All Lives Matter
All Lives Matter is a response to the slogan Black Lives Matter (#BlackLivesMatter). Those who say "All Lives Matter" (or alternatively, "Cops Lives Matter" or "Blue Lives Matter") often assume that the Black Lives Matter slogan means that protesters believe that only black lives matter. For example, an October 2015 Fox News headline read: "Do All Lives Matter or Only Black Ones?"[1] #BlackLivesMatter organizers have clearly stated that they believe all lives matter and they are calling attention to a problem in which black lives are not valued as much as other lives in America.
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Characterization of Black Lives Matter as Anti-Police
Often those claiming "All Lives Matter" simply share their views in brief statements on Twitter. However, Gwinnett County Sheriff Butch Conway submitted a lengthy statement to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution outlining his views.[2]
Conway wrote of his anger at "the fringe groups who started the culture of police hatred" because they "widened the racial divide in our country by alleging that officer involved shootings stem from racism." He characterized the police killing of the unarmed black teen Michael Brown by saying, "An officer who acted within policy to preserve his own life became the poster child for alleged police racism and suffered damaging, irreversible life-long consequences."
Conway views the instances of police violence that sparked the Black Lives Matter movement as "someone obstructing police officers trying to do their jobs" and the solidarity with those killed by police as "blatant disrespect towards law enforcement officers performing their duties."
In his view, the actions of the police have nothing to do with race. He conflates Black Lives Matter protesters with those "inciting riots and committing murders" and calls them "domestic terrorists" and "a hate group." He believes, "Their message is that police lives don’t matter."
Articles and resources
Related SourceWatch articles
References
- ↑ "Do All Lives Matter or Only Black Ones?," Fox News, October 17, 2015, Accessed November 18, 2015.
- ↑ Tyler Estep, "Gwinnett sheriff issues scathing statement: ‘All lives matter’," Atlanta Journal-Constitution, September 15, 2015, Accessed November 18, 2015.
External resources
External articles
2015:
- George Yancy and Judith Butler, "What's Wrong With 'All Lives Matter'?, New York Times, January 12, 2015.
- Michael Dorstewitz, "Obama’s defense of Black Lives Matter sparks outcry: ‘ALL lives matter, or NONE do’," BizPacReview, October 23, 2015.
- Josh Feldman, "Obama on #BlackLivesMatter: Of Course All Lives Matter, But…," Mediaite, October 22, 2015.
- Kevin Roose, "The next time someone says ‘all lives matter,’ show them these 5 paragraphs," Fusion, July 21, 2015.
- Cassie Spodak, "Jeb Bush: No apology necessary for 'all lives matter'," CNN, July 23, 2015.
- Lydia O'Connor, "Ken Cuccinelli Says 'Black Lives Matter' Insults White People," Huffington Post, July 26, 2015.
- Amber Ferguson, "Rand Paul Thinks He Has A Better Name For Black Lives Matter," Huffington Post, August 27, 2015.
- Ed Mazza, "Miami Police Officer's Facebook Plea: 'Everyone's Life Matters'," Huffington Post, September 8, 2015.
- Tyler Estep, "Gwinnett sheriff issues scathing statement: ‘All lives matter’," Atlanta Journal Constitution, September 15, 2015.
- Lindsy Wallace, "Things Christians Probably Shouldn't Say: All Lives Matter," Light Breaks Forth, September 18, 2015.
- Dara Lind, "Why the Democratic candidates were just asked to choose between "Black Lives Matter" and "All Lives Matter"," Vox, October 13, 2015.
- Amber Payne, "Huckabee Says 'All Lives Matter', Explains Racism on Twitter," NBC News, October 14, 2015.
- David Sherfinski, "Ben Carson: ‘Of course all lives matter — and all lives includes black lives’," Washington Times, October 15, 2015.
- "Do All Lives Matter or Only Black Ones?," Fox News, October 17, 2015.
- Mary Ramirez, "So, What’s Wrong With ‘All Lives Matter,’ Anyway?," The Blaze, October 17, 2015.
- Jaylin Paschal, "Black Lives Matter vs. All Lives Matter: Why There Is An Emphasis On Black Lives," North Mont Surge, October 28, 2015.
- Joshua Adams, "The Troll Named #AllLivesMatter," Huffington Post, December 2, 2015.
2014:
- Daniel S. Schatz, "On Being Asked to Change "Black Lives Matter" to "All Lives Matter", December 15, 2014. Unitarian Universalist Association.
