You know, funny story about how that sort of community policing can be helpful. Remember how I said Wichita avoided the big riots that characterized many other big cities? Well, that is because the Wichita BLM is independent of the rest of the movement.
Why you ask? Well, a few years ago, their local organizer decided that the screaming matches and general hostility they were witnessing in other locations was not working. So they sat down with the police and organized a community BBQ. They invited the entire police force (save a few on call), and they invited community leaders as well as the general public. They played football (including mixing teams instead of "BLM vs. WPD"), they shared stories, they shared food made by local business owners, the whole 9 yards.
Then the National BLM caught wind of this and went ham. They said this was not the way and told them they needed to immediately cease negotiations with WPD. Luckily, Wichita BLM told them "fuck off" and kept doing it as an independent organization. Which meant that when people tried to riot over the summer and WPD crushed it, both them and WBLM went into action mode, sat down, and diffused the situation with only minor damage inflicted on the community.
As far as I know, the National BLM and a lot of their people on Twitter still consider WBLM traitors.
You know, funny story about how that sort of community policing can be helpful. Remember how I said Wichita avoided the big riots that characterized many other big cities? Well, that is because the Wichita BLM is independent of the rest of the movement.
Why you ask? Well, a few years ago, their local organizer decided that the screaming matches and general hostility they were witnessing in other locations was not working. So they sat down with the police and organized a community BBQ. They invited the entire police force (save a few on call), and they invited community leaders as well as the general public. They played football (including mixing teams instead of "BLM vs. WPD"), they shared stories, they shared food made by local business owners, the whole 9 yards.
Then the National BLM caught wind of this and went ham. They said this was not the way and told them they needed to immediately cease negotiations with WPD. Luckily, Wichita BLM told them "fuck off" and kept doing it as an independent organization. Which meant that when people tried to riot over the summer and WPD crushed it, both them and WBLM went into action mode, sat down, and diffused the situation with only minor damage inflicted on the community.
As far as I know, the National BLM and a lot of their people on Twitter still consider WBLM traitors.