Beth Macbain

And that when we're talking about defunding the police, we're talking about defunding this militarization and reinvesting it in different ways that will benefit all communities. Defunding the police seems extreme until you realize we've been defunding education for years. (I stole that from Twitter, but it's true)

The legal punishment for breaking curfew is not death. It's also incredibly stupid for anyone to assume a person out after curfew is a criminal with a gun or bomb. Hundreds of thousands of people were out after curfew this past week and you believe the police should assume every single one of them have a gun or a bomb? What about people legally carrying a gun? It's legal in most states, but you're saying they should be assumed to be criminal? And killed? Also, David McAtee was in his own home, in his own kitchen, on his own private property when police killed him dead while enforcing the curfew.

I always thought executions should be limited to the most heinous of criminals who callously murder people in cold blood. You're really okay with a cop being judge, jury, and executioner? Except in many cases this involves things like black women being asked to not wear their hair natural, or black men being told to cut off their dreads. You really don't find that racist?

I love ASMR so I'll try to explain, maybe. Many people don't get the tingles at all. There are all sorts of different triggers, and I didn't think ASMR worked for me until I found the right triggers - hair brushing and mic scratching are my biggies. There are good triggers and bad triggers, too. I cannot stand to hear people making mouth sounds or even whispering in ASMR but a lot of people love it. To me, it's like nails on a chalkboard and it makes my skin crawl. Hair brushing and mic scratching, though? Warm tingly shivers followed by passing out fast asleep. It works best with earphones on to shut out anything else and have the sounds right in my ear holes. It's just a way to relax. I often listen at night when I'm having trouble falling asleep.

Police Deaths % of Deaths % of Population White (399) 40% 60.4% Black (209) 20.9% 13.4% Latinx (148) 14.9% 18.3% These are numbers from 2018. Explain the disparity.

Have you asked them that? Are they truly being themselves, or are they doing what they feel they have to do to be accepted in white society?

So... you're saying they assimilated. They are overcoming those racial stereotypes by acting white? Do you really not see how grotesque that is?

My mother was British. She was a child during WWII. Her house was blown to smithereens by the Germans while she and her family were in the bomb shelter. Lost everything. It wasn't just a piece of history to her - she and her family lost every single thing they had. She was traumatized by that bombing her entire life. My mother was one of your countrymen, and she was directly affected by WWII by living through the horror of it (and her house being bombed is only part of it). She knew Churchill was a racist POS. It's okay to see the faults in your leaders, or past leaders, even the ones held up as heroes.

Prove that BLM protesters did it. Boogaloo arrests reveal new extremist agenda to hijack protests There are thousands and thousands of hours of video of peaceful protest, but go ahead and focus on the few instances of looting and violence that may or may not have been perpetrated by BLM protesters instead of the actual issues. Not only that, but... where's your outrage about sports riots that are nothing more than a bunch of white people getting violent because their sports team lost, or even won in some cases? If you're angry about those white riots, and there were also many people involved in those were who were peaceful as well, can't we separate the two? The peaceful vs the violent? And separate the violent and lump that part in with all these other instances of white people rioting and look at that as a single problem, while understanding that there is meaning behind the protests of today? Because it feels like because the violence is being done by black people (except often it isn't), that it's being used to invalidate the very real problem of police brutality against black people.

I might have gone in a little too hard with the Klan comment, but white people all over the place are outing themselves by feeling like the looting has to be part of the conversation. It’s not like they’re real racists but they have to talk about how the looters need to be punished, instead of about why young black men and women are so angry that they loot the corner store. I think I know how they are able to justify it, but it’s not my question to answer. I’m guilty of engaging in white-think, too. I’ve had a couple of times in my life where I’ve said or done something that was absolutely unintentional, but also absolutely racist, and I’ve been called out on it by black friends. I had the choice of being defensive, because I really didn’t see anything troubling in my words, or consider the reality of my words and actions to their eyes and ears and learn the why behind it. So, sure, we can talk about the looting, but we need to look at the why as well. Or y’all can. Or don’t. I don’t think I have anything useful to say around here anymore, so I’m bowing out.

Allies are important. Necessary even. An ally says black lives matter. I question whether or not an ally is a true ally when they absolutely, positively have to add “but” to the end of that statement. ”Black lives matter BUT so do all others.” ”Black lives matter BUT looting is wrong.” ”Black lives matter BUT there are an awful lot of black criminals.” ”Black lives matter BUT he shouldn’t have resisted arrest.” Why is it so hard to just say black lives matter, period, and end it there?

It’s pretty gross how this thread that was supposed to be about BLM has turned into white people arguing about looting. The Klan would be so proud.

How to be an ally to the Black Lives Movement

Yeah, that’s not actually what happened, though. Whatever. You can’t admit your own actions in regards to your words. Thanks for throwing in the bit about your daughter that I would have absolutely no way of knowing about to paint me as an even bigger monster, though. How do you know I wasn’t going through some sort of personal tragedy myself at that time? Or today? You’re a hypocrite, Luna. You’re fast to point out everyone else’s flaws but absolutely refuse to admit you are just the same. Bye.

Remember when I was brand new here and you told me twice to shut up because I expressed some thoughts that you didn’t want to hear? Good times.

What’s funny about this is that I used the wrong name. It should have been Becky. The Difference Between a Karen and a Becky. Carry on with your outrage.

Being complacent and complicit while POC fought like hell for their lives. Your point?

I applaud your effort and thank you for supporting my campaign to free the female nip, but arguing or trying to reason with is person is futile. They’ve already admitted somewhere pages back that they’re only here to be a contrarian. No matter what stance you take, how you word it, or try to make this person see beyond their edgy little nose, they’ll keep up with the word vomit until you drown in it. It’s their game. It’s tempting to jump into it because they do excel at being aggravating but it’s ultimately an experience much like banging your head against a brick wall covered with sulphuric acid covered spikes.

So much edgy emo teenage nihilism.

Even after the cuts, the LAPD’s budget is still 52% of the budget for the ENTIRE city of Los Angeles. That is just insane when you start thinking about what else has the fit in that other 49%, like the LAFD that has to stop the entire city from literally burning to the ground at least once a year.

This is my city. Pretty much everything I’ve posted here about what is happening in my city has been because my city is reacting to the murder of Breonna. Have you looked at any social media today? Everyone is talking about her. The chief of police announced his (forced) retirement after her murder, then flat out got his ass fired after his cops turned their body cameras off and killed another black man after the city put a curfew in place to stop the protesters protesting the murder of Breonna Taylor. $5 million has been raised for her family. My city is protesting and marching every damn night. I have absolutely no idea why you’re trying to pretend that these past 30 whatever pages have only been about George Floyd. They’ve been about Black Lives Matter... ALL Black Lives. Young, old, male, female, LGBTQ... all black lives matter.

JFC. I’m so sick of being embarrassed by the remarkably idiotic things white people say.

Even if her only reason for doing it was to piss off Trump, I’m okay with it. A lot has changed in the last week. A lot of people have changed. I think it’s okay to be suspicious of those who haven’t been quite so vocal before now, but I think it’d be hard for anyone to watch the George Floyd video and not come away changed somehow. Yeah, that’s the Pollyanna in me, but the goal of everything happening right now is change, and things can’t change deeper than surface level without people changing as well. The CEO of my organization comes from a very well-to-do white, conservative, Catholic family. Since he took over a couple years ago, he’s meant well but has been quite tone deaf in dealing with our very diverse clients and staff. We have always been advised to not post anything even slightly controversial on social media and just generally behave ourselves so and not to do anything that could possibly bring us bad PR. Something snapped in him after watching the video. He’s been changing things all week. Today we even received an email from him with bullet point instructions for protecting ourselves when protesting - NOT protecting the organization, protecting us. Stay hydrated, have a mask, memorize a couple important phone numbers in case of lost or dead phones, and memorize a lawyer’s number in case of arrest. A couple weeks ago, an arrest would get us fired. Seeing George Floyd die changed him, so I’m hesitant to condemn anyone who previously turned a blind eye to injustice and now suddenly seems woke - they may well be, and we need people to change. Maybe DC’s mayor has, too.

How wonderful! And I think their charity choices speak volumes about the heart and integrity of LL. Super proud!

I cannot express how much I love this QUEEN in DC battling Trump’s stream of hateful vindictive toddler-level pettiness with with all the glorious it-goes-to-11 fury that is the Strong Black Women who takes absolutely no sh*t.