...And the protests have reached Austin... (Howe: crimes, stores, discount)
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Statistics can be tailored to say whatever they need to say, especially once a 'journalist' gets ahold of them. There's no doubt in my mind that for every black man yanked out of a vehicle and manhandled, there's a white man who got the same treatment.... but nobody cares about that.
I'm sure there are a certain number of folks mistreated by police that are 100% not guilty of anything (and likely more white than black based strictly on population), but the vast majority of the people we read about are NOT those people. They're people that have put themselves in a situation to have an interaction with the police in the first place, be it criminal activity or just mouthing off/provoking during a routine traffic stop trying to get on YouTube.
Nobody in their right mind would even consider law enforcement as a career nowadays. As a result, the people they DO put in uniform may well be the exact ones you DON'T want to be a cop.
So, people who end up on the wrong end of a cop encounter basically ask for it? My eyes disagree.
I saw two young people complying fully with a NYPD officer. The woman was tazed and screaming and the man, whose hands were on the stearing wheel, was yanked out of the car like a dog. I guess they got that treatment because they should have been following the "stay at home" directive huh.
Just because I haven't had a bad run in with a cop and don't engage in criminal activity doesn't mean that I am blind to what I see is a troubling problem.
Last year 1004 people were killed by the police. 370 of them were white. 235 of them were black.
We have a police brutality problem right now that is being co-opted into a separate issue of racism. Is there any evidence that Floyd’s killer was acting out of racism? I thought he was just a really crappy cop. I keep hearing racism come up even though there doesn’t seem to be any actual evidence of racism as a motive. Isn’t the ridiculously obvious police brutality of this case enough to work off of here? We need to embellish?
How can we live together successfully as a multicultural society when racism is the cry and destruction is the response every time a person of color dies by the hand of a white person, whether racism was involved or not? Are we to simply ignore the data on black-on-white crime, and give a pass on reacting to that? The current narrative seems to suggest this. The problem is that we all have two eyes that can see for themselves, without being told what we saw or what to think. I saw a terrible display of bad policing kill George Floyd. I didn’t see a racial element to what happened. That’s what my eyes saw regardless of the narrative built and sold by our decisive race war hungering media.
There's no way I can prove if Floyd's death was an act of racism or not but it did seem sketchy that the cop presented a gun to Floyd before even confronting him. That was very threatening and way overkill IMO. I don't know that specific cop's history or the remaining cops either however. Racism or not there are apparent adjustments needed in law enforcing.
I'm a multiracial person who comes from a multiracial family. My kids have Jamaican, Scottish, Mohawk, Brasilian, and Mestizo heritage. I was raised in the "we are the world" thought process (unlike my mom, who was raised in the 60s). I don't subscribe to tribalism and I don't get off on division. My best friend who is like a sister to me is White, as are some of our friends. But I'm not going to stay quiet during the disgusting acts that I've seen in amateur videos and on television over the years.
What that cop did was more than just being "crappy". And what does someone have to do for there to be a clear racial motive? Say the "n word"?
There were three protesters in NYC, one black, the other two white. All were standing in place with signs peacefully protesting. Who did the cop attack with the mace spray? Big guess there.
I’m multiracial as well. I’m Hawaiian and Portuguese.
What does someone have to do for there to be a clear racial motive? Say or do something hateful and derogatory about that person's race, for starters. Because if the nouveau approach is going to be “no evidence required, if a white person hurts/kills a person of color the crime of racism will be summarily applied” then we’ve simply gone backwards in race relations.
Disgusting racial acts are committed every day by persons of all colors. White people do not own the patent on racism. But what I saw happen last week was not racism. It was police brutality. Something we can ALL be mad about, without resorting to a needless and divisive nationwide riot and lootfest.
I’m multiracial as well. I’m Hawaiian and Portuguese.
What does someone have to do for there to be a clear racial motive? Say or do something hateful and derogatory about that person's race, for starters. Because if the nouveau approach is going to be “no evidence required, if a white person hurts/kills a person of color the crime of racism will be summarily applied” then we’ve simply gone backwards in race relations.
Disgusting racial acts are committed every day by persons of all colors. White people do not own the patent on racism. But what I saw happen last week was not racism. It was police brutality. Something we can ALL be mad about, without resorting to a needless and divisive nationwide riot and lootfest.
I wouldn't call the approach nouveau. It can be flipped to "if a person of color gets into a runin with a cop, then it's because that person was doing criminal activity, etc. etc."
And I never said that white people own a patent on racism, or that only white people are racists. I'm not anti-White. It's like if you don't agree with how something was handled and it involves race, then you're anti-White. That's no solution to the problem either.
Race relations have improved in many areas and have gone backwards in others. To say otherwise is, in my opinion, a fallacy. It is about police brutality and race. The divisiveness has been around for awhile, this incident didn't start it. As for the rioting and being a "lootfest", well as I said before, that's an entirely separate thing. Protesting doesn't equate to rioting. If people burn cars and loot, that's a separate, criminalistic issue that almost always goes hand in hand with police brutality and racially charged events. For whatever reason.
If this was only an isolated incident, then maybe I'd say that it was "crappy policing". But after seeing numerous videos of similar behavior, with the commonality being people of color, then my perception changes. What I saw was an unarmed person of color on the ground pleading for his life to a person in a position of authority. My husband feels the same way as I do. As do our White friends, some of whom aren't liberal/Democrat.
All things considered, I’m shocked AUS wasn’t an initial protest city considering how young and liberal it is. I knew we would finally get there at some point
So, people who end up on the wrong end of a cop encounter basically ask for it? My eyes disagree.
I saw two young people complying fully with a NYPD officer. The woman was tazed and screaming and the man, whose hands were on the stearing wheel, was yanked out of the car like a dog. I guess they got that treatment because they should have been following the "stay at home" directive huh.
Just because I haven't had a bad run in with a cop and don't engage in criminal activity doesn't mean that I am blind to what I see is a troubling problem.
If you re-read my post, I'm saying in the vast majority of cases, yes... they've done something to fuel the problem.
I wouldn't call the approach nouveau. It can be flipped to "if a person of color gets into a runin with a cop, then it's because that person was doing criminal activity, etc. etc."
And I never said that white people own a patent on racism, or that only white people are racists. I'm not anti-White. It's like if you don't agree with how something was handled and it involves race, then you're anti-White. That's no solution to the problem either.
Race relations have improved in many areas and have gone backwards in others. To say otherwise is, in my opinion, a fallacy. It is about police brutality and race. The divisiveness has been around for awhile, this incident didn't start it. As for the rioting and being a "lootfest", well as I said before, that's an entirely separate thing. Protesting doesn't equate to rioting. If people burn cars and loot, that's a separate, criminalistic issue that almost always goes hand in hand with police brutality and racially charged events. For whatever reason.
If this was only an isolated incident, then maybe I'd say that it was "crappy policing". But after seeing numerous videos of similar behavior, with the commonality being people of color, then my perception changes. What I saw was an unarmed person of color on the ground pleading for his life to a person in a position of authority. My husband feels the same way as I do. As do our White friends, some of whom aren't liberal/Democrat.
Riaelise - I just want to thank you again for your open-minded views and your ability to critically think about the dynamics in this country and to view things objectively. Through the years, I've read your posts, and I always noted your grace, sharp discernment and intelligence. I typically would never share these thoughts about a poster on a public forum, but today, I feel compelled. You, your husband and your friends are true allies. Thank you.
I'm a hybrid composed of black and Japanese, but I inherited most of my Japanese mother's physical traits, so many have no idea I am black. Over the years, people who did not know I am black have made highly offensive comments to me about black people...just a quick not-so-fun fact.
I have been fighting this fight for YEARS, and I've had the advantage of seeing things from both sides. Although both sides of my ethnic heritage are considered minority in this country, Japanese people are treated a lot better than black people. There have been MANY instances where it was abundantly clear that my father was treated differently than my mother while we were out and about in the community. John Howard Griffin, the white journalist who wrote the book Black Like Me chronicles his experience during his disguise as a black man. He experiences the world for weeks as a black man, and, for once, was truly able to empathize with black people.
Riaelise - I say all this to say that although I will never give up the fight, I've come to realize there are very few people who will be able to or willing to understand the plight of black people in this country. It took John Howard Griffin to disguise himself as a black man to TRULY understand. I praise him for the mammoth undertaking that could have potentially been fatal.
Many still will try to counter anything you, I or any other allies say. I will not give attention to the small minded people. I've already seen a few people here who have racist views, and very unfortunately, they are blithely unaware. Nevertheless, I support and stand by all your posts.
I really admire and appreciate all that you have said in this thread.
Everybody has a story that helps define us in adulthood.
My story includes the fact that I was sexually assaulted at age 13 by three black athletes from my high school. In broad daylight. At the bus stop. 20 minutes after school let out. They pinned me down and forcibly removed most of my clothing in front of a crowd of mostly boys. “Boys will be boys”, they said back then. “They didn’t penetrate you” the police said, despite my badly bruised wrists and ankles from being held down. All three of them were back on the school’s football and basketball team in no time. I had to finish three years of school with those boys.
Despite that traumatic experience I grew into a very stable, easygoing person. I’ve never behaved as a victim and I didn’t grow up to hate black people as a result. Am I wary of black men? The very few times I’ve encountered them at night while out alone I’ve definitely felt a brief flicker of fear. That’s it. Nothing bad has ever happened to me since.
But when I watch them on tv, screaming and yelling, rioting with great joy during what should be a somber time, for just one moment I’m that 13 year-old once again, being pinned down on the side of the Dairy Queen while rambunctious boys ripped off my clothing while cheering each other on.
That’s my story. My trauma. Nobody gets to tell me how I ought to behave as a result of that experience, or what I need to do to make black people feel more comfortable, or how I can “remove the natural racism inherent within me”. I’ve never hurt another person in my life and I live by the Golden Rule. I don’t need re-education and I resent how hastily and out of context the word “racist” is thrown around these days.
Every one has a story that should be heard before such titles are bestowed upon people.
Everybody has a story that helps define us in adulthood.
My story includes the fact that I was sexually assaulted at age 13 by three black athletes from my high school. In broad daylight. At the bus stop. 20 minutes after school let out. They pinned me down and forcibly removed most of my clothing in front of a crowd of mostly boys. “Boys will be boys”, they said back then. “They didn’t penetrate you” the police said, despite my badly bruised wrists and ankles from being held down. All three of them were back on the school’s football and basketball team in no time. I had to finish three years of school with those boys.
Despite that traumatic experience I grew into a very stable, easygoing person. I’ve never behaved as a victim and I didn’t grow up to hate black people as a result. Am I wary of black men? The very few times I’ve encountered them at night while out alone I’ve definitely felt a brief flicker of fear. That’s it. Nothing bad has ever happened to me since.
But when I watch them on tv, screaming and yelling, rioting with great joy during what should be a somber time, for just one moment I’m that 13 year-old once again, being pinned down on the side of the Dairy Queen while rambunctious boys ripped off my clothing while cheering each other on.
That’s my story. My trauma. Nobody gets to tell me how I ought to behave as a result of that experience, or what I need to do to make black people feel more comfortable, or how I can “remove the natural racism inherent within me”. I’ve never hurt another person in my life and I live by the Golden Rule. I don’t need re-education and I resent how hastily and out of context the word “racist” is thrown around these days.
Every one has a story that should be heard before such titles are bestowed upon people.
It is thrown around out of context and extensively at times but I do believe it does exist and is a very real problem. Not every black person out there is looking to cause strife, just as not every white person is looking to stir racial tension. I dont intend to demean what happened to you however. That is very traumatic and I can easily see how that can shape your mindset. I do have to state though that these things happen regardless of race. They could have been hispanic, could have been white as well.
For the rioting, many among them were actually whites, and I believe these were organized assaults from Antifa using the opportunity gained by peaceful protesters as a doorway. I dont believe the rioters agenda had anything to do with Floyd.
It is thrown around out of context and extensively at times but I do believe it does exist and is a very real problem. Not every black person out there is looking to cause strife, just as not every white person is looking to stir racial tension. I dont intend to demean what happened to you however. That is very traumatic and I can easily see how that can shape your mindset. I do have to state though that these things happen regardless of race. They could have been hispanic, could have been white as well.
For the rioting, many among them were actually whites, and I believe these were organized assaults from Antifa using the opportunity gained by peaceful protesters as a doorway. I dont believe the rioters agenda had anything to do with Floyd.
You absolutely demeaned me with that response. “Could have been anyone!” is what you just said.
What would you say to a black person relaying the same story, with races reversed? Would you tell George Floyd’s family that same thing? How about Ahmaud Arbery’s family? “Sorry your son is dead. I do have to state though that these things happen regardless of race. They could have been hispanic, could have been black as well.”
Just think about that for one moment.
I took a big chance in sharing this story here, and the very first reply minimized my trauma and told me that anybody could have done it.
Now tell a dead black man’s family that sane thing. Go on ... I dare you.
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