SloMotion

Two Black Republicans Slam 'Hands Up' Gesture on House Floor

Glad to see there's still some sanity left in this world, ...

Mardigras9

Sure, because nothing says protest for injustice like stocking the bar and getting a new TV.
I have never understood that.

skymike

At least your'e attempting to use something like facts. I applaud that.
Two of your statements are in fact subjective editorial opinion statements. A third might fall under, "dont believe everything you read."
Mostly, I think our eyes tell us an accurate story:

SloMotion

Yep, I'm really tired of it all. They found another kid with a bullet in his head the other day, just a couple of blocks from me. Exactly how they reported it too ... 'found with a bullet in the head'. One brief, five-second spot on the Evening News. That makes about 3, maybe four, for the year, just in my area alone. Nobody misses a beat. He's one of the 95.5%.

Of course, you guys couldn't possibly know that. There were no protests (other than the Ferguson ones), nobody selling t-shirts, Al Sharpton isn't scheduled to visit, no catchy phrases or rallying cries, no professional athletes making gestures, not even a blip on the Democratic Black Caucus' or Attorney General Holder's radar. Just another kid 'found with a bullet in the head'.

So it makes me wonder if this kid's life (and others like him) really matters to people like Sharpton, Holder, the St Louis Five, et... or does it only matter when they're killed by white authority figures and can be used to profit or support a larger agenda?

Yep, I really am tired of it all.

arsaint

What did Rahm Emanuel say?

Never let a good crisis go to waste?

Sharpton exists by inciting racial tensions. Tawana Brawley, Jena Six, Ferguson MO to name a few. FACTS be damned - just another day at the office for this agitator...

SloMotion

Yep, it's only gonna' get worse before it gets better, IMO.

Don't get me wrong, I don't believe authority figures are above the law nor am I so naïve as to think that policeman are not capable of bullying tactics. My neighborhood is a lot like Ferguson and I've had my share of police contacts in my day ... enough so that if I'm pulled over and they run my plates, at least three cars are gonna' respond. The most recent was this summer when I (technically) was parked illegally in front of my own home, facing the wrong direction because I was waiting for traffic to clear so I could get a good angle on backing a trailer into my driveway. 5 cars responded for that one and all but one or two had multiple officers in them.

I was out of my vehicle, but prior to any police presence. When all five did arrive, they blocked off the road, got out of their cars and positioned themselves around me in the optimum position to kick my ass. I was able to prevent them from completely surrounding me by backing into my front yard and keeping my house to my back. A couple remained positioned in the open doors of their squad cars. These guys would be the 'shooters' should it elevate to this point.

I was not going to get arrested or ticketed for parking in front of my own house, illegally or otherwise ... IMO. I was also not going to give these guys an excuse to beat me down or worse, shoot me. I'm kinda' a big guy, and any altercation/incident I've ever been involved in, the "intimidation" factor has always been raised. Kept my hands to my sides, moved slowly & deliberately, kept a level tone and maintained as much space between them & I as I could without looking like I was attempting to flee. In the end, I was ticketed and had to endure the usual inappropriate/inflammatory bull**** from my neighborhood's "finest", which they're well-known for and has never endeared them to their citizenry.

So anyway, my point is, you don't give these guys a reason. Plain and simple. You don't resist arrest. You don't put yourself in "that" position. If it comes down it, you cooperate and fight it in the courts later. You damn sure don't resist arrest because you are going to lose. Every time. I don't care what color you are.

That's the problem I have with all this stuff. Why are we raising our kids to defy authority and be anti-social rather than preparing them for the world? I took great pains & effort to prepare my kids to deal with any eventuality I could imagine and I'd much rather guys like Sharpton, the St Louis Five and such devote their time & efforts to doing the same for the black community. I never thought I'd see the day when I agreed with guys like Charles Barkley and Rudolph Giuliani, but they speak a hard truth.

I don't understand why Darren Wilson attempted to respond to this situation alone and not wait for his backup. I don't understand how a police officer allows a suspect to come in such close proximity to his squad car or person. I don't understand how Michael Brown was walking down the middle of the street expecting not to attract attention. I don't understand what he was doing with his upper body leaning through a police vehicle's driver side window. All's I do understand is that in today's society you need to be aware of your surroundings and realize how your own individual actions may positively/negatively affect whatever situation you may find yourself in.

Think this stuff bothers me much?

On the bright side, my whole neighborhood witnessed the event & I've become somewhat of a folk hero/legend among the wanna'-be gangsta/rapper dapper crowd who used to really give me a hard time, .

neugey

For cripes sakes, it's not like the players were throwing gang signs. St Louis Police needs to be like Elsa and Let It Go

Mardigras9

Seems like if this was the trend we wouldn't be having this conversation.

lee909

There is right and wrong on both sides of the argument.

You shouldn't have to act a certain way not to get shot or beaten by the police. They are public servants.

Its the same with the government
People should not be scared of their government, their government should be afraid of them

SloMotion

To an extent, I agree. And in most communities, that's probably a reality. Regardless, you do have to expect repercussions for your actions and act accordingly. If you jump the White House fence, you have to expect to be set on by the hounds. If you drive the wrong way on the freeway, you have to expect a head-on collision. If you act in what can be perceived as a threatening/aggressive manner towards an arresting officer, don't expect them to shrug it off and let you go quietly on your way.

I don't disagree there are aggressive cops and I fully support that driving-while-black/profiling exists because I've personally heard police officers boast about it. I've also thanked them/shown my disapproval for the increase in my property taxes defending all the civil rights/profiling lawsuits that are the results of their actions. But, if you're gonna' drive around in a hoop-dee with expired plates, no insurance or driver's license ... do you really expect not to get pulled over?

I'll meet the "hands-up, don't shoot" crowd halfway any day of the week, but I'm not gonna' accept that Michael Brown or any of the other recent police shootings in the news were just innocently going about their daily business and were suddenly set upon by out-of-control, rogue white-cops.

There's got to be some personal accountability/responsibility before this conversation ever moves forward in a constructive manner, IMO.

I honestly think the media and idiots like Sharpton and the 'St Louis Five' want a race war and it pisses me off. They go home to their nice neighborhoods after inflaming the masses and enjoy a nice evening. I'm the m'fer that gets the brick through the window.