Black Woman Accused of Lynching White Police Officer.

Sorry if this is a dupe.

A friend of mine sent this to me and included the following comment:

"The California law against lynching has been mostly used against demonstrators and union pickets who try to free arrested comrades from the police. Since the law was written to make it illegal to take prisoners from police custody and thus prevent their lynching by racists etc the implementation of the law was turned on its head to penalize people who tried to save people from unjust arrest. Now a woman and her daughter who tried to push past an abusive and racist couple to leave the park are both accused of "lynching"; a bizarre interpretation of the California anti-lynching law."

Here's an excerpt and a link:

Family experiences ‘nightmare’ at Pomona Fair; racial slurs, insults send family to court

By Shirley Hawkins
OW Staff Writer

What was supposed to be a day of family fun at the Pomona County Fair swiftly turned traumatic for Yolanda Davis and her three children when they were allegedly attacked by a police officer after a verbal confrontation with two fair goers.

http://www.ourweekly.com/default.asp?sourceid=&smenu=92&twindow=&mad=&sdetail=3865&wpage=1&skeyword=&sidate=&ccat=&ccatm=&restate=&restatus=&reoption=&retype=&repmin=&repmax=&rebed=&rebath=&subname=&pform=&sc=1172&hn=ourweekly&he=.com

scare the hell out of me. Why did the cop feel the need to handcuff this woman?

We're expected to be high-strung, over-dramatic and aggressive, so we don't get the same "tender care" points as other races of women. Everything we do is overexaggerated by witnesses and recipients whether they came out exaggerated or not. As a black female child, when I walked from a room, white teachers called it, "she STORMED out of the room"; when I answered a question without ebonics, I was "being uppity"; when I said no, I "asserted myself"; when I walked I "sashayed", when I ran I "hurtled", when I sat down I "flung myself angrily into a chair".

In the above situations Caucasian females were always the individuals describing my behavior. They were also the ones most carefully, critically watchful of everything I said or did. I hold nothing against them now, but this was the Deep South, and I wonder what their motives were.

In police or security situations, the black woman is routinely manhandled, shoved, twisted around and abused physically, because we are not viewed as feminine, and therefore not women. Watch most of the ways we're presented in the media: strong. Defiant. Lusty. Bossy. Assertive. Mouthy. We are nearly never presented as soft, delicate, feminine, tender, beautiful. Gentle sometimes, but always with a heavy dose of counterbalancing "strength". For this "strength" we are often praised by women on the Dem side, but being expected to keep it up all the time, we are offered little downtime or latitude (or permission?) to soften, be sweet, and be vulnerable.

A presentation of us in society as invulnerable, masculine and hyperaggressive creates fallout such as cops feeling they can hurl us around like heavy furniture. This story doesn't surprise me at all.

When I was sexually assaulted by a white man, the police told me I must be lying and it had to have been consensual. Their reasoning, which they articulated to me, is shown here verbatim: "Because white men don't want anything sexual from an African-American woman."

The white rapist was never investigated until he later raped a red-haired Caucasian woman.
This is the reality I live with, folks. I believe this woman's story because I've seen it.

And it's not just in the Deep South, either. This perception is pervasive.

It touches a raw nerve with me because I just had an incident at work where I was accused of being "riled up" over something stupid, when I was being reasonable.

believed. Sadly the second rape could have been prevented, but law enforcement failed to listen to you, the victim. I know how this feels, and thank you for bravely sharing such a private, traumatic moment.

and yours did it to me today. I don't even know what to say except that I am so tired of this that I am unable to articulate my anger and frustration.

Thank you for sharing this.

At the time I had no one to open that up to. It was years ago, and I've done the therapy, gotten over it, and even forgave the guy who set me up so his roommate could do that to me. I called him up and forgave him, and he was stunned. It's funny what time can do.

:grouphug:

my daughter. I think it should be seen by many women of color, and I cannot imagine going through something like this all my life.

You know? I used to think I wanted to be reincarnated..and believe in reincarnation...but lately (as I am getting much much older now)...I think I just want to be in a place where there is NO prejudice...NO wars...NO fighting....NO torture.....

Sure isn't America !!

After she broke up with her white fiancee because he was abusive he broke into her place and raped and stabbed her. When she reported it to the cops she was told, "Why would he be distraught over you when there are plenty of white women around he could have?" It was only because she complained to a relative that worked for a federal agency that anything was ever done. This isn't just a Southern problem or a thing of the past like many believe.

This is naive, but when I went through that, my world narrowed and I thought I was the only one. This is more widespread than I thought. Your poor friend. Please send her my post. She needs to see she's not the only one. God I needed that then. It's UNBELIEVABLE cops say these things to us. "You black whore. What would he want with YOU!" Um... obviously he wanted to rape us. Next question?

Thanks for posting that.

I'm sorry either of you had to go through that :hug:.

I wish our society had a better understanding of sex crimes, racism and problems with law enforcement because it's all more widespread and detrimental than many believe.

Shit like this turns my stomach. I'm glad your friend had someone to turn to to help her, but sad that she had to do that to get any action on it. And yes, it's not just a Southern thing. It's everywhere.

turn to a family member to help. Not just because she likes to be an independent person but because it certainly doesn't restore one's faith in the legal system. After the local police refused to help he left a voice mail promising to finish the job. It was then that she informed her relative of the threat. Luckily they caught him before he reached her but by then he had crossed state lines with an illegal gun and that's what he got most of his sentence because of. He assaulted his lawyer while locked up and his sentence for that was also longer than the time he will be serving for what he did to her. And of course nothing has happened to the cops for their handling of the situation.

That makes me so angry, I don't even know what to say. :banghead: :banghead: :banghead:

Nothing ever does. :(

is truly considered a prole. It is ugly, and the system is set up to perpetuate this attitude. I am sorry for all those that suffer from this gov't sponsored bigotry.

and the majority are honest hard working people but when so many people have had negative experiences with them or know people that have it's going to foster a constant mistrust. Just like you never know if that strange man offering you a drink has slipped something in it you don't know if you're dealing with a good cop. When I was 12 some white neighborhood kids broke into an abandoned building behind mine and asked if my brother and I if we wanted to go in it with them. We said no and told our mother who then called the cops. A minute before the arrived a black boy rode his bike by the place and not realizing what was going on started talking to them. When the cops came guess who was the only one they handcuffed? My mom starts screaming out the window about what really happened and then they let everyone go. So of course my mom then starts asking them why aren't they arresting the white kids or at the very least telling their parents what happened. Have I mentioned yet how much I love that woman :D. They weren't too happy though and told her to mind her business as they left. When something like this happens you can't turn to your kids who witnessed the whole thing and expect them to have blind faith in the legal system.

...always playing the race card. Dontcha know words are just words. :sarcasm: :eyes: :mad:

This will go right to the heart of the problem: as a non-black person, when you see a commercial or a motion picture that shows a stereotypical, negative portrayal of black women -- the mouthy, assertive, push-you-aside, overweight ghetto diva (Queen Latifah has played several of these in comedies recently) -- look up the production company or the product being advertised, and quietly send them an email letting them know:

1. You are non-black - if you're white, that's even better - tell them so
2. You notice black women are portrayed as superstrong and negative in their ad or movie
3. You take offense at it
4. You know many black women who do not fit that stereotype
5. You will not be going to, or taking your children to, that movie; or buying their product.

It's that simple. If enough non-black Americans stand up and let these media platforms know their depiction of black women is biased and inaccurate, the depiction will change, and we will see more depictions of black women AS WOMEN, so maybe it might filter down to some of the cops, and they will treat us with more physical dignity.

But PS, bear in mind: it's not only black women. White and Latina women get manhandled too. White women can sometimes be treated abysmally. I heard of a tasering incident that shocked me and also saw a white woman pulled over for a routine traffic stop, grabbed, and thrown down flat on her face like an animal. It pissed me off and I wrote in about it.

Also, check out the incident I post below.

I've been trying to grok this particular Hollywood pattern. The two polarities are "obstinate" and "fonts of (folkish) wisdom."

Even in "liberal"-y movies.

What gives? Or is that a rhetorical question?

Meanwhile: Great avatar, and footer quote, hsher!

You hit the polarities right on the head. I've noticed that, too - how we are only rarely depicted as simply normal and ordinary. We're either obstinate or the font of folkish wisdom, just like you said. But the sheer fact you've seen it and are articulating it is a blow against it. We need more people like you, Villager, continuing to notice and speak out about it.

Imagine how I feel as a black female producer constantly being passed over for feature directing while black guy directors are eagerly hired to depict me and my sisters as light-skinned, desirable booty hootchies or dark-skinned, overweight, hollering ghetto stoop pigeons; and white guys trot out the above two polarities you've mentioned. I, as a black woman, am seldom allowed in the director's chair to show a counterbalancing depiction of my kind as simply ordinary human beings. It approaches the infuriating.

Thank you for noticing that - and my footer quote! Boy do we need Joseph Welch today!

Edited to correctly spell infuriating

kinda like Jewish writers/directors always portraying Jewish women as screechy/spoiled etc.?

OMG I can't believe you saw this one!!!! Yes, yes indeed absolutely, that is so true. And then these same guys marry shiksehs! Look at Steven Spielberg's Indiana Jones movies and watch the portrayals of women in them change:

1. Raiders of The Lost Ark
Heroine: Marion Ravenwood
Depiction: dark-haired, intelligent, spunky
Wife at time: Amy Irving
Wife was: medium dark-haired, intelligent, spunky, and Jewish

2. Indiana Jones & The Temple of Doom
Heroine: Willie Scott
Depiction: blonde, idiotic, helpless, yet the last two were shown as charming
Wife at time: cheating Irving with Kate Capshaw, the romantic lead in his film
Mistress was: blonde, aggressive, played dumb, Gentile

3. Indiana Jones & The Last Crusade
Anti-heroine: Dr. Elsa Schneider
Depiction: blonde, dangerous, calculating, greedy and evil - yet last four were shown as inescapable sexual enticements, and Indy is swept into them like moth to flame (inexplicably, Indy, American hero, suddenly lusting after A FUCKING NAZI) - (?????)
Wife at time: Irving conquerer Kate Capshaw
Wife was: ...? Was he starting to wake up and see her in her true light...? ;)

Note that George Lucas ain't havin' none of that. Lucas is our hero: a Gentile boy who prefers Jewish women! His leading ladies are always Jewish, always intelligent. He has never starred a blonde in a single one of his films.


EDITED TO ADD: This is not a slam against blondes.

And would this be the thread where I confess my teenage crush on Amy Irving? (going back to "Carrie...")

Yeah, he's always had a lot of trashtalk to say about Jewish women; interestingly and ironically, though, the woman who caused him the most reciprocal pain was not Jewish but in fact Irish-American and Catholic (as well as done 100% wrong), the talented Mia Farrow. I'm not sure why Jewish men seem to - not all, but many - have this thing where they need to bash Jewish women, but if Jewish women turn around and serve it back, we're not supporting the community and find ourselves Hollywood exiles. Look at Nora Ephron, who was a Hollywood darling and temporarily hot director until her ex Carl Bernstein started enviously trashtalking her, and she decided to trashtalk back. Her directing career suddenly, mysteriously "stalled", and now she's back to screenwriting, bookwriting and blogging for HuffPo. Hmm. I see the same backlash as someone also black as well as Jewish. Black women are expected to toe the line and cheerlead and support black men, even as they ditch us for white women and trashtalk us like it's an art form. Arguably most rap and hip-hop is the corporately sanctioned marketing of anti-black woman invective. Although Ice Cube has bashed white women just as nastily in a song I won't even mention.

I think it's wonderful people date across race, and black men who date white women certainly won't hear any objections here. But for them to trashtalk us while doing it insults not only us, but the white women they marry. "I married her because I can't stand black women." Oh, I would say, if I were his white wife. So I'm a certain COLOR to you, not a person. I'm a trophy, eh? A sneer made at black women, instead of the woman you wed because you loved me... hmm...

Reminds me of a statement Jon Stewart made in a recent Rolling Stone that galled me: "I know I married up (by marrying non-Jewish wife)."

Wtf?
What did THAT mean?

I hope there was some kind of "context" in the comment...?

And since you brought up hip hop/rap - how do African American women stand it? Or do they? Is there more of a backlash against that trash talk than we hear about in the MSM -- which is, after all, made up of the same corporations that "sanction" most commercial rap (and most commercial music in general....)

love the psychoanalysis of The Indiana trilogy.

I've never considered it, but damn you're onto something here.

And. . I will confess. . I love Dr. Schneider. One small nitpick: see, Indiana lusted after her only before he knew she was a Nazi - see. Yeah he was completely surprised;)

hehe

When are they going to make that into a movie? You would think that this time, above all, would make Heinlein's masterpiece more relevant every day.

Me, too (happen to be rereading the thing for the first time since teenhood, actually). But it'd have to be NC-17 to be done right, and what terrified Hollywood studio would do it right?

Major studios are more cautious and bland than ever today. Touch Heinlein they should NOT. They'd ruin it. Look what was done to Asimov's "I, Robot." Does anyone here recognize ANYTHING from the original story in that travesty?

look at how they totally trashed and fucked-up Starship Troopers!
My god RAH must have been over medicated to allow that travesty on any screen. And that was one of his 'juvinile' books at that. I can just see some lame-ass version of Lost in Space or some shit crawling on the screen with Michael Valentine Smith played by Vin Desiel(sp?) or shudder Ben Affleck and Jubal with Jar Jar Binks voice

White liberals who aren't bigots need to be brave and get vocal about racism they see happening in their midst.

It helps more than you realize.

News flash: People EXPECT other people of color to protest and complain when an injustice is being done to them.
They DON'T expect a brave white person to come forward and protest.

And yes, it is Latinas too. Remember the ad campaign about the beer and a 'cold Latina,' implying that Latina women are supposed to be 'hot blooded?'

This shit's GOT to stop if we are EVER going to move forward in this country.

I am white, and live in a racially mixed neighborhood. About 6 months ago, I went to the liquor store about a mile from my house. There was a group of about 7 people, mostly black, but a couple of whites) standing outside the entrance to the store. The liquor store is at the end of a building holding a supermarket, and it's usually a busy place. There are always groups of people standing around talking, so I didn't think anything of it.

When I got to the door, it was locked, but there were customers and clerks inside. I said, "Why is the door locked?" One of the black men in the group said, "Because they don't want too many of 'us' in there at one time." I knew he meant "too many blacks", and that just pissed me off. I said, "Well hell, why don't they just cut to the chase and put up a sign saying 'White's Only'?" Just then, the cop who was inside the liquor store (yes, there is usually a cop in the store on Friday and Saturday nights), came up to the door and unlocked it. I went up to him and said, "Why is this door locked? Do you know what message that sends in THIS neighborhood? Do you know what you are saying?" (BTW, the cop was white.) He said something about needing to keep the clerks safe. I called bullshit on that, and said, "Why all of a sudden? I've lived in this neighborhood for years, and I've never seen this happen except at holiday time." (and that's just so there aren't too many people of ANY color in the store at one time, but they always let someone else in as soon as someone leaves).

The guy starts doing the "overly polite" cop thing. I was not cursing or yelling or anything, but I did not hide the fact that I was very pissed off. I told him again that doing this at a time when there weren't huge crowds of people buying liquor, was sending a very bad message to the non-white residents of the neighborhood. He did his overly polite thing again, AND THEN HE TOLD ME I COULD GO AHEAD AND ENTER THE STORE!! WTF???? I said, "No way." I turned around and gestured to the group, and said, "These folks were here before me. You need to let them in now, not me." And I walked away. He finally opened the door and let the group in. He was standing by the register I went to to pay for my purchase, and as I was leaving, I told him again that while I would not want any harm to come to the clerks, I thought that he and whoever might have had him lock the door needed to re-think what they were doing.

Then, I got in my car, and started sobbing. I was angry and hurt and appalled. But there is a good ending to the story: other than the day before Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, and New Year's Eve, that door has never been locked again during business hours, as far as I know. And as I said, at holiday time, they do have to control the flow of people into the store, as there are usually lines from the registers to the back of the store.

Notice that my signature line is "Silence is consent." I chose it because, one, I absolutely believe it to be true, and two, because of two quotes of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s:

"In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends. "

"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter. "

I'm in tears. I'm sorry this happened to you and those guys, and I'm sorry you had to witness it. Yeah, that one happens a lot out there. You haven't lived until you've been tailed while you shop at a department store while white teenage girls are shoplifting right in front of everyone. I love the one where you're walking through the store, and as you pass from aisle to aisle, you hear clerks on the PA system narrating your walk: "Code number ____, aisle A please." "Code number ____, aisle B please." "Code number ___, aisle C please." as you go from aisles A to B to C, the narration following you. I used to get upset. Now I think it's annoying but funny.

I also love the jobs I've gotten with my resume and my articulate voice, only to go in to start work and suddenly learn the job's been mysteriously taken in the short span of time it took me to get from my house to that building.

And the movies I've gotten directing jobs on, only to be met at the studio and see the astonished looks on execs' faces and be asked, "Wow, you're black? I... I had no idea!" or told, "You're not a guy? But I thought..." and then be told, "Wow, we love your script, but we really want to attach (insert name of white male director) as the director on it. If you'll sign us the rights and let so-and-so direct, we'll option and buy the screenplay."

"But... so-and-so has directed less stuff than me."

"Yes, but WE HAVE A RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM."

I love that one. But don't feel too bad for me. The last time this happened to me, a gay black male producer and his studio were behind it. He wanted another gay black male to direct my screenplay -- AND IT WAS A MOVIE ABOUT BLACK FEMALES.

Sigh.

You know, even as a child, spending a lot of time in Arkansas during the time when the "White's Only" and "Colored's Only" signs were still up, when blacks were getting hoses and dogs turned on them, when some members of my dad's family used the "n word" everyday, I did not get it. I did not understand why blacks were attacked and called names and segregated just because of the color of their skin. And I thank God I never understood it; and by that, I mean I never bought into it. I never "learned" to hate blacks, or any other racial group.

You have two obstacles in your way, hsher: you are black AND you're female, in an industry that is still dominated primarily by white males. I know more women are getting into directing, but it seems that it's mostly white women. I hope it changes for you sooner rather than later, but I know it's not an easy road to travel.

and all.

wow. brings back memories for me as well. so many, but only a couple here. My dad... my dad the archie bunker before archie existed. (god rest his soul, he was only a product as many are). He was so upset that I had a boyfriend with a beard... yah. a filthy hippie! btw, Bob was clean.
But, but, dad, didn't Jesus have a beard?

another incident: news year eve party, many years ago. some suited big mouth ahole calls a cab and when he sees the cabbie is a 'raghead' he starts cursing about that and refuses the taxi. I plowed into him big time - but I was much younger and not so attuned and probably made as big a fool of myself as he did.
I took the taxi instead. Next day he calls to apologize to Me. figure that one out.

and titty pinches from my male supervisors in the early 70s. I was so shocked and stunned. so ashamed that I had them out there to have someone just pinch at will... it was my fault for having them and my fault for being young and curvey.

but I know I ain't seen nothing as ugly as the possibilities out there.

:sarcasm:

I did a couple quick googles, didn't see anything obvious, but it seems to me this is prime ACLU/SPLC territory the Cali courts would be wise to avoid.

"My son Trevor bites his nails and has been wetting the bed. He said he’s scared of police and he cannot trust them because they beat up his mom and sister,” said Davis.

Yep, Trevor got that one figured out real early on. Do NOT trust those fuckers, especially if you're black.

That cop needs a prison sentence. If the police department sticks up for him, they need to be included in whatever lawsuit I hope this woman files. :grr:

I think cops in general are quietly testing how far they can go with us. Civil liberties / police behavior boundaries in general everywhere are slowly, in a dangerous way, being pushed. How does this go for over the top? The following story happened and was withdrawn very carefully from the media so people wouldn't be outraged and storm the NYPD Precinct that did THIS:

***

Real news for Stewart: Wife arrested

Jon Stewart could be forgiven if he arrived a little late to yesterday's taping of "The Daily Show." He was busy getting his wife, Tracey McShane, out of jail. The normally wisecracking comic looked understandably anxious as he waited while his handcuffed sweetheart spent close to five hours being booked for driving with a suspended license.

McShane, 36, was driving through Central Park around 11 a.m. when she was pulled over for a moving violation, police confirmed to us.

Stewart's spokesman, Matt Labov, said: "She wasn't speeding. But the police discovered that she had a suspended license. She didn't even realize it. She paid a ticket last week. But apparently her check hadn't been processed."

Following procedure, cops impounded her car, cuffed her, loaded her into a squad car and took her to Central Booking.

There, police sources said, she was fingerprinted, posed for a mug shot and held while cops checked to see if there were any outstanding warrants for the arrest of the mother of 8-month-old Nathan Stewart....(excerpt)

***

The following is a photo of Tracey Stewart. She's an itty bitty thing.



Does she look dangerous or deserving of being handcuffed, to you?


Edited to put the B back in "boundaries", top line

> she was pulled over for a moving violation

That can be anything from running a red light to making an illegal turn, it doesn't have to be speeding. And when the cops ran her license, they found out it was suspended and hauled her in.

> Following procedure, cops impounded her car, cuffed her, loaded her
> into a squad car and took her to Central Booking.

There's just no comparison to Yolanda Davis' situation. Did the police beat her up, throw her to the ground, cuff her till her hands went numb, and hurl racial epithets at her? I didn't see that in the content you posted.

> The following is a photo of Tracey Stewart. She's an itty bitty thing.

Doesn't make a difference. Was her *car* an itty bitty thing? Maybe she's not a safe driver.

> Does she look dangerous or deserving of being handcuffed, to you?

That's hardly the point -- we don't know how she was acting at the time, cuffing is standard for an arrest, the cops were doing their jobs. I'd be way more outraged if the police stopped following procedure just because she seemed harmless from outward appearances, or had a celebrity husband.

Nothing you posted on Tracey indicates a violation of her civil rights, or a testing of the boundaries. Which is odd, since I generally agree with your opening comments on the post.

That was exactly what I was driving at. The UCLA taser incident, the UCSC police abuse incident (see my thread on UCLA incident), the bridegroom shot last night--it feels like cops are being given more and more carte blanche to do what the wish.

space

because I disputed their version of the events.

There are a lot of insecure authoritarians in the police forces.

And altho I'm not into handcuffs, I choose not to judge what floats other boats.

Cuuuuuute :eyes:
"Pffffffffftttttttttttt"

I mean, she is shorter than Jon Stewart. How tiny has that got to be? (Sorry Jon. We still luv ya.) Yes, some tiny women can be aggressive behind the wheel of a big SUV, but whatever occurred, handcuffing this lady, putting her in a squad car and booking her complete with mugshot is NOT what I call correct or appropriate police procedure following a suspended license violation. Now had she run over a child in Central Park, and then hit and run, YES I CAN SEE THAT.

But it appears Mrs. Stewart pulled over and was then duly booked and charged with the crime of DWSOJS: Driving While Spouse Of Jon Stewart. As in, Liberal Mouthpiece Jon Stewart. My point in posting it was to point out how we liberals and those we care for tend to be the sole targets of this police behavior - when was the last time you read about a RW-er or those they care for being treated this way by cops? - and the incidents are increasing both in frequency and number.

We need to start fighting this back with legislation on the municipal level, right now, before we become "fair game".

In a restaurant in which I used to work, the police would hold their union meetings. Some would stay afterwards for dinner or a couple of beers. One thing that came up a couple of times is the way the police could never do anything right. They'd follow procedure and people called them fascists, the violated procedure (like not cuffing a suspect) and they'd get chewed out by their superiors. Honestly, Tracey Stewart committed a crime (albeit accidentally) and thus in a just society needs to be treated like everyone else.

However, what happened to Yolanda Davis and her family goes WAY BEYOND acceptable procedure and became criminal abuse.

Call me a cop apologist all you want, but cops do have a hard job. Not the whole "they might not come back home" crap, but the simple fact that most people hate or fear (or both) cops. The nature of their job is to enforce a lot of laws that the majority of people don't care about while ignoring the laws that protect the common man. One time some cowardly scumbag broke into my truck and stole my book bag (which had nothing of value in it), so I called the police and asked them to come out and investigate. They told me that "there are no officers in your area right now" and that I should bring the truck to them so they could fill out a report. I asked them "Won't that ruin any evidence in and around the truck" to which they said "we don't investigate car break-ins, we don't have the manpower". I wonder if the carbreakers knew that? So, naive as hell, I drove to the police station to fill out a report, but got pulled over as I left my driveway for running a red light (even though I didn't).

All it takes is one situation like that for people to hate the police, and the police know it. They are somewhat like teachers, they have to force people to obey arbitrary (or seemingly-arbitrary) rules and they have powers that are mostly unchecked (unless the person is connected).

I hope and trust that most become law enforcement officers because of a sincere desire to help people . . . but I fear that many join because of some kind of need to exercise power over others -- control freaks of a sort . . . some may even be sociopaths . . . these are the ones who fire 50 shots at a carful of unarmed blacks in NYC, and the ones who abuse and humiliate people like the woman in this article . . .

to serve the public, cops must be committed to using minimum force possible and prudent in all situations . . . they need to accept that this may sometimes put them in danger, and accept it as a reality of the occupation they chose . . . then maybe we wouldn't have incidents like a 92-year-old being blown away -- even if she did start shooting first . . .

it's a matter of perspective and proportion . . . and I fear a lot of cops these days are severely lacking . . . too many shoot to kill when it's not necessary, and too many abuse citizens if they think they "deserve" it . . .

voice in drawing up 'procedures'? Or the fact that 'following procedure' can cause enormus pain, and the cops take pleasure in it? or how cops will use that excuse each and every time they kill someone? you know, they could save themselves a LOT of bad publicity just by treating the people they interact with as, well as people. Seems they like making ememies since they are the ones who can shoot to kill anyone at any time and the 'thin blue line' will cover for them every time.

Here's what concerns me about the Mrs. Jon Stewart arrest. From the news story:

>>Stewart's spokesman, Matt Labov, said: "She wasn't speeding. But the police discovered that she had a suspended license."

If she wasn't speeding, and assuming she wasn't driving erratically -- why would she be, at eleven a.m. in the morning? -- WHY, and HOW, did "police discover(..) that she had a suspended license"? This means, plain and simple, they ran a check on the tag.

She was driving her husband's car. Stewart drives a nondescript black sport-utility vehicle. What made the NYPD just "randomly decide to follow, then run a tag check on," an ordinary, RANDOM, nondescript black sport-utility vehicle? Do you know how many of those there are in Manhattan? What are the odds against this? Compare to wives of right-wing TV show hosts being tagged and pulled over. To best of my knowledge this has not happened to Susan Carlson, wife of Tucker Carlson. Nor did it happen to Tucker all the times he was alcoholic. Very interesting, as Art Carney would say.

"Police discovered."

My ass. Sounds like a stakeout. Stewart's vehicle was being watched.

Stewart has said some things that are very very truthful. It has become a act of terrorism to do such things. Therefore, he must be watched......

Stupid 'fing racists.

so that we don't have to fight them over here...BULLSHIT!!!

by police officers. Either their training is promoting this behavior, or their overseers are neglect in screening applicants. This behavior is intolerable and demands a greater public outcry.

City of Pomona mayor's office. Mayor Norma Torres has received my e-mail.

City Hall

505 S. Garey Ave.

Pomona Ca., 91766

Office: 909-620-2051

norma@normatorres.com

...right?

:sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm:

Why welcome to our forum, Mr. Richards! :spray:
You're right, of course... :sarcasm: :rofl:

It's not just African Americans, for sure. Like, people "talk back" to, say, a gate person at the airport (who may just be having a shitty day or on a power trip) and next thing they know, they have a riot-gear clad cop's knee on their neck.

There is a real spooky undercurrent of "submit willingly to authorities and shut up" in our society these days.

I noticed in Britain the British seem to already have this "submit willingly to authorities and shut up" kind of circuit built into their societal behavior. They just waddled along like bleating sheep when told what to do. Their reaction to me, when I noticed this, was a calm, placid, cowlike, "Well then they're the authorities then, aren't they then? They're the ones in the uniforms, so we do what they say. They know best." When I questioned it further, Brits became hostile and almost what seemed slightly envious, and often replied stuff like, "Well we can't all be like you Americans, can we? Out of control society, guns blazing everywhere, do what you want when you want? That's the whole reason your country is falling apart and out of control blah blah blah, blee blee blee, yada yada ya..." Are the authorities trying to "tame" Americans into behaving as Britons do? I wish em luck with that one.

As a kinsman of mine drawls, chuckling: "(It'll) never happen."

India-born, now American citizen dad subjected to extra scrutiny at the airport and stares from other authorities elsewhere.

I walk a tightrope. I want my son to respect the law and the authorities, but I feel I need to teach him that he has to stand for his rights.

I never knew how pervasive racism is until Mr. BAL and I started dating. It's unreal to me still, but I've witnessed it all too often.

But I'm glad you're trying to show your son the light end of this dark cloud. You guys please be careful. I've never liked the racial profiling that's come back in vogue since 2001. It's uneasy-making and appallingly Victorian. It does have one pyrrhic benefit: now more races than just black people know how it feels to be black in this country - watched; monitored; judged; measured; numbered; catalogued; suspected; assumed guilty; squinted at; stared at; sidelong glanced at; checked the baggage of; checked the papers of; checked the backgrounds of. It's a heavy hurt right in the back, right in the low of the back, I as a black person can never quite shake. It's like a low grade, mild, constant depression. And all because "the majority" sees my skin color as ugly, as frightening, for whatever reason. My hair is never straight enough, my skin never light enough, my lips and nose never thin enough. Then I open my mouth and they learn I'm Jewish also, and even worse it gets. Sigh. :(

Hang in there. Blonde, you're good people. Damn good people.

color blind so I just didn't pay it notice. To me he looks Indian, but I think an awful lot of people see his skin and think Middle Eastern. Luckily we share the last name of a rather well-known Indian-American so when they see the name now people don't freak out as much.

And like you say, he never can quite shake it. He's very well-respected in his field, travels worldwide, and he gets the suspicious looks everywhere. we got "the look" in Germany, in Prague (he hated Prague on his own, enjoyed it much more with me and BAL, Jr.), even at Heathrow airport.

Until I met him, I thought we'd come such a long way. Now I see that there's a long, long, long way to go yet if indeed the road has an end.

Keep strong, friend.

should he ever come in contact with the police.

If Ms Davis is telling the truth about what happened, and those accusing and accused by her are lying, then clearly that's shocking, but the article does not strike me as sufficient evidence to be confident that this is the case, so outrage is distinctly premature.

And we don't have ANY evidence to say that there is another side. You're just assuming it's there.

So I'd say certainly some conditional outrage is at the very least justified.

You make the best fanboys!

:hug:

I'm sure there is more than one side to this story. After reading this article I haven't heard it. Not for nothin' but the article is a tad one-sided. Things are rarely as "black and white" as the article suggests.

videotaped. :sarcasm:

Too bad there wasn't a UCLA student in the Pomona crowd that day.

You can feel free to believe everyting you read on the internet if you want.

:)

And put in another post that I have to answer all over again? Sheesh!

My mother would be mad at me if I let that post stand.

Thanks for letting me know

:evilgrin:

It's okay to tell the racist joke, but if someone dares to call you on it, you're labeled "PC."

a little girl visiting my relatives in Arkansas. Racism has never gone away, but at least on a social level, it seemed to have lessened (i.e. no more "White's Only" or "Colored's Only" signs, blacks can sit at the lunch counter, etc.), but it seems that it is getting more blatant lately. If you're skin isn't white, you seem to be fair game. It makes me sick.

I'm guessing that at least three assholes will come out of the woodwork with their usual stock phrases:

"She must have done something to deserve this."

"Let's wait until we have all of the facts."

and the ever popular...

"Cops have a hard job. They don't know if they'll make it home when they leave in the morning."

Fuck the apologists, and fuck the cops. I hate them with every fiber of my being, and yes, I DO believe that our society would be better off without them. I think that the amount of harm that they inflict FAR outweighs the amount of harm that they prevent.

The pigs hate all of us. Sometimes the hate gets more specific, like towards those of us who have color, but what we all need to remember is, RW is an ideology, and unfortunately more cops are RWers than are liberals. Just try standing up for something and attending a protest march. When white liberals do that, all whiteness is waived and you become BLACK.

Remember: the bigger the nightstick, the bigger the fear behind it. RW ideologists fear us because they know that we're correct, our beliefs are aligned with good, and that good triumphs in the end. If you were evil, wouldn't you fear us libs, too? :)

I've seen it firsthand at a family wedding of all places. Someone in attendance had words with the off-duty cop hired to be present at the reception (city ordinance). Few guests knew about it as it wasn't a major fallout, just your typical mouthy guest. Unbeknownst to any of us, the cop called for backup and they all waited in the parking lot, ambush style, for the party to end. When it did, all hell broke loose as big man got his revenge. Guests who protested were manhandled and arrested. My hubby was recording it all on video and they made him give the camera to our daughter so he could be handcuffed. (His charge? Attempted disorderly conduct.)

One woman was arrested for trying to get to her baby, who in the chaos was left unattended in a stroller. I stood watching with my mouth gaping open; it all seemed so surreal. One minute we were enjoying a lovely reception, the next we were in the middle of hell.

Somehow the press got ahold of it and had a field day mischaracterizing it as some sort of drunken brawl. Expecting them to actually investigate and report the facts is a ridiculous notion today, but that was the day my naivete died.

I felt hopeless, helpless and betrayed. No one who experienced it will ever trust the motives of the police again. BTW, most of the guests were caucasion. I can't imagine the horrors perpetrated on African Americans and other minorities at the hands of self-important cops on an ego trip.

:wtf:

:wow: :mad:

My father, who is black, once got pulled over for "improper lane use".

full-fledged disorderly (especially since the tape would have backed him up). So I guess they went with the only thing they could in his particular instance. Others arrested that night were later charged with trumped up felonies which cost a pretty penny both defending themselves against and in court costs and fines.

Sad and weird and icky to feel relief at -only- being charged with a minor misdemeanor ---- when you weren't guilty of a GD thing.

Power in the hands of assholes is indeed a frightful thing.

and he left the force because the other cops were ignorant and MEAN (his words)! He now rips off people legally by donating 5% of his net profits to (the charity). He keeps the other 95% of the money he makes off donations made to the thrift stores soliciting in the name of (the charity). $8 million plus that I know of.

So when I have doubts about the good-ole-boy network -- and there are many more stories -- it is a rational doubt.



EDIT: sorry I attached this response to the wrong comment.

...minorities and long-haired white youths. They'd cuff you and often beat you up and then charge you with resisting arrest. Happened to me and my friends several times in San Jose, CA back in the mid 60s through mid 70s (San Jose had a really brutal and bigoted police force back then). No laws broken. No disorderly conduct. No other charges, which always made me laugh....what arrest were we supposedly resisting?

I recall once being arrested and roughed up and then the cop dropped me off in booking and quickly left. The booking officer gave me a confused look and asked me what I had been arrested for. I told him I had no idea (which I didn't). He told me the arresting officer left no paperwork and didn't even tell anyone what I was there for. The booking officer looked disgusted. He said, "The guy is a well-known asshole. You can go." He unlocked the door and out I walked. Too funny.

There are guys in prison right now who were not that fortunate!

...their arrest record, I guess. They liked to pick on hippie kids (like I was) and minorities (like many of my friends) walking in groups down the street or hanging out in local parks. I got arrested several times, all for "resisting arrest." It was a joke except when they got overly violent, which did happen a few times. I once had to sit there handcuffed while I watched a cop grab a friend of mine and break her arm. He didn't even arrest her. He arrested her husband and left her moaning in pain on the sidewalk. She went to the hospital and got it set and then went down to the jail to see if she could bail Rick out. When the officers there saw that she had suffered a broken arm, they immediately arrested her for 'resisting arrest' to cover their asses.

The big joke was that it was rare to even go to court. In all the times I was arrested, charges were later drop in all but one case. And, yes, the charge in that case was 'resisting arrest' and it was in the instance cited above. They had to see it through because of Tina's broken arm to ward off any lawsuits. LOL

Ironically, I ended up at a cop party a few years later in San Jose (one was a relative of a friend of my then-wife). These were some sick puppies. At one point they were joking about how they raped one of their fellow cop's wife at the last party after he and she had passed out (he was laughing about it too). Then they started telling stories about beating up tramps (what they called homeless folk back then), tying bags over their heads and leaving them unconscious on railroad tracks. I swear to god this is true. I told my wife I was ill and we left. These fucks were sick.

That said, I did have good experiences with some SJ cops as well. It is just the really bad ones you remember.

of power and authority is why this is so despicable. Really deprives good cops of self worth and esteem when their peers are perpetrating this shit.

sorry that had to happen to you and that party. geeze.

what will she do next?

has gone pretty much unchecked since the Repugs have been in power for 12 years...

There is a study that says that the investigations into these kind of crimes have decreased tremendously for the last six years.....all government organizations that are responsible to investigate these crimes have been infiltrated by Rightwing neocons who refuse to do their jobs....

My Christmas wish is that the Dems investigate why these crimes are not being investigated....

These racists feel that they are allowed to do this type of behavior because of the environment that this administration has placed this country in....from the top down....

I am so sick of this shit.....:grr:

My father, who grew up in Charleston and picked cotten when he was a boy, has always said that "Racism is alive and well in America".

Sadly it's true...

"As the leader goes, so go the people." I don't know if that's an actual saying or quote, but it seems to fit quite well. Bush is an ugly, evil-natured person, as are those around him. They have basically given permission to the haters and the racists and the bigots to crawl out from under their rocks and proudly display their despicable behavior.

And I agree with your father; racism is alive and well in America. :grr:

Per the California Penal Code

405. Every person who participates in any riot is punishable by a
fine not exceeding one thousand dollars, or by imprisonment in a
county jail not exceeding one year, or by both such fine and
imprisonment.

405a. The taking by means of a riot of any person from the lawful
custody of any peace officer is a lynching.

405b. Every person who participates in any lynching is punishable
by imprisonment in the state prison for two, three or four years.

Never heard of it. No matter. I hope she gets his badge. What they will probably try to do is drop the charges down to almost nothing if she agrees not to file a civil suit. They will want some kind of conviction though as an admission of guilt.

She's really stuck between a rock and a hard place. This really sucks. Except for the racial slurs, it's not only blacks they do it to though.

So one woman being verbally accosted by a couple of racists, and then getting the crap beaten out of her by a cop is a "riot"?
:wtf:

Can there be a one person riot?

They are jacking up the charges to scare her into dropping the whole thing.

What's worse, the racist couple will probably testify for the officer. (But we can hope there are enough other witnesses.)

Damn, I'm breaking my personal rule of not deciding anything until all the facts are in. Trial by media isn't very reliable.

Still hope she gets his badge though. :)

...why so many of us are afraid of cops, when we have no "reason" to be.

What a disgrace this... peace officer is.

and I hadn't heard about this happening till now, MSM didn't cover it.

They ought to at least be able to string the racist creep up.