http://i.stuff.co.nz/world/americas...atal-shooting-of-unarmed-teenager-Dylan-Noble
Interesting article in that its an unarmed white man getting shot, for not complying with police instructions.
This is what some have been saying on this thread, as far as the shootings (not the pulling over etc) it's the actions not the skin colour getting them shot
The point that people are trying to make is that the actions of people of color are more suspect than the actions of caucasian people and are more likely to end up in a physical use of force. That, because of systemic racism people of color are considered more violent or more likely to be violent than a caucasian person. I don't think that anyone believes that force should never be used, it is appropriate in certain cases, people are saying that it is disproportionately applied to people of color in questionable incidents.
People are going to have issues with the slogan #blacklivesmatter no matter how it is re-worded. First, slogans have to be short and easily remembered and used. #blacklivesmatterasmuchaseveryoneelse's doesn't really work, but that is the message behind the slogan. No matter how you re-word it, people are going to find fault, if that is what they want to do. It is not meant to say that ONLY black lives matter or that they matter more than anyone else's.
Directly from BLM:
" #BlackLivesMatter is an online forum intended to build connections between Black people and our allies to fight anti-Black racism, to spark dialogue among Black people, and to facilitate the types of connections necessary to encourage social action and engagement."
The problem with the BLM movement is that they have no central leadership. They are more of a forum. So while the above was the original goal, there are no official "rules" or "bylaws" to adhere to. So the BLM movement in Philadelphia may look vastly different from the one in Toronto, or Chicago, or Dallas. or Los Angeles. Pretty much anyone can represent themselves under the #blacklivesmatter hashtag.
The civil rights movement had a centralized leadership. They had "rules" and common goals. Also, they had more tangible, obvious things they were fighting. Systemic racism is less focused. It was easy to exact change in the racist policies of the Selma public transportation system, for example. Black people were the major users of the buses in Selma. If they didn't ride the bus company lost a lot of money. One cannot boycott the criminal justice/law enforcement system.
No one is stating that people of color should not be prosecuted if they commit crimes, or that they should receive lesser sentences, people are asking that minorities be treated with the same standard as caucasian people. It has been hashed out, but use the Stanford rape case for example. Judge Persky sentenced the Stanford rapist to 6 months in county jail saying that a longer prison sentence would adversely impact his life. Prior to that Persky tried a case involving a man named Raul Ramirez. The crimes were similar. Both men had no criminal records. The difference was Ramirez admitted to police, on the scene what he did. He plead guilty, he accepted responsibility for his crime, and he apologized to the victim. Ramirez received the sentence recommendation of 3 years in state prison. Ramirez received a punishment for a crime that was 6 times harsher, yet he accepted, admitted, felt remorse for and apologized for his crime. Turner denied responsibility, blaming it on "party culture." He never admitted or accepted that he was in the wrong.
I don't think that white people are, inherently, more racist. I believe that prejudice exists in all cultures and all walks of life. I think, historically, white people have been more public regarding prejudice (KKK, Aryan Nation, etc) in the U.S. which may give the impression that they are more prejudiced.
I think that the misunderstanding of prejudice comes about because people think that if they aren't using racial slurs, or barring people from sitting in a certain place, or joining a certain organization that they don't have prejudice. I think it is the subtle things or ideas that they miss. That when they see a certain "type" of name they make assumptions on the person. That when they see a black man they are more wary of him. When they see a woman in a hijab they make certain assumptions. Of course, this type of prejudice isn't limited to just white people. It exists in all cultures.
My husband has a colleague. A black man in his 40s. He is a very talented physician. When he is working and easily identified as a doctor he is, for the most part, treated with respect. ...but it is a different story when he throws on jeans and a t-shirt and walks down the street or goes to the store. If he shops in a high end store he is still followed and watched. Women still pull their purses closer.
FTR those that bring up medical error, the medical community is well aware of this problem. Within hospital systems there are committees solely dedicated to ongoing study and training in issues of process improvement. The problem is acknowledged, studied, and their is active work being done to improve the problem.
