Until I saw that The Root had also covered the protests (as did NYC Eater) I wondered if the Washington Post hadn’t been duped by a band of satirists:
#BlackBrunchNYC protests disrupt ‘white’ N.Y. breakfast spots
Since an unarmed black teenager was killed by a police officer in Ferguson, Mo., on Aug. 9, demonstrators have flooded America’s streets to bring the nation’s attention to what they say is an epidemic of police brutality…More than 30 demonstrators staged events at restaurants such as Lallisse, Maialino and Pershing Square, Yahoo reported. The protesters, most dressed in black, read the names of African Americans killed by police punctuated with chants of “ashe,” a word from the Yoruba language of West Africa comparable to “amen.” Timed by participants, the ritual takes four-and-a-half minutes — since Michael Brown’s body was left on the street for four-and-a-half hours in Ferguson….
“People who have money and privilege have the leisure to brunch,” Carrie Leilam Love, media liaison for the group Black Brunch NYC, told The Washington Post in a phone interview. “Other people don’t.”
Love said the first black brunch was held in Oakland in December. Some met with an unexpected political action while dining are supportive — others object to what they call an inconvenience. But Love said they need to pay attention.
“It is an inconvenience to us to be shot in the street,” she said. “… We respectfully demand that people demand that people take five minutes of their time to look at what life is like for us every day.”…
#blackbrunchnyc every 28 hours a Black unarmed civilian is murdered by the State. This is why we disrupt. pic.twitter.com/8L8golSUZy
— Sharmin Ultra (@sharminultraa) January 4, 2015
People who are willing to pay $14 for a “Cream of Wheat & Grape Compote” presumably understand the metrics of performance art, so it’s probably a better choice than the local IHOP. (And there don’t seem to be any Cracker Barrels within public-transport range…)
Bob In Portland
I saw this and thought that BJers might be interested.
Kropadope
People don’t want to take 5 minutes out of their day, true. Engage people while they’re waiting, however, you’ve given them something to do that takes their attention off Fox News they’re playing at Dunkie’s. This is a multi-tasking society, protestors gotta get with the internet age. See also google bomb.
Omnes Omnibus
But this – Uova Tartufati (Soft Scrambled Eggs, Parmigiano & White Truffles) – at $60 looks to be exquisite.
Seriously, though, I think this is great. I saw a guy today in a convenience store wearing an “I Can’t Breathe” hat. Like a dumbass, I complimented him on it but forgot to ask he got it. We shouldn’t be allowed to forget.
Omnes Omnibus
@Omnes Omnibus: We in this case being white people. I am sure that POC don’t need reminders.
John Revolta
I was on board with these guys until I got to the Yoruba bit. Jeezus.
Omnes Omnibus
@John Revolta: Why does the use of a Yoruba term bother you?
Gin & Tonic
@Bob In Portland: I particularly love the “Russia Stands for Freedom!” (exclamation point included) on that blog. I’m sure Alexei Navalny will wholeheartedly agree.
But, then again, one may wonder why the author, so supportive of Russian freedoms, chooses to reside in Edgewater, FL.
Mike J
@Omnes Omnibus: I’m just not that big a fan of Colombian coffees.
Oh, wait, that’s Yuban. Never mind.
Omnes Omnibus
@Gin & Tonic: Scroll through some of that lad’s posts. He’s a bit of a nutter if you ask me.
beth
Black people can be, and have been, stopped and inconvenienced for no good reason at any time while just trying to live their lives. I like the idea of trying to make white people a little more aware of what they have to go through. I just worry that someone’s going to feel threatened and shoot a protestor.
Mike in NC
Two more cops shot in Bronx, per iPad news. Going to be an interesting year, huh?
Gin & Tonic
@Omnes Omnibus: I have. This isn’t the first time our dear friend Bob has linked to that blog.
beth
@Mike in NC: CNN is reporting the officers responded to a robbery, tried to pull over a suspect who opened fire on them. But let’s talk about some rude protestors, not the waves of guns washing over the country.
Omnes Omnibus
@Gin & Tonic: It is one of his go to choices. The bird is pretty. I like falcons.
different-church-lady
There will be no justice in this world until affluent whites are confused and disconcerted during the middle hours of Sunday!
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@beth: from the NYT
One police shot in the back, the other grazed by a bullet.
Omnes Omnibus
@different-church-lady: Basically.
Johnny Coelacanth
@beth: Yes, I heard that some of the protesters actually endorsed the killing of police officers! How can you respect the movement after that? You just can’t. Some people will say “oh, it’s just a few bad apples” but it’s easy to suspect that those bad apples represent the mainstream police force. I mean protesters. We’re talking about protesters saying bad things, still, right?
Johnny Coelacanth
@different-church-lady: I guess it’s a minor form of afflicting the comfortable.
different-church-lady
@Johnny Coelacanth: It’s also a minor affliction.
? Martin
@beth:
The police are welcome to speak out against GOP policies at any point rather than singling out Democrats for criticism.
Kropadope
@Johnny Coelacanth: Stop trying to conflate some protesters saying bad things with some police doing bad things. Saying mean things is clearly a far greater offense than choking or shooting someone. So much so that merely pointing out the wrongness of choking or shooting someone is too mean a thing to say in
a police statepolite company. Understand?Omnes Omnibus
@different-church-lady: It’s not going to make the world over in and of itself, but it is an interesting and noticeable protest. It’s artsy and all that, but I’ve spent the evening listening to French ye-ye singers and Tom Waits so who the fuck am I to criticize?
Omnes Omnibus
@Kropadope: I think that an adjustment of your snarkmeter might be in order.
Kropadope
@Omnes Omnibus: Yours?
Mnemosyne (iPad Mini)
@different-church-lady:
As a white former dunderhead (who is also reasonably affluent), sometimes being confused and disconcerted leads one to try and figure out why someone thinks you’re clueless and/or what the hell someone is talking about. If any audience could be influenced to re-think attitudes thanks to being confused and disconcerted, it’s probably affluent white brunchers.
John Revolta
@Omnes Omnibus: Aw hell, I dunno.
I’m just a little cranky. They can run their protest any way they want. I guess I should feel glad that they left out the interpretive dance part.
Omnes Omnibus
@Kropadope: I am suggesting that you may have taken JC’s comment literally when it may have been meant sarcastically. YMMV.
Mnemosyne (iPad Mini)
@Kropadope:
Johnny C almost poked an eye out with that tongue in his cheek.
We really need a “snark” emoticon. Who’s up for creating one?
different-church-lady
@Omnes Omnibus: I believe Thomas Jefferson died fighting in the War of 1812 so that I and future generations would have the right to say that if liberals never figure out the difference between symbolism and substance, then the world is just gonna keep right on wobbling the way it always has.
kc
This is dumb.
different-church-lady
@Mnemosyne (iPad Mini): And once they are confused and disconcerted, they do what exactly?
Kropadope
@Mnemosyne (iPad Mini): Yes, I understand. What Omnes missed is that I attempted (obviously poorly) to pick up the snark baton and run with it.
Omnes Omnibus
@John Revolta: As I noted above, I am probably a pretentious music douche* so that kind of thing doesn’t bother me. OTOH giant puppet heads and clowns really bug me (the clowns scare me).
*Apologies to Tom Levenson.
Omnes Omnibus
@Kropadope: My bad. Long day.
@different-church-lady:
They might think.
Johnny Coelacanth
@Kropadope: I, for one, recognized your snark in response to mine, Krope.
different-church-lady
@Omnes Omnibus: a) this assumes they are not already thinking about such things.
b) Let’s put ourselves in the mind of someone having an overpriced brunch in NYC roughly 36 hours ago: “OK, I’m having an overpriced brunch, and now there are a bunch of people in here telling me about events that happened that I don’t have a fucking thing to do with and am just a powerless to change as they are. They are doing this why?”
Omnes Omnibus
@different-church-lady: Aside from a prime example of drunk talk, what does that mean?
Mnemosyne (iPad Mini)
@different-church-lady:
Usually, they find their one black friend/acquaintence and start asking really stupid questions. These days, they probably start reading things online and discover that there are a whole lot of people pissed off about this thing they were clueless about. If they’re smart, they start reading up on it.
Or, while still in the restaurant, they shrug and go back to their overpriced eggs once the performance is over and never think about it again. But you were asking about the people who might be curious about the demonstration, not the perpetually incurious.
different-church-lady
@Omnes Omnibus: I’ll have you know I’ve yet to have a cocktail today. In fact, I might even eschew such for the remainder of the day.
As for the rest, I suggest you listen to several Firesign Theater records and then re-read in the proper mindset.
Mnemosyne (iPad Mini)
@Kropadope:
@Johnny Coelacanth:
As long as you two kids understand each other, I’m not going to worry anymore. :-)
Omnes Omnibus
@different-church-lady: Not in NYC, but I have been known to brunch at places like that. I also have a college fraternity brother who is in my state legislature as a good guy. I might well call him after seeing something like that. And possibly something might come of it.
different-church-lady
@Mnemosyne (iPad Mini): I’m just wondering how this eventually works its way to the point where there are fewer dead unarmed black people and fewer dead cops. Knowhatimsayin?
kc
@different-church-lady:
Not just telling you about it, yelling about it, and taking photos of you trying to drimk coffee and posting them on Twitter with scornful captions.
I'mNotSureWhoIWantToBeYet
@Mnemosyne (iPad Mini): A winking smiley with its tongue out?
;-p
/snark works, also too.
Cheers,
Scott.
kc
@different-church-lady:
Yeah. It’s so patronizing.
It also assumes black people don’t eat brunch.
MomSense
Doing brunch is still a thing?
Omnes Omnibus
@MomSense: It’s not a thing, but it still can be fun if it doesn’t interfere with watching the Packer game.
Kropadope
@kc: It won’t stop until we break the cycle of media demonizing peaceful protest feeding the hopelessness that leads to people feeling vindicated in shooting police officers. I’m not trying to forgive what they did, but when you treat protests as a moral equivalent to murder, someone will take that seriously.
Edit: Oh, and obviously all the lovely things we discuss to responsibly reform the police and create a comfortable working environment for every honest (presumably the majority) officer. That should be de rigeur at this point, however.
John Revolta
@Omnes Omnibus: Pretentious I can live with. Pretentious+trite= blecch.
Mnemosyne (iPad Mini)
@different-church-lady:
It’s not going to do much directly, but in the PR wars, I don’t think it hurts. Why is the NYPD the only entity in NYC allowed to make pointless political gestures?
Omnes Omnibus
@John Revolta: I was trite? Eek!
srv
Lessons learned from OWS: PR is for professionals.
John Revolta
@Omnes Omnibus: Trite thou never wert, old bean. I meant our merry brunch-disruptors.
Omnes Omnibus
@John Revolta: Okay then. I was ever so worried.
ruemara
Black people do brunch and asTWiB has often posited, “we brunch hard”. Seems to involve hats & tea.That being said, these people don’t think a damned thing about what happens to black people. Not sure if doing this does aught but bother them but, why not.
PurpleGirl
Those fancy restaurants are too pricey for me. And some of the diners I’ve liked and eaten at no longer exist. The writers of these articles forget (or ignore) the fact that not all white people have that kind of money to spend.
I ate once at the Cracker Barrel in Fishkill (NY). A friend and I were driving back to the City after visiting my mother upstate and we decided to stop for something to eat and then stop at some craft/art supply stores.
mclaren
See? This is the problem! Those black folks shoudl’ve targeted the diners at the salad bar at Applebee’s.
Oh…wait…Applebee’s doesn’t have a salad bar…
Omnes Omnibus
@ruemara:
They might well be people who don’t think about black people unless something brings black people to their attention. That is what this protest does.
mclaren
@different-church-lady:
There. Fixed that for you.
Why don’t you just put on your hood and burn a cross, you miserable excuse for a human being?
Roger Moore
@Mnemosyne (iPad Mini):
I suspect you’re wrong about that. People on the sidelines who are just reading about it may be puzzled or even thoughtful, but people whose brunches were actually interrupted are likely to be angry at the protesters. Interrupting random people eating brunch is likely to be about as effective in raising white awareness of black problems as arresting random black people going about their business is in stopping crime.
different-church-lady
@mclaren: The fact that I have caused you to say things even more monumentally stupid than your usual offerings makes the veins in my neck swell with pride.
Kropadope
@mclaren: The Woolworth’s thing was different in that the injustice they were protesting actually occurred at the Woolworth’s lunch counter. I don’t expect much police brutality occurs at upscale New York restaurants.
gwangung
@Roger Moore: Hm. This verges uncomfortably close to tone policing for me to agree too much…
? Martin
@different-church-lady:
Because the police really are doing the will of the people. They are local servants and they know this. The brutality against blacks during the civil rights movement weren’t at the hands of pipe fitters and seamstresses, they were at the hands of the police. The national guard were called in because the police were siding with the local populace over federal law. This has always been the case.
The only way the police change is when the local populace demands they change. Now, local populace means those who wield influence and that’s not the black community in any city, but it is the middle and upper class folks that drop $40 and up on brunch, and who are listened to by elected officials.
So these people are neither powerless nor removed from the problem. They, quite silently, are the basis of the problem and it won’t change until they step up and speak out.
I’ll note that I have a fairly huge number of relatives in the NYFD and NYPD. I know where this behavior comes from because I see it close at hand – and it’s not just my relatives but the neighbors and the whole community around them. It’s quite directly the reason I now live 3 time zones away – my branch was banished for procreating with the wrong kind of people.
different-church-lady
@? Martin: Let us say for the moment that your construction is true: how is it that annoying them will get them to take action?
Chet
@Mnemosyne (iPad Mini):
Yeah, because that radical-chic stuff really changed the world the first time around.
wasabi gasp
I wonder if anyone, for a second, thought this might be their last ever oatmeal salad. Now they know how black people feel.
JordanRules
@different-church-lady: Few possibilities…
-They are just plain annoyed and as a likely, more powerful constituent they look to deal with issue, with no more passion than dealing with a pothole
-They bring it up to their kids who might be predisposed to a different attitude by way of their generation and that makes them think and take action
-They just think about it on the way home while listening to some sad ass song and dig deeper and take action
-They let it marinate and next time they close the curtain on the voting booth, they take a different action
-They are annoyed and confrontational so they push themselves into an even more uncomfortable moment because they can’t really process this shit and that pushes them to confront some things and take action
-They take action because they are bored and the annoyance brought forth a nice project
-They use the occasion to denounce action and then rebel against themselves
-They go to Hollywood and scream: lights, camera…
-They listen to their favorite ‘benign’ hip-hop-pop song differently and dig into the crates and then they discover DMX and are compelled to act
-They re-act
wasabi gasp
@JordanRules:
-They get a bouncer.
JordanRules
@wasabi gasp: Ha!! No doubt.
Mnemosyne
@Chet:
Radical chic is what white people do. The (mostly) white protesters who chanted “What do want? Dead cops!” were being radical chic. Patty Hearst was radical chic. Angela Davis — not radical chic.
wasabi gasp
Now you did it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1qQ1SKNlgY
? Martin
@different-church-lady: There was no part of the civil rights fight that didn’t annoy complacent white people. The bus boycott disrupted the transit system for whites as well. It forced whites to at least recognize just how big a problem this was becoming because it and the marches and all of the other events forced an escalation to maintain the status quo. Whites couldn’t just look the other way as dogs and fire hoses and the national guard were being deployed. They could no longer maintain that attitude of “I don’t have a fucking thing to do with and am just a powerless to change as they are.”
Aimai
@Mnemosyne (iPad Mini): people are allowed to make pointless political gestures but there is no reason to pretend this one is going to be at all effective. People who are on the side of the protesters are minorly inconvenienced and turned into mere spectators as well as being neutred by the flashmob style action. People who are not on the side of the protesters are bemused, insulted, and experience themselves as the aggrieved party and so learn nothing from it. If people want to organize and educate and then turn the educational moment into an action plan they can hand out to passsersby thats pretty useful. If they just plan to grandstand, treat fellow citizens as passive props, thats another. Its a self indulgent form of show-protest.
It would have been better for everyone to turn out, dressed to the nones, at the 2police officers funerals holding signs saying “we mourn for you, do you mourn for us?.”
Just Some Fuckhead
Eek, Black Pantsers.
Marc
The Woolworth’s lunch counter protests worked because they were targeting discrimination at Woolworth’s. They found a way to make that discrimination more visible and simultaneously hit the store’s profits.
These protesters decided to strike back against police brutality and court-sanctioned murder by disrupting a couple of brunches. This isn’t the Woolworth’s lunch counter model of social protest. This is the underpants gnomes.
TooManyJens
I’d argue that the protestors have been quite successful in that they’ve kept the topic of police brutality on the front burner for five solid months. Given the usual two-second attention span of our media, that’s pretty fucking remarkable. If they can keep the issue salient and not let it just go away like a lot of people would like it to do, it improves the odds of changes being made. The bills recently introduced in Missouri to improve police accountability wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for the protests. I don’t know what, if anything, will pass, but keeping pressure on makes it more rather than less likely.
Marc
Protests and police over-reactions kept this topic in the public eye, but so did the grand jury decisions, the double cop-killing, the funerals and the NYPD poutrage, etc. This protest doesn’t do much more than paint the protesters as dilettantes who pursue symbolic confrontations with safe, soft targets. Aimai got this one exactly right.
Real protests have goals beyond visibility.
priscianus jr
@Omnes Omnibus: . He’s a bit of a nutter if you ask me.
He’s not a nutter, he’s just wrong sometimes, like all of us.
priscianus jr
@Omnes Omnibus: Why does the use of a Yoruba term bother you?
Because it suggests they have their own factional agenda within the black community, when this is an issue that even large numbers of whites already agree with them on. To be honest, I don’t care much for this type of demonstration. The people who eat these brunches have money, yes, and I’m sure it’s a lot easier to make them feel guilty for being white than actual racist cops. Racist cops, militia and NRA members are probably not that into expensive Sunday brunches either.
priscianus jr
@Marc: This isn’t the Woolworth’s lunch counter model of social protest. This is the underpants gnomes.
Thank you. That is EXACTLY it. It’s like a protest in which they symbolize themselves as symbolic protesters. I’m surprised they don’t use giant Yoruba puppets also.
priscianus jr
@Aimai: Its a self indulgent form of show-protest.
Yes, exactly.
priscianus jr
@different-church-lady: how is it that annoying them will get them to take action?
I don’t think it will, but anyway, Berthold Brecht said it would, and that’s what these folks probably learned in their drama class.