RACISM IN AMERICA

[username]

I'll give BBH a big AMEN to those comments. I haven't been watching t.v. much. There was a story about a kid on the ground one day saying "help....I can't breathe" (he was being held by a cop) and then the Brown case. Two separate cases, right?

[blueberryhill]

Username, I have missed you. You are such a good writer(like Hair), entertaining, interesting, humorous, witty, etc. I assume life has interfered with your posts. Me too, although have had a little more time lately. Anyway, these are two different cases, I think. One involved a big black guy who died because of having a cop ( in New York maybe?) do a chokehold on him and he told cop he couldn't breathe and guess he died shortly after. If you had TV on at all last week on any of news channels, it was all about Michael Brown and how he was a true victim in this. Well, I shouldn't say any news channel, I only had CNN turned on. I don't watch it, but I have it tuned to news while I am doing my chores. I thought what did he do to deserve this adulation. Is that the right word?
Not sure and too lazy to look up... I do hope you and your kids are all o.k. (and the dog, too).

[LytoMe]

I see what you are trying to say, but on the other hand a "weapon" can mean many things such as hands, fists, feet, knives, guns, etc. A person can kill you with their hands, and if the officers account is correct Brown was assaulting the officer with his hands that were being used as weapons.

LOL can you tell I work for a lawyer....

[HairOfTheDog]

HATE CRIMES & RACISM IN AMERICA

Sometimes I struggle with whether a federal hate crimes statute is necessary.

I often read comments pushing for hate crime charges when a white person kills a black one, a black person kills a white one, a Muslim commits crimes in the US, a transgender person is killed...

Most of the time when I read the details of the stories, the crimes weren't motivated by hate, but instead motivated by greed, betrayal, opportunity, revenge, fear stemming from subconscious bias... Those aren't hate crimes.

But, I do think one or more of the perps in the beating of Steven Utash was likely guilty of a hate crime. And, without a doubt, the assholes who murdered James Craig Anderson in Mississippi committed a hate crime. In his case, I'm glad the federal statute was applied because not only will the 6 guys involved in his murder be going to jail, but the two bitches who incited it will do at least a little bit of jail time too. Very sad story that's wrapping up after 3 years of investigation.

Snip:
Two Brandon women have pleaded guilty to federal hate crime charges in connection with a series of racially-motivated assaults on African Americans, which culminated in the death of James Craig Anderson in 2011.

Shelbie Brooke Richards and Sarah Adelia Graves, both 21, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Jackson to one count of conspiracy to violate the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act for their roles in a scheme to target African Americans in Jackson for violent assaults with dangerous weapons, including their roles in the murder of Anderson, who was run over by a Ford F250 truck driven by members of the conspiracy.

"The continuing investigation into the events surrounding the vicious murder of James Craig Anderson that resulted in today's guilty pleas demonstrates that the Department of Justice will vigorously pursue justice for every victim of racially-motivated violence," said Acting Assistant Attorney General Vanita Gupta for the Civil Rights Division. "No person should have to fear that they will be attacked because of the color of their skin as they walk the streets of their own city. We will continue to use the tools at our disposal to ensure that racial equality in America is a reality as well as an ideal."

Richards and Graves admitted that, beginning in the spring of 2011, they and others conspired with one another to harass and assault African Americans in west Jackson. On numerous occasions, the co-conspirators used dangerous weapons including beer bottles, sling shots and motor vehicles to cause and attempt to cause bodily injury to African-Americans.

They would specifically target African-Americans they believed to be homeless or under the influence of alcohol because they believed that such individuals would be less likely to report an assault.

The co-conspirators would often boast about these racially motivated assaults. Richards and Graves admitted that on June 26, 2011, they encouraged their co-conspirators to leave Brandon with them to assault "niggers," in Jackson. Richards further admitted that she encouraged her co-conspirator Deryl Paul Dedmon to hit Anderson with his truck.


^James Craig Anderson, murder victim. ^Deryl Dedmon, murderer.

Defendants Deryl Paul Dedmon (he ran over Anderson after he and his accomplices beat Anderson outside of a hotel), John Aaron Rice, Dylan Wade Butler, William Kirk Montgomery, Jonathan Kyle Gaskamp, and Joseph Dominick, all from Brandon, have previously entered guilty pleas in connection with their roles in these offenses. They have yet to be sentenced.

http://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/.../20331827/

[Duchess]

Lock 'em up & throw away the key. The filthy bastards.

There is so much awfulness everywhere these days. I don't know how people get to the point that they hate simply because of the color of one's skin.

[HairOfTheDog]

Lock 'em up & throw away the key. The filthy bastards.

There is so much awfulness everywhere these days. I don't know how people get to the point that they hate simply because of the color of one's skin.

These assholes are very young; probably raised around that kind of idiocy. Going out in a mob "hunting" for weak vulnerable black people for a little weekend fun is some truly ignorant hateful bullshit.

Snip:
Yesterday, U.S. District Judge Carlton Reeves sentenced Deryl Paul Dedmon to 50 years; John Aaron Rice to 18 ½ years; and Dylan Wade Butler to seven years on the most serious of the counts against them, commission of a hate crime. Dedmon, 22, Rice, 21, and Butler, 23, are all from Brandon, Mississippi.

Dedmon also faces two life sentences in state prison. He pleaded guilty in a Mississippi court in 2012 to capital murder and hate crime.

"What these people did was ugly, painful and sad and criminal," Reeves said.

All three, wearing red prison jumpsuits and shackled at the waist and ankles, took to a podium to apologize to members of Anderson's family for their actions. "I want to tell the Anderson family how truly sorry I am," Dedmon said.

The apologies came after an impassioned condemnation of their actions from Anderson's sister. Barbara Anderson Young said her brother's death came "at the hands of these strangers with eyes full of hatred." She said her brother "helplessly fought to stay alive" as he was attacked by people he did not know. "May God have mercy on your sinful souls," Young said.

Before sentencing the three, Reeves told the courtroom that the Anderson's death reflected the "inhumanity of racism" with which Mississippi has dealt throughout its history.

Seven others are awaiting sentencing.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/3-sentenced-...ss-attack/

[HairOfTheDog]

Racial Bias and Law Enforcement in America



James Comey ^ made an unprecedented speech about policing and race issues at Georgetown University today - becoming the first director of the FBI to speak at length about the issue.

Police can make 'sinister associations' when dealing with black men and American police are facing a 'crossroads' in race relations, the director of the FBI has warned.

Mr Comey made the speech, called ‘Hard Truths: Law Enforcement and Race’, at a time when racial tensions with police in America are high.

James Comey, director of the FBI, said American police face a 'crossroads' with race relations as he admitted that police officers who work in areas where street crime is committed may hold biases towards blacks

Mr Coney admitted that officers had to acknowledge that ‘much of our history is not pretty’ and that they had to change.

He said police officers who work in neighborhoods where most street crime is committed by young black men may hold unconscious biases which means they can be tempted to take a 'mental shortcut' in dealing with suspicious situations.

'The two young black men on one side of the street look like so many others the officer has locked up,' he said.

'Two young white men on the other side of the street - even in the same clothes - do not. The officer does not make the same sinister association about the two white guys, whether that officer is white or black.'

More:
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/12/us/fbi....html?_r=0
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-...ities.html

[Maggot]

I can understand working in a high crime area and being careful with anyone that fits the description of a crook or previous interactions. Nobody wants to become a victim including cops. How does one know when the gun or knife will come out? If a persons guard goes down it could become a life or death situation. It's a tough call no matter how you look at it. An area known for crime will always be a place where anyone gets jittery.

[HairOfTheDog]

What did you think about President Obama's speech in Selma this weekend?

One part that I identified with is how much times have changed when it comes to the American public's overall value of the right to vote. Historically, people, like the blacks in Selma 50 years ago, have died in pursuit of it. Then and now, it's each individuals opportunity to help shape their present and future living environments in a democratic society. Yet, a large percentage of American citizens never go to the polls to cast their votes.

Here's the video and transcript of the speech.



Transcript: http://time.com/3736357/barack-obama-sel...ranscript/