Marathon Organizers Respond To Black Lives Matter Plans [View all]

[F4lconF16]

X-posted from GD as there weren't many regulars here that I saw responding. Curious on your thoughts.

http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2015/09/28/marathon-organizers-respond-to-black-lives-matter-plans/

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — With six days left until one of the most popular marathons in the Midwest, organizers are responding to Black Lives Matter, whose members say they intend to disrupt the event.

The Twin Cities Marathon starts at 8 a.m. Sunday near U.S. Bank Stadium, the new home of the Minnesota Vikings. The finish line is near the Minnesota State Capitol. It’s been labeled “The Most Beautiful Urban Marathon in America,” but one group has plans to change all that.

The St. Paul chapter of the group Black Lives Matter is planning a protest on Sunday, and leaders say they plan to block the finish line to prevent runners from completing their 26.2 miles. Organizer Rashad Turner says protesters will “become the finish line” blocking the path of runners just about one mile from the actual end of the race.

The group Twin Cities in Motion, which organizes and hosts all Twin Cities Marathon events, released a statement Monday on the matter. Twin Cities in Motion said they are working closely with city officials to ensure the safety of participants, volunteers, and spectators.

My thoughts:

First, this really worries me as a safety issue. Marathon runners are exhausted at that point in a marathon. I don't run, but I do 120+ mile hill rides on my bike, and I can tell you I'm not sure I'd be able to stop safely if I had my finish line blocked. I'm absolutely confident that I would not be able to process what was happening entirely, or get my bearings in a crowd--especially a demonstration. With thousands of people participating, this has the potential to go really badly. As in, many, many serious injuries.

Second, I am a radical. I understand the need for agitation. I have been part of and support actions that disrupt. I have worked with OA206 a couple of times and they have impressed on me the need to wake people up before talking with them. I will support this protest because it is not my place to decide how to do so. After all, in the end, black people are still dying and that is always the priority.

That being said, this does not seem like it will end in any good way. It will draw large amounts of attention, but unfortunately, not all publicity is good publicity, even when the intent is to agitate or disrupt. This is an international and diverse event, and it seems simply an innapropriate and unrelated venue. It is, to me, also a bit of a middle finger towards those who have trained and invested themselves in this--particularly those from other countries. Any injuries sustained will almost certainly be directly blamed on BLM, and perhaps not without reason (the protesters, that is, and not BLM as a whole).

I also worry that if police try to stop them, this could get very ugly, very quickly. I cannot see those attending the marathon on the protester's side, either. I don't know what size of a group they plan on having, though.

Lastly, I think a marathon simply seems tone deaf after the Boston marathon bombing. While it has nothing to do with it, the right wing will have a field day associating black people with terrorists, and I can't see the advantage stoking those fears and hate will bring. While we cannot allow those who would hate regardless to dictate our actions, blocking a marathon near the end of the race is a very different thing than shutting down a city or a highway, both for safety and venue reasons.

I think, as another person has suggested, that a much better idea would be to stand by and pass out water and leaflets, perhaps setting up audio systems for speeches after the finish line and protesting then, interupting any speakers from the marathon organization. The audience would be only very slightly diminished, BLM would be seen in support of the community, and the safety issues would be drastically reduced, if not eliminated.