Hello dbphoenix: I think I can sum up this entire thread so far. You say in short (post 1) "There is a much larger population of white Americans, I believe, who feel troubled by what they saw in Ferguson but are unable or unwilling to face the fact that it reflects a recurring historical pattern that has obviously not been exorcised, a pattern of power, privilege and domination in which they are complicit." A bit provocative but I think what you have said is worth considering. You might also consider that the shooting may have been entirely justified which means that this policeman is innocent of any wrong doing. But you would probably consider that irrelevant for the purpose of your thread. You say "we have a responsibility to be alert to advantages we may possess," True, but I think it would also be a good idea to offer solutions to solve this race problem and to be willing to admit that some of the blame can be laid squarely on the shoulders of the people rioting and looting. Where is their sense of family and respect for private property ? Why are the public schools they are sent to doing such a poor job of preparing children for real life. Maybe the public schools should compete with private schools for their school privilege. And may the best schools win. But getting teacher unions to go along with that idea is a problem. If education is the key to a better life, then solving this problem should be number one on every ones list. Saying we should legalize drugs (post 6) so blacks can do drugs and not go to jail is expressing a patronizing attitude towards blacks and is a pretty ironic statement to make when you are criticizing white privilege. Race quotas for hiring and race quotas for college admissions is also counter productive. Is this college graduate really qualified to do the job is a question any business will have in their mind ? How proud can a black/hispanic/female/white person or other member of a minority be of their degree be when they know full well that the college admissions bar was lowered by a few feet so they could qualify for admission. Sounds demeaning and insulting to me, and I think a lot of black people would agree. Btw would you want major surgery to be performed on you or a loved one by a quota doctor or a doctor that had to earn their degree the old fashioned way ? So yes we should be aware of the advantages and disadvantages of our particular race but we should also work on solutions that will benefit every one. Improving public schools should be number one. One thing you will notice about teacher unions when they object to having to actually compete for their jobs is they always turn the issue in to a debate about what is good or bad for the teacher unions and not what is best for the children. What is best for the children is parents having a choice in how the public school money is spent just like any other consumer. After all it is their money not the teacher unions money or the government’s money. Anubis
Beats working ... http://news.yahoo.com/missouri-police-sued-40-million-over-actions-ferguson-210639404.html 6 plaintiffs want $40 million ... almost $7 million per person. Think any of them are white?? Neither do I.
The 'Perfect Crime' in America Is Killing an Unarmed Black Man and Claiming Self-Defense If you've never heard of a 6-foot-3-inch tall, 350-pound black man named Eric Garner and you're only reading this article because of the title, then please take a moment to participate in a unique social experiment. One news source states Mr. Garner had been out on bail and "arrested 31 times since 1988 on charges such as drug possession, selling untaxed cigarettes and assault." This news source continues to explain that when confronted by police, the imposing Eric Garner "becomes irate, denying the charges and refusing to be handcuffed." Eric Garner dies moments later, after his altercation with police entailed officers placing a chokehold upon the former felon. Now stop reading this article; stop what you're doing and close your eyes. Imagine the 350-pound black man with a prior record of over 30 arrests, angry and "irate" while resisting arrest, and ask yourself who was to blame for his death? Think for a moment, and be honest, because even the liberal author of this article, if he were in your position (having never heard of Eric Garner) might also feel he could have done something to provoke his own demise. Now watch this Time magazine video of Eric Garner's death. Garner's death was also officially ruled as a homicide. He was a married man and the father of six children. Then ask yourself if he deserved to die for allegedly selling cigarettes. Most importantly, what would have happened if there wasn't video of the incident? Would there be a support fund of over $700,00 for the officers who choked Garner and would a great number of Americans side with these officers in the manner they sided with George Zimmerman and now Darren Wilson? I have the privilege of having several friends who are LAPD police officers. I know that most cops are good people and never wake up in the morning wanting to inflict pain or death upon anyone. Tens of thousands of police officers throughout the nation interact with people on a daily basis and everyone survives these interactions without a ruling of homicide, as in the case of Eric Garner. That being said, there have been at least five unarmed black men killed in the past month according to The Huffington Post, and when you combine these deaths with the manner in which they've elicited a public divide in perception, one can only come to this conclusion: Killing unarmed black men and claiming self-defense is the perfect crime in today's America. Why? The crime of killing someone is now turned into a battle of narratives where the only other person who could challenge the narrative is dead, and millions of people simply believe that the unarmed black man deserved his fate. The reason for this sad and un-American reality is that once an unarmed black teenager like Michael Brown or Trayvon Martin is no longer breathing, the shooter can simply claim self-defense or get close to a million dollars in support like Darren Wilson. After all, the fact that being unarmed and walking toward a destination doesn't matter in the minds of many people. If he's a "thug" or a black male who allegedly robbed a convenience store (which the Ferguson officer had no way of knowing at the time), then their fate lies in the fact that they possibly used profanity, presented some sort of threat, or gave their shooters a reason to shoot and kill. Even the testimony of witnesses like Rachel Jeantel or Dorian Johnson, refuting self-defense narratives, are meaningless in the minds of many people. Also, if Trayvon had simply acquiesced to Zimmerman and politely explained to a total stranger what he was doing that night, or if Michael Brown had simply gotten off the street calmly without causing trouble, they'd both be alive, according to many Americans. Sadly, this might very well be true, but it is also true that they didn't deserve to die, especially when they weren't armed, weren't committing a crime, and had every right to say anything they wanted to, or defend themselves from bodily harm, before their deaths. Many citizens in this country will vehemently defend the notion that a teenager like Trayvon Martin (walking home, unarmed, and minding his own business until George Zimmerman followed and confronted him) could not only be followed, but also killed if he had the audacity to question why he'd been targeted or followed in the first place. As for Trayvon Martin's death, the logic of being able to follow someone is exemplified by a CNN op-ed justifying Zimmerman's "negligence": Hence, although Zimmerman was possibly negligent, irresponsible and exercised poor judgment, it was not illegal for him to follow Martin, carry a gun when doing so or even ignore the opinion of the civilian 911 dispatcher when advised, regarding his following Martin, "OK, we don't need you to do that." The only legal relevance as to whether race was the determining factor in the following and killing of Martin was whether it goes to establish if Zimmerman exercised a "depraved mind" regarding the killing. Thus, it is perfectly legal (therefore accepted) in the minds of many people, after the Trayvon Martin shooting, to follow strangers. Therefore, let's take the logic one step further. One must wonder what would have happened to George Zimmerman if he followed and confronted an armed citizen in one of the many open carry states in the U.S. It's quite feasible that if Zimmerman had followed and confronted an NRA member simply walking to his place of residence that night, and it was Zimmerman who was shot by this NRA member (who felt threatened by a total stranger following and confronting him) that Zimmerman's killer would have been exonerated by a rightful claim of self-defense. Conservatives, especially tea party conservatives, ironically have a point when it comes to this issue, even though they'd overwhelming side with the Zimmerman's of the world. Had Trayvon or Michael Brown been 21 years old and armed, the men who confronted them would have thought twice about a physical confrontation. This scenario both highlights the irrationality of automatically siding with their killers, as well as the issue of how race played a role in both deaths. There you go, tea party, this liberal writer sides with you on that point. Finally, the reason many Americans will always side with the killers of unarmed black males, as well as justify their death, ties into research from Harvard University: Color preference is a cousin of racial prejudice, and like prejudice it is closely linked with the urge to obtain and keep power over others... More simply, colorism is "the tendency to perceive or behave toward members of a racial category based on the lightness or darkness of their skin tone"... Dark skin evokes fears of criminality or sharper memories of a purportedly criminal face. Even Black first graders are better able to remember stories in which light-skinned individuals are portrayed positively (or dark-skinned people portrayed negatively) than the reverse. As highlighted by researchers at Harvard, when even black first graders are cognizant that "dark skin" is a negative trait, all Americans should inquire as to how our history as a nation led to this research. If even a black child associates dark skin with something negative, then imagine what was possibly going through the minds of Zimmerman and others before they shot unarmed black men. Fears of criminality, based on research associated with dark skin and examples of such bias like the Willie Horton ad, is what buoys the notion that unarmed human beings deserve their fate. Had there not been video evidence leading to Eric Garner's death being ruled a homicide, his death would have been justified as self-defense by the same people who exonerate Zimmerman, as well as those who blame Michael Brown for his own fate. The fact that many Americans actually state things like "there's nothing wrong with following someone," while at the same time advocating taking assault weapons to Chipotle, should say something about hypocrisy and race in our great nation. It also says that too many unarmed black citizens are losing their lives because of the belief that they pose a threat: standing outside a store, walking toward a residence, or crossing a street in Ferguson. H. A. Goodman
What utter nonsense. Apparently, facts just do not matter at all to these race-addled liberals. Trayvon was shot after he sucker-punched zimmerman and started slamming his head into a concrete sidewalk. Zimmerman had the injuries to prove it. It makes no difference at all if Zimmerman followed him because he was black. As we know and unlike the altered NBC tape, Zimmerman had no idea what race Trayvon was. But what if he did? That doesn't give you a right to attack someone. It's also very reasonable to have a higer level of suspicion for young black males, no matter how much DB rolls his eyes at the concept. As for Brown, it is highly relevant that he had just committed a robbery, even if the officer didn't know that. He knew it and he had every reason to believe the officer did as well and that was why he was being stopped. He managed to turn a request to get out of the street into a fight then a shooting. The so-called testimony that he had surrendered and had his hands up has been refuted by unfiltered eyewitness accounts and beggars belief in any case.
ATLANTA (AP) -- The family of a man who died after Atlanta-area police used stun guns on him has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the former officers and the city, the family's lawyer said. The lawsuit, which was filed in Fulton County Superior Court, says East Point police officers used their stun guns as many as 13 times on Gregory Towns Jr. while he was handcuffed. The lawsuit claims former police sergeant Marcus Eberhart and former corporal Howard Weems used excessive force in the April 11 incident. "It's just heinous," attorney Chris Stewart told The Associated Press in a phone interview Thursday. "This isn't one of those cases where he punched an officer and they had to Taser him to calm him down." The lawsuit comes amid increased attention on police use of force in the wake of the fatal shooting in of 18-year-old Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri. Following that shooting, local police in Ferguson donned riot gear and fired tear gas and rubber bullets at protesters who refused to disperse and, at times, broke into nearby businesses. While many police officers use their authority appropriately, there are some who view any act of disobedience as a call for extreme action, Stewart said. "In our case, it wasn't about color, obviously, because the officers were black," Stewart said. "It was about power. He didn't walk when they said walk. He didn't stand when they said stand. And he didn't move fast enough when they said move." Calls to a number listed for Eberhart seeking comment went unanswered. Weems referred questions to his lawyer, Dale Preiser, who declined to comment. East Point acting city attorney Brad Bowman said the city doesn't comment on pending litigation. The lawsuit describes the family's version of events when police confronted Towns, 24. Officers approached Towns as he was leaving his son's mother's apartment complex after having a domestic dispute with her, the lawsuit says. When officers approached and asked to talk to him, he ran away and officers caught up with him after he tripped over a tree branch and fell. Officers handcuffed Towns and ordered him to get up and walk to a patrol car, but Towns said he was too tired from running. Weems threated to use his stun gun on Towns if he did not get up, the lawsuit says. Towns got up but soon fell over again, telling officers he was tired. Stun gun logs Stewart said he obtained from the police department show the officers then used their stun guns on Towns as many as 13 times in a 30 minute period, though the police report indicates the stun gun was used fewer than five times, Stewart said. Weems and Eberhart violated the department's stun gun policy, which says stun guns should not be used on someone who's handcuffed, should not be used to escort or prod someone and should not be used on someone who's offering only passive resistance, the lawsuit says. An autopsy report from the Fulton County medical examiner's office says Towns died from "hypertensive cardiovascular disease exacerbated by physical exertion and conducted electrical stimulation." The report lists the manner of death as a homicide and cites stun gun use by police. Eberhart resigned and Weems was fired and is in the process of appealing his termination, East Point spokeswoman Renita Shelton said. The East Point police department, under the direction of former chief Woodrow Blue who resigned earlier this month, acted admirably in the wake of Towns' shooting, Stewart said. Immediate action was taken and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation was called in right away to review the circumstances surrounding the shooting. Unlike in Ferguson, the community in East Point felt that the situation was immediately addressed and handled appropriately, Stewart said. The GBI has completed a report on the case and turned it over to the office of Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard, who will decide whether to present the case to a grand jury, Stewart said. Howard's office is still investigating, spokeswoman Yvette Jones said. The lawsuit, filed on behalf of Towns' estate and his infant son, seeks compensatory and punitive damages. AP
As recent events in Ferguson, Missouri, move from headlines to history, I would like to say a few words about two very sensitive subjects: police brutality, and racism. As we all know, recently a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri killed an unarmed African-American teenager. The police officer shot him somewhere between six and eleven times. According to some eyewitnesses, the victim, Michael Brown, was shot in the back. Then Brown turned around, with his hands up, and shouted "I don't have a gun -- stop shooting!" At which point the officer allegedly shot him several more times, and killed him. Since I grew up in the Bronx, I have some general familiarity with that scenario. In 1978, a Bronx police officer was convicted of beating a Puerto Rican to death -- while he was in custody. In 1994, a young man in the Bronx was arrested for accidentally hitting a police car with his football. His brother expressed dismay to the officer about that arrest, crossing his arms across his chest. The officer then arrested the brother, for "disorderly conduct," and literally choked the life out of him; the coroner listed the cause of death as "compression of his neck and chest." In 1996, a Bronx police officer frisked an African-American male, Nathaniel Gaines, on the "D" Train, and found that he was unarmed. One stop later, at 167th Street, overlooking the Grand Concourse on the southbound platform, one stop before Yankee Stadium, the officer ordered Gaines to disembark. The officer then shot at Gaines five times, including four times in the back, and killed him. Gaines was a veteran of the Persian Gulf War, he had no criminal record, and he had never been arrested. In 1999, four Bronx police officers approached an unarmed Guinean immigrant named Amadou Diallo and ordered him to "show his hands." Misunderstanding them, presumably because his native language was Fulfulde and not English, Diallo reached into his pocket and took out his wallet. The officers fired 41 shots, and killed him. And in the meantime, in 1997, New York City police arrested Abner Louima, a Haitian-American, and then sodomized him with a broomstick. But that was in Brooklyn. My parents used to warn me about Brooklyn. I could go on. Sadly, I could go on and on and on. But what is the point? Police brutality is a reality. And you can't miss it, unless you literally close your eyes to it -- which all-too-many people seem willing to do [bold mine]. Let's start with Fox News. When I listen to Fox News, I feel torn. I just can't decide: Are they idiots, or are they fools? Are they nitwits, or are they imbeciles? Are they morons, or are they jerks? Are they blockheads, or are they boneheads? They report, and we decide. Remember how you used to hear the phrase "clever like a fox"? Since Fox News, you don't hear that anymore. The primary Fox "talking point" regarding the killing of Michael Brown is that Brown may or may not have been in a convenience store earlier in the day, and that he may or may not have stolen some cigars from that store. Fox has been playing the convenience store video footage in an infinite loop. But there is little or no evidence that the officer knew of the store incident, or that he connected it to Brown. And if he did, then so what? Even under sharia law, if you steal a few cigars, the worst that can happen is that you get your hand cut off. Not eleven shots from a high-caliber weapon. The U.S. Supreme Court has held that our Constitution permits the death penalty only in cases of first-degree murder, and treason. Not cigar theft. If 11 bullet holes for stealing some cigars is not "cruel and unusual punishment," then I don't know what is. It's definitely cruel, and I certainly hope that it remains unusual. The other major Fox talking point is "why aren't we talking about all of the black-on-black violence, and the black-on-white violence?" OK, let's talk about that. I can give you dozens, if not hundreds, of examples of white police officers killing unarmed black men. I just gave you several from my younger days in the Bronx, alone. The Bronx represents well under one percent of the population of the United States, and my "younger days" were, sadly, quite a while ago. Now, Fox News, give me an equal number of examples of black police officers killing unarmed black men. Also, give me a list of black police officers killing unarmed white men. I'm waiting... Anyone who thought that electing our first African-American president would end racism in America must be sorely disappointed this week. If you ask a sociologist for a definition of "the government," he or she will not mention Social Security, or the fire department, or the public school system, or our national parks. The sociological definition of the "government" is the entity that has a monopoly on the legal use of force. In every nation on Planet Earth, only the military and the police have the legal right to exercise force, up to and including deadly force. And that makes it tragic when that force is used indiscriminately or -- even worse -- discriminately. In 1969, the American psychologist Elisabeth Kubler-Ross published a book about how people facing death deal with death. She said that there are five stages: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. When it comes to the reality of brutality by our peace officers, too many of us are still in that first stage: denial. And if the killing of Michael Brown weren't bad enough, then we had to watch military weapons deployed by those same "peace" officers on our city streets. But this note is long enough already, so I'll save that subject for next time. Courage, Rep. Alan Grayson
If the idiot (Towns) had stopped he's be alive. He made a poor choice and ignored the police. http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/08/21/us/29georgia-taser-incident-report-doc.html?_r=0