12
Notes: • Most respondents were supportive of the BLM protests and listed “against racism” and “police brutality” as some of the top reasons, for example: ‣ “Yes. Firstly, no one of any race in particular should suffer from unproportional use of force. Secondly, police brutality is unjustified in any means. The police [officers] involved should be held responsible. Thirdly, all human beings of any race and ethnicity should be treated equally and fairly.” ‣ “⽀支持,因為⾃自1600年年起⿊黑⼈人便便被⽩白⼈人欺壓、虐待，不但要在plantation內做奴隸，有時候 這些slave owners更更會強暴暴、殺戮⿊黑⼈人。雖然經過Martin Luther King/Rosa Parks這些⼈人 的抗議後⿊黑⼈人無需要再做奴隸、坐公交⾞車車的時候與⽩白⼈人分開，但今時今⽇日依然有很多⼈人 appropriate black culture / say the N word。⽽而且there’s cop brutality as US cops tend to think that Black people are “dangerous” plus white people can still do alarming things such as holding a rifle during a BLM protest / threaten to lynch them (as seen in the Ahmad Aubrey incident)” [Support, because Black people have been suppressed, tortured by white people since 1600. Not only do they have to work as slaves on plantations, these slave owners sometimes even rape and murder Black people. Although Black people no longer have to be enslaved after resistance from Martin Luther King/Rosa Park, and they no longer need to separate themselves from white people on the bus, a lot of people still appropriate black culture/say the N word today. Also there’s cop brutality as US cops tend to think that Black people are “dangerous” plus white people can still do alarming things such as holding a rifle during a BLM protest/threaten to lynch them (as seen in the Ahmad Aubrey incident)] ‣ “Yes, because black people have been through immense intergenerational pain throughout American history and it’s time to put a pause on that injustice. I think BLM is also a beautiful moment for black culture and black people to shine. It’s a powerful time for us to take a step back and let them have the spotlight and their voices.”
• Quite a few responses mentioned the idea of BLM being hijacked, either by leftist political groups or individuals (Marxists, communists, anti-fascists, etc.) or by violent and selfish opportunists taking advantage of the movement for personal gains and distracting attention away from peaceful protests. For instance: ‣ “[...] there are many looting and crimes happened. Also I think the protest now is just a tool for different groups of people to utilize to reach their purpose. For example it’s a propaganda promoting communism.” ‣ “發⽣生事的第⼆二天或第三天⽰示威是真的為⼈人權⽰示威，市政府拘捕及檢控涉事4警員就應告 ⼀一段落落，之後的搶掠已經不是爭取⼈人權，已經被他⼈人利利⽤用並演變成破壞治安” [[the second and third day of protests after the incident was really protesting for human rights, but it should’ve come to an end when city government arrested and prosecuted the four police officers. The looting afterwards is no longer a fight for human rights, it has already been used by others and became a destruction of law and order.]
