Which Lives Matter?

The protesters were out in full force in Chicago last week. Voicing outrage over the killing of a young black man by a white police officer, the protesters impeded Black Friday shopping in one of the Windy City's most popular retail spots. From the videos that I watched, it seemed that the protesters were given plenty of space to deliver their message. But is a shopping mall the appropriate place to do this? If they're goal is to piss people off and make themselves look like assholes, I guess I'd have to say, "Mission accomplished."

Fueled by the Black Lives Matter movement, these scenes are becoming a recurring episode. However, I'm still finding it hard to comprehend the consistency of their argument. While the usual suspects pop out of the woodwork anytime there's a black man shot by the police, they remain virtually silent on the black-on-black killings that occur daily in places like Baltimore and Chicago.

So far this weekend, seven blacks have been killed in Chicago. Police were involved in none of them. So, no outrage. And recently, a 9-year-old boy was lured off of a Chicago playground and fatally shot in a gang-related retaliation. The victim was the son of a rival gang member. His life was snuffed out before it really had a chance to begin. So, who's marching for him? Did his life matter?

One of the "gotcha" questions during this political campaign season has been, "Do black lives matter? Or do all lives matter?"

Ironically, whoever gives the "all inclusive" answer is automatically lambasted for being a "racist". Why even ask the question if there's only one acceptable response? The logic here is mind numbing. Martin Luther King is probably rolling in his grave and screaming, "WTF are these fools talking about?"

Since the BLM crowd is fond of asking racially-charged questions, I would like to ask them, "Do black lives matter? Or do all black lives matter?"

kw