There is now renewed focus on the official Black Lives Matter organization's list of demands in the aftermath of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin's conviction for second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter in the death of George Floyd.
Though the organization was okay with Chauvin's guilty verdicts, they maintained, "an oppressive, racist system cannot and never will deliver justice for our people. It will never keep us safe. What we saw today was some form of accountability — not justice. Justice would mean George Floyd would be here. Justice would mean a system not rooted in white supremacy. It would be the end of state-sanctioned violence. It would be defunded police."
Among their seven demands, BLM has not only called for former President Donald Trump to be banned from all social media platforms but also for him to be banned from holding public office ever again. Trump has floated the possibility of running for president again in 2024.
BLM further wants to expel all GOP members of Congress who voted to contest the results of the 2020 presidential election:
- "Convict and ban Trump from future political office: We are joining Rep. Ilhan Omar, Rep. Ayanna Pressley, Rep. Cori Bush, Rep. Jamaal Bowman, and others who are demanding Trump be immediately convicted in the United States Senate. Trump must also be banned from holding elected office in the future."
- "Expel Republican members of Congress who attempted to overturn the election and incited a white supremacist attack: More than half the Republican representatives and multiple senators stoked Trump’s conspiracy theories and encouraged the white supremacists to take action to overturn the election. We are supporting Rep. Cori Bush’s resolution to expel them from Congress for their dangerous and traitorous actions. We also support steps to bar them from seeking another office."
- "Permanently ban Trump from all digital media platforms: Trump has always used his digital media platforms recklessly and irresponsibly to spread lies and disinformation. Now it is clearer than ever that his digital media is also used to incite violence and promote its continuation. He must be stopped from encouraging his mob and further endangering our communities, even after [the] inauguration."
Facebook's Oversight Board ruled on Wednesday to uphold the ban the social media giant placed on Trump but said the current ban will be in place for six more months with the possibility of the ban being lifted after that time period. Trump was banned from posting content on Facebook and Instagram after the Capitol riot on January 6.
"However, it was not appropriate for Facebook to impose the indeterminate and standardless penalty of indefinite suspension. Facebook’s normal penalties include removing the violating content, imposing a time-bound period of suspension, or permanently disabling the page and account. The Board insists that Facebook review this matter to determine and justify a proportionate response that is consistent with the rules that are applied to other users of its platform."