Few protest slogans irritate whites more than “Black Lives Matter!” In the wake of numerous police shootings of unarmed blacks, this slogan is in defiance of the unlawful police assault on black men. How can whites assert that it is inappropriate?
Some explanations seem to claim the slogan implies that white lives are of little consequence. Are whites suggesting that despite their own apathy on police shootings, black protests should also include the police slaughter of whites? It is shocking that whites do not join the protest despite their casualties.
The Washington Post maintains a record of police shootings. They report that in 2017 there were 987 police shooting deaths. Of the victims, 457 were white and 223 were black. Blacks are 13 percent of the population but suffered 20 percent of the shootings while whites are 63 percent of Americans but suffered roughly 50 percent of the police killings.
The issue is not that blacks assertively protest the police shootings, but why are whites so silent about the police shooting deaths of other whites?