Racist Police Response to Ferguson Protests

[wolf]

Originally Posted by Diemen

I take it you've never heard of a tipping point?

Also, the entire population of Baltimore is under threat of violence from what amounted to about 100 violent protestors? No hyperbole there whatsoever.

The violence was a vast minority of the people. Over 10,000 peacefully protested in downtown Baltimore, and yet all the media is reporting is the 100 who were violent.

10,000 Strong Peacefully Protest In Downtown Baltimore, Media Only Reports The Violence & Arrest of Dozens | BLACK WESTCHESTER

I think you're right. I grossly overstated the danger that was present. Its bad, but there has been much worse in the past. It might be a tipping point, but to me it just sounds more like a moment of opportunity for people to do certain things. Although schools have been cancelled most people are being encouraged to go about their daily routine.

[PhilsFan]

People were sending out photos of city streets a couple of blocks from the burning CVS and it was literally just like a normal day. The CNN cameras were present only in the few blocks where property damage was occurring, because it's a much easier story for them to report that way. It lets Miguel Marquez condescend to people live on a Baltimore street for an hour.

[bono_212]

Originally Posted by wolf

I think you're right. I grossly overstated the danger that was present. Its bad, but there has been much worse in the past. It might be a tipping point, but to me it just sounds more like a moment of opportunity for people to do certain things. Although schools have been cancelled most people are being encouraged to go about their daily routine.

Like when the police took a moment of opportunity to brutilize another human being when they could do so unobserved?

[Galeongirl]

Originally Posted by Diemen

I take it you've never heard of a tipping point?

Also, the entire population of Baltimore is under threat of violence from what amounted to about 100 violent protestors? No hyperbole there whatsoever.

The violence was a vast minority of the people. Over 10,000 peacefully protested in downtown Baltimore, and yet all the media is reporting is the 100 who were violent.

10,000 Strong Peacefully Protest In Downtown Baltimore, Media Only Reports The Violence & Arrest of Dozens | BLACK WESTCHESTER

Figures how skewed the media is reporting this. All we've heard here was about the violent protests.

I'm glad to hear it's not quite like that in reality, but it's a shame the mass media are jumping on the small minority that's ruining things for the majority here.

So what do you guys think should be done now? Since it doesn't seem like this is an easy to fix situation. Replacing the heads of the police departments or firing racist cops doesn't quite solve the deeper lying issues. It could be a start though..

[Irvine511]

Originally Posted by Galeongirl

So what do you guys think should be done now? Since it doesn't seem like this is an easy to fix situation. Replacing the heads of the police departments or firing racist cops doesn't quite solve the deeper lying issues. It could be a start though..

it's interesting -- what's amazing to me about social media and a smartphone in the hand of nearly every citizen is how these issues that we once heard about but which were easily swept under the rug are now impossible to ignore.

even the murder of Gray would have probably been a local issue if not for the footage of him being dragged by police -- obviously unable to move his legs in the video -- from the sidewalk into a van.

it's much more visceral now, and hopefully, it lets the masses know that poor minority communities aren't making this stuff up. it DOES happen. and in some ways, once you really see it, it drives it home in a way that reading about it really doesn't. and it also helps you understand exactly why the police aren't trusted in these communities, and it's a complex problem that goes back decades upon decades. and it's complex, every city is different, every community is different, and every police force is different.

one practical solution is body cams on law enforcement. in theory, only bad cops should fear this, and it can also help exonerate good cops in bad situations. a more complex solution has to do with police-community interactions, and rebuilding trust that has eroded, if it was ever there at all. it may mean recruiting members of said community to be part of the police force. it can mean the police working with churches and schools and rec centers. it also means reducing crime through means other than law and order -- universal health care is a good step, so is not locking people up for minor drug crimes. reducing the number of children born to teenagers and/or out of wedlock is also good. opportunity, mixed-income housing, etc.

what's also important to remember is that people living in these areas are just that -- people. even though the vast majority of violent crime in the US happens in small pockets of cities, most of the people in these small pockets are just trying to live their lives and don't like the drug dealers on the corner any more than you do. and we also have to understand that suspicion of the police is rooted in reality. one of the more interesting conversations i've ever had was with a co-worker of mine. she grew up in Los Angeles, and in communities that were always highly distrustful of law enforcement because of the experiences her family members had had with the LAPD in the 1980s. while i grew up irritated at suburban cops who would lie in wait to bust you for going 10mph over the speed limit, she grew up worried that getting pulled over would automatically mean getting arrested, or cuffed, or worse. she remembered how in her high school everyone cheered when OJ was found not guilty not because anyone actually thought he was not guilty, but because a black man had beaten the LAPD. such was the historical resentment.

i'm thankful that these are discussions that are now being had -- i don't think a lot of this was possible to such an extent before social media.

[wolf]

Originally Posted by bono_212

Like when the police took a moment of opportunity to brutilize another human being when they could do so unobserved?

If that is indeed what happened, yes.

[LemonMelon]

Wolf's argument represents the small part of me that considers riots to be an excuse for testosterone-addled shitheads to be themselves for a day. This can be the case (aforementioned sports rioting) but it doesn't apply here, not to the degree that it offsets the potential benefit of giving widespread exposure to this REALLY FUCKING DISGUSTING instance of police brutality.

My feelings on this are, uh, complicated.

[bono_212]

[trojanchick99]

Originally Posted by wolf

Ok, so where were the riots in 2014 when the article was written? If Freddie Gray was still alive that CVS would still be serving customers today. Police would be having a typical day in Baltimore.

I may have only been a teenager when the '92 LA Riots happened, but I still remember them vividly. Yes, it was the Rodney King verdict that lit the fuse, but the fuel had built up over many, many years. It's the same thing in Baltimore. The murder of Freddie Gray was just final straw.

The big picture is even more chilling. Michael Brown, Eric Harris, Walter Scott, Freddie Gray are just the tip of the iceberg. I will never truly understand what it's like to be afraid of the police, as a latina woman, but there is something very wrong. The rise of cell phone cameras has helped, and I believe body cameras used properly will also be a good thing.

Irvine is right that there also needs to be major overhaul of the relationship between law enforcement and the communities they serve. Here in LA, most LAPD don't even live within city limits, let alone in the neighborhood they patrol. Community based policing is ideal, but how do we even implement it at this point?

Again, my heart breaks for the victims of police brutality and the citizens of Baltimore.

[deep]

I think community based residency makes sense for some employment, like pastors.

People live where they can afford to live. I don't believe Beverly Hills police live in that city.

I think a 10- 15 mile radius might be more realistic.

[bono_212]

Way too large a radius. Beverly hills is less than 6 square miles. 15 miles away and you're opening up to most of LA.

[deep]

I find zero justification for this person dying from being arrested by the police.
I do believe it happened when he was in the control of the police. They are responsible.

Some of you have posted that the majority of the protesters are not destroying property or looting, protesting is reasonable. Some of you seem to be justifying or giving a pass to the looters and arsonists. They are criminals, and should be persecuted.

[deep]

Originally Posted by bono_212

Way too large a radius. Beverly hills is less than 6 square miles. 15 miles away and you're opening up to most of LA.

Where do you think the BH police live now? Their police chief, Dave Snowden lives in Newport Beach.

[bono_212]

My point was a ten mile radius is pretty wide. You can cover a lot of ground in ten miles.

[deep]

I think many police live 30-40 and 60 miles away from the area they serve. Getting them within 10-15 miles would be an improvement. At least their kids might compete in sports with the people they serve. A young police officer that is married and has children would not want his wife and children living in a high crime district just because he worked there. Being a CA person my whole life I regularly travel 10-15 miles for shopping or entertainment. Living in Newport Beach I often go to the Mexican areas of Santa Ana for what is offered their.

[Irvine511]

Originally Posted by deep

Some of you seem to be justifying or giving a pass to the looters and arsonists. They are criminals, and should be persecuted.

of course they are responsible and criminals and should be prosecuted (i think you mean).

however, i also hold the Baltimore City government and police force responsible as well.

the worst thing we can say about this is that it's just a bunch of kids who need a wuppin' from their mommas.

[trojanchick99]

Fuck you, Rand Paul.

In discussing the causes of the violence that occurred in the wake of the 25-year-old black man's death while in police custody, the 2016 GOP presidential hopeful tied the situation to moral issues and characterized the riots as "thuggery and thievery."

"There are so many things we can talk about: the breakdown of the family structure, the lack of fathers, the lack of a moral code in our society," he said. "This isn't just a racial thing."

Rand Paul Blames 'Lack Of Fathers' For Baltimore Protests

Somehow, I doubt he said the same thing when a bunch of Kentucky students rioted when their fucking basketball team lost.

[Irvine511]

Originally Posted by trojanchick99

Somehow, I doubt he said the same thing when a bunch of Kentucky students rioted when their fucking basketball team lost.

yes, but those were just white kids troublemakers not black kids thugs.

[PhilsFan]

Originally Posted by trojanchick99

Fuck you, Rand Paul.



Rand Paul Blames 'Lack Of Fathers' For Baltimore Protests

Somehow, I doubt he said the same thing when a bunch of Kentucky students rioted when their fucking basketball team lost.

No bullshit: his son was arrested for DUI last week, and it's like the third time he's been arrested.

[trojanchick99]

If only William Paul had a father.