Family Research Council shows its dog whistling and passive-aggressive racism after Derek Chauvin verdict

It's not that black lives don't matter to the Family Research Council. It's just that black lives don't matter if they can't be used for fundraising and scaring FRC's predominantly white audience.

I've called out the Family Research Council and its president, Tony Perkins, numerous times on this blog for the scapegoating  of LGBTQ people via their myriad of lies (check the posts to the right). But this may be the first time I've pointed to the group's dog whistles in terms of racial matters.

Earlier this week, Rep. Maxine Waters gave a speech in Minnesota as people awaited the verdict of the trial of Derek Chauvin for the death of George Floyd.  After the speech, she addressed reporters' questions and caused a firestorm:

She emphasized that “We’re looking for a guilty verdict … for murder,” referring to the trial of Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer who is charged with second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in the death of George Floyd in May. . . . The case went to the jury Monday. At one point, she was asked what she thought protesters should do if the jury did not find Chauvin guilty of the murder charge. It’s unclear if she heard the entire context of the question, so part of it was repeated: “What should protesters do?” 

 This is the controversial part. 

 Here’s how she responded: “Well, we’ve got to stay on the street. And we’ve got to get more active. We’ve got to get more confrontational. We’ve got to make sure that they know that we mean business.”

Conservatives, such as Newt Gingrich and Tucker Carlson, claimed that she was encouraging protestors to riot. Her comments also caused some concern trolling from people like pundit Don Lemon. And then the Family Research Council and Perkins had to put their two cents in:

Apparently, today's liberals don't just start riots in their own cities -- they'll travel halfway across the country to start one in yours. Of course, the woman they call "Kerosene Waters" has been starting fires for years, but in Minneapolis, the situation is different. The entire city is hanging on by a thread. Thanks to the perfect storm of the Derek Chauvin trial and the shooting of Daunte Wright, a community that's been on edge for days is one court verdict away from a full-scale firestorm. The last thing anyone there needs is an excuse to turn the city into another pile of smoldering ash. And yet, this congresswoman certainly seemed determined to give them one. 

 "We've got to stay on the street, and we've got to get more active," Waters told the protestors Saturday night. "We've got to get more confrontational. We've got to make sure that they know that we mean business." If Chauvin isn't convicted of George Floyd's death, she warned, "We cannot go away... We've got to demand justice. We've got to make sure that they know that we mean business." If that means Minneapolis burns to the ground, well, it's not her district. If violence breaks out on the streets, it won't be her constituents that could lose businesses, property, their sense of safety, and sleep. As for the Left's double standard on violence, Waters is the current standard-bearer.

FRC was channeling memories of unrest which took place last place year.  The protests were about the murders of black men by police officers, but right-wing organizations like FRC omitted that part and focused on the violence and destruction of property, which was mostly done not by those protesting but outside provocateurs and skirmishes between racists groups (such as the Proud Boys) and anti-racist individuals.

But unlike last year, there is a big difference. Someone has been held accountable. Chauvin was found guilty of three counts dealing with the death of George Floyd. So while pundits, principal players in this awful situation, and so many others are voicing various thoughts and opinions, where is Tony Perkins and the Family Research Council?

Your guess is as good as mine. It's practically silence coming from their end. Not even a tweet thus far. One would think that an organization which claims to stand for religious values and morality would at least make a statement on this trial, which many viewed as symbolic of the question can black people get any justice in America.

Maybe it's just me, but the desire for racial justice should be a hallmark for any entity claiming to stand for morality and religious principles. But in this case, it would seem that FRC decided to take a powder. When there was no verdict to get people angry and thus create a possibility of civil unrest (and the destruction which generally comes with it) FRC and Perkins decided to "exit stage left" so to speak. They can't blame Democrats or make false concerned remarks about riots or point the finger at certain black leaders; things which are always sure to get their predominantly white audience in heaves so the situation is of no use to them. 

It's almost as if they consider it more important to exploit people's anger and disappointment over racial injustice than taking an actual stance against the racial injustice itself. It's not that black lives don't matter to FRC or Perkins. It's just that black lives don't matter if they can't be used for fundraising and scaring.

Oh well, sorry guys. You don't get to frighten your mostly conservative white base of supporters this time. But sadly, there are so many other chances in the future. I'm sure you will be watching and waiting to pick your spots