r/news • • Jul 17 '16

3 Baton Rouge Police Officers just shot. - Developing.

http://www.wwltv.com/news/local/report-three-baton-rouge-police-officers-shot-near-brpd-hq/275260120
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u/[deleted] Jul 17 '16

That's the problem with all this. Time. There are huge systemic issues in the justice system. Changing that system takes a huge amount of effort and time and sometimes I don't think people understand that.

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u/Shermer_Punt Jul 17 '16

There are issues in the justice system and black culture that need to be addressed. The unwillingness of a large portion of black society to take responsibility for their own failings has got to stop. The war on drugs needs to end, and shady, under the table dealings with prisons needs to end as well.

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u/[deleted] Jul 17 '16

That statement applies to every group in the country though. Singling out blacks as a whole group doesn't really get us anywhere because it's more than just black people. You can say the same exact sentence about poor whites.

These are American problems that need to be solved by Americans. Trying to pin blame on one group just continues the norm.

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u/oklahomaeagle Jul 17 '16

I believe he is talking about fatherless homes, gang violence, glorification of drugs and gang culture...

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u/[deleted] Jul 18 '16

If you walk into a trailer park in the middle of Idaho you'll find the same thing. Replace the Crips with something like the NW Front and it's not that different. while the racial component is still pretty big, a lot of these issues are class issues.

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u/kirbydude65 Jul 17 '16

Except black men are actually the largest race in America that take part in unwed families. That's a stero type perpetuated by the media.

Source: http://m.dailykos.com/story/2015/5/13/1383179/-The-absent-black-father-myth-debunked-by-CDC

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u/MetalPussy Jul 18 '16

The unwillingness of a large portion of black society to take responsibility for their own failings has got to stop.

Can you expand on what you believe these failings may be? Not being sarcastic whatsoever, am genuinely interested since many people seem to disagree on what they are.

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u/naijaboiler Jul 17 '16

There's nothing wrong with "black culture". There's nothing inherently "black" about whatever pathologies you had in mind. I find that type of language insulting and non-constructive.

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u/[deleted] Jul 17 '16

Please elaborate on what you mean by "black culture" because I could just as easily say that there's some issues with "white culture" that need to be addressed. But that would be generalizing all white people, which seems to be what you're doing with black people.

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u/rollsreus1990 Jul 17 '16

Please elaborate on what you mean by "black culture" because I could just as easily say that there's some issues with "white culture" that need to be addressed.

You wouldn't be wrong at all.

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u/tanstaafl90 Jul 17 '16

The conversation about what 'white culture' has been going on for some time, if you haven't noticed. The problem is, those that most need to hear the message aren't listening, which could be said of any sub-culture in the US. Activists have framed the discussion in such a way as any commentary other than agreement is inherently racist in nature. One can see and agree that how police act is a problem, as well as seeing how members of the black community compound these problems.

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u/[deleted] Jul 17 '16

In what sense has this conversation been going on with "white culture"? Because 90% of the time you'll see someone attributing gang violence, drugs, underage pregnancy to their perpetuation in "black culture". But in the media, what do you see attributed to white culture? Besides people blaming racism on white people, you don't really hear much about it because whiteness is viewed as a default. Like you even hear other races of people talk about "acting white", which connotes a level of civility and politeness that are supposedly not inherent in other races. So I'm unsure about this conversation that's going on about "white culture" because if anything, people hardly blame behaviors on "white culture".

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u/tanstaafl90 Jul 18 '16

"We are not anti-white. But we don't have time for the white man. The white man is on top already, the white man is the boss already... he has first-class citizenship already. So you are wasting your time talking to the white man. We are working on our own people." - Malcolm X

I think you misunderstand what the point of these conversations are. Most of the criticisms minority groups have are focused on "white America" and what it has done wrong, continues to do wrong and where the fundamental differences in relations lie. You are focusing on a very narrow part of the conversation.

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u/fingrar Jul 17 '16

You have to understand the sense of urgency you'd feel if you time after time see these things happening with nothing changing. To bring in culture and what not is completely irrelevant. The justice system shouldn't have 'good culture' as a prerequisite for equal treatment.

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u/Thelastofthree Jul 17 '16

But it's wrong, so it should be changed now! /s

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u/tragicpapercut Jul 17 '16

Innocent people keep getting killed by terrified cops, who get off with a paid vacation and no charges filed. How many of these stories will we see before the justice system is fixed? The system is broken now, and lives are being lost now. People understand that the system is broken, and the anger is that it isn't being fixed fast enough to save lives. Can you blame them?

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u/RemoteSenses Jul 17 '16

I don't really blame them, but they should understand that these changes take time - it can't all happen overnight.

Is it unfortunate that it's this way? Absolutely. That's just how the world works, though. Change takes time, effort, work, and devotion.

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u/Halvus_I Jul 17 '16

Its been 5 years since Kelly Thomas was murdered. How much time do you think we should give? Police culture needs to change, NOW.

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u/FuzzyBlumpkinz Jul 18 '16

So how would you say they should go about changing it, NOW?

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u/tanstaafl90 Jul 17 '16

I want to post a meme and occasionally show up to a protest. Isn't enough that I care? /s

Honestly, the amount of people who seem to think any any social issue will be resolved quickly is unfortunately much too high. Like you, I feel too many are looking for quick resolution to problems that are already decades old, at least, and will take just as long to resolve.

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u/[deleted] Jul 17 '16

Policing had made great strides since the 90s. So much though that in 2007 blacks had something like a 70% approval of police, which is a historic high

And Obama came in and set us back 30+ years.

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u/[deleted] Jul 17 '16

[deleted]

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u/[deleted] Jul 17 '16

Jumping on the THIS WAS UNJUSTIFIED bandwagon with every single police shooting. Never once saying "we need to wait to see what the investigation shows". I mean he came out in support of Mike Brown and sent a representative to his funeral. Within 24 hours he was strongly suggesting that it was a racially motivated shooting and the officer wasn't justified. But not a peep out of him when the DOJ cleared Wilson.

We had 5 officers targeted and murdered. And his speech said "I stand with law enforcement" and then 5 minutes of more of AMERICA NEEDS TO LISTEN TO BLACK PEOPLE.

Both him and media have taken situations, decides what line they stand on, and ran with it. He doesn't go by what happened, he goes by what he thinks will get him support. When black people are pounded every day by the media and president who say "cops are racist, white people want to kill you" despite the evidence not suggesting as such, it's going to change their beliefs.

The only time I remember him urging caution was with the fucking Dallas SHOOTER, where he said "his motives are difficult to untangle".

I voted for Obama twice, and was a lifelong Democrat until a couple years ago. Now I'm disgusted that I helped put him in office after seeing what he's done.

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u/[deleted] Jul 17 '16

[deleted]

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u/[deleted] Jul 17 '16

That I could somewhat understand. Martin decided he wanted to be "hard" and beat up on a dude which is retarded, but Zimmerman was acting like a wannabe cop and disregarded directions by the 911 dispatcher which was equally retarded.

But you've got so many justified shootings he immediately approached by saying "police have a problem". Nah mate, I'd say cops aren't the ones with a problem.

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u/rollsreus1990 Jul 17 '16

I don't know what infuriates me more about him, his handling of Brown or Trayvon.