Walking while black

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've actually got no particular opinion of his his credibility at all. I assume he's just a normal person who lies just as much, or as little, as the rest of us. But his credibility is irrelevant here. I never heard him say, "gosh officer, you must have the wrong guy, because I didn't swing a club at your car!" Instead, he just refused to put down the golf club and complained that it's his. And I don't particularly believe the police officer either, since you may recall I noted the possibility she might be making the whole thing up. I just figure the truth is better sorted out when everyone's calm, and not when one guy is refusing to put down his golf club. Don't you agree?

I'm pretty frustrated though that you'd make all sorts of (inaccurate) assumptions about me and my beliefs -- flirting with calling me a shallow-minded bigot -- based simply on the fact that I don't interpret this situation as an example of racial profiling, despite the complete absence of any evidence for that position.

The officer tells Wingate that he’s being recorded, and she goes on to say: “You just swung that golf club at me.”

“I did not,” responds Wingate, who is seen holding a plastic bag in one hand, with the golf club still pointed to the ground.

Perhaps you overlooked it but there is your example of the elderly black man asserting his innocence and the officer's mistake in judgement. Granted he didn't state it verbatim as you would have preferred but who among us could be expected to express ourselves calmly and collectively when abruptly confronted by the police and accosted with an outlandish accusation?

The only inaccuracy here is your assumption that I called you a shallow-minded bigot. I dismissed those conclusions and suggested instead that you may have a predilection for holding preference for police testimony which is nothing to be frustrated about because we all hold the word of those in authority higher than the average Joe. Yet and still, as I explained a gun and a badge do not make an honest man nor do a golf club and black skin make a liar.

[Anonymous]

Lower the black violent crime rate first.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

What are college campus police carrying guns for,anyway?

Protection. The cop thought he had found the perpetrator. It is not out of line to anticipate that the suspect might be armed.

I know a number of college and university public safety departments that are not armed. Frankly, carrying weapons is responsibility of the local police. The Yale policeman's actions show that he probably wasn't especially well trained.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Lower the black violent crime rate first.

At least 2 posters have told you that AA violent crime states are trending down.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/n.y.-times-charles-blow-said-nothing-about-cop-who-arrested-his-son-being-black/article/2559374

The policeman who stopped him was black? And, Blow never mentioned that? Really?

Race of the police officer is irrelevant.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Quoted from article:

"The dean of Yale College and the campus police chief have apologized and promised an internal investigation, and I appreciate that. But the scars cannot be unmade. My son will always carry the memory of the day he left his college library and an officer trained a gun on him."

His son will always remember because he will make sure he doesn't forget. The scars won't be unmade because he will not let them heal. His son will grow up with a victim mentality, like the rest of the AA community.

That's truly sad.

Have you forgotten the days when a gun was pulled on you?
I'm not sure that's human.

That's not the same point being argued. The title of the article is "Walking While Black". On top of the gun being pulled he is adding the element of being black, branding his son a victim of racial/hate crime. Having a gun pulled on you is no small matter, I agree. But the memory will fade with time, and eventually it will be something you remember but file away with your other miscellaneous memories. It certainly won't define you as a person or change your path in life. But the author will not let this happen with his son. He has and will continue to parade this around publicly, remind his son that it happened, narrating it within the context of racial inequality. He will not let him forget, he will not let him heal, and he will place this burden in his son's life, shackling his mind permanently until it becomes a part of who he is.

Different poster here. I'm assuming you put all unjust incidents which victimized you behind you. Would you give us an example of how you did that?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Quoted from article:

"The dean of Yale College and the campus police chief have apologized and promised an internal investigation, and I appreciate that. But the scars cannot be unmade. My son will always carry the memory of the day he left his college library and an officer trained a gun on him."

His son will always remember because he will make sure he doesn't forget. The scars won't be unmade because he will not let them heal. His son will grow up with a victim mentality, like the rest of the AA community.

That's truly sad.

Have you forgotten the days when a gun was pulled on you?
I'm not sure that's human.

That's not the same point being argued. The title of the article is "Walking While Black". On top of the gun being pulled he is adding the element of being black, branding his son a victim of racial/hate crime. Having a gun pulled on you is no small matter, I agree. But the memory will fade with time, and eventually it will be something you remember but file away with your other miscellaneous memories. It certainly won't define you as a person or change your path in life. But the author will not let this happen with his son. He has and will continue to parade this around publicly, remind his son that it happened, narrating it within the context of racial inequality. He will not let him forget, he will not let him heal, and he will place this burden in his son's life, shackling his mind permanently until it becomes a part of who he is.

Different poster here. I'm assuming you put all unjust incidents which victimized you behind you. Would you give us an example of how you did that?

+1. It is funny to me how so many people want to trot out stats but refuse to acknowledge the personal impact something like this could have. Given some recent events, that kid did not know if he was going to be killed. And just the other day, a police officer drew his gun on 2 kids having a snowball fight. Had his gun in one kid's face as he frisked him. Shit like that does not fade with time! Believe it or not, that will stay with the kid for a long time and he may need counseling behind it. You cannot just shrug it away. My sister had a gun pulled on her in a robbery 10 years ago. She still is not fully over it and she has tried.

[Anonymous]

Race of the police officer is irrelevant.

Then, why is the race of Blow's son important?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Race of the police officer is irrelevant.

Then, why is the race of Blow's son important?

+1. Enough with racism...in both directions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
That's not the same point being argued. The title of the article is "Walking While Black". On top of the gun being pulled he is adding the element of being black, branding his son a victim of racial/hate crime. Having a gun pulled on you is no small matter, I agree. But the memory will fade with time, and eventually it will be something you remember but file away with your other miscellaneous memories. It certainly won't define you as a person or change your path in life. But the author will not let this happen with his son. He has and will continue to parade this around publicly, remind his son that it happened, narrating it within the context of racial inequality. He will not let him forget, he will not let him heal, and he will place this burden in his son's life, shackling his mind permanently until it becomes a part of who he is.

Different poster here. I'm assuming you put all unjust incidents which victimized you behind you. Would you give us an example of how you did that?

I'm the PP you are replying to. I've never had a gun pointed in my face, but there are a few things I remember:

- After just coming to the US, we were living in DC. Our family of four was out walking after dinner, and my brother and I were playing hide and seek with our parents. We ducked behind a bush under an open window next to the sidewalk, giggling. Our parents walked closer and we sneaked around the corner of the short 1 story building. Some seconds later, a black police officer came out and stopped us. He asked us a bunch of questions, claiming that my sister and I were spying on their meeting inside the police station. We were questioned for a solid 10 minutes. It was my first encounter with the law in the US, I didn't speak much English was really scared. Coincidentally, I just drove by that place this past weekend and saw that the station has been torn down. The library is still there but taped-off for demolition. I am going to miss that library.

- I attended a predominantly AA middle school in DC. I was constantly made fun of because I didn't fit in. One day I stood up to a bully who was pushing me from behind as I was walking up stairs. I got beat up. People were standing around pointing and laughing. Up until then it had only been words and gestures.

- In high school, there was a Korean clique who didn't like my kind. One day standing in the hall way waiting for class, they were taunting me like they usually do and finally one of them came over and straight punched me in the stomach. I went to the principal. Seeing that I didn't speak much English and had a very meek demeanor, he proceeded to tell me that the country I came from fought on the wrong side of the war, and therefore he thought the Koreans were right to punch me. Told me to behave myself.

There are other episodes, I am sure, but I don't remember them. These events are part of my past but they don't define me. I don't dwell on them or wear them like a badge out in public. I never begin my sentence with "As a [insert race]..." I stayed away from ignorant and foolish people, worked hard to better myself. I am successful, respected, and I contribute a great deal to the positive cultural image of people who look like me. I tell my kids that because they look a certain way, people will have a certain opinion of them. But I remind them that those impressions are only skin deep. As soon as they interact with others, people will see them not for what they look like, but how they speak, how they act, and what their capabilities are. I teach them that they need to focus on being a good person, being strong, and not be pigeonholed by what others may think about them from 10 feet away.

All of this is of course anecdotal.