Sign of the times in Seattle: (Warning:sensitive issue thread)

[Ripsnort]

Police use "Passive Force" to prevent from being labeled "Racist"

   

Switch to 'reactive mode'

                        Last week, Officer Al Warner, a black officer assigned to the Central Area,
                        stopped in front of Deano's bar on 20th Avenue and East Madison Street,
                        where four black men were smoking marijuana in a car. The men accused
                        Warner of racially profiling them.

                        "It's the catch phrase now," Warner said. "If I were an African-American
                        drug dealer here, that's the way I'd play the game. It intimidates officers."

So, I don't think what the police have done is the answer, after all, honest, hard working families living in these areas suffer.

I also don't believe that the community should be so hard on the police when someone gets shot by the police...

Where does this end?  It seems a Tit-for-Tat at this point.

[ 06-26-2001: Message edited by: Ripsnort ]

[AKSWulfe]

Now this whole thing could of been bipassed if Marijuana were legal.

That's all I have to say.  
-SW

[Ripsnort]

I'm sure you're just jesting (not about legalization, but about the post in context), since that is just an example of the whole problem that surrounds this issue.

Alittle background, this all stemmed from a man, who left a 7-11 store, with a gun and a knife in his hand, he fired one shot in the air (no, he didn't rob the store)...then walked down the street with the knife in one hand, with the pistol in his belt....police came, tried to convince him to drop the weapon, "walked" with the man as he 'skipped' down the street...after about 10 min of trying to negotiate, the man finally lunged after one of the officers, and the man was shot dead.  The African American community was outraged and condemned the police for 'unwarranted agression'.

So, where do we stand today?  You want police, or you don't want police?  I'm confused...  

[Eagler]

it's called playing the odds, just more race baitin going on ... When I see a under 25 black er excuse me African American, or hispanic driving around in a >30k car here in west central Florida, my money is he is 99 times out of 100 a drug dealer. If I were a cop, for my own safety, I'd approach him that way.

disgusting when you get some of these lawyers involved..

Eagler

[AKSWulfe]

I lived in DC for 17 years. I currently work in it, and live just outside the beltway.

It's all about playing mind games. It works for the Cops, so the poor(literally I mean this, like living in the Ghetto poor) black community use racial profiling as a defense if they get caught by the cops.

I think it's sick, but man.. you gotta admit. The way the world is heading as a whole it seems someone's got their hands on the toilet handle just waiting to flush it.  
-SW

[Nifty]

Originally posted by Eagler:
it's called playing the odds, just more race baitin going on ... When I see a under 25 black er excuse me African American, or hispanic driving around in a >30k car here in west central Florida, my money is he is 99 times out of 100 a drug dealer. If I were a cop, for my own safety, I'd approach him that way.

disgusting when you get some of these lawyers involved..

Eagler

Yeah and all the white kids with the same car, their daddies musta bought it for them right?  I mean come on, white kids NEVER deal drugs, and black kids never have well to do parents!  

Moving on to the issue...  If the person that is screaming "racial profiling!" was actually committing a crime, who f***ing cares WHY the cop decided to investigate him/her!  The person was committing a crime, for crying out loud.  It's probable cause if it is applied to whites, but racial profiling if it's applied to minorities.

sorry for the use of white/black and not caucasian/african american.  I'm not very "PC" like that.

[Eagler]

The white kids aren't screaming about being profiled.
Yep there are many spoiled "young adults" of all colors driving around in brand new BWM's their parents purchased for them. That's a whole different thread.
 

Eagler

[Nifty]

Originally posted by Eagler:
The white kids aren't screaming about being profiled.
Yep there are many spoiled "young adults" of all colors driving around in brand new BWM's their parents purchased for them. That's a whole different thread.
 

Eagler

agree with you there, but it's still "profiling" and they're not being harassed by the police because "daddy bought them a car."  Like you said, it's really only slightly related.  My second point was so what if racial profiling caught a criminal.  They pretty much fit the profile at that point.  Racial profiling is a problem when cops randomly pull people over and assume they're a criminal.  That's not to say they shouldn't be cautious when approaching someone.  There has to be a line between that caution and the presumption of criminal activity/guilt.  It's just really hard to walk that line.  

Hell, I was racially and sexually profiled.  My insurance rates were sky high on my car until I turned 25.  The principal is the same, albeit slightly different.

[mason22]

Originally posted by Ripsnort:
...after about 10 min of trying to negotiate, the man finally lunged after one of the officers, and the man was shot dead.  The African American community was outraged and condemned the police for 'unwarranted agression'.

hmm, looks to me like this is the point where things went wrong. you don't lunge after law enforcement with a deadly weapon. when they "fear for their own safety/lives" they have that little rule or clause that says they can use that deadly force stuff. it's not a black or white issue...it's an ignorance issue. say it was a white guy, say it was a 12 year old white girl, say it was a trained monkey, say it was a robot, say it was the invisible man (of course we could see the knife), it's not racially who, it's physically who. you lunge at me with a knife, i'm lunging back with whatever it takes to stop you. no matter who "you" are/is.

[mrfish]

too bad instinct is being conditioned and out of people.

[AKSWulfe]

Originally posted by mason22:
you lunge at me with a knife, i'm lunging back with whatever it takes to stop you. no matter who "you" are/is.

So.. what do you do to stop Fatty from "lunging" at you with his Johnson brand knife?  
-SW

[Eagler]

that's because the "white" community realizes you don't pull a gun on a cop, you don't run from the law. If you do, you may get shot, and you my die. ANy "community" with half a brain realizes the same thing.

Here in the Tampa area, a group of African Americans just opened a gym on Martin Luther King Blvd (how ironic)named after a punk arse black dope dealer shot dead by the police after he refused to roll down his window then proceeded to run into the officer after the cop stepped in front of the car trying to get the driver and passenger to get out. Did I mention the car was "purchased" from a crack potato for a few rocks? Did I mention the African community then proceeded to burn down their neighborhood in protest?
So that we the tax payers can rebuild it for them...

If anyone is "profiled", there is a reason. Just as most high speed cigar boats hauling butt in the middle of the night can be "profiled" as drug smugglers...

It's all a pile of lawyer crap used to prey on the ignorance, emotions and stupidity of the average jury ..

Eagler

[Ripsnort]

I had hair down to my butt in high school, 1976 got my drivers license, was pulled over routinely due to profiling...yeah, I knew why they were doing it.  Racism?  Naaa, maybe stero-typing is a better word.

[Nifty]

Originally posted by Ripsnort:
I had hair down to my butt in high school, 1976 got my drivers license, was pulled over routinely due to profiling...yeah, I knew why they were doing it.  Racism?  Naaa, maybe stero-typing is a better word.

but it doesn't have that nice bigoted ring to it, Rip!  "Stereotyping"  negative sounding, but not too bad...  "Racial Profiling"  OMG!!  call the lawyers now!!!  racist!  bigot!!  

[Jigster]

Hehe I use to have really long hair too, but I had a good cover when I was in HS...ye old '79 Bronco.

Instantly labled "redneck!", so I was never bothered. Despite what was being hauled around in the back most of the time. (I hung around with the artisitic/metal people, and we'd take the top off, it was so high up there no one could see in anyway) I think 2 out of the 4 years I had that shot gun rack on the left side with a 12 gauge and a 7.7 Jap, no one ever said anything to me, despite being in very urban school. We had an indoor shooting range as part of the ROTC unit, I routinely went in there and shot after school. Baytown PD officer use to go in there with me and we'd shoot all afternoon.

Hehehe. Come to think of it I did get some weird looks carrying that thing from my truck to the range. But only when I first started  

We had 50 M-14's in the armory too. Had there ever been a "situation" our school would of been well equipped.