YAWN: a black man is killed every twenty-eight hours by a cop or vigilante.

[kpete]

When Zimmerman was acquitted today, it wasn’t because he’s a so-called white Hispanic. He’s not. It’s because he abides by the logic of white supremacy, and was supported by a defense team—and a swath of society—that supports the lingering idea that some black men must occasionally be killed with impunity in order to keep society-at-large safe.

Media on the left, right and center have been fanning the flames of fear-mongering, speculating that people—and black people especially—will take to the streets. That fear-mongering represents a deep white anxiety about black bodies on the streets, and echoes Zimmerman’s fears: that black bodies on the street pose a public threat. But the real violence in those speculations, regardless of whether they prove to be true, is that it silences black anxiety. The anxiety that black men feel every time they walk outside the door—and the anxiety their loved ones feel for them as well. That white anxiety serves to conceal the real public threat: that a black man is killed every twenty-eight hours by a cop or vigilante.
http://mxgm.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/07_24_Report_all_rev_protected.pdf

People will take to the streets, and with good reason. They’ll be there because they know that, yes, some people do always get away—and it tends to be those strapped with guns and the logic of white supremacy at their side.


..................

Read more: White Supremacy Acquits George Zimmerman | The Nation http://www.thenation.com/blog/175260/white-supremacy-acquits-george-zimmerman#ixzz2Z2jDvdhk
Follow us: @thenation on Twitter | TheNationMagazine on Facebook

[Generic Other]

1. But even some DUers deny white privilege

That headline is a stunning rebuttal of their position.

[chervilant]

6. Prolly, the ones

who deny white privilege also deny patriarchy, and possibly misogyny. It's hard for some to see how these antiquated sociocultural constructs are damaging to all.

[lumberjack_jeff]

12. Exhibit #1

Please explain how patriarchy and misogyny are to blame for Trayvon Martin's death. Do you think Zimmerman would be more or less likely to have been convicted if he had killed Taisha Martin?

The concept of male privilege is only saleable if attached as a rider to a legitimate source of social disadvantage (i.e. race).

[Generic Other]

17. Interesting question

The defense case might have been very different?

Harder to argue he was overpowered by his victim. He would have been following her, certainly creating great fear. Of course, her life would have been an open book. And we would have been asked to morally judge her for being out at night alone on a dark path in a low cut hoodie. Who knows? The result might have been the same, just a lot more salacious testimony.

I do think Zimmerman benefitted enormously in that the jury believed like him that a black man walking at night on a dark path is scary.

on edit: typos

[lumberjack_jeff]

10. And nearly every day I see DU'ers assert male privilege.

The cognitive dissonance never quite clicks.

[Generic Other]

20. I hope you don't mean me

because male privilege isn't going to help me.

[lumberjack_jeff]

26. I think it's odd that recent events are used to cudgel men about their privilege.

Fate dealt Trayvon a double-dose of suspicion. He's dead because he was young, he was black and he was male.

on edit: by "assert", I meant "promote the argument of", i.e. "make assertions about"

[The Magistrate]

2. I Agree, Ma'am: You Just Have To Not Be Black

And if you meet that criteria, you get 'honorary white' status....

[Generic Other]

21. I was surprised that he was called white

when he is mixed race. If Trayvon had been white, what do you bet Zimmerman would have been labelled Hispanic? In Latin America, Zimmerman might be called Mestizo -- part Indian, but his family would certainly be offended and correct you by saying they were white meaning it as a class not an ethnic distinction.

[morningfog]

3. Read somewhere today: The fear of acquittal is not riots, but more George Zimmermans.

[etherealtruth]

22. That is my fear!

[ceonupe]

4. This year in my town

4 black men have been killed by police.

8 black men have been killed by homeowners during a home invasion. In 2 of the cases the robbers were robbing beloved drug houses and the occupants were cleared of wrong doing in the shooting deaths.

In the police killings all killed were convicted felons and prohibited persons who had a loaded illegal gun on them and deployed during the shooting. Many caught on tape. All caught on audio

I am a 31 year old black male but I'm not crazy to belive all of the men cited in the OP were innocent. In fact if we looked at the facts of the cases we would find a few questionable and unjustified shootings but the majority would be legit shootings.

[Kingofalldems]

7. That's a good story

I don't believe one word of it though. Especially the last 2 sentences.

[ceonupe]

9. Look it up Fayetteville, nc

Fayobserver.com

Just she arch for police shootig. Search for home invasion shooting.

Have fun. The special forces love here and its not uncommon for robbers to end up dead and also not uncommon for girlfriends and wife's also to end up dead but that's another topic.

The truth is there you can find it if you want. The most recent is a young man who bailed out of a stopped car turned pointed gun and was shot. He died after being released from hospital. Shooting happened about 2 months ago death about a week ago or so.

The drug house shooting was 4 robbers 2 died from being shoot the other 2 that lived got felony murder for their crime buddies deaths.

Many of the home invasions were clean suspect shot and no not only black men but my post applies only to those deaths as that's what the op is about. It's crazy to understand why people try home invasions around here but the numbers don't lie Fayetteville NC is nationally ranked for property crime. So I guess there lots if targets but we have lots of justifiable shootings .

[Kingofalldems]

14. I don't doubt that happened in Fayetteville

Other biographical parts I don't believe. And not for one second.

[ceonupe]

16. Believe or don't belive

CEO = I'm my own boss (little risky I own the business
NUPE= member of Kappa Alpha Psi

I have no reason to lie about who I am. Like I said ask anyone established in Fayetteville I'm pretty sure they know me.

[Kingofalldems]

23. So exactly what issues do you agree with the Democratic party?

[ceonupe]

24. Lots actually

Marriage equality
Programs that support and help lift people out of poverty.

A strong flexible public education system

Access to job and skill training and reducing the debt and cost of college

Increasing access to voting for all eligible voters (extended voter hours and early voting, same day vote/registration with identification, Sunday voting

Now there are other things I support that I don't believe that the party is actively doing or really wants to do. (Protect privacy, Wall Street reform, job programs , debt reduction/prioritization (not sequester BS), foreign policy)

[ceonupe]

13. Personally I volunteer with great oaks

Personally I volunter with greatoaks. I provide money and my time. I also provide computer resources.

website link

Outside of that I have 2 former felons that I have hired one now has his own business for which I invested startup capital and secured his initial leases as he needed a personal sign off on the lease. The other still works for me. Both got hit with small charges that were bumped up in their teens and did not have good representation. They both were black males one referred by my church one from greatoaks.

Please don't question me you don't know me but I bet you if you know some one from Fayetteville for a while they know who I am what I stand for and what I do.

[chervilant]

19. Please listen to Tracy Chapman's

"Cold Feet." Please read Messerschmidt's "Capitalism, Patriarchy, and Crime." Think about reading Ryan's "Blaming the Victim." (Please don't let his negative title deter you.)

I am not trying to excuse criminal behavior, but I fully believe an understanding of the socio-economic (and sociocultural) underpinnings of crime will bring us closer to solutions, and help address the racism that results in an over-representation of young black men in the 'for profit' penal system.

Since I can only speak to my personal experience: I live in a predominantly white rural county in Arkansas. Economic opportunities are limited. Our marginally-educated teens are well aware that there are two ways to make enough money to buy cars, computers, I-phones, and clothes--or go on to college: drugs or the military. Our county used to be the source of 10% of the domestic crop of marijuana. It is now the source of a significant quantity of meth.

I have to wonder how many of our younglings--black, white, brown or *ANY* skin color--would turn to drugs if they knew they could continue their education without incurring obscene amounts of debt, and that this intellectual path would result in a good job with decent pay.

(I will continue to work for justice for Trayvon. He should still be *SAFELY* walking to the corner store for skittles and a soda pop...)

[Skittles]

5. some people do always get away—and it tends to be those strapped with guns

it's the gun humping cowards who get away, not the "punks"

[truedelphi]

8. A reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle interviewed

Quite a number of families in the SF Bay area that had lost a loved one on account of being "suspected of something" due to being black.

And of course, then the police target young blacks, sometimes even for the "crime" of owning a car that is too snazzy for an African American to own at an early age.

About the only comfort that African American community has is that since Nine Eleven, a lot more of us feel as though we are under the gun.

[JRLeft]

18. A white lady called police on me for getting into my own car.

[hfojvt]

15. yawn, a black man is killed every two hours

by another black man.

But by all means, let's try to start a race war by looking at 5% of the picture.

[Comrade Grumpy]

25. "Let's start a race war..."

The race war has been on since about 1619.

The killing of black people BY STATE AGENTS ACTING UNDER COLOR OF LAW is a distinct issue from the criminal violence you allude to.

Google "Ramarley Graham" or "Eurie Stamps" for starters.

[hfojvt]

30. why don't you google Jalisa Reed and Ranisha Jones

for every victim of the state you can name, first of all, there are probably five LEGITIMATE victims of the state. That is, the state, the law goes after the person who killed Ranisha Jones, gets into a shoot out and kills him. And then too, for every victim of the state you can name, I can name, if I did some more searching another ten or twenty people like Ranisha and Jalisa.

Sure, it is a distinct issue. It also happens to be a much, much smaller issue.

But the point of the bullsh*t article in the OP is to generate fear and rage among blacks and among white liberals. We should be angry and afraid about all the black people who are killed by agents of the state and pay no attention to the fact that a black person like Ranisha, Jalisa or Trayvon is twenty times more likely to be killed by another black person than they are by an agent of the state or a vigilante.

Yeah, sure a race war has been going on since 1619. As long as you change the definition of war. You think 5,000 homicides a year is a war? I just saw on the news that something like 50,000 people died in about 5 hours in the battle of Gettysburg.

So the violence we have now, can surely be escalated.

If that is the goal.

[lumberjack_jeff]

28. The victims of the crime don't care what color the assailant is.

Black men are hurting, and I don't think anyone is really looking for a solution. It's easier to simply wring ones hands about it.

[hfojvt]

29. it is even easier though

to get all outraged and righteous about the ones who are killed by cops or vigilantes. Even if they are only 5% or 10% of the total, and even if they were in the middle of a violent crime when they were killed.

Then you not only get to wring your hands, you get to hurl some hatred at the source of all evil - the racists.

And, of course, just as bad - their racist defenders.

[Radicalman]

27. Where Is A Black Teenager Supposed To Live In U.S.!!

If a male black teenager lives in a gated community and leaves it for a few minutes, a wannabe cop civilian, not a real police officer,can profile him and kill him. If he lives in a major urban city he may be forced to join a gang or, when he does not, he may be mistaken for a gang member and killed. Where is a Black male teenager supposed to live?

If you were the parents of a Black Teenager what would you do? Maybe move to Brazil?