BLM. Accomplishments-2020. Just the Facts (+ some mockery)

For their several years of being in existence and several months of this year; angrily stoking so called ‘peaceful marches’, BLM had put forward a serious bevy of political demands. They were supported by country-wide revolt, riots and general destruction.

As of this writing (September 2020), this despicable gang had many ‘accomplishments’. Please be the judges of how admirably they are succeeding so far in changing America’s political and economic landscape.

Just the facts found on the internet, with a bit of our mocking commentary*

– The movement traces its origins to the killing of Trayvon Martin, a Black 17-year-old, by a neighborhood watch volunteer in Florida in 2012

– The speed at which the protests of the last several months have spread and the scale of support they have received speak to the foundation that the Black Lives Matter and other movements has laid over the past several years.

– In the two weeks after Mr. Floyd was killed in May, more than 2,000 protests were held across all 50 states. *Press report that cannot be independently verified.

– Targeted monuments and statues, including those of Confederate soldiers and the Founding Fathers, spray-painting them with graffiti and pulling them to the ground

– Seattle’s police chief, Carmen Best, stepped down once the city council approved cutting the department by as many as 100 cops through layoffs and attrition.

– The city’s mayor, Jenny Durkan, is also facing a legal battle to get her kicked out of office for her role in Seattle’s violent protests

– In some instances, police officers are charged with violations and crimes, or fired much more quickly than ever before.

– Colin Kaepernick imperiled his National Football League career by kneeling during the national anthem.  *Shortly thereafter improved his financial affairs by becoming a face of Nike’s ad campaign

– Jamie Dimon, chief executive of JPMorgan Chase, kneeling with staff at a branch of the United States’ largest bank. Dimon, wearing shorts, sneakers and a mask, was adopting the once-controversial protest pose of former quarterback Colin Kaepernick, still blacklisted from the NFL for calling attention to police brutality against African Americans. *Blacklist Dimon instead!

– Jack Dorsey, chief executive of Twitter and Square, declared Juneteenth (June 19) a corporate holiday to commemorate the end of slavery. *Certainly worth a celebration. Have a day off, the former slaves of Twitter!

– Amazon put a “Black Lives Matter” banner on its home page and at the top of Prime Video. Later, Bezos posted angry customer emails about the banner to his Instagram account. “Dave, you’re the kind of customer I’m happy to lose,” Bezos wrote in one caption. *How profound, politics finally comes before the business!

Corporate America — including Wall Street and Silicon Valley giants — is now pledging to play a bigger role in combating systemic racism across the United States.

– Bank of America promised to spend $1 billion over the next four years to address “economic and racial inequality accelerated by a global pandemic.”

– Walmart, the country’s largest retailer, pledged to stop locking up “multicultural” hair and beauty products in display cases. *Put your trust where your money is

– Sephora committed to devoting at least 15 percent of its shelf space to black-owned beauty brands.

– Toymaker LEGO suspended marketing for police-themed sets

– Reddit founder Alexis Ohanian, who is married to tennis star Serena Williams, resigned from the board to make way for the first black director in the company’s history. *They will never forget you, Alexis

– After watching thousands of protesters march past his Manhattan apartment, James Gorman, chief executive of Morgan Stanley, held a conference call with some of the bank’s highest-ranking black executives, and announced the promotion of two black women to positions on its operating and management committees.

– The American Bankers Association said in a statement that the industry “condemns discrimination of any kind in the lending market, the workplace and beyond”

– Adidas said that the company would require at least 30 percent of all open positions in the United States to be filled with black and Latino employees and invest $120 million in programs for the black community over the next four years.

– More than 100 employees at Estee Lauder are demanding the ouster of the founder’s son and heir, Ronald Lauder, from the board — asserting that his political contributions to Trump are damaging the company’s relationship with its black employees and with the black community at large. *How to bite the hand that feeds you

– Ford Foundation and the Borealis Philanthropy created the Black-led Movement Fund, a funding vehicle for the Movement for Black Lives, the coalition of groups responsible for the extremist “Vision 4 Black Lives.” The fund has received “pledges of more than 100 million dollars from liberal foundations and others eager to contribute,” Influence Watch says.

– Support from prominent celebrities and athletes also have helped to keep the momentum going:

Tyler Cameron, Kate Beckinsale, Billie Eilish, Adam Lambert, Alex Rodriguez & Jennifer Lopez, Ariana Grande, Beyoncé, Doutzen Kroes, Iman Hammam, Jaz Sinclair, Ross Lynch, Joe Jonas, Sophie Turner, Keke Palmer, Lili Reinhart, Machine Gun Kelly, Madonna, Trevor Noah, Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds, Angelina Jolie, Ellen DeGeneres, Justin Bieber, Kylie Jenner, John Cena, Lady Gaga, Anna Kendrick and many others.

– Jimmy Fallon apologized for appearing in blackface for a 2000 “Saturday Night Live” sketch and invited NAACP President Derrick Johnson on to “The Tonight Show” to discuss the damage such portrayals have caused. *It was 20 years ago, and such a great memory!

– Jimmy Kimmel addressed the depth of his own white privilege

– Stephen Colbert condemned the violent tactics many police have used during the demonstrations.

– Sarah Paulson, Aaron Paul, Kristen Bell, Kesha, Justin Theroux, Debra Messing, Julianne Moore, Aly Raisman, Bryce Dallas Howard, Ilana Glazer, Mark Duplass, Piper Perabo and Stanley Tucci and other white celebrities got united and publically went checking their privilege to “take responsibility” for racism. (LA Times, June 11, 2020). *Celebs who are telling on themselves, wow. Public flogging is coming up next

Besides the great news you just read, there are few others. They are slightly less glorious:

– The recent persistence of Black Lives Matter demonstrations is partly the result of broader grievances in society, including the feeling among many on the left that Mr. Trump represents a threat to democracy.

– They created an environment in which any incident of injustice or perceived injustice when takes place, it’s going to be amplified

– They have increased concern that images of vandalism, looting and arson are becoming inextricably linked with the protests, undermining efforts to win systemic reforms and public support. 

– Democrats worry that the unrest, regardless of its extent or who is responsible, could help President Trump find a receptive audience for his argument that he will bring “law and order” to the country.

– President Donald Trump, threatened to send military forces to police black residents in Chicago

– Just 4 percent of JPMorgan Chase’s top executives are black, despite years of public, high-profile efforts to increase its diversity. *You must strive to reach the highest levels. Excellence doesn’t grow on trees.

– Like many of the country’s largest and most prestigious banks, Morgan Stanley has struggled to increase diversity within its ranks. Only 2.2 percent of its senior executives were black last year.

– Wells Fargo saw the percentage of black senior executives fall from 8 percent in 2015 to 3.5 percent in 2019. *The black guy left the company, what a catastrophe (just joking)

– At BLM riots, some people identify themselves with the antifascist movement. They wear body armor, carry homemade shields and proudly call themselves “Antifa Super Soldiers.”

– The Southern Poverty Law Center, which classifies groups as hate groups, says that Black Lives Matter is not a hate group. The SPLC has, however, also said that Antifa is not a terrorist group. According to Influence Watch, Black Lives Matter is a group that is funded by George Soros through a group known as the Democracy Alliance. The group has connections to radical left-wing organizations.

– The BLM website declares that black Americans live and work in the face of “deadly oppression” proceeding from “the virulent anti-Black racism that permeates our society.” *In the meantime, the society is waiting in long lines to the gun shops around the country.

– The M4BL (BLM partner organization) website decries the “systemic human rights violations inflicted on black communities” and the “killing, dehumanization, and torture of our people.” BLM founder Alicia Garza writes in her “Herstory” essay that black lives “are uniquely, systematically, and savagely targeted by the state.” *Good pot easy to find these days!

So, there you have it.

Share the good news with your family and friends and we’ll do another update in due course!