Even after the killing of George Floyd I found it difficult to get behind the Black Lives Matter movement, even though I tried to give it the benefit of the doubt. I’d written a couple posts on Facebook saying why we should be understanding of the movement, how not all of its chapters are the same and how there’s actually quite a bit of common ground between conservatism and support for BLM. That’s despite its supporters calling the US a “white supremacist” nation, calling for the dismantling of police department, not to mention the looting, rioting and outright killing of police officers.

Nowadays I feel less inclined to voice any support for it at all. It treats police brutality as a racial problem when really it’s not, which is what I think many people mean when they say “All lives matter.” Previously I would have admonished that phrase as missing the point. Then of course there’s its flawed leadership - Patrisse Khan-Cullors specifically comes to mind - its defense of Jussie Smollett and its recent call to boycott companies owned by whites. If that last one isn’t racism, I don’t know what is.

Well-written article, J. Pharaoh. Keep up the good work.