There needs to be sanctions against America..

[HipChick]

How can we be a moral authority on how other countries treat their people, if we are steadfastly murdering our own people based on skin color..

Man killed as he sought help from police..

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2013/09/15/4315751/police-shooting-victim-jonathan.html#.UjX2GiTwHyc

[MineralMan]

1. Sanctions against America?

This was one incident about which we have few details so far. Applying this to the entire nation seems to be over generalization from the specific. That's a common logical error, but it's still an error.

Instead, let's investigate this incident and file charges if they are warranted. That seems more appropriate somehow than sanctions against an entire nation, I think.

[HipChick]

3. That's my point though...one incident of many...

There was another incident, in NYC,where an unarmed man, was chased to his home and shot dead by police..in front of his mother and siblings..

There seems to be open war on young blacks males walking while black..

It's hard to give a fuck about how other nations are treating their own people, while this goes on daily..

[MineralMan]

6. I agree that there are incidents like this in some places.

They should be investigated and prosecuted.

[HipChick]

8. And we have also seen that the legal game is rigged..

[MineralMan]

10. In some places, that is so.

That needs to be changed. I don't live in Charleston, SC or NYC. I can't militate for changes there. The people there can, though, and should. Police violence against minorities should never be tolerated. The people in those cities need to organize and eliminate the problem politically or in the courts.

Who is it you think will "sanction America" to fix this?

[An_enlightened_soul]

9. The officer in this case HAS been charged

He was charged with voluntary manslaughter; an appropriate charge given the information (albeit limited) that has been released so far.

Sanctions because the system worked in this case?

[MineralMan]

12. I see. I thought this was some new case.

When does he go on trial, so we can follow it and see if justice is served?

[An_enlightened_soul]

15. Likely months and months from now

The incident just happened and the officer was just charged, so the while process has just gotten started. It's good to see swift action instead if months of plodding investigation; that leads me to believe the evidence against the officer must be substantial.

[MineralMan]

17. We have had some problems in the Twin Cities in MN, too.

However, there is active opposition to racism by the local police departments. Beyond that, some very costly lawsuits have caused local cities to seriously look at how the police treat minorities. The result has been a slowdown of incidents, although not a disappearance of such incidents. The battle goes on.

For a couple of years, I had a blog about murders in the city of Minneapolis and the police's inability to prevent them, and their selective enforcement policies. I had to give it up, due to an increased workload, but I got lots of emails from organizations working to cut the crime rate in the cities.

It takes a community in action to let authorities know that such racism is simply not going to be tolerated. That action works, at least to limit the number of such incidents. If there is no broad-based community activism, the police will simply continue to assume that nobody cares what they do. It's up to us, in our own communities, to join with others in insisting that official racism and other intolerance will not be permitted. Nothing else will work, frankly.

[Stupefacto]

2. There's no way to know whether the cop's motivation was the victim's color

At this point we cannot guess what was in his mind, as we do not know him.

Let's see what information comes up in court.

[TeeYiYi]

4. Cop is white. Victim was black. Victim was unarmed...

Seriously, do you believe race had nothing to do with this tragic event?

I guess you're correct in that a jury will have to decide, but seriously...

TYY

[HipChick]

7. I can't recall as many cases where white teens are being mowed down at the same rate as blacks..

[HipChick]

5. He just had a serious car crash...and was looking for help..

I've been in a bad crash,and know first hand how confusing everything can be...add to the point, you even know how seriously injured you are..

[nadinbrzezinski]

11. More than sanctions

We need the moral clarity of another civil rights movement.

This has to come from within. Our police needs to be demilitarized. And citizens need to stand up for rights. Occupy (still active locally) was partly about that. Social justice and human rights demands scare the powerful.

[msongs]

13. "we" also routinely murder children across the planet but it's ok if 'we" do it nt

[Coyotl]

14. Isn't it a bit late for that?

[HipChick]

16. Agree..so why do we think we hold any moral authority to tell any other country

[Coyotl]

18. ^^^ THIS ^^^ but not only Americans think this about themselves. It requires othering,

the mental conception that there are those who are NOT part of the superior group, the inferiors. Othering, in the anthropological sense, is the mental trick that enables slavery and other forms of human exploitation. Othering is fundamental to genocide, whether it be religious, political, or military agency. Defining the "others" in politics is a civil form of same and an important political tactic one ignores at peril as a candidate. The 'one world family' concept needs continuous reinforcement!

[JI7]

20. because the world would really suck otherwise

[gopiscrap]

19. Tend to agree!