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Where is balance? and seriously I WANT to be on the side of reform and unity and ending systemic racism... because I think its real... and you know I am on the very conservative side of the coin.
I am frustrated because all the oxygen is being sucked up by people with political axes to grind that have nothing to do with the issue at hand.... I feel like the only option is to bend the knee and bow to groups like BLM (which isn't about justice at all) or be labeled part of the problem/racist etc.
No, those aren't your only options. But first off, just acknowledging systemic racism puts you light years ahead of your political peers. And BLM is a wack job organization powerless to actually enact real, significant change. Simply ignore them and do what countless Americans have done that has moved the country forward toward more justice and equality - harass your representatives to 1) propose laws that protect civilians from rabid police 2) revive the Voting Rights Act because it empowers all disenfranchised and impoverished people to have a equal voice 3) and IMO eliminate public school inequities.
The reality is that an embarrassing number of American children are condemned to horrific schooling. And for those without a strong foundation at home, what hope do these children have to craft a meaningful life for themselves, alone? There are several policy proposals to tackle this issue; vouchers, charters, funding sources other than property taxes, etc. I don't know if you are parent of a school age child, but you could certainly make some noise at the local level.
And don't despair. Your desire to help is not only admirable, but refreshing in this time of consternation and very much welcome. And as a liberal, I welcome your conservative perspective.
One of the things that distorts the reporting of Police actions is the fact that most American's have little to no contact with Police throughout their lives. And because of that, most are assuming a kind of "best behavior" from Police. For those who have lived their entire lives in the US ghettos, the Police are regarded as little more than an occupying force overseeing the vanquished minorities. This view of Police sets the stage for every interaction ghetto dwellers have with the authorities, our courts, and prisons, are sometimes viewed as the holding tanks for much of the black population. This isn't about knocking or not knocking..
In the ghetto environment, the Police are in an impossible situation, their appearance as heavily armed victors, living in the bucolic suburbs, and having everything the ghetto people will never have, friction is inevitable. We will slide on along this century, doing the same old things we've always done, talking our problems into oblivion, mashing them around in a bowl of denial until everyone is just plain sick of hearing about them. Whites will move further out from the chaos of American race relations, and Blacks will continue to be killed, by cops, by other Blacks, and some by their own hand. Cities will eventually rot into a haven of the haves and have not's, each fortified by their own bias and disinterest in the other's welfare. Meanwhile: Back at the ranch of US politics.......
Yes the drug dealer boyfriend did start shooting first. His partner in crime, Briana Taylor, got shot and killed in the subsequent exchange of gunfire.
I'm with Rand Paul on this one: No knock warrants shouldn't happen. At the very least, they should be incredibly rare. You'd better be able to explain to me in why it make sense and it better be good. If you want to go with plain-clothes cops, fine. But do it right. Surround the place. Maybe shut off the water, gas and electricity moments before knocking so they can't flush/destroy the evidence. Then knock on the f-ing door, announce that it's the police and that you're breaking down the door in 5 seconds. That kind of thing.
Dude read the thread, the amount of people saying Drug Dealer boyfriend and losing all credibility is way too many. Drug Dealer was in custody and was her ex-boyfriend. The shooter was a legal gun owner who was her current boyfriend. The Shooter was never charged because he had every legal right to shoot someone who knocks on the door then almost immediately breaks it without announcing themselves.
Someone breaks into your house in the middle of the night. Are you not going to shoot to protect yourself and your family?
No-knock raids are a setup, and this is the proof.
That argument only works in one direction. Police can shoot civilians because "they didn't know if they had a weapon or not." Civilians cannot shoot police if they don't know they are police. Obviously, you ask first.
"No sir, we are not police. We are criminals here to murder you, please begin shooting at us!"
We agree on much, but we part ways there. Past transgressions do not justify someone being gunned down asleep, in their bed, in their home. Yes, she had a checkered past. Police generally - like lawyers - encounter those with bad decision-making capabilities. But their rights are not diminished due to their past. Every encounter with law enforcement has to be judged on its own merits. If we don't do that, we're heading right down towards "rounding up the usual suspects" or "fell down the stairs in the cells", and
The police officer in question opened up pretty wildly and had no clue of his target. That cannot be acceptable, and I don't care if it's Al Capone being picked up, let alone the ex-GF of some small-time drug dealer.
Public attention is fickle, on that we can agree. Some cases are questionable. But as I'm sure I must've posted here before: We need to look at the powder keg, not just the random spark that ignited it.
The Ferguson PD used justifiable force in the shooting of Michael Brown. (The spark.) But the Ferguson PD had at the time established itself as massively lacking as a law enforcement agency - unconstitutional practices, prejudice, violence, complete lack of internal discipline. They were essentially hired by the city for the purpose of providing funds - they even negotiated for the sums they needed to provide. That was the powder keg. And it was just waiting to be set off.
The citizen in front of the armed police officer is perhaps the most naked example there is of raw government power. It has to be able to stand up to scrutiny.
i may not be expressing myself the best. its a complicated case. most of what you have said here I agree with. I think the police had evidence that Taylor was an active target of investigation and not someone with a past.... still even as you point out powder keg...
i suspect we disagree on the politics. I think there are people who are pushing a narrative that people of color are under fire from the police. to the exclusion of every other cause. cant go there.
its a complicated thing. real people are getting hurt.
No, those aren't your only options. But first off, just acknowledging systemic racism puts you light years ahead of your political peers. And BLM is a wack job organization powerless to actually enact real, significant change. Simply ignore them and do what countless Americans have done that has moved the country forward toward more justice and equality - harass your representatives to 1) propose laws that protect civilians from rabid police 2) revive the Voting Rights Act because it empowers all disenfranchised and impoverished people to have a equal voice 3) and IMO eliminate public school inequities.
The reality is that an embarrassing number of American children are condemned to horrific schooling. And for those without a strong foundation at home, what hope do these children have to craft a meaningful life for themselves, alone? There are several policy proposals to tackle this issue; vouchers, charters, funding sources other than property taxes, etc. I don't know if you are parent of a school age child, but you could certainly make some noise at the local level.
And don't despair. Your desire to help is not only admirable, but refreshing in this time of consternation and very much welcome. And as a liberal, I welcome your conservative perspective.
i really wish we could have more real conversations like this. Honestly i think most of the people i know who are conservatives have tossed their hands in the air. its frustrating.
BLM may be powerless to affect policy but they aren't powerless to drive a response that is anything but peaceful. Today we are on the back side of two police officers having been shot in the head and video all over the place of people celebrating it.
And honestly as much as we need police reform that's just a part of this. in fact its not the largest part of it. 100% there should be no "no-knock" warrants. There should be very limited warrants include blind entry. That's as much about protecting the police as it is the person they may be after.
Im frustrated because when Tim Scott, a black senator proposed serious reform it was blocked by senate democrats. Scott is no wallflower. IT was a serious proposal but i get the feeling it was rejected because the having the problem is better than having the solution.
im frustrated because honestly there have been a number of serious reforms that have been done in the last 3 years and yet the left/right political brutality requires one side to yell racist over everything. Im getting into politics here and that's not my intent. but facts are facts. First Step Act, Saving Black colleges, Tax reform that has created massive employment numbers IN underserved communities. all big time reforms that struck at the systemic racism in the US Code.
and Vouchers/School choice. it boggles my mind that anyone would be against it.
honestly i think having problems has become preferred to fixing them.
i may not be expressing myself the best. its a complicated case. most of what you have said here I agree with. I think the police had evidence that Taylor was an active target of investigation and not someone with a past.... still even as you point out powder keg...
i suspect we disagree on the politics. I think there are people who are pushing a narrative that people of color are under fire from the police. to the exclusion of every other cause. cant go there.
its a complicated thing. real people are getting hurt.
I am heartened that people across the political spectrum see room for improvement. As first steps go, that s a pretty good one.
I'm with Rand Paul on this one: No knock warrants shouldn't happen. At the very least, they should be incredibly rare. You'd better be able to explain to me in why it make sense and it better be good. If you want to go with plain-clothes cops, fine. But do it right. Surround the place. Maybe shut off the water, gas and electricity moments before knocking so they can't flush/destroy the evidence. Then knock on the f-ing door, announce that it's the police and that you're breaking down the door in 5 seconds. That kind of thing.
That's sound thinking. There are cases where you want to enter, abruptly, with maximum force - hostage situations come to mind. But back when I trained armed-perpetrator-on-the-premises with European law enforcement (long story), that was the least-desired solution and going there was likely to gain you a scathing post-ex critique. Surround, communicate, let it seep in that control of the situation is in your hands now. Let that first rush of adrenaline wear off. People in fight-or-flight mode - on either side - are liable to make bad decisions. It costs some overtime, but ambulances aren't free to the taxpayer either.
Liberal News Media programs the mindless Democrats to believe ONLY what they deem right to report, not that Jacob was a rapist, George attacked and robbed a pregnant woman, Breana's Bf started shooting at cops. Boy, are blacks going to feel abandoned with the election is over. ..
Right now they praise the BLM and all blacks suffering You have to know this is all a ruse, pandering to get your black vote, right?
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