News Snipers In Dallas.

[VioletButterfly]

Just wanted to post that my thoughts and prayers are with the two men who were shot and killed, and with Dallas/DART law enforcement who lost so many of their own. I watched TV today and kept hearing the same message Mayor Buddy Dyer emphasized again and again, although in different words, in Orlando - it's about love over hate, and that we will respond as one with love. Today, I heard it couched as working together, and having real communication and understanding. And that this is a matter concerning the state of our collective heart of our nation and the individuals hearts therein. Hoping we, as a country and world, can seek out the light in the darkness and find a path toward love and understanding, and away from fear and hate. VB

 

[Justmehere]

Three people have asked me today if I have ever seen any racism.

They all said they never have. One guy, an older man, told me all the examples he could think of about how there was no racism in the US.

I told him of a few examples I have witnessed first hand. He looked at me like I was from Mars.

He said, "well I guess I have to change my saying from 'there is no racism in the US' to 'there is no racism in the US and we will squash it anywhere that it appears.'" And he pounded his fist on the table.

I invited this business leader to a non-violence workshop.

A police officer was at the table at the BBQ where this happened. He is actually high up and he said, "I've seen racism and I do my best to nip it in the bud."

He went on to say other things can't post here but it was a surprising conversation all the way around.i can say that he was scared for the officers under his command and scared for those in our community protesting peacefully. It's heartbreaking all the way around.

I hope that more conversations are had between members of communities who were not talking about officer safety and race before.

It is about love over hate.

 

[hodge]

Love is stronger than hate. It must be. We have to make it so.

If every one in the U.S. made friends with even just one other person from a different ethnic background and of a different skin color and came to love them, it would make a world of difference. I don't know that there's any other real solution to our racial problems than for all of us to become friends with someone of a different racial background. I don't think anything changes anyone's mind like real experience of another human being who is not exactly like ourselves, but whom we come to learn shares our values and who we come to love.

 

[EveHarrington]

IMHO if someone says there's no racism in the USA then they're walking around with blinders over their eyes, plugs in their ears; an incredible inability to see beyond themselves and realize their experience isn't the universal experience.

 

[hodge]

You are so right, Eve. We've got a looooong way to go in this country.

 

[anthony]

Our paper today

 

[hodge]

Yeah, thanks, Anthony, just what we need. It is warranted, though, I'll grant you that. Sigh. What can we do???? There are a lot of fair-minded people here, but also a lot of jerks. The 7% jerk rule. Though that's no excuse. I have felt torn apart by all this. I am outraged by cops killing innocent black men and now I'm outraged by a black man killing innocent cops. Our country has got to deal with this, because this is all just getting worse and worse.

 

[Stickler]

I know white people are racist.
They say racist stuff to me like I'm going to be ok with it because I'm white! Uh, no.

 

[Neverthesame]

I hope more than anything that this tragedy will be used as an example of what is wrong with the way law enforcement is used in the US.

I was watching a video on YouTube, before I came to work today, on this topic. I don't think it's appropriate to link it, as it is a pro gun channel. However, there was a point made within the video that stood out to me.

He said that part of the problem is that the police are no longer trained or posted to be part of the communities for which they work in.
This is something that applies here in Canada as well.

I have worked in fields that have had me to have frequent brief interactions with police officers. (Not as a suspect or other type of law enforcement. Strictly as a civilian. Retail specifically.)

I worked in one area of this city for several years, in which I had interactions with police officers at least once per week, for various reasons (usually to pick up counterfeit money).

Out of the many dozens of times I met an officer. Only 3 times, yes 3. I met the same officer twice. It was almost always a different person.

I understand why this can be a good thing. But it also is a bad thing, as I never got a opportunity to know any of these officers. It was always a tense feeling as well. Police here are trained to be very to the point, no bullshit or small talk, professional. While I've no doubt it's not intended to be taken this way, it comes across as unfriendly. Which is a shame.

Eventually (and I hate to say this) it got to the point where I wouldn't even bother smiling or even saying hello, as it was never reciprocated. I began dreading having anything to do with them.

This in my opinion, is never how a law abiding citizen should feel about interacting with police. Especially when it is clear that you are not in anyway a criminal.

I would have to remind myself, that this officer, may have just come here from a bad call. Maybe the last person they spoke to was a sobbing parent of a teen suicide. Or a dead baby call, from some shitty junkies house. Or a rape, murder, assault on old lady or any number of awful things police see on a day to day basis.

Or maybe the cop was just a jerk. That happens too. Though I refuse to accept that 90% of police officers here are jerks.

Though I had no way of knowing, as this is likely the only time I would see this officer. All I was usually left with was a bad taste in my mouth about someone who I should have been pleased to have an opportunity to have interacted with. If only for a few minutes.

To have read in this thread, how the police and protestors had been sharing pleasant conversation and taking pictures prior to the violence, makes this all the more awful and tragic.

 

[Neverthesame]

@anthony There is a certain irony of the paper citing race war with a photo of 4 officers of at least 3 different ethnic groups, supporting each other during a firefight.

 

[hodge]

I took part in numerous demonstrations in Detroit when our newspaper journalists and other newspaper workers were on strike. I was a member of a religious interfaith group which attended some forums in which each side presented its case. We religious leaders then decided to support the striking workers after hearing from both sides on a few occasions. We held many, many actions in the streets of Detroit on behalf of the striking workers and always consulted with the Detroit Police ahead of time to coordinate things. It soon became apparent that the DPD regarded our actions as a really pleasant duty. After all, they are union members, too. So they totally understood what we were standing for. It was always a pleasure to work with the DPD during our actions. They've come a loooong way from the 1967 riot. We always had a good time with them during our actions. They were more like compatriots than monitors, although, of course, their role was to monitor things so that things didn't get out of control. But they really didn't need to worry as all of us religious leaders went through non-violent action training ahead of time. And none of us were violent, anyway. And we used our training to help rein in any potentially violent striking workers in our midst. I had to do that just because of where I happened to be one day and it wasn't fun, but thank God for the training, because it helped me to be confident that I was counseling these drunk striking guys in the right way. It took awhile to calm them down using reasonable logic, but it finally did work. All of which is just to say, these things are more complicated than they appear to be when you're watching them on TV.

 

[Stickler]

I don't know that all cops get that any cop who abuses a member of the public is making it harder and more dangerous to do their jobs.
...Not talking the specific cases of this week, but in general.
People who advocate violence against the police are making the police more likely to kill a suspect, thinking that they are under threat.
Just want to make sure those dots are connected.