Pray for Charlotte, NC

[Anonymous]

Yes. The media isn't reporting it, but he did prison time for assault with a deadly weapon.

He shot a guy and did prison time for it.

Now, let's look at this again. Did the police act properly? I do not know. But, I tend to believe that they were trying to do their job. Here are some facts:

1. Victim was caught breaking the law. Waved a gun at the cops.
2. Victim had a record of shooting a guy.
3. Victims wife was yelling "Don't do it, Keith" And, yes I know she told the police that he did not have a gun and had a TBI. But, she repeatedly yelled "Don't do it, Keith". Please tell me what she was telling Keith not to do.
4. Other people were in the area and a school bus was due to arrive. Do you want a man waving a gun when the school bus arrives?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've made several valid points and brought up several relevant perspectives in the hopes of furthering discussion but to no avail so I'm out too.

But before I go let me say this...

Yes rioting and looting and destroying property does immeasurable damage to communities, but so does falsifying accounts and arrests and planting evidence and trumping charges and profiling citizens.

Communities are just as damaged when innocent people are arrested and jailed and in extreme cases killed. Communities are just as damaged when police perpetuate toxic environments and relationships with the communities they serve by undervaluing the concerns of law-abiding citizens who are in the majority and over-emphasizing their focus on the criminality of a much smaller segment.

Not a perfect analogy but consider...
If you have a classroom of 30 kids and 28 of them have their hands raised in response to a question the teacher presented but two students are giggling in the back is it important to stop them from disrupting the rest of the class, yes! But it shouldn't shift the teacher's entire focus away from those other 28 students who aren't acting up. The teacher still has a duty as defined by their profession to dedicate themselves towards the majority who need that teacher's instruction.

Again, not a perfect analogy but you get the point. You have an overwhelming segment of citizens who aren't in jail or under suspicion of any crime expressing their concerns about police as it relates to racial profiling, misuse of force, and police misconduct but those concerns are by and large ignored in favor of focusing on ramping up police sweeps on citizens and pulling over motorists who "look" suspicious and escalating conflicts with citizens if they fail to conform immediately - the very opposite actions of what the majority is calling for an end to.

As the once despised but now revered Dr. King once said, "A riot is the language of the unheard."

Since I have no way of knowing what posts are yours I have to ask. Are you upset because others didn't fully agree with your points? Did you look at valid points people on the "other side" were making and discuss those?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As for the posters who repeatedly assert that though 90% of blacks are decent it is the 10% criminal element among blacks that warrants the police's fear/distrust resulting in the prevalence for the use of unnecessary force...uh, the same ratio can be applied to law enforcement.
90% of cops are decent, yes, but it is the 10% that have racial biases that lead them to predominantly target blacks or primarily use unnecessary deadly force on blacks that instigates the public's fear/distrust of cops.

You really can't read, can you?

I can read quite well and I can see also. The citizens of Charlotte saw in September 2013 a former FAMU football player Jonathan Ferrell crashed his vehicle in a suburban area of Charlotte, North Carolina and went seeking help. After knocking on the door of a nearby house and the homeowner panicked and called the police. Charlotte-Mecklenberg officers said the 24-year-old advanced towards them when they arrived on the scene — that’s when one officer fired a stun gun and Officer Randall Kerrick followed up, unloaded his firearm and shot the unarmed young man 10 times. Ferrell was pronounced dead and Kerrick charged with voluntary manslaughter. In January 2014, a grand jury decided not to indict Kerrick, citing insufficient evidence to bring a case against the officer.

Does this incident sound like that of Michel Brown?

NP but it does in the sense that both Ferrell and Brown repeatedly reached for an officer's gun. They were also both intoxicated (.06 alcohol for Ferrell and marijuana for Brown). They both were running on adrenaline as well. Considering Ferrell had just crashed his car and Brown had just robbed a convenience store.

[Anonymous]

In January 2014, a grand jury decided not to indict Kerrick, citing insufficient evidence to bring a case against the officer.

A grand jury is comprised of regular citizens, just like you and me. They found no probable cause.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What was a man with such a severe traumatic brain injury that he could not comply with simple instructions doing driving a car and open carrying a weapon?

Has the TBI been proven, through medical records, not just the word of his family?

Not only that, but the NYT reported that he worked as a security guard at a mall. Why would someone with an ex-felon with a brain injury have that type of job?

His boss Robert Barringer stated that he always "Did as he was told" so why couldn't he follow what police asked him to do?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

In January 2014, a grand jury decided not to indict Kerrick, citing insufficient evidence to bring a case against the officer.

A grand jury is comprised of regular citizens, just like you and me. They found no probable cause.

quoting myself. i initially replied based on the info you gave on the case, but then i googled the case.

"On January 27, a second grand jury did indict Kerrick on a voluntary manslaughter charge. On August 21, 2015, a 26th District judge declared a mistrial in the case after the jury reached a deadlock, with eight jurors on one side and four on the other."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shooting_of_Jonathan_Ferrell

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What was a man with such a severe traumatic brain injury that he could not comply with simple instructions doing driving a car and open carrying a weapon?

Has the TBI been proven, through medical records, not just the word of his family?

Not only that, but the NYT reported that he worked as a security guard at a mall. Why would someone with an ex-felon with a brain injury have that type of job?

His boss Robert Barringer stated that he always "Did as he was told" so why couldn't he follow what police asked him to do?

i wonder if his boss is the same Robert Barringer that has Charlotte newspaper articles about him on google.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've made several valid points and brought up several relevant perspectives in the hopes of furthering discussion but to no avail so I'm out too.

But before I go let me say this...

Yes rioting and looting and destroying property does immeasurable damage to communities, but so does falsifying accounts and arrests and planting evidence and trumping charges and profiling citizens.

Communities are just as damaged when innocent people are arrested and jailed and in extreme cases killed. Communities are just as damaged when police perpetuate toxic environments and relationships with the communities they serve by undervaluing the concerns of law-abiding citizens who are in the majority and over-emphasizing their focus on the criminality of a much smaller segment.

Not a perfect analogy but consider...
If you have a classroom of 30 kids and 28 of them have their hands raised in response to a question the teacher presented but two students are giggling in the back is it important to stop them from disrupting the rest of the class, yes! But it shouldn't shift the teacher's entire focus away from those other 28 students who aren't acting up. The teacher still has a duty as defined by their profession to dedicate themselves towards the majority who need that teacher's instruction.

Again, not a perfect analogy but you get the point. You have an overwhelming segment of citizens who aren't in jail or under suspicion of any crime expressing their concerns about police as it relates to racial profiling, misuse of force, and police misconduct but those concerns are by and large ignored in favor of focusing on ramping up police sweeps on citizens and pulling over motorists who "look" suspicious and escalating conflicts with citizens if they fail to conform immediately - the very opposite actions of what the majority is calling for an end to.

As the once despised but now revered Dr. King once said, "A riot is the language of the unheard."

If you don't think your message is being heard by those in power (mainly whites), then why bother? Instead of rioting, take back the schools first. Do more outreach to communities. Partner up with libraries. Seek out grants for funding creative projects. Bring in local doctors to talk about healthy living. Redesign the schedule to include time for town hall meetings. It's all possible.

Look, whoever you are, if you're going to get push back from what we used to call "the man," then ignore the man, do a Farrakhan, and rebuild communities through grass roots efforts. There is no trust with the police; there is no trust with your average white person. That's all we hear on these boards. If you don't trust others, then put your trust in the black community leaders and do something.

Protect the kids by educating them first. You know the majority of prisoners are illiterate - something astounding like 3/4 of the prison population. What's the hope in finding a job when you're illiterate? in reading a rental lease or obtaining a mortgage when you're illiterate? of attending college?

Work with the schools. It's not easy, but it's the only hope. Keep the keeps off the streets where they get involved in gangs and buy and sell drugs - and worse.

Whites are the enemy. So go around the whites. Work around black cops who won't side with you.

I don't know what else to say - not that you care b/c you're still going to call me a goddamn racist.

But it is what it is. You can change the system by first rebuilding. The more you educated the young, the stronger the communities become.

truth

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What was a man with such a severe traumatic brain injury that he could not comply with simple instructions doing driving a car and open carrying a weapon?

Has the TBI been proven, through medical records, not just the word of his family?

Not only that, but the NYT reported that he worked as a security guard at a mall. Why would someone with an ex-felon with a brain injury have that type of job?

His boss Robert Barringer stated that he always "Did as he was told" so why couldn't he follow what police asked him to do?

i wonder if his boss is the same Robert Barringer that has Charlotte newspaper articles about him on google.

I wondered the same thing. There is Robert Barringer in Charlotte that is a gang member and drug dealer who has been terrorizing his ex girlfriend.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've made several valid points and brought up several relevant perspectives in the hopes of furthering discussion but to no avail so I'm out too.

But before I go let me say this...

Yes rioting and looting and destroying property does immeasurable damage to communities, but so does falsifying accounts and arrests and planting evidence and trumping charges and profiling citizens.

Communities are just as damaged when innocent people are arrested and jailed and in extreme cases killed. Communities are just as damaged when police perpetuate toxic environments and relationships with the communities they serve by undervaluing the concerns of law-abiding citizens who are in the majority and over-emphasizing their focus on the criminality of a much smaller segment.

Not a perfect analogy but consider...
If you have a classroom of 30 kids and 28 of them have their hands raised in response to a question the teacher presented but two students are giggling in the back is it important to stop them from disrupting the rest of the class, yes! But it shouldn't shift the teacher's entire focus away from those other 28 students who aren't acting up. The teacher still has a duty as defined by their profession to dedicate themselves towards the majority who need that teacher's instruction.

Again, not a perfect analogy but you get the point. You have an overwhelming segment of citizens who aren't in jail or under suspicion of any crime expressing their concerns about police as it relates to racial profiling, misuse of force, and police misconduct but those concerns are by and large ignored in favor of focusing on ramping up police sweeps on citizens and pulling over motorists who "look" suspicious and escalating conflicts with citizens if they fail to conform immediately - the very opposite actions of what the majority is calling for an end to.

As the once despised but now revered Dr. King once said, "A riot is the language of the unheard."

If you don't think your message is being heard by those in power (mainly whites), then why bother? Instead of rioting, take back the schools first. Do more outreach to communities. Partner up with libraries. Seek out grants for funding creative projects. Bring in local doctors to talk about healthy living. Redesign the schedule to include time for town hall meetings. It's all possible.

Look, whoever you are, if you're going to get push back from what we used to call "the man," then ignore the man, do a Farrakhan, and rebuild communities through grass roots efforts. There is no trust with the police; there is no trust with your average white person. That's all we hear on these boards. If you don't trust others, then put your trust in the black community leaders and do something.

Protect the kids by educating them first. You know the majority of prisoners are illiterate - something astounding like 3/4 of the prison population. What's the hope in finding a job when you're illiterate? in reading a rental lease or obtaining a mortgage when you're illiterate? of attending college?

Work with the schools. It's not easy, but it's the only hope. Keep the keeps off the streets where they get involved in gangs and buy and sell drugs - and worse.

Whites are the enemy. So go around the whites. Work around black cops who won't side with you.

I don't know what else to say - not that you care b/c you're still going to call me a goddamn racist.

But it is what it is. You can change the system by first rebuilding. The more you educated the young, the stronger the communities become.

truth

Your post should have its own thread. Its an important discussion that needs to be had.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I can see quite well and I can see also as can blacks in communities all across the country who see themselves - their friends and neighbors and family - continually subjected to violence and brutality by police. But that isn't what pains me or what pains these citizens. What stings most of all is the apparent apathy toward them and their experiences by the law enforcement community. If they saw that adequate measures were being taken to prevent these acts, if they saw that proper training was being instilled and proactive protocols were being put in place to prevent these acts, if they saw that cops were being held accountable for these acts and if they saw that high ranking officials didn't stubbornly defend these officers, if they saw that their rights as citizens were in fact being served and protected by law enforcement and not ignored and rejected, and if they saw that their basic humanity was regarded then their anger and objections would not be so animate.

thank you for your post. it made me think more about how events affect the community as a whole, not just those involved. that being said, i have to ask if the community doesn't see the police making improvements because they aren't looking for them? not trying to be snarky, but it's easier to ignore the efforts of a group you're trying to blame.

proper training - ask your local PD if they offer crisis intervention training/CIT to their officers. it specifically deals with those in MH crisis, but deescalation is part of it, and the taught skills can be used in all kinds of situations.
proactive protocols - community policing/COPS..DC has invested in these policies in the last few years.
cops being held accountable - haven't several cops been brought up on charges for their actions?
being served and protected by LEO - aren't Blacks the victims of crime just like other races? do LEO ever bring those assailants to justice? if they do, isn't that serving&protecting the Black community?

again, i appreciate your post and i'm not trying to argue. i just think the police ARE making an effort. maybe not as much of an effort as they could, but that will also take more $$$.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've made several valid points and brought up several relevant perspectives in the hopes of furthering discussion but to no avail so I'm out too.

But before I go let me say this...

Yes rioting and looting and destroying property does immeasurable damage to communities, but so does falsifying accounts and arrests and planting evidence and trumping charges and profiling citizens.

Communities are just as damaged when innocent people are arrested and jailed and in extreme cases killed. Communities are just as damaged when police perpetuate toxic environments and relationships with the communities they serve by undervaluing the concerns of law-abiding citizens who are in the majority and over-emphasizing their focus on the criminality of a much smaller segment.

Not a perfect analogy but consider...
If you have a classroom of 30 kids and 28 of them have their hands raised in response to a question the teacher presented but two students are giggling in the back is it important to stop them from disrupting the rest of the class, yes! But it shouldn't shift the teacher's entire focus away from those other 28 students who aren't acting up. The teacher still has a duty as defined by their profession to dedicate themselves towards the majority who need that teacher's instruction.

Again, not a perfect analogy but you get the point. You have an overwhelming segment of citizens who aren't in jail or under suspicion of any crime expressing their concerns about police as it relates to racial profiling, misuse of force, and police misconduct but those concerns are by and large ignored in favor of focusing on ramping up police sweeps on citizens and pulling over motorists who "look" suspicious and escalating conflicts with citizens if they fail to conform immediately - the very opposite actions of what the majority is calling for an end to.

As the once despised but now revered Dr. King once said, "A riot is the language of the unheard."

If you don't think your message is being heard by those in power (mainly whites), then why bother? Instead of rioting, take back the schools first. Do more outreach to communities. Partner up with libraries. Seek out grants for funding creative projects. Bring in local doctors to talk about healthy living. Redesign the schedule to include time for town hall meetings. It's all possible.

Look, whoever you are, if you're going to get push back from what we used to call "the man," then ignore the man, do a Farrakhan, and rebuild communities through grass roots efforts. There is no trust with the police; there is no trust with your average white person. That's all we hear on these boards. If you don't trust others, then put your trust in the black community leaders and do something.

Protect the kids by educating them first. You know the majority of prisoners are illiterate - something astounding like 3/4 of the prison population. What's the hope in finding a job when you're illiterate? in reading a rental lease or obtaining a mortgage when you're illiterate? of attending college?

Work with the schools. It's not easy, but it's the only hope. Keep the keeps off the streets where they get involved in gangs and buy and sell drugs - and worse.

Whites are the enemy. So go around the whites. Work around black cops who won't side with you.

I don't know what else to say - not that you care b/c you're still going to call me a goddamn racist.

But it is what it is. You can change the system by first rebuilding. The more you educated the young, the stronger the communities become.

truth

Your post should have its own thread. Its an important discussion that needs to be had.

Totally agree but here's why it won't catch on.

All of the above stuff is hard to do. If you just take the approach that there's no way to overcome racist whiteys than you don't have to do all that hard stuff AND you get to feel morally superior. People are inherently lazy and enjoy feeling like they're better than other people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've made several valid points and brought up several relevant perspectives in the hopes of furthering discussion but to no avail so I'm out too.

But before I go let me say this...

Yes rioting and looting and destroying property does immeasurable damage to communities, but so does falsifying accounts and arrests and planting evidence and trumping charges and profiling citizens.

Communities are just as damaged when innocent people are arrested and jailed and in extreme cases killed. Communities are just as damaged when police perpetuate toxic environments and relationships with the communities they serve by undervaluing the concerns of law-abiding citizens who are in the majority and over-emphasizing their focus on the criminality of a much smaller segment.

Not a perfect analogy but consider...
If you have a classroom of 30 kids and 28 of them have their hands raised in response to a question the teacher presented but two students are giggling in the back is it important to stop them from disrupting the rest of the class, yes! But it shouldn't shift the teacher's entire focus away from those other 28 students who aren't acting up. The teacher still has a duty as defined by their profession to dedicate themselves towards the majority who need that teacher's instruction.

Again, not a perfect analogy but you get the point. You have an overwhelming segment of citizens who aren't in jail or under suspicion of any crime expressing their concerns about police as it relates to racial profiling, misuse of force, and police misconduct but those concerns are by and large ignored in favor of focusing on ramping up police sweeps on citizens and pulling over motorists who "look" suspicious and escalating conflicts with citizens if they fail to conform immediately - the very opposite actions of what the majority is calling for an end to.

As the once despised but now revered Dr. King once said, "A riot is the language of the unheard."

If you don't think your message is being heard by those in power (mainly whites), then why bother? Instead of rioting, take back the schools first. Do more outreach to communities. Partner up with libraries. Seek out grants for funding creative projects. Bring in local doctors to talk about healthy living. Redesign the schedule to include time for town hall meetings. It's all possible.

Look, whoever you are, if you're going to get push back from what we used to call "the man," then ignore the man, do a Farrakhan, and rebuild communities through grass roots efforts. There is no trust with the police; there is no trust with your average white person. That's all we hear on these boards. If you don't trust others, then put your trust in the black community leaders and do something.

Protect the kids by educating them first. You know the majority of prisoners are illiterate - something astounding like 3/4 of the prison population. What's the hope in finding a job when you're illiterate? in reading a rental lease or obtaining a mortgage when you're illiterate? of attending college?

Work with the schools. It's not easy, but it's the only hope. Keep the keeps off the streets where they get involved in gangs and buy and sell drugs - and worse.

Whites are the enemy. So go around the whites. Work around black cops who won't side with you.

I don't know what else to say - not that you care b/c you're still going to call me a goddamn racist.

But it is what it is. You can change the system by first rebuilding. The more you educated the young, the stronger the communities become.

truth

Your post should have its own thread. Its an important discussion that needs to be had.

Totally agree but here's why it won't catch on.

All of the above stuff is hard to do. If you just take the approach that there's no way to overcome racist whiteys than you don't have to do all that hard stuff AND you get to feel morally superior. People are inherently lazy and enjoy feeling like they're better than other people.

This is so inherently true. No matter your race, ethnicity, gender, culture or creed.

[Anonymous]

22 eyewitnesses are now saying that it was not the black officer who shot that man to two people who are willing to go on camera or saying that was not the shooter

[Anonymous]

And this latest witness is a white woman who says that Scott is out there every day waiting for his son get off the school bus and he's in his car reading a book.