Baltimore and Bigotry

[tenni]

Questions stand out about discrimination and bigotry in Baltimore.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=76&v=UTcJwYVHi6w

[charles-smythe]

…Geraldo is more tolerant than I am…that ass-hole be up in my face like that & I’d be kicking him on the shin…FYI: a good kick to the shin draws instant tears & temporary blindness…long enough for a disabling strike of some kind…the loud mouth should be in jail for being part of the riot…instead of part of a peaceful demonstration…& there is a damn big difference between the 2…

[tenni]

Interesting interpretation Charles.
Where I live there has been much discussion about the criticism supposedly coming from Baltimore Blacks about the media coverage. The position is that the media ignores Black peaceful protest that has been going on in Baltimore and now is focusing on the riots.


https://youtu.be/4ZSK9viJFEg

[pole_smoker]

Interesting interpretation Charles.
Where I live there has been much discussion about the criticism supposedly coming from Baltimore Blacks about the media coverage. The position is that the media ignores Black peaceful protest that has been going on in Baltimore and now is focusing on the riots.


https://youtu.be/4ZSK9viJFEg
Yeah...like a talking head libtart like Stewart actually gave a shit about Baltimore at all before any of this happened. :rolleyes:

I take the comedians Stewart and Colbert and their shows and what they say, about as seriously as I take weekend update on Saturday night live; but snl skits are a lot more funnier than anything Stewart and Colbert have ever done or lampooned for "news".

Have you even ever been to Baltimore Tenni? I have many times, parts of it are nice; but a lot of it isn't that nice and it should not surprise anyone with how rioting, burning, and looting happened there.

As an ex of mine would say, "Baltimore is a shithole".

[pole_smoker]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASwycxar7Vw

More parents in Baltimore should have done the same thing, or raised their children the right way so they would not put themselves in danger, or act like total thugs or lawless animals destroying things, rioting, and looting.

This is far more effective than a thug being rude, and getting all in a person's face just for attention since the cameras were running. Had he been polite, and not so loud and rude he would have been far more effective.

[pole_smoker]

http://s21.postimg.org/gzwyk4ifb/stimulus.jpg

[tenni]

I don’t know where I place myself with the complaint that bail for black poor rioters are being set way out of the possible realm of reason for poor, black unemployed youth families to make bail. This has been a point of contention.

The young man turned himself out of fear that the police would break down his door and beat him.

“The young man in the blue hoodie seen in pictures smashing police cars during violent protests in Baltimore has a name and a family. He is Allen Bullock. He voluntarily surrendered to police, only to be held on half a million dollars' bail, an amount his parents say is “ridiculous.”

http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/baltimore-unrest/so-much-money-baltimore-teen-who-surrendered-held-500-000-n351606

[charles-smythe]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASwycxar7Vw

More parents in Baltimore should have done the same thing, or raised their children the right way so they would not put themselves in danger, or act like total thugs or lawless animals destroying things, rioting, and looting.

This is far more effective than a thug being rude, and getting all in a person's face just for attention since the cameras were running. Had he been polite, and not so loud and rude he would have been far more effective.


…this lady is a hero…more mothers should be like that…

[charles-smythe]

I don’t know where I place myself with the complaint that bail for black poor rioters are being set way out of the possible realm of reason for poor, black unemployed youth families to make bail. This has been a point of contention.

The young man turned himself out of fear that the police would break down his door and beat him.

“The young man in the blue hoodie seen in pictures smashing police cars during violent protests in Baltimore has a name and a family. He is Allen Bullock. He voluntarily surrendered to police, only to be held on half a million dollars' bail, an amount his parents say is “ridiculous.”

http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/baltimore-unrest/so-much-money-baltimore-teen-who-surrendered-held-500-000-n351606 …the bail should fit the crime…not the parents pocket book…if he can’t make the bail…set it out in jail…or BETTER yet…don’t do the crime…

[charles-smythe]

Interesting interpretation Charles.
Where I live there has been much discussion about the criticism supposedly coming from Baltimore Blacks about the media coverage. The position is that the media ignores Black peaceful protest that has been going on in Baltimore and now is focusing on the riots.


https://youtu.be/4ZSK9viJFEg

…does this give him the right to get up in someone else’s face & violate the very rights that he’s demanding?...I think not…

[pole_smoker]

I don’t know where I place myself with the complaint that bail for black poor rioters are being set way out of the possible realm of reason for poor, black unemployed youth families to make bail. This has been a point of contention.

The young man turned himself out of fear that the police would break down his door and beat him.

“The young man in the blue hoodie seen in pictures smashing police cars during violent protests in Baltimore has a name and a family. He is Allen Bullock. He voluntarily surrendered to police, only to be held on half a million dollars' bail, an amount his parents say is “ridiculous.”

http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/baltimore-unrest/so-much-money-baltimore-teen-who-surrendered-held-500-000-n351606
I have no sympathy for people like him. He belongs in jail, not out on bail. If he and his family are now bitching and moaning about how he's in jail and not out on bail then they have nobody but themselves to blame for their son or his own actions.

The majority of black people in or around Baltimore did not riot, loot, or destroy businesses or attack police, and they are aghast at the black people who did.

[charles-smythe]

I have no sympathy for people like him. He belongs in jail, not out on bail. If he and his family are now bitching and moaning about how he's in jail and not out on bail then they have nobody but themselves to blame for their son or his own actions.

The majority of black people in or around Baltimore did not riot, loot, or destroy businesses or attack police, and they are aghast at the black people who did. …here…here…get all the thugs off the street & in jail & the descent black people & their property will be safe…

[tenni]

…the bail should fit the crime…not the parents pocket book…if he can’t make the bail…set it out in jail…or BETTER yet…don’t do the crime…


I agree with the mother who went after her son when she saw him on TV. I would hope that bail not be discriminatory based on race. It would be good if parents of all races supervised their adult/teen children.

I don't have the link handy but the argument has been that what is called a riot and what is called "overexcited" sports fans...mostly white.

I believe that the argument is about justice. Is it just to let "overexcited white sports fans who do damage" and not 'overexcited Black protesters against violence towards other blacks? The argument goes to unemployed with no real hope of getting a good job.

Toronto and some other large cities have experienced "sports" rioting. We're they given a half million dollar bail? Toronto has had accusations of carding black youth. This is an issue that goes beyond a few cities in North America. Toronto has just hired its first black chief of police. He was carded on the way to his swearing in ceremony. :( He says that carding will not end but it will be examined and hopefully better applied. Carding, beating people who fear that they will be mistreated all may be connected. This seems to be a racial complaint. I do recall being pulled over several times at 16 just after I got my drivers licence. Police comment connected me to a 'so called" similar car and young person having just committed a crime. I'm not saying if I am black or white.

[Cutiliae]

34946

[pole_smoker]

I agree with the mother who went after her son when she saw him on TV. I would hope that bail not be discriminatory based on race. It would be good if parents of all races supervised their adult/teen children.

I don't have the link handy but the argument has been that what is called a riot and what is called "overexcited" sports fans...mostly white.

I believe that the argument is about justice. Is it just to let "overexcited white sports fans who do damage" and not 'overexcited Black protesters against violence towards other blacks? The argument goes to unemployed with no real hope of getting a good job.

Toronto and some other large cities have experienced "sports" rioting. We're they given a half million dollar bail? Toronto has had accusations of carding black youth. This is an issue that goes beyond a few cities in North America. Toronto has just hired its first black chief of police. He was carded on the way to his swearing in ceremony. :( He says that carding will not end but it will be examined and hopefully better applied. Carding, beating people who fear that they will be mistreated all may be connected. This seems to be a racial complaint. I do recall being pulled over several times at 16 just after I got my drivers licence. Police comment connected me to a 'so called" similar car and young person having just committed a crime. I'm not saying if I am black or white.
You're white/Caucasian tenni.


No, Jim Riley, it isn't. Not editing that out either... hide some more?

http://i.imgur.com/Ihl6cZE.jpg

http://www.novacancyart.com/uploads/2/7/3/5/2735897/_1663502.jpg?178

You also have way too much white guilt but let's consider the source you're from or near Toronto, and don't live in reality and instead live in a world of extreme Political Correctness.

[charles-smythe]

I agree with the mother who went after her son when she saw him on TV. I would hope that bail not be discriminatory based on race. It would be good if parents of all races supervised their adult/teen children.

I don't have the link handy but the argument has been that what is called a riot and what is called "overexcited" sports fans...mostly white.

I believe that the argument is about justice. Is it just to let "overexcited white sports fans who do damage" and not 'overexcited Black protesters against violence towards other blacks? The argument goes to unemployed with no real hope of getting a good job.

Toronto and some other large cities have experienced "sports" rioting. We're they given a half million dollar bail? Toronto has had accusations of carding black youth. This is an issue that goes beyond a few cities in North America. Toronto has just hired its first black chief of police. He was carded on the way to his swearing in ceremony. :( He says that carding will not end but it will be examined and hopefully better applied. Carding, beating people who fear that they will be mistreated all may be connected. This seems to be a racial complaint. I do recall being pulled over several times at 16 just after I got my drivers licence. Police comment connected me to a 'so called" similar car and young person having just committed a crime. I'm not saying if I am black or white. …when it comes to setting bail…throw the book at the sports fans too…

[charles-smythe]

…I never noticed Tenni was Canadian…that explains some of her/his opinions…

[tenni]

You also have way too much white guilt but let's consider the source you're from or near Toronto, and don't live in reality and instead live in a world of extreme Political Correctness.[/QUOTE]


rule 2 violation Discuss the issue not the poster. I feel sorry for the person that you think that I am.

Did you notice this Charles?
You also are violating rule 2
"…I never noticed Tenni was Canadian…that explains some of her/his opinions…"

[pole_smoker]

rule 2 violation Discuss the issue not the poster. I feel sorry for the person that you think that I am.
:rolleyes: Tenni those are pics of you. You're from Burlington Ontario, and are a white male, with the name as DuckiesDarling posted. Or are you going to lie about even more things as you always do, and stay deeply locked in the closet?

[charles-smythe]

You also have way too much white guilt but let's consider the source you're from or near Toronto, and don't live in reality and instead live in a world of extreme Political Correctness.


rule 2 violation Discuss the issue not the poster. I feel sorry for the person that you think that I am.

Did you notice this Charles?
You also are violating rule 2
"…I never noticed Tenni was Canadian…that explains some of her/his opinions…"[/QUOTE] …I didn’t say anything negative about your opinions…I just said that finding out you were from canada made me understand them better…don’t tell me that my being from texas doesn’t give you insight to my opinions…you need to get the beam out of your eye before you get the mote out of your neighbors…

[Cutiliae]

34949

Here are the six racist cops.

[pole_smoker]

34949

Here are the six racist cops.
I wonder what the media will say since 3 of them are black/African-American?

[tenni]

Cutilao
Is this a racist issue if half of the police involved in Mr Gray's death? Could it also be a "justice" issue?(like some are argung0

Could it be a systemic racist situation? Systemic ignoring bisexuality in the media, history, movies etc. is called Bi Invisibility and sometimes Bi Erasure. It is still anti bisexual. The people involved may be looked at as possibly biphobic.

This Baltimore situation could still be a justice and racial issue. How many white people are shot or killed by the police while trying to arrest them?

[pole_smoker]

Cutilao
Is this a racist issue if half of the police involved in Mr Gray's death? Could it also be a "justice" issue?(like some are argung0

Could it be a systemic racist situation? Systemic ignoring bisexuality in the media, history, movies etc. is called Bi Invisibility and sometimes Bi Erasure. It is still anti bisexual. The people involved may be looked at as possibly biphobic.

This Baltimore situation could still be a justice and racial issue. How many white people are shot or killed by the police while trying to arrest them?
White people get shot and killed by the police all the time...if they do things like attack an officer, go for his/her weapon, or pull a gun/weapon out, etc.

[tenni]

"White people get shot and killed by the police all the time...if they do things like attack an officer, go for his/her weapon, or pull a gun/weapon out, etc."


This is not the situation with the killing of Freddy Gray nor some other killing of Black men this year.

Attack an officer-no
go for a weapon-apparently not. He had a small legal knife but no one has stated that he tried to stab anyone.

Reports tonight point to the fact that Mr Gray was hand cuffed in the truck but not secured. Apparently, it has been pointed out that police in Baltimore had a tendency of driving a black man swerving the truck back and forth to rough up the man. Mr Gray was supposedly driven to several places eradic fashion not on the direct route to the police station.

[pole_smoker]

"White people get shot and killed by the police all the time...if they do things like attack an officer, go for his/her weapon, or pull a gun/weapon out, etc."

This is not the situation with the killing of Freddy Gray nor some other killing of Black men this year.

Attack an officer-no
go for a weapon-apparently not. He had a small legal knife but no one has stated that he tried to stab anyone.

Michael Brown in Ferguson Missouri attacked the officer.

[darkeyes]

Michael Brown in Ferguson Missouri attacked the officer.
Tenni talked of some other killing of black men. He did not mention Michael Brown... neither he or Freddie Gray have been the only black men killed by police in (to say the least) disputed and/or contentious circumstances...

[tenni]

Here is a rather graphic display about police arresting a drunk, white, 28 year old woman and violently forcing her to the ground. No charges were laid against this woman.

http://jezebel.com/new-video-shows-bart-cop-breaking-a-drunk-womans-face-i-1701029653

Another reason to support body cams on cops: a newly released video out of San Francisco shows a Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) police officer slamming a drunk woman down to the ground rendering her unconscious in a pool of blood with multiple face fractures and broken teeth.
Megan Sheehan, 28, was arrested for being drunk and belligerent at a BART station on St. Patrick’s Day of 2014. According to police reports she struggled with police while arrested and then in the car ride over to the Santa Rita Jail in Dublin, Sheehan urinated and tried to wipe herself on arresting Officer Nolan Pianta’s pants.
Once Sheehan was escorted into the lobby of the jail she began to riffle through her purse, after Pianta told her to stop Sheehan flicked a hair tie at him. According to Pianta’s incident report, he then attempted to handcuff Sheehan but she tried to punch him.
“To protect myself from her attack and to stop her attack on me,”Pianta wrote (http://m.sfgate.com/crime/article/Video-shows-BART-officer-slamming-down-6229625.php), “I used an arm bar takedown and guided her to the ground. Upon guiding her to the ground, she landed on her face and appeared to go unconscious.”

As you can see from the graphic video (start at minute 1:22) Pianta’s description of “guiding” Sheehan to the ground with an “arm bar” is bullshit (we originally had a video from Pianta’s body cam (http://ktla.com/2015/04/27/model-sues-bay-area-police-claiming-officers-broke-her-face-during-arrest/) which readers said was unclear).


Sheehan’s attorney, Lizabeth de Vries, told SF Gate (http://m.sfgate.com/crime/article/Video-shows-BART-officer-slamming-down-6229625.php), “I think the officer acted out of spite, I think he was extremely upset about feeling disrespected by the fact that my client threw the hair tie at him. I think he reacted in a way that was completely disproportionate to the facts and circumstances presented to him.”
No criminal charges were brought against Sheehan, who spent two days in the hospital recovering from her injuries, which totaled four broken cheek bones, a split molar and a cracked front tooth. Sheehan has filed a federal lawsuit against Pianta and BART.
34989

[Cutiliae]

Cutilao
Is this a racist issue if half of the police involved in Mr Gray's death? Could it also be a "justice" issue?(like some are argung0

Could it be a systemic racist situation? Systemic ignoring bisexuality in the media, history, movies etc. is called Bi Invisibility and sometimes Bi Erasure. It is still anti bisexual. The people involved may be looked at as possibly biphobic.

This Baltimore situation could still be a justice and racial issue. How many white people are shot or killed by the police while trying to arrest them?

Looks like the perfect scorecard for diversity bingo. Double points if the black broad is a leth bian.

Next up bullshit bingo. Cards read with phrases such as "lessons will be learned", "moving forward" and "fully investigated".

[charles-smythe]

Here is a rather graphic display about police arresting a drunk, white, 28 year old woman and violently forcing her to the ground. No charges were laid against this woman.

http://jezebel.com/new-video-shows-bart-cop-breaking-a-drunk-womans-face-i-1701029653

Another reason to support body cams on cops: a newly released video out of San Francisco shows a Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) police officer slamming a drunk woman down to the ground rendering her unconscious in a pool of blood with multiple face fractures and broken teeth.
Megan Sheehan, 28, was arrested for being drunk and belligerent at a BART station on St. Patrick’s Day of 2014. According to police reports she struggled with police while arrested and then in the car ride over to the Santa Rita Jail in Dublin, Sheehan urinated and tried to wipe herself on arresting Officer Nolan Pianta’s pants.
Once Sheehan was escorted into the lobby of the jail she began to riffle through her purse, after Pianta told her to stop Sheehan flicked a hair tie at him. According to Pianta’s incident report, he then attempted to handcuff Sheehan but she tried to punch him.
“To protect myself from her attack and to stop her attack on me,”Pianta wrote (http://m.sfgate.com/crime/article/Video-shows-BART-officer-slamming-down-6229625.php), “I used an arm bar takedown and guided her to the ground. Upon guiding her to the ground, she landed on her face and appeared to go unconscious.”

As you can see from the graphic video (start at minute 1:22) Pianta’s description of “guiding” Sheehan to the ground with an “arm bar” is bullshit (we originally had a video from Pianta’s body cam (http://ktla.com/2015/04/27/model-sues-bay-area-police-claiming-officers-broke-her-face-during-arrest/) which readers said was unclear).


Sheehan’s attorney, Lizabeth de Vries, told SF Gate (http://m.sfgate.com/crime/article/Video-shows-BART-officer-slamming-down-6229625.php), “I think the officer acted out of spite, I think he was extremely upset about feeling disrespected by the fact that my client threw the hair tie at him. I think he reacted in a way that was completely disproportionate to the facts and circumstances presented to him.”
No criminal charges were brought against Sheehan, who spent two days in the hospital recovering from her injuries, which totaled four broken cheek bones, a split molar and a cracked front tooth. Sheehan has filed a federal lawsuit against Pianta and BART.
34989 …I’ve never been a cop so I can’t speek for them…BUT I have been a bouncer in clubs…and the most problamatic people to deal with are combative drunk women…you’re forced to use violance to control them whether you want to or not…so I well understand some poor officer having to resort to violance…even though he knows that he’s going to catch 9 kinds of hell & be the bad guy…just from personal experience I’d all most bet money that she brough the rough treatment on herself…

[tenni]

Interesting Charles. I agree that such jobs as bouncers and bar staff don't have it easy when it comes to drunks or near drunks. I have bartended and fortunately dealt mostly with drunk guys who were not aggressive. Many women barstaff can usually flirt their way around most drunk men to descalate violence. They can also use the mom behaviour depending on the drunk and bar staff's ages..lol I've seen a woman bartender leave the bar and go to someone that she cut off. She snatched his drink and scolded him. He accepted that from her...probably not from a guy bar keep or bouncer. I was cautious about cutting drunks off as are most bar staff. Legally, we have to cut them off or face a huge fine. There are things that you may say or do long before things come violent. It the drunks who arrive already drunk are the curious ones to make a judgement about. I suspect that you may have not let some drunks in to the bar? It may be quick decision for the bouncer. Sometimes drunks turn violent in the parking lot and not the bar itself.

According to the video the officer used a lot of force against a much smaller person. She rubbed her wet pee pants against him and shot her hair elastic at him. In your opinion charles would you have used such force against a woman? Thrusting her body in to the air and pushing her face into the floor to knock her unconscious and bleeding? He called it "guiding her to the floor" The video proves otherwise. The one black man who died while about four police where trying to hold him down choking him may have been a case of getting carried away in the moment. I doubt the police who killed Mr Gray, or the large man who died because he couldn't breathe(asthma?) wanted the people to die. I would like to think that the officer who smashed this woman didn't meant to hurt her as much as he did. Shooting a man dead in the back as he runs away has no excuse imo. Shooting a male black 12 year old child because he had a toy gun in a park is also questionable. No questions asked just shot. The officer was there for less than 20 seconds according to a video of the event. No words said..just shot dead.

[Hoosier]

[QUOTE=tenni;285916]. Shooting a man dead in the back as he runs away has no excuse imo. {/QUOTE}
If your referring to Michael Brown, the autopsy proved that false.

[tenni]

The man that I was referring to being shot in the back and he was running on grass near a tree(s) was Walter Scott in South Carolina. He was shot on April 4, 2015 Scott was a retired Coast Guard and a 50 year old black man. After killing Scott, the officer handcuffs Scott. The video then captures the officer bringing a taser and putting beside Scott's body.

http://nypost.com/2015/04/07/cop-charged-with-murder-of-motorist-after-jarring-video-surfaces/


https://youtu.be/Q6-jFQPu-yo

34990

[CurEUs_Male]

As a resident of Baltimore County, and watching things unfold from a local perspective, there is a good deal of misinformation, media mis-focus, and a shift from what was going on here to what agenda's are being pushed.

Yes, there is racism. It is prevalent in some areas. I might even be tied to some of those posting here. The initial Baltimore incident with Freddie Gray is one of Police Brutality. The peaceful protests were getting a lot of local press, and the change to Monday's riot stance was not a positive move. We have seen a lot of nonviolent as well as violent external influences coming into our city over the last couple weeks. It was unfortunate.

The young man arrested for breaking a car window, held on $500,000 bail is a big issue, and may be more directly focused toward a race or poverty issue - likely both. Why would a citizen be held for $500,000 bail when each of the 6 held on manslaughter, as well as other charges have bail set in ranges from $250,000-$350,000? That discrepancy is a huge issue. Still waiting for an answer on that, and I expect we will be waiting a long time. This is a court mandate, not a police mandate.

I truly believe our States Attorney was not influenced by the violence and riots. I believe she would have come to the same conclusions based on the investigation into Freddie's death, and leveled the charges as she has done. The Monday riot was not a positive thing for our city, and will leave a deep, ugly scare for many years.

As for the abject poverty in Baltimore, we have a long road ahead of us. I have spent time in "Sandtown", the neighborhood at the center of this tragedy. It is very impoverished. I spent a day with my son and another HS aged child working on a Habitat For Humanity project. The location is like nothing I had experienced first hand. Those working the project were typically college students and some local residents paying forward (a requirement of H4H). We were warned of dangers, we were warned of thefts. We saw none of that. I met some poorly educated men trying to make the best of some terrible circumstances. I was proud to work side by side with them. As I walked to a corner store I greeted a few sitting on their stoops along the block. They look at outsiders with a mix of distrust and disdain. I was happy to have spent money at a corner store, much like those looted and ruined on Monday. I remember feeling awkward as the entire store, built into a living room and dining room of a converted house, was completely lined with bullet proof glass, and clear walls. I had to ask for what I wanted and go to the cashier's window to receive it and pay for it. A few soft drinks for the kids and myself, and we were able to sink a little money into the neighbor hood. Today I wonder if that little old lady that worked at, and presumably owned, the corner store is still in business. I feel strongly that there is less difference between those in that neighborhood and I than many of my closed minded white 'brothers'.

I was lucky to have been raised in a family that was not impoverished. We certainly were not rich, and in fact my grandparents were not well off at all when they left their own country for the american dream. I see that there are huge issues that need to be overcome in Baltimore. Police Brutality is paramount, as is education, job training & funding, and of course, racism.

As a bisexual man, I see discrimination. Not nearly as bad as racial, because my bisexuality is not our for all to see as the color of skin. I spend one Sunday afternoon a month in Baltimore city with a bisexual support group. Run by two black men, and we understand each other. We do not discriminate against each other based on our family history, or our education, or our current financial standing. We are bisexual men, trying to make a better life for ourselves and each other. Tomorrow I will be in DC at a meetup entitled: "Bisexual Community Voices : Recognizing People of Color ( Welcome to All )". After some of last week's events and a social media incident (I was called out for being white and my opinion does not matter) I was thinking of not attending. The words in parenthesis are key, and something we should be striving for among the bisexual community. These words need to be a part of our lives in all our social interactions, not just for bisexuals, bit for all our fellow humans...

"Welcome to All"

[pole_smoker]

As a resident of Baltimore County, and watching things unfold from a local perspective, there is a good deal of misinformation, media mis-focus, and a shift from what was going on here to what agenda's are being pushed.

Yes, there is racism. It is prevalent in some areas. I might even be tied to some of those posting here. The initial Baltimore incident with Freddie Gray is one of Police Brutality. The peaceful protests were getting a lot of local press, and the change to Monday's riot stance was not a positive move. We have seen a lot of nonviolent as well as violent external influences coming into our city over the last couple weeks. It was unfortunate.

The young man arrested for breaking a car window, held on $500,000 bail is a big issue, and may be more directly focused toward a race or poverty issue - likely both. Why would a citizen be held for $500,000 bail when each of the 6 held on manslaughter, as well as other charges have bail set in ranges from $250,000-$350,000? That discrepancy is a huge issue. Still waiting for an answer on that, and I expect we will be waiting a long time. This is a court mandate, not a police mandate.

I truly believe our States Attorney was not influenced by the violence and riots. I believe she would have come to the same conclusions based on the investigation into Freddie's death, and leveled the charges as she has done. The Monday riot was not a positive thing for our city, and will leave a deep, ugly scare for many years.

As for the abject poverty in Baltimore, we have a long road ahead of us. I have spent time in "Sandtown", the neighborhood at the center of this tragedy. It is very impoverished. I spent a day with my son and another HS aged child working on a Habitat For Humanity project. The location is like nothing I had experienced first hand. Those working the project were typically college students and some local residents paying forward (a requirement of H4H). We were warned of dangers, we were warned of thefts. We saw none of that. I met some poorly educated men trying to make the best of some terrible circumstances. I was proud to work side by side with them. As I walked to a corner store I greeted a few sitting on their stoops along the block. They look at outsiders with a mix of distrust and disdain. I was happy to have spent money at a corner store, much like those looted and ruined on Monday. I remember feeling awkward as the entire store, built into a living room and dining room of a converted house, was completely lined with bullet proof glass, and clear walls. I had to ask for what I wanted and go to the cashier's window to receive it and pay for it. A few soft drinks for the kids and myself, and we were able to sink a little money into the neighbor hood. Today I wonder if that little old lady that worked at, and presumably owned, the corner store is still in business. I feel strongly that there is less difference between those in that neighborhood and I than many of my closed minded white 'brothers'.

I was lucky to have been raised in a family that was not impoverished. We certainly were not rich, and in fact my grandparents were not well off at all when they left their own country for the american dream. I see that there are huge issues that need to be overcome in Baltimore. Police Brutality is paramount, as is education, job training & funding, and of course, racism.

As a bisexual man, I see discrimination. Not nearly as bad as racial, because my bisexuality is not our for all to see as the color of skin. I spend one Sunday afternoon a month in Baltimore city with a bisexual support group. Run by two black men, and we understand each other. We do not discriminate against each other based on our family history, or our education, or our current financial standing. We are bisexual men, trying to make a better life for ourselves and each other. Tomorrow I will be in DC at a meetup entitled: "Bisexual Community Voices : Recognizing People of Color ( Welcome to All )". After some of last week's events and a social media incident (I was called out for being white and my opinion does not matter) I was thinking of not attending. The words in parenthesis are key, and something we should be striving for among the bisexual community. These words need to be a part of our lives in all our social interactions, not just for bisexuals, bit for all our fellow humans...

"Welcome to All"
LGBT people who are black, latino, and even Asian, do not like bi and gay men who are white who go to the ghetto or black/latino/Asian neighborhoods to pick up bi and gay Asian, black, and latino men, or to cop drugs; but it's been this way for decades and not going to stop.


They also do not like people who are white going into their neighborhoods even if it's to help them build projects or public housing.


I personally would not attend the conference for "people of color" at all since you wrote how you wanted to attend and people said not to, and people who are "of color" are around white people enough and most LGBT groups and social outlets are all white or mostly white environments.

[elian]

I am more and more convinced that it was when MLK turned from "race" and started to focus on "poverty" - that is probably what caused his assassination. Perhaps it was too much to bear for some people to hear that poverty was evil..

Some people are truly frustrated, others will take advantage of a situation regardless of the circumstances..they thrive on anarchy.

I am not quite sure how it is that we can convince people that they are worthy (and that others are worthy) .. convince folks that we need to care more about building schools and community rather than prisons.

I believe that this world needs people who are good with their hands and their hearts, not just their heads..but you know everyone is always looking in the short term nowadays. Lack of decent jobs is another big problem. I would like to think that if we were able to keep decent blue collar jobs in this country then maybe things wouldn't be quite so bad. Baltimore may have been one of the hardest hit cities but it's not just Baltimore, there are a LOT of small towns in America that have concerns about poverty and unemployment.

I know of one town where a lot of the folks used to be employed in a furniture factory that made VERY good products, that place closed - moving to China. A lot of the other factories closed as well - now the folks in town do nothing. A lot of folks are on disability subsidies. If you aren't pregnant or on drugs then you are retired, either in jail or work for the prison. It may be a bit better than that, but not by much. It is really sad actually. As it turns out, that furniture factory didn't get the savings they thought they were going to get by moving to China - but it's too late..

Of course, what is the measure of a successful life? If you have good friends and family and enough to pay the bills, maybe that is enough?

Sadly some people don't KNOW what love is ..that is a shame. I really miss strong, loving male role models in my own life - and I've had plenty of folks cheering me on..it's just sort of like the feeling of a ghost, something I once knew, but now only think about in memory since my own father passed away and I live far from family.

[charles-smythe]

Interesting Charles. I agree that such jobs as bouncers and bar staff don't have it easy when it comes to drunks or near drunks. I have bartended and fortunately dealt mostly with drunk guys who were not aggressive. Many women barstaff can usually flirt their way around most drunk men to descalate violence. They can also use the mom behaviour depending on the drunk and bar staff's ages..lol I've seen a woman bartender leave the bar and go to someone that she cut off. She snatched his drink and scolded him. He accepted that from her...probably not from a guy bar keep or bouncer. I was cautious about cutting drunks off as are most bar staff. Legally, we have to cut them off or face a huge fine. There are things that you may say or do long before things come violent. It the drunks who arrive already drunk are the curious ones to make a judgement about. I suspect that you may have not let some drunks in to the bar? It may be quick decision for the bouncer. Sometimes drunks turn violent in the parking lot and not the bar itself.

According to the video the officer used a lot of force against a much smaller person. She rubbed her wet pee pants against him and shot her hair elastic at him. In your opinion charles would you have used such force against a woman? Thrusting her body in to the air and pushing her face into the floor to knock her unconscious and bleeding? He called it "guiding her to the floor" The video proves otherwise. The one black man who died while about four police where trying to hold him down choking him may have been a case of getting carried away in the moment. I doubt the police who killed Mr Gray, or the large man who died because he couldn't breathe(asthma?) wanted the people to die. I would like to think that the officer who smashed this woman didn't meant to hurt her as much as he did. Shooting a man dead in the back as he runs away has no excuse imo. Shooting a male black 12 year old child because he had a toy gun in a park is also questionable. No questions asked just shot. The officer was there for less than 20 seconds according to a video of the event. No words said..just shot dead. …in the country & western bars I bounced in even the girls were as they say…’tough as a boot’…most ex-barrel racers & ranch girls who’d kick a normals guys ass for the fun of it…when they got drunk & rowdy you had to handle them like you would a guy or you could get hurt…
.
…would I have used force on a girl for rubbing pee on me & popping me with her elastic hair band…most likely…

[charles-smythe]

As a resident of Baltimore County, and watching things unfold from a local perspective, there is a good deal of misinformation, media mis-focus, and a shift from what was going on here to what agenda's are being pushed.

Yes, there is racism. It is prevalent in some areas. I might even be tied to some of those posting here. The initial Baltimore incident with Freddie Gray is one of Police Brutality. The peaceful protests were getting a lot of local press, and the change to Monday's riot stance was not a positive move. We have seen a lot of nonviolent as well as violent external influences coming into our city over the last couple weeks. It was unfortunate.

The young man arrested for breaking a car window, held on $500,000 bail is a big issue, and may be more directly focused toward a race or poverty issue - likely both. Why would a citizen be held for $500,000 bail when each of the 6 held on manslaughter, as well as other charges have bail set in ranges from $250,000-$350,000? That discrepancy is a huge issue. Still waiting for an answer on that, and I expect we will be waiting a long time. This is a court mandate, not a police mandate.

I truly believe our States Attorney was not influenced by the violence and riots. I believe she would have come to the same conclusions based on the investigation into Freddie's death, and leveled the charges as she has done. The Monday riot was not a positive thing for our city, and will leave a deep, ugly scare for many years.

As for the abject poverty in Baltimore, we have a long road ahead of us. I have spent time in "Sandtown", the neighborhood at the center of this tragedy. It is very impoverished. I spent a day with my son and another HS aged child working on a Habitat For Humanity project. The location is like nothing I had experienced first hand. Those working the project were typically college students and some local residents paying forward (a requirement of H4H). We were warned of dangers, we were warned of thefts. We saw none of that. I met some poorly educated men trying to make the best of some terrible circumstances. I was proud to work side by side with them. As I walked to a corner store I greeted a few sitting on their stoops along the block. They look at outsiders with a mix of distrust and disdain. I was happy to have spent money at a corner store, much like those looted and ruined on Monday. I remember feeling awkward as the entire store, built into a living room and dining room of a converted house, was completely lined with bullet proof glass, and clear walls. I had to ask for what I wanted and go to the cashier's window to receive it and pay for it. A few soft drinks for the kids and myself, and we were able to sink a little money into the neighbor hood. Today I wonder if that little old lady that worked at, and presumably owned, the corner store is still in business. I feel strongly that there is less difference between those in that neighborhood and I than many of my closed minded white 'brothers'.

I was lucky to have been raised in a family that was not impoverished. We certainly were not rich, and in fact my grandparents were not well off at all when they left their own country for the american dream. I see that there are huge issues that need to be overcome in Baltimore. Police Brutality is paramount, as is education, job training & funding, and of course, racism.

As a bisexual man, I see discrimination. Not nearly as bad as racial, because my bisexuality is not our for all to see as the color of skin. I spend one Sunday afternoon a month in Baltimore city with a bisexual support group. Run by two black men, and we understand each other. We do not discriminate against each other based on our family history, or our education, or our current financial standing. We are bisexual men, trying to make a better life for ourselves and each other. Tomorrow I will be in DC at a meetup entitled: "Bisexual Community Voices : Recognizing People of Color ( Welcome to All )". After some of last week's events and a social media incident (I was called out for being white and my opinion does not matter) I was thinking of not attending. The words in parenthesis are key, and something we should be striving for among the bisexual community. These words need to be a part of our lives in all our social interactions, not just for bisexuals, bit for all our fellow humans...

"Welcome to All" …the answer is simple as to why the other people have lower bail…a much much better lawyer…most bail is a nagoiation between the court & the lawyer…the better the lawyer…the lower the bail…hence: the ones who could aford the high bail don’t get high bail because they can also afford a HIGH PRICED lawyer…

[BiBedBud]

I saw this posted on Salon, from where it was copied from Facebook. IMO this comment below really captures a lot of what many posting in this thread have FAILED to recognize............. (see http://www.salon.com/2015/04/29/dear_white_facebook_friends_i_need_you_to_respect_ what_black_america_is_feeling_right_now/ )

This post originally appeared on Julia Blount's Facebook page.





Dear White America,

It is somewhat strange to address this to you, given that I strongly identify with many aspects of your culture and am half-white myself. Yet, today is another day you have forced me to decide what race I am — and, as always when you force me — I fall decidedly into “Person of Color.”

Every comment or post I have read today voicing some version of disdain for the people of Baltimore — “I can’t understand” or “They’re destroying their own community” or “Destruction of Property!” or “Thugs” — tells me that many of you are not listening. I am not asking you to condone or agree with violence. I just need you to listen. You don’t have to say anything if you don’t want to, but instead of forming an opinion or drawing a conclusion, please let me tell you what I hear:

I hear hopelessness
I hear oppression
I hear pain
I hear internalized oppression
I hear despair
I hear anger
I hear poverty

If you are not listening, not exposing yourself to unfamiliar perspectives, not watching videos, not engaging in conversation, then you are perpetuating white privilege and white supremacy. It is exactly your ability to not hear, to ignore the situation, that is a mark of your privilege. People of color cannot turn away. Race affects our lives every day. We must consider it all the time, not just when it is convenient.

As a person of color, even if you are privileged your whole life, as I have been, you cannot escape from the shade of your skin. Being a woman defines me; coming from a relatively affluent background defines me; my sexual orientation, my education, my family and my job define me. Other than being a woman, every single one of those distinctions gives me privilege in our society. Yet, even with all that privilege, people still treat me differently.

For most of my childhood, I refused to allow race to be my most defining feature. I actually chose for most of my childhood to refuse race as my most defining feature. But I found that a very hard position to maintain, given the way the world interacts with me and the people I love. Because I have to worry about my brother and my cousins getting stopped by the police. Because people react to my wonderful, kind, intelligent father differently, depending on whether he’s wearing a suit or sweat pants. Race has defined the way I see the world like no other characteristic has.

This can be hard to understand, if you never experienced it firsthand. So again, for just one more moment, reserve your judgments and listen. This is what you might come to realize, if you spent your days in my skin.

In childhood: People regularly ask “What are you” instead of “Who are you?” This will not end, either. In high school, one kid even asks if you are “Mulatto,” which, according to some scholars, originally meant “little mule.”

A few years later: Go on a road trip with your mom. Refuse to get out of the car at a gas station in the boondocks, because you are sure the person with the Confederate flag bumper sticker is going to realize your white mother married a black man and hurt her (and you too, being the byproduct of said union). He’s carrying a rifle on a gun rack. Now even more terrifying.

As a teenager: Be the only person of color in the majority of your Advanced Placement classes, even though there are a decent number of brown and black people at your school. For years following 9/11, get “randomly” selected for the additional screening at the airport.

In college: People assume you got into Princeton because of affirmative action. They refuse to believe it could be because you are smart.

In adulthood: Your younger brother has been stopped in his own neighborhood — the neighborhood he has lived in all his life – and asked what he could possibly be doing there.

At your workplace: For two years in a row the NYPD shows up randomly at the school you work at, which has a 100 percent minority student body. The first time the police don’t even tell the school beforehand. The cops just show up early in the morning, set up a metal detector and X-ray scanner, and fill the cafeteria with dozens of policemen. As your young students file in in the morning, the NYPD scans them like they’re going through airport security right after 9/11. They confiscate cellphones, and pat some of students down, particularly the older-looking boys. As you watch this, you feel anger welling up in your chest and almost start to cry. You think, “Why are you treating my kids like criminals?!” Children are in tears. The screenings are not due to any specific threat, but rather as part of a “random screening program” — but one that never seems to make its way to the Upper East Side. White America’s children are told they can go to college, be anything. These students are treated like suspects. And that is exactly what society will tell your children one day, unless something changes.

Today, tomorrow, every day: White people around you refuse to talk about what is happening in this country. The silence is painful to experience.

These are my experiences. They have deeply affected who I am. And I am SO PRIVILEGED. Mine has been a decidedly easy life for a person of color in America. I try to conceptualize what it is like for my students who got wanded by the NYPD, my students who have been stopped and frisked, my students whose parents work multiple jobs, my students on free and reduced-price lunch, my students whom white adults move away from because they look “scary.”

I try, when I can, to listen to them, because only by validating their feelings can we begin to find a way to overcome the challenges they face. That doesn’t mean I let them off easy when they do something wrong. But I try to understand the why.

I don’t need you to validate anyone’s actions, but I need you to validate what black America is feeling. If you cannot understand how experiences like mine or my students’ would lead to hopelessness, pain, anger, and internalized oppression, you are still not listening. So listen. Listen with your heart.

If you got this far, thank you. By reading this, you have shown you are trying. Continue the conversation, ask questions, learn as much as you can, and choose to engage. Only by listening and engaging can we move forward.

Black is Beautiful and Black Lives Matter,

Julia

Julia Blount was born and raised in Washington, D.C. An alumna of Princeton University, she is currently a middle school teacher.

[pole_smoker]

LMAO Julia Blount completely wasted her Princeton degree by becoming an elementary school teacher.

She sounds like a professional victim, professional complainer, and whiner. I have lots of friends who are "people of color" and they don't feel the way she does.

But it's Salon, they've never written anything relevant or factual in the 20 years they've been around.

There are some very interesting comments on the article link:


Clearly there are many racists here, including this author. One only needs to look at the comments she choses to delete and silence to see that she is not interested in a real, open, and honest discussion. Not with her white friends and apparently not even her fellow mixed people. She will delete a black person's comments she doesn't agree with just as easily as a white person's. Only one side gets to speak.

She intends to lecture, not discuss.


Disgusting.
---
In Baltimore, you have a black mayor, a black prosecuter and three of the arresting officers are black. How do you then blame white people? This is typical blackwashing of events. Perhaps you should call in the Black Panthers? Oh I forgot, the Black Panthers initially started as a protest against light skinned blacks discriminating against dark skinned blacks. Back then a paper sack was held up and if your skin was darker than that, you wouldn't be allowed into clubs in Harlem. But now blacks think the Black Panthers fought for them all. More blackwashing. Light skinned blacks still look down on dark skinned blacks.

The biggest problem with this article, is that the author has concluded this line of thinking:
"Emotion validates the usage of violence."

So, this gag-a-maggot tripe is how you talk to your white Facebook friends? Did you also foist this garbage upon the students in your classroom? Does your white side ever grow angry and indignant toward your black side? It should, if this is how the black side of your brain reasons.

I sit here after having read her open letter and reading the comments and I have a lot of things to say. But I won't. Why? Because anything I say that doesn't pander to the agenda or is contrary to her belief that every slight, difficulty or instance of adversity in her life was/is due to her skin color, I will be instantly labeled as a racissssst. And then I will be attacked; especially on this site. So, if she really wants people to "listen with their heart," might I suggest she do the same. A conversation in where everybody only says what you want to hear, isn't a conversation.. hence the silence.

Blacks have just is much if not more opportunity as whites,that they choose not to take advantage of it is not nobody's fault but their own.blacks are more racist then whites.FACT

Or we could kidnap your family and drag them back to Africa where they would suffer far harsher treatment at the hands of rival black African tribes, there would be zero economic opportunity, they would be shot for rioting and locked up for complaining. And there would be no Free medical care, no food stamps, and no welfare check. Yup, you really got it bad in the USA after 600 years. Maybe in the next 600 you will figure it out.



All people, no matter what color, will be judged according to their actions and attitudes. I have a problem reconciling the success of Asians, or Caribbean and African black immigrants to America with the relative failure of American blacks and the culture of black victimization. It seems that instead of spending their lives whining or glorifying ignorance or thug life, they work to build strong families in which education is paramount.

I am tired of apologizing. I am tired of sympathizing. Get your act together, start accepting responsibility, start ACTING equal and you will be treated equal.


That's the gist of it. You will be treated how you act. You act uncivilized, you will be treated like a savage or thug.

Why is this written to only Whites. If you think Whites hate Blacks you should see how much Latinos can't stand Blacks. Never mind European Whites; Asians, Jews, South West Asians, Middle Easterns all hate Blacks. There are even black people who don't like other black people.


I'm mixed, but look white...very white. While I understand what you are saying and appreciate that you are getting people talking and thinking, I don't think you understand what life experiences lead people to think. First, I get a lot of crap from my black friends who make fun of my lack of color. I don't fit in with them and many of them just routinely hate white people. My white friends say some dumb crap too, but it's not usually hatred but stupidity. Second, I live in a major suburb and its is mostly Hispanic. But the store I work for routinely has major shoplifting by blacks. I see it and when our security arrests them, they have the worst attitude about being arrested, about me a white woman (they don't know) and claiming we are racist. It's upsetting the attitude I get. Third, the police are sometimes racist, they don't know I am black either, so things get dropped, but the way they are talked to I can sort of understand why they get that way. As a store manager, I get that way too because of the bad attitude I get from these shoplifters. It's all about how they are treated and not about how they are stealing. Not all our theft is from blacks, but I see it and it's a lot. Its like entitlement but the crime type. It leaves me thinking that if people want to be treated better (which they should), then they need to start respecting. My parents work hard, taught us to do the same, never let us use excuses, be willing to do any job, and respect everyone the same.



We have a Black
1. President
2. Attorney General (our second)
3. Homeland Security Secretary
Baltimore has a Black
1. Mayor
2. Police Chief
3. D.A.
4. Majority in City Council
For 50 years now we have given over 20 Trillion, free education, free housing, social aid, business aid, unlimited patience for what?
A bunch of unhappy people feeling sorry for themselves with the oh poor me attitude.
Take a long hard look at say Africa.
Do people there seem to have a better life?
Would the average unhappy African American like to return there?
If not, why not quit complaining and attempt to make something of yourself?
All the people above did.
Oh and one other point, most Americans came here in the last four or five generations and had absolutely nothing to do with slavery. Case in point one of my grandfathers fought at Gettysburg to help win the war and free the slaves.
So why not quit feeling sorry for yourself because most of us are Sick and Tired of all this nonsense.


Julia, I don't even know you, so why blame strangers for your perceived problems. Your whole subject reveals a big problem. You, whoever that is, are more concerned about your feelings than your actions. People are measured by what they do, not what they say. If your black half has a problem with your white half,tand THEY can't resolve it, then maybe you should do some soul searching ( no pun intended). Remember also, if you think white people are so very bad, even your white half, there is a whole continent of black persons, including Boko Karam, Hutus, and Tutsis. There is also slavery there, black and Muslim slavery. Quit feeling sorry for yourself, get off Facebook, and make something of yourself.

[Cutiliae]

https://scontent-lax.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpf1/v/t1.0-9/1610923_10206519832305371_4642056554340463950_n.jp g?oh=6f4e3019f79277dc8c3f2f55af7ca7c4&oe=55E1672B

[BiBedBud]

It might surprise some peeps reading this thread that many Canadians are rather close observers of Americans; but inherently we have an outsider’s perspective. We can see: Y’all don’t know the soup you’re swimming in, because it’s all you know. IMO many Americans are utterly clueless about the rest of the world, or history, including their own history, and this too has clouded their apprehension of reality. For example, many Americans think they’re living in a democracy, but they’ve got no clue how others practice democracy in their own countries – so they can still believe the lie they live under. Part of this is enabled by affluence, but much of it is just down to arrogance and/or straight-up ignorance.



With direct relevance to the subject of this thread: Here in Canada and in every other G7 country other than the USA (not to mention the OECD countries I can think of), WE ALL FUND PUBLIC EDUCATION BASICALLY THE SAME WAY, whereas the USA funds public education through property taxes. Practically everywhere else in the world, funds are pooled at federal and/or the state/provincial level, and are dispersed to schools on a per capita basis (with additional apportionment based on special needs; such as ESL students in the metros where immigrants are ‘absorbed’, or handicap/ disability/mobility requirements, which vary from one school zone to the next). This is NOT SO IN THE USA where property taxes are the main source of education funds; and these are apportioned to the schools in the taxed districts themselves. This means: In the USA, wealthy neighbourhoods have very well-funded schools where they can employ Princeton grads as middle-school teachers; whereas in the poorer neighbourhoods they have grossly under-funded schools with outrageous deprivation.



I could expound on this point and attendant social ills at length, but instead I’ll just lump together a pastiche of different catch phrases as a kind of conceptual shorthand: “Urban Decay”, “War on Drugs” and “Management by Numbers”. I could cite umpteen statistics about police interactions, traffic pullover rates, conviction rates and sentencing discrepancies – where, for example, white people and black people arrested and charged for the same crimes, get drastically different sentences.



It’s really quite striking to many Canadians, the American’s way of doing things down there. Y’all think that it’s actually democracy when your “Sheriffs” and “Prosecutors” and “Judges” actually ‘run for office’ and get elected, the way the rest of the world elects their politicians and school trustees. Most Americans have no clue what professionalization even is; and so they even vote for “County Coroner” and such, with the result that people with no scientific or medical training whatsoever, are the ones to determine cause of death in many, many counties across the USA.



Perhaps in big cities like NYC, LA and such, they’ll have an actual pathologist working as the coroner. In many places in the USA, the coroner is not any more than an undertaker – and Americans think that’s how democracy is supposed to work.



So, exactly how does one get elected Sherriff, Prosecutor or Judge in the USA? It seems to me, one of the fundamentals is to be ‘Tough on Crime’ and such; and to this end ‘Fear of the Black Man’ has served as a handy device since the very founding of the nation. We Canadians can see it quite clearly; perhaps because when America’s slaves were escaping their slavery, for many of them it was Canada that they escaped to, through ‘The Underground Railway’.



As a result, Canadians have closely observed American’s ‘Fear of the Black Man’ for a couple of centuries now, and it’s pretty clear to us that the sole remaining ‘Super Power’ in the world needs a permanent ‘underclass’ kept deprived, under-educated and desperate enough to enlist in the military. This is essential if the Pentagon is to go on defending corporate interests on foreign shores all around the world. (Spare me any pretense of defending democracy and such; y’all didn’t restore the Emir of Kuwait ’cause he’s so, like, “democratic” and shit.) If ‘Black People’ and poor people of whatever colour had actual upward mobility in the USA, the American military might actually have to wage peace for a change.



That’ll be the day!





For more detail about the rampant injustices of the American “Justice System”, read http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/what-happened-to-the-rights-of-the-accused/2015/04/30/8b4cf4ca-ef74-11e4-8abc-d6aa3bad79dd_story.html

[DerrekCooke2]

More parents in Baltimore should have done the same thing, or raised their children the right way so they would not put themselves in danger, or act like total thugs or lawless animals destroying things, rioting, and looting.

This is far more effective than a thug being rude, and getting all in a person's face just for attention since the cameras were running. Had he been polite, and not so loud and rude he would have been far more effective.


I agree with you pole smoker.

[pole_smoker]

It might surprise some peeps reading this thread that many Canadians are rather close observers of Americans; but inherently we have an outsider’s perspective. We can see: Y’all don’t know the soup you’re swimming in, because it’s all you know. IMO many Americans are utterly clueless about the rest of the world, or history, including their own history, and this too has clouded their apprehension of reality. For example, many Americans think they’re living in a democracy, but they’ve got no clue how others practice democracy in their own countries – so they can still believe the lie they live under. Part of this is enabled by affluence, but much of it is just down to arrogance and/or straight-up ignorance.



With direct relevance to the subject of this thread: Here in Canada and in every other G7 country other than the USA (not to mention the OECD countries I can think of), WE ALL FUND PUBLIC EDUCATION BASICALLY THE SAME WAY, whereas the USA funds public education through property taxes. Practically everywhere else in the world, funds are pooled at federal and/or the state/provincial level, and are dispersed to schools on a per capita basis (with additional apportionment based on special needs; such as ESL students in the metros where immigrants are ‘absorbed’, or handicap/ disability/mobility requirements, which vary from one school zone to the next). This is NOT SO IN THE USA where property taxes are the main source of education funds; and these are apportioned to the schools in the taxed districts themselves. This means: In the USA, wealthy neighbourhoods have very well-funded schools where they can employ Princeton grads as middle-school teachers; whereas in the poorer neighbourhoods they have grossly under-funded schools with outrageous deprivation.



I could expound on this point and attendant social ills at length, but instead I’ll just lump together a pastiche of different catch phrases as a kind of conceptual shorthand: “Urban Decay”, “War on Drugs” and “Management by Numbers”. I could cite umpteen statistics about police interactions, traffic pullover rates, conviction rates and sentencing discrepancies – where, for example, white people and black people arrested and charged for the same crimes, get drastically different sentences.



It’s really quite striking to many Canadians, the American’s way of doing things down there. Y’all think that it’s actually democracy when your “Sheriffs” and “Prosecutors” and “Judges” actually ‘run for office’ and get elected, the way the rest of the world elects their politicians and school trustees. Most Americans have no clue what professionalization even is; and so they even vote for “County Coroner” and such, with the result that people with no scientific or medical training whatsoever, are the ones to determine cause of death in many, many counties across the USA.



Perhaps in big cities like NYC, LA and such, they’ll have an actual pathologist working as the coroner. In many places in the USA, the coroner is not any more than an undertaker – and Americans think that’s how democracy is supposed to work.



So, exactly how does one get elected Sherriff, Prosecutor or Judge in the USA? It seems to me, one of the fundamentals is to be ‘Tough on Crime’ and such; and to this end ‘Fear of the Black Man’ has served as a handy device since the very founding of the nation. We Canadians can see it quite clearly; perhaps because when America’s slaves were escaping their slavery, for many of them it was Canada that they escaped to, through ‘The Underground Railway’.



As a result, Canadians have closely observed American’s ‘Fear of the Black Man’ for a couple of centuries now, and it’s pretty clear to us that the sole remaining ‘Super Power’ in the world needs a permanent ‘underclass’ kept deprived, under-educated and desperate enough to enlist in the military. This is essential if the Pentagon is to go on defending corporate interests on foreign shores all around the world. (Spare me any pretense of defending democracy and such; y’all didn’t restore the Emir of Kuwait ’cause he’s so, like, “democratic” and shit.) If ‘Black People’ and poor people of whatever colour had actual upward mobility in the USA, the American military might actually have to wage peace for a change.



That’ll be the day!





For more detail about the rampant injustices of the American “Justice System”, read http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/what-happened-to-the-rights-of-the-accused/2015/04/30/8b4cf4ca-ef74-11e4-8abc-d6aa3bad79dd_story.html
:rolleyes: What's your point? You're talking out of your ass as usual.

Most Americans are not clueless about our history, world history, politics, or systems of government.

However, we're not complacent sheep who blindly accept our government the way Canadians are. ;)

We don't fear black men, or black people, or people of other races.

Violent crime does happen in Canada as well.

[tommyswing]

One of the drivers of poverty and violence in the black community is a 75% illegitimacy rate. I worked in a youth program at one time. I was doing an assessment on a 13 year old girl, her mother was 26 and her grandmother was 39. That is a hopeless situation, the demise of the inner city is due to the lack of the two parent family. The hard truth is your looking at a loss generation, it is beyond the scope of any government program. The good news is blacks who finish high school and marry before having children, escape poverty.

[pole_smoker]

One of the drivers of poverty and violence in the black community is a 75% illegitimacy rate. I worked in a youth program at one time. I was doing an assessment on a 13 year old girl, her mother was 26 and her grandmother was 39. That is a hopeless situation, the demise of the inner city is due to the lack of the two parent family. The hard truth is your looking at a loss generation, it is beyond the scope of any government program. The good news is blacks who finish high school and marry before having children, escape poverty.
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