The last thing I saw on the news was that officials fear the U.S. protests will increase the spread of the coronavirus after 3 months of trying to decrease the numbers through social distancing. Being in a crowd close together and shouting loudly without a mask, even outdoors, is risky. Then add in the tear gas being used by some police and military that causes coughing and runny noses and eyes, and you have a perfect storm for carriers to infect other people. The U.S. and other places in the world just can't catch a break with two huge catastrophies going on at the same time.
Watching the news makes me cry. Watching injustice and racism makes me weep. Watching the police and military and protestors hurt each other makes me despair. Watching deliberate destruction of our historical monuments and buildings, our cities and towns, and people's property and businesses makes me sob for our humanity, our morality, and our future. This is not the life I dreamed about for myself and our children's futures. God help us all.
We hadn't been watching the news for several weeks before this rioting started because it was Covid-19 24/7 and a bit frightening. You do all you can do and take all of the precautions but I don't want it shoved down my throat continually. Now, since the rioting and looting we have the news on the TV in the kitchen for most of the day. I'm so amazed to see the gangs of looters and thugs going from store to store looting and destroying. I heard on the radio this AM that there are trucks containing pallets and pallets of bricks being placed all over various places in cities where there is no construction going on. They're for the looters. Now the police are being shot. When is enough enough?
Another thing I heard on the TV last night was that various "movie stars" are contributing to the funds to bail the looter/thugs out of jail. What?? What about contributing to the little mom and pop businesses that were after being shut down for 2 or more months due to Covid-19 and now looted and burned? These people did nothing wrong but try to make a living. Just goes to prove that being a "movie star" and having money is no guarantee of having brains. Sorry, I don't mean to upset anyone.
Last Edit: Jun 2, 2020 9:37:24 GMT -7 by Banana Boat: eta
Post by truthandnothingbut on Jun 2, 2020 10:12:47 GMT -7
I’m a black woman. I’m a mother to black kids and a wife to a black man and let me tell you, this issue is clearly felt differently with me than it is with others.
Books have been our common ground and I’ve seen a lot of opinions on a lot of issues over the years that tell me that books are probably our only common ground (generational divides are there as well as I am under 40) and that is ok because books are an amazing escape from all things.
Protesting gets ugly, it’s been ugly for weeks, but now that it’s accompanied by a BLM movement and a hard look at the ugly side of our judicial system it’s apparently appalling.
There are so many people that die by the hands of police and there is almost no awareness for it. You hear a name or two and you may think that’s an anomaly, or black people are trouble makers, or even it’s a dangerous job. And people justify it by saying “he should have complied”.... “he was resisting” even when there is evidence that the person is killed within .02 seconds of the police entering the scene. Even when other situations are deescalated with effort or ease. Even when it’s a 11 year old boy or a 14 year old girl. Or a 60 year old man or a 30 year old unarmed teacher. Armed or unarmed, it’s always the same story. Resisting an arrest that shouldn’t be happening any damn way. Not responding to commands that are contradictorily being screamed by multiple people with guns pointed at you. The list goes on and from city to city. 😔 it’s a lot to have to deal with. It’s impossible to run from. So the expectation is that you live with this lot in life and hope you’re not the one on the news. Do you know i don’t call the police even under duress? My assumption is I’m going to have a second battle to deal with, them, it’s happened more than once. TO ME. First hand experiences. And to know that there are so many people who could professes to love all lives and yet not mine or those culturally in line with mine, that is a dagger to My whole body.
On more than one occasion I’ve had to put the police out of my home. I’ve had to come to the defense of my husband or boyfriend who have been harassed on a whim, I’ve been threatened and assaulted by the police (assault in that they have put their hands on me). From a young middle schooler all the way through adulthood.
Not enough good cops have stood up against the bad ones so yeah... I’m sure there is a lot of anti cop sentiment. My grandad was hopefully one of the good ones even. Peacefully taking a knee on sundays was considered bad protesting too.
I hope You all stay safe in this climate and never ever have to deal with some of the things your fellow humans have.
The bricks left by bus stations and stops appear out of nowhere, who is bringing and buying those bricks? I don't know about you but in order to buy the stacks of bricks around here you have to have decent chunk of change. From what I see around my neighboring city is that they are placing them in the poorer parts of town. Who in this pandemic with little to no work will spend almost $600 on stacks of bricks, when they could use that money to buy food and pay some of their rent and bills?
I took a walk around my neighborhood to see what the feeling all around was. I live in a decent part of town, most home owners here have small businesses and are scared of what will happen to their stores and restaurants. My own father is part owner of a restaurant and two other small businesses that are in a part of the city that has protesters (the losses have been big but if they reopen full time this month they could make up some of it) , he had an employee place bottled water for the protesters, and closed everything until Thursday. My dad is a tough man but he is a softy for youth, he says he sees his own kids in these young men and women. He has of course a lot of worries about the sites and the products, it's just now a matter of praying and waiting.
We are also worried since my younger brother is an essential worker and is working this whole week.
I know about the bail funds for the protesters, but I honestly don't know how it's going to work if everyone is just pushed together in the end. You can't tell who is who. I'm not against the bail money just how they are going to be able to set the two types of protesters apart. And maybe other celebs will now open a fund for the reconstruction of these small and essential shops.
It makes my heart hurt that part of learning to drive for my nephews has included many discussions on what to do if/when stopped by the police. My BIL is a trauma surgeon and was stopped in a manner so egregious that the Chief in his city himself called to apologize - because BIL is the one that those officers will want to be seen by if they are in the ER. There is much work to be done in this country. IMO it is STILL wrong to destroy neighborhood businesses.
I'm sorry, truthandnothingbut; I'm white but I grew up on the west side of Dayton, OH & attended what were mostly black schools. I saw a lot of this & knew many folks that dealt with what you're describing. Things were rough enough that friends taught me how to use a knife & just what a belt buckle can do to a person when swung properly. After all, I was hanging out with them; I must be just as bad, right? And yes, I got treated that way.
No, it is not fair, and yes, some people ought never be given authority or a gun. But it does not excuse the damaging & looting of those businesses! We watched it in the riots in the 60's & 70's, have watched it happen many times since & watching it now. I firmly believe in the right to protest, but under no circumstances do I believe in any right to destroy these businesses/properties. If anything, that just turns everyone against the whole protest and is no help, esp. to those folks that own that property, which may go out of business because this is the final straw. And that leaves the people living in the area without resources, adding to the urban desert.
I'm hoping that any money being donated for bail is being used for the protestors, and not for the looters. The problem may be determining which is which. But yes, they do need to find whomever is supplying bricks--if that's really happening or is it one of those online myths that spring up all the time anymore. Oh the joys of the online world!
Truthandnothingbut and mrsc your posts were hard to read and my heart was also hurting. I was a teacher of many children of different races for 30 years. Half of the population were black and hispanic at both of the schools where I worked. I saw the injustices done to minorities within the school system and I heard so many stories about family members of my students that are similar to yours, but I've never had to live it. I can't ever know the constant fear and anger that you and others have had to live with day to day. I wish it could be different.
I tried to take a stand or speak up when I saw racial prejudice amongst students or adults at work. I didn't always succeed, but I hope sometimes I made a difference in my little classroom. I'm at a loss as to how this can be healed and changed in our nation. I keep hoping and praying some kind of national legislation will change the justice system and all police systems so that everyone has equal protection under the law and the same standards for every human being. But first human beings have to have a change in their way of thinking and their hearts. And this is going to take a long time to happen if it ever does because it's been a huge problem for many, many years with very little change.
Banana Boat and Linviolet, I also wish that some of the wealthy celebrities would start a fund for the small businesses that have been destroyed by the violent looters that have taken advantage of the peaceful protests taking place. I can't imagine their pain and fear either.
I have been following the riots quite closely on Twitter and have seen videos of whites breaking windows, I have also seen videos of black men protecting businesses from protestors, a video of a police officer separated from his group protected by a group of black men. It is not getting much coverage up here but why it wouldn't in the US I don't know other that it is not good for ratings. And yes, I have seen violence by black men but I don't think I will ever forget the video of the elderly man with a cane pushed forward/down by a police officer because he wasn't moving fast enough, and the video of the police car driving down the street spraying people walking on the sidewalk, or the videos of the police cars driving into the crowd, backing up and speeding away.
As for the celebrities not helping the common man I have also read numerous reports of funds being raised by them for Food Banks and other organizations over the last three months. Others have donated money to other causes, Kim Kardashian has offered to pay the medical bills for a person who was injured. link Just because it isn't immediately reported doesn't mean it isn't happening. Could they be doing more? Possibly, but I find it highly ironic that people (not members of this forum) are telling celebrities to keep quiet, they don't want to hear from them but are now decrying because they are not hearing from them.
My late 1st cousin was a friend of Martin Luther King and walked with him in Selma. However I considered my cousin patronizing and arrogant especially when he would appear on local tv discussing human rights with civil right leaders and NAACP and I bet he never realized how he came across to me that he was being prejudice. I wish I could've spoke to him about his attitude but at the time we being many years apart in age and he was a dominant force in my family I didn't say anything. IMO there are a lot of people like my late cousin that just don't get it and think of it that he was a friend of Dr. King.
Here comes the sun even though I love that rainy day feeling!
I have been following the riots quite closely on Twitter and have seen videos of whites breaking windows, I have also seen videos of black men protecting businesses from protestors, a video of a police officer separated from his group protected by a group of black men.
Glad you mentioned black people helping and yes these positive stories are on tv in the US at least on the news channel I watch. As for the celebrities I do not pay any attention to them but the news I watch listed about 10 people with portrait photos giving funds to bail out protesters arrested for violence. Maybe they thought the arrested people were peaceful protesters!
Here comes the sun even though I love that rainy day feeling!
JaniceC I dislike the way the media stays silent when good things are being done by citizens. The people protecting those businesses won't be mentioned on the mainstream media, but in smaller portals and channels online. Its one of those moments when I love that cameras are everywhere and that social media isn't just a tool for fun and dumb stunts.
Natasha one of my professors was sort of like that, friends with Civil Rights activists and named dropped a lot too. I hated attending that particular class but I adore history and I couldn't take a Civil Rights class if I didn't take that class.
The Civil Rights class was one of the best I ever attended. The professor is one of my favorite people till this day, she teaches in a way that makes you understand that it's not just a simple movement or past history its that it's still relevant today.