On June 8 activists from Black Lives Matter and other concerned residents asked Council member Elissa Silverman (I- At-large) via Twitter if she would defund the police; however, while the Jewish politician expressed her support of the movement, she used her reply for a backhanded deflection towards support for anti-Semitism.
Let’s break down the moments leading up to the Council member’s tone-deaf tweet towards Black Lives.
Black Lives Matter replied to one of the Council member’s tweets writing, “But the real question is, will you #DefundPolice in DC?”
The following morning, Black Lives Matter replied enraged at the Council member’s assertions and accused her of not listening to Black people.
Directly after the organization replied to the tweet, Black Lives Matter DC organizer April Goggans also tweeted in response to the Council member.