You might think that most people, after the killing of a Skittles wielding Florida teenager shot for the crime of wearing a hoodie in the gated community where his father resided, after the strangulation death of a non-resisting Eric Garner by the NYPD for selling self-rolled cigarettes, and after the “unfortunate death” of an innocent 36 year old father of five, Dante Parker, by multiple taser shocks administered by “Bernardino County sheriff’s deputies” while handcuffed after being arrested for a crime he did not commit, would be willing acknowledge that – yes – the killing of Michael Brown, an unarmed black teenager, killed by a white police officer in Ferguson, Missouri, who fired a barrage of bullets at him even as Brown attempted to first flee and then surrender, just might have something to do with the race of those who were killed and the men who killed them.
And you would be right to assume that – with one significant caveat, however. As long as you restricted the group of “most people” to people of African American descent, you would be right. Because, according to a recently released PEW poll, less than 40% of white people agree that Michael Brown’s death at the hand’s of police officer Wilson had much whatsoever to do with the issue of race in America.
By about four-to-one (80% to 18%), African Americans say the shooting in Ferguson raises important issues about race that merit discussion. By contrast, whites, by 47% to 37%, say the issue of race is getting more attention than it deserves. […]
Whites also are nearly three times as likely as blacks to express at least a fair amount of confidence in the investigations into the shooting. About half of whites (52%) say they have a great deal or fair amount of confidence in the investigations, compared with just 18% of blacks. Roughly three-quarters of blacks (76%) have little or no confidence in the investigations, with 45% saying they have no confidence at all.
I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised by those numbers (by the way, with respect to the question of whether “race is getting more attention than it deserves” in the Brown case, 16% of whites answered they didn’t know enough to – well, know if race mattered or not, a somewhat surprising statistic itself). That less than four white people in ten even considers that the death by cop of an unarmed black teenager merits a discussion of the racial disparity in our country between how law enforcement treat African Americans versus how they treat White Americans, is still, nonetheless, a sobering statistic. We are, after all the nation that fought a civil war over the issue of slavery, and the same nation that waited another 100 years – the years of “Jim Crow” enforced segregation, violence by the KKK and the brutal mob lynchings of thousands of black people, before enacting laws to enforce the standards of equality for all Americans set forth in the 14th and 15th Amendments to the Constitution.
And we are the nation that has seen a record rise in hate crimes against blacks and other minorities, and a massive increase in the growth of white supremacist movements and militias and other hate groups since the election of our first African American President. Yet, after the recent notoriety of so many young black men dying under suspicious circumstances at the hands of either police or white vigilantes like George Zimmerman, I hoped for better from those Americans who share with me a melanin deficiency. I should have been more cynical. Guess I’m just another …
At least I’m not a blind one, though.
Race has always been an issue in the USA anyone that tries to deny that is just plain naive or lying.
Look at all of the numerous comments from the TPGOPers that go way past 1St Amendment rights and are traitorous. Since President Obama has been in office there has been more threats against him personally and of over throwing the Federal Government then I can recall.
What needs to be discussed is the fact that there are laws currently on the books that deal with this subject. I can not help but wonder if all of this wild radical negative behavior against minorities and the President would of ceased if the laws would of been enforced.
I feel that most of these TPGOPers types are bullies. Like most bullies when hit with a solid wall say oh (The Patriot Act Sec 802) Domestic Terrorism. I feel if the Federal Government had used this law to apprehend and lockup these people. That have blatantly attacked President Obama with death signs, monkey signs and take over the Government signs. There would not be so much attacking of minorities. By staying quiet and sort of ignoring these people the Federal Government has given them a false sense of power and invulnerability. Thus the Federal Government has allowed these racist people to attack anyone they want.
After all why not take away minorities rights, beat them, shoot them and threaten Federal officials with weapons, for nothing has been done to stop these people. It will only get worse now do to the inaction.
Excellent writing Steven!
From one of my diaries on the topic Ferguson. I haven’t read all of it, but it started on the right note …
○ St. Louis Demographics and Lack of Immigrants: “Even the bricks are leaving the city.”
○ The Growth of America’s Cities, 1880-1900 [pdf]
The African-American community in St. Louis has an organization for Black Struggle based on the Principles of Nguzo Saba and Our Black Value System.
I have watched this case study of Clinton High School, an racial event in 1956 school segregation in Tennessee. In this period my parents emigrated and we arrived in St. Louis, so I have a good impression about life, culture and non-violence in this era in America. The only exception is the figure John Kasper, an outsider. He would fit in quite well in today’s Tea Party politics, what an @sshole and agitator who caused violence and hardship on this community. An old cold war style provocateur with hatred and incitement for violence. He threatens President Eisenhower and VP Nixon, accusing them for being Communists. The Supreme Court ruling should be trashed and the nine SC judges would be best for the nation if they were assassinated.
In the politics and populism, I do see similarity with today. The call for cohesion within family life, community activities, personal freedom and equality, choice for non-violence have mostly been replaced by chaos, drugs, gun violence and a global perspective of war. Once again Washington is playing the “communist” trump card with his policy towards the people of Russia. America need change, Obama needs to change some of his close advisors.
PS another pain in the @ss, Gov Perry with dark rimmed glasses reminded me of Barry. You think that was intentional? Wasn’t young Ms Clinton also a fan of BG, showing her true colors and lust for power.
○ A History of Racial Injustice, 1952 the First Year with no lynchings
○ Sunday morning, October 5, 1958, Clinton High School was bombed and much of the school was destroyed
Here you have it neatly summed up:
Hope I don’t come off as insensitive — and don’t expect to succeed for some — but can’t we please cite prior incidents that are irrefutable evidence of crimes based solely or mostly on race? I appreciate that that’s a high bar, but it’s not only not rare but far too common. The killing of Eric Garner is an appropriate citation. The murder of James Byrd, Jr. The Central Park Five is an horrendous example, not of death but robbing young men of years of their lives.
We spill more ink, time, and pixels on individual crimes as evidence of racism in this country than we do on the clearly racist federal sentencing guidelines for crack. The huge disparity in arrest and conviction for minor use/possession of marijuana between whites and minority kid when we know the consumption rates are the same for white kids.
Removal of systemic legal racism would help heal some of the divide in this country. Reducing income/wealth inequality would do more, but that will take more effort, commitment, and time.
But then, what could the PTB offer the white working class?
That is the contradiction that was built into Anglo-American society from its inception in 1607. The Indians, African slaves, and English indentured servants acted as checks on each other to permit the plantation owners and merchants to gain enormous wealth and in the process created the moving frontier that swept westward until the 20th century, when it moved internally to the cities, with various immigrant groups standing in for the vanished Indians. The designated Indians these days are Hispanics.
It is no accident that the billionaires are now very personally involved and upfront in their power manipulations. They no longer sense a threat thanks to the media and security systems they now have in place. They no longer have to have policy debates, just figure out what legislation to feed through ALEC and other similar organizations to their bought legislatures.
The statement that I quoted from your comment was in fact the centrist consensus position in 1965 before Watts. As a practical policy prescription, it is still true.
Going forward all the 1% have to do is keep the Watts riots going.
I know a whole lot of people who claim they aren’t racist because they have black friends and coworkers who they don’t hate because they are black.
And at the same time, will generalize about black people they don’t know.
Their basic comprehension of what racism actually is, is totally backwards.
That is one of the reasons why you’ll see polls like this.
Racism and race aren’t issues because they don’t hate all black people. Just the ones they don’t personally know.
The Race IAT is a better measure of racial bias than whatever people say. Culturally, racism is so deeply embedded in our brains that it’s difficult for all but those blatantly racist to access. Then there’s this finding:
I’m going to be pessimistic and suggest that electing Obama has let America off the hook. Of course we’re a post-racial society, we have a black president. Problem solved!
This is merely speculation about people I don’t know, but how else to understand how so many Americans can claim that race is no longer a problem?
WTF why are these papers writing a headline from an anonymous source in such a contested case?
As I have diaried on this topic of Ferguson, the underlying issues of America need to be debated and a path forward to change bias, inequality, improve education and duly integrate non-whites in the Caucasian community. The choice is to do too little and too late and become a fascist state! In the 1950s under Eisenhower/Nixon administration, the National Guard were deployed to protect the citizens, today the County Police SWAT teams and Missouri National Guard are deployed to control the masses and protect authority.
○ How the sixties and Vietnam changed America: Kent State shooting of student by the National Guard ‒ May 4, 1970
This is an anti-racist post? You are an anti-racist? So you put up a video titled “Stupid fucking white man”? So that would be you, then?
You can’t be “racist” against white people.
from KMOV in St. Louis
by Stephanie Baumer / KMOV.com staff
KMOV.com
Posted on August 20, 2014 at 11:03 AM
Updated today at 11:19 AM
Related:
Protest held outside St. Louis County Prosecutors office
Grand Jury could hear Brown case Wednesday
ST. LOUIS, Mo. (KMOV.com) – St. Louis County Prosecutor Bob McCulloch spoke to members of the media Wednesday morning about the grand jury case involving the Ferguson police shooting.
McCulloch said he will begin presenting evidence to the grand jury on Wednesday in the case of Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson, who shot and killed Michael Brown, who was unarmed at the time. McCulloch said he does not expect the case to be resolved before mid-October. He said he wants every piece of paper, photograph and piece of evidence available to the jury before they make a decision.
McCulloch said the grand jury will continue with their regular case load and will be presented evidence and information in the Ferguson case as it becomes available. After the jurors complete their regular case load, they will become a special grand jury responsible only for the Ferguson case.
When asked how many witnesses have been interviewed in the case, he stated “dozens and dozens.” He also said none of the evidence in the grand jury case can legally be released until the case is completed.
McCulloch’s father worked for the St. Louis Police Department, he was killed while responding to a call involving a black suspect. When asked about his father’s death and if it would affect him in this case, he said he has worked his entire adult career to bring justice, regardless of who the case involves.
McCulloch also addressed the question as to whether he would step down from the case because of his father’s death.
“I have no intention of walking away from the responsibilities and duties entrusted to me by the entire community,” he said.
He continued that the only person who can pull him off of the case is Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon who has not contacted McCulloch regarding the issue.