"Black Lives Matter" - it's stupid. Just cut the crap.....

[taitai]

Except most of the shootings BLM are protesting were not unwarranted. If you have just committed a robbery, and then when confronted by a cop try to wrestle for his gun, it has nothing to do with your skin colour when you get shot.



Here in NZ Maori Wardens were created to solve this problem. In some communities or events they will patrol instead of the police, other times they are called in by the police to help deal with an incident. However my understand is legally they have no authority.

Freddie Gray, Walter Scott, Rumain Brisbon, Tamir Rice, Akai Gurley, Tanisha Anderson, Dante Parker, Ezell Ford, John Crawford, Eric Garner to name a few. Not warranted.

 

[JimMIA]

Sorry, I just don't believe this. This gentleman was pulled over "dozens of times" for no apparent reason. If it's true, he should of video tapped it and sued the police departments. Very hard to believe this and if the gentleman was smart he would of gotten an attorney.

"Driving while black" is a real problem in many areas. I know most of us white folks aren't aware of it because it doesn't happen to us, but it does happen.

 

[luvsJack]

All tit for tat, circular reasoning, unwillingness to see a different viewpoint, blame those you disagree with..whatever. It all only contributes to the problems

I am not blaming anyone. I am saying that if in one instance we can decide that outside influences caused someone's way of thinking and go on a killing spree how can we deny it in another?

BLM has lied, used "slogans" that are untrue and irrelevant, called for viloence on police officers, blocked roads among other things. I am not blaming them, it is factual listing of things they have done.

No one wants to listen to a group that is not behaving reasonably. Listening to a different viewpoint is a two way street.

You have a way of dismissing any opinion that is not your own. Seems like a bit of the pot calling the kettle black on that one.

 

[luvsJack]

Driving while black is a result of profiling. It happens. It also happens to others that for whatever reason are not the norm. A white kid in a black neighborhood known for drugs will get pulled over too. Or any nice "rich kid" car on a poor neighborhood. Ds and his friend were pulled over all the time because a black boy and white boy together must be a drug deal or breaking into a house or whatever.

Here there does seem to be a lot of pulling over and searching because of reasons other than just race but still profiling. My eldest used to be pulled over regularly because he drove a nice truck and had a Texas tag.

A black man driving a BMW getting pulled over every day is ridiculous and should be addressed. But when its two gang bangers in a nice neighborhood (of any race) wouldn't we want them to profile? So while there needs to be change, it can't be blanket change either.

 

[sunshinehighway]

I am not blaming anyone. I am saying that if in one instance we can decide that outside influences caused someone's way of thinking and go on a killing spree how can we deny it in another?

BLM has lied, used "slogans" that are untrue and irrelevant, called for viloence on police officers, blocked roads among other things. I am not blaming them, it is factual listing of things they have done.

No one wants to listen to a group that is not behaving reasonably. Listening to a different viewpoint is a two way street.

You have a way of dismissing any opinion that is not your own. Seems like a bit of the pot calling the kettle black on that one.

I'm not dismissing any thing. I don't think asking questions or challenging someone to think about something in a different way is being dismissive. I don't think questioning sketchy "facts" or misinformation is being dismissive,
There's a huge difference between discussing and disagreeing and just dismissing.

 

[Shanti]

Yeah, nothing has improved in 100 years, has it?

Police brutality towards blacks is an ongoing problem. I guess you could call police brutality and targeting of blacks an "improvement" over slavery, and over the KKK-led terrorism and murder of blacks that occurred after the Civil War. But things still haven't improved enough.

 

[Gracie09]

Driving while black is a result of profiling. It happens. It also happens to others that for whatever reason are not the norm. A white kid in a black neighborhood known for drugs will get pulled over too. Or any nice "rich kid" car on a poor neighborhood. Ds and his friend were pulled over all the time because a black boy and white boy together must be a drug deal or breaking into a house or whatever.

Here there does seem to be a lot of pulling over and searching because of reasons other than just race but still profiling. My eldest used to be pulled over regularly because he drove a nice truck and had a Texas tag.

A black man driving a BMW getting pulled over every day is ridiculous and should be addressed. But when its two gang bangers in a nice neighborhood (of any race) wouldn't we want them to profile? So while there needs to be change, it can't be blanket change either.

How do you identify two gang banger vs two teens hanging out? It's not like they wear signs saying I'm in a gang.

 

[Gracie09]

I completely believe it. I work with a black cardiothoracic surgeon who happens to drive a very high end Mercedes. He gets pulled over at least weekly in his "white" city. It would be eye opening to cops just how many lives this man has saved.

I worked for several years with a law professor who happened to be black. He was pulled over repeatedly for driving while black. We took similar routes to work. I a white female was never pulled over. He, a black male, was pulled over several times a month.

 

[PrincessNelly]

How about being stopped for being the wrong color in a white neighborhood with virtually no crime? It happens and we were told "if you don't like it you people can stay out of my town."

Or being asked during a routine traffic stop if my new car was REALLY mine, if it was legal, if I had any drugs on me and WHY was I in THAT neighborhood. Ummm Bc I freaken LIVE HERE. All while he literally had his head looking around my tires like I was transporting guns and drugs.

There are certain towns on my area that we, people of color, know not to go to. Towns that we purposefully don't drive through because it seems the cops always harass people of color. That's the world WE live in.

This reminds me of an experience I had with my dad....

When I was 14 (2006), my dad decided to buy his dream car... it was a fully load limited edition Ford Explorer. It was the most expensive car on the lot. He was so proud. I decided to ride with my dad home in his new car. About 2 minutes away from our house, we are pulled over.

My dad was recovering from major back surgery still and was struggling to stand or walk without the help of a walker. He also had a large very visible brace on his upper body.

The officer approaches asking for license and registration, and my dad gives him all the temporary paperwork. The officer immediately laughs at the paperwork and begins to question my dad about whose truck this "really" was because "there is no way someone like you could afford this."

When my dad continue to explain it was his, the officer demanded he get out of the car. My dad began trying to explain that he couldn't really stand or walk without his walker which was in the backseat. The officer suddenly opens the door and pulls a gun on my dad and yells "get the f**k out of the car." So my dad slowly slides down off his seat and exits the car. The officer then points the gun at me and yells not to move. The officer then throws him against the car and handcuffs him. And tells him to remain against the car.

I was terrified and crying. I didn't understand why this was happening. My dad hadn't committed any traffic violations and gave him everything he asked for. I knew my dad was going to be in pain if he had to stand up without his walker. But I was helpless.

After five minutes, the officer returned, removed the handcuffs, threw the paperwork into the driver seat, and drove away.

My dad and I just sat in silence for a minute before I told my dad to just return the car because I was scared.

Its something I'll never forget... and since then I've had two more experiences with police officers harassing both my dad and my fiance, in separate events.

But on a positive note, my dad still has that car today., One of my cousins is a police officer in Atlanta and was a regular on the show cops, and every personal interaction I've had with police officers has been nothing but positive.

I do think we have a problem in America with racial bias and police misconduct that shouldn't be ignored.

 

[PrincessNelly]

Sorry, I just don't believe this. This gentleman was pulled over "dozens of times" for no apparent reason. If it's true, he should of video tapped it and sued the police departments. Very hard to believe this and if the gentleman was smart he would of gotten an attorney.

You do realize that some African American men feel that the Justice system will not work in their favor, right?
So they don't bother. If he tried to sue and lost, he would open himself up for more harassment in that case.

 

[TLSnell1981]

I must be really lucky to have the people around me that I do, because I thought we were all much, much further than this in the grand scheme of things.

I'm bewildered by just how wrong my assumption was.

I believe most are...and have been for a very long time. It's always a few on the fringe, who shout the loudest and attract the most attention.

 

[Teresa Pitman]

This reminds me of an experience I had with my dad....

When I was 14 (2006), my dad decided to buy his dream car... it was a fully load limited edition Ford Explorer. It was the most expensive car on the lot. He was so proud. I decided to ride with my dad home in his new car. About 2 minutes away from our house, we are pulled over.

My dad was recovering from major back surgery still and was struggling to stand or walk without the help of a walker. He also had a large very visible brace on his upper body.

The officer approaches asking for license and registration, and my dad gives him all the temporary paperwork. The officer immediately laughs at the paperwork and begins to question my dad about whose truck this "really" was because "there is no way someone like you could afford this."

When my dad continue to explain it was his, the officer demanded he get out of the car. My dad began trying to explain that he couldn't really stand or walk without his walker which was in the backseat. The officer suddenly opens the door and pulls a gun on my dad and yells "get the f**k out of the car." So my dad slowly slides down off his seat and exits the car. The officer then points the gun at me and yells not to move. The officer then throws him against the car and handcuffs him. And tells him to remain against the car.

I was terrified and crying. I didn't understand why this was happening. My dad hadn't committed any traffic violations and gave him everything he asked for. I knew my dad was going to be in pain if he had to stand up without his walker. But I was helpless.

After five minutes, the officer returned, removed the handcuffs, threw the paperwork into the driver seat, and drove away.

My dad and I just sat in silence for a minute before I told my dad to just return the car because I was scared.

Its something I'll never forget... and since then I've had two more experiences with police officers harassing both my dad and my fiance, in separate events.

But on a positive note, my dad still has that car today., One of my cousins is a police officer in Atlanta and was a regular on the show cops, and every personal interaction I've had with police officers has been nothing but positive.

I do think we have a problem in America with racial bias and police misconduct that shouldn't be ignored.

I can't say I "like" this but I do think this is important. This is exactly what happens. And this is why people don't trust the police and feel like they are racist.

 

[luvsJack]

How do you identify two gang banger vs two teens hanging out? It's not like they wear signs saying I'm in a gang.

Well I personally cannot but around here there some officers are trained to tell. And they don't always get it right because it does depend on how they look. But would we rather have two innocent teens pulled over and let go or the gang banger up to no good not being stopped?

 

[luvsJack]

I'm not dismissing any thing. I don't think asking questions or challenging someone to think about something in a different way is being dismissive. I don't think questioning sketchy "facts" or misinformation is being dismissive,
There's a huge difference between discussing and disagreeing and just dismissing.

You are right its not wrong for anyone on either side of a discussion to question misinformation. But that is not what you said.

You said we should not focus on the extremes. Great. But police officers are losing their lives based on the misinformation out there. How do we not focus on that? How do we ignore the fact that someone took the life of 5 police officers because of the way these messages are being presented?

Change needs to happen on both sides of this fence. BLM needs to stop using thugs as their poster boys and use the black dr that is pulled over or the innocent black college kid that gets ruffed up or whatever real, factual instances of racism in a police force are out there.

 

[Colleen27]

This is why I hate the whole BLM movement. Really? If we matter to the protesters, they would be in the rough sections of town where black on black violence is unimaginable. The protests and rallying would be daily.

BLM should not just be protesting when bad police officers carry out their rage.

Around here, that's something the BLM folks have talked a lot about - the need for collective community action and the disparate treatment poor black neighborhoods get in terms of public services (police violence, yes, but also long police/fire/EMS response times, failing schools, lack of code enforcement/maintenance, etc). They've been a very visible presence at a lot of the events surrounding the Flint water mess, which is where I first got to know people involved in the movement and which had nothing to do with violence of any kind. They aren't *just* talking about police shootings. But that is the only time they're making headlines in the mass media because all these issues of urban poverty and crumbling infrastructure/govt services have been with us so long that they're no longer "newsworthy".

I agree the movement has a "branding" problem. As someone upthread said, "Black Lives Matter Too" may have been a better hashtag, one that wouldn't provoke the knee-jerk responses people have had to what they perceive as exclusivity or selective concern. But grass roots movements don't have PR people managing these things. I don't think that makes the point they're trying to make any less valid.

 

[sunshinehighway]

You are right its not wrong for anyone on either side of a discussion to question misinformation. But that is not what you said.

You said we should not focus on the extremes. Great. But police officers are losing their lives based on the misinformation out there. How do we not focus on that? How do we ignore the fact that someone took the life of 5 police officers because of the way these messages are being presented?

Change needs to happen on both sides of this fence. BLM needs to stop using thugs as their poster boys and use the black dr that is pulled over or the innocent black college kid that gets ruffed up or whatever real, factual instances of racism in a police force are out there.

In regards to the booked, you are making a big leap. You have no idea why this guy acted and if it was do to BLM, you don't know what cause him to intrepret things in a way that would cause him to thing murdering people was the answer.

While I do think some of the poster boys are easier to dismiss than others, I do think it doesn't matter who is the poster boy because unless the person is a saint they will be vilified by to many. Take Tamir Rice. He was just a boyplaying with a toy gun like many boys do. I can tell you on the threads here he was vilified. One can see on the video of his shooting that the gun wasn't in his hands so the tip couldn't be seen anyways get people here absolutely said it was all, his fault for being bad and removing the tip or being stupid for playing with it in public.
Look at this guy in Minnesota. The thread here had people trying to paint him as a criminal for his traffic violations. It was repeated over and over, his criminal record and could he really carry legally.
Look at the responses to things people have posted on this thread trying to share experiences on driving while black. You have at least one post saying outright that they don't believe it.
While I understand what you are saying about some of the "poster boys" being questionable, I do think, you run into a problem when anyone can be twisted enough to be questionable.

 

[JimMIA]

Apparently Dallas PD Headquarters is on lockdown due to a threat of further violence. Needless to say, as they mourn their fallen brothers, they are taking the threat seriously.

 

[Colleen27]

"Driving while black" is a real problem in many areas. I know most of us white folks aren't aware of it because it doesn't happen to us, but it does happen.

Yep. I grew up in a community that many of my mom's (black) coworkers wouldn't come to, the sort of place where a black person driving a nice car was by definition "suspicious" and likely to be stopped. That wasn't in the 1950s; it was the 1990s. It is just as true today in some communities, though the one where I grew up has become much more diverse than it was a generation ago.

You know what really drove the point home for me? Tamir Rice, who was shot because an officer perceived him as a serious threat for doing the exact. same. thing. that my own son and just about every one of his friends did for fun at that age. Airsoft guns are practically the official pastime of tween/young teen boys in my area and no one thinks twice about it... I never did. But the mother of a black friend of my son's sure did. He told us he wasn't allowed to have an airsoft gun or play with the other boys' guns in town or at the park. I thought it was an anti-gun thing - I know plenty of parents who object to guns as toys, even down to Nerf and squirt guns - until she let him participate in a paintball party another boy threw on his family farm. But after talking to her, not long after the incident in Cleveland, I realized her concern was that she was afraid of what might happen to a black teen boy playing with a realistic looking (at least at first glance) gun in an essentially all-white community.

 

[Gracie09]

Well I personally cannot but around here there some officers are trained to tell. And they don't always get it right because it does depend on how they look. But would we rather have two innocent teens pulled over and let go or the gang banger up to no good not being stopped?

I would rather police respond to actual crimes rather than people driving down the road- gang bangers or not. You see them commit a crime arrest them. You don't get to stop them because you think they are in the wrong part of town or driving the wrong car.
I also like this thing called civil rights where I or any other person in this country have the right to drive or walk down public streets without being stopped by the police to explain my reason for being there.

 

[roseaster]

Trayvon Martin is actually very important in terms of pointing out institutional racism in law enforcement.

On February 26, 2012 Trayvon Martin was, initially, thought to be suspicious because he was a young, black man walking, unarmed, in a neighborhood where someone didn't think he belonged. He was, ultimately, killed because of it.

George Zimmerman was subjected to only routine questioning and released, on the night of Trayvon's murder because it was accepted by law enforcement that a young black man walking in that neighborhood was suspicious and warranted shooting.

There was no decent investigation started until there was public outrage. George Zimmerman was not charged until April 11th. A month and a half after the murder of Trayvon, and then only after public outcry.

Had Trayvon Martin been a young, unarmed white man does anyone truly believe that Zimmerman would have strolled out of the police station free as a bird on the same night he killed him?

Had Trayvon been white does anyone really believe that the Sanford PD wouldn't have launched a thorough investigation into the murder immediately?

Had Trayvon been white does anyone truly believe it would have been a month and a half before any charges were brought against George Zimmerman? Especially since the police knew he instigated the encounter because they have the 911 transcripts where he was clearly told not to approach him?

I, honestly, cannot believe the blatant prejudice and bigotry that has been displayed on this thread. People of color, and people who know people of color have repeatedly tried to illustrate real life instances of institutional racism in law enforcement and have been called liars.

The whole purpose of this thread was to tell people who want to remind people that their life matters, too, that they are "crap."

Many, many people from many walks of life are telling you, "This is my experience, these are my feelings because of it," and you are telling them it is "crap."

I wish a lot of posters on this thread could read what they wrote and see what is truly in their hearts.