posted May 03, 2015 06:11 AM            

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Originally posted by Blind writer:
I think tMARS aspecting nPLUTO is giving people overall a self-righteous urge to lash out in violence to pressure others into change.

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quote:

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We live in a lawfully equal society - this isn't the Dark Ages, anymore.

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The reporting that I've read indicates there is enormous frustration felt by Baltimore residents who have been brutalized and in some cases killed by the Baltimore PD with impunity.

For the black communities in Baltimore, Ferguson, and elsewhere, there is no equal protection under the law.

This is not just about blacks being killed by cops either. I met a man today whose cousin was shot dead by police officers while sitting in his car, and no one was held accountable.

He himself was arrested on a false charge. His lawyer told him if he was black he could have sued the LAPD.

So, I don't know what "society" or who you're referring to when you say "we."

posted May 03, 2015 06:13 AM            

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Originally posted by AngaCrowley:
I just want to say one more thing. Im white, so I wont speak about the race dynamic. But I will speak on the broader issue, which is class. I grew up in the neighborhood the worst riots were happening, mother still lives there to this day. Anyone who tells me there isnt a class war going on there, and that this isnt a civil rights case where Freddie Gray was the obvious victim for being in the wrong place at the wrong time (his own neighborhood, in the middle of the day), has their head in the sand.

In baltimore the poor nd middle class neighborhoods are right next to one another. The police seem to believe they are being paid by said middle class residents to 'guard' the ghettos. As if the ghettos are prisons, and the residents are inmates, already guilty and charged with a crime. As if it isnt their right to be protected by police (and at this point, protected from), too. They act with pure authority and no protection, and worst, there is no protection from them. Liberal, conservative, whatever, doesnt matter. Im a fiscal conservative, myself. But this isnt a case of exploitative liberals who have thrown only the most demeaning and false solutions at this problem for decades, even making conditions worse, all in an effort to raise money for their own pockets. This is real. This is a civil rights issue, and as a civilian you should ALWAYS side with civil rights, because they are your rights. Power can not be left unchecked for too long before it starts infringing on your rights, too. Dont forget it.

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posted May 03, 2015 01:24 PM            

Protests Go Global as Ethiopians March Against Police Brutality in Tel Aviv

Several thousand people, mostly hailing from Israel's large Ethiopian population, took to the streets of Tel Aviv on Sunday to protest racism and police brutality against ethnic minorities.

According to reports, marchers blocked highway traffic chanting and bearing signs which read: "A violent policeman must be put in prison" and "We demand full equal rights."
The protest was sparked by the release this week of a video which shows an Ethiopian-Israeli man in an IDF uniform being beaten by police. [B]Demonstrators are demanding an investigation into the attack and are calling for an end to what they say is an epidemic of brutality against Israel's minority populations.

http://commondreams.org/news/2015/05/03/protests-go-global-ethiop ians-march-against-police-brutality-tel-aviv

posted May 03, 2015 02:07 PM            

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Originally posted by Blind writer:
I'm inclined to disagree with you both. I feel racial problems persist because people keep talking about and making an issue out of them. The seeds of bigotry begin the moment the older generation opens their mouth in front of impressionable youth. A young child probably would have never doubted the police wouldn't do their job solely on the basis of their skin color unless the notion was suggested beforehand (whether it's true of the particular officer or not). We live in a lawfully equal society - this isn't the Dark Ages, anymore. Give the young generation the chance to mould their own future devoid of the older generation's misgivings.

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Racial problems persist because of a human propensity for scapegoating - perceiving, judging, and treating certain groups of people as inferior, which you blame the older generation for.

I think blaming is not helpful and perpetuates the problem. I think taking responsibility as a nation for our persisting racial problems is part of the solution.

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These young people see their friends and family members getting murdered by police — and not just Freddie Gray. In a survey of “justifiable homicides” by police, the FBI found that “Baltimore police officers killed 127 people over two decades ending in 2012. In other similar cities that reported to the survey each year, including Oklahoma City, Memphis and Seattle — where the Justice Department found a “pattern and practice of excessive force” in 2011 — none reported more than half the number of “justifiable homicides” as Baltimore.

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It's easy to focus on who to blame - "the older generation," rather than the underlying injustice.
http://commondreams.org/views/2015/05/02/baltimore-burning-not-just-flames-righteous-anger

posted May 05, 2015 11:36 AM            

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Originally posted by AngaCrowley:
This is real. This is a civil rights issue, and as a civilian you should ALWAYS side with civil rights, because they are your rights. Power can not be left unchecked for too long before it starts infringing on your rights, too. Dont forget it.

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*applause*

I could not have said it better. Perfect.

Anyone who ignores the cries of others will eventually experience the same torment & pain themselves - KARMA is most certainly a b*tch.

"Oh, I don't see crooked cops in my neighborhood. So clearly these people must be exaggerating".

^^So I guess if you don't personally see a woman getting beat to a pulp by an abusive lover...that means that Domestic Violence doesn't exist? These women MUST be exaggerating right? They DESERVE to be beaten if they don't "obey", right?