racial terror in denver (violent crime, cost of, vs)

[thinkin about it]

Denver Police Chief Gerry Whitman said that groups of young black males from the Rollin’ 60s Crips and the Black Gangster Disciples gangs approached single white or Latino men late at night and struck them in the head, often after berating them and calling attention to their race, but sometimes attacking without warning.

Victims in the LoDo and 16th Street Mall attacks suffered broken noses and shattered eye sockets, among other head injuries. Sometimes wallets and other small items were stolen.

“We have seen coordinated efforts before, but not by this large of a group,” Whitman said as the arrests were announced Friday.

Yet no concerted effort was made to alert residents to the unusual nature of these violent crimes, or their apparent racial motivation.

Police say there may have been 26 such attacks, almost all against white males, but investigators stress there could be other victims and more are coming forward. A few are women.

Monday, police spokesman Sonny Jackson told us all but one of the 35 suspects are now in jail, each on a $1 million bond due to the racial bias involved. The mostly young men and teenage boys are charged with aggravated assault, aggravated robbery and bias-motivated crimes.

The situation was so grave even the FBI got involved.

Who knew? Certainly not the young white and Latino men who were at risk of being attacked.

Though Denver Police issued a warning on Sept. 3 that they were aware of “a pattern of assaults and robberies,” they simply said “single males” should be on the lookout.

Jackson said that at the time, police weren’t yet aware of the full scope and biased nature of the attacks. Once the warning went out and police heightened their presence, he said, the attacks “dried up.”

Therefore, Jackson told us, it was unnecessary to issue a more explicit warning, even as investigators learned the more menacing aspects of the crimes.

Jackson said keeping the warning broad should have been enough. “We didn’t want anyone to take their guard down,” Jackson said.

But if police know that a particular segment of the population is being targeted, don’t they have a responsibility to give potential victims a specific warning.

Mass arrests made in downtown Denver beatings, robberies - The Denver Post

[paulpan]

Kelly, who heads the Open Door Youth Gang Alternatives center, says, the Denver police is racialy motivated when going after those attackers.

Denver arrests may be part of trend of gangs videotaping attacks - The Denver Post

[Currency Pair Crocodile]

So, there's another problem there for the "single men" in Menver

[steeljaw]

As a white guy in his 20's with a black girlfriend , We've been repeatedly harrasssed in lodo and on the 16th street mall by groups of black gangbangers. Very open racism, which cought me by suprise.. Coming from the south, Ive never seen racism like this( black vs white or vice versa).
I honestly am suprised I wasnt beat down, but maybe due to the fact that we dont look like a rich tourists but more subculture tattoed types made them skip us over for the robbery. Granted there has been several times I was harrassed to the point I though we were about to get jumped... just for havig a black girlfriend.
I wonder if other cities are experiencing this kind of ignorance?

[thinkin about it]

Originally Posted by steeljaw

As a white guy in his 20's with a black girlfriend , We've been repeatedly harrasssed in lodo and on the 16th street mall by groups of black gangbangers. Very open racism, which cought me by suprise.. Coming from the south, Ive never seen racism like this( black vs white or vice versa).
I honestly am suprised I wasnt beat down, but maybe due to the fact that we dont look like a rich tourists but more subculture tattoed types made them skip us over for the robbery. Granted there has been several times I was harrassed to the point I though we were about to get jumped... just for havig a black girlfriend.
I wonder if other cities are experiencing this kind of ignorance?

Yes. African American culture is entrenched in incredible racism and homophobia in general.

[Huckleberry3911948]

its called gooning very popular in chicago.

[parks71]

They are going to come across the wrong person one day, someone with a concealed weapons permit, and end up dead.

[south-to-west]

Originally Posted by thinkin about it

Yes. African American culture is entrenched in incredible racism and homophobia in general.

I know. I mean we're so racist that we forced state and local governments to pass Jim Crow laws that barred us from public facilities and services...

But in all seriousness, what steeljaw has gone through is what nobody should go through. If those punks calling him out for having a black girlfriend were to assault him, then they would be subject to Federal and State hate crime laws--thus extending their time in jail and removing vermin from the streets. I don't think it's necessarily a Denver thing, but rather more or less an example of grief that ignorant people can create.

Problems like this--whether caused by the Crips or racist Skinheads--arise from disaffected youth with absolutely no outlets available through extracirricular activities or jobs. It's the same thing that has caused the rise of racist Neo-nazis in Eastern Europe after the fall of communism, as well as what has caused horrendous gang violence in the slums of Brazil. It's up to us as a society to:

1. Realize the cost of providing for our youth before shouting this "anti-tax" b.s.
2. Taking a stand and reclaiming our communities from violence and nonsense.
3. Being better parents and neighbors.

Let's hope this situation in LoDo can be resolved soon and effectively.

[WilliamPacker]

Most of the people involved in this appear to be grown men. No excuses about not having an outlet. Time to grow up.

[south-to-west]

Originally Posted by WilliamPacker

Most of the people involved in this appear to be grown men. No excuses about not having an outlet. Time to grow up.

It's not an excuse, but rather an explanation of the causes of the problem.