Why are American blacks always having issues with the Police?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am white and have been stopped for being on my phone or for having a tail light out. I always listen to what the police says, never argue with them, am respectful, and don't reach for anything until I am told to do so. In many of these videos, the people getting in trouble are very clearly wrestling with the police and refusing to get out of the car or do what they are asked. I would never ever do such a thing. Also, why is there no outrage about the crime rate in these cities - mostly against African Americans?

This is why I'm sick of people like you. Officer Friendly comes to your car, sees a 'familiar' face. Officer Friendly comes to my son's car and automatically goes into defensive mode.

I guess people like Don Lemon, Van Jones, Chris Rock, George Lopez, John Henson, Jamie Foxx, and a multitude of other well-known figures are just making this up because they have nothing else to do.

y

+1. God this makes me so sad. White fellow human beings, can you really not empathize with us? Please try. I don't know what to do anymore. I'm so sad. I am just begging you, white fellow human beings, try to understand. Buy Eyes on the Prize. Really learn about our history. Try to experience it. MLK was assassinated not 50 years ago. You say it was a long time ago, but it wasn't. My father was alive. So were yours. The people that opposed civil rights did not disappear, they were not executed, they were not imprisoned. They are still here, and in many cases, they raised kids who share their lingering and often overt racism.

Maybe the African-American History Musem can be like the Holocaust museum and you get a random name and see how your life turns out as a black person at different times in our history. The thought of being black in the past absolutely horrifies me.

My husband and I have been watching Eyes on the Prize, from Netflix. We're about halfway through. It is extraordinary and I am angry that it was not shown in my history classes in high school. Everyone should see it. The parallels with today are inescapable. When I read today about the BLM leader arrested outside of Baton Rouge I immediately thought of the scenes from the documentary where civil rights leaders were arrested and called "agitators." It's the same language used today. To the extent anyone is "agitating," it's because there is a real problem that needs to be stirred up and fixed. The protesters are not creating the problem. They are highlighting the problem.

Police brutality is a huge problem and while it touches people of every race, I don't see how there can be any doubt that it falls disproportionately on blacks. It always has.

- a white woman

God bless you! I am PP you are responding to. I'm so depressed to my core this last week. Reading mean anonymous posts on the Internet is probably not helping me. Thank you thank you for being a ray of light. Talk to other white people. Like everyone else on earth, it's easier to listen when the person talking to you reminds you of yourself.

I'm glad you felt better reading my post, but I don't deserve your thanks. I am a coward. I'm not alone in this, but there it is. I support the BLM movement. I support civil rights. I am vehemently against guns. But I have never attended a rally or protest and it's unlikely I ever will. To be honest, I'm afraid to. I'm afraid of being violently arrested or shot or a bomb going off because some asshole of whatever race or religion has a grievance or mental health issues, plus a weapon, and sees a bunch of easy targets. I might have gone to a rally in my young student days, but now I'm 35 with a husband and a young child and parents to support and I can't see myself doing it.

I'm doubly ashamed because I am Jewish and I think, well, what would I have done if I were a gentile during WWII? Would I have put my life on the line to save Jews or would I have looked the other way so as not to jeopardize my life or my family's life? What would I have done if I had been an adult during the 60s in this country? And I can't say with any assurance that I would have done anything.

I will vote, I will petition, I will give money to causes I support ... but I'm not out there on the front lines. And I know I have the luxury of choosing not to be.

NP, but yeah, this is the thing. This is what keeps us in this decades-long loop that has us still hashing out problems that our parents and grandparents and great-grandparents witnessed and dealt with and moved on. People say that the great thing about America is that you have the right to challenge the status quo, but that's not really true, is it?

I grew up in a middle class household, in middle America, with middling aspirations. I didn't realize until I was middle aged what extraordinary efforts my parents had to make to give me an ordinary life. And, you know, not everyone can be extraordinary. Nor should they be expected to be so. But if you're African American, that's the cost. Many pay it, no problem, it is what it is.

Harm to your family's well-being, your paycheck, your social standing are acceptable reasons to avoid involvement in protests. My dad told me it's the reason he didn't go to the march on Washington in '68 - he couldn't risk leaving his family without a breadwinner (and he didn't have enough leave), but I think it's ironic...or something...that speaking up about an injustice carries so much risk. And that the risk my father carried half a century ago is still pretty solid today.

What shocks and saddens me even more is that the fears he had about risks his children faced outside his household are the same I hold for my children. Forty years later. I used to roll my eyes at him (in 1986, when I got my drivers license) and say that stuff doesn't happen anymore! It's unbelievable to me that that stuff DOES happen. More and more.

It's unbelievable to me that this is the America anyone wants.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Some posters here are posting parenting advice in the guise of political discourse. But that is really disingenuous. How many parents actually teach their kids to disrespect cops?? Zero, I wager. How many people plan to argue with the next cop they see? Zero more I think.

No, what really happens is people get upset, they have problems, they have a hard day, then this cop pulls them over, the person doesn't act like a perfect little sheep (or maybe they do) and blam, they are dead. The cops have to handle the situation non-violently BECAUSE they have a gun. It's not your job to be meek because they might shoot you.

US cops kill people at a 70X higher rate than any other country in the industrialized world. They kill more people in a month than UK cops did in the ENTIRE 20th CENTURY. That's incredible. And it's wrong.

http://thefreethoughtproject.com/american-cops-killed-people-month-march-uk-entire-20th-century/

NP here, I trust your data but it's also because we have a somewhat violent and armed population. No other western country has so many people that carry guns. Cops deal with guns in domestic abuse calls, drug related violence, gang or retribution violence. This is in white and black communities.

Compliance matters when dealing with an officer who pulls you over or who responds to a call. If one does as they ask and you have done nothing illegal it will likely end well. Sometimes it doesn't. There are racists cops. They ought to be fired immediately. Most cops are great people who protect our neighborhoods so our kids can walk to school and play outside safely. I feel tremendous gratitude to our police forces who work to keep us safe.

I always thought the law was what mattered. If cops ask for information or ask me to submit in someway, that violates my rights, why should I comply. They should know the law and not distort it to force/intimidate me to give up my rights.

Why? Because failing to do so could get you charged with obstruction, resisting, or a number of other things. Because the proper place to argue/assert your rights is not with the police, but with the courts.

The police merely enforce the law as they understand it and/or have been instructed to enforce it. you certainly don't have an obligation to volunteer information to police officers (except for basic identification in most cases), but you are in most cases legally obligated to comply with an officer's instructions.

If you believe that you've been unjustly accused or that your rights are being violated, you address that issue with the courts, whose job is to make such determinations.

I never have and never will argue with a police officer about anything--it's pointless, counterproductive and possibly dangerous. "Yes, sir" is my mantra.

That's not correct. The police do not have the right to violate your rights because of their position as law enforcement officers. They can arrest and charge you and you must then comply. Police officers who violates citizens rights have no business in the department. If we as Americans do not stand up for the rights of all citizens then we may all loose those very rights.

[Anonymous]

To answer op, look at crime rates. Look at the news. Most suspects are African Amercians and repeat offenders. I was shopping today and a group of African American teens came in and caused a raucous and then the alarm sensors starting going off as they fled the store. They obviously stole items. The nice African American employee helping me just looked at me and we had a moment of both being disgusted by the teens' behavior and it was clear the gentleman helping me felt discouraged. He is doing all he can and punks like this give him a bad name. Also, a white woman was murdered today by two African Americans and not a word of coverage in the news. What about the daily killings and murders committed by African Americans in DC and across the country? What about the drive by shooting in Baltimore yesterday that murdered an African American and then when they had a vigil for him today, someone went by and shot 4 people at the vigil. Why is this not all over the news? I say this as someone with African American relatives and also as someone with police enforcement as relatives. We won't heal as a nation until we root out the bad guys. It shouldn't be a black vs. white issue. It should be bad vs. good. The store clerk and I today were on the same side clearly in our feelings despite the color of our skin. We need more of that as a nation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To answer op, look at crime rates. Look at the news. Most suspects are African Amercians and repeat offenders. I was shopping today and a group of African American teens came in and caused a raucous and then the alarm sensors starting going off as they fled the store. They obviously stole items. The nice African American employee helping me just looked at me and we had a moment of both being disgusted by the teens' behavior and it was clear the gentleman helping me felt discouraged. He is doing all he can and punks like this give him a bad name. Also, a white woman was murdered today by two African Americans and not a word of coverage in the news. What about the daily killings and murders committed by African Americans in DC and across the country? What about the drive by shooting in Baltimore yesterday that murdered an African American and then when they had a vigil for him today, someone went by and shot 4 people at the vigil. Why is this not all over the news? I say this as someone with African American relatives and also as someone with police enforcement as relatives. We won't heal as a nation until we root out the bad guys. It shouldn't be a black vs. white issue. It should be bad vs. good. The store clerk and I today were on the same side clearly in our feelings despite the color of our skin. We need more of that as a nation.

It will always be a black and white issue. History will always dictate that.

[Anonymous]

eventually we will all be grey anyways so this fabricated issue will just be grey people who live in poor areas

[Anonymous]

As a white male, I ask this of black people -

1. Can we teach your children?
2. Do you feel a moral responsibility to help your brothers and sisters living in high-crime, high-poverty areas?
3. What exactly do you want from whites? (b/c we can't seem to get it right)
4. For the many of you with degrees and nice cars and homes and quite possibly private school for your kids - do you feel connected to AAs who aren't as fortunate? (I can tell you that many of the AAs I know in that category have told me that they chose living in Area A and sending their kids to Private School B in order to keep them away from any negative influences.)

I am certain these are questions that have been raised before, but I don't believe they've ever been directly addressed in a civil manner.

[jsteele]

Anonymous wrote:As a white male, I ask this of black people -

1. Can we teach your children?
2. Do you feel a moral responsibility to help your brothers and sisters living in high-crime, high-poverty areas?
3. What exactly do you want from whites? (b/c we can't seem to get it right)
4. For the many of you with degrees and nice cars and homes and quite possibly private school for your kids - do you feel connected to AAs who aren't as fortunate? (I can tell you that many of the AAs I know in that category have told me that they chose living in Area A and sending their kids to Private School B in order to keep them away from any negative influences.)

I am certain these are questions that have been raised before, but I don't believe they've ever been directly addressed in a civil manner.

I am not black but I can tell you right off that you won't get a single answer because black people are no more monolithic than white people. That's like asking white people if they like smoked salmon. Some do, some don't, some can take it or leave it. The social strata of black Washingtonians alone would take a fairly long book to document, not to mention their answers to your questions. It is important to begin seeing people as individuals, not members of groups.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As a white male, I ask this of black people -

1. Can we teach your children?
2. Do you feel a moral responsibility to help your brothers and sisters living in high-crime, high-poverty areas?
3. What exactly do you want from whites? (b/c we can't seem to get it right)
4. For the many of you with degrees and nice cars and homes and quite possibly private school for your kids - do you feel connected to AAs who aren't as fortunate? (I can tell you that many of the AAs I know in that category have told me that they chose living in Area A and sending their kids to Private School B in order to keep them away from any negative influences.)

I am certain these are questions that have been raised before, but I don't believe they've ever been directly addressed in a civil manner.

+ a million.

This is the real conversation we need to have.

And Obama has been and remains MIA.

[Anonymous]

Shooting at a vigil today in Baltimore. Crime is rampant. This poor mother can't even have a vigil for her son.

http://baltimore.cbslocal.com/2016/07/11/5-shot-during-candlelight-vigil-2/

[Anonymous]

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a white male, I ask this of black people -

1. Can we teach your children?
2. Do you feel a moral responsibility to help your brothers and sisters living in high-crime, high-poverty areas?
3. What exactly do you want from whites? (b/c we can't seem to get it right)
4. For the many of you with degrees and nice cars and homes and quite possibly private school for your kids - do you feel connected to AAs who aren't as fortunate? (I can tell you that many of the AAs I know in that category have told me that they chose living in Area A and sending their kids to Private School B in order to keep them away from any negative influences.)

I am certain these are questions that have been raised before, but I don't believe they've ever been directly addressed in a civil manner.

I am not black but I can tell you right off that you won't get a single answer because black people are no more monolithic than white people. That's like asking white people if they like smoked salmon. Some do, some don't, some can take it or leave it. The social strata of black Washingtonians alone would take a fairly long book to document, not to mention their answers to your questions. It is important to begin seeing people as individuals, not members of groups.

Thank you, Jeff. I feel like I see the same comments like PPs, over and over again.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As a white male, I ask this of black people -

1. Can we teach your children?
2. Do you feel a moral responsibility to help your brothers and sisters living in high-crime, high-poverty areas?
3. What exactly do you want from whites? (b/c we can't seem to get it right)
4. For the many of you with degrees and nice cars and homes and quite possibly private school for your kids - do you feel connected to AAs who aren't as fortunate? (I can tell you that many of the AAs I know in that category have told me that they chose living in Area A and sending their kids to Private School B in order to keep them away from any negative influences.)

WHAT, PP?

1. Can we teach your white children? To grow a social conscience? We've got teaching our black children down pat. Take a look at this video. http://rolling-out.org/2016/03/30/holly-robinson-peete-warns-autistic-son-dealing-police/

2. Do you feel a moral responsibility to help your white brothers and sisters strung out on heroine in suburbs all over the U? See how silly your Q sounds?
Let's skip this one.

3. Here is what I would like to see from whites.
Watch Jane Elliott's full experiment here. http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Nqv9k3jbtYU&autoplay=1
Watch the entire video, then ask your self, how would you feel if you were black in this environment? Now, are you outraged? If so, speak up by becoming part of the solution. I'm black (not American) and I'm actively supporting acts of peace, harmony and constructive solutions. Don't be part of the problem. Be part of the solution.


4. Do you feel connected to poor whites in the ghettos? See #2 above, silly Q.

[Anonymous]

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a white male, I ask this of black people -

1. Can we teach your children?
2. Do you feel a moral responsibility to help your brothers and sisters living in high-crime, high-poverty areas?
3. What exactly do you want from whites? (b/c we can't seem to get it right)
4. For the many of you with degrees and nice cars and homes and quite possibly private school for your kids - do you feel connected to AAs who aren't as fortunate? (I can tell you that many of the AAs I know in that category have told me that they chose living in Area A and sending their kids to Private School B in order to keep them away from any negative influences.)

I am certain these are questions that have been raised before, but I don't believe they've ever been directly addressed in a civil manner.

I am not black but I can tell you right off that you won't get a single answer because black people are no more monolithic than white people. That's like asking white people if they like smoked salmon. Some do, some don't, some can take it or leave it. The social strata of black Washingtonians alone would take a fairly long book to document, not to mention their answers to your questions. It is important to begin seeing people as individuals, not members of groups.

And this is the answer I expected. It goes both ways. Whites are also not monolithic, yet this is what we see and hear in the news, yes? Your response doesn't help at all. It simply continues to mask a very dangerous problem in our society that will continue to divide our country. You don't kill cancer with Advil.

I've had these conversations with African American friends. I'm not afraid to ask. They're not afraid to respond. They are all highly educated, living very comfortable lifestyles. Two teachers (older generation) - who participated the Civil Rights Movement, who grew up in segregated communities - said desegregation destroyed the black community. What they once had as a community was destroyed b/c there were no longer teachers and parents and aunts and uncles and grandfathers and small business owners looking after their children. I worked with a teacher whose dad was a Farrakhan follower - clearly not as militant as his father, but inspirational and devoted to his students. I work with kids who see a white face and automatically turn off. It takes time to break through that exterior only to find some frightened child behind that angry facade. I have AA friends in NYC who love how Harlem was gentrified b/c the safety issues are slowly dissolving and through revitalization.

I don't view anyone as monolithic. However, the news does, which distorts people's views. There will always be whites who hate blacks and blacks who hate whites. However, you can't get past this stage until you open up lines of communication b/c we don't move forward until the ugly comes out.

You're taking the coward's way out, which only keeps us separated.

[jsteele]

Anonymous wrote:

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a white male, I ask this of black people -

1. Can we teach your children?
2. Do you feel a moral responsibility to help your brothers and sisters living in high-crime, high-poverty areas?
3. What exactly do you want from whites? (b/c we can't seem to get it right)
4. For the many of you with degrees and nice cars and homes and quite possibly private school for your kids - do you feel connected to AAs who aren't as fortunate? (I can tell you that many of the AAs I know in that category have told me that they chose living in Area A and sending their kids to Private School B in order to keep them away from any negative influences.)

I am certain these are questions that have been raised before, but I don't believe they've ever been directly addressed in a civil manner.

I am not black but I can tell you right off that you won't get a single answer because black people are no more monolithic than white people. That's like asking white people if they like smoked salmon. Some do, some don't, some can take it or leave it. The social strata of black Washingtonians alone would take a fairly long book to document, not to mention their answers to your questions. It is important to begin seeing people as individuals, not members of groups.

And this is the answer I expected. It goes both ways. Whites are also not monolithic, yet this is what we see and hear in the news, yes? Your response doesn't help at all. It simply continues to mask a very dangerous problem in our society that will continue to divide our country. You don't kill cancer with Advil.

I've had these conversations with African American friends. I'm not afraid to ask. They're not afraid to respond. They are all highly educated, living very comfortable lifestyles. Two teachers (older generation) - who participated the Civil Rights Movement, who grew up in segregated communities - said desegregation destroyed the black community. What they once had as a community was destroyed b/c there were no longer teachers and parents and aunts and uncles and grandfathers and small business owners looking after their children. I worked with a teacher whose dad was a Farrakhan follower - clearly not as militant as his father, but inspirational and devoted to his students. I work with kids who see a white face and automatically turn off. It takes time to break through that exterior only to find some frightened child behind that angry facade. I have AA friends in NYC who love how Harlem was gentrified b/c the safety issues are slowly dissolving and through revitalization.

I don't view anyone as monolithic. However, the news does, which distorts people's views. There will always be whites who hate blacks and blacks who hate whites. However, you can't get past this stage until you open up lines of communication b/c we don't move forward until the ugly comes out.

You're taking the coward's way out, which only keeps us separated.

I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt and assume that you have not fully awaken yet because this is one of the most incoherent responses I've ever encountered. If this is how you plan to communicate, race relations will be better if you abstain.

[Anonymous]

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a white male, I ask this of black people -

1. Can we teach your children?
2. Do you feel a moral responsibility to help your brothers and sisters living in high-crime, high-poverty areas?
3. What exactly do you want from whites? (b/c we can't seem to get it right)
4. For the many of you with degrees and nice cars and homes and quite possibly private school for your kids - do you feel connected to AAs who aren't as fortunate? (I can tell you that many of the AAs I know in that category have told me that they chose living in Area A and sending their kids to Private School B in order to keep them away from any negative influences.)

I am certain these are questions that have been raised before, but I don't believe they've ever been directly addressed in a civil manner.

I am not black but I can tell you right off that you won't get a single answer because black people are no more monolithic than white people. That's like asking white people if they like smoked salmon. Some do, some don't, some can take it or leave it. The social strata of black Washingtonians alone would take a fairly long book to document, not to mention their answers to your questions. It is important to begin seeing people as individuals, not members of groups.

And this is the answer I expected. It goes both ways. Whites are also not monolithic, yet this is what we see and hear in the news, yes? Your response doesn't help at all. It simply continues to mask a very dangerous problem in our society that will continue to divide our country. You don't kill cancer with Advil.

I've had these conversations with African American friends. I'm not afraid to ask. They're not afraid to respond. They are all highly educated, living very comfortable lifestyles. Two teachers (older generation) - who participated the Civil Rights Movement, who grew up in segregated communities - said desegregation destroyed the black community. What they once had as a community was destroyed b/c there were no longer teachers and parents and aunts and uncles and grandfathers and small business owners looking after their children. I worked with a teacher whose dad was a Farrakhan follower - clearly not as militant as his father, but inspirational and devoted to his students. I work with kids who see a white face and automatically turn off. It takes time to break through that exterior only to find some frightened child behind that angry facade. I have AA friends in NYC who love how Harlem was gentrified b/c the safety issues are slowly dissolving and through revitalization.

I don't view anyone as monolithic. However, the news does, which distorts people's views. There will always be whites who hate blacks and blacks who hate whites. However, you can't get past this stage until you open up lines of communication b/c we don't move forward until the ugly comes out.

You're taking the coward's way out, which only keeps us separated.

I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt and assume that you have not fully awaken yet because this is one of the most incoherent responses I've ever encountered. If this is how you plan to communicate, race relations will be better if you abstain.

What was incoherent about the PP's post?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a white male, I ask this of black people -

1. Can we teach your children?
2. Do you feel a moral responsibility to help your brothers and sisters living in high-crime, high-poverty areas?
3. What exactly do you want from whites? (b/c we can't seem to get it right)
4. For the many of you with degrees and nice cars and homes and quite possibly private school for your kids - do you feel connected to AAs who aren't as fortunate? (I can tell you that many of the AAs I know in that category have told me that they chose living in Area A and sending their kids to Private School B in order to keep them away from any negative influences.)

I am certain these are questions that have been raised before, but I don't believe they've ever been directly addressed in a civil manner.

I am not black but I can tell you right off that you won't get a single answer because black people are no more monolithic than white people. That's like asking white people if they like smoked salmon. Some do, some don't, some can take it or leave it. The social strata of black Washingtonians alone would take a fairly long book to document, not to mention their answers to your questions. It is important to begin seeing people as individuals, not members of groups.

And this is the answer I expected. It goes both ways. Whites are also not monolithic, yet this is what we see and hear in the news, yes? Your response doesn't help at all. It simply continues to mask a very dangerous problem in our society that will continue to divide our country. You don't kill cancer with Advil.

I've had these conversations with African American friends. I'm not afraid to ask. They're not afraid to respond. They are all highly educated, living very comfortable lifestyles. Two teachers (older generation) - who participated the Civil Rights Movement, who grew up in segregated communities - said desegregation destroyed the black community. What they once had as a community was destroyed b/c there were no longer teachers and parents and aunts and uncles and grandfathers and small business owners looking after their children. I worked with a teacher whose dad was a Farrakhan follower - clearly not as militant as his father, but inspirational and devoted to his students. I work with kids who see a white face and automatically turn off. It takes time to break through that exterior only to find some frightened child behind that angry facade. I have AA friends in NYC who love how Harlem was gentrified b/c the safety issues are slowly dissolving and through revitalization.

I don't view anyone as monolithic. However, the news does, which distorts people's views. There will always be whites who hate blacks and blacks who hate whites. However, you can't get past this stage until you open up lines of communication b/c we don't move forward until the ugly comes out.

You're taking the coward's way out, which only keeps us separated.

Holy crap! Desegregation destroyed their communities?!?!? Are you seriously advocated that we return to segregation? Heck, one could infer from the attitude here AA were "happy as slaves" - let's bring that back! This has to be the most racist thing I've read today.