Dear White Girls at Protests, Stop, You’re Embarrassing Us

Global protests borne from the justified outrage over the murder of many unarmed Black Americans by police authorities have given the us a window into how detached non-black folks have been for too long.

In the 22 days since the protests began, we’ve seen a succession of protests become conflicts that have endangered the lives of those present. We’ve seen the conservative, right wing media posting videos and photos of burning cars and smashed out windows to create a narrative that lays the blame for the destruction at the feet of Black Lives Matter protesters- or, more broadly, black people present.

That inaccurate narrative has perpetuated more violence from counter-protesters where, in some smaller cities, peaceful efforts to protest police brutality have been met by angry mobs of white men with assault rifles, hurling threats and racist slurs.

The systems on which the founding Father’s laid the groundwork for America was, inarguably, a failure to BIPOC (Black and indigenous people of color.) It presumed a mostly white America or that somehow, equality and justice would be colorblind without ever addressing our inevitable diversity.

The ongoing protests have given every home a direct view into the ugly reality of a racism that has not only been allowed to thrive without hindrance, but has been emboldened- proud even, despite the thousands of recording devices chronicling every moment of it.

No one can use ignorance as an excuse anymore; George Floyd died on all of our doorsteps in a horrific, unimaginable way. No one has permission to pretend it doesn’t exist.

It began as deeply satisfying, watching people from all walks of life step out to push back against the injustice and police brutality that has disproportionately affected communities of color. Every community put themselves forward to represent our collective outrage and amplify the voices of our Black families, friends, colleagues, and neighbors.

And then a disturbing trend erupted.

As protests hit a fever pitch and clashes with police in riot gear became more frequent, videos being recorded by hundreds of streamers across social media platforms saw interlopers attempting to hijack the…