I support BLM 100%, actually 1000%.
Protesters have a right to protest, and people of color deserve the change they are fighting for and I will NEVER speak out against that, because it’s something that should have changed a long time ago. Hell, it’s something that should never have been a thing in the first place. Now we can’t change the past, but they deserve the future.
But all this damage being done all over the world by people that are just using the protests as cover to wreck havoc, makes me sick. It takes away from this great movement that deserves a future. (Well obviously, I’d love for the BLM movement to be able to move on to something else because they got the changes they were fighting for, but as much as I wish the world could change over night, I know this fight is far from over).
I don’t live in Kenosha anymore, but I called it home for 5 years in college, and I still love and miss it. And the pictures I’ve seen of the damage, I hardly recognize it anymore, it doesn’t look like the city I spent so much time in and that just makes me sad. 😢
A friend of mine from college who still lives in Kenosha, shared this. And I just think it’s so powerful and well written and the message needs to be heard.
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I have not spoken out about anything because I was hoping things would de-escalate. There are so many things I am feeling and am having a difficult time expressing. Let me be clear: I am behind the Black Lives Matter movement 100%. I am devastated with what has happened to this community. I have watched this unfold all over the nation and have been scared that this would migrate this way and it has. I am so angry that people are using the Black Lives Matter movement as a shield for their selfish, destructive behavior. This movement is so crucial right now for our nation. These concerns need to be heard and addressed and innocent black lives need to stop being taken. Voices must be heard and changes made. But know, when it is being said that those burning down our city are BLM activists please know it is not true! The BLM movement is peaceful.
When the first protest took place here, I'll admit I was nervous it could turn violent through instigation, but the leaders of the protest kept everything relatively under control and were able to de-escalate situations as they arose. But overall very little damage was sustained and those dedicated to the BLM movement kept their message heard above those trying to incite violence.
I know everyone will say I'm buying into conspiracy theory when I say that the people causing the issues are not Kenosha residents and are being shipped in from other states. It's true. Yesterday when my business was being boarded up by some of the most selfless, caring people I've ever met, I saw the white supremacy signs, stickers and flags that were casing our downtown area. I've lived here since 2007 and have NEVER felt unsafe like I did yesterday. The atmosphere shifted from one of love and community to tension and threats. It was awful. We saw people driving slowly around downtown checking to see what was boarded, what wasn't, etc, essentially casing the area. It disgusted and terrified me.
Then we found out that those inciting the violence were not from Kenosha. There was a caravan of 100 cars with blacked out license plates that came from out of town and 6 busloads (yes I said busloads) of people that came in from Minneapolis. The National Guard told the city they would be here at 3 pm. They didn't show up until after 10 pm when things were already out of hand. Last night the businesses that were attacked downtown have residential apartments above them, so we now have people who have now lost their homes. They then moved to Uptown and burned it to the ground. An older gentlemen watched his business get set on fire and began to try to use a fire extinguisher to put it out. One of the people who set it attacked him by punching him in the head and nearly killed him, but told him that he was to let it burn because it was deserved. Downtown is now full of graffiti, including Reuther High School.
I can't express enough how much my heart aches for our community and our country. This is not protesting. It is destruction for the sake of destruction and trying to blame this violence on people that are not responsible for it. I know this opinion is probably not popular, but this is my home. I know the people here. They have the right to be angry and are exercising their right of free speech to make our community a better one. But there are those using it solely as an opportunity to turn our eyes from the injustices happening.
Today when I woke up, Uptown was still on fire. They couldn't keep up last night. A friend of ours is spending today cleaning up his grandfather's storage unit that was set on fire and is a total loss. We watched a business that has sat on the corner here in Kenosha for decades slowly collapse in on itself and be utterly destroyed. We have been informed that tonight is going to be even worse because by 12 today more buses will be arriving from California and New York. They have stated that their targets today are schools and libraries. Let that sink in. Schools and libraries.
I am exhausted. I am scared. Our community is exhausted and scared. After one week of being in business I now have had to shut down and board up to keep my students safe and may have to leave town to keep my family safe because the fires are moving towards my house and we live by a school which is now apparently a target. Make no mistake; I do not want to leave. This is my home. There is so much beauty and love here. And it is being destroyed by people who do not live here and do not care what destruction they cause.
The final nail in the coffin for me was when I turned on the news this morning. When Minneapolis was going through riots, the national stations showed it and very little of anything else. Today they are dissecting the Republican speeches from last night and reporting on the movement of the hurricane. There was one small blurb on Kenosha, but that's it.
I would like to end with the following thought: this could have been your community. This could have been your friends and your neighbors. This could have been you. And it still could be with all the things circulating throughout this nation. Please. Love instead of hate. Recognize and address injustice without harming others. Remember we are all accountable for our actions. Please pray for Kenosha.
