Here's an interview with Mark Hughes and his brother Corey Hughes (one of the protest organizers).



What he says about carrying the rifle is that it's his second amendment right. The fact that Philando Castile was shot by police while in legal possession of a gun is also mentioned.

(07-08-2016, 06:13 PM)HairOfTheDog Wrote: Here's an interview with Mark Hughes and his brother Corey Hughes (one of the protest organizers).

Wow. I watched. I feel a rant bubbling.

(07-08-2016, 06:22 PM)Duchess Wrote:

(07-08-2016, 06:13 PM)HairOfTheDog Wrote: Here's an interview with Mark Hughes and his brother Corey Hughes (one of the protest organizers).

Wow. I watched. I feel a rant bubbling.

Well don't hold back! What part of it makes you wanna rant?

(07-08-2016, 06:27 PM)HairOfTheDog Wrote: Well don't hold back! What part of it makes you wanna rant?

They did the right thing and were treated like criminals anyway. I get there were heightened tensions and it wasn't exactly the time for niceties, I even understand there must be protocol but they deserved more. The cops don't care that guy's picture is out there, there is no regard for his life, none. I don't know if his picture is still being presented to the world as a suspect right now but it was still up a couple hours ago, one of the NBC reporters commented on it.

I'm glad the one brother was so articulate. I hope many people got to see what he said and I hope the word circulates so it's known those guys aren't guilty of anything. Personally, I'd get the hell out of Dodge for awhile.

I'll never know what black people go through but it doesn't keep me from having empathy for many of them. I think a black life is probably harder than my life when it comes to simply living and going about my day. The mother that had told her son to comply, comply, comply, was not the first black mother I've heard say that, or something similar.

I was irate but now I just feel sad :(

^ Yeah, even after Mark Hughes did the smart and right thing by voluntarily turning his rifle over to police immediately after shots rang out, the police put him in danger by circulating his photo and identifying him as a suspected cop killer.

I too understand that it was a chaotic time for police, but I'm sure glad he wasn't shot down by a cop or a vigilante when he was a mistakenly 'wanted' man who was assumed to be armed and dangerous.

Hughes would have been safer not to carry the rifle to the protest at all, in my opinion. But, his second amendment rights and state carry rights are no less than anybody else's.

(07-08-2016, 06:54 PM)Duchess Wrote: The mother that had told her son to comply, comply, comply, was not the first black mother I've heard say that, or something similar.

White people tell their kids that too. I know I have.

(07-08-2016, 07:12 PM)HairOfTheDog Wrote: Hughes would have been safer not to carry the rifle to the protest at all, in my opinion. But, his second amendment rights and state carry rights are no less than anybody else's.

Agreed.

When I saw that my first thought was to wonder what there was around to be afraid of. If someone is so uncomfortable out in public that they need to carry around an AR-15 then they should probably stay the hell at home.

The Killing of Alton Sterling -- Baton Rouge, Louisiana

I didn't have a chance to post specifics regarding the Alton Sterling case earlier this week, but it's been referenced in a couple of threads.

Here's some background:

1. Alton was a 37-year-old father of five who sold CDs outside a Baton Rouge mini-mart.

2. The store owner describes Alton as a friendly and mellow dude who never had any confrontations during the two years that he sold CDs outside the store.

3. On Tuesday of this week, a homeless man called 911 and complained about a man selling CDs outside the store. He said the man had a gun and and he'd told the homeless man that he needed to go away.

4. Two police officers responded. They pinned Alton up against a car in the parking lot. According to the store owner who taped the incident, Alton was asking police what he'd done wrong.

5. Police then pinned Alton on the ground. Alton was shot by police multiple times while he was restrained and he died at the scene.

6. In the cell video below, you can see the police restraining Alton, shooting him, and one of the cops removing something from Alton's pocket after he was shot; appears to be a gun.



7. The two officers involved had multiple previous complaints for excessive use of force. They say they were in fear for their lives when they shot Alton.

8. Alton had a felony record for carrying a gun while in possession of drugs (marijuana); there's no indication that was known by the responding officers.

9. The killing of Alton Sterling occured two days before the killing of Philando Castile; both incidents spurred last night's Dallas protests where a lone sniper with military training executed 5 police officers before he was bombed to death by police.

That one ^^^ bothers me more than the MN shooting because they actually had the guy restrained before shooting him, it looks like complete bullshit to me. Not that it makes it right, but at least in the MN shooting the cop wasn't sure what the guy was reaching for whether it was his wallet or gun and he panicked and lost his shit.

As for the guy with the AR-15, what good did that do for him other than inflate his ego and get him in trouble? He didn't protect anyone from the sniper with it did he?

All Rightey..
I sat up last night watching the events in Dallas unfold. That scene is about 4 miles from the neighborhood I grew up in, at least the early years so I know it well. What happened there was complete bullshit committed by yet another nuthatch with access to weapons. I don't know where he got them, but apparently he has a documented history of mental health issues.
This Mark Hughes character is an idiot, who in the blue fuck walks down the street with an AR on a sling right in the middle of a "Peaceful Protest"? Yes I know its his right, but just because you can does not mean you should, at some point common sense Should kick in. So he does something colossally stupid, gets his pic on the news and now wants an apology? Seriously? I am glad he did not get shot, and at least he had the good sense to get with the popo and get straight before it got completely stupid. Now he needs to go home, pray to jesus and thank him that he is still alive today.
The guy that got killed in Wi, or MI, wherever, thats a shame. I think the cop was poorly trained and probably scared, maybe he is scared of blacks, I don't know, but hopefully he will be off the street and never carry a weapon again. I don't think he is an indication of some nation wide conspiracy to kill blacks though.
The asshole in Louisiana is another matter. He is a career long criminal, at least wannabe gang banger and general all around POS. He was threatening people on the street with a gun, the cops came, he Chose to fight rather than comply, continued to fight after he was pinned, had a gun in his pocket he was apparently trying to get to even after the cops had a weapon in his chest he kept fighting. WTF did he expect was going to happen?
I don't blame people for being pissed about the guy up north, fair enough. But to hitch your wagon to yet another michael brown or trayvon is just stupid. Its not a perfect world out there, there are a lot of assholes and thats who the police have to deal with day in day out. Some cops should be janitors, some should even be in jail.
I don't think all the stuff in here about Dallas should be in this thread, it diminishes the police involved and they did nothing to deserve that. I think they should have their own or in the Officer Down thread.
I have friends on the Dallas PD, they are all ok though.
RIP to the others

(07-08-2016, 09:26 PM)SIXFOOTERsez Wrote: I don't think all the stuff in here about Dallas should be in this thread, it diminishes the police involved and they did nothing to deserve that. I think they should have their own or in the Officer Down thread.

What happened in Dallas occurred at a protest related to the Louisiana and Minnesota killings, Six. Why do you think discussing it should be off limits in that context in this thread?

No one in this thread has said a negative word about the brave officers who lost their lives protecting the Dallas crowd, only RIPs and the fact that what happened to them was terrible. I don't feel they have been diminished in any way.

Cannongal posted the names and pictures of the fallen Dallas officers as soon as they were released in the "Officer Down" thread. You can post about them there anytime you choose, of course.

I suspect there will be updates on the wounded officers, funeral announcements and more information/tributes tomorrow which I'll post in that thread, unless you or someone else does so first.

I'm very glad your friends are okay.

Six, I agree with you.

Every police shooting should be looked at individually and let's see if the cops acted within their rights.

The Eric Garner beat down is another one that makes me sick. 6 cops jump on the guy, he's unarmed, and essentially choke him to death.

Michael Brown? He had it coming. The guy in Louisiana, if what you say is true, I agree with your take.

The guy here in MN didn't deserve to be executed.

I do not mean to imply that anyone in here is trashing the Dallas cops, it just feels wrong to talk about them in This thread. I saw the posts in the other thread, thanks to Cannongal and appreciated that.
I understand that in some minds the killing in Mn and La are related and that provided their deluded justification for killing officers in Dallas, I just do not agree with the entire sentiment that blacks (or anyone else for that matter) have some god given right to declare war on the rest of society for perceived slights to their side of the fence.

Thanks for the well wishes

I respect your feelings, Six. However, I don't share them.

I have no concerns that people at Mock are too dense to discuss relevant and related topical issues unless every discussion point fits precisely with the thread title connotation.

There are a shitload of good cops in this country, and there is a significant but much smaller number of piece-of-shit cops who use a badge to hurt the people they're sworn to serve (and thus hurt good cops by association).

Assuming all controversial killing of blacks by police officers is due to racism is ignorant. Likewise, pretending there isn't a contingency of police officers who are unfit and/or power hungry abusers (some of whom harbor racial biases) is equally ignorant, in my view.

The black race did not declare war or kill the five Dallas PD officers. A sole gunman did. That black military-trained gunman was immediately condemned by the (black and non-black) protesters. He hurt their cause and he killed people without justification, which is exactly what the protesters oppose.

The Dallas protesters are no more responsible for the black American sniper's actions than are the white people here at Mock and elsewhere who consistently paint all black Americans as a lazy scourge for the actions of Dylann Roof. The Dallas protesters are no more responsible for the black sniper's actions than are the millions of peaceful American Muslim for the atrocities committed by Syed Farook and Omar Pateen. Etc.

If we get to a point in this country where peaceful protest and freedom of speech is discouraged and blamed for the violent actions of unhinged individuals who attach themselves to a cause, I think we'll have even bigger problems than those being protested and spoken against now.

(07-09-2016, 04:34 AM)HairOfTheDog Wrote: If we get to a point in this country where peaceful protest and freedom of speech is discouraged and blamed for the violent actions of unhinged individuals who attach themselves to a cause, I think we'll have even bigger problems than those being protested and spoken against now.

Tis my opinion that we may get to that point faster than we want to, because I don't see a clear definition of 'peaceful protest'.

Call me crazy, but I don't see how 1,000 people walking onto a highway, & stopping traffic is 'peaceful'. In this instance, you are disrupting someone else's life because of your own belief. When you disrupt someone else's life, it generally causes anger, and the cycle of violence begins.

(07-09-2016, 05:34 AM)cannongal Wrote:

(07-09-2016, 04:34 AM)HairOfTheDog Wrote: If we get to a point in this country where peaceful protest and freedom of speech is discouraged and blamed for the violent actions of unhinged individuals who attach themselves to a cause, I think we'll have even bigger problems than those being protested and spoken against now.

Tis my opinion that we may get to that point faster than we want to, because I don't see a clear definition of 'peaceful protest'.

Call me crazy, but I don't see how 1,000 people walking onto a highway, & stopping traffic is 'peaceful'. In this instance, you are disrupting someone else's life because of your own belief. When you disrupt someone else's life, it generally causes anger, and the cycle of violence begins.

Agree, taking away someone else's right to free passage is wrong, and not peaceful!

(07-09-2016, 05:34 AM)cannongal Wrote:

(07-09-2016, 04:34 AM)HairOfTheDog Wrote: If we get to a point in this country where peaceful protest and freedom of speech is discouraged and blamed for the violent actions of unhinged individuals who attach themselves to a cause, I think we'll have even bigger problems than those being protested and spoken against now.

Tis my opinion that we may get to that point faster than we want to, because I don't see a clear definition of 'peaceful protest'.

Call me crazy, but I don't see how 1,000 people walking onto a highway, & stopping traffic is 'peaceful'. In this instance, you are disrupting someone else's life because of your own belief. When you disrupt someone else's life, it generally causes anger, and the cycle of violence begins.

I don't think you're crazy; traffic jams irritate me too.

But, traffic and occasional disruptions to my daily activities don't make me (or other mentally and emotionally sound people) angry or violent.

The protesters are trying to affect change and draw attention to what they see as a very serious problem; a problem that many people don't want to see or address.

If the protests aren't violent and protesters don't destroy/steal property, then I consider them "peaceful". I've seen a lot of peaceful protests and I've seen some riots - I don't find it hard to differentiate the two.

An existing longstanding cycle of system-sanctioned violence and discrimination at the hands of some police officers and departments is what's being protested. I wouldn't attempt to discourage anyone from protesting a systematic problem because I'm less likely to be affected by it than are they, or because some disgruntled and unsound people might use the protests as justification to go off.

Anyway, I don't agree with every one of the protest points and assertions. But, I understand why some people are protesting and respect their right to do so, even if it inconveniences some other people.

I wouldn't begrudge them their peaceful protest. Many, if not all, communities know of these protests in advance so it's easy enough to avoid those areas.

(07-09-2016, 10:25 AM)HairOfTheDog Wrote:

(07-09-2016, 05:34 AM)cannongal Wrote:

(07-09-2016, 04:34 AM)HairOfTheDog Wrote: If we get to a point in this country where peaceful protest and freedom of speech is discouraged and blamed for the violent actions of unhinged individuals who attach themselves to a cause, I think we'll have even bigger problems than those being protested and spoken against now.

Tis my opinion that we may get to that point faster than we want to, because I don't see a clear definition of 'peaceful protest'.

Call me crazy, but I don't see how 1,000 people walking onto a highway, & stopping traffic is 'peaceful'. In this instance, you are disrupting someone else's life because of your own belief. When you disrupt someone else's life, it generally causes anger, and the cycle of violence begins.

I don't think you're crazy; traffic jams irritate me too.

But, traffic and occasional disruptions to my daily activities don't make me (or other mentally and emotionally sound people) angry or violent.

The protesters are trying to affect change and draw attention to what they see as a very serious problem; a problem that many people don't want to see or address.

If the protests aren't violent and protesters don't destroy/steal property, then I consider them "peaceful". I've seen a lot of peaceful protests and I've seen some riots - I don't find it hard to differentiate the two.

An existing longstanding cycle of system-sanctioned violence and discrimination at the hands of some police officers and departments is what's being protested. I wouldn't attempt to discourage anyone from protesting a systematic problem because I'm less likely to be affected by it than are they, or because some disgruntled and unsound people might use the protests as justification to go off.

Anyway, I don't agree with every one of the protest points and assertions. But, I understand why some people are protesting and respect their right to do so, even if it inconveniences some other people.

I don't want to discourage the protests either. I just think there better places for them, such as the white house (Which I know they are having one there) or state capital buildings, governors houses etc.

What you may consider a minor irritant or inconvenience is a big deal to some.

In January of 2015, people that said they represented the BLM movement, chained themselves to barrels of cement, and effectively shut down I 93 in Boston and jammed up traffic in surrounding towns for a good portion of the day.

During that day very few people could get in or out of Boston. Dr's appointments were missed, VA appointments were missed (but hey, what's another 3 month wait, right?) . Scheduled surgeries had to be postponed, and 4 ambulances had to be diverted to other (maybe even less equipped to handle the emergency) hospitals. I think a baby was born in that traffic jam, too.

There was a lot of anger towards BLM that day. It showed up in my facebook feed for days. Just because you can be rational in times of stress, doesn't mean everyone can.

Clang went to prison for beating the shit out of a construction worker with a traffic cone just because they blocked a side road, could you imagine if he had to get through a BLM protest right after work?