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A few hours ago, police officer Darren Wilson who was accused of shooting and killing teenager Michael Brown was acquitted of all charges. Saddening? Yes. Shocking? No. Based on social media response from last night, people were not shocked by this verdict as it is seen as history repeating itself.
President Barack Obama urged Americans to accept a grand jury’s decision not to indict Ferguson, Mo., police officer Darren Wilson for the August shooting of unarmed teen Michael Brown.
“First and foremost, we are a nation built on the rule of law, and so we need to accept that this decision was the grand jury’s to make,” Obama said. “There are Americans who agree with it, and there are Americans who are deeply disappointed, even angry. But I join Michael’s parents in asking anyone who protests this decision to do so peacefully.”
The President said the concerns of those upset by the grand jury decision are legitimate.
“We need to recognize that the situation in Ferguson speaks to the broader problems that we still face as a nation,” he said. “The fact is in too many parts of this country, a deep distrust exists between law enforcement and communities of color. Some of this is the result of legacy of racial discrimination in this country.”
He urged law enforcement officers to “work with the community, not against the community, to distinguish the handful of people who may use the grand jury’s decision as an excuse for violence, distinguish them from the vast majority, who just want their voices heard in terms of how law enforcement and communities of color interact.”
In light with Obama’s pleas for peaceful protests, Blackout have urged the general public to join them in boycotting any form of shopping on #BlackFriday November 28th 2014. Blackout is a network of concerned citizens who commit their energy and resources to immediately address the staggering level of human rights violations against fellow Americans throughout the United States.
They explained that, “spending money outside the community is putting money into the system of oppression and genocide.”
#BlackOutFriday #NotOneDime and #BrownFriday have been trending on social media.
What do you think of the boycott? Black Friday is the Friday after Thanksgiving and marks the beginning of Christmas shopping. It often records extremely high sales figures.
Will you be abstaining from making purchases this Black Friday to protest the verdict in the Mike Brown case?
A few people are of the opinion that protesting is useless at this point. Read this interesting comment from a YBF reader:
Are y’all really shocked? Riots, protests, really? I know.. it’s sad, hurtful, infuriating and you want to feel like you’re doing something -anything- but, we need to understand that our true emancipation lies in (re)building our own wealth, keeping it in the fam, creating our own “system”. They might never like us, but they will have to respect and fear us when we finally wake up and stop trying to only exist in their world. We can’t complain until we stop thinking this system was built for us. Wake up! We’re so lost as a people, it’s incredible. A few thousandaires, millionaires and it’s “nigga we made it”. Laughable.We’ve seen how easily they can take down any black man/woman, rich or poor. They’ll keep killing us. Our protests, words, tears, blood don’t mean a thing… I thought we all knew this by now… WE gotta do better.. Don’t mean to ramble, but I got so much to say. This brings us back to 99% of the nba players being black but being owned by white, “jewish” men or black music being owned by the same people, etc. These people only TOLERATE (not even like) us when we’re making them money, when they have something to gain from us. Why can’t we run our own things? Then we expect these same people to do what? Put a Darren Wilson behind bars? What’s a riot or a protest going to do? Ok, so a Darren Wilson gets indicted, a Don Sterling “loses” his team, a black president… so what? Does that solve the problem? Does the system -that oppresses US as a people- collapse? No, no, no! My people WAKE UP!
What do you think? Will protesting and boycotting make any difference?
Was this ruling unfair at all?
Let’s hear it.
xo
Lydie
black fridayblackoutDarren WilsonMike BrownObamapoliticsProtestsshopping
Dana Fashina
November 25, 2014Great post.
I’m definitely in some kind of mood today and I know it’s because of the verdict.
I’m trying to keep a neutral attitude, especially at work but I’m like this close from loosing my shit.
But I will #blackoutFriday for this cause.
And anyone who doesn’t needs to get a fucking grip and recognize that those same deals will almost without a doubt, be in place on Saturday.
Art Becomes You
November 28, 2014It is appalling what happened. I think to combat outcomes like we need to black out more than just #BlackFriday. The reason people were ‘not shocked’ at what happened is because it was expected. And when we expect things to happen it means we are accepting of those things whether we know it or not. That’s where we need to start.
As for those deals , they will be there Saturday, Sunday, Cyber Monday until Christmas even!
🙂
Scott Mitchell
November 26, 2014I’d love to see the retail corporations get hit where it hurts anyway. But imagine telling people here to not shop on that day and then having to pay double for their Playstation and new LCD (or whatever) lol. I don’t think it will work. The retailers will still get record sales in the first few hours OR all their black friday deals will just sell later in the day. Sales will still be made. It’s a good concept to boycot that day and I see many promoting it here, but I don’t see it logically making a difference. Anyway…. I never shop on that day anyway. It’s like a zoo out there.
Art Becomes You
November 28, 2014That was my thought. It is good but not logical. And it will not directly affect the changes we are trying to impact. How about we boycott things that will really hit hard? Like why sell toy guns and arms when kids who use will be ‘seen as a threat?’
Scott Mitchell
November 28, 2014Yeah good point. Or all the video games that are violent too. I’m sure those games don’t help
Chris
November 27, 2014Statistically as I understand it our money will not be missed because we do not possess the kind of economic and true wealth base to use a protest like this as leverage. This is not our best strategy. It is not focused on the source of the problem. The argument that we finance the system that oppresses us is a fallacy on its face. FACT: even if you shopped black stores only these stores must STILL pay taxes, rents, mortgages, etc. And you can be sure those taxes, rents, and mortgages are going to the same system you think you are depriving of your dollars. There are better strategies, solid long term strategies, to get a message across and bring about change. But you can be sure our people are still better consumers than savers. They will recoup the loss of black dollars on black Friday because Saturday is coming. The crowds alone will keep me out of the stores. And my efforts will be focused on the mentoring and teaching I do in schools and strategic planning for long term solutions that are far from the knee jerk response of a black Friday protest that is ultimately meaningless in the long term.