# Black Lives Matter and “We The Protestors” (WTP) are two of the (if not the top two) activists groups in America today fighting for justice. Every civil rights movement goes through a phase where activists or groups feud over policy agenda, direction, dominance and tactics.
Du Bois vs. Washington—Malcolm X vs. Dr. King—DuBois vs. Garvey—Black Panthers vs. Black Nationalists —NAACP vs. Urban League etc.
Competition can be a good thing, it can breed enhanced performance and excellence. One thing for certain is—that no matter what the civil rights era; the competition between dominant activist groups is interesting to watch when it happens.
For certain however: #BLM and WTP are smart enough and talented enough to not let this fight over Bernie Sanders take their eyes of the prize.
Twitter wrangle over Bernie--followed by a positive report on #BLM and WTP.
Bernie Sanders
Aug 17
Bernie Sanders @BernieSanders
@deray Let's do it. We will PM you this week to arrange
Ancestors
deray mckesson
Aug 17
deray mckesson @deray
.@BernieSanders, the first draft of your racial justice platform has promise. When will you be available to discuss enhancements w/ folks? Bernie Sanders
Bernie Sanders Verified account @BernieSanders
@deray Let's do it. We will PM you this week to arrange.
8:29 AM - 17 Aug 2015
deray mckesson
@deray
Aug 17
Cool. Folks are ready to discuss policy. And I think you meant "DM." twitter.com/berniesanders/…
dream hampton
@dreamhampton
While a meeting with @deray might be a blast, I would expect @BernieSanders to meet with actual BLM folks, those who forced this platform
9:04 AM - 17 Aug 2015
Beyhive
@beyhivedc
Aug 17
@dreamhampton @deray @BernieSanders isn't Deray an actual BLM folk lol
Ejike [eh-jih-kāy]
@TheNewThinker
@dreamhampton yeah it don't work like that. It's all about popularity and visibility
ShordeeDooWhop
@Nettaaaaaaaa
Aug 17
@dreamhampton what on earth does this even ... This is really hard to read Dream. No lie. Like this is wild.
ShordeeDooWhop
@Nettaaaaaaaa
Aug 17
@dreamhampton this is petty. And incorrect. If you knew who all the staff reached out to, you wouldn't tweet this.
Samuel Sinyangwe
@samswey
Aug 17
@dreamhampton @deray @BernieSanders Since when do "actual" BLM folks matter more than the rest of us?
Harry CD Underwood
@HarryUnderwood3
Aug 17
@dreamhampton At least consider that @BernieSanders could meet w/ more people from "actual BLM" at the same time with @deray.
THE CONNET
@THEAlleyeceeing
Aug 17
@dreamhampton: While a meeting with @deray might be a blast, I would expect @BernieSanders to meet with actual BLM folks,
StarCreative
Aug 17
@StarCreativeI
@dreamhampton Plz #JustStopIt! 'Black Lives Matter' is abt Civil Rts cause much bigger than any group of ppl. @deray @BernieSanders
There is #Black Lives Matter--the organization.
There is "Black Lives Matter"--the movement.
#Black Lives Matter is an organization that was founded in 2012 after the killing of Trayvon Martin.
Today “Black Lives Matter” has become a phrase similar to the 1960’s phrase “Black Power” or “Power to the People”
Today in America there are many activist groups who are rallying for justice; and many of them consider themselves part of a movement termed “Black Lives Matter”
Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors, and Opal Tometi are the co-founders of #Black Lives Matter—the organization. Garza coined the term “Black Lives Matter”— and Cullors placed the # in front of “Black Lives Matter”.
Excerpts from the #Black Lives Matter website~#Black Lives Matter--the organization. http://blacklivesmatter.com/
#BlackLivesMatter was created in 2012 after Trayvon Martin’s murderer, George Zimmerman, was acquitted for his crime, and dead 17-year old Trayvon was post-humously placed on trial for his own murder.
Rooted in the experiences of Black people in this country who actively resist our de-humanization, #BlackLivesMatter is a call to action and a response to the virulent anti-Black racism that permeates our society. Black Lives Matter is a unique contribution that goes beyond extrajudicial killings of Black people by police and vigilantes.
It goes beyond the narrow nationalism that can be prevalent within Black communities, which merely call on Black people to love Black, live Black and buy Black, keeping straight cis Black men in the front of the movement while our sisters, queer and trans and disabled folk take up roles in the background or not at all.
Black Lives Matter affirms the lives of Black queer and trans folks, disabled folks, black-undocumented folks, folks with records, women and all Black lives along the gender spectrum. It centers those that have been marginalized within Black liberation movements. It is a tactic to (re)build the Black liberation movement.
Additional Sources:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/...
http://www.thefeministwire.com/...
~ Executive Summary from "We The Protesters" website:
Overview
In August 2014, the movement began. The protests marked the beginning of a new iteration of confrontation with a system that has proven itself, time and again, to be unjust. We, the protestors of Ferguson and beyond, have begun to create a new political community in America centered on black struggle and rooted in justice. The systemic, structural, and continuous nature of police brutality has highlighted the need for deep change.
America can no longer operate this way. State violence manifests in many forms. We cannot love if we cannot live. We cannot learn if we cannot live. Police brutality threatens the very essence of freedom.
“We The Protesters” (WTP) http://www.wetheprotesters.org/ is a Ferguson, Missouri based organization of activists that considers themselves a part of the Black Lives Matter Movement. Using their Twitter names and links; The Planning Committee consists of: https://twitter.com/... -- https://twitter.com/... -- https://twitter.com/... -- https://twitter.com/... -- https://twitter.com/... -- https://twitter.com/...
Called a “manifesto” by The Guardian http://www.theguardian.com/... and a “Ten Point Manifesto” by me in a previous post on this site—WTP is the activist group that compiled (from an array of activist groups, organizations and individuals), authored and published the much acclaimed and circulated set of policing policy solutions; and comprehensive policing policy demands--viewed at: http://www.joincampaignzero.org
The list of activist groups, organizations, churches, and individuals used to compile the “Ten Point Manifesto” or set of policy solutions and demands are quite impressive—and represent a wide range of ideas from grassroots activists, organizations, churches and individuals that consider themselves a part of the much larger “Black Lives Matter Movement” --click on state to use interactive map and see who's ideas were included:
http://www.wetheprotesters.org/...
Policy solutions and demands were also weaned from President Obama’s task force on 21st Century Policing, Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders and Martin O’Malley’s presidential campaigns.