Black Lives Matter

I've just heard that this protest rally has gone horribly wrong in Dallas and that 10 police officers have been shot...4 of them fatally. Has anyone over there got any more information?

Sniper shooters. My conspiracy theory radar is going off. They have no suspect at this point.

My heart hurts. I'm so sick over all of this. Over the shootings earlier this week. Over tonight. There is such disrespect for life.

I've just been watching live footage...looks like the place is in total chaos right now.

Yeah I have a friend there and she's in total lock down and freaked out. It's insane right now.

Seems this is still ongoing with one snipper in a standoff with police...hope there are no more lives lost. Just wondering want you guys in America think about the cause of this outcry... two black men shot by police in the space of one week for, what appears to be, no valid reason?

EDIT

5 police officers now dead....

This link is to the Dallas Morning News:

http://beta.dallasnews.com/news/dallas-ambush/2016/07/07/hundreds-expected-downtown-dallas-rally-following-shooting-deaths-alton-sterling-philando-castile

It reports 3 police officers & one Dallas Transit officer were killed, many officers and civilians were wounded.

At least 3 suspects are in custody, 1 shooter killed himself and one was killed when a police robot detonated (his?) explosive device.

I didn't even know about the shootings earlier in the week because I hadn't watched news or spent a lot of time online, we've been so busy. I can't wrap my head around Castile.. as someone who has had the training with a concealed permit, he did everything he was supposed to. This officer was so far in the wrong, he murdered this man.

Sterling, I haven't seen much of because I just picked one to research first. The things I have seen, I don't understand why they had him on the ground and what the story was. It's hard to get info because the media is just insane now. We will never get the full story and it makes me sick.

The Dallas protest and shooting, there are heaps of accounts that there was shooting from the rooftops and the police immediately drew on those on the ground. I can see where they'd make the connection but realizing it was coming from the sky... I just wonder if lives would have been saved? I don't know. I'm reeling from all of this. Thankfully the officers did not shoot at the protesters.

This week's events have made me realize a lot about my heart and now I'm just heartbroken.

11 shot, 5 cops killed, and social media was going crazy with "the blacks are getting even, it was a white guy...idiots.

people don't understand, right here in pennsylvania, michigan, north carolina, the virginia's, and many other states there are militia groups that go out in the woods every damn weekend practicing warfare tactics, for when government and these agencies get out of control. I'm not saying he was one of them, but it's not hard to imagine. Everyone wants to make this a black and white issue, and that's fine and all, but this is a human being issue, if you condone the shooting of anyone because of their skin color, their beliefs, etc. than you are a fucked up human being period. I can't imagine what any parent goes through losing a child in a senseless murder, because that's what it is, and sadly it happens too many times across this nation daily. It's a damn disgrace towards humanity. People keep spouting this bullshit about how far we've come, FOH with that shit, we're worse off now then we ever were, in the old days you knew up front, now this shit is more hidden and devious, and sanctioned. and it's like we don't even care, it's too acceptable burying our children, our sisters and brothers, our mothers and fathers. and yes, everyone regardless of race creed, religion or ethnic background is ours. We all are responsible for one another collectively, and if we continue on the current path we will eventually self destruct.

I absolutely agree with the issue being a human being issue, but today I realized something.

When other Christians are being killed, I want to rise up and defend my brothers and sisters in Christ. I am not in fear for my life as a Christian where I currently live, but if I went to a specific country where Christians are consistently targeted, I'd be terrified.

This issue is creating a cycle of fear, for police officers and for black people. If I have a cop behind me, pulling me over or not, I'm nervous. Why? Because they're authority. I don't want to do something wrong. And those nerves and that fear/anxiety sometimes causes me to do the wrong thing, or make a dumb choice (yes, breaking the law.. I've missed pedestrians waiting at a cross walk because a cop was behind me and I was nervous). Small point in comparison but stay with me here.

I'm nervous because I don't want to pay a fine.

I'm not nervous because of the color of my skin. Because the media is telling us that black people want to kill police and police want to kill black people.

So now you have police officers who have this brainwashed racism/bias breathed into their hearts because it's happen to so many of their brothers and sisters in the profession.

You have black people who are in FEAR FOR THEIR LIVES because of the color of their skin (this has been the case but my heart finally opened up to it). Their nerves are going to come across as suspicious. It just does. Cops pick up the nervous energy, and they react, the other people in the situation react. A white man one city over was shot by police, and I didn't hear about it for 3 weeks (and this was a man from my hometown... where word travels quickly). We didn't hear about it. He was wrongly shot. Unarmed. Didn't advance. The cop murdered him.

But this man wasn't in fear for his life because of his skin. He had more than the legal amount of pot on him and was nervous to get caught. Nerves affect our actions.

So this cycle between black people and cops keep happening, whether legal or illegal and there's an even deeper stigma than before.

I keep hearing people say if Black Lives Matter, why don't black people comment on the black vs black murders, in gangs and otherwise? BECAUSE WE ARE NOT OPEN TO RECEIVE THEIR OUTCRIES. This morning my Facebook was flooded with news, and I read comments from black men and women speaking against the violence, speaking pro-police, speaking in love and grace and heartbreak.

I never thought I was racist. I have black friends and family and I don't shun people because of their skin color.

But I had that underlying racism living in my heart. I secretly judged, quietly thinking if "they" this or "they" that. Why would "those people"..

Excuse me, self, "those" people?

God slapped me upside the head in the loving, beautiful way he does, and showed me that while YES, of COURSE all lives matter -- that includes black people. Yes cop lives matter. Yes black lives matter. So do Christians. So do Muslims. PEOPLE matter. But right now? The black community feels hate. They feel targeted. And for me to tell them what they are feeling is wrong is not only unloving and wrong itself, it's irresponsible.

I finally recognize that white privilege does not mean authority, or elevated social status necessarily, or wealth. We think privilege and we think born with a silver spoon in their mouth. This is more. This is walking down the street in America and not afraid of being targeted because I am white. It's so much more than that, but this is the immediate thought in my head and heart now.

I was wrong, and I've been wrong for a long time. I had a secret bias that I didn't even realize I truly had.. my heart aches for this world, and for a community that feels like the rest of the world is against them.

I really want to thank Yaki, for her desperate pleas for people to see this in another light. You've truly opened my heart and my eyes. You are making a difference.

A point to be made on Black on Black crime that most people don't understand the root of the problem and it's by design, to denigrate a people.

say the United States takes in 400,000 Syrians and places these Syrians 30-40,000 at a time in their own neighborhoods in say ten different cities. I can guarantee you without a doubt those precincts near those neighborhoods will classify 95 percent of the crimes committed as Syrian on Syrian crime. Same things in the Italian , Irish, Russian, and other neighborhoods, except they've expanded and have been allowed to integrate across the nation without racial contempt. It is different for African americans, and if you say that's not true
, sorry, you're an idiot and not very realistic. They have been singled out since day one, racism towards them hasn't gotten better it's just more hidden and devious.

That's exactly what I'm saying, Bob. I didn't truly realize it until now. I couldn't understand until now, and even though I will never fully understand it, what I do understand is the hurt is real.

I've lived among almost every group of people there is, and it's not hard to see, even the Latino people went through the same thing briefly, but now have been accepted, the oriental people the same way, but the african american people have never fully been accepted. I love the bullshit rhetoric that they're lazy and all of them are on welfare, when actually the biggest majority of welfare recipients are white, but it was cool when they were slaves and worked their asses off for nothing right?, I guess people forgot that slavery actually built this country up for free. Here is something else people don't remember, most of your other minorities immigrated here, the african people were brought and forced here, basically they were kidnapped and sold into slavery......People are oblivious to the truth.

I live in a very, very different part of the country than you do, Bob. Oregon is white. Portland is the most diverse we have, but truly, Oregon is white and hispanic. My town has two, MAYBE three, black families. I'm in a bubble, for sure. So I kept saying I don't see racism, I can't understand it, why are "they" (see how sneaky that racism is?) freaking out so much?

I actually see a lot of racism in the hispanic community -- not against one another, but whites vs hispanic. But that's the more predominate ethnic difference in my area. I think it's easy to slip into "well this is how it is here so it has to be this way everywhere" mentality. I'm totally guilty of it.

ETA: We also have a very high Native community here in Oregon, also, with large reservations. Most beautiful culture I've ever learned about.

In Texas the hostility and bigotry toward Hispanics is every bit as volatile and pernicious as against blacks elsewhere. I was shocked to find a triangle of bigotry when I moved to Texas.

Racism in this country is real. We have statistics and facts available to know this is true, yet so many are in denial and it's pathetic.

I support good people, not choosing sides. Lumping all blacks or all law enforcement into a stereotype is a great example of ignorance. However, there is a real problem engrained in our culture and it needs to be taken seriously. Again, racism is real. It's here. It's negatively affecting more than half of our citizens and we need to band together to make changes.

The news I read today has corrected immediate false reports. It was one shooter, not more, and he was black and he was triggered by the recent murders of innocent blacks by law enforcement. He and he alone is responsible for the awful taking of lives, but we must remember that individuals are always partially products of their culture. Ours happens to treat a certain shade of skin with more dignity than others.

I've been trying to find out what happened to the cops who shot these black men earlier this week. Can anyone give me an update? Will they be charged? If so, what with? Have they been stood down for the moment?

All I can say is RIP

May we be able to one day live in harmony

Sorry...I meant to say thanks to you all for giving your views on this...I appreciate your time. Not that it really helps me understand why people can still be racist. We are all from difference cultures and races I acknowledge but collectively we are all part of one race...the human race.

Racism is such a big thing all over. It needs to stop.

Racism is generally due to closed minded ignorant people who feel that they are superior and can get away with any bad treatment towards the minority groups. Minority groups being not only about colour but also if you are disabled, gay, of a different religious group and also sexism.

It seems that there will always be these bigoted people who are little more than bullies despite what restrictions are set up to protect the minorities because these bullies believe that their beliefs are correct and that they are above the law

RIP to all those innocent people that lost their lives, regardless of colour.

As for humanity?

As long as we recognize that this is wrong and we teach our kids that this is wrong, then we have a chance.

Racism has come a long way in the last 50 years, there is still a long way to go, but hopefully the bigots are a dying breed.

Racism has come a long way in the last 50 years

^ i had felt that way a few years ago, but I'm serious when I say trump running for president has actually changed my mind about that. and it's not just him, have you been reading social media lately. I assure you, as well as they've kept racism hidden and more devious, it is definitely alive and well now. It's like it's become a newfound religion or cult or something

Bob, totally agree. I thought we were progressing rapidly as a country when we went from Bush jr. as President to President Obama, but now we must choose between Trump and Hilary Clinton? God help us all.

Here we go again with my 'dumb' question...why do you all feel you only have two choices???

"I assure you, as well as they've kept racism hidden and more devious, it is definitely alive and well now. It's like it's become a newfound religion"

^ Nailed it.

As a side note, all lives matter, humans, non-humans, all living things matter, it's really just a world of chaos, this is not just about racism, nor terrorism, or fanatics, or extremists, people are dying in dozens on daily basis because of wars; blood wars, wars on drugs, wars on terrorism...and people trafficking, slavery (or modern slavery) poverty, ... bla bla bla

It never got better, and has never been better (in my opinion), we just get to be shifted today by news and media from one zone to the other, one country to another, one crisis to another...but it's all around the world, everywhere, the only difference is that it's getting more live rather than on TV. It's just expanding in new forms.

Hellon, the odds of enough people writing in the same person are slim to none. We have 2 choices. That's what was chosen for us by politics and media.

We really don't have a say.

Actually our opinions don't matter. Electoral college does. We have the means to count every vote but still have electoral college. The need for it then was accurate, but now.... not so much.

Hellon,
The Republican & Democratic parties are probably at their lowest in public esteem in decades. However, only two other parties are on the ballot in enough states to win the Presidency: the Green Party and the Libertarian Party. The former, with presumptive candidate Jill Stein, is based on one issue, environmentalism, which impacts a broad spectrum of programs. The latter, with the governor of New Mexico, Gary Johnson as candidate, wishes to dismantle the Federal government & give all but the treasury, military & the State Department back to the states.
Neither party has ever gained more than a few % points of votes.
Since in the US we vote for President nationally (rather than electing candidates to form a government), we are currently relegated to a choice between two.
Kay refers to an added complication where each state, basically, is winner takes all so that you can win in the popular vote & still lose because the electoral vote went the other way. This happened in 2010.

I'd vote for Jill Stein if I thought she had a chance in hell. She reminds me of Elizabeth Warren and she endorses Bernie Sanders. Good woman.

Buuuuut when there's a risk Donald Trump could be president, I'd vote for a pile of steaming crap if I thought it had a fair chance at winning and it meant keeping that daft asswipe out of office. I don't quite equate Clinton with a steaming dung pile, she's a step above in my opinion. She'll have my vote unless the people rise up and overthrow the bizarre electoral process we've allowed to fester.

Really, I'm at a loss. Feels like the world is going to hell and we can either board the crazy train or stand idly by and watch.

I saw a meme on FB that said America shouldn't vote for anyone, she needs to stay single for a few years and really find herself... ha. So sad and so true.

This country may be divided but one thing most of us agree on is how sucky the election is.

I'm sure my dumb-assed brain will never be able to wrap itself around you elections but...thank you all for trying to explain.

However, only two other parties are on the ballot in enough states to win the Presidency: the Green Party and the Libertarian Party

^^^

How come no one will consider voting for them then? Regardless of whether you agree with all their policies wouldn't it still be taking votes away from the two major parties and...wouldn't that make a difference?

[I'm cribbing on the statistical details from Google & Wikipedia]:

The Libertarian party really does not appeal to many people due to its extreme position on reducing government.

The Green Party made an impact of sorts by getting nearly 3% in 2000 (and, some claim, diverted enough votes from Gore for Bush to be elected). It has slowly built support and has succeeded on the state and local level in several places. Maybe one day it could make a difference. I would not be surprised if it gets as much as 5% this year.

Perhaps even the Libertarians will improve, but future elections will revert back to minimal results for this party.

The last two major potentials for viable parties were blips on the political radar long ago. In 1992 H. Ross Perot got almost 20% of the vote running independent from other parties. However, he then formed the Reform party and only got 8% in the 1996 election. In 1968 George Wallace, famous for obstructing desegregation, was nominated by the American Independent Party and got about 14%.

Here the reliance on 2 parties has been strong since the founding of the country. It's as much a part of the culture as splinter parties in France.

To me, what is notable is that the Republican Party has gotten so controlled by the extreme right wing that they have now produced 3 candidates in a row who have to swing a wide arc to convince the general populace that they are actually centrists. So far it has been unsuccessful and I doubt Trump can do it either.

Trump's greatest appeal cuts across all demographics save one: he is loved by those who wish for a strong authoritarian conservative leader.

Libertarians and Green party really only identify with a smaller population of people.. informed people usually. It's terrifying but we have a huge population of people who don't know anything about politics, our country, or the true issues at hand, and these people are voting. They're fed misinformation in hopes for a vote. We have zero ethics and morals and a huge majority of people flat don't care.

Agree 100%, Britt.

In fact, in any national election there are really only 5% of the voters who make a difference. One time they give their votes to one party, another time to the other party. I'd like to think that they are informed, but I know most of them likely vote without knowledge.

I've been independent from any party since I was 22 and have voted for candidates from three parties.

For those truly interested in getting educated on the matter, this is a brilliant article.

Don't let the title mislead you, it has facts and good arguments.

https://www.popularresistance.org/i-dont-discuss-racism-with-white-people/

Yaki,
that article hits it on the head.

Re-reading. SO many things to point out. SO many quotes I want to write down and remember. SO many points that I feel ashamed for not even realizing existed.

This especially:

"a Black person says "Racism still exists. It is real," and a white person argues "You're wrong, I'm not racist at all. I don't even see any racism." My aunt's immediate response is not "that is wrong, we should do better." No, her response is self-protection: "That's not my fault, I didn't do anything. You are wrong."

^ ^ This has been me time and time again... and I want to change that. I see now that denying racism is racist. This article and many other words/stories/comments hits me because here I've been thinking growing up, oh, I don't see racism... it doesn't affect me. It's not in my community. That doesn't mean it doesn't exist. There's prejudice and injustice in the little things. I think in the way we think. I thought it interesting and especially eye-opening about that headline from "The Independent". How many times have I thought, well that white person was obviously struggling mentally... yet I won't say the same about another criminal? I'll just say, oh that's different. That's their "culture", a culture of violence they're choosing. I'm not giving ANYONE a chance by saying that. I'm not seeing the good in people, only bad.

Anyways, wow. I will not forget this article... thank you. I hope many read! No longer do I want to turn away from "uncomfortable" conversations. I'm going to try my best to bring that issue to light, to not just "shut down" as it's so easy to do.

The article hits it in the head!

What an amazing article, it wraps up so many painful lines.

Articles like this as informative as it was only add to the problem. The sad reality is that all races need to discuss racism, because it affects all races. Even though I have Indian blood in me, I am considered white, yet I have lived in african american neighborhoods for decades, and have seen some of these very issues first hand. but until people stop letting themselves be segregated and excluded, they will always be the victims of a society that thinks they are superior to them. Those who live in Phila and especially west phila see it first hand daily, remember when west phila high was on walnut st., from walnut to market was 90% african american, from spruce to baltimore was 60 percent caucasian, yet no whites went to west phila. It's segregation by design. That's how they keep getting away with that black on black crime statistic, but they forget that when the italians migrated here it was the same Italian on Italian crime, same as the Irish and the Russians, but they've been allowed to go anywhere and everywhere throughout the nation without the racist stigma. The african america people never have. and people keep forgetting, those groups migrated to this nation, the african american was forced here and sold into slavery and built this country more than any other ethnic group.

If you want to get a good look at one of the aspects of the problems in america in regards to racism and the political impact it has, this is the best month to do so. Watch the conventions, look at the crowds from both parties, let your common sense figure it out, see if you notice anything right off.