Activist Unification
Portland, OR — On the surface, it would seem that Black Lives Matter and the militia groups that recently occupied a wildlife refuge in Oregon have very little in common. However, they are very much fighting the same struggle, and they have a common enemy.

The media and the political establishment would like to see these groups divided, because if they unify, they could make a strong and worthy opponent for the current control system.

The media coverage of the two anti-establishment groups has attempted to pit them against each other, using their difference in culture to hide the fact that they are facing the same oppressor. Luckily, it seems that many people within both of these groups are too smart to fall for such divisive tactics.

After police killed Oregon occupier Robert "LaVoy" Finicum earlier this month, there has been a push by his supporters for the department to release the name of the officer who was responsible. In response, legislators have proposed a bill that would shield the officer from having his identity released, which could have implications for other cases in the state.

According to the Washington Times, the bill would allow a judge to withhold for 90 days the identity of an officer involved in the use of deadly force in the event of a "credible threat of danger."

Despite having some political differences with the Oregan occupiers, Black Lives Matter has made a statement strongly opposing the recent legislation, recognizing that an attack on Finicum's supporters is an attack on them as well.

Democratic state Rep. Jeff Barker claimed that the bill was not intended to protect the police department or the "wrongdoer," but that is exactly what the bill will accomplish.

"This bill is deadly serious. This isn't to protect a wrongdoer. It isn't to protect a police department that screwed up," Barker said.

Barker also expressed his concern about "whack jobs" who were "demanding to know the name of the officer that killed LaVoy."


Comment: In a way, Barker is correct. The proposed bill isn't really about protecting the officer who killed Finicum per se. Rather, it is about protecting and shunting off responsibility for an entire apparatus that seeks to subjugate the population and kill innocent people with impunity. Rep. Jeff Barker is obviously aligned with this psychopathic apparatus.


Black Lives Matter Portland made a post to their Facebook page this week, urging supporters to oppose the recent legislation.

"The passing of this bill would be a major blow to police accountability in the state of Oregon. We CANNOT allow this to go unchallenged," the post read.

BLM Screen shot
Likewise, militia supporters also voiced strong opposition to the bill.

"So all you 'WHACK JOBS' who simply want to know who killed a man without provocation of any kind, you have a very short window to let your state representative know your vote resides with him or her only if they don't sign off on this nonsense. This is unprecedented and will set a lasting standard of unaccountably if allowed to happen," Finicum supporters posted on the Facebook page Oregon Wide Open.

There are many different types of people in this world; they come in different races, religions, cultures, and political beliefs. However, deep down, most people just want to live in peace and be free of oppression regardless of their background. Finding this common ground is essential, especially for anti-establishment groups who are fighting for their rights. One side can't have freedom while the other side is persecuted, and the sooner that everyone realizes this, the sooner we can break the chains of our oppression.