Eating a Hamburger while Black

[zebonaut]

[MrMickeysMom]

1. So, apparently, you can't eat a hamburger 2 o clock in the morning in your car...

… if you're black.

Got it…

Next?


How many more?


I had this disturbing dream last night about being harassed by a police (in my case, police woman) for speaking out against others getting brutality thrown at them just like this.

… Here's the reason, not that it compares anything to what POC have continually experienced…

I had this "conversation" last evening with my sister that turned my stomach when somehow it landed in the territory of civil liberties. I cannot stomach a person formally educated who works within the local and state Democratic party (in her case, my old stomping ground of Florida) thinking that those who are unfairly treated get treated that way over "attitude". FFS, if she saw this, I swear, she'd still come up with an excuse for the harassed person's "attitude". Other than that, she demonstrates over and over again other attributes of a frightening number of members of our own Democratic party who forget history, who don't learn by recent history, seeing that the past escaped them, and then can't process it when I stand up to this preferred IGNORANCE.

How many more, sister?

[Cheese Sandwich]

2. Believe it or not, you will find people on DU who still defend this type of policing

They think it's a good way to fight crime.

Yep there on people right on this website who think the cops should be able to harass you like this for being in a high crime area.

Some people even defend mass arrests of black men for gathering in groups.

They call it fighting "open air drug markets". And they think the way to fight crime is to let the police abuse the hell out of everyone.

[bonniebgood]

3. High crime area is a personal perception definition. My definition of a

high crime area is wall st and the US Congress. Isn't it my right to be in a so called high crime area? You can be arrested apparently if the officer perceives to think you are or have committed a crime. the 'area' is just an at the moment of the cuff excuse to terrorize and assault a black man. This has got to stop and soon.

[kag]

5. ^^^^^^^^THIS^^^^^^^^^^

[valerief]

8. +1000

[passiveporcupine]

12. I think someone forgot to release the memo that there is a curfew

for POC.

[GreatGazoo]

4. K Street is a high crime area, Wall Street is a high crime area

and yet THEY still have Constitutional rights.

[erpowers]

6. Sit and Wait

If the police officer really thought this man was doing something wrong, or waiting to do something wrong he should have sat and waited to see what the man did. If someone came to the car and seemed to be engaged in illegal activity then the cop could have arrested both individuals. Just sitting in a car in a supposedly high crime area is not a good enough reason to remove someone from their car, or ask for their personal information.

[valerief]

9. But then who would the cop get to bully?

Plus, he needs to meet his quota of getting black men into prison.

$$$$$$$$$$

Bonuses depend on that.

[Helen Borg]

7. Perhaps the cop was thinking of this guy's health?

[lobodons]

10. Seems there are ways for the cops to not be assholes

If the cop is trying to sess out the situation whether the guy in the car is rolling a joint or wanking it, it seems there are ways to find put instead of being an asshole and throwing his authority all around. Walk up and ask the guy if he is all right for one without being all high and mighty demanding to see ID or get out of the car.

[GeoWilliam750]

11. This will continue

In many places, it seems that the Police are required to make a certain number of arrests to meet job performance assessments. It is easiest to arrest the weakest and most helpless - again and again.

If the officer does not make his numbers, he is punished. He will not be rewarded for defusing a situation, or for building community trust. He will be rewarded for ginning up spurious charges against the helpless.

Combined with the rising tone of aggression in US society, this is a volatile mix.