Let's have a show of hands

hindsight's_a_biotch · April 2012

nitaw:

No you didn't blow it, because this is EXACTLY what black folks keep saying. When this country hears black people say That's Racist, they take the simple response of white folks are racist. That's not the issue. The issue is that we have this image of black males as savage, killing, gang-banging mobs out to kill and sell drugs to everyone. If you are minding your own business, you are a threat because the only place you belong is in the middle of the projects or on the street corner slangin' dope.

That's the problem, but no one wants to address it. Instead - look crime stats that show you do in fact kill people! Whee! *sigh*

Thank you, baby jeebus!

cookiemdough · April 2012

AnnieBlah:
nitaw:
[
That's the problem, but no one wants to address it. Instead - look crime stats that show you do in fact kill people! Whee! *sigh*

Oh boy. I didn't see this before so I want to address it since I did allude to it in my post about changes coming about. I don't think black on black crime and this are even related....I just was speaking to the passion carrying on/through/whatever adjective best fits. I hope I did not anger anyone here (or in my thread).

I will admit my initial reaction to your thread was somewhat similar to Sisu's post, although I did give you the benefit of the doubt given your exposure to kids you were actually asking about in your post. So I took a breath and then tried to actually answer the question. And then the nest ate my post!

I get it when people ask the question, I just don't like it being asked within the context of discussing the Martin case. Whether intended or not, I feel like these questions are meant to somewhat diminish what I think is rightful outrage at this particular case. Of course we can talk about multiple topics, but I think every topic deserves its own platform. In the media especially, instead these stats and discussions about black on black crime are often subtlely used as a justification for why Zimmerman may have felt threatened or that black people are overreacting because clearly they don't care when they kill each other. It is draining. Really.

nitaw · April 2012

AnnieBlah:
nitaw:
[
That's the problem, but no one wants to address it. Instead - look crime stats that show you do in fact kill people! Whee! *sigh*

Oh boy. I didn't see this before so I want to address it since I did allude to it in my post about changes coming about. I don't think black on black crime and this are even related....I just was speaking to the passion carrying on/through/whatever adjective best fits. I hope I did not anger anyone here (or in my thread).

We're all good. It's just this whole media detraction that's going on in this case. Wait - black people you have a crime problem! Address that with your bootstraps! It's not constructive to the Martin case at.all. The media doesn't bother to cover all the Stop the Violence rallies and marches that happen in cities and in neighborhoods. So it's like black folks are all la dee dee da da about crime.

The point here is that even when you are minding your own business, you are a threat. It's all Kill or Be Killed. That's a travesty. Like I told my wacko FB friend, crime stats show I should be deathly afraid of middle-aged white males because they are more likely to be serial killers. But, I don't run in the other direction and get my pistol ready when I run up on a white guy jogging in my neighbor hood.

tartaruga · April 2012

KateAggie:
I may not word this right, so have some patience with me, and I'll hope I don't get flamed.
I think this would be a lot simpler if Zimmerman was a card carrying supremacist. Instead, I think we have a guy that made a series of choices based on racial bias. Those choices led to the death of an innocent kid, minding his own business. It's horrible and I think it makes a lot of us face some uncomfortable truths about our own biases of race and to a lesser extent, general appearances.
I think painting Zimmerman as this evil guy damages the bigger picture. I know a ton of George Zimmermans, and I bet y'all do, too. They're the guys that over embellish every story, the guys that look for ways to make themselves important, the self appointed hero, who really isn't needed or wanted. Usually, you just let them tell their stories, let them take on roles that really don't exist, because usually, they just keep rolling along and no one gets hurt.
My true anger lies with the SPD and the DA who seemed to decide that the white guy must've been provoked by the black thug kid (I'm talking their view, not mine). I have an expectation that those in the law have an even bigger responsibility to recognize the existence of racial bias and to ensure that they're over-correcting in their investigations.
I have to take Natalie to our mommy and me class now, but I'll be back in an hour to see if I really blew this.

I completely agree with you. People want to make it so simple as "Zimmerman is a racist!" or "Zimmerman isn't a racist" and it's so much more complicated.

I posted a whole long thing about this before so I won't repeat, but I don't believe that Zimmerman went out that day and said "I'm gonna shoot a black guy today". I don't even believe he intended to kill Trayvon even up to the moment he shot him. I think he either got scared when Trayvon wasn't intimidated by him and pulled out his gun and shot, or he got pissed off when Trayvon didn't respond well to being confronted and pulled out his gun and shot.

But I don't think that he would have even followed Trayvon in the first place, or confronted him, or gotten scared and/or pissed off by him if Trayvon hadn't been black. He saw a black kid in a hoodie and assumed he was up to no good. If he had seen a white kid in a hoodie acting exactly the same way, none of this would have happened because his mind wouldn't have made that jump from "kid in hoodie" to "potential criminal".

I am not calling for Zimmerman to go to prison. Maybe he should, maybe he shouldn't. But I absolutely think that the police need to investigate thoroughly, and a jury or judge needs to hear all the facts of the case and then decide. The fact that this isn't happening is what angers me so much.

AnnieBlah · April 2012

cookiemdough:
AnnieBlah:
nitaw:
[
That's the problem, but no one wants to address it. Instead - look crime stats that show you do in fact kill people! Whee! *sigh*

Oh boy. I didn't see this before so I want to address it since I did allude to it in my post about changes coming about. I don't think black on black crime and this are even related....I just was speaking to the passion carrying on/through/whatever adjective best fits. I hope I did not anger anyone here (or in my thread).

I will admit my initial reaction to your thread was somewhat similar to Sisu's post, although I did give you the benefit of the doubt given your exposure to kids you were actually asking about in your post. So I took a breath and then tried to actually answer the question. And then the nest ate my post!

I get it when people ask the question, I just don't like it being asked within the context of discussing the Martin case. Whether intended or not, I feel like these questions are meant to somewhat diminish what I think is rightful outrage at this particular case. Of course we can talk about multiple topics, but I think every topic deserves its own platform. In the media especially, instead these stats and discussions about black on black crime are often subtlely used as a justification for why Zimmerman may have felt threatened or that black people are overreacting because clearly they don't care when they kill each other. It is draining. Really.

Fair enough and thank you for responding. To clarify, I meant the passion continuing from all sides, not just the AA comunity. I wonder why more churches are not involved; more school settings (since we work with this age group all the time); etc. It comes from a place of having an added worry for the world my bi-racial son will be growing up in and it scares me to death and that is where my post came from.

I don't think anyone is overreacting in this case. It is horrible. If anything, I think we are under-reacting, if that is possible.

Pescalita · April 2012

Ditto KA. I think the reason bunny's hope didn't come true is that the supremacist BE is marginalized, an people think that's the only kind of racism there is so *clap clap* we're all done.

The kind of racism that's prevalent today is much sneakier and harder to combat.

Was it Nurture Shock I was reading that said integration has actually hurt race relations? Kids self-select kids that look like them, and end up segregated. This happens a LOT in my area.

MarynJoe · April 2012

He will not be convicted. Unless the police are covering up a bunch of evidence, there isn't enough to convict him. No photos,no video, no witnesses. This case is so messed up there will probably always be reasonable doubt unless Zimmermann confesses.

copzgirl · April 2012

MarynJoe:
He will not be convicted. Unless the police are covering up a bunch of evidence, there isn't enough to convict him. No photos,no video, no witnesses. This case is so messed up there will probably always be reasonable doubt unless Zimmermann confesses.

There are witnesses coming out of the woodwork.

Let's have a show of hands

Re: Let's have a show of hands

Choose Another Board

Search Boards

Let's have a show of hands

Re: Let&#039;s have a show of hands

Choose Another Board

Search Boards

Re: Let's have a show of hands