To: All Concerned Citizens

From: Lynn Kusmin

Subject: A Non-Violent Response to Ongoing Police Brutality

The Art of War emphasizes strongly the importance of outnumbering the enemy. Sun Tzu writes of

attack by strategem that if equally matched, we can offer battle; if slightly inferior in numbers, we can

avoid the enemy; if quite unequal in every way, we can flee from him (16, III, 9); victory is most easily

achieved, it follows, when one's own army is superior in numbers, and the enemy's only options are

avoidance, flight, or conceit. Furthermore, to concede is made more attractive to the enemy when his

other options are cut off, a feat which can be achieved by a large army. It is the rule in war, if our

forces are ten to the enemy's one, to surround him; if five to one, to attack him; if twice as numerous, to

divide our army in two, states Sun Tzu (16, III, 8). There are two ways in which the Black Lives

Matter movement and allied citizens can come to outnumber the police when faced with confrontation

with them. The first, which ties in somewhat with biding time, is working to amass a greater number of

supporters. It is a sad truth that awareness of and interest in the Black Lives Matter movement peak

enormously in the wake of police shootings, if trends in Google searches and Twitter topics are any

indication. If a consistent increase in numbers is to occur, the movement first needs to take a more

proactive stance than its current, largely reactive one, centralizing and intensifying its approach to

public relations. As quoted in an interview in PR Week's July 15 article Experts: Black Lives Matter's

Decentralized Structure Is Holding It Back, CEO of Lagrant Communications Kim Hunter said that,

although Black Lives Matter's grassroots approach was admirable and in some ways stunningly

successful, the group can be more consistent, procedural, and defined in its approach (Daniels).

Hunter emphasizes that Black Lives Matter need to be better formalized in what they want to achieve

and that they need sophisticated groups and individual stakeholders who are passionate about what
Black Lives Matter wants to achieve and who are a part of the organization (Daniels). This is all no

easy task, and would certainly call your enemy's attention to your actions as well a strategy not

recommended by Sun Tzu ; however, it would have the advantage of allowing you more time to come

to know your enemy, as the final paragraph of this brief will discuss. The second manner in which you

could come to outnumber your opponent is far more straightforward in that it works with what you

already have; however, it takes decided tactical skill to pull it off. It is simply to divide and conquer; as

Sun Tzu writes, we can form a single united body, while the enemy must split up into fractions

which means that we shall be many to the enemy's few (29, VI, 14). In this manner you could

overcome your enemy more immediately, although with the disadvantage of less public support, than in

the former manner; what is vital is that you find a way to outnumber them.
 Bibliography

Black Lives Matter. Google Trends. Google, 13 August 2016. Web. 08 Oct. 2016.

Daniels, Chris. Experts: Black Lives Matter's Decentralized Structure Is Holding It Back. PR World.

Haymarket Media Group, 15 July 2016. Web. 08 Oct. 2016.