jacob deweller wrote:
Obviously the former would result in more negative feelings.
A lot of you are viewing this event under the wrong lens. BLM has had their mission come under scrutiny as there are many people who seem to believe that Blacks aren't discriminated against. The Black Marathon isn't designed to start alleviating the problems as people have to first acknowledge the discrimination exists! It is designed to validate the Movement by showing that racism still very much exists. The reaction this weekend will prove that, if the reaction so far hasn't already.
You're obviously a troll. Or worryingly naive. An act like this invalidates the movement. It proves they are nothing but trouble makers. They have no desire to improve any situation.
I work with underprivileged youth each week. Three hours every Wednesday afternoon. Last night we did homework and then discussed issues the kids are having at home and at school. We try to help them through problems without resorting to violence, drugs, trouble or truancy. All four end up ruining the lives of these kids, typically because of their inability to measure the consequences of their actions (typical of all adolescents and teens). I'd say half the kids are African-American, the others are a mix of white and Hispanic.
So we work on positive actions. We've talked a lot about police lately, and most of the kids admit that their local police are halfway decent. We bring the police in and sit down with them. Obviously, some are better than others, but what we have found is that establishing a relationship between local police and the kids around the age of 12-14 does a lot to reduce the likelihood of crime. When/If they do get into trouble, it helps them take responsibility and - maybe even more importantly - it lessens the likelihood that they will disrespect the police and escalate the situation. Cops know their names, parent(s), hobbies, etc -- "Carter, what are you doing? Don't you know Coach Smith is going to be livid that you're out here smoking cigarettes. He needs you to stay in shape."
This stuff really works, and my city has a population of over 300,000, so while we are not huge, we're also not tiny. Much larger than Ferguson, MO.
What the BLM is doing here is the antithesis of what we would want the underprivileged kids doing in this situation. Or any kids (or adults) for that matter. It is not results driven and it is TERRIBLE - I mean TERRIBLE - for their image. A "DO NOT DO 101" class for any Marketing and PR type. This will result in less affinity for the group.
So in short: Intentions do not absolve you from responsibility. Even the best intentions can have terrible repercussions. They need to think this through and act responsibly.
