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Nov 6, 16

At the Intersection of Blue Lives Matter & Trumpism: The Chicago Police Murder of Joshua Beal

Submitted to It’s Going Down

Last night, I overheard two wealthy white men praising god that election day was right around the corner and that we’d soon be doing away with Donald Trump. Meanwhile, on the other side of Chicago, Blue Lives Matter supporters were harassing and intimidating the friends and family of Joshua Beal.

Earlier that Saturday, an off-duty Chicago Police officer cut off a funeral procession with his vehicle, then shot & killed Joshua, a 25 year old father of two. Joshua’s murder took place on November 5th, which happens to be the birthday of Rekia Boyd, a 22 year old black woman who was also killed by an off-duty Chicago Police officer in 2012. Rekia’s killer, Dante Servin has not been held accountable—an end likely to repeat itself in the case of Beal’s death.

Josh was murdered in the Mount Greenwood neighborhood of Chicago, a CPD stronghold on the far South side. Dozens of racist Blue Lives Matter supporters arrived at the scene, brandishing bats and flags as they shouted racial slurs and threatened a family in mourning. The police who killed Joshua Beal work out of the 22nd District police station, inside of which hangs a “Blue Lives Matter” sign with a blue ribbon attached. Showing up in the immediate aftermath of a police killing and yelling “Blue Lives Matter” is not merely support of cops (which would be bad enough), it is the celebration of black death.

The bigotry that Trump’s campaign has brought forth is nothing new; it is the foundation upon which this country was built. Emboldened by the discourse of Trump’s campaign, many racists are coming out of the shadows, and others are openly embracing white supremacist ideologies for the first time.

Earlier this summer, I visited Cleveland to protest the Republican National Convention. For the first time in my life, I was part of demonstrations that were evenly numbered or outnumbered by people who held white supremacist views. Throughout the city, white people walked around wearing clothing that celebrated the KKK, Nazis, the police, men’s rights, and white supremacy. Without fear of retaliation or fear of being ostracized, these bigots flaunted their beliefs in large numbers. These extremists were not “outliers” – they were the majority. RNC attendees not engaging in openly racist behavior did nothing to show their disapproval of these groups and individuals.

After Trump loses the election, there will be no sudden vanishing of the racists welcomed and emboldened by his campaign. Trumpism will not be defeated by a Clinton victory at the polls; it will continue to manifest itself outside of and after the election. Many of the people screaming loudest about getting in line and voting for Clinton will be MIA when the time comes to combat Trumpism after the election or to oppose Clinton’s inevitable neoliberal agenda.

Unfortunately, none of this racism is going away anytime soon. The police will continue to kill Black people and bigots will continue to find avenues outside of Trump’s campaign to spread their views. If you’re serious about opposing Trump and everything he represents, it’s time to prepare to do more than just vote. There is an enormous need for people to get involved and join the Movement for Black Lives. There is much anti-racist action and organizing waiting to be done. We must not only push back against this racism and police killings, we need to organize to support the people who have been victimized and their families.

As I listened to those two well-to-do white folks go on about the election last night, I began seeing messages from friends and accomplices who were heading out to support Joshua’s family. We might not be able to stop this madness overnight, but it makes me happy to know that I live in a city where there are so many people who will drop what they’re doing to support families like Joshua Beal’s. There is a movement of people who are already in the streets demanding a better world–regardless of who wins the election. Join us.

Donate to help cover the funeral costs of Joshua Beal here.

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In search of new forms of life. It's Going Down is a digital community center and media platform featuring news, opinion, podcasts, and reporting on autonomous social movements and revolt across so-called North America from an anarchist perspective.

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