Did you know you can support Sanders and BLM at the same time? [View all]

[joshcryer]

Because you can.

You can support Sanders' civil rights activism all his life and support his legislative efforts to those ends. You can support Sanders marching with MLK, doing sit ins, getting arrested for civil rights causes, and that's great. You can support and even champion Sanders economic message.

But you can also support the movement that points out that 7 times more unarmed black men are killed than any other peoples, you can support the movement that points out the fact that incarnation rates overwhelmingly target black men, you can support the movement that points out the fact that black people have higher incidents of poverty.

These things are not mutually exclusive.

I live in a visceral pain in my gut, politically, like I did when Dean lost the nomination, when I hear that Sanders is somehow against this sort of thing, and people arguing against BLM, for whatever reason. Granted, a lot of it is emotional. A lot of people are trying to split up BLM to different groups. The pro-Sanders or anti-Sanders groups.

As far as I see it Sanders was only targeted because, unlike every other Democratic candidate, he makes himself readily available, he's there, you can see him in public speeches or rallies relatively easy. This makes him, and I know its controversial to other Sanders supporters, a prime target. This doesn't bother me. It encourages me, because Sanders puts himself out there.

Clinton hides behind either $2,700 fundraisers or very specifically defined talks in high schools or middile schools or whatever, where no one, not a freaking single non-vetted soul is going to be within 20 feet of her. With the secret service not far behind. (And our pathetic media doesn't talk about this nature of her public appearances one iota.)

I wholeheartedly disagree with the actions of Seatle BLM members, and am on record saying their actions disgusted me, but that is over with, it's done. What happened happened, and what followed followed. Sanders had tens of thousands show up to the next events (online and in person). Sanders isn't going away. BLM didn't crash him nor was its intent. It wanted to make the news, that's all. That's really all militant action can do.

I'm left in complete disarray, because I'm not in the bubble, I know Sanders' campaign is doing extremely well. I believe Sanders has a better shot than any (I won't lie or be disillusioned and say he's a shoe in but I will repudiate anyone who says he can't win).

I'm telling you now, from someone who supports Sanders and BLM at the same time, it sucks to be of this mindset. Would it be that I could bash BLM because of some militant actions by a few (which were not denounced by BLM leaders). I can't.

BLM matters just like Occupy. And BLM isn't solely against Sanders. BLM is against not being heard by the establishment which they overwhelmingly support in elections. That's it. Accept that BLM wants its voice heard by the party which it feels has left them behind despite their votes, and you'll truly feel what they are about.