The two most common criticisms of the Black Lives Matter movement have to be: 1) It implies that black lives matter most and 2) If black lives really mattered, black-on-black crime wouldn’t be an issue. There are easy defenses to both of these claims, but the questions seem to persist.

The latest person to ask them was former Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis. The future Hall of Famer posted a 10-minute video on his Facebook page that’s already been viewed more than 5 million times. He specifically cited violence in Chicago as an example of how bad things have gotten. 

“I’m trying to figure out in my mind why no one is paying attention to black men killing black men,” Lewis said in the video.

As a player, one of the many things Lewis was known for was his ability to be an exceptional orator. He’d often speak to his teammates before and during games to provide guidance and prepare the for what’s coming next. Unfortunately, it’ll take much more than that to help the black community.

“Why do we always find ourselves half the victims, and now we have the separation once again that we’re being victimized because of one bad white cop, two bad white cops, three bad white cops, killing a young black brother,” said Lewis. “But every day we have black-on-black crime, killing each other? Police in Chicago reported 677 shootings this year. Last year, it was 359. The March murder rate rose by 29 percent, but we’re not rioting in the streets [when] black on black killing each other.”

Lewis also offered a suggestion on how to help counteract gun violence in the black community.

“I would put barrels on each corner and I would give you 30 days to drop all illegal weapons in these barrels,” Lewis said. “And if you found yourself going outside of that, the moment I found you with ’em that’s 25 years mandatory.”

Photo Courtesy: Twitter