Here we go again - Video shows white police officer killing a black man in Minnesota by suffocation as the man pleads "I can't breathe" (1 Viewer)

[lapaz]

This is incorrect. It's a very short-sighted view that only serves to mitigate the impact those decisions have on today.

Calhoun made an address in 1848 - prior to 1865 - that still rings true today, part of the political strategy of the day in his speech on the Oregon Bill.

Before America was a nation, whites were explicitly and solely given land and that land ownership continues to impact today. Actual possession of the land and generational wealth. Take a long, hard look at Virgina history and law and codified racism and the impact it has on today.

Have we made progress? Sure. But the moment someone breaks out "But 350 years ago" I don't give that any more credence than someone who begins their sentence with "I have a black friend" - there is going to be default skepticism. And with good reason.

The belief that Africans were less than humans shaped laws whose legacies existed in the Civil Rights Era, and still exist in practices today - even when it's illegal, acc to law. It's not housing discrimination doesn't happen today simply because it's illegal.

The belief that Africans were less intelligent than whites because of their cranial capacity existed - as scientific belief - long past Samuel Morton.

The belief that blacks are more violent than whites existed in the early 20th century widely known fact and continues to this day.

Northern cities packed blacks into ghettos based on racist beliefs when those same blacks fled the Jim Crow South to the industrialized North, looking for opportunity - and found hostility there. They found hate and discrimination and redlining. This population density led to a lot of mass incarceration.

Nixon specifically targeted blacks - not any other ethnicity - in an attempt to portray them as dangerous drug users and violent offenders. And this became codified law and drove policing procedures for two generations. And still happens today.

Educational segregation existed loooooong after Emancipation, and had to be forcibly ended by the Fed because some states refused to comply. And Northern cities segregated their schools and continue to, and educational equity is an illusion and without a sound education, there is no progress, no hope.

All of a sudden, we're not talking about 1619. We're not talking about 1865. We're talking about 1848. And 1889. And 1915. And 1935. And 1955. And 1968. And 1975. And 1987. And 1996. And 2001. And 2015. And 2020.

And we'll be talking about it in 2021.

How much longer after that?

Who knows.

But dates will continue to add up past 2021 the more we try to act like 1865 came and racism went.

I certainly haven't claimed that racism is gone, but people need to draw a line to stop claiming victimhood over things that happened generations ago. Millions of people have arrived in the U.S. over the last 50 years, including my family, with less wealth than most black families. I don't deny that blacks have faced more obstacles over generations than most, but they also get priviledges today to help remediate, such as minority set asides and affirmative action. It's a process of remediation deemed worthwhile by society. I know there are still problems, but almost everything you listed has been remediated, which was my point. To keep pointing as those as justification is pointless and unproductive. I think it is worthwhile to discuss how to change existing laws that may be contributing to problems like qualified immunity. Pointing to things that happened generations ago gives perspective to why people may still harbor anger, but many others have been aggrieved. Look at the Jews and the American Indian as examples of people that have been aggrieved. It is a never ending quest to improve society, but I see no value in dumping on people today that were not responsible for things that happened generations ago.

 

[St. Geezy]

I certainly haven't claimed that racism is gone, but people need to draw a line to stop claiming victimhood over things that happened generations ago. Millions of people have arrived in the U.S. over the last 50 years, including my family, with less wealth than most black families. I don't deny that blacks have faced more obstacles over generations than most, but they also get priviledges today to help remediate, such as minority set asides and affirmative action. It's a process of remediation deemed worthwhile by society. I know there are still problems, but almost everything you listed has been remediated, which was my point. To keep pointing as those as justification is pointless and unproductive. I think it is worthwhile to discuss how to change existing laws that may be contributing to problems like qualified immunity. Pointing to things that happened generations ago gives perspective to why people may still harbor anger, but many others have been aggrieved. Look at the Jews and the American Indian as examples of people that have been aggrieved. It is a never ending quest to improve society, but I see no value in dumping on people today that were not responsible for things that happened generations ago.

Your mind is made up already, and it is no use debating with close-minded individuals that are defending racism, in a passive-aggressive way of course, gotta cover those tracks.

The only reason the past gets brought up is because it is still manifesting itself today. Abolishing slavery and segregation didn't make racism just vanish.

 

[Optimus Prime]

Good article from Time magazine
==============================
“How do you know you’re white?”

I’m talking to a hundred law students. The room is racially diverse and full of people who have gotten into top law schools. They’re committed to making racial equity a cornerstone of their work. They tend to think about race in their daily lives. They’ve chosen to attend this evening lecture about the problematic ways race is baked into American law and legal pedagogy. But not a single hand goes up to answer my question—and this matters.

I often start these talks by asking several volunteers to tell me what race they are. I then ask them how they know. Invariably, students of color say things like, “I know I’m black because the world tells me every single day.” Or, “I know I’m Latinx because my family is, it’s my blood, it’s my language.”

But when I ask white students how they know they’re white, the answer is almost always the same: silence. White students often stop short, unable to identify and articulate the cultural, political, economic and historic clues that tell them they are part of whiteness, let alone what being part of whiteness truly means. I let the silence grow. It gets uncomfortable.

Then I step in to suggest that this phenomenon—not the individual student—is a significant part of America’s problem with race. It’s a major part of how we arrive at moments like this one, where dozens of cities are convulsing with racial pain, state violence, and the shell-shocked gaze of many white Americans asking themselves how this can be happening again. (It is not a mystery to black people of color.)......................

Black and Brown People Have Been Protesting for Centuries. It's White People Who Are Responsible for What Happens Next.

 

[Krodwhodat]

People being arrested frequently complain. Only the cop with the knee on his neck would know how much pressure he is putting. How do you know he pressed down harder after he said he couldn't breathe? Also, the autopsy said he didn't die of asphyxiation, so he obviously could still breathe. That doesn't excuse the cop. I think he killed the man by being reckless, and had no justification to hold him down for so long, but it doesn't mean he meant to kill him. 3rd degree murder is the right charge.

I think what’s being missed here. Mr. Floyd had his hands cuffed behind his back. There is zero and I mean zero reason to kneel on his neck. It’s like a kidnapper tying you up then punch you in the face so you don’t run away. Makes no sense

 

[superchuck500]

Good article from Time magazine
==============================
“How do you know you’re white?”

I’m talking to a hundred law students. The room is racially diverse and full of people who have gotten into top law schools. They’re committed to making racial equity a cornerstone of their work. They tend to think about race in their daily lives. They’ve chosen to attend this evening lecture about the problematic ways race is baked into American law and legal pedagogy. But not a single hand goes up to answer my question—and this matters.

I often start these talks by asking several volunteers to tell me what race they are. I then ask them how they know. Invariably, students of color say things like, “I know I’m black because the world tells me every single day.” Or, “I know I’m Latinx because my family is, it’s my blood, it’s my language.”

But when I ask white students how they know they’re white, the answer is almost always the same: silence. White students often stop short, unable to identify and articulate the cultural, political, economic and historic clues that tell them they are part of whiteness, let alone what being part of whiteness truly means. I let the silence grow. It gets uncomfortable.

Then I step in to suggest that this phenomenon—not the individual student—is a significant part of America’s problem with race. It’s a major part of how we arrive at moments like this one, where dozens of cities are convulsing with racial pain, state violence, and the shell-shocked gaze of many white Americans asking themselves how this can be happening again. (It is not a mystery to black people of color.)......................

Black and Brown People Have Been Protesting for Centuries. It's White People Who Are Responsible for What Happens Next.

Q: White people, how do you know you're white?
A: < silence >
Q: Well, do you know all the words to at least five Fleetwood Mac songs?

 

[Brandon13]

Q: White people, how do you know you're white?
A: < silence >
Q: Well, do you know all the words to at least five Fleetwood Mac songs?

 

[GrandAdmiral]

Q: Well, do you know all the words to at least five Fleetwood Mac songs?

I do...

I'm definitely NOT white though.

***Looks in mirror***

Yeah, not white.

 

[SaintsFanInLA]

I certainly haven't claimed that racism is gone, but people need to draw a line to stop claiming victimhood over things that happened generations ago. Millions of people have arrived in the U.S. over the last 50 years, including my family, with less wealth than most black families. I don't deny that blacks have faced more obstacles over generations than most, but they also get priviledges today to help remediate, such as minority set asides and affirmative action. It's a process of remediation deemed worthwhile by society. I know there are still problems, but almost everything you listed has been remediated, which was my point. To keep pointing as those as justification is pointless and unproductive. I think it is worthwhile to discuss how to change existing laws that may be contributing to problems like qualified immunity. Pointing to things that happened generations ago gives perspective to why people may still harbor anger, but many others have been aggrieved. Look at the Jews and the American Indian as examples of people that have been aggrieved. It is a never ending quest to improve society, but I see no value in dumping on people today that were not responsible for things that happened generations ago.

This is THE most tone deaf response yet. It is these types of responses that led to the riots you are seeing. People are TIRED of trying to explain things to people's whose skulls are so thick and don't want to listen. So, if you can't hear them, you will feel them. These types of willfully obtuse responses are so frustrating to deal with, it's akin to saying, "If you can say you can't breathe, you can breathe", when someone is TELLING you, "I can't breathe."

 

[SaintsFanInLA]

Q: White people, how do you know you're white?
A: < silence >
Q: Well, do you know all the words to at least five Fleetwood Mac songs?

Those are lies, sweet little lies.

 

[SaintsFanInLA]

Absolutely, the protests/riots/etc are not the what we need...

Cause...

...we need actual action to increase accountability in our criminal justice systems. I hoped we could have had action without the destruction and violence (even before the current events), but now that it is here, I hope we get something good out of it.

Effect...

 

[SaintJ]

Not all choke holds are "bad" per say, but...

Minneapolis police made 44 people unconscious with neck restraints since 2015

Several police experts said that number appears to be unusually high. "By using this tactic, it's a self-fulfilling tragedy," said one.

www.yahoo.com

I think one thing would be for all of us to ask our local police departments if their use of force data isn't public, why not?

Well, for one thing, if people found out about it, they might get upset, and we can't have that.

 

[guidomerkinsrules]

I certainly haven't claimed that racism is gone, but people need to draw a line to stop claiming victimhood over things that happened generations ago.

this is where i stopped reading
your own eyes show you that this is still happening RIGHT NOW
have no idea how much more obvious it has to be for you

 

[SaintJ]

Q: White people, how do you know you're white?
A: < silence >
Q: Well, do you know all the words to at least five Fleetwood Mac songs?

Well call me Stokley Carmichael, because I stopped listening to Fleetwood Mac after "Hypnotized."

Although I do use my parking brake on the car even on a flat parking spot.

 

[gummbo70114]

Just came over the news wire, Minneapolis corners office came back with a homicide as cause of death. Hopefully this brings the charges up to second-degree murder

 

[lapaz]

this is where i stopped reading
your own eyes show you that this is still happening RIGHT NOW
have no idea how much more obvious it has to be for you

If you stopped reading that short paragraph, then you don't care about nuance. When I said draw a line, I'm referring to going back over a hundred years to provide justification for misdeeds today. We can and should complain about obvious wrongs today, such as those by these cops, but what does that have to do with whether someone's great great grandmother was a slave or oppressed in some other way? Of course prejudice and racism continue to exist, and may always exist, but I bet some ex-slaveholder families are no longer racist, while some ex-non property holders are racist today. What happened to someone's great, great grandparents doesn't or shouldn't be used as a crutch, and what someone's great, great grandparents did shouldn't define them today. Just because blacks essentially had to start from nothing after slavery ended, and then endured another 100 years of oppression due to multitudes of factors, today there are factors both against and in favor of the black community. Recognize that society has made an effort to remediate, just as we can recognize that there are still some hurdles. That's why the remediation factors are still there. Today, most big city police forces hire many minorities to attempt to reduce the effect of racism and prejudice. I don't think the crazy reactions that I've seen among many show an appreciation for the efforts of society to improve. The cop was charged, and I'm confident will be sentenced to prison. I'm not convinced the other cops should go to prison, but they've also been punished by losing their jobs. I think many tangential things are being raised that have nothing to do with this case. The hundreds of years of misdeeds in the past are not related. We don't even know for sure this cop is a racist. He may just be a bad dude. He may have done similar things to whites. I just think the reactions are not measured, because I don't see this cop getting away with this. If it goes to court, and he gets away with it, then I could more readily understand the outrage. Let's see if justice prevails.

With that said, I'm totally in favor of demonstrations like I saw today where his brother spoke out against the violence and looting, and asked for justice to include all of the cops going to jail. I don't agree with all of that, but that is an appropriate demonstration, and what we all should be demanding. We don't all have to agree with what justice looks like in this case, but we should all denounce the violence and looting.