White Folks, Listen Up and Let Me Tell You What Ferguson Is All About

[mystery-ak]

http://blog.chron.com/texassparkle/2014/08/white-folks-listen-up-and-let-me-tell-you-what-ferguson-is-all-about/

White Folks, Listen Up and Let Me Tell You What Ferguson Is All About
Posted on August 24, 2014 | By Kathleen McKinley   

Both sides lined up pretty much as expected over the death of Michael Brown in Ferguson. Social media is full of people on both sides making presumptions, and believing what they want to believe.

But it’s the white folks that don’t understand what this is all about. You see, Ferguson wasn’t about Michael Brown specifically, just like the outrage over Trayvon Martin’s death wasn’t about Trayvon Martin specifically. Let me put it as simply as I can for you.

I have three sons ages 17-27. I am a worry wart. I worry about everything every time they walk out the door, but the one thing I have never had to worry about is that they would be shot by a policeman, or even another teenager. If my sons were black, I would.

That’s it. Black moms across America have that pinprick of fear in the back of their hearts every time their sons leave the house. Every. Time. Because even if you’re black and live in a upper income area, and your son is a star basketball player and makes good grades, you know the cop doesn’t know that. The cop only knows what he deals with every day.

I know what many of you thinking. You are thinking, “Your sons probably don’t rob stores of cigars or beat up on a neighborhood watchman.” Well, I’ve been on this earth long enough to know that almost all boys between the ages of 14-21 do stupid things.

My boys just don’t get shot for doing them.

No matter how wrong you think Trayvon Martin or Michael Brown were, I think we can all agree they didn’t deserve to die over it.  I want you white folks to understand that this is where the anger is coming from. You focused on the looting, but it was the mothers in the protests who they should have been shown on video over and over. Because their numbers are great, and their fear is greater.

We can talk all day about the problems in the poor black community, and the causes, and we might agree on some, and disagree on many. You all know where I stand on that. For all of you (and I include white liberals who pretend they don’t think the same) who ask why doesn’t the black community care about the hundreds and hundreds of murders of black boys in cities like Chicago that are killed by other black boys every year?  They do. THEY DO. Maybe Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson can’t line their pockets with rallies in Chicago protesting black on black murders, but the people living in those communities ARE OUTRAGED. They are outraged every single day. They are trapped in these pockets of horror we call the inner city, and they have big birthday cake on their son’s 18th birthday because their son MADE it to 18.

The black community listens to men like Al Sharpton, because who else is standing up for them?? A leadership void is always filled, and if a leader doesn’t show up, a charlatan does.

So, In the Michael Brown shooting, both sides can just stop trying to make the cop the villain, or the hero. Stop making Michael Brown the innocent boy or the “thug.” You can blame the system, you can blame it on “white privilege,” you can blame it on gangs, you can blame it on the Democrats or the Republicans. I’m at a point where I don’t think we can have a discussion on the root causes, because no one wants to listen to the other side. In my humble opinion, those who care have it wrong, and the rest just don’t care.

Anyway, I just wanted you white folks to know what this was really about. The protests and the anger.

It’s about that pinprick of fear in a mother’s heart, and an 18th birthday.

[massadvj]

Sister, we all fear the police overstepping their authority.  But based on statistics, your fears are misplaced.  Your fear that your black teenager might get killed by another black teenager, however, is not misplaced, based on crime statistics.  Now, how the hell are you going to alleviate that fear without a police force?  Hmmm?

[andy58-in-nh]

Losing a child, regardless of circumstances, is the most devastating thing that can happen to a parent. His grieving mother deserves our sympathy.

But let me tell you what Ferguson, at its root, is all really about: where, and who is Michael Brown's father?

[240B]

The way the Black culture is presenting themselves, you would think they want "Black law". That is to say that out of the dozens of ethinic people in America, the American Black want themselves to be 'separate and special'. They do not want to have to obey the normal rules and laws of society. They want to place themselves on some level above of what is expected of every other American no matter who you are or what color you are. Blacks consider themselves to be 'special' somehow.
 
It is common knowledge that a Black thug is a thousand times more likely to be armed than is any other citizen. It is common knowledge that a Black thug is a thousand times more likely to resist and attack "POe-leeez" than any other common citizen. Saying that COPs and White people in general should not be alert when dealing with young Blacks that they do not know, is like saying that it is racist to say that fire is hot.
 
When you deal with a Black thug and get burned, and then you deal with another Black thug and get burned, and then you deal with another Black thug and get burned, eventually you learn that fire is hot. It is not "racist" to say that if you put your hand in a fire, you will get burned. It is not racist to say that the large majority of young urban Black guys are f**king dangerous. These guys will hurt you, and they don't care one bit what color your skin is.
 
Prejudice exists for a reason. In every other culture other than idiot Liberal America, prejudice is called 'experience'. It is is not a question of hating a 'race' or the color of somebody's skin, it is a question of looking out for people who will hurt you. It is idiotic to deny reality. We have to face what is.
 
Until Blacks stop acting like fools and stop killing each other and everybody else, nothing is going to change.

[speekinout]

Losing a child, regardless of circumstances, is the most devastating thing that can happen to a parent. His grieving mother deserves our sympathy.

But let me tell you what Ferguson, at its root, is all really about: where, and who is Michael Brown's father?

Interesting question. And another parallel to the Trayvon case. Michael Brown Sr. is visible now, but we don't know how much he interacted with his son. He certainly didn't live with Jr & his mother. Michael Brown Jr was living with his grandmother at the time of his death.
So, neither Trayvon nor Michael had a home with a mother and father, and neither of them were living with a parent at the time of their death.
Young boys without a stable home are much more likely to have problems than boys from a stable home, no matter what their race. We know that, but we'd prefer to spend time talking about racism than to try to do something about making sure kids have a stable home. It's an easier subject to deal with.

[sinkspur]

Losing a child, regardless of circumstances, is the most devastating thing that can happen to a parent. His grieving mother deserves our sympathy.

But let me tell you what Ferguson, at its root, is all really about: where, and who is Michael Brown's father?

If that question is intended to be generic, inserting the name of the random black boy in place of Michael Brown's, you have a point.

But Michael Brown's father was present, married to his mother,  in the home. From all appearances, the young man was doing well.  Graduated from high school and was taking remedial classes this summer so he could go to college. He smoked marijuana (no longer an arrestable offense in most states) and was likely stealing cheap cigars so he could use them for smoking other substances. 

Unfortunately, his encounter with Darren Wilson--an officer who probably never had a run in with anybody--ended with the loss of his life. No doubt Brown was aggressive with Wilson but there are questions about why Wilson decided to pursue Brown with his gun drawn.  Likely, Wilson will be cleared, as a grand jury will find he was "in fear for his life." 

But Wilson's life has been changed, too.  He will never be able to work in Ferguson again, and he may never get hired at any other department.  His life in Law Enforcement is over.  All because PD's have a policy of active pursuit (my nephews tell me that's what they're taught), and always pursue with gun drawn or your hand on your gun.  That's why so many dogs get shot in their own environment:  cops hopped up on adrenaline and, not thinking clearly, they clear away any obstacle.

The mood is changing in America.  Citizens want the MWRAPS and camouflage to be used rarely, if ever.  They want the cops to dial down confrontations, and they're sick to death of lethal force being used when there are other means to resolve a situation. 

Stop shooting citizens, stop shooting dogs. Put FEDEX delivery men on the police force, and there'd be a helluva lot fewer dead people and dogs.