own eyes when videos and images go viral, thanks to social media. The only problem with being able to have this much power in our hands is that the full story may never be known and opinions can be formed with the wrong knowledge, causing even more anger in society that is not necessary. With the help of Twitter, Facebook, and even Snapchat, the Black Lives Matter Movement has become bigger and more known than ever thought imaginable. It is not necessarily known for having a good reputation. At times, it has been notorious for the violence that it sparks in people and in communities. Other times it is known for the powerful messages it sends across our country that, otherwise, would most likely have been ignored.  Because of all the different opinions and infuriation that comes along with racial unjust, there have been many protests and even violent riots along the way. These violent riots have angered those involved with the peaceful side of the movement. These riots have also gotten people involved who may not even know what or who they are fighting for. Leaders of the Black Lives Matter organization have tried to make the point to make sure that it is known that they were not made to be violent, and that those destroying property and causing harm to others are not a part of the movement that they are trying to build.

“Black Lives Matter” is not the only hashtag making its way across the internet. Other movements have been created along the way and have made this become an even larger controversy. The two other most used hashtags are “#AllLivesMatter” and “#BlueLivesMatter”. These hashtags were formed in response to the Black Lives Matter Movement, though, they have not made as big an impact. “All Lives Matter” was meant to bring attention to the idea that we should not only focus on those African Americans who have lost their lives in the police brutality acts but that we need to focus on all people involved, no matter their race. The leader of our country, Donald Trump, said, “The fact is all lives matter, that includes black and it includes white and it includes everybody else.”  (Campbell). All Lives Matter argues that black people are not the only ones who suffer or even die from violence between law enforcement and civilians. All Lives Matter is a response from other ethnicities and races who fight for and understand that equality is needed during this time. The other side of the Black Lives Matter argument is “Blue Lives Matter”. This tag relates directly back to Black Lives Matter because it is the opposing argument. The “Blue” represents the police officers who are doing their best to keep everyone safe. The two sides disagree most when it comes to the issue of whether the law enforcement’s actions are justified. Many of the cases have been extremely publicized making it easy for everyone to form their own opinions and beliefs of what happened. Those associated with Blue Lives Matter are in support of the law enforcement and recognizes their positive efforts throughout all our communities. The law enforcement work hard every day to protect everyone and should be honored and respected, however their reputations can be easily ruined by one bad egg. One police officer’s mistake or bad judgement does not reflect the jobs and efficiency of all the others. Some of the Blue Lives Matter supporters believe that the acts that the police have made are justified while others are strictly basing their judgments off the fact that being a police officer is not an easy job. The choices made by law enforcement daily are extremely difficult. Making a life or death decision in a split second is a situation where they cannot take the time to think out the consequences and benefits. These police officers are trained to defend themselves if they are in harm. Because of the skills and mentality it takes to become part of law enforcement, a police officer’s job is something few people can understand and relate to.

Sometimes a person’s first reaction to a violent act is to simply act violently in return. Sometimes those who are acting violently are doing so to defend themselves from those who are already being physical. Reacting violently to an issue causes a loss of respect for those being destructive. The spotlight is placed on the acts of violence they make instead of the message they are trying to portray and get people to hear. The violence put out by these people tends to cover up and take the attention away from the reason for the protests. There have been many scenarios where the Black Lives Matter protests have been peaceful, they did what they felt was necessary, and everyone went home in one piece. Even though these protests are the ones that should be effective, those are not the protests that get the headlines on the news channel or are on the front page of every magazine. The ones that get the most attention are the protests that turn physical and lead to injuries or destruction of property. People become more aware of this and will sometimes join in the protest solely for attention. Suddenly, when people think of Black Lives Matter they are no longer seeing all the goodness that it has the potential of spreading. They are just seeing all the problems that have sprung from it because a small selection of people decided to turn violent. The leaders of Black Lives Matter have tried to explain to the public that those who are being violent are not part of their community, that they are just taking their name and turning it into something it does not represent. However, that is not how everyone else sees it because when something says, “Black Lives Matter”, violence is automatically associated with the movement.

Peaceful protests are a lot less common when it comes to more serious issues, though that does not mean they are any less effective. According to “The Washington Post”, in 2006 the success rates for peaceful protests were up to almost 70% while the violent protests success rate was at a low 15%. Since 1940, the rates for peaceful protests have only gone up. According to Fisher, “an uprising becomes about 50 percent more likely to fail if it turns to violence.” There has been a rather large amount of growth in our country in the last century when it comes to the rights of African Americans, this growth did not come about because of an excessive amount of violence. As many people know, the United States elected their first African American president in 2008. The reason that Barack Obama became our president was not because of violent protests. There were peaceful protests, acceptance from others, and powerful African American leaders who could create change in some of our country’s mind sets decades later to aid our country’s growth. It is not because of blood shed that we could elect our first black president and overcome a major part of racial inequality. The election of Obama is proof that it is possible to approach a racial situation or problem head on while continuing to keep the peace. 

Back in September of 2016, Charlotte, North Carolina became the victim of violent protests by some outraged individuals. Protestors gathered around in the middle of the city to show their anger caused by an incident where the officer shot an African American man, Keith Scott. The evening was no peaceful protest whatsoever. According to “The Huffington Post”, People were breaking into businesses, stealing the money out of registers, burning a tractor-trailer, causing the interstate to be shut down, and ending the night with one death and several injuries of not only the protestors but also the officers. The violence became so out of hand, the officers had to resort to tear gas to try and force people to leave and evacuate the area. And what came from all of this one may wonder? Many arrests and bills to pay to fix what they had broken, but most Black Lives Matter leaders are not able to say that this riot benefitted the movement in any way. 

Many families of the victims of the police brutality just simply want justice. Tamir Rice was a thirteen-year-old unarmed boy who was shot and killed by police. His mother spoke out in and said, “I’m still seeking justice from the Department of Justice through a federal indictment of the two officers for the murder of my son.” (“Statement from Rice Family in honor of Tamir’s 14th Birthday”). The families will live with this pain forever and they know they will not be the last. 

The issues sprouting from brutality towards African Americans is not over yet. Just a week ago, at a bar in Columbia, South Carolina, an African American man was put in a choke hold by the bar’s owner. The owner held this USC student’s neck until he was unconscious only to throw him onto the pavement and leave him lying there helplessly (Roldan). The fall caused the student’s jaw to break. Of course, there was a video and the word spread. Confused and hurt citizens of Columbia have been gathered in Five Points holding up powerful signs and leaving their mark on the town with chalk. Although the reason of the chokehold is unknown, the violence was undeniably unnecessary. Protestors as well as those just walking by have written all outside of the bar things like, “The site of a hate crime”, “Don’t play our music if we can’t come in”, and “If one of us isn’t safe in Five Points then none of us are safe.” These influential words stuck with those who crossed the path outside of that bar. No violence was necessary to protest because words are more powerful than they seem. “Don’t ever diminish the power of words. Words move hearts and hearts move limbs” -Hamza Yusuf.

 Some people believe that violence can be the answer depending on the situation; however, this is not necessarily the case. If you are simply trying to “win”, sure, violence could help with that. “Those willing to use violence to achieve their goals will generally overcome their less bellicose adversaries.” (Ginsberg) but is that what is most important? Violence has a way of getting the world’s attention, but certainly not in a positive way. Violence creates alarm and panic, and with that comes conformity. Fear-ridden people seem to conform easier than those with an abundance of courage and strength. In the situation of racial injustice, just because people react to the violence by stepping down and being fearful does not mean that they have completely changed their view point and are now on the other side of the spectrum. They are not promising that they are no longer going to discriminate against others who are different from them, they are simply not fighting back. Depending on one’s personal views and ethics, they may see violence as a way to “beat” those arguing against their claims; however, fighting an issue by creating another issue through violence is not a way to win. While it may feel like you are strong and have won, the conflict is very much still there it has just become hidden by the violence.  

“In August 2015, the ratio was seven-to-one of unarmed black men dying from police gunshots compared to unarmed white men,” (MacDonald). These statistics are startling. To make a change in our communities, we must first make change in our own minds. However, the way we go about make these changes will make all the difference. Voices need to be heard more than actions need to be seen. We must elect ourselves very powerful leaders who can make a difference by what they say and how they communicate it. We must spread love and awareness, not hate. We cannot discriminate against those different than us, but first accept the diversity that we are blessed with. We must remember that America is a country filled with freedom and equality and we must live up to our country’s great name. We cannot fight fire with fire, violence is not the answer, no matter what. 

The Black Lives Matter controversy is only going to get worse in time if it remains violent and will soon negatively affect our country more than it already has because of the disruption created by the continual violent protests, disagreements, and racial discrimination. As we continue to face this issue of racial unjust every single day, we must remember that using violence will only harm our ability to spread change throughout our communities. Even though some may think a peaceful protest is not effective, violence seems to decrease the amount of support given from the public. It also reduces the respect and credibility given to those arguing, and it lessens our chances of bettering our country sooner and more smoothly. The Black Lives Matter Movement is an important issue with an even more important message whose efforts should not be negated. All lives do matter whether they be black, blue or any color in between. The tension and violence brought about by the physical protests of the Black Lives Matter Movement will not bring about positive change. It can only perpetuate in a downward spiral of further violence and negative attention for the Black Lives Matter cause. To continue with retaliation will result in civil unrest between the “Black and Blue.” Black and Blue is an idiom that depicts violence and pain, but we cannot allow it to live up to that name. A white flag of peaceful negotiation must be waved and put in effect for any good to come of this movement. “Peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek, but a means by which we arrive at that goal.” -Martin Luther King
