Ferguson

[deleted15807]

[correction to first sentence in post 2077: "we HAVE to consider..."]

And regarding the MYTH of how the black community is unconcerned about black on black crime:

Actually, Blacks Do Care About Black Crime

In which the following observations can be found:

"It’s important to note that this concern with crime doesn’t translate to support for punitive policies. Despite high victimization rates, black Americans are consistently opposed to harsh punishments and greater incarceration. Instead, they support more education and job training."

"it’s easy to find examples of marches and demonstrations against crime. In the last four years, blacks have held community protests against violence in Chicago; New York; Newark, New Jersey; Pittsburgh; Saginaw, Michigan; and Gary, Indiana."

"...it’s worth noting the extent to which “what about black-on-black crime” is an evasion, an attempt to avoid the fundamental difference between being killed by a citizen and being killed by an agent of law."

And to add to that...

IT has become a standard conservative talking point: Black activists focus on police brutality but ignore violent crime in black neighborhoods. (Armed with Chicago, Detroit or Baltimore statistics)

....local organizing goes largely unnoticed by politicians, scholars and the news media, all of which focus instead on large national groups with big budgets and expensive lobbyists.

Black Activists Don’t Ignore Crime
​

Conservative/racist outlets purposely paint this picture of violent urban crime out of control and the need for tough policing and harsh sentences to keep crime down as this reinforces the beliefs of their racist audiences and boosts ratings. You will not hear a sympathetic voice for minority or women's issues on these outlets. The same dynamic is at work when Trump blames Islam (all of them) for the actions of a few for his own purposes.

 

[grandunification]

@sargon20

I know mass shootings are almost always done by whites. That is a mental health issue and I have no idea how to prevent it.

 

[b.c.]

And to add to that...

IT has become a standard conservative talking point: Black activists focus on police brutality but ignore violent crime in black neighborhoods. (Armed with Chicago, Detroit or Baltimore statistics)

....local organizing goes largely unnoticed by politicians, scholars and the news media, all of which focus instead on large national groups with big budgets and expensive lobbyists.

Black Activists Don’t Ignore Crime
​

Conservative/racist outlets purposely paint this picture of violent urban crime out of control and the need for tough policing and harsh sentences to keep crime down as this reinforces the beliefs of their racist audiences and boosts ratings. You will not hear a sympathetic voice for minority or women's issues on these outlets. The same dynamic is at work when Trump blames Islam (all of them) for the actions of a few for his own purposes.

Exactly, Sargon. It's a conservative talking point because they THINK their arguments undercut the legitimacy of protests over racial disparities in America, and in law enforcement in particular.

Because they THINK it excuses THEIR (tacit and not so) APPROVAL of it.

Notice how when something like the prevalence of white mass murders is mentioned they're quick to attribute it to some underlying issue. But NOT so quick to acknowledge the myriad socioeconomic factors that contribute to crime in black communities.

It fits into their narrative that black people are particularly prone to violence, more so than any other ethnicities, in SPITE of what WORLD HISTORY has so clearly demonstrated.

 

[deleted15807]

@sargon20

I know mass shootings are almost always done by whites. That is a mental health issue and I have no idea how to prevent it.

Other countries have figured it out.

Exactly, Sargon. It's a conservative talking point because they THINK their arguments undercut the legitimacy of protests over racial disparities in America, and in law enforcement in particular.

Because they THINK it excuses THEIR (tacit and not so) APPROVAL of it.

Notice how when something like the prevalence of white mass murders is mentioned they're quick to attribute it to some underlying issue. But NOT so quick to acknowledge the myriad socioeconomic factors that contribute to crime in black communities.

It fits into their narrative that black people are particularly prone to violence, more so than any other ethnicities, in SPITE of what WORLD HISTORY has so clearly demonstrated.

And that underlying issue isn't related to some winkwink genetic disposition in the race.

.....data suggests that black Americans—particularly males—tend to commit violent and property crimes at higher rates than other racial groups.9) Other studies, however, demonstrate that higher crime rates are better explained by socioeconomic factors than race: extremely disadvantaged neighborhoods experience higher rates of crime regardless of racial composition.10) Because African Americans constitute a disproportionate share of those living in poverty in the United States,11) they are more likely to reside in low-income communities in which socioeconomic factors contribute to higher crime rates.

Shadow Report to the United Nations on Racial Disparities in the United States Criminal Justice System
​

And if we think of neighborhoods as breeding grounds for violence then...

​

As it turns out we know violence breeds more violence and our focus and strategies are wrong.

 

[b.c.]

Social Worker Calls 911 to Report Officer After She's Pulled Over: 'This Man Is Twisting My Arm'

 

[b.c.]

Seemingly a "gadzillion" posts ago I linked an article and wrote of municipalities in the vicinity of Ferguson that engaged in "policing for profit" - specifically the systematic targeting of black people for minor traffic violations and subsequent judicial proceedings that often locked them in a quagmire of court appearances, fines, and the like. Now this story:

Groundbreaking Lawsuit Targets ‘Extortionist’ Cities Near Ferguson That Lock Poor People In Cages

 

[Jjz1109]

I'm glad I read the link. I thought to myself "my God, people are being put into cages?!" Then I read the article and realized it was, in fact, jail cells and that the article was written by HuffingtonPost. Meh. Poetic license. But they got me to read the article.

BTW. Reused blankets?!?! My God, what's this world coming to? Have they flown domestically lately?

 

[Crimsonlurker]

I'm glad I read the link. I thought to myself "my God, people are being put into cages?!" Then I read the article and realized it was, in fact, jail cells and that the article was written by HuffingtonPost. Meh. Poetic license. But they got me to read the article.

BTW. Reused blankets?!?! My God, what's this world coming to? Have they flown domestically lately?

You sound almost as outraged as judge amber wolf...oh wait...you're being sarcastic aren't you.

And here i thought you understood that black people get specific harsh treatments while in custody. Guess you were just being missive. Seems theres a lot of that going on on this site these days.

Ah well it is what it is. Two big thumbs up to judge amber wolf though. She spotted someone being treated unfairly and gave a damn enough to do something other than make a snarky dismissive joke about it. I don't know about you but it makes me feel all warm inside. Then again this link is from huffpost too. So i guess you'll be dismissive here too. Ah well. You are who you are right.

 

[b.c.]

You sound almost as outraged as judge amber wolf...oh wait...you're being sarcastic aren't you.

And here i thought you understood that black people get specific harsh treatments while in custody. Guess you were just being missive. Seems theres a lot of that going on on this site these days.

Ah well it is what it is. Two big thumbs up to judge amber wolf though. She spotted someone being treated unfairly and gave a damn enough to do something other than make a snarky dismissive joke about it. I don't know about you but it makes me feel all warm inside. Then again this link is from huffpost too. So i guess you'll be dismissive here too. Ah well. You are who you are right.

EXACTLY.

 

[b.c.]

Only several weeks ago, in the "Freedie Gray Empowerment.." thread and in response to a suggestion that Baltimore was in the habit of paying frivolous wrongful death/injury claims, did I repost three stories depicting the realities behind police practices in that city (see: https://www.lpsg.com/threads/the-freddie-gray-empowerment-center.445936/page-3#post-6066945).

Now comes this NBC News report of the DOJ findings re. Baltimore law enforcement HABITUALLY targeting black residents, including stops, STRIP searches, and detainment for NO reason other than that person was black:

http://www.nbcnews.com/nightly-news...y-target-city-s-black-population-741891139663

Included in the report:

"In the past five years Baltimore Police stopped more than 300,000 pedestrians in predominately African-American neighborhoods on little or no suspicion of lawbreaking, a Justice Dept. investigation found."

"Frisking them, even strip searching them in public."

"One man in his mid 50's was stopped 30 times but never given so much as a ticket."

"Police too often resort to excessive force even when there's no danger to themselves or others.

 

[Crimsonlurker]

Only several weeks ago, in the "Freedie Gray Empowerment.." thread and in response to a suggestion that Baltimore was in the habit of paying frivolous wrongful death/injury claims, did I repost three stories depicting the realities behind police practices in that city (see:

Now comes this NBC News report of the DOJ findings re. Baltimore law enforcement HABITUALLY targeting black residents, including stops, STRIP searches, and detainment for NO reason other than that person was black:

http://www.nbcnews.com/nightly-news...y-target-city-s-black-population-741891139663

Not only that but...

BULLIED BY THE BADGE
Thousands of police officers are now stationed inside public schools. What does this mean for students?


"“Whenever a child does the littlest thing, they are quick to throw the police on them,” she said.

Indeed, a 2009 study published in the Journal of Criminal Justice showed that schools with school-based police officers have higher arrest rates for disorderly conduct than those without.

And a 2015 study using data from the National Center for Education Statistics showed that 61 percent of thefts at schools with police officers were referred to law enforcement, compared to 29 percent without. And 51 percent of vandalism incidents were referred to law enforcement at schools with officers, compared to 35 percent at those without.

The study concludes that officers inside schools have a significant impact on whether students interact with the criminal justice system, even after controlling for neighborhood crime and for state statutes that require schools to make certain arrests.

These arrests can have dire consequences, suggests a 2011 report by the Justice Policy Institute. Students who interact with the criminal justice system are more likely to drop out of high school, become involved with the system again and have higher unemployment rates than students who have not been arrested, according to the report.

Of further concern to critics is the disproportionate number of black students arrested. While black students represented 16 percent of the nation’s public school population in the 2011-12 school year, they made up 31 percent of students subjected to school-related arrests, according to a 2014 report by the U.S. Department of Education."

DISPROPORTIONATE IMPACT OF K-12 SCHOOL SUSPENSION AND EXPULSION ON BLACK STUDENTS IN SOUTHERN STATES

"Nationally, 1.2 million Black students were suspended from K-12 public schools in a single academic year – 55% of those suspensions occurred in 13 Southern states. Districts in the South also were responsible for 50% of Black student expulsions from public schools in the United States."

 

[b.c.]

Educational institutions are often microcosms of the communities in which they exist. And like those communities it comes down to the role law enforcement plays.

If their purpose is to lend to a sense of greater security and safety by virtue of their presence, to relate to that community with a sense of cooperation and camaraderie, to play the role of protector, there might be a positive to that presence.

On the other hand if the people you're supposed to be protecting are treated like suspects and antagonists, if your response to them is hostile, then the effect becomes a negative one instead of a positive.

 

[deleted15807]

@b.c. and @Crimsonlurker your last two posts could be called 'institutional racism' which @Mercurygirl claims doesn't exist? Don't expect studies to sway her or her cheerleaders to bend towards the truth. To admit there is would necessitate a reexamination of her beliefs and that's something the illiterate. The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.
- Alvin Toffler

Institutional Racism Is Our Way of Life
Endless studies and reports show that racism exists, whether we want to believe it or not.

 

[b.c.]

@b.c. and @Crimsonlurker your last two posts could be called 'institutional racism' which @Mercurygirl claims doesn't exist? Don't expect studies to sway her or her cheerleaders to bend towards the truth. To admit there is would necessitate a reexamination of her beliefs and that's something the illiterate. The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.
- Alvin Toffler

Institutional Racism Is Our Way of Life
Endless studies and reports show that racism exists, whether we want to believe it or not.

Thanks for the links and commentary.

FWIW, I can't see Mercurygirl's posts. Besides which, as Ayesho recently pointed out (as did I, some time ago) these posts aren't necessarily for THEM.

 

[Crimsonlurker]

Thanks for the links and commentary.

FWIW, I can't see Mercurygirl's posts. Besides which, as Ayesho recently pointed out (as did I, some time ago) these posts aren't necessarily for THEM.

They aren't but it helps to note that while they look at cop's actions as being small and unimportant they'll regular find one or two other people and imply that they are of course destroying the entirety of the world. Which is largely why these discussions seem to others as being an us verses them sort of thing. When one group irrationally tries to demonize the other unjustifiably so while ignoring sexism, homophobia and xenophobia the other side has no choice but to be on the defensive. I'm beginning to think maybe thats the point. When people can't or won't see why your justifiably angry about something they won't or can't exactly see whats really going on and will equate "both sides" as being equal. Yeah a case of dumbing do america so you can get what you want. Whatever or whoever that may be.

 

[b.c.]

So it seems a group of demonstrators protested outside a Houston NAACP building, purportedly to say "white lives matter."

The point of their protest reportedly being the NAACP's failure to speak out against BLM and other "pro-black" organizations who, according to the group, have causes "the attack and killing" of police officers... correction... "WHITE police officers," "the burning down of cities," and "things of that nature"... said group member Ken Reed, who incidentally was wearing a "Donald Trump 16" cap (NATURALLY).

They ALSO remembered to bring along their confederate flags and their assault rifles, to, according to Reed, "symbolize [their] Southern heritage."

‘White Lives Matter’ Protesters Rally at NAACP Building in Texas

 

[b.c.]

He Filmed The Death Of Eric Garner. Now He's Getting Ready To Spend 4 Years In Prison. Ramsey Orta, who says he's still haunted by Garner's death, thinks the NYPD is out for revenge.

from the article:

"His [Orta's] earliest memory of the NYPD is from when he was 8. He and his mom were sitting on a bench in Manhattan when a cop approached and started talking to his mom.

'He called her a bitch,' Orta recalled."

"'I only exposed something that's been going on for years,' he said, 'and you know, now I've kind of got everybody pulling out their cameras and filming police brutality around the world.'"

"His was one of the first in a wave of horrifying videos showing violent, sometimes deadly confrontations between law enforcement and black and Latino Americans: John Crawford III, Tamir Rice, Antonio Zambrano Montes, Charly "Africa" Keunang, Walter Scott, Freddie Gray, Eric Harris, Tony Robinson, Rubén Garcia Villalpando, an unarmed 15-year-old-girl in Texas, Sandra Bland, Samuel DuBose, Christian Taylor, a high school student in South Carolina, Zachary Hammond, Natasha McKenna, Laquan McDonald, Alton Sterling and Philando Castile."

 

[b.c.]

And on a RELATED subject:

Voters Just Kicked One of America's Deadliest Prosecutors Out of Office

from the article:

"On Tuesday, Florida voters kicked Jacksonville prosecutor Angela Corey out of office... widely known as one of the cruelest and deadliest prosecutors in America. She is infamous for vigorously prosecuting Marissa Alexander, a black woman who fired a warning shot into a wall during an altercation with her abusive husband."

"Under Florida’s stand-your-ground law, this action was perfectly legal—but Corey secured a 20-year jail sentence for Alexander, arguing that she fired the shot out of anger. A judge later overturned her conviction, ordered a retrial, and released Alexander; Corey has since fought to send her back to jail, alleging untruthfully that she had violated parole. Corey also hoped to secure a 60-year sentence for Alexander at her retrial."

Also from the article, the unseating of Florida prosecutor Jeff Ashton who's also known for his zealous prosecutions of minorities, and well as his failure to condemn offensive Facebook rants made by his assistant prosecutor, Kenneth Lewis, who reportedly wrote, “Happy Mother’s Day to all the crack hoes out there," and wrote of Justice Sonia Sotomayor, “Reason enough why no country should ever engage in the practice of Affirmative Action again. This could be the result. Where would she be if she didn't hit the quota lottery? Here's a hint: ‘Would you like to supersize that sir?’ ”

The article further noted that:

"Over the past year, voters have also rejected exorbitantly retributive prosecutors in Louisiana, Mississippi, Illinois, Ohio, and Texas. In Chicago and Cleveland, voters were especially irate that ostensibly “tough on crime” prosecutors seemed to target young black men while failing to charge, try, or convict police officers who shoot young black men."

In short, two fewer racists ------------ to have to deal with.

 

[b.c.]

Once again, more questionable actions on the part of cops against people of color, to be followed NO doubt by the same tired dismissals and attempts by bigots, racists, deniers and the like, to shift the focus to black on black crime.

Will the situation improve under Trump? Or will the "law and order president" only make things worse? I think I know the answer. Do YOU?

Chief: Man fatally shot by police had no gun
Family Of Latino Teen Killed By Undercover Cops Will Sue | Huffington Post
L.A. police admitted they killed an innocent man.
Video shows cop fire at car full of teens - CNN Video

And will Proano also get off scott free?
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-chicago-police-shooting-idUSKCN11M26U
Chicago police officer charged with shooting at car full of teens | Reuters

 

[b.c.]

Police In North Carolina Fatally Shoot Black Man, Sparking Protests | Huffington Post

North Carolina cops claim Lamont Scott was armed. Witnesses claim he was armed with a book. Bottom line, they were (reportedly) searching the apartment complex for someone else wanted on an "outstanding warrant."