The Only Response 'Black Lives Matter' Needs Is 'Yes, They Do!'

MELROSE, MA — In place of our usual weekend notebook, this space will be dedicated Saturday and Sunday for local Black voices speaking their personal truths about the police traffic sign controversy that has thrust Melrose into an unwelcome national spotlight.

The following is from Melrose resident Michael Thompson.

When I learned about the Melrose Police traffic sign ending with “all lives matter,” my heart sank. The reason is that some (mostly white) people seem not to understand the problem with this phrase while others dismiss the reaction to it as overly sensitive. It's important, though, to listen to the experiences and feelings of black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) around this issue and try to understand where they are coming from.

As Police Chief Lyle acknowledged, "the phrase 'all lives matter' is commonly used as a misguided counter to the Black Lives Matter movement." When BIPOC and their allies shout "black lives matter," it is because, in our country's history, black lives have been treated, at worst, as expendable and, at best, as less valuable than white lives. If all lives matter, then the statement "Black Lives Matter" doesn't need a counter or opposing viewpoint. All lives matter only if black lives matter as equally as white lives. So, if you agree that black lives matter, there is no need to say "all lives matter." The only response "black lives matter" needs is, "Yes, they do!"

Instead, "all lives matter" is designed to oppose "Black Lives Matter." "All lives matter" is like saying about black lives, "No. Everyone's lives matter and there is no need to focus specifically on the value of black lives." It's the last italicized part of that statement that's the problem. This country has a 400-year long history of racial discrimination and injustice, as well as a long history of discrimination and injustice based on gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, and other aspects of who a person is. The result has been, among other things, murders of BIPOC, taking of land belonging to Native Americans, and murders of trans people - particularly black and brown trans people. These dark clouds in our history continue to cast a shadow today. This darkness is the reason we have to affirm that black and brown lives matter, Native American lives and property rights matter, and trans lives matter. These rallying cries are not targeted at reducing the value of white, straight, or cisgender lives but elevating the value of non-white, non-straight, non-cisgender lives. If you believe all lives matter, then you should have no problem saying that black lives matter or trans lives matter or the like.

This background is why the police "all lives matter" sign is offensive, disturbing, and scary to BIPOC like myself. One of the horrific ways in which racial injustice continues to mar our country is in the inconsistent experiences BIPOC and white people have with the police. This is most clearly seen in the murders of individuals like George Floyd, but it also shows up in situations such as calling the police on black and brown people over civil disagreements or nothing much at all.

So for the police to use a phrase meant to counter "Black Lives Matter" is scary. The people who are supposed to keep us all safe and, in so doing treat us all equally, put up a sign, intentionally or not, meant to oppose the idea that Black Lives Matter. That is scary in itself but scarier coming from individuals who have access to deadly force. When, as a BIPOC, you constantly have to endure public debates over your value, the police taking a position that the Chief acknowledges is commonly used to oppose "Black Lives Matter" is downright terrifying. It reads like the police taking a position against black lives. Using a counter-statement to "Black Lives Matter" demonstrates that black lives do not, in fact matter, or, at best, that they matter less than white lives.

The discussions of this issue on the Melrose Community Facebook page make the pain I experienced over this sign even worse. Many truly heinous comments litter that board. These are the views of members of this community - a community of which I am an equal part. But being able to say "all lives matter" is a privilege BIPOC people don't have. Their lives have not mattered and not mattered equally for hundreds of years and that continues to reverberate through today.

And even putting all of that aside. Think about it this way. The police put up a sign that has deeply hurt members of our community and made some of them feel threatened. At the same time, there are plenty of other ways to express the same traffic safety message without triggering that hurt and pain. So, why is it such a big issue to take down a sign that hurts some members of our community and replace it with one that doesn't cause pain? If you believe that all lives matter, including black lives, then why not, for the sake of other members of your community, support a different sign?

--Michael Thompson