Which black lives matter?

Do black lives really matter… to black people? Yesterday marked the second anniversary of George Floyd’s death at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer, setting off a wave of protests under the anthemic banner of ‘Black Lives Matter’. The narrative of young black men being killed across America by white cops was strong and inspired a Covid-summer full of protests and promises of change.

Now New York’s mayor Eric Adams has finally said the quiet part out loud. Adams slammed Black Lives Matter and anti-police activists after a recent night of bloodshed across the city that saw more than a dozen people shot. ‘Where are all those who stated “Black Lives Matter”?’ Adams said. ‘The victims were all black’. Three people were killed and 13 others wounded. Zero were shot by police officers. ‘The lives of these black children that are dying every night matter,’ Adams said. ‘We can’t be hypocrites.