Ragingbull - I know and agree that there are parts of the south that may be dangerous for black men. Just like some black neighborhoods may be dangerous for white men. On a broad scale though, just based on these cases that make media headlines, and the disproportionate amount of blacks who are poor and did not finish highschool, as well as input from black friends, one of the biggest issues keeping the black community down seems to be the prevailing idea and criticism that any black person who tries to advance themselves, do good in school, go to college, speak with proper grammar is being 'too white'. I even had a gf at one point who was fully black but had a light skin tone and she told me all sorts of stories on how she was discriminated by blacks for looking too white and then w/ education/advancement, acting too white.
As for police profiling and pulling over, I believe it's based on crime and not color. I had driven through a 'black neighborhood' several times before because of my work. Sometimes I would pull over or park on the side of the street to look at a map, etc, it didn't matter anywhere in that large section of the city, if I was parked on the side of the road, out of nowhere some drug dealer would be knocking on my window or trying to get my attention from out of nowhere. One evening I'm driving through, hadn't stopped at any point, and I get pulled over. I'm not black, but was asked questions, etc. I was respectful and on my way a few minutes later.
Anytime I get pulled over, if it's night I turn on my dome light, I turn off the car and take keys out of ignition, and put both hands on the steering wheel. As the cop approaches the car, I always see their hand on the gun holster and cautiously walking up. They knock on window and I slowly move my hands to open it. They don't know if I have a gun, nor anybody they pull over and if they may get shot, so by doing those things you put their mind at ease. I say yes sir, yes maam when answering questions. More than 1/2 the time I've been pulled over, if speeding a little, stop sign, etc, they let me off with a warning.
With police, when people get loud, confrontational, or resisting arrest, they are inviting brutality and putting their lives in risk. In cities where cops have been killed, they are even more apprehensive.
Now one recent case, the New York black man who was killed because of a chokehold, true it may not have happened if he didn't resist arrest, but the police were very clearly in the wrong and there was absolutely no reason for what happened. He was trying to be respectful when he was talking to the police even though he was upset and loud.
But can anybody show a case when the person followed the officers instructions, wasn't threatening, and still got beat up or killed? And can anybody show me a case where a person resisted arrest and police ended up letting them go home? It's best to just go along with it because once they decide to arrest you, you are going, whether you go willingly, carried in, or in a bodybag. After they arrest you, it's out of that officers hands, then you can fight in the court.
