Posted on 05/02/2015 11:58:35 PM PDT by Uhhh
Over the past 24 hours, the Internet has exploded with commentary and armchair analysis on the riots in Baltimore. The civil unrest started just hours after the funeral of Freddie Gray, a citizen whose spinal cord was injured “mysteriously” while in the back of a police van.
Gray, an African American, died on April 19.
At a press conference on Friday, BPD Commissioner Anthony Batts admitted at least one glaring failure of his department: that Gray did not get the medical care he ought to have received while in police custody.
Batts, a self-described reformist, forcefully asserted that he’s doing his best to work against a police culture in a city rife with problems. Even Baltimore’s mayor has called interactions between residents and police a “broken relationship.” Despite calls for his resignation, Batts insisted that he was staying. He was there to change things, because things desperately need to be changed.
Late last year, the The Baltimore Sun reported that the police department there had settled $5.7 million worth of claims since 2011 in cases involving over 100 people who alleged excessive force or brutality at the hands of police. Many of the cops involved faced no real consequences: “Department officials said some officers were exonerated in internal force investigations,” writes Mark Puente, “even though jurors and the city awarded thousands of dollars to battered residents in those incidents.”
In other words, there is a serious problem in Baltimore, and it’s an example of the problems endemic in American policing overall. Endemic is the right word, too. Based upon the evidence available to us, these aren’t isolated incidents. Over the past year alone, we’ve seen or read about: a man, who later died, being strangled by police on camera; a man being shot to death in the back by a police officer; a teenager being shot to death by a police officer; and, now, Freddie Gray, a man who suffered a fatal spinal cord injury while in police custody.
All of those men were unarmed. They were all people of color, too. They’re not the only ones, either: People of color are disproportionately, and regularly, killed by police. And The Nation explains that, thanks to the way the system is set up, it’s basically “impossible” to indict a cop for killing someone.
It’s clear that there exists a problem between American police and people of color specifically. That remains true even when people of color are in authority. Here in Philadelphia, we currently have a black mayor and police commissioner, just like Baltimore. Before marijuana decriminalization late last year, though, we Philadelphians were arresting people of color at a rate four to five times that of whites for the same crimes.
Philadelphia isn’t an outlier. Following the Ferguson protests last year, USA Today looked into arrest data nationwide. “At least 70 departments scattered from Connecticut to California,” writes Brad Heath, “arrested black people at a rate 10 times higher than people who are not black.” Overall, a “staggering disparity” exists between whites and blacks in terms of custodial arrests.
Now, some white people are going to say that this data exists because black people commit more crime. But The Washington Post reported in December that whites typically overestimate and inflate the percentage of crime committed by African Americans. In fact, part of the reason whites do think this way is likely attributable to those institutional arrest disparities in the first place, explains The New York Times‘ Charles Blow.
So: Legal and civil means for dealing with this situation have not satisfactorily resolved the problem. Why are we surprised when people who fear for their lives get angry and interfere with social order? Even America’s patron saint of peaceful resistance, Martin Luther King, Jr., talked specifically about rioting and disruptions as an understandable component of social change. When the terms of how to “acceptably” change things are dictated by people who are the root cause of the problem — people in authority — then the “acceptable” or “legal” or “civil” ways to change things are, in fact, frequently oppressive.
It’s the same reason LGBT people rioted repeatedly in the 20th century, often in response to police brutality or failures of the legal system rooted in homophobia and bigotry.
Which brings us to the point of this post.
Over the past 24 hours, I have witnessed a wide array of responses to the rioting that took place in Baltimore following Gray’s funeral. Many white people responding to the riots in Baltimore are either ignorant or outright racist.
First, given all aforementioned issues surrounding arrest disparities, police brutality, and nothing being done to stop it, there is a reason for people to be angry. This is an issue that demands redress. Anyone claiming it is not an issue, that “black people should stop committing crimes,” is either ignorant of all the facts I just outlined, or they simply don’t care — and whether it’s ignorance or callousness that leads them to whimsically dismiss the concerns of people of color, that dismissal amounts to racism.
Second, I have seen many people bemoan the riots in Baltimore as their first foray into social commentary. Prior to this, many of them said nothing about Freddie Gray, his spinal cord being severed, or his untimely death immediately following being in police custody. In other words, only when people of color are behaving “badly” do these armchair analysts feel moved to opine about the state of American policing. If they said nothing about Freddie Gray yet are bloviating about the riots that happened in direct response to Gray’s death, then guess what: They are racist, whether consciously or not, looking for an excuse to characterize people of color as lazy criminals.
Third, many white people have been inclined to call people of color “animals” or “thugs” in the past day. But in fact, all human beings are human beings. The words “animals” and “thugs” are often used as code — as a dog whistle in place of arguably the most offensive word in American English. Even Questlove pointed this out on Twitter. Ironically, white people who chomp at the bit to call people of color “animals” say literally nothing whenever fellow white people riot, which happens frequently after sporting events or following pedophilia scandals.
Fourth, and lastly, a great many white liberals have clutched their pearls, first after demonstrations in Ferguson and now after the goings-on in Baltimore. Many have taken to Facebook to call for peace, saying that damaging property is a terrible thing. This is an unnecessary observation akin to “the sky is blue.” Yes, damaging property is bad. No, it does not require your observation. If you’re actually an “ally” to marginalized communities in America, don’t tell those communities how they should or should not act in response to society’s brutality or refusal to change.
We should care much more about all the innocent people getting killed by police than about property damage. Why is this confusing? We should care more about human life than about money.
If you value plate-glass windows more than you value the life of a person of color, you are being racist.
Josh Kruger: Described as “an effeminate man-child” and “a radical homosexual activist” by critics, Josh Kruger is an award-winning commentator and writer in Philadelphia.
Some of Josh’s work includes his candid, personal experiences with homelessness, HIV/AIDS, and drug addiction. In 2014, the Society of Professional Journalists called his work “mesmerizing. Not just an unusual point of view, but excellent writing, too.” Currently, Josh is a contributing columnist for Philadelphia Weekly, that city’s largest alternative weekly newspaper. His column, The Uncomfortable Whole, appears regularly in print and typically confronts social problems, like drugs, or cultural stigmas, like homophobia. He writes daily for PW’s Philly Now blog, often focusing on activism, queer rights, mass transit, Philadelphia, politics, and society. In addition to his work at Philadelphia Weekly, Josh contributes to Philadelphia Magazine and Philadelphia public media station WHYY’s Newsworks. His work has appeared in national publications including The Advocate and HIV Plus Magazine, and he is a regular contributor to online HIV/AIDS resource center The Body.
Probably more than you wanted to know . . .
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Now make a sizeable contribution in the form of beer for everybody and lets party!
So funny. Two hallmarks of the inner city, racism and ignorance. I don't suppose the author is familiar with the concept of projection.
that poor white frog in front of the Dobie is not getting the proper exposure
i MUS PROTEST
That's also why major supermarket chains don't want to open stores in black neighborhoods. The costs (theft, insurance, getting competent people willing to work in the area, etc) are much higher, and they don't want to see a TV newsbabe comparing price of food in stores in white vs black areas.
The dog is Lord Of The Frogs.
Poor little Kermie has no say in anything.
[which reminds me, I have to try and fish him outta the pond...he’s gone missing, again]
Its not Easy Being Green!!
Where is the Green America’s Al Sharpton when ya need em?
The primary reaction in observation of the Baltimore riots is not based on race, politics or whatever the author suggests.
Most of us are studying the scenario and devising means to protect ourselves and loved ones against a societal breakdown.
Regarding those most likely to inflict such horrors on us, it becomes our responsibility to disable their ability to bring about this scenario by any means.
We're protecting our loved ones and our very lives.
I do not place limitations on what techniques are used to shut down and completely discredit those who are placing us all at risk.
It is to laugh!
Folks.......fact......Baltimore is now a dead city....worse then Detroit ever was!!! What sane, common sense, security minded, organizations, tourists, conventions, new business opportunities, etc., sports events, etc. will ever opt to go to Baltimore, the new “Purge” & “Escape From New York City”!!! The Democrat low life, thugs & “Obamabot” politicians have taken actions that doom the city from moving forward, for many years to come!!! The action of the Mayor and her staff will also have a major negative impact on the decline of attendance at baseball & football games and all sports events held in the Balitmore City limits!!!
Like elections....Riots have major consquences and weakening/lowering the city police & first responder forces morale and motivation to do their jobs effectively is totally insane. Things have nowhere to go but downward. You get what you vote for....and you folks in Balitmore have been voting for people that have been destroying your city, job and career opportunities for many, many years!!! They are called Democrats!!!
If it’s a dog whistle for conservatives, why is it that libs are the only ones who can hear it?
Yep, hounds will ruin your day and disperse a crowd if used correctly.
Of course down here in Texas we have a fondness for pit bulls. They can rip you a new one before you can say ‘run’ and they are somewhat cheaper to feed and replace, especially if someone shoots them while storming your castle. (Notice I didn’t say police.)
Many times a pit bull is the first line of defense against unarmed looters and other undesirables who would trespass. Of course the second line of defense may be an armed p*ssed-off homeowner with a dead dog if the perp is unlucky. :>)
BTW. Don’t forget those planned military exercises where the special ops will be running through Texas neigborhoods searching for something or somebody on private property. It will get interesting. I suggest there will be a lot of dead pit bulls and a few dog bites as they clear the neighborhoods.
There will be barking dogs, gun shots, and the whirr of black helicopters in the night. Some say artillery blasts and jets will roar across the countryside.
I am so glad the government is here to help us find the terrorists hidden in our neighborhoods. /s
IBTZ
I have watched people stand *outside* the gate, shifting around nervously, while staring at that sign.
You can almost hear their internal dialogue; Is this a joke...or not?
Some eventually go back and blow their car horn.
Others just go away.
It's a good sign. :)
Good sign!
I just have the regular old “Security Dogs on Guard” .
I had a guy drive up, roll down the window of his truck and yell “are the security dogs chained up??”.
I said no the aren’t and he left!
Not a dog person I guess.
That’s a good sign to warn trespassers off. Mine says something to the effect ‘Protected by Castle Law’ and ‘Smith and Wesson’.
Anyway, the UPS guys delivering packages and the Irish Gypsies who just happen to be in the neighborhood wanting to fix my roof, trim my trees, and repave my driveway with their leftover supplies from other jobs, don’t linger for long.
I have convinced the neighbors that I’m harmless...
It is posted inside the house on the door to his reloading room. Heh heh!
No fair!
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