Unit 1012: The Victims' Families For The Death Penalty.: BLUE LIVES MATTER

[PHOTO SOURCE: https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/68/a2/7c/68a27c13e4b2f69f6fbc1c6561e2b41d.jpg]

Blue Lives Matter

The Blue Lives Matter flag is a white, black, and blue derivative of the American flag.

Formation

December 20, 2014; 24 months ago
New York City, New York, U.S.

Founders

Active and retired law enforcement officers

Type

Social movement

Location

United States

Website

BlueLivesMatter.blue

Blue Lives Matter is a pro-police movement in the United States. It was started after the killings of NYPD officers Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu in Brooklyn, New York, on December 20, 2014, after they were ambushed in their patrol car. Blue Lives Matter was formed in reaction to the Black Lives Matter movement, which seeks to end police brutality against the African American community.

INTERNET SOURCE: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Lives_Matter

Officers Rafael Ramos, 40, left, and Wenjian Liu, 32, were killed on Saturday. Credit New York Police Department

[PHOTO SOURCE: https://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/21/nyregion/two-police-officers-shot-in-their-patrol-car-in-brooklyn.html?_r=0]

History

On December 20, 2014, in the wake of the killings of officers Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu, a group of law enforcement officers formed Blue Lives Matter to counter media reports that they perceived to be anti-police. Blue Lives Matter is made up of active and retired law enforcement officers. The current national spokesman for Blue Lives Matter is retired Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Lieutenant Randy Sutton.

Originating in New York City in December 2014, Blue Lives Matter NYC is an organization and current nationwide movement that was created to help law enforcement officers and their families during their times of need. Sergeant Joey Imperatrice along with Officers Chris Brinkley and Carlos Delgado felt "compelled to show support for their brothers and sisters in blue" and handed out bracelets that stated Blue Lives Matter. They decided to create an organization which became the non-profit Blue Lives Matter NYC. This BLM organization's mission is to raise awareness and encourage public aid for the needs of police officers, to help police officers assist one another, and to provide a police officer's family with comfort and support as they go through hard times. This campaign is designed to raise both awareness and money for the families in need. In order to increase awareness nationwide, over three hundred billboards have been posted with the slogan "Blue Lives Matter". Many of these billboards are also accompanied by the hashtag #thankublu, a hashtag many individuals use to show their support for police officers.

In September 2015, over 100 Los Angeles police officers joined other members of the community to participate in a rally in Hollywood to show support for all the hard work and good actions performed by the police officers.

Blue Lives Matter American flags emblazon a coffee house in Boise, Idaho.

Legislation

Louisiana passed legislation in May 2016, making it a hate crime to target police officers or firefighters. The legislation, authored by state Representative Lance Harris, was signed into law by Governor John Bel Edwards. The law allows for hate crime felonies to carry an additional $5,000 fine or five years in prison, while hate crime misdemeanors to carry an additional $500 fine or six months in prison.