Another day, another police beating in America

[BridgeConsoleMasher]

what about the fact lots of officials are not letting the rioting and looting continue because they're afraid to be called racist?

That sounds more like something that isn't a fact but a speculation among the public.

and where did this idea come from that only racists and people that benefit from the status quo have anything bad to say about the riots or BLM?

Who espoused this idea?

I don't see how police beating black people benefits me, a special needs middle class guy who went jobless longer then he should have and can't look for one because of the pandemic.

It's a matter of relativity. Police not brutalizing people unnecessarily is more beneficial than police doing that.

You're applying yourself to a polar dynamic of guilt or innocence in a more broad scheme of things. White privilege has never been set out to determine guilt or innocence, nor does it even give an adequate comparison of any two individuals really. Like it isn't meant to say anything particular about living with white skin, or that that's bad. Just that the skin color itself is the only difference between the slaves in the 17-19th century and people that owned slaves, and that there are still adverse conditions stemming from that legacy that persist today.

[LittleRaven]

what about the fact lots of officials are not letting the rioting and looting continue because they're afraid to be called racist?

You're going to have to be more specific. America is a BIG place. One city is not like another.

In general, though, riots currently produce messaging problems for both parties.

The Democrats would ideally frame this as a problem of racism, and the solution, obviously, is to vote for Woke Democrats, who are opposed to Republicans, the Party of Racism. But there's a big problem with that pitch: Minneapolis already has a Democratic mayor, and a Democratic police chief, who is also a person of color. There is not a single Republican on the entire city Council - it's all Democrats. (and one Green) Minnesota has a Democratic Governor, a Democratic Lieutenant Governor, two Democratic Senators, and 5 Democratic Reps. I'm not sure you find a single Republican anywhere in the chain of command until you reach Trump....who, for all his innumerable flaws, probably isn't responsible for the state of the MPD. The same is true for Chicago, LA, Atlanta, Madison....virtually all of the places that are seeing riots are run entirely by Democrats, which really makes "vote for Democrats!" sound somewhat hollow as a solution.

Well, if it's bad for Democrats, it must be good for Republicans, right? Sadly, no. Ideally, Republicans would frame this as a classic case of Law and Order Republicans vs The Barbarous Forces of Chaos, aka Democrats. People always crave stability when the cities catch on fire. But there's a giant problem with that narrative - Trump. Trump has spent the last 4 years dumping gasoline on every fire he can find. He doesn't fix things, he doesn't even preserve them...all he wants is a show, and nothing makes a better show than stuff blowing up. And because almost every elected Republican has been so terrified of his base that they have daily contorted themselves into pretzels to justify whatever idiocy Trump has randomly tweeted that morning, they have no credibility left with which to present themselves as agents of reason and stability.

It's a big mess.

[Fuzzy Necromancer]

Crimson, why should anyone even bother trying to debate with you in good faith? Either you ignore all the evidence presented you to say "Well I think it's just the Mainstream Media being crooked!" or you throw out both-sides-are-bad non sequitur comments to remind us how balanced you are. What is the point of even talking to you?

There is the fundamentals we agree on. I think George Floyd's murder was an outrage, as was the recent ruling. I also admit to the ways black communities are disadvantaged. I also think the whole system needs serious reform, that is likely never going to happen, but you can still hope for it.

That doesn't really provide a satisfactory answer to my question.

As for the question of riots.

[Dragon Ball Fan]

what about the idea going around that it's impossible to be racist against white people? what if that idea gets normalized?

[LittleRaven]

what about the idea going around that it's impossible to be racist against white people? what if that idea gets normalized?

We deal with that when and if it happens? (history suggests if...and not a very likely if at that)

[clearspira]

Crimson, why should anyone even bother trying to debate with you in good faith? Either you ignore all the evidence presented you to say "Well I think it's just the Mainstream Media being crooked!" or you throw out both-sides-are-bad non sequitur comments to remind us how balanced you are. What is the point of even talking to you?

There is the fundamentals we agree on. I think George Floyd's murder was an outrage, as was the recent ruling. I also admit to the ways black communities are disadvantaged. I also think the whole system needs serious reform, that is likely never going to happen, but you can still hope for it.

That doesn't really provide a satisfactory answer to my question.

As for the question of riots.

For now.

[clearspira]

what about the idea going around that it's impossible to be racist against white people? what if that idea gets normalized?

The first time I heard the ''race plus power'' bullshit was during Gamergate and that was a decade ago. Trust me, this isn't a new thing.

[Darth Wedgius]

Source?

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/lincoln-county-oregon-exempts-people-of-color-mandatory-coronavirus-mask-policy/

The county is in an impossible position. If they don't exempt people of color, they risk getting the Twitter treatment the first time someone reports a non-compliant person of color to the police. The optics of exempting them probably aren't great either, but there are virtually no people of color in the county anyway, so better to err on the side of discretion.

I'd say it's an impossible position only if you give power to the Twitterati. If the fear of a Twitter reaction is violent blowback... Well, that's another serious problem, isn't it?

Nevertheless, it's a clear example of de jure racial discrimination. Not supposed privilege as in "You have more than I do," but actual different treatment.

[GreyICE]

https://www.wkbw.com/news/local-news/buffalo-man-punched-in-head-repeatedly-by-officer-plans-to-sue-city-bpd-and-arresting-officers

During a search of Suttles after he stepped out of his car, the claim states the officers "had engaged in prolonged grabbing of his genitals while finding no contraband. The officers... then grabbed his hands and while throwing him to the ground advised that his hands need to be out of his pockets...while his hands were either against the car, or being held by the officers."

Suttles' attorney says when asked by a bystander recording the altercation why they were punching Suttles in the head, the officers responded by saying they were saving his life because he was trying to eat drugs.

What a truly charming bunch.

On good news, City council vote puts process to replace Minneapolis Police Department on the fast track

https://www.kare11.com/article/news/local/council-to-discuss-replacing-minneapolis-police-with-new-public-safety-department/89-6abf2e8d-03bd-4a9d-9c5a-7b27b5997ec0

[LittleRaven]

Eh, kinda good news. Like so many things on the fast track, there appear to be a lot of issues that are not very well thought out.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey responded to the council vote, saying that he believes the city needs a “complete transformation” in its police system, but that the city council plan is leaving him with more questions than answers.

He pointed again to issues with the police union, arbitration returning fired officers to the force, and collective bargaining that he called the “elephants in the room.”

“We need to be clear and precise about what exactly we’re going to do and when,” Frey said. “This amendment to our legal city charter does not provide clarity.”

Frey said the charter amendment does not make clear whether Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo is going to be at the helm of the new system, and whether the police department will be abolished or just changed.

He said one thing the charter amendment does make clear is that the head of public safety would report to 14 people - the entire city council, plus himself. He said that “does not work” on a day-to-day basis.

Best of luck to Minneapolis, though. They certainly need it.