Police union planning to protest Black Lives Matter banner

[cos]

On Thursday 5:30-7:30pm at City Hall:

http://www.boston.com/news/local-news/2016/07/26/police-plan-protest-black-lives-matter-banner-somerville-city-hall

After Somerville Mayor Joseph Curtatone denied a request from a city police union to remove a Black Lives Matter banner from City Hall, the union announced it will hold a rally to protest the banner's "disrespectful" message, according to a release from the Somerville Police Employee's Association.

Personally I think their doing this will make lots of people trust them less, fear them more, and increase danger for everyone, including police. I wish they'd call it off.

Worth noting that the chief of police supports the mayor putting up the banner, and the union is initiating this protest, not the police department leadership, as far as I can tell.

Comments

[gmg-1.livejournal.com]

Does anyone know if there is there a counterprotest scheduled?

[ron_newman]

Black Lives Matter is holding a counterprotest in Union Square, starting at 4:30 tomorrow afternoon.

[ron_newman]

And this separately organized event is also happening, gathering at the Main Library at 4:45 pm tomorrow.

[sairaali.livejournal.com]

Ugh. Looks like this earlier, hopeful report (https://plus.google.com/+ShavaNerad/posts/DMAhkgqB1qx) was incorrect. What a shame.

[cos]

Shava posted again this morning, starting with:

Despite that the rank and file of the SPD seems to have very little support for the "All Lives Matter" motion, Mike McGrath has rallied a few officers and some support from the group that is the state-wide umbrella for the police unions to demonstrate at Somerville City Hall tomorrow night, when most media will be covering the Dems.

This means they get to do all of their media in advance, but no one will notice that 8 guys out of the whole state show up.

In the interest of peace I will be showing up too, health willing, and thunderstorms let us be.

If you can come, please show up at Somerville Library, 4:45pm or before PLEASE, for briefing. If you do not, you will not get a sticker and be considered part of our group.
[...]

More info at https://plus.google.com/+ShavaNerad/posts/DyC7rB7Kh39

[ron_newman]

Tagging shava23 so she sees this; perhaps she'll want to add a comment here as well. Her event is separately organized from the Black Lives Matter event which will take place in Union Square.

[serious-noir.livejournal.com]

Thanks for posting this.

[browngirl.livejournal.com]

Thank you for this information.

[somerfriend.livejournal.com]

Black lives matter, such a simple sentence and yet the racists find a way to disagree with it, sometimes directly, often indirectly by disingenuously adding baggage to it and deflecting. The response should just be yes, until it is, these issues will continue.

[siderea]

Hear, hear.

[turil.livejournal.com]

If they just said "Black lives matter, too." it would clear up this whole thing, I think. (I mean the complaints about the language being used, not the whole "us against them" mentality of most folks.)