Black Lives Matter Can Not Be Sued To The Dismay Of Racists Nationwide
U.S. District Judge Brian Jackson dismissed an officer’s suit and ruled that Black Lives Matter is not an entity capable of being sued. “Although many entities have utilized the phrase ‘black lives matter’ in their titles or business designations, ‘Black Lives Matter’ itself is not an entity of any sort,” Jackson wrote in his 24-page ruling.
As the lawyer for DeRay McKesson (one of the litigants the suit was filed against), “Black Lives Matter doesn’t have a governing body, dues-paying members or bylaws.” The officer’s attorney, Donna Grodner, stated that, “It’s organized. They have meetings. They solicit money. They have national chapters. This shows a level of national organization.”
A civil lawsuit can be brought against a person, business, organization or even a government that has caused injury or financial loss. How do we resolve whether Black Lives Matter is a person, business, organization or government? Let’s go to the source.
The Black Lives Matter website states:
Black Lives Matter is a chapter-based national organization working for the validity of Black life. We are working to (re)build the Black liberation movement.
They say they are an organization on their own site. How can they not be sued? Well an organization is defined as an organized body of people with a particular purpose. Under the Contact The Chapters section, you begin to see why the judge ruled as he did:
This is the Official #BlackLivesMatter Organization founded by Patrisse Cullors, Opal Tometi, and Alicia Garza.
#BlackLivesMatter is an online forum intended to build connections between Black people and our allies to fight anti-Black racism, to spark dialogue among Black people, and to facilitate the types of connections necessary to encourage social action and engagement.
Seems like a pretty amorphous collective rather than an organization. There’s even more evidence of this in the Guiding Principles Section:
Black Lives Matter is an ideological and political intervention in a world where Black lives are systematically and intentionally targeted for demise. It is an affirmation of Black folks’ contributions to this society, our humanity, and our resilience in the face of deadly oppression.
I don’t see how an “online forum” or an “ideological and political intervention” can be sued. Black Lives Matter doesn’t qualify as a person, business, organization nor government. Black Lives Matter is an idea, one that many of us believe in. You can’t sue ideas.
