organizationsinninestates.

SupportforBLMhaswaned

inpartbecauseofviolenceat

somerallies.

Cullors:Myviewis Whitesupremacistswereshowingupto

protestandcommittingactsofviolenceanddamagingprop-

erty.Sowhyblameit onBlackLivesMatter?Unlessyou’re

usingit asa tooltotrytowinelections.Unfortunatelywehad

tospenda lotof

ourtimetalkingto

themedia about

rioting and loot-

inginsteadofhav-

inga conversation

aroundwhatreally

is happening.

HowdidBLM

cometopush

fordefunding

thepolice?

Cullors:

Everybody’s

obsessed with the defund slogan. They’re not actually paying

attention to the heart of the ask. We’re calling for a reinvest-

ment into our communities or a reimagining of public safety.

Black people need more resources. You can simply walk into

a Black neighborhood and see that with your own eyes. We

need to lessen our obsession with a slogan and show up for

theconversationabouthowweinvestin Blackcommunities.

Alicia,whydidyoustepbackfromBLMtofocuson

electoralpolitics?

Garza:Movementsonthelefthavelargelybeenambivalent

aboutelectoralpoliticsandelectoralorganizing.Everything

weleaveonthetable,weleaveforsomeoneelsetoeat.Too

oftenourcommunitiesareengagedsymbolically,butwhen

it comestothesubstanceofwhatit meanstochangerules

andmovemoney,

all of a sudden

peopleghost.

Patrisse,you

senta letterto

thepresident-

electandvice

president-

elect.Whatdo

youhopeto

discuss?

Cullors:I’mhope-

ful that we’ll be

able to sit down

with them to talk about every single issue that Black folks

are dealing with but specifically about police violence and

massincarceration.Ourorganizationstalkedtoovera

million Black voters in this election cycle. It’s time for this

administration to be accountable to the forces that helped

push them over the finish line.

LIV ES

MATTER

61

PATRISSE CULLORS, ALICIA GARZA &

OPAL TOMETI, CO-FOUNDERS

Garza in Oakland, Calif.

BloombergBusinessweek December 7, 2020

B Photograph by

Bethany Mollenkof