Discussion for article #226311
I’m no where near Ferguson, Mo so it’s kind of difficult to make any sort of intelligent comment about the situation there.
But what I see in the pictures looks a lot like Watts 1968.
A hot summer
Grieving black people
Lot’s of white cops in riot gear
Looters using the confusion for personal gain
A civil rights leader embedding himself adding a little fuel to the fire
Increasing sales of guns but no mention of the purchasers race.
( I think if it was black people it would have been mentioned)
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A mother is crying because her son is dead.
Put in all kinds of nouns and verbs and outrage from this white woman.
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I doubt that there are enough nouns and verbs to properly express the rage.
This kind of police action seems to be happening everywhere, we have had too many people of color (unarmed people of color) similarly shot right here in progressive Portland Oregon.
The words of a woman, a black woman married to one of my best friends says it all. She tells her sons over and over again that if a police officer pulls you over just do whatever he asks, do not resist do not speak unless spoken to.
She fears for their lives every time they leave their home.
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Apparently the KKK is showing up now to hold a rally. Yeah that is definitely only going to add fuel to the fire…
Oh wait…that’s not who you meant with that comment?
No, I meant Sharpton but you knew that. Is the KKK really headed up there? Let’s hope not!
but if they are might you see that as a reaction to Al’s being there?
In the midst of all the anger and rage let’s not forget that an unarmed young man was gunned down.
I know folks have very strong feelings about Al Sharpton in both directions. He’s certainly had some missteps, but as for me, I think he does more good than harm. He brings attention to things that need a light shined on them. Were it not for Sharpton it’s quite likely George Zimmerman never would have been brought to trial. Most people in this country don’t want to look at the way black people are treated. He makes sure injustices don’t get buried.
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That’s all very true, I have concerns that he has become too much a lightening rod. I honor the man but I think that when he shows up his very presence tends to overshadow the tragedy.
I want to see America evolve to a society that does not need Reverend Sharptons presence to bring murderous sociopaths like Zimmerman to trail.
But it’s not what I think that’s important here. If Michael Brown’s mother and father believe that Rev. Sharptons presence is beneficial to seeing justice done then so be it. That’s what’s really important.
I did not refer to Rev Sharpton directly in my initial comment but he quickly became the topic didn’t he?
Michael Brown and the injustice done to him and his family, the conditions that allowed this to happen…that should be the topic.
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In a related story Micheal Dunn protested loud music.
Only 8 comments on a story that should be front and center. The killing of young black males in this country is an epidemic. I am very disappointed to see so little commenting on this story.
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I agree. He is an activist and activists get involved and he has really grown over the years and is not the same confrontational Sharpton that many remember. He has a good show and he is not afraid to tell it like it is.
I applaud him for taking a strong stand and keeping this atrocity front and center We all should follow his lead and speak out every chance we get, This killing of young black men and black people in general is a disgrace.
We need to organize a million-parent march,
… from Ferguson to the Arch,
For the whole world to watch.
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Reverend Sharpton has a media presence that Dr. King could never have hoped for in that era. He uses it for the best reasons.
He’s articulate, devoted and he works hard for human rights, not just the rights of his fellow blacks.
His presence gives validation to the parents and the people around them, and he is courageous to a fault.
If that offends people, they need to search their own souls, not his.
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things have been slow on all the progressive fronts lately, chammy… a lull before the storm?
Something remarkable may be happening out in the states, and both coasts are too busy with their own issues to notice it.
But there’s a mighty wind stirring in the west, not the evil whirlwind that the wingnut media has so desperately sought to create by sowing the winds of hate, but something deeper, something good and something fundamentally profound. If it turns into an unexpected progressive election revolution, so be it.
But it is so sad it will come at the expense of real martyrs.
Why is it only blood will move some voters?
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I think the reason that more people don’t comment on this is we’re all mostly in agreement. This sucks. There is little debate. So other than to say, “Yeah, I hate this, too!!!” it doesn’t get the same amount of comments.
Re: The Rev. Al. I respect him but agree that sometimes when he steps in the story becomes about him. I don’t even think that’s his intention, it’s just what happens, the way the media slants things. I get the same unease when Gloria Allred joins in a women’s abuse case.
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Ferguson is out of control!
Send mechanized infantry! Clear out the rioters/looters and restore law and order!
JE, There’s a similar wind beginning to blow here in Arizona as well. The feeling is out there on the street. Arizona has had a republican majority in both our state senate and state house for 43+years. It’s about to change. A right wing blog here crowed about the crowded republican race for governor to replace Jan Brewer (term limited) and stated flat out that the democrat running for governor Fred Duval is an unknown… Except that he served on the Board of Regents for the University of Arizona and is prominent in civic affairs all over the state:
Yep, a real “unknown”.
Someone using one of their old, smelly socks?
Your trolling and probable sock puppetry is duly noted
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Ferguson is not Watts. It’s a mixed race, middle class suburban area that has been experiencing a resurgence of business activity and revitalization. While this was slowed down by the Bush Meltdown and Great Recession, it’s been back on track of late with new micro breweries and trendy coffee houses popping up near it’s older downtown center.
It is located adjacent to a major state university campus and is the home of a Fortune 500 company. There are historic homes and a traditional country club/golf course located inside it’s center. The kids who live there are expected to go on to college or the military.
It’s an inner ring suburban community where most people own their older track homes, renovate them regularly and are proud of keeping good care of their gardens and families.
Most of damage is being done by outsiders coming into the area to be part of the media action. There were far more cars cruising up and down the main street last night to gawk at the damage from the previous night and take Selfies than causing trouble. This traffic reminded me of what people were doing after two tornadoes hit the area during the last five years.
Are the residents frightened and angry that this happened to one of their sons? Sure, they are. But they are not the sort of residents that throw bottles or cause damage to their neighbors’ property. They are not inner city Have Nots.
The residents of Ferguson by far are people who have worked hard to be able to afford their homes and want their children treated with respect because they, too, are working hard to make something of themselves.
That kid was jaywalking. It’s probably the biggest crime he’s ever thought of committing in his whole life…not that he hasn’t been tempted by the lifestyles that he’s seen when he visits his cousins who life in less economically deprived areas of the metro area. Yes, there are drugs and broken families all around Ferguson, but it is not some hot bed of crime. You will find the same problems throughout society today because of the lingering jobless recovery.
There is a problem in this country over how the police are treating younger men of color. It’s not just in New York City, Orlando and Ferguson. It reminds me of how our military were trained to distrust all young men in Iraq and Afghanistan. There isn’t any respect or understanding on either side. This cannot continue. It’s tearing apart the fabric of what our republic is supposed to represent.
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