FOP is trying to end the Movement
for Black Lives
Stop the Fraternal Order of Police
Dear friend,
A week ago, I was chained to the door of the Fraternal Order of Police for 13 hours with Movement for Black Lives activist in unison with protesters across the country to expose the FOP for who they are: the most dangerous fraternities in America.1The Fraternal Order of Police is one of the driving forces behind the cynical and divisive legislation known as "Blue Lives Matter" -a bill threatening the movement to hold police accountable.
From its name to the legislative details, Blue Lives Matter laws are intended to antagonize and discredit efforts for racial justice and police accountability by dividing the American people with a fallacious choice between protecting Black lives or police officers.
Underneath the mask of lies, Blue Lives Matter distracts from real solutions that will keep police and communities safe - like civilian review boards, ending racial profiling, and investing into community oriented policing solutions. Instead of protecting law enforcement, Blue Lives Matter bills silence the movement to hold police accountable.
There are state and federal legislative push for Blue Lives Matter bills. The federal is called the Back the Blue Act and has the backing of GOP leadership, but both federal and state laws are fundamentally the same. They group the occupation of the police officer with historically oppressed identity groups in order to classify any harm inflicted onto police officers as a hate crime.2 Here’s the problem: being a police officer is an occupation, not an identity.3 This is a slap in the face to the decades of fighting advocates have done to procure hate crime protections for marginalized groups, and as we’ve seen in recent protests, police are known to embellish their claims of confrontation with Black folks.
Activists have already faced constant backlash from law enforcement --government surveillance, excessive jail time, tear gassing, and being physically beaten by police. In the hands of local law enforcement, these new laws could mean more trumped up charges and longer sentences for protesters.
The FOP spends hundreds of thousands of dollars to promote its dangerous agenda. This is why on Wednesday activists in DC, Oakland, New York, and Chicago blockaded the entrances to police union offices --including the FOP's national legislative office that I was chained to on Capitol Hill, to halt their legislative agenda for the day. We succeeded and held them off for a day, but it will take all of us to stop them for good. Will you stand with us ?
Until Justice is Real,
Enchanta
References :
"Why the Movement for Black Lives is Shutting Down DC and NYC Police Union Headquarters," Mic 07.20.2016
"The Blue Lives Matter Bill is Bullshit," MTV News 05.26.2016
"Louisiana will pass 'Blue Lives Matter' bill classifying police attacks as hate crimes," NY Daily News 05.21.2016
ColorOfChange is building a movement to elevate the voices of Black folks and our allies, and win real social and political change. Help keep our movement strong.
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