At the beginning of her letter to progressives, TealBomb says: "At every single point of transformative change in this country, disruption has been key." That is simply not true. The truth is that it was demonstrations that brought about change. I am talking about lunch counter sit-ins, bus boycotts (Montgomery), freedom rides, marches (Selma), and so forth. These demonstrations were directed at specific injustices, dramatized the injustices, and drew national attention to the reality of these injustices. And they were all peaceful. They put pressure on Congress and were instrumental in bringing about the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
Without question, many injustices still exist. Lynching no longer occurs, but police (and private security guards) can kill black suspects with impunity, imprisonment for the same offense is much more likely if you are black, schools for blacks are unequal, neighborhoods (and whole towns such as Ferguson) are still segregated by real estate agent steering and bank red-lining. It is hard to think of ways to dramatize these injustices. Pictures taken by cell phones have helped draw attention to police shootings, but seldom is the policeman who did the shooting brought to justice. BLM might think of ways to demonstrate the injustices cited above. For instance, shine the spotlight on prosecutors who sweep police shootings under the rug, graphically publicize data on black vs. white incarceration rates, show YouTube testimonials of experiences of black students who attend mostly black schools (real experiences not data on the so-called achievement gap) and show pictures of insides of schools, how can banks that redline and real estate agents who steer be exposed? Hopefully, BLM will study the tactics of the organizations that lead the civil rights movement in the 1960s and become another force to continue the fight for justice for blacks.