America is once again separated on whose lives are more valuable: black lives or police lives. A distinct division between supporters for the Black Lives Matter and Blue Lives Matter movements is becoming more pronounced as the attacks on black civilians and police officers continues. Adding to the controversy over the legitimacy of each movement, more Americans have signed a petition to recognize Black Lives Matter as a terrorist group (a petition started July 6, 2016 with 141,000+ signatures) than they have for recognizing the Ku Klux Klan as a terrorist group (a petition started June 29, 2015 with only 109,000+ signatures).
Black Lives Matter was started by three women as a nonviolent response to the growing police brutality against blacks and other minorities. It is unarguable that the country's criminal justice system, including the police departments, are plagued with institutionalized racism. Black Lives Matter supporters are using the platform to call for criminal justice reforms and demand accountability from the officers who killed Sandra Bland, Freddie Gray, Eric Garner, and countless others, along with the excessive use of force against people like Charles Kinsey.
Blue Lives Matter was started as a countermovement to Black Lives Matter, with supporters believing the criticisms against law enforcement are unwarranted. They have misunderstood the dialogue created by Black Lives Matter to be anti-police, and hijacked the platform to show support for Blue lives. Blue Lives Matter has grown stronger in response to acts of violence against the police, especially the recent Dallas shooting where five officers were killed by a Black Lives Matter "activist" (whose actions have been formally condemned by Black Lives Matter leaders).
In the midst of the ongoing moral struggle between these two movements, it is easy to lose sight of the bigger picture. Any loss of life from a shooting or act of violence is unacceptable, whether that person was a police officer or black. Each movement ultimately wants less violence, less death, and a stronger, less biased law enforcement force (something we should all be fighting for).
Both movements are fighting for a stronger criminal justice system. Black Lives Matter activists are calling for officers involved in the fatal (and nonfatal) shootings of black civilians to be held accountable for their actions without interference from racial bias, something Blue Lives Matter supporters and other law enforcement officers should agree with. Society as a whole will benefit from an unbiased criminal justice system that fosters a trusting relationship between the public and law enforcement.
Not all police officers abuse blacks, but all blacks suffer from the effects of police brutality. The division between Blue Lives Matter and Black Lives Matter is unacceptable because it distracts from the worsening race relations between the black community and law enforcement. The strong distrust blacks have toward the criminal justice system as a whole cannot be ignored. Every American, regardless of race, should recognize and understand the stark difference between white and black attitudes toward the police.
Regardless of which movement you support, we all need to learn to value both black lives and police lives, and support reforms in the criminal justice system to see a real change. The longer we argue amongst ourselves over which life is more valuable, the more frequent deaths and acts of violence between the two communities will occur. We need to acknowledge the concerns from the black community, recognize that blacks and other minorities are targeted at higher rates by police than whites, and condemn corrupt and biased policing to protect black lives and police lives from further violence.
