Fort Worth woman shot in her own home by police

[LSUmiss]

Its a possibility that race is a factor either way. Its also a possibility that race has nothing to do with it which is something that some will not admit either.

But the 2 are not even. Race being a factor points to a much bigger systemic problem. Like I said, every cop I know personally is racist & more racist than anyone else I’ve ever known personally. Some of the worst racial comments I’ve ever heard have been made by white cops. That is by no means a large sampling but absolutely colors my perspective.

 

[luvsJack]

But the 2 are not even. Race being a factor points to a much bigger systemic problem. Like I said, every cop I know personally is racist & more racist than anyone else I’ve ever known personally. Some of the worst racial comments I’ve ever heard have been made by white cops. That is by no means a large sampling but absolutely colors my perspective.

And none of the cops I know are racist. They may speak badly of drug addict parents who neglect their kids, but it has nothing to do with the color of the person's skin. Or they don't like a thief but the color of their skin doesn't cloud it.

You can't take the cops you know in NOLA and apply that knowledge to everyone with a badge, its not fair. The same as any one of you will tell me that I can't base a judgement on someone in Texas by what I know of people here.

No, my statement and yours are not equal. You said "probable" and I said "possible". Assuming that it is "probable" that any given situation is about race is the main reason this country stays divided and racist in of itself. We aren't going to stop seeing racism until we stop seeing race. ALL of us, including those that assume that any action is "probable" to be about race.

 

[LSUmiss]

And none of the cops I know are racist. They may speak badly of drug addict parents who neglect their kids, but it has nothing to do with the color of the person's skin. Or they don't like a thief but the color of their skin doesn't cloud it.

You can't take the cops you know in NOLA and apply that knowledge to everyone with a badge, its not fair. The same as any one of you will tell me that I can't base a judgement on someone in Texas by what I know of people here.

No, my statement and yours are not equal. You said "probable" and I said "possible". Assuming that it is "probable" that any given situation is about race is the main reason this country stays divided and racist in of itself. We aren't going to stop seeing racism until we stop seeing race. ALL of us, including those that assume that any action is "probable" to be about race.

No racism will end when ppl stop being racist. The ppl I’m talking about say egregious things including using the N word. That’s not just something simple like “seeing race”.

 

[luvsJack]

No racism will end when ppl stop being racist. The ppl I’m talking about say egregious things including using the N word. That’s not just something simple like “seeing race”.

How is it not first and foremost seeing race? How can you hate someone due to their race if you don't see race? How can you call someone a name based on their race if you don't see race? If one doesn't see race, then they treat everyone based the same or they have the ability to treat people based on their character not what they look like.

 

[pahoben]

No racism will end when ppl stop being racist. The ppl I’m talking about say egregious things including using the N word. That’s not just something simple like “seeing race”.

I would never accuse anyone of being racist without knowing them but it does seem strange that you apparently don't fraternize with any black cops there or are you saying the black cops are racist?

I just looked and 66% of the police force in New Orleans is african american. How do they manage with virulent racists of the kind you fraternize with.

 

[kdonnel]

No racism will end when ppl stop being racist.

I think it will happen in about 100,000 years. That is how long I think it will take for the gene pool to become so mixed we all look alike.

 

[LSUmiss]

I would never accuse anyone of being racist without knowing them but it does seem strange that you apparently don't fraternize with any black cops there or are you saying the black cops are racist?

I just looked and 66% of the police force in New Orleans is african american. How do they manage with virulent racists of the kind you fraternize with.

These are not ppl I choose to fraternize with. They are ppl I casually know through other ppl. And I think it’s fair to assume someone is racist if they openly use the N word even if I don’t know them well. Why is it strange that I don’t fraternize with any black cops? As far as how they manage? How does anyone manage to deal with the virulent racists they encounter? I suspect it’s b/c those ppl aren’t forthcoming with their racists beliefs in front of their black colleagues. Doesn’t mean they don’t exist.

 

[pahoben]

These are not ppl I choose to fraternize with. They are ppl I casually know through other ppl. And I think it’s fair to assume someone is racist if they openly use the N word even if I don’t know them well. Why is it strange that I don’t fraternize with any black cops? As far as how they manage? How does anyone manage to deal with the virulent racists they encounter? I suspect it’s b/c those ppl aren’t forthcoming with their racists beliefs in front of their black colleagues. Doesn’t mean they don’t exist.

It just seems unusual that a person knows only minority caucasians that are in the police force especially when they see racism as of such fundamental importance

 

[LSUmiss]

It just seems unusual that a person knows only minority caucasians that are in the police force especially when they see racism as of such fundamental importance

That minority still makes up 1/3 of the rest of the force so that’s a lot of ppl. And I didn’t say I didn’t know any black ppl just don’t personally know any black cops. And my immediate circle is mostly made up of other white ppl b/c most of my circle consists of relatives even though I live in this city where white ppl are the 60/40 minority too so I guess that blows your mind too? I’m not sure what you’re even implying by challenging my experiences? Perhaps more ppl should see racism as “such fundamental importance”?

 

[pahoben]

That minority still makes up 1/3 of the rest of the force so that’s a lot of ppl. And I didn’t say I didn’t know any black ppl just don’t personally know any black cops. And my immediate circle is mostly made up of other white ppl b/c most of my circle consists of relatives even though I live in this city where white ppl are the 60/40 minority too so I guess that blows your mind too? I’m not sure what you’re even implying by challenging my experiences? Perhaps more ppl should see racism as “such fundamental importance”?

I worked in equatorial Africa for a number of years and worked with Africans exclusively in the company except for one engineer who had a US education
(originally from Africa). None of the Africans thought in terms of the oppressed/oppressor paradigm but the engineer with the US education thought exclusively in those terms. I explained to him one day about how his outlook was unusual there and so typical of the US and that nothing would ever change until people discarded labels and just saw a person. It is absurd to use these little labels to describe a complex human being but that is exactly what is perpetuated by the politics in the US

 

[LSUmiss]

I worked in equatorial Africa for a number of years and worked with Africans exclusively in the company except for one engineer who had a US education
(originally from Africa). None of the Africans thought in terms of the oppressed/oppressor paradigm but the engineer with the US education thought exclusively in those terms. I explained to him one day about how his outlook was unusual there and so typical of the US and that nothing would ever change until people discarded labels and just saw a person. It is absurd to use these little labels to describe a complex human being but that is exactly what is perpetuated by the politics in the US

Perhaps it’s b/c it happens more here. Politicians & the media have nothing to do with what I’ve observed with my own eyes in my 40 years of living in the south.

 

[luvsJack]

Perhaps it’s b/c it happens more here. Politicians & the media have nothing to do with what I’ve observed with my own eyes in my 40 years of living in the south.

Have you been out of the south? Have you been to other countries?

My oldest son has been to several other countries for work and worked with the locals. The racism that he has witnessed is far, far worse than anything here. No it doesn't happen more here.

Besides, the south has nothing to do with it. I have lived in the south 53 years and what you describe doesn't happen here with the regularity you talk about it. The racist you describe would be the exception, not the rule.

 

[cabanafrau]

Equatorial Africa, home to the nation of Chad, known to be one of the most corrupt countries on the planet. They also have a wonderful record on human rights, as do Cameroon and the Central African Republic. I'm certain none of the strife has anything at all to do with race or ethnicity.

 

[pahoben]

I am not sure what you mean. Are you implying that corruption in those African countries is due to US racism. Could that possibly be what you are implying?

 

[LSUmiss]

Have you been out of the south? Have you been to other countries?

My oldest son has been to several other countries for work and worked with the locals. The racism that he has witnessed is far, far worse than anything here. No it doesn't happen more here.

Besides, the south has nothing to do with it. I have lived in the south 53 years and what you describe doesn't happen here with the regularity you talk about it. The racist you describe would be the exception, not the rule.

I was only suggesting that perhaps it’s more prevalent in the US b/c Pp claims it’s not like that in Africa & politicians make us believe things to get votes.
As far as there being only a few racists in the south .

 

[pahoben]

Equatorial Africa, home to the nation of Chad, known to be one of the most corrupt countries on the planet. They also have a wonderful record on human rights, as do Cameroon and the Central African Republic. I'm certain none of the strife has anything at all to do with race or ethnicity.

You just list some countries after looking at Wikipedia presumably and throw in corruption and human rights as though you have made some profound post. I am out of this thread.

 

[luvsJack]

I was only suggesting that perhaps it’s more prevalent in the US b/c Pp claims it’s not like that in Africa & politicians make us believe things to get votes.
As far as there being only a few racists in the south .

I said they are the exception not the rule. The south isn’t more racist than the north or east or west.

 

[LSUmiss]

I said they are the exception not the rule. The south isn’t more racist than the north or east or west.

I don’t know b/c I haven’t lived anywhere else, but I do know it’s reputation

 

[kdonnel]

I said they are the exception not the rule. The south isn’t more racist than the north or east or west.

And the US is not more racist then Europe. Racism is alive and well all across the globe.

 

[Colleen27]

How many of us have been in a high danger, high adrenaline situation where your life may end based on a split second decision you make?

I have not and have no idea how I would react.

This was a threat / no threat assessment gone wrong. Horrible wrong.

For too long people have placed people in authority positions (military, police, fire, etc) on a pedestal like they are something better then the average person, a hero. The truth is they are just people and WILL make mistakes, in this case a deadly mistake.

They should be better than the average person at *doing their jobs*! We don't accept "they're only human" for other professionals who make egregious mistakes that lead to death - doctors who make serious errors, child care workers who leave a child in a hot car or let one wander off through an unlatched gate. Hell, even bartenders are held responsible for exercising good judgment in not over-serving. Police are (theoretically, anyway) trained in threat assessment and deescalation and procedures intended to keep everyone safe, and when officers forget or ignore that training they need to be held accountable. Because despite the fear-mongering used to justify the ever-increasing militarization of police, our law enforcement officers aren't actually under siege on the American streets.

In this instance, I doubt he even had time to process her race before he opened fire. It was literally a split second. Not everything is about race.

Racism isn't always as explicit as seeing a black face and perceiving it as threatening. It can also operate on a subconscious level - heightened awareness and exaggerated threat response in a black neighborhood because of a "gut feeling" that the neighborhood and situation are inherently more dangerous than the same type of call in a white neighborhood, for example. Most of the LEO in my community are retirees from larger departments and I've heard them talk about the neighborhoods they wouldn't walk into without a gun drawn and finger on the trigger (which I'm sure is hyperbole to some degree, but does reflect the mindset). I'm sure none of them think of themselves as racist and would argue that it is the socio-economic status and crime statistics that made them fearful in those neighborhoods, but the end result is still the same - police walking around afraid, and therefore jumpy/quick to react, in black neighborhoods in a way that they aren't in whiter parts of the city.