Joe speaks out

[jfkbengals]

(05-31-2020, 02:48 AM)Whatever Wrote: I used to work with a former gang member who had gotten out of prison for dealing crack and was trying to lead an honest life for his daughter.  I won't use his language, but what he told me was that if a black man gets arrested and says he didn't do anything, he's lying.  He did something.  And that's coming from a black man.  My sister was also a cop and would say the same thing.  Obviously, I don't believe no innocent black man ever gets arrested, but it's extremely rare that any person of any race just gets arrested for no reason.  I also don't think it's a coincidence that all my black and Hispanic friends who work ordinary jobs, live ordinary lives, and maybe the worst thing they do is speed, jaywalk, or litter have never been arrested in their entire lives.

Store employees called the cops on Floyd because he was intoxicated in public and tried pass a counterfeit bill.  He was not taken into custody for nothing.  

In today's day and age, anything that's remotely interesting gets recorded on cell phones.  Everyone is looking for a quick buck off a viral video.  

Floyd is certainly a case where excessive force is used without any real justification.  However, cases like this are an exception, thankfully, not the rule.

I didn't say Floyd should not have been under arrest, nor am I saying that all African American arrests are unjustified.  I said all witnesses and evidence shows he was not resisting arrest.  Resisting arrest is what the arresting officers claimed was the reason for the unjustified force, as is often the case.  It is also the reason for a ton of trumped up charges.  I have two family members who were cops, and have been friends with several over the years.  Listening to them tell stories of being on the force reveals some of the systemic problem of police discrimination.  It is the very reason one friend left the force and became a teacher.  I have also had a number of close friends over the years who are African American and have witnessed the double standard first hand myself on many occasions.  Ever driven someone home from work, and on the way been stopped and interrogated for your reason to be in a suburban neighborhood?  No speeding, no swerving, only stopped because the guy in the passenger seat is black.  Therefore we must be running drugs, we can't be telling the truth, so we have to be frisked and submit to a search of the car.  Otherwise, we face charges of interfering in police business and resisting arrest.  That's just one example.  White people don't spend much time teaching their kids what to do and how to act if they are stopped by the police.  The reason is because they generally don't have to.  Unless they are in the company of minorities, they are generally treated with respect and their rights are observed.  Minorities, on the other hand, have to teach their kids to remain calm and subdued, because their reactions could easily lead to their incarceration, injury, or death.