(WNYT) A resolution to recognize the Black Lives Matter movement was defeated in the Rensselaer County Legislature Tuesday night.
The resolution was defeated by a vote of 16-3.
Advocates said the goal of the resolution is to provide a first step in addressing systemic racism in Rensselaer County.
“This is really about enlightenment that we have received at this time and through this enlightenment we can move forward,” Minority Leader Peter Grimm said.
OK, so, quick question—what in the fuck does this actually mean? Like, how do you vote to not “recognize” a movement? How do you recognize, or not recognize, something that isn’t truly tangible in the first place?
I’m not sure if this is something that BLM supporters would argue needs to be passed, in part BECAUSE it is not a tangible thing, but at the end of the day, that’s what I’ve been wondering, every time I’ve read this article. What happens if BLM supporters want to hold a peaceful protest in Rensselaer County, and apply for a permit? Do they just get told “sorry, guys, county voted you’re not real, so, no permit for you?” Are they basically ghosts now? What are the pros and cons of being fakelife?
The ONLY other thing that I think this could be up there with is recognizing something as a religion, and granting it tax exempt status, right? I NEED someone to tell me what goes into officially recognizing a cause or movement. It’s getting to the point where I’m losing sleep over it.
Also, I feel like someone on the county board should’ve probably called a recess, gone behind closed doors, and been like “hey guys, I’m not so sure it’s a good idea for us to vote against recognizing BLM.” For real, how are there 16 people on a county board who think that it’s an OK look to be like “yeah, those protests and shit happening all over the world—they ain’t a thing here in Rensselaer County.” These people are politicians (I think?), so don’t they understand bad optics when they see it (no pun intended, but totally intended)? This makes you, and by proxy, your entire area served, look like a bunch of backwards ass morons. Team, there has to be more than 3 people there with their heads on even SOMEWHAT straight.
SIDENOTE-Is that normal for a county board to have 19 members? I thought that shit was like 8, or 10, tops? Granted, I’ve never been much for local government, but that seems like an egregiously large amount of people to be voting on whether the local little league gets a parade…