Black Lives Matter...and if you don't agree, then you can fuck off

In the past couple of weeks the US has exploded into riots in the aftermath of the murder of George Floyd at the hands of the police. Four now-former police officers are being held accountable for his death due to their actions. The incident has sparked several protests around the world in support of Black Lives Matter. And riots have also occurred.

A lot of blame for the damage and instigation of the riots has been placed on black people. Despite there being plenty of video evidence showing that white people are heavily involved in destroying and looting of businesses and vehicles. But most disturbing are the images of police brutality, often against peaceful protesters who have done nothing to incite the violence against them.

I have seen many videos and pictures of injuries caused by 'less lethal' rubber bullets, people being roughly pushed to the ground, people being beaten by batons, fists, riot shields, and so much more by the police who are supposed to protect and serve the very same people they are brutalizing. I have watched the police beat down people who are trying to comply with the orders the police are issuing. I have watched a 75 year old man attempt to return an errant police helmet to an officer, only to get forcefully shoved backwards onto the ground and crack his head, blood pooling under his head as he lay motionless on the ground - thankfully there is an investigation being done, but I know that nothing would not have happened if not for video evidence of the assault by the police officer.

I am not going to pretend that I know the first thing about what it is to be black, to live a life of fear just because the colour of my skin makes me a target. I do not know what it means to be oppressed simply because of the colour of my skin. I am a white woman living in Canada, and the whiteness of my skin is the first thing people see. I know that this affords me a certain level of privilege.

Unlike many white people I do see the racism endemic in our society. I have watched indigenous people being prejudiced against and treated horribly at the hands of racist whites, and I have spoken out against it. And not just because I have cousins who are indigenous - it is because they are human beings and are deserving of the respect that we all expect. I have watched POC being prejudiced against and treated horribly at the hands of racist whites, and I have also spoken out against it. In my own family tree there are black ancestors, as near as one of my great-grandmothers, although I take after my Scottish ancestors with my pale skin and dark hair.

I stand in support of the Black Lives Matters movement. Yes, all lives matter, but right now while black people the world over suffer at the hands of the police and racist assholes, they need our support. For as long as black people are brutalized at the hands of the police and victimized by unwarranted persecution they will never be afforded the same basic rights they so rightly deserve.

I also fear for what this means for the US as I watch the news coming out of that country - between an blatantly racist narcissist of a president and the violence being sparked by the police in many cities, it appears that the US is a nuclear warhead that has been primed and ready to explode. I wonder how that is going to affect those of us up here in Canada. Either way, my door is open to Americans looking to escape the tyranny and violence of their home country.