The Ferguson, Missouri thread

[Sho]

I would like some deep fried racism though sounds good.


That is the point they are obsessed with talking about racism.


If two people of the same color kill each other no one gives a damn.

That has been one of MSNBCs objectives for a while now because it aligns with US leftist politics. They aren't exactly having a conversation about race, they are just name dropping the fact that their topics in question deal with racism, which is true. If it didn't, you wouldn't hear them talk about near as much. FOX News uses the word a lot as well, but usually in the instance of protecting those on the right accused of it. They also don't have a conversation about it except for Howard Kurtz, who actively engages on the topic when it's brought up on his Sunday show.

Incorrect. People do give a damn when those of the same color kill each other, it's just not simply given a spotlight as large as a murder between two different races. Colorism (yes this is also a word) is also a problem in African American & Hispanic societies. It's a more focused form of discrimination based on color alone. People in society tend to favor those who are lighter skinned in almost all instances, regardless of race. You can see it in society if you visit in specific areas such as the South.

[ringthree]

Sounds like a shitty rapper tryin toget free publicity

I wouldn't call Talib Kweli a shitty rapper, nor a real attention seeker. He has been a socially conscious hip hop artist since the beginning. If he was publicity seeking he would rap about bling and bitches and shit.

[Nephlite]

He's to be ignored. Dudes from Canada never know what the fuck.

Also why are you dudes taking the Wilson supporters so seriously? A bunch of racist white people who came late to the party because they know they would have had the shit beaten out of them if they came out when it was real talk protests. Racist white people usually have no spine and have to lowkey their racism in some form or fashion. Whatevs.

I'd rather think I'm not racist

Though, I do support Wilson as a fellow officer since I've been in his shoes (okay, maybe not knee deep in the shit like he is), I would still like justice for Michael Brown if the evidence points to murder. What does that make me if I'm not necessarily rooting for either team, but hope either wins at the same time?

[Correction]

But it's like, are you mad? Mad that I don't think every cop is as racist as many of the people supporting Wilson? Or that maybe some of the cops out there in Ferguson don't exactly agree with what their doing but still have to do their job any ways? This really isn't that big a deal, but let me help you. I don't want you to be upset.

Yeah I didn't think you had anything worth saying either. Thanks for clearing that up bro.

[djzombie]

I wouldn't call Talib Kweli a shitty rapper, nor a real attention seeker. He has been a socially conscious hip hop artist since the beginning. If he was publicity seeking he would rap about bling and bitches and shit.

For real, one of the few rappers that i'll actually listen to because of that. i think that dudes just making broad generalization about rap because hes under the impression that the entirety of the genre is the same bullshit with a different beat.

one of my favorites

[Drex]

I'd rather think I'm not racist

Though, I do support Wilson as a fellow officer since I've been in his shoes (okay, maybe not knee deep in the shit like he is), I would still like justice for Michael Brown if the evidence points to murder. What does that make me if I'm not necessarily rooting for either team, but hope either wins at the same time?

A sucka on the margins

[notorious bum]

Dr. Cornel West interviewed on how things have come full-circle, after being attacked for criticizing Obama and the black misleadership, who are now echoing what he said years ago, and more issues coming to light due to Ferguson.

http://www.salon.com/2014/08/24/corn...one_presidency

Let’s talk about Ferguson. All I know about it is what I’ve been reading in the newspapers; I haven’t been out there. But I feel like there’s a lot more going on there than this one tragic killing.

Oh, absolutely. I mean, one, we know that this is a systemic thing. This thing has been going on—we can hardly get a word out of the administration in terms of the arbitrary police power. I’ll give you a good example: Carl Dix and I, three years ago, we went to jail over stop and frisk. We had a week-long trial and we were convicted, we were guilty. While the trial was going on, President Obama came into New York and said two things: He said that Michael Bloomberg was a terrific mayor even though he had stopped and frisked over four and a half million since 2002. Then he went onto say that Ed Koch was one of the greatest mayors in the last 50 years. This is right at a time when we’re dealing with stop and frisk, arbitrary police power, and Bloomberg is extending stop and frisk and proud of it. At least Bloomberg is honest about it. Bill De Blasio is just trying to walk a tightrope in this regard. At least Bloomberg was honest about it. He was glad that stop and frisk was in place. When we went to jail he said, “Y’all are wrong. If stop and frisk is stopped, then crime is going to go up…”

I just give you that as an example in terms of arbitrary police power because in Ferguson we’re talking about arbitrary police power, and this particular instance of it has been going on for a long time. The Obama administration has been silent. Completely silent. All of a sudden now, you get this uprising and what is the response? Well, as we know, you send out a statement on the death of brother Robin Williams before you sent out a statement on brother Michael Brown. The family asked for an autopsy at the Federal level, they hold back, so they [the family] have to go and get their own autopsy, and then the federal government finally responds. [Obama] sends Eric, Eric’s on the way out. Eric Holder’s going to be gone by December.

Oh, is he?

Yeah, he’s already said, this is it. He’s concerned about his legacy as if he’s somehow been swinging for black folk ever since he’s been in there. That’s a lie. He’s been silent, too. He’s been relatively silent. He’s made a couple of gestures in regards to the New Jim Crow and the prison-industrial complex, but that’s just lately, on his way out. He was there for six years and didn’t do nothing. See what I mean?

I see exactly what you mean, but I look at the pictures at Ferguson and it looks like it could be anywhere in America, you know.

Absolutely. It looks like it could be New York, Chicago, Atlanta, L.A. It’s like they’re lucky that it hasn’t hit New York, Chicago, L.A. yet, you know.

When they rolled out the militarized police, it frightened people. Something is going on here. It’s not breaking down the way it usually does. People are reacting to this in a different way.

That’s true. It’s a great moment, but let me tell you this though. Because what happens is you got Eric Holder going in trying to create the calm. But you also got Al Sharpton. And when you say the name Al Sharpton, the word integrity does not come to mind. So you got low-quality black leadership. Al Sharpton is who? He’s a cheerleader for Obama.

I haven’t followed him for years; I didn’t know that.

He meets with the president regularly.

I did not know that.

On his show on MSNBC…

I knew he had a show, I just…I guess I don’t watch it enough.

You gotta check that out, brother.

That’s the problem with me, I don’t watch enough TV.

It’s probably good for your soul but you still have to be informed about how decadent things are out here. But, no: MSNBC, state press, it’s all Obama propaganda, and Sharpton is the worst. Sharpton said explicitly, I will never say a critical word about the president under any condition. That’s why he can’t stand what I’m saying. He can’t stand what I do because, for him, it’s an act of racial traitorship to be critical of the president. There’s no prophetic integrity in his leadership.

One last thing, where are we going from here? What comes next?

I think a post-Obama America is an America in post-traumatic depression. Because the levels of disillusionment are so deep. Thank God for the new wave of young and prophetic leadership, as with Rev. William Barber, Philip Agnew, and others. But look who’s around the presidential corner. Oh my God, here comes another neo-liberal opportunist par excellence. Hillary herself is coming around the corner. It’s much worse. And you say, “My God, we are an empire in decline.” A culture in decay with a political system that’s dysfunctional, youth who are yearning for something better but our system doesn’t provide them democratic venues, and so all we have are just voices in the wilderness and certain truth-tellers just trying to keep alive some memories of when we had some serious, serious movements and leaders.

[Correction]

What does that make me if I'm not necessarily rooting for either team, but hope either wins at the same time?

Spineless.

[notorious bum]

And completely full of shit. This so-called indecision is a decision, contrary to popular belief.

[Edelweiss]

Spineless.

A conflict of interest? A cop won't condemn another cop if he wants to remain a cop... also a living cop or something. It would suck to get Serpico'd for standing up for justice, all because you stuck to your convictions and that upset your fellow officers.

[Tarage]

So if you support the cop, you are racist. If you support waiting until all the evidence comes out and hoping that things aren't as bad as they to appear to be, you are spineless? So either you support Michael 100% or you are a horrible person.

Glad to know we live in such a black and white world.

[Acevalefor]

So if you support the cop, you are racist. If you support waiting until all the evidence comes out and hoping that things aren't as bad as they to appear to be, you are spineless? So either you support Michael 100% or you are a horrible person.

Glad to know we live in such a black and white world.

There's all different colors here in America. You don't have to hate black to be racist. Any minority will do.

[kuronosan]

If he's guilty I don't care if he's a cop or not, and neither should you Neph.

[Correction]

A conflict of interest? A cop won't condemn another cop if he wants to remain a cop... also a living cop or something. It would suck to get Serpico'd for standing up for justice, all because you stuck to your convictions and that upset your fellow officers.

I don't envy the position of any cop who tries to stop other corrupt cops from trampling all over the rights of others. What happened to Adrian Schoolcraft is a goddamn tragedy. But since the status quo is 'the cops always win' I find calls for balance in media portrayals unconvincing to say the least. There's a mountain of evidence out there that the justice system is broken in fundamental ways that has disenfranchised millions of black men and shattered black families across the nation. Knowing this does not require people to support Mike Brown 100%, but being wishy-washy about the situation is yes, spineless.

[GoggleHead]

I don't see what's so horrible about wanting to see the criminal justice system work as intended instead of just condoning the mob's bloodlust.

Honestly this whole thing seems to be less about white people shooting black people than it is about police officers shooting unarmed citizens.

[Correction]

Honestly this whole thing seems to be less about white people shooting black people than it is about police officers shooting unarmed citizens.

I'll post this again since I guess it got glossed over

This is the most most heinous thing I've learned in my two years compiling Fatal Encounters. You know who dies in the most population-dense areas? Black men. You know who dies in the least population dense areas? Mentally ill men. It's not to say there aren't dangerous and desperate criminals killed across the line. But African-Americans and the mentally ill people make up a huge percentage of people killed by police.

[Qalbert]

it's obviously a combination of the two gogglehead

[GoggleHead]

Of course it's a combination of the two, nothing is so clear cut as to exist in isolation. I'm saying I'm more concerned with the cops shooting unarmed people aspect than the "black people are pretty much fucked in the US" aspect.

[notorious bum]

Have some weekend laughs from the Sunday funnies section, presented by neocon science investigators!

[Qalbert]

and I'm saying it's not really "less about white people shooting black people" you may not care as much, but the two overlap completely here, whether you choose to focus on both or not