If you're against the militarization of the police, the only viable strategy is peaceful protest. Well, that and going the political route.
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Ferguson: Police Kill 18yo Black Male; Fire Gas/Rubber Bullets Into Protesting Crowds
- Thread starter jordan0386
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If you're against the militarization of the police, the only viable strategy is peaceful protest. Well, that and going the political route.
Perhaps now this is true, but I have seen a lot of historical instances where violence was probably the best way for them to get the radical change they needed in the end.
gutter_trash
Banned
yup, lets not get distracted with temporary acts of kindness,
the cop who gunned down Brown must face the music and go to prison for a long time
Dreams-Visions
Member
they need to get those hands up a lil higher. might be mistaken for reaching for a weapon.
shadyspace
Banned
Wow I missed that even Rand Paul came out publicly against police militarization
We know that an unarmed teen was killed, most likely for nothing more than being black. But I'm sure that's meaningless to you.
As someone mentioned earlier, he's probably going to run for president and has to make up for his Civil Rights nonsense.
everyday math
Banned
MSNBC is interviewing an eye witness right now.
But think about the cop's family and all the stress his job creates! /s
vas_a_morir
Banned
Oh, the police Chief is done. No question about it. Even IF there was nothing he could do or he did everything right, he would probably still be gone. Why? Because it's like the head coach. Always the first to go when the team ain't winnin'. He's the public face, and firing him allows the city and dept to save face and make him the scapegoat. I think he should go as his reputation in the city is tarnished to the point that he can't do his job. So, bye.
It's not that surprising. If anything, it's one of the few remaining issues where he is still consistent with his libertarian beliefs.
shadyspace
Banned
Did any other notable/nationally known Republicans do the same?
Fucking LOL
The more I listen to the witnesses and their versions of this stories, they way they are talking and explaining things, the more I am inclined to believe them over the cops. I like the whole bit of our justice system where people have to be considered reasonably responsible with good enough evidence. I don't want to see it all with my bias in favor of the civilians, because I want it to be fair and I want to believe the police force isn't always awful. It is just that the police story sounds hard to believe, and the report and way they handle it just oozes a PR feel and I hate that.
Hope this all gets fixed and that the police learned a lesson in this country, or it will happen again and this situation will be a reference. I don't know how much longer the police can get away with being terrible. I really do hope they start getting camera units and cut a bit of the cash they use to militarize the force.
Hope this all gets fixed and that the police learned a lesson in this country, or it will happen again and this situation will be a reference. I don't know how much longer the police can get away with being terrible. I really do hope they start getting camera units and cut a bit of the cash they use to militarize the force.
Angelus Errare
Banned
For a very long time. As I stated earlier a few officers will be fired, a few families will be paid and everything will return to normal and will be swept under the rug. The institutional racism in this country will not be addressed, Fox and others will spin this as savage thugs acting like animals and the same ol same ol will continue. And by direct proxy the same type of stuff will happen over and over and over again with the same end result...over and over again.
MWS Natural
Member
He should start a internet legal defense fund. I'm sure he would get a ton of donations.
See I am normally a pessimist about this sort of thing, and I really feel like what you are saying is incredibly valid and will definitely happen. I just want to believe things will get better is all. I mean it might take a few years, but I don't really see this sort of thing in the schools I have been in. I mean if it adds credibility I have been to 16 different schools from moving so often. I never really see racism as an issue. I see bullying (but not really anything, especially not recently. No bullying issues really for a few years for anything I have witnesses) and stereotyping now and then, but not by race really. The majority of it has been joking in poor taste. I am under the impression that a new generation coming in, this one that has had the internet their whole life, will perhaps change the way things are viewed.
I mean I can sit here and look straight at how my young peers are viewing this situation and I can honestly believe that things can be better. I want to believe we will be different when we enter the world and get to positions of power.
The more it changes, the more it stays the same. That's a good summary of every modern issue we've had the last few decades.
I bet he'd already have that if we knew his name.
adamsappel
Member
I hope that one day "Ferguson" has the same resonance as "Stonewall."
Pegosaurus
Banned
I actually didn't know too much about this, so I read the whole recap article in the OP, and I gotta say two things. First, ffs how do police officers keep doing this shit? It's disgusting. Second, It's amazing how the whole community is taking a stand against this. It kind of makes me want to be part of it. They know something needs to be done, and they won't back down.
some of those tweets were scary though, especially the one about the guy screaming for help in the van and the police "mocking" him. like what the fuck, why would anyone do that?
some of those tweets were scary though, especially the one about the guy screaming for help in the van and the police "mocking" him. like what the fuck, why would anyone do that?
FlowersisBritish
fleurs n'est pas britannique
As a pessemest I would normally agree, but this has gotten national attention. People were crowding time square. The mass public, and the international community are aware of how fucked everything became. I think this is going to cause some change. Not extreme, but there I honestly think there will be change. This has become big enough.
Angelus Errare
Banned
You guys are more optimistic than I will ever be when it comes to race relations in the US. I hope things do change; but I have very little faith in this country in that regard.
Basically.
If the title is changed, there should be some minor note that there was massive calamity before. Doesn't have to be much but otherwise we lose a major part of this story, the most important thing of the whole mess besides the death.
The Ferguson cops look like a bunch of homicidal losers in all their tacticool gear.
https://vine.co/v/MYH3tmYBn9X
EDIT:
https://vine.co/v/MYH3tmYBn9X
via Vox
EDIT:
Militarization of police was only talked up because of reporters being on the opposite end of it all. For once.
If it wasn't for that it would have been swept under the rug as well as everything else.
Angelus for the most part said what I thought as well. This wont do shit about the talk of race relations and militarized police in America and will be forgotten in about a week
More_Badass
Member
Mihael Mello Keehl
Banned
Is that real? jesus
To be clear, you're quoting about something not related to this current situation. I don't know what came of it. It does seem to be endemic to a hyper-militarized police force, though.
What are you talking about? This happened in May 28, 2014.
As for the outcome, there hasn't been any news of it, just that the child was recently able to finally go home.
Black Republican
Member
any friends or family opinion on this? didnt wanna start a new thread
More_Badass
Member
No news? Seriously? Honestly as horrible as this situation is in Ferguson, I would have expected a baby being maimed by an over-zealous militarized cop to incite even more anger and protest.
The situation with the child was an accident.
The people in the house blocked the front door with the crib so when the police tried to enter the tossed in flash bang landed in the crib.
FamousLastX
Member
I would imagine they're on paid leave for a few days/weeks, but not positive about that.
Oh, my bad, I'll edit that. I only meant to point out that this was a separate indecent.
HP_Wuvcraft
Banned
That picture says so many things.
Angelus Errare
Banned
The biggest problem is the ingrained institutional racism that permeates this country. Not trying to attack you when I say this, but this is why I don't believe things are going to change. No one is addressing the actual issue; at most a new law will be passed against police (but lets face it...this isn't going to happen) and people will be like "yay progress!" all the while our clear as day to anyone with an modicum of intelligence racist laws will still be around which allows for incidents like these to happen again and again.
The militarization of the police isn't what led to these people in Ferguson protesting; it was the act of one cop treating a black kid/guy like an animal because that's how society at large still views black people; one can say this isn't true there has been huge progress made, and I'd rebuttal things have largely gone unchanged for black people since the 70s because the laws that put black people in the position they're in have not changed. It's the same horrible laws, different era.
People are calling for demilitarization of the police after seeing how the police treat the news personnel and others like them; for most of America this didn't become an issue that concerned them until they saw white people being affected. People are acting like this type of treatment of black people is something new when for black people it's always been this way. The laws just aren't fair at all and this is a direct result of these laws that favor one group of people over another.
Demilitarization is the white issue, equality is the black issue. People see these militarized cops trampling all over the freedom of speech and right to gather and protest and they can directly see how that would effect them in times of protest and as a result have become very vocal about it. But these same people don't see/care about the inequality in application of law and justice that blacks have been going through since forever because that doesn't directly affect them in anyway. So as a result they demand action on what does affect them, and maybe they'll get that change. However at the rate this country progresses for blacks and other minorities (because there is very much a difference in rate of progress for blacks vs whites) it's going to be another 25+ years before someone in a position of power takes a look at these laws and sees them for what they are.
So honestly I couldn't give a fuck about the demilitarization of police force; I really don't give a damn. I want to be able to drive down the street and not get stopped and worrying if this cop is going to kill me because he feels "threatened" by me; I want my brothers and sisters to be able to walk through a protest without getting maced and detained for doing absolutely nothing wrong. I want society to stop painting blacks as these savages and enacting laws that reinforce their fucked up views. I want less Mike Brown, Trayvon Martin, <insert black person killed #76841> by the police because of some quota/perceived threat by the rest of the country.
Honestly, fuck the problems of white America. I'm tired of the focus on these "problems" I'm tired of the constant "well get to your problems after we address these problems" approach/attitude. Like no, fuck you we've been placed on this ever growing "To do" list since the fucking 60s. I'm tired of hearing about these really stupid ass "First world problems" I'm tired of hearing about "women's rights" that don't include the plight of black women, I'm tired of the reactionary "men's right advocates" that don't give two shits about the hilariously fucked disproportionate rate at which black men are locked up. Fuck this faux Gaza outrage, when people in your own fucking backyard are being treated like shit but we have people out here rallying about something happening across the Atlantic.
I'm tired of fucking hipster douche silver spoon fucks co-opting everything then dumping it when it's no longer "trendy". Like those fucks who wear those "I Am Trayvon Martin" shirts. No you're not, you're a white kid from the burbs who majored in fucking Art History while living off your trustfund. This will never be your reality; you sit in front of your computer making stupid caption pictures and sharing it with your friends, many of which don't give a single fuck. You then scour the internet for the next tragedy you can be a part of. Many of these assholes don't give a fuck past surface level interest. They sit in their little coffee shops drinking their overpriced shit water talking about "those poor black people, if only there was something like we could totes do". There is fecal breath, stop sharing those stupid images with dumb captions about "Civil Rights man!" and organize sit ins, gather people in your community to talk to your governor. Your facebook crusade is a crock of shit, I'd rather these people do nothing.
Black people make up all of 12% of the US population. I'm going to be painfully honest, there is very little we can do on our own without the help of a larger subset of the US population; but when the rest of the country doesn't give a shit. It absolutely sends a message to the rest of us and slowly but surely kills our morale. I've already done the cliche "send a letter to your governor" here in FL; I've been downtown and talked to people to get them to become aware...they don't give a fuck and that sends a message to me (and thus this long rant is really a cumulation of my frustrations at people's apathy over these past few days).
Don't get me wrong they are very much real issues, but they're issues that by some coincidence are always exclusionary towards minorities. I want women to have their rights, but I would love more for black women to stop being marginalized and being told their ugly by damn near everyone. Men's Rights? Man fuck that shit in general, boohoo. I'm not even going to address that shit because for the most part... simply put fuck men's rights. Talk to me about black men's rights first then I'll give a fuck about "men's" (read: white) perceived injustice. More women movies in lead roles? I'm down for that, but I'm more down for black women not being basically side pieces to these powerful white men despite the fact that vast majority of black/white relationships in America are black men/white women. I'd be down for the cause if these "more women in lead roles" also covered Asian females, black females, hispanic females. I'd be more down for that if there were more black/asian/hispanic females in Hollywood period; and fuck that stupid argument of "herp derp well maybe there aren't many Asian/Black/Hispanic women trying to be actresses".
You have a bunch of "patriots" who are all cheering this Bundy douche and people like him for "protecting our border" and being anti-government talking about how horrible the government is and how much power they're taking away from the people; but these same chucklefucks are silent when there is actual government fucketry going on in front of them. You have politicians talking about the "American" people but let this shit go on for fucking days while they play golf and snort lines of blow off the asscrack of a hooker while having their underpaid intern pen some shitty response about how bad they feel about how the police have handled things so far and sympathize with the people. No, politicians don't give a shit as long as their pockets continued to be lined by the industrial prison complex they have no incentive to change shit.
Honestly there are days where I am seriously like, fuck this country. This country is a big fucking facade; to the outside this place is fucking amazing and great and omg wow a shining beacon of human achievement, but look past the surface and it's shit; absolute unfiltered 100% no preservatives added shit.
"Things will change"…do people not realize just how long this line has been towed? Like this is all black people hear is that things will "change". What people don't tell anyone is that things will change...after this other issue is addressed. And these "issues" are always pages upon pages long.
Fuck it, it's 5:22am and I'm just venting, upset, frustrated with this country and the government on every level. This shit is ridiculous and inexcusable in every sense of the word. In 50 years shit will be the same for black people, but people will proclaim from the rooftops "look how much America has changed". My future kids' kids will be fighting the same battles that are being fought today.
I respect that, and I think they are both problems. I agree with pretty much everything you said there.
I guess the area we disagree on is how much of it is racial and how much is economic. (it's easily both)
That said, to get anything done, you have to convince white America that this could be them. Ferguson, combined with some lingering memories from Occupy, is helping.
I guess the area we disagree on is how much of it is racial and how much is economic. (it's easily both)
That said, to get anything done, you have to convince white America that this could be them. Ferguson, combined with some lingering memories from Occupy, is helping.
Being in another country and having discovered what was happening in the USA just very recently, I have a little question. If I go by my twitter timeline, yesterday there was a wonderfully peaceful protest in a lot of places, among them Times Square. Seems like it lasted 2 hours then my timeline begins talking about mass arrests and then nothing, no more tweets.
So what really happened ? Were there many arrests ? I don't know, it felt so good seeing this huge peaceful protest movement and more than a little disturbing to learn that there were arrests after that.
Don't want to derail the thread, just curious about what happened.
So what really happened ? Were there many arrests ? I don't know, it felt so good seeing this huge peaceful protest movement and more than a little disturbing to learn that there were arrests after that.
Don't want to derail the thread, just curious about what happened.
Jmanunknown
Member
It should not be hard to convince white america that it could be them when it is actually happening to them they just have not noticed since it does not happen as often as it does to minorities.
here are two examples
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/los-ang...dentally-killing-tosh-0-production-assistant/
http://fox13now.com/2014/08/12/vigil-held-for-south-salt-lake-man-shot-killed-by-police/
Great post, Angelus Errare.
holy shit :lol
No, from the outside, the US is a pretty fucked up country. In many, many, many ways. It's like, if you ever need to have a laugh with anyone, you just bring up some fucked up aspect of U.S. society, because it's ridiculously absurd.
And I'm from Europe, now imagine if you're from the Middle East or parts of South America - oh boy people from there hate your guts, understandably so (at least the ones I know and talked to).
holy shit :lol
No, from the outside, the US is a pretty fucked up country. In many, many, many ways. It's like, if you ever need to have a laugh with anyone, you just bring up some fucked up aspect of U.S. society, because it's ridiculously absurd.
And I'm from Europe, now imagine if you're from the Middle East or parts of South America - oh boy people from there hate your guts, understandably so (at least the ones I know and talked to).
One hundred percent.
Messofanego
Banned
I'm glad you made that post, Angelus, it was insightful. I'll agree with the above poster, America doesn't sound great from the outside. It sounds more like a parody-made-nightmare.
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