The change BLM is demanding is not concrete, not readily identifiable.

[F4lconF16]

I have heard people asking what BLM wants. People (understandably) want to know what will be good enough. What can Sanders do, they ask. When will black people support him? We aren't white supremacists, we're good people. And undoubtedly, most asking these questions genuinely are--many have fought for civil rights their whole lives, like Sanders has.

But here's the thing: there's a reason BLM is for the most part a leaderless movement. Yes, there are local leaders, but on the whole, it is a broad uprising in support of one simple truth:

Black Lives Matter

There is an incredible amount being said in that one simple statement. It's also possibly the most dangerous statement ever made as far as the contemporary American system is concerned. That's because those three words turn our whole world upside down. It means a total perspective shift from what we've been doing; for some BLM activists I know, it means a literal revolution (and please don't be scared by that term--it's a lot more complex than you think.)

But here's the thing: what those words mean, it's not a concrete idea. It means different things for different people, different places, and different times. Actual policies that would address the idea of "Black Lives Matter" range from absurdly simple, like giving felons the right to vote, to exceedingly complex, like reworking our entire prison system to make it rehabilitatory. Those policies can all be identified--but here's the thing: there's too many things that need to be addressed.

This is part of why BLM has been protesting Sanders. They're not looking for specific proposals from him; he has had a fantastic record on that. They're looking for a shift in his perspective, and in the perspective of his movement. And with him, at least, I think they've accomplished that; they'll have to keep him listening, of course, but he seems willing to do that.

But as for the rest of us? We can't ask "Well, what are we possibly supposed to do to satisfy you?". Because that question can't be answered. What they're looking for is support, understanding, empathy, listening, and a genuine attempt to fully realize the implications of "Black Lives Matter" in our own lives and in our actions with the world around us.

And I have to say: so far, the reactions to these protests have not been "Hell yes, black lives fucking matter to me." Might be something to work on.

[msongs]

1. stop killing black people. not that hard to understand nt

[F4lconF16]

2. Fair enough.

Though I've gotten the impression that while that is the most visible and most direct aspect of the BLM movement, as well as what is primarily driving it, the movement has grown to encompass much more.

[TDale313]

3. Hell yes, black lives fucking matter to me!

[nadinbrzezinski]

4. Or... You could google it

The demands are online.

There are local demands as well, but national demands are online. I have a copy of the local demands as well, but I report on this and sometimes from the front lines.

There is a short version and a longer version. I am on a phone. Hard to google on it.

But enter blacklivesmatter demands on the Google. Yup, that simple really.

And yes, it is a flat movement, but what they want is pretty easy to find. It goes beyond stop killing us. It includes police reform, demilitarization. The end of the school to prison pipeline. Justice for Michael Brown's family. It is pretty basic, and sadly not that easy to achieve.

Locally it includes things like stop the curfew sweeps, give teeth to the civilian review board. The end of grand juries for Officer Invilved Shootings is pretty much now California law as of Webdsday. You can also record the cops. So those two are off the bucket list.

There are days.

[F4lconF16]

5. Yes, I am aware of their demands. I have them in a file on my computer somewhere.

I'm trying to give an answer to all the people who keep asking "Why do they keep protesting us?". And it's a whole lot more than specific policies, in my opinion.