After dealing with the ruckus of the deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, there has been very little discussion about Dylan Noble. Honestly, I don’t even know if most people know about Dylan. Well, there is an intricate story that happened recently dealing with this young man. This young man was wrongfully killed by the police. And the details of this case calls for an understanding of how race plays into situations.
If you don’t think race actually plays into how situations are handled, then I’m going to prove that things actually look different when the color changes. Check this out:
Noble, 19, is one of more than 500 people who have been killed by US law enforcement in 2016. His is one of the few cases to receive international attention – but not for the reasons that police killings of unarmed adolescents typically make headlines.
In a standoff with Fresno officers at an emotional vigil Sunday night, friends of Noble, who was white, and other critics of the police department took to the streets, some carrying aConfederate flag and others promoting a “White Lives Matter” sign.
The message was an appropriation of Black Lives Matter, the civil rights movement that emerged in response to the killings of African Americans, and the Fresno protest was swiftly mocked as racist and offensive on social media and in news reports. [1]
Let me get all of this straight: these white people protested saying “white lives matter” and even had Confederate flags. Outside of the obviously issues with the flag, I am impressed by the gravitas that was shown. I must commend them for doing what black people have been doing for quite a while.
Dylan Noble And White Lives Matter
Of course, many people are going to feel that this is a “racist type of demonstration”. From my standpoint, I don’t think it is “racist” as it is “unnecessary”. You see, white people have to realize that they aren’t an oppressed people. White people are the major culture controllers. They are not a minority going through minority issues. Thus, the statement “white lives matter” comes off as weird and “extra”.
I still find this type of demonstration to be extremely ironic. The irony of it all is that these same people probably may have had a problem with “black lives matter”. Some of them may have scoffed at the idea of a protest. That is until someone in their own community is killed unnecessarily. Next thing you know, they adopt the outcry and rallying points of those that they probably didn’t agree with in the first place.
To top it all out, the demonstration remained peaceful. There was no tanks and tear gas. There were no cops to harass people. In fact, the cops actually met up with the demands of the demonstrators. This may have been the epitome of a “peaceful demonstration”.
Dylan Noble Won In Losing His Life
Dylan Noble lost his life. Yet, his death sparked something within the white portion of the Fresno community that shows how unity should look. These people came together for a common cause. They made their feelings become felt and they were easily respected for it. Some may not have agreed with some of the “extra-curricular” of it all. Still, this situation is proof that white people can easily take on the actions of black people and see positive results.
Now, why can’t people stop having an issue with black people when there is a demonstration over the same issue?