The Backlash Is On

In late December, a reporter at NBC News analyzed the "movement, slogan,and rallying cry" of Black Lives Matter and noted

But what appeared to be a changing tide in public opinion has since faded along with the protests. Support for the BLM movement reached a high in June with 67 percent of U.S. adults expressing at least some support for the movement, according to Pew Research. The figure had shrunk to 55 percent by September, Pew reported. Now, 48 percent of American voters support the movement, according to recent tracking data from Civiqs. (The recent number still shows an increase from pre-protest levels.)

A more recent poll of the support of the movement would be helpful. However, we can speculate a little on how that would turn out. Results of a Harvard CAPS/Harris Poll taken in mid-June:

Amazon has the highest favorability ratings of any institution in the country except for the U.S. Military 🤯 pic.twitter.com/PMXDDeQSgC

— Alec Stapp (@AlecStapp) July 1, 2021

This Director of Technology Policy finds it significant that aside from the US military, Amazon has the highest favorability rating. The Centers for Disease Control, despite a campaign waged against it by the far right, is still viewed favorably. And some tweeters wonder how 2% of the population never have heard of the police, though the number is likely lowerthan that.

But consider also that fourteen months after the murder of George Floyd and its aftermath, 69% of respondents have a favorable or very favorable opinion of police.

That may be a good sign. Perhaps police across the country are making strides toward improving relations with the community they serve, and citizens are taking notice and responding positively. And perhaps in six months, Santa Claus will slide down my chimney and give me a voucher for the 2022 automobile of my dreams.

The dueling slogans of 2020, which have endured with less emphasis in 2021, were "black lives matter" and "blue lives matter," the latter hatched in angry response to the former.

One survey proves little but it is a hint; it is not a shout, but a whisper. However, some state legislators in Ohio seem to have heard, for

A proposed state law that could make it a crime to shoot cell phone video of police got the green light by lawmakers to move forward following a statehouse committee hearing Thursday in Columbus.

Members of the House Criminal Justice Committee voted to approve the measure despite more than 100 civil rights, first amendment groups and individuals testifying against the measure since it was first introduced.

House Bill 22 would expand Ohio obstruction of justice laws by including failure to follow a lawful order from police or diverting a law enforcement officer's attention.

Were it not for the cell phone video of Darnella Frazier, George Floyd might still be a member of the Minneapolis Police Department.Those legislators in Ohio know that they cannot prevent the police from irresponsibly killing a suspect but they think they know how to prevent it from being publicized. And the betting here is that the public is increasingly fine with that.

 

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