The Disharmony of Bernie Sanders and ‘Black Lives Matter’

Claiming most whites are insensitive to the abuse of blacks, Democratic presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders—in an interview with Ebony on October 5—endorsed Black Lives Matter (BLM) as being more significant than All Lives Matter.

By giving such an endorsement, Sanders ignores international precedent—a bad sign for someone running for president. Ironically, by taking such a position, he would find himself at odds with a most respected voice of the past from his own party—Eleanor Roosevelt.

Following World War II and the establishment of the United Nations, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) resolution was taken up at the very first session of the General Assembly in 1946. Among its nine drafting committee members was the widow of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. The UDHR passed in 1948 with no dissensions.

The Nazi atrocities of World War II provided the impetus for the resolution. While the Nazis claimed millions of victims as collateral damage, those specifically targeted for extermination were the Jews; yet, at no time did the UDHR drafters see a need to memorialize Jewish victimization as being more significant than that suffered by any other group.

Despite Jews being the Nazis’ victims of choice, no cry of “Jewish Lives Matter” over other groups was ever heard. Resolution drafters recognized the importance of promoting the universal principle that ALL lives mattered.

Article One of the UDHR made this very clear: “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.”

Thus, any one embracing BLM undermines the UDHR.

Not only does BLM’s focus fly in the face of universal acceptance of the principle all human life is equal, its premise flies in the face of factual reality.

Bureau of Justice statistics released in 2010 indicate that between 1980-2008, of all black homicide victims, an astounding 93 percent were killed by black offenders. During this same timeframe, 84 percent of white murder victims were killed by white offenders.

While the above percentages support the fact most murders within one ethnic group were committed by offenders within the same group, it is the victimization rate within these two groups that is most telling.

Still focusing on the period 1980-2008, the white homicide victimization rate was only 4.5 per 100,000 of population while for blacks it was 27.8 per 100,000. Thus, blacks are more than six times likelier to kill blacks than whites are likely to kill whites.

An uncomfortable fact for BLM—and should be for Bernie Sanders as well—is revealed in a 2013 FBI Uniform Crime Report for homicides. It indicates that 14 percent of white victims were killed by black perpetrators while only 7.6 percent of black victims were killed by whites. Simply put, whites have twice as much to fear from black killers than blacks have to fear from white killers.

What does this tell those who support BLM? It should tell them the only thing members of black communities have to fear is…themselves. Blacks pose a much greater danger to fellow blacks than do whites.

It is because of this much higher rate of crime by black perpetrators that police today seem to have more high-profile encounters with black rather than white suspects. When arrests go wrong, allegations of police misconduct—where the officer is white—immediately arise. In some cases, allegations are warranted; in others, they are not. But, in either case, the impact remains the same, giving rise to the stigma of white officer-on-black suspect violence.

Sadly, the fact that in many of the high profile arrests in which black suspects died—such as Michael Brown in Ferguson and Freddie Gray in Baltimore—violence could have been avoided had the suspect acted responsibly to police commands. Unfortunately, however, an irresponsible media oftentimes tries to paint the arresting officer rather than the resisting-arrest thug as the bad guy, perpetuating the stigma even in cases where it is not deserved.

Disturbing too is the lack of initiative from the black community to hold its high-profile members accountable for violent acts they promote.

In 2012, author/activist Mark Dice produced a documentary entitled “Jay-Z: Illuminati Musical Satanism.” In it, rapper Jay-Z raps lyrics from his song “Monster,” released by Kanye West. One line from the song goes, “Murder, murder in black convertibles; I kill a block I murder their avenues, I rape and pillage your village, women and children…”

The message could not be clearer. Jay-Z is no different than ISIS as he promotes the rape of women and children.

In the documentary, Jay-Z appears in an Aleister Crowley satanic sweatshirt. For those unaware of who Crowley is, he has written books providing instructions on murdering children in order to acquire satanic power.

As Dice explained, “Monster” featured a number of “illuminati-wannabes” who promote the bad guy image and all forms of evil—everything from drugs to rape to murder.

It is a disgrace such trash is tolerated by society. Silence from the white community is more understandable as critics fear being labeled as racist. But the silence from the black community about Jay-Z’s violent message is inexcusable.

Young black children are being exposed to a culture that, either by criminal acts or “artistic” works, promote this violence, while refusing to hold perpetrators of crimes, like Michael Brown, responsible for their conduct.

In his documentary, Dice even suggested President Obama contributes to this culture in which young black kids see evildoers being rewarded.

Despite Jay-Z’s atrocious lyrics, Obama considers him a friend. He listens to the rapper on his IPOD and had him featured in an official campaign ad.

As for Michael Brown, the fact that his criminal behavior led to his death in a police encounter in which the use of deadly force was ultimately adjudicated as justified, Obama sent three White House representatives to attend his funeral.

Rather than looking inward to properly diagnose the problem plaguing the black community, BLM chooses to look outward for a scapegoat. Bernie Sanders has joined in on this blame game.

Unlike the concert pianist playing the ebony and ivory keys of his instrument in beautiful harmony, Sanders and BLM disrupt such harmony between black and white communities by perpetuating the untruth that only black lives matter.