Of course black lives matter.
And, yes -- community policing and police brutality is a major issue, especially in impoverished areas. But so is education an important issue in impoverished areas.
The key word here is poverty -- which is the real issue -- income inequality. The things that divide and wedge us in society are not black vs. white, man vs. woman, Christian vs. Muslim vs. Jew, old vs. young, us vs. them, it is, and has been for a long time, rich vs. poor. That's the core of our social unrest.
The "black lives matter" energy should combine with the Occupy movement but with directed focused organization and strong leaders who know how to use the media and then change might be possible -- the bridge between poor and rich could be built -- the divide between uneducated and enlightened can come together with communication and community and we'll all have a chance. As it is now, it's just sad and angry and chaotic and reactive and disillusioned and almost hopeless.
As it is now, what's happening in Baltimore will happen in another city. We need to stay on focus. Of course black lives matter. We have a black president. Out last attorney general was black. Our new attorney general is a black woman. We need new energetic secular leaders who aren't already millionaires to connect with Millennials -- the reason the Occupy Wall Street movement dissipated was because they had no leaders -- they didn't want leaders because they felt that leaders inevitably corrupt movements. Although a valid point -- it's wrong. It's a chance Millennials must take -- find new, young, idealistic leaders with the same agenda: corral American social unrest and channel it against those who really keep the poor uneducated, imprisoned and impoverished: the elite.
Just maybe the elite (including the media elite) want people poor, uneducated and fighting amongst each other: it keeps the elite in their Ivory Tower, a safe place to wag a finger and snarl. We absolutely one-hundred percent need new, strong leaders.