'It should've been no surprise to anyone when amidst a steady climate of police brutality, reportedly targeted at the black community, that the waves of the 'Black Lives Matter' movement should crest upon the horizon; and wash through America with enough momentum to outlast the confines of a mere internet trend. However, like a lot of internet trends, the actions of radical thinker's endorsed by a mindless droning of followers, can diminish any good cause to that of one in poor taste.

Between all the: blatant racism, protests that turn into riots, and threats of violence against police officers; it becomes increasingly difficult to scrounge any sort of will to support such a movement, that seems to be devolving into nothing more than a hate group, as apposed to the civil rights movement it's actions all but contradicts.

Historically, humanity has a habit of unifying under a common cause, the supposed 'greater good' (Gandhi's Salt March, Iraq War Protests etc). Or, will simply flock to satisfy baser needs the opportunity that -strength in numbers - should present. One such notorious example of this is the London Riots, something i describe in hindsight with as: when angst is given enough fuel to burn anything but itself out. Empirically, in the face of social adversity one, or several, person(s) finds the inspiration - the straw that broke the camels back - to consolidate any like minded individuals to represent an opinion.

...i feel i can confidently argue that the Black Lives Matter movement was doomed to achieve nothing

Therefore, following the widespread notoriety George Zimmerman received after to shooting dead Travon Martin, reveling in his newly found infamy, and having been aquited; the movement started humbly, and with the hash tag: #BlackLivesMatter. However though it had begun, it wasn't spurned until the death of Mike Brown at the hands of a white police officer in Ferguson, Missouri. Otherwise; the straw that broke the camels back. While tragic, the resulting rioting and violence and media coverage gave rise to the belief that America was currently suffering from an epdadenic of un armed black people being killed by police. Thusly, establishing the fallacy that the black lives matter movement was kick started with, and that the media only accentuated; enamouring memebers of society in the fiction that police brutality has bias.

But it gets better. Alicia Garza, one of the three co founders, wrote an article highlighting the reasons she helped found the movment, and also of it's inspirations, stating:

'When i use Assata's powerful demand in my organising work, i always begin by sharing where it cones from, sharing about Assata's significance to the Black Liberation Movement, what it's political purpose and message is, and why it's important in our context'

Assata Shakur, an American activist and former memeber of the Black Panther Party convicted of several crimes that include: murder, attemptrd murder, armed robbery and kidnapping; which led to a multi state man hunt.

...it becomes increasingly difficult to scrounge any sort of will to support such a movement...

Every good sect, organisation or even cult, needs good leadership. A strong, enigmatic figurehead, that can project and represent the ideals of said faction, and can either make or break it - or of course leave it stagnant with no sense of real progress yet neither regression. Therefore, i feel i can confidently argue that the Black Lives Matter movement was doomed to achieve nothing but the inconvenience of those who want nothing to do with it from the start; and, whatever good will memebers of the movement may have had, has become redundant, and dashed against a wall. As evident by the calibre of people they choose to associate with.

I imagine that Black Lives Matter members have a heavily romanticised depiction of Assata. She would naturally appear as the embodiment of their cause, former civil rights activist turned full time convinct, defying the heavy oppressive hand that all black people have to contend with, and battling 'white supremacy'. It is in fact all rather pandering.

I find that questionable principles are far more damaging than motives, and am inclined to believe that most of their efforts are simply pretext. The perfect most convenient excuse to exhibit anarchy and encourage violence; from chants in NYC for 'Dead cops' to the Dallas shooter, Micah Xavier Jackson, shooting dead 5 policemen, injuring 7 of them, and 2 civilians during his rampage in the name of the movement. Hmm, i wonder where, or from whom, he got his motivation..

Though the death of those affected by police treatement is unfortunate, the simple fact is that the rate at which black people are killed on account of police brutality is the same as white people; and battling this with racism and inciting violence will achieve nothing but increasing racial tensions - i.e. making things worse.'

Written by Gyasi Rogers, 19

To read a different point of view on #BlackLivesMatter click here