I, as well as many Americans, have felt scared, saddened and angered about the recent killings of many unarmed black and minority men by our police and law enforcement over the course of the last few years. These incidents have caused uproars throughout all facets of our society and throughout every race, ethnicity and social class. As a result of these events, public confidence in police has plummeted to a twenty-two-year low and for the first time public confidence in police has decreased for twenty-three consecutive months, setting a record according to Gallup polling from years prior.

As a result, many protests, including those of Black Lives Matter, have arisen in response to the violence perpetrated by law enforcement. Protests have been organized to challenge police departments across the country to become more diverse, reliable, and most of all accountable for the actions of their police officers. Many leaders in the black communities, including the leaders of Black Lives Matter, are arguing that police departments, as well as the legal system and Justice Department, are inherently racist to blacks and prone to bias that typically favors whites over blacks. According to its website, Black Lives Matter mainly stands against, “a [government] where Black lives are systematically and intentionally targeted for demise.” The website also claims that the state, meaning the United States government, is simply a tool to oppress black people and ultimately further the interests of other races, specifically whites. Unfortunately, all these claims may feel logical at first thought, but after further analysis, crumble under scrutiny and represent a complete misunderstanding of the true issues that create disadvantageous situations for blacks in the United States. To combat those claims, I would like to point out that there is no law, ordinance, or measure in the United States that currently permits discrimination or bias based on skin color or race. There is also no evidence that the government or police departments are attempting to “systematically and intentionally” target blacks to kill.

The real issue Black Lives Matter needs to address and fight against is the never ending cycle of blacks having limited social, economic and political mobility, which ultimately keeps blacks oppressed in a cycle of poverty, economic oppression and violence. Blacks are much more likely to live in areas of poverty and economic turmoil to no fault of their own, as they were simply born into it. On top of that, these areas have limited resources available to the community in order to help members of the community move up in the economic ladder. These communities because of the poor economic conditions tend to be flooded with crime and violence and, therefore, are patrolled by more law enforcement agents. This results in two opposing forces, crime and law enforcement, colliding to create a very tense and volatile relationship that does not allow a community to progress.

This cycle is the true root of the problem many blacks, as well as other poor people regardless of race, face when born into a community that has limited potential for upward mobility. This problem can only be tackled by acknowledging the true root of the problem that blacks, many times inherently, face on a daily basis. The problem needs to be acknowledged as a socioeconomic one, not a police brutality one. Blacks are more likely to be born into poverty and are more likely to attend poorly administered and funded schools. This puts blacks at a disadvantage as a whole compared to other race groups, and fosters the stagnation of its’ communities. That stagnation leads to economic frustration and turns many people to a life of crime in order to make a living. This creates violence which further hinders people in the community to progress forward. This compiles on top of each other to the point it creates the never ending poverty cycle we see in poor and inner city communities, which tend to have a majority of black members. Black Lives Matter should fight for equal economic opportunities for blacks which will weed out the other compounding issues blacks face. If Black Lives Matter addresses the source of the problem instead of just the outcome of the problem, then and only then would the purpose of the movement truly live up to the title.