Two more black men cut down in 48 hours. Curse red America's lethal fascination with firearms,

[Surya Gayatri]

curse racist, roided-up cops, curse a cruel and inequitable system of justice. Curse them all to hell.





Soulless...gratuitous cruelty bears witness to a soulless self or state.

I'm in constant and genuine admiration before the sangfroid and sanity exhibited by our AA brothers and sisters in the midst of this murderous maelstrom.

[malaise]

1. We don't count

Never did

[Surya Gayatri]

2. How in the world do you keep murderous rage from rising up in your own hearts?

The restraint and good sense of the black community is a lesson and a model for us all.

[malaise]

3. There's been way too much restraint from the black community

across the globe

[Surya Gayatri]

4. Agree. But, let's pray that when the backlash comes, it's in the courts and legislatures

and not in the streets.

No one wins when they're all dead.

[malaise]

5. How does that happen when

persons within the system are shareholders of private prisons? How does that happen when persons in the system are part of the KKK and other white supremacist groups? How does that happen when the police have been told to prey on African Americans and other minorities to make up funds since the rich must never pay taxes. It's a fucking joke.

[Surya Gayatri]

9. You paint a very dark picture of future possibilities, Malaise.

I understand and feel your hopelessness, but I also pray that an awakening will happen before a second Civil War breaks out in our streets.

i-phones and mobile devices have been a boon to "citizen journalism"--the in-your-face reality of cop murder of AAs is dawning.

[malaise]

13. I agree that technology is facilitating more exposure

of institutional racism. Let's see how we deal with it.

[GummyBearz]

37. So...

race riots are good? As someone who is all for equality and especially fixing the problems with cops killing black people, but happens to be white, I hope I don't get caught in the middle of that. I remember one race riot in my life time and it was ugly as hell and didn't fix a thing. I also know a bit about history and how the civil rights movement, with leaders like MLK, did get legislation passed which made things better. It seems MLK had the right idea

[merrily]

8. Agree in part, but that notion doesn't seem to stop wars. People who don't want minorities to take

to the streets need to do more to make sure minorities don't have to take to the street to get justice and fairness.

[Surya Gayatri]

12. Spot on...if only "People" could hear this message:

People who don't want minorities to take to the streets need to do more to make sure minorities don't have to take to the street to get justice and fairness.

[merrily]

14. In my view, the only time government has taken significant action is when it feared uprisings

Last edited Thu Jul 7, 2016, 08:47 AM - Edit history (1)

and/or revolution. That is my view of both the New Deal and the Great Society. Unfortunately, it's also when assassins seem to retaliate. JFK, MLK, RFK>

[Surya Gayatri]

22. Agree that "it's also when assassinations seem to retaliate."

Everytime I see BHO out and about and in front of crowds, I send good vibes to his SS detail to be alert and ready for the worst.

Sad commentary on Amercian public life.

[merrily]

27. sorry, I meant assassins.

I had originally typed "when assassinations seem to occur" but thought that made it seem too much as though they just happen without human action, like thunderstorms.

[Surya Gayatri]

28. Not to worry, the meaning was perfectly clear...

[merrily]

29. You got stuck quoting a mash up.

[merrily]

10. +1

[KeepItReal]

61. We simply want to live the same American dream White Americans live by default

Nothing more.

See us as equals and leave us be.

[Surya Gayatri]

62. And, I pray that one day you will be able to. In the meantime, just "leaving things be" seems

to be leaving you extremely vulnerable. Surely, some changes need to be carried out?

[Orrex]

6. As I read elsewhere online earlier today:

"Everyone has the right to carry a gun."

"Of course they shot him. He was carrying a gun!"

[ileus]

7. You realize cops in blue states also carry firearms.

[Surya Gayatri]

11. I didn't say RED states, I said red America. Red-thinking Americans

don't all live in red states.

First exhibit: Minnesota.

[merrily]

15. JIM CROWley of the Cambridge, Massachusetts police department comes to mind.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Louis_Gates_arrest_controversy

[Surya Gayatri]

16. They're EVERYWHERE among us! And, they're damn dangerous.

[merrily]

17. Cambridge, MA is iconically blue, though.

And, by that, I don't mean iconically "thin blue line" blue. I mean iconically liberal.

[Surya Gayatri]

18. Minneapolis is "liberal-land", too. Red-mindedness is NOT geographical.

[merrily]

19. Yes, but Massachusetts was the one and only state to go for McGovern, which was

how Massachusetts got its reputation as an iconically blue state. Cambridge is even more liberal than Boston, both being more liberal than the rest of the state.

Sorry, I know my Massachusetts icons!

[Surya Gayatri]

20. Agree, MA certainly holds pride of place in the "liberal" pantheon.

MN is another historically liberal bastion, from the 1930s.

[merrily]

21. If you ask Americans to name THE most liberal state, just one state, I bet eight out of ten say

Massachusetts--assuming they know history. In addition to 1972, The revolution of 1776 was started by and in Massachusetts.

[Odin2005]

23. And both had concealed-carry permits.

Apparently the 2nd Amendment is only for white people according to the cops.

[Surya Gayatri]

24. Concealed-carrying while black = death sentence.

What about "due process"--the RW cause célèbre of the week, for these hapless black guys?

[Marengo]

25. According to a sentiment sometimes expressed here, only these very same cops should be armed...

Because, as we can see, they are oh-so well trained and professional.

[Odin2005]

26. And people why POC don't trust the police...

[Hoyt]

31. That's a good reason to promote more guns?

[Marengo]

34. It's an argument against the transference of armed power to the racist protectors of the status quo

[Hoyt]

38. Most people arming up nowadays are racists -- whether civilian, police or whatever.

[Marengo]

53. How do you define "arming up"?

[beevul]

58. Oh bullshit.

You don't know that, and you've provided no evidence to support it.

Just like every other time you make a ridiculous claim.

[TeddyR]

30. I feel like this isn't a red state thing

Because as you mention both these gentlemen had concealed carry permits. And at least from what I saw in Minnesota it seemed like it might be a function of poor training. If you are carrying a concealed weapon some states require you to tell the officer while some people recommend the same, so this police officer should have been trained to calmly handle such a situation.

[HamiltonSwan]

47. It's a class of people thing

As in the profession doesn't attract the same class of people it once did. I've spent hours reading police reports in a fairly large city for my work and many officers are barely literate. These days the profession attracts a lot of washed up college and high school jocks who would literally be working the equivalent of a fast food job if they didn't have an LE career.

Combine the meat head factor with the fact that as a country we are armed to the teeth which makes police believe that every person they come across is carrying a gun, it's fire and gasoline and we get what we're getting with these incidents and countless others that don't make the national news. In my city a homeless man was recently gunned down by an officer on a bike patrol. His crime was carrying a knife. The officer shot him from nearly 50 feet away. He was no threat to the officer. It didn't make national news.

[uponit7771]

32. +1, I've been saying the 2nd amendment is a whites mostly law

[hack89]

33. I doubt Sterling had a concealed-carry permit given his criminal record.

He was convicted of a felony and sentenced to prison which means under federal law he could not legally possess a gun.

The cops still murdered him.

[SpookyDem]

35. this

[Marengo]

36. As a gun-toting felon, isn't he the type of person the controllers are always demanding...

Serve long prison sentences?

[sarisataka]

56. Usually someone

Who is too scared to leave his house without an artificial penis stuffed in his pants is a gun humping ammosexual coward.

I haven't seen such labels being tossed around in this case...

[Marengo]

59. Yep, I don't see the obligatory gun humping coward post

[caraher]

66. It should still bother anyone who believe in concealed carry

I've seen his murder justified in grounds that his record meant he was carrying illegally. But in that moment when he was murdered, it was the mere fact of his having a gun on his person that was the pretext for shooting him.

The moment the NRA throws its weight in outrage against this sort of abuse of police power is the moment when I can start to consider that there is any deep sincerity in their rhetoric about individual rights, irrespective of race.

[hollowdweller]

40. Really. You'd think that the NRA and gun rights groups would be all over this.

I'm guessing they aren't because the gun owners are black.

[Surya Gayatri]

44. Ding, ding, ding...

[Marengo]

57. All over it in what way?

[DesMoinesDem]

39. Red state lethal fasination with guns?

Most black men that are murdered are shot by other black men in blue cities.

[Surya Gayatri]

42. I did NOT say "red state". For good reason, I said "red America".

Millions of "red-minded" Americans live in blue cities and states.

[DesMoinesDem]

43. You think the black men shooting other black men in blue cities are "red minded"????

Sure, that's real believable.

[Surya Gayatri]

45. In my book, gun madness and mayhem is a "red" mentality, whoever may be manifesting it.

[DesMoinesDem]

46. Everyone that does something bad is red minded! LOL

[Surya Gayatri]

49. You are using a logical fallacy. Gun users madly causing mayhem, NOT EVERYONE.

[DesMoinesDem]

50. That makes perfect sense!

[Surya Gayatri]

52. Deal with it...

I'm sure you'll come to understand.

[beevul]

60. "Gun users madly causing mayhem, NOT EVERYONE."...

Actually, its under 1 percent of gun users causing the mayhem you speak of.

Not ALL OF THEM.

[Surya Gayatri]

63. I have not used the word "all".

[beevul]

64. And no one said you did.

I was simply clarifying.

[Nuclear Unicorn]

65. Absurd. Civilian gun owners are not causing cops to shoot people.

[Surya Gayatri]

67. Your absurdity is another's clarity.

[Nuclear Unicorn]

68. I have read this thread from top to bottom.

Please take a moment to explain how private citizens exercising their lawful rights overtakes the mind of the police causing the police to kill private citizens who are exercising their lawful rights.

I understand the desire to find something to blame this on. We want to be able to say, "It happened because of X, ergo once we rid ourselves of X then it shall never happen again."

I get it. It's a comforting thought born of grief and good intentions -- but it's also completely useless.

Only 1 thing made the police officer's gun fire, the police officer. What we need to know now is the extent to which he should be held responsible, not "red America," the officer.

[Skittles]

69. the NRA mentality has infected all of America

it is no longer a red / blue thing, just a gun humping coward issue

[ismnotwasm]

41. K&R

[Calculating]

48. Police need monthly drug testing

I have a feeling that a lot of these cops are roided up and hyper aggressive/paranoid as a result.

[Surya Gayatri]

51. Yup...they should have to pee in a cup on a regular, but unscheduled basis.

[brooklynite]

54. Minnesota is "Red America"?

[Surya Gayatri]

55. No, not Minnesota the state, but the "minds" of hundreds of thousands of Americans who live there.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/118754759#post5

http://www.democraticunderground.com/118754759#post9

Minnesota is red?

No, but the cop's brain is. That was just my point--millions of red-minded

people reside in blue states (MN for starters.)