LEONARD PITTS: Living with the injustice of racism

I asked you a question. It was two weeks ago in this space. I asked how, given its documented biases against black people, I can trust the justice system.

[otownnole]

Your example is great. Chasing down 3 black men. Why were they running? They only stopped resisting after they were caught. I guess they really did nothing wrong, they were only running because of the injustices in the justice system. You are right, they should not have been beaten.

Could you not find any examples of white people who have experienced injustice at the hands of the justice system? Does that not happen or does it just not fit into your agenda?

[gil]

Pitts really is suffering from "black paranoia". He should seek treatment before returning back to work. Thank God we have TV to show us what's really happening. The police frequently do a little stomping and throwing when the action get's intense. Pitt's thinks the police are supposed to have robot like behavour while chasing someone at over 100 mile per hour, then do a pitman move, and after the crash have to arm wrestle the offender. In real life they are supposed to be slamming the bad guy down after all that. Television programs like cops, wildest police chases, etc. will easily prove that ppl like Pitts are suffering a mental disorder, i.e. black paranoia! They constantly believe whitey is watching them and out to get them.

[Usama]

I've watched plenty of COPS and Disorderly Conduct shows, and there are particular trends:

* police forces are not uniformly consistent in their use of force policies. I've seen white armed suspects shoot at cops and cops NOT return fire, and black armed suspects who merely held a weapon and were killed by cops.

* black communities in America were originally designated segregrated communities where poverty, illiteracy, and crime were prevalent before civil rights laws were passed. Pre civil rights, segregated communities allowed for underground, black market economies to flourish as the only viable options for many blacks. Post civil rights, these 'criminal' markets continued. Blacks with money left their communities, leaving poor blacks to remain. As well, the proliferation of the drug trade thanks to white drug smugglers (with the complicity of the US govt) meant the existing underground markets (gambling, illegal liquor, illegal night clubs) of the black community transformed into drug markets in the 1980s.

*Today, the majority of police street sweeps are in black communities arresting blacks for small drug possession charges.

*white cops often respond more aggressively to black suspects even with less provocation. They are more likely to respond with force. Black cops are less likely to respond with that same aggression to black suspects.

*t is observed that black suspects literally respond better to police action to black cops.

*Latino suspects respond better to police action to Latino cops.

*White cops are less likely to use aggressive force against white suspects.

All of these findings are known in criminal justice and progressive police forces. That's why police forces have hired minorities in large numbers to police minority areas since the 1970s.

[Grouchy Conservative]

Leonard, how quickly you forgot about Crystal Gail Mangum, the lying black prostitute and the damage she brought to Duke and the young men whom were targeted in her extortion attempt.
The whole nation came to focus on the "cry for help" from that black person.

[Usama]

Orlando folks must know that historic black communites such as Parramore are unfortunately inhabited by a large number of ex-felons with a pattern of criminal behavior. They happen to have 'black skin', but race is NOT the cause of it. Rather, they are raised in, cultured, and mature as humans with criminalized subculture and behavior.

The justice system is not designed to offset that culturation or sociological impact. In fact, GOP and conservative political forces intentionally obstructed sociological efforts in the 1980 and 90s that were designed to reverse the criminalizing subculture in the black community, such as ending funding for social projects. Instead, they stiffened criminal punishments.
So the emergence of the segregated, repressed black community postCivil rights did not take a path of enlightenment. Rather it suffered.
I recall in the 1990s the GOP Congress making a mockery of federal funding for Midnight Basketball in Wash DC. Nevermind the sociological benefits of directing youth activities in a crime-prone district to timed tested activities such as athletics. GOPer in Wash DC from hicktowns and backwoods claimed federal funds for community activities like basketball to be a waste of taxpayers' money, eventhough Wash DC runs on federal funds controlled by Congress.

To no surprise, these wonderful leaders have invested billions into rural areas, their own districts, to fund penal colonies/prisons, increasingly privately owned. Not to mention the billions they toss into their world wars.

Today, it is quite reasonable to estimate that the few million that would been spent on Midnight Basketball could have helped 1000s of youth in Wash DC. Instead, 1000s of these youth went into the criminal system wherein billions have been spent to imprison and house them. Penny wise, pound foolish, and bigoted.

[Margo]

The justice system is against Blacks. Once again racism rises victorious. Needless to say police overreaction has NOTHING to do with Black America's higher rate of violent crime. The Black Community is an innocent victim and has NO internal problems that need addressing.

[Margo]

Usama wrote:

* black communities in America were originally designated segregrated communities where poverty, illiteracy, and crime were prevalent before civil rights laws were passed. Pre civil rights, segregated communities allowed for underground, black market economies to flourish as the only viable options for many blacks. Post civil rights, these 'criminal' markets continued. Blacks with money left their communities, leaving poor blacks to remain. As well, the proliferation of the drug trade thanks to white drug smugglers (with the complicity of the US govt) meant the existing underground markets (gambling, illegal liquor, illegal night clubs) of the black community transformed into drug markets in the 1980s.

Which of course explains the high crime rate in places like Harlem and Bronzeville back in the bad old days - no wait. Funnily enough the Black crime rate was WAY lower under segregation...odd that...

Could it possibly be that the 'Civil Rights' establishment's preaching of hopelessness and rage has something to do with explosion of crime in the Black Community?

[Gloom and Doom]

Could it be that blacks commit most of the crime. Hey! The blacks are just as, if not more, racist that the whites and neither like the hispanics much either. This has been around since the tower of Babble and it will never go away. It's a fact of life. You will never stop it. Get use to it.

[gil]

Some countires in africa are more civilized than others. Blacks that were brought from africa to be slaves were generally for the most part from the less civilized countires. They may have learned to speak english and dress in european clothes but they are still aboriginal. The belief that because they can dress like us, speak like us,and breed with us makes them equals is becoming more obviously wrong. Their perception that racism still exists in american institutions like the police is proof that they collectivly are under the influence of paranoid delusions.

[gil]

After Obama is elected(and he probably will be) blacks will start believing they are the majority in america. Even when shown the stats that whites put him in office they won't believe the truth. Maybe Obama as prez will act as some kind of catalyst cure for black paranoia.

[Margo]

gil wrote:

After Obama is elected(and he probably will be)

That depends on how many self hating, America hating White liberals there are.

blacks will start believing they are the majority in america. Even when shown the stats that whites put him in office they won't believe the truth. Maybe Obama as prez will act as some kind of catalyst cure for black paranoia.

One can hope - but I wouldn't count on it.

[Voter]

Mr. Pitts why do you insist on these types of stories. I still remember your story about your class reunion. I loved your racist remarks. Racism is alive and well in Leonard Pitts. Mr Pitts do you not think whites are never subjected to bad things

Mr. Pitts get some help for your paranoia!!!!!