# "Black Brunch" Protests: Yay or Nay? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 5, 2015, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-brunch-protests-yay-or-nay/709079 "2015-01-05T23:54:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2015, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-brunch-protests-yay-or-nay/709079/1 "2015-01-05T23:54:15Z")
Protesters this weekend disrupted brunches in Oakland and NYC to call attention to #BlackLivesMatter. > [@](#): > > In a twist on sit-in-style protests, civil rights activists entered several restaurants in New York City and Oakland, Calif., on Sunday in what organizers billed as “Black Brunch.” > > About three dozen people participated in demonstrations in New York, where they momentarily “disrupted” meals at popular midtown eateries, including Lallisse, Maialino and Pershing Square — places protesters identified as predominantly “white spaces.” I don’t know, to me it sort of feels like a joke. And incredibly annoying. Commenters on Gawker made it sound as though [opponents](http://gawker.com/blacklivesmatter-protesters-hit-whites-where-it-truly-1677554997) are insensitive, but I don’t know that I’d want to listen to anyone shrilly opine on anything when eating out. After all, if they were, say, anti abortion protesters or a conservative cause, I doubt most people of the people supporting the brunch thing would feel the same way. I’m also reminded of that horrible vegan protest in that restaurant, about Snow, who just wants to be free. More irritating than anything else. Maybe I need to check my privilege. ---
**Author:** ![dracoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@dracoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dracoi)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2015, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-brunch-protests-yay-or-nay/709079/2 "2015-01-06T00:09:56Z")
I’m going nay on this one all the way. Protesters are free to use public spaces where they won’t infringe on the basic rights of other people. You don’t get to use private property (unless the restaurants agreed to it?) and you should try to avoid disrupting whatever bystanders are doing. And I really feel that way regardless of the issue. If I support the issue and want to go protest, I’ll do so. I don’t want my space and time infringed on otherwise. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2015, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-brunch-protests-yay-or-nay/709079/3 "2015-01-06T00:15:45Z")
Oops, there’s apparently already a GD thread on the topic. Ugh, sorry! Feel free to close this one… ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2015, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-brunch-protests-yay-or-nay/709079/4 "2015-01-06T01:09:20Z")
Assholes gonna asshole, basically. ---
**Author:** ![Kaio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c68b51/32.png) [@Kaio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kaio)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2015, 6:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-brunch-protests-yay-or-nay/709079/5 "2015-01-06T06:54:36Z")
Wrong target, I think. You could have no idea by lookin’ which brunchers were allies, which were ignorant and could benefit from education, and which (if any) were police brutality apologists. I don’t think shaming your allies while they’re going about their business which has nothing to do with the reasons for your protest is the wisest move. I imagine it would make at least some of them feel like their support and allyship was unwanted and they’re perceived as enemies anyway. It’s less about having your meal interrupted and more about the implied indictment of character, whether actually deserved or not. Why weren’t they doing this in front of, say, police stations? Or TV stations? That would make more sense. ---
**Author:** ![Calatin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/439d5e/32.png) [@Calatin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Calatin)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2015, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-brunch-protests-yay-or-nay/709079/6 "2015-01-06T15:12:06Z")
When I first heard about it, I thought it was mildly amusing, given how “brunch” seems to be seen as a “white thing.” But, the more I thought about it, I didn’t see much of a point, and actually saw it as possibly counter-productive. The point of protesting is to call attention to a cause and affect change. Well, at this point, if you haven’t heard about Michael Brown or Eric Garner or any other of the incidents that seem to have sprung up recently, then this brunch must’ve been your first time out from under your rock in months. Additionally, I’m not sure what you think your end game is, resulting from disrupting and annoying people who were trying to have a nice Sunday brunch (and probably nurse their hangovers). If anything, it might make you (and your cause) less sympathetic or appealing. If it is just a publicity stunt to get attention, then, congratulations, it worked. But, it’s not like it is initiating a conversation that we haven’t already been having as of recent. I might have been more understanding if they did it in front of places that seemed more relevant - police stations, city government buildings, etc. But, hovering over someone’s bottomless mimosas and reading a list of names for 5 minutes is not quite going to drive the radical social change that I think they desire. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2015, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-brunch-protests-yay-or-nay/709079/7 "2015-01-06T15:26:39Z")
I haven’t seen one of these yet, so I can’t offer an educated comment. In general, though, I think protesting inside a restaurant is inappropriate if you’re not actually protesting _the restaurant’s_ policies (so a sit-in at a white-only lunch counter is okay, bothering people at Subway to tell them about Tibet is not.) ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2015, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-brunch-protests-yay-or-nay/709079/8 "2015-01-07T05:16:04Z")
Absolutely, unequivocally nay! This is not free speech, its causing a disturbance and they should have called the cops and had them all arrested. Though I have to admit I have zero sympathy or belief in this latest bullshit social injustice fad. It is complete and utter nonsense. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2015, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-brunch-protests-yay-or-nay/709079/9 "2015-01-07T05:52:56Z")
The same people who disrupt other people’s brunches for “Black Lives Matter” would probably be angry if someone disturbed their own meals for “Free Tibet”. ---
**Author:** ![Urbanredneck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ea5d25/32.png) [@Urbanredneck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urbanredneck)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2015, 10:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-brunch-protests-yay-or-nay/709079/10 "2015-01-07T10:24:31Z")
Do they really think they are changing even one persons opinion towards their views? Their are ways to get ones point across and change people. This is not one of them. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2015, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-brunch-protests-yay-or-nay/709079/11 "2015-01-07T15:34:45Z")
Unless I ordered something covered in dark chocolate, you bet your backside I’d protest a black brunch. ::reads actual thread:: Oh, no, that’s just silly.