I always chuckle a bit when I hear that young black males are confronted by police in greater fashion that white males. I spent several years working an ambulance in Sacramento and W. Sacramento. Guess what? The guys that were getting shot and getting stabbed at much "greater rates" than the others were of course, young black males. And they were being shot and stabbed by OTHER young black males. And when I'd go to a convenience store to examine a store clerk after a robbery, 90% of the time the person robbing the place was a 'young black male'. When I'd go to a scene for a victime of an assault or whatnot, the person doing the assaulting was a 'young black male'. So I have to ask you......are they being targeted and accused of more crimes because they are young black males, or is it because they're the ones actually doing MORE of the crimes?
I never chuckle at that, because it has happened to me and nearly every black male that I know. Being singled out in a crowd, selected, detained and asked 'where are you going?' 'what are you doing around here?' 'are you on parole?' when the only thing that distinguishes you from those around you is race, is sad, humiliating and nothing to laugh at.
I hear, 'If you didn't do anything wrong, there's nothing to worry about'. I call BS on that one. This is a free country, and we should be able to walk down the street without being accosted. Getting looks from neighbors, passers-by, and co-workers 'I wonder what he did?' as everyone else is allowed to go about their business is truly humiliating. The best advice I can give is to cooperate, answer the questions and hope it's over with quickly.
Having said that, if one dresses like a gang-banger, with baggy pants and gang colors and exhibits thuggy behavior, you should expect to be suspected and possibly introduced to your friendly neighborhood cop. I'd expect nothing less.
The problem is when your only resemblance is skin color.
If you recall, Sikhs, Italians and Mexicans were attacked after 9/11 because their attackers thought they looked like the terrorists.
I'd hate to be raising a black son today. They are first to be suspected, detained and accused, even when innocent.
Now, I am equally concerned and probably doubly pissed about the gangster/hip-hop culture that promulgates and glorifies criminal/thuggy behavior, and the false leaders who give black youth no hope and make excuses for them, even discouraging them from expecting more of themselves.
The black community is in dire need of leadership, as is the rest of our nation, and neither Al Sharpton nor Jesse Jackson were ever elected to represent us.
Steve. I must say I am in the camp of this guy was a punk thug strong armed thief and not "unarmed" after watching that video....! Look at the size of this guy and what he did to that storekeeper. Either that storekeeper is 4 feet one inches tall or this kid is (was) a very big and strong dude....! The press says "unarmed 18 year old African American youth". I say at 18 and that big you are a weapon if you so decide to be. You might be able to handle this kid physically Steve but I would not stand a chance at 5'9'', 160 lbs, over 50 years old, and no black belt in anything in particular........ And what about the race thing here....? Are East Indian/Pakistani Hindu or Muslim storekeepers who work very hard, very long, and seven days a week to feed their families and send their kids to the best schools in this country not to be mentioned....? Should they riot too and burn stuff down....? Where is their "Al Sharpton".....? Just look at that video Steve and it tells a thousand stories about who this kid was and what he did to others. No saint, no saint indeed....! To bad a whole town gets turned to burning embers over a punk thug thief because he is of one race and the cop is of another race who killed him. Anybody hear of the White kid killed in Salt Lake City the day after this by White cops....? Came out of a 7-11 and had earphones in his ears sitting in his car. Cops ordered him out of his car at gunpoint, he did not hear them as he was rocking out to something....... They killed him. Shot him dead. Salt Lake City is not on fire as far as I see in the news......... Chris
http://kutv.com/news...vid_13131.shtml
No argument to any of what you said there. How could there be? From what I've seen of the Salt Lake City shooting, the guy was no stranger to the law and it only happened yesterday.
Still, point taken.
Riots have been happening forever and occur all over the world, from China to Ireland, and it is often accompanied by looting. I'd guess that the looters are just criminal opportunists showing who they really are.
