whathehadas, in Ferguson half the people had outstanding arrest warrants for failure to pay traffic tickets. The police would aggressively ticket anyone for the most trivial reasons and they would have difficulty paying most of their fines. It is how the police finances itself and it is a racket.
Why are people burning their city to the ground in Baltimore? How doe Looting and Mob Violence Help?
by PokerPlayerPhil 184 Replies latest social current
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Simon
There are some ironies and double standards in all this.
On the one hand, this supposedly was a reaction to police brutality caught on camera although there was no brutality actually captured, just lack of care.
No one in the community complained about those images being shown.
Now they have rioted we get the usual excuses and lies told.
Lie #1: "this was caused by outsiders who have come to cause trouble". Really? It's always people from someplace else isn't it? That claim is getting worn and tired. Where is this place that people come from immediately that touble starts? We should find this place and launch a drone strike!
Lie #2: "the reporting is not showing the community in a fair light". What? It's the media's fault? You think they wouldn't film people cutting fire hoses? They weren't complaining when it was police being filmed and it works both ways. If people are upset by images of the community rioting, looting and burning then they shouldn't riot, loot and burn things.
The other double standard is that people then make excuses for the behavior. "There were lots of peaceful protesters" they say, "you can't judge everyone on the actions of a few". Apart from the fact that this wasn't just a few people isn't this completely contradictory to the notion that they want to condemn the police as a whole based on the alleged actions of a few.
It's sad and disappointing that once again people imagine that robbing liquor stores and burning cars will "solve" anything. Public support and sympathy? It evaporates after things like this. Negative image of black people? Reinforced.
Once again, people have promoted the idea of marching and chanting in the street and demanding "justice" instead of respecting the judicial process. If a thug mugs someone does the victim have the right to gun them down? No, they have to wait for the court process. It's no different if the accused are police. The problem is they have already decided what they think justice should be. People including politicians then feed unrealistic expectations and repeat unproven claims as though they have been established. It's unclear at this point if there was even a crime originally committed beyond a lack of immediate care being given.
There has to be an investigation and people have to learn to wait for and respect the legal process. While they destroy their own city all they do is sow the seeds of misery for the next 40 years. Who will invest in the community now if your store could be looted and burnt down? Who's fault will that be?
I feel sorry for the civil law abiding people who have to live in the same community as those who want to destroy it. Now they have no pharmacy ... live with that.
And in a black community that this time has a predominantly black police force are we going to be told that it's racism again?
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cappytan
Village Idiot: The law of Karma works both ways. Yes, the police are having to deal with this rioting because of what they did.
But also, for all the individuals gunned down by police, beaten up by police, etc. one thing remains constant: 99% of them were in that position because of their actions outside the rules of society.
By all means, condemn the police for criminal actions and abuse of authority.
But do not dismiss the fact that the victim would not have been in that position to begin with if he had decided not to break the law and exploit other victims.
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PS: Yes I know I'm making another post when I said I wouldn't, but please, people, don't defend idiotic cry babies throwing a tantrum and destroying private property.
You know why you never see rioting in Texas after injustices like this take place here? Because private property owners here have guns and use them. And you know what? When there is an injustice here, it usually gets taken care of through the proper channels - or the guy gets ostracized by the entire community and ends up having to leave town in disgrace.
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Simon
half the people had outstanding arrest warrants for failure to pay traffic tickets. The police would aggressively ticket anyone for the most trivial reasons and they would have difficulty paying most of their fines. It is how the police finances itself and it is a racket
I think it's simplistic to imagine that the blame for this lies with the police. The police don't make the policies, they enact them. The reason that the policies exist and that the municipality even exists is politicians. Too many of these little made-up jurisdictions that exist just to raise money for their own existence. They should be abolished.
But that is a separate issue to what is happening in Baltimore (a big city) and there are demographic reasons why different crime enforcement policies will affect certain groups more or less than others beyond racism. We can't take claimed causes from one place and apply them elsewhere.
Besides, Ferguson was supposed to be about the unjust shooting of a black kid by a racist cop. I think "we get slightly more parking driving tickets than other people" is a lame replacement when that was shown to be bogus.
We live in a democracy. The people in the community can elect they people they want to run it if they can be bothered. The police answer to the elected officials and therefore to the community. There is a feedback loop to solve issues like this - it's not like 50 years ago when people didn't have that right to vote for their mayor.
Sad that people think burning cars is more effective than voting.
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talesin
I see the url I posted didn't embed ... there was no comment required, as the headline and pictures tell it all. Maybe I didn't click something properly, my mouse is sticking, and my apologies.
I would be most grateful if someone could post it up for me. Or is this not like music videos? ; )
One pic was of the Vancouver Stanley Cup riot. Burning police cars, destroying property, you name it......... but they were just 'letting off steam'.
There were eleven news stories with violent riots, major stuff,,,,, all at sports events. Yes, people were upsset and horrified,, but why are there no videos of police brutality splashed all over the internet?
20years_to_get_free Yes. *thumbs up to all you said*
l xx
this is not meant to inflame, but to inform, and show a point of view about the biased reporting, and treatment of the rioters by police
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flipper
" Prejudice and ignorance it's all just the same, by keeping this view we have ourselves to blame. I don't really know why people have to hate, they just don't realize they need to set it straight. "
" How many tears must we cry, before we even try ? How many young men will die, till we lift our voice to the sky ? "
" Black or yellow or white or red, people put down each other instead , they don't really care if they're right or wrong , they just make sure the hate lasts long. "
" How many tears must we cry , before we even try ? How long will hatred fly, before we tell it goodbye ? "
" What we really need is to not be blind, there has to be a total change of mind, to look at each other as equal and free, and recognize the dignity in humanity. "
" There's not much more I can put in this song, not until we decide to all get along, if we all join hands we can make a change, with peace and understanding we can all arrange. "
" How many tears must we cry , before we even try ? Let's have a change of heart, then we can make a new start. "
" Let's have a change of heart, then we can make a new start, then we can make a new start, then we can make a new start. "
Lyrics to my song I wrote several years ago " Prejudice and Ignorance " .
Prejudice and Ignorance is not going to stop unless the leaders in power work in harmony with the grass roots public. And vice versa . But there is too much of a gap between the oppressors and the oppressed in our society- too much of a gap between the " haves " and the " have-nots ". Until true justice prevails in the criminal justice system , courts, police, and government - these uprisings are always going to keep happening. And really , unless the people in power change and stop abusing and killing innocent blacks or people of any other race - can you blame these people uprising for being angry ? I sure don't
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paulmolark
Lie #1 is not a lie. In the Ferguson situation and in this one it was fact that outsiders were coming in and stoking the flames getting things started. A number of online groups even stated they were behind it. There are residents who are there who state the same thing. The news stated the same thing during these riots on AMERICAN tv outlets (a broad range of them not just CNN) So here we have residents and a number of media outlets as well as online groups stating that outsiders where involved.
Lie#2 is not a lie either. There were peaceful protests for days. Large portions of Baltimore not even involved. Not so sure a blunt England but the US media has a long history of reporting things just to get ratings. They are not balanced. They try to sensationalize things for ratings. I have family just outside of Baltimore and Maryland and the first thing that they state is that indeed it is being overblown.
"The other double standard is that people then make excuses for the behavior. "There were lots of peaceful protesters" they say, "you can't judge everyone on the actions of a few". Apart from the fact that this wasn't just a few people isn't this completely contradictory to the notion that they want to condemn the police as a whole based on the alleged actions of a few."
Not a double standard. The people have condemned this police department not all police. They have had interactions with the police in ways that you probably can not understand. Look at the news in Florida where the Palm Beach police were using black criminals mugshots as shooting targets. Look at the corruption cases pending against the entire department.
When there are riots in sporting events in the last few years they are not even reported as riots. They burn cars destroy property rape people tear down street signs and it gets no coverage. Why? Because they are white hockey and baseball fans just acting up. The negative stereotypes of black people in the USA has been put on them for generations wether it was warranted or not. Why are there no stereotypes of white people as Slave driving genocidal murderers when that is what they have done in Europe Africa and North America for literally centuries? There have been many cases of white people destroying black communities and killing black people but there was no negative stereotype attached to white skin? Why not.
Your experience and especially being from another country greatly limits your ability to fully understand the complexity of race in America. It is similar to talking heads lashing out against things in britian when they are not a part of that society and therefore can not fully understand the intricacies of the situation
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Viviane
The 'thugs' of this country have two agendas, 1. Thugs should be allowed to be dressed in thug attire and walk around nice middle and upper class areas or go into malls and areas they intend to rob with hoodies drawn up high without any trouble from police or guards and also able to attack, run away, or not ever be confronted or held accountable.
And yet we hand them, badges, guns and uniforms and pay them. Weird.
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paulmolark
"PS: Yes I know I'm making another post when I said I wouldn't, but please, people, don't defend idiotic cry babies throwing a tantrum and destroying private property."
So would you have made the same statement during the events of the Boston Tea Party? The New York Draft riots? Etc...