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

• 

  EndofMysteries

  And for the life of me, can somebody explain why when any politician or Obama open their trap, they make comments with no facts to fan the flames? Obama's comment on the police attacks against black men as a 'slow rolling crisis'. Why are figures and statistics never quoted? That a whole whopping 130ish black people died at hands of police last year and around 180+ more white people? But thousands of thug on thug deaths.

  There is absolutely no crisis, absolutely no increase or police targeting blacks to kill them. Bad police have killed blacks and whites. And even so considering the numbers, arrests, crime, etc, it's a small number and as many have pointed out, they are resisting or something which added to it.
• 

  cappytan

  Why are figures and statistics never quoted? That a whole whopping 130ish black people died at hands of police last year and around 180+ more white people? But thousands of thug on thug deaths.

  THIS^^^^
• 

  Village Idiot

  EndofMysteries,

  "...it's a small number and as many have pointed out, they are resisting or something which added to it."

  It is pathetic to justify murder and grievous bodily harm because someone who is being handcuffed and twitching an arm is considered to be "resisting". I posted a video were a 70+ frail man was slammed to the ground simply because the police couldn't understand him. That is a pathetic excuse to give!

  It is that attitude which contributes to the rage of those who are victimized black or white.
• 

  Simon

  It's been legal for police to kill, paralyze or brain damage almost anyone black or white.

  There is a difference. The implication of the original statement is "only black people". The reality is that it is legal only if justified by the law.

  Huge difference.

  If the person happens to be black, it doesn't mean that it is legal to kill black people simply because of color. It is warped logic.

  Its really hard to believe that a simple ruff ride in the back of a paddy wagon would cause enough spinal cord trauma to incite a person's death. ??

  That's why I think it is a combination of several different factors. It's also why the sort of convictions people want are very unlikely.

  Sorry Simon. But I really don't think you understand the social issues in America. I don't see how guns is the root cause for the riots going on or the issues between the Black community and the police. You didn't even make an attempt to justify that statement.

  That's because I didn't claim that. The riots are a reaction to perceived bias and shootings. Shootings are a consequence of having so many guns. If cops are expecting guns to be drawn then some are going to be quicker to draw theirs. The chances of accidental / over-reactive shooting incidents is an inevitability.

  To just touch on you Marijuana/Drug comment. If needed I can provide you source, but Whites use Pot just as much if not more than Blacks in America. However, look at the arrest report below. Can a correlation be made between race and arrests? Racism, poverty, guns, drugs, education, ect... are all valid issues to this problem.

  I agree. I think the real link to treatment under the law is poverty. It just happens that some communities have more poverty but that doesn't mean that their bad treatment is due to their color.

  Rich kids are more likely to get away with more serious crimes than poor kids of whatever color.

  The sickening thing is how many powerful and influential politicians have admitted to smoking pot - a crime that many are languishing in prison for. Pure hypocrisy of the tallest order
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  Simon

  When looking at crime stats it's easy to come to an invalid conclusion. This can be caused by other factors that pre-select people. There are demographic reasons that black people are more likely to be stopped while driving on local roads than white people. If the type of crime depends on a particular feature like this then the figures can be skewed. It's similar to where you ask a poll questions and what question you ask - you have to be very careful to avoid misleading results.

  Other things such as Simpson's Paradox (not Homer) can make "the obvious" not quite so clear or conclusive:

  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simpson's_paradox
  

  http://vudlab.com/simpsons/

  The trouble with looking at aggregated crime stats (e.g. "percentage of race arrested for a crime") is that the different population sizes can make something favouring once group appear to favour another. It's counter intuitive but important to understand - the wikipedia article is a good read.
  
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  done4good

  Simon-That's because I didn't claim that. The riots are a reaction to perceived bias and shootings. Shootings are a consequence of having so many guns. If cops are expecting guns to be drawn then some are going to be quicker to draw theirs. The chances of accidental / over-reactive shooting incidents is an inevitability.\

  This is a good point, but requires people to take a step back and understand the containing system, (the environment within the USA and its gun policies and how they relate to violence overall), and the contained system, (the actual immediate system that is causing the violence). Most people will probably not take this "big picture" view into consideration.

  Hint: The big picture matters
  

  d4g
  
• 

  _Morpheus

  While i largely agree with the point, i dont know anyone in prision for smoking weed. I know plenty who were in possesion of quantities large enough to be viewed as selling or distributing. I dont view marijuana as a hard drug or one that needs intense regulation bit as long as it's illegal people will go to jail. Dont break the law, change it.
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  Simon

  Most people will probably not take this "big picture" view into consideration.

  Yes, people are looking for a single simple and usually pre-decided answer like "it's caused by racism" when the answer is likely to me far more nuanced and far less satisfactory to the news outlets and far less understandable to the people concerned.

  There are a huge range of socio economic factors that produce particular outcomes.

  It's also wrong to assume every incident is the same - each one must be judged independently. There seems to be a concerted effort by some to have every shooting incident by the police treated as identical.
• 

  recovering

  It is not a question of police officers abusing race as I see it. It is a question of police officers abusing the citizens in general. They are not mandated to be judge jury and executioners. I am going to relate to you an experience my younger brother had. He has never been convicted of so much as a misdemeanor by the way. He was about 21 at the time of the incident . He slapped a street sign as he was walking down the street. (this is not against the law btw) He was beat up by 2 police officers . He was handcuffed then put in the back of a police cruiser. He asked what he was being arrested for. They laughed at him. He then requested that his rights be read. The officers laughed and proceeded to read him his rights in Spanish (my brother is an American who was born in the US). They then decided to give him a ride. They repeatedly slammed on the cruiser brakes causing my brothers face to be cut up by the grate that separates the officers from the prisoners. I was notified by one of his friends that he was arrested. I of course went right down to the police station. Low and behold he was still not there. I traveled over 1/2 an hour to get to the police station. where my brother was arrested was less than 5 minutes from the station. I left the station and waited for him to call. I guess when they finally got to the station the booking officer had a fit. You see one of my uncles happens to be a county judge and low and behold the police chief happens to be the godfather to my half sister. All of a sudden all record of his arrest disappeared. I picked up my brother at 3 am . My brother and I later talked to the police chief who assured us that the officers would be disciplined internally.

  My point is not all victims of police abuse are criminals as some of you believe. We are a nation of laws . These laws must apply to all citizen and police alike. If this is not the case civil unrest most assuredly will occur. Is the looting justified? Of course not!!! Should police be held to a higher standard? Of course. Only in this way can they become respected by the community.
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  Simon

  Village Idiot. Your video has been removed. If you think such sickening attacks were "justified" then I think you are living up to your name.