WiNK

By: Molly Clark

As society has seen, in the past year our country/world has experienced dramatic changes politically, socially, and economically. Things like The Black Lives Matter Movement, change in president, and media response has emphasized these dramatic changes, as well. My goal for writing this article is to separate the facts and personal opinions on these matters. I would like to start by talking about The Black Lives Matter Movement and challenging the validity of some of the negative responses. Black Lives Matter was created to draw attention to the innocent lives taken because of police brutality, not to bash officers or disrespect their occupation. It was a way for people's stories to be heard, awareness to be spread, and justice to be served.

One of the main responses to this movement was "Blue Lives Matter,'' implying that our Police officers' lives matter. That statement is true, every life on this planet matters, but here is the difference between that and The Black Lives Matter Movement. Being a police officer is an occupation, therefore, it is a choice. That is a fact, not opinion based. Skin color and ethnicity are not a choice. Someone does not wake up and choose to face oppression due to the color of their skin. Officers wake up and choose the job that they do which, I believe, is a very well respected job due to the fact they are risking their lives for our safety.

The saying "Blue Lives Matter" also just adds fuel to the fire by trying to compare issues and trying to gain sympathy for a group that is not oppressed. This is not a situation that should be compared to other problems or can be responded to with a different "movement", especially if the movement perpetuates inequities. A "Blue Life" is not a life, it is what one is called when you choose to join the force. "A Black Life" is someone who wakes up everyday with their natural colored skin they were born with. Sadly, the Black Lives Matter Movement also became political, which also should be talked about. Human rights are not political. We are all human and deserve basic rights, that is not up for discussion. While police brutality isn't the only issue that needs to be rectified in order to create a more equitable society. But attention has been called to deaths such as Breonna Taylor that have been proven to be more than a mistake. This case especially caught society's eye due to the fact that Breonna was, in fact, a member of the police force.

In conclusion, the response "Blue Lives Matter" is not a valid argument and is so far from Officers having a very hard and well respected job, but at the end of the day it is their choice. Therefore, comparing it to something that is not a choice, like skin color, is not right.