I was just listening to NPR this morning and they were talking about the Oscar Grant shooting. The armed security guard (BART police are just that) that killed him is facing up to 14 years in prison. My Fiancee thinks he will walk because "Cops get away with that shit all the time". I disagree because first off he isn't a cop and second off cops don't get off on that shit when they have 30 cameras pointing at them. The other side that really pisses me off about this is that I have a nagging suspicion that there is going to be a riot no matter what the sentence. It pisses me off that assholes will use this as an excuse to loot. It hurts to know that people will use Oscar Grant as an excuse to be assholes. Sure they will use oppression as an excuse. So they will make the windows drop on locally owned business that are struggling just as hard as they are. You notice when there's a riot the window never drops on Burger King. Race isn't the issue. I see just as many white people throwing bricks in these situations. I see them get on the train just to come throw bottles and bricks. The Community and the Family isn't the issue. The family gets up and begs the crowd to keep it together and not destroy the neighborhood where they live. The crowd doesn't care. Either they want blood or it isn't their neighborhood they are destroying so they have no reason to care. The Police aren't the issue. Fact of the matter is the riot would still happen if there weren't police standing there in Riot Gear. It's easy to blame every police officer when you see them all as one. I believe that there are cops that are just as outraged. Behind that badge there is a human being that bleeds just as red as you do and loves their family just as much as you do. The Media is part of the issue. Assholes are usually posessed of vanity and love seeing themselves. So lets turn on the cameras and watch the assholes drop windows. Lets show the shooting on the news every night from the time it happens to the time the final jury goes down. Kind of like a more sinister Rodney King. Lets hype up the already angry assholes then sit back and talk about how horrible the violence is. Whatever you do don't ask me what the answer to this is. I don't know. You can't talk sencabally to an asshole. The family can't even do that. I wouldn't suggest standing in front of them as the try to throw shit. That's why cops wear riot gear. Even if you are protesting peacefully it is easy to get caught in the wrong place. I just don't like where this is headed. Peace Out, Rev J
The police are now openly killing citizens and still there are people like you attacking those who are fighting back. When exactly are we supposed to stand up to these criminal thugs in uniform if not after they openly murder us?
looting feels good...... keeps community together.. and every poor nigga deserves a HDTV.. how else you gonna watch the news?>.... opps..
Funny I wasn't standing up for the cops. I don't see looters attacking cops. I don't see them going after "Oppressive Forces" like large corperations that every day over work and under pay their employees while feeding poison to the community. I see assholes dropping windows on the small locally owned business' in their own neighborhoods people they see each day. I see a window drop on Footlocker so some motherfucker can get a new pair of Air Jordans and say it was because of police brutality. The people rioting and looting aren't fighting back they are fucking parasites. If you want to "Stand up to these criminal thugs in uniform" don't do it buy attacking people who aren't them. Look I'm just as pissed as anyone at that sentance. I blame the cop that pulled the trigger not all cops. If you view all cops as being the same you should start wearing a white hood because you are just as violently prejudiced as the Klan is. All a riot is is a racially mixed lynch mob. As for the police "Now openly killing citizens" you have to be pretty fucking naive if you believe that. It seems that since we have cameras everywhere that police shootings have gone down. It's easier to cover up murders if they aren't on tape. In all your post reads like you are one of those spinless assholes that drops windows. How much for the Jordans you stole? What about the Fifth of Cabo that you got after dropping the window at the liquor store. How about a nice new pair of jeans from "The Twilight Zone" maybe you got a new pipe while you were there bongs are hard to carry when you have to go out fast. And the funny thing is none of these places are owned or run by the police or anyone associated with Johannes Mehserle. And after all is said and done after the stores get looted and shut down nothing will come along to take their place because no one will insure that neighborhood. After the Rioters go back to San Francisco, or Berkeley, or Richmond, the Police will go back to doing just what they do. You really showed them. Peace Out, Rev J
I don't think there are any looters here. You always make good points but I kind of see this rant like you see the looting, misdirected.
The last one last week I guess got broken up before it came down to that but only because of the looting at the 2 previous ones. The first post was before the sentance came down. There is an old saying that the best predictor of future behaviour is past behaviour. Peace Out, Rev J
