One thing the #BlackLivesMatter movement doesn’t need is Piers Morgan‘s commentary. Morgan loves the drama that comes from stirring the pot or lending his point of view to a conversation that doesn’t need it. On Monday, he set his sights on Beyoncé and her involvement in #BlackLivesMatter.
https://twitter.com/piersmorgan/status/755069922796040196
In his column, he basically wrote that Beyoncé is a hypocrite for not being enraged by the murder of Montrell Jackson, a black cop who was murdered on Sunday, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He claimed that the problem with the movement is that it’s spreading hate. Morgan also asserts that because Jackson was a cop, he was the enemy of the movement and therefore wouldn’t get any acknowledgment by Beyoncé at her concerts or by anyone else online.
I’m going to give you a minute to process that. It’s infuriating, I know.
More: 23 celebs show the world why #BlackLivesMatter isn’t a debate
The problems with Morgan’s comments are endless, but one is that Beyoncé is on a worldwide tour right now. On Monday night, she has a show in Italy. It’s quite possible that being in charge of one of the biggest tours this summer while maintaining a successful marriage and raising a daughter leaves your day a little busy. She doesn’t have time to sit on Twitter and troll everyone the way that Morgan hopes she could.
More than that, though, there aren’t many facts surrounding Jackson’s death. Some reports say it had nothing to do with race and the gunman was on a killing spree before the cops even showed up. This may not have had anything to do with police officers. Though it may have, but we don’t know yet. All we know is that the gunman never took an oath to protect the police, and he also never asked to be associated with #BlackLivesMatter.
More: #BlackLivesMatter co-founders on why the movement is more vital now than ever
It doesn’t mean what he did was right. It’s not. It’s tragic and terrible and the killings need to stop in America.
But Morgan diluting the #BlackLivesMatter movement by associating Jackson’s murder with it makes people angrier, slower to listen and much less likely to take action. He’s making the problem worse and he knows it.
If Morgan wants to actually have an educated conversation, he needs to have a conversation with the activists doing the work every day. Not attack celebrities who are trying use their platform to get the message out there (while doing their day job) just for attention.
More: Beyoncé pays powerful tribute at her concert to victims of police brutality
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