Robinson: Unrest shines light on invisible African-Americans

The Columbian ^ | 8-22-2014 | Eugene Robinson

[Citizen Zed]

The fire this time is about invisibility. Our society expects the police to keep unemployed, poorly educated African-American men out of sight and out of mind. When they suddenly take center stage, illuminated by the flash and flicker of Molotov cocktails, we feign surprise.

The proximate cause of the rioting in Ferguson, Mo., is the killing of 18-year-old Michael Brown, who was stopped, a witness has said, by a white policeman for walking in the street rather than on the sidewalk. Officer Darren Wilson shot Brown at least six times, according to a private autopsy and, reportedly, one conducted by the county medical examiner. Two of those bullets struck him in the head.

There we have the familiar narrative: Another unarmed black man unjustly killed. Brown thus joins a long, sad list — Trayvon Martin, Eric Garner, etc. — that seems to have no end.

This storyline is unassailable. Anyone who thinks race is not a factor in these fatal encounters should have to cite examples of unarmed young white men being killed by trigger-happy police or self-appointed vigilantes. Names and dates, please.

But the violence in Ferguson tells of a deeper, more fundamental narrative about what African-Americans have done, and what has been done to them, in the decades since the urban riots of the 1960s — the fire last time.

Tempted to conclude that nothing has changed? Please note that the Missouri highway patrol commander, brought in to bring proportion and discipline to what had been a provocative police response, is black. So are the U.S. attorney general and the president.

[Opinionated Blowhard]

Let me guess, Gene. The solution is more government spending.

[moovova]

So, Mr. Robinson...the “invisible” black’s answer is to copulate without conscious (creating masses of abortion-ready fetuses), sell drugs, depend on government (taxpayer funded) largesse, join gangs, make music that disparages women/cops/honest living, wear their pants down around their knees, tat themselves up beyond recognition, steal cheroots from convenience stores, disobey an officer’s orders...and WE’RE supposed to apologize?

Ain’t gonna happen.

[Georgia Girl 2]

This writer seems to have the same low expectations for his people as the Democrat party. If and I say if because its not proven yet but if Brown strong arm robbed that convenience store and then attacked a police officer on the street he was putting himself at risk by his own actions.

I seriously doubt he had been a choir boy and then woke up one morning and just decided to put up some rap videos on Youtube,steal and attack a police officer.

[the808bass]

This storyline is unassailable. Anyone who thinks race is not a factor in these fatal encounters should have to cite examples of unarmed young white men being killed by trigger-happy police or self-appointed vigilantes. Names and dates, please.

Christopher Roupe
John Wrana
Dillon Taylor
James Whitehead
Michael Vincent Allen
Douglas Zerby

I’m a little bored and didn’t bother to look up dates for those. There’s more.

[Georgia Girl 2]

What has a cop almost beating a woman to death got to do with this incident?

That cop should go to jail. He certainly should never be allowed to carry a badge and gun again. That woman was in the hospital for 2 weeks. Its a miracle he didn’t kill her. She didn’t rob a convenience store or attack an officer. Get real.

[IrishBrigade]

Gene! Gene!

...at first, I thought you were going to break into that awful Oliver tune from the late ‘60’s...

[headstamp 2]

This is a product of our welfare state and generations of breed-in government dependency.

Next they will be buried under a tidal wave of illegal invaders from the third world courtesy of our corrupt politicians.

Fantastic government we have here.

[TexasCajun]

Could be related? ..who knows?

Gene Gene the Dancing Machine

[Zeppo]

Anyone who thinks race is not a factor in these fatal encounters should have to cite examples of unarmed young white men being killed by trigger-happy police or self-appointed vigilantes. Names and dates, please.

Eugene Robinson is foolish to make such a statement that can be so easily accommodated by any number of examples (but nobody should be surprised to find Robinson being foolish, rather it is to be expected).

Hey Eugene,check this out:

Connecticut cops pay $3.5 million after killing unarmed man in SWAT raid

(Yes, the source is the Russian RT.com, but there are plenty more sources if anyone feels the need to verify the account.)

[AD from SpringBay]

If they are invisible, how can the light shine on them? One must watch one’s metaphors.

[unread]

"I've sat on two university admissions committees and seen more qualified white students rejected in favor of black students. Schools admit they are less strict for minority students. When I was in graduate school, a black Ph.D. candidate got a bye in virtually every class he took because he was black, despite work that was a joke."

The soft bigotry of LOW expectations.... But it's ok because that's all they expect of themselves... It's a cultural thing don't you know.....

[sauropod]

This storyline is unassailable. Anyone who thinks race is not a factor in these fatal encounters should have to cite examples of unarmed young white men being killed by trigger-happy police or self-appointed vigilantes. Names and dates, please.

Bee Ess. If this is a requirement to even have a dialog, then the example cited must include video footage of a large white guy physically intimidating and threatening a store clerk. Also, the example must include rap songs posted on Soundcloud or Bandcamp with racist lyrics talking about weed, sex, violence, etc.

Eugene Robinson disgusts me. This racist writer pulls this crap all the time.

[oh8eleven]

Eugene Robinson
Stopped reading right there,

[Boonie]

“... The belief that looting and destroying a town will make things right...”

They don’t believe this...They do this because they can get free stuff and enjoy the violence that they create...
They could give a good sh*t about making anything “right”...

[miss marmelstein]

I must dig out Christopher Hitchens (peace be upon that dear lad!) take down of Michele Obama’s college thesis.

[NorthMountain]

They live in neighborhoods with failing schools that cannot prepare them for today’s economy.”

It's always somebody else's fault ... never their own.

Why are the schools "failing"? What does that even mean?

Why does nobody mention that many urban blacks consider educational success to be "acting white" and consider black kids who succeed in school to be "race traitors"? Are the schools failing, or the kids parents failing, or the kids themselves failing?

[Citizen Zed]

"If they are invisible, how can the light shine on them? One must watch one’s metaphors." No joke. I almost hit three black gentleman in dark clothes walking in the middle of a dark street the other night until my lights shined on them. I almost had a heart attack and one of them may have crapped his pants.

[Citizen Zed]

"If they are invisible, how can the light shine on them? One must watch one’s metaphors."

No joke. I almost hit three black gentleman in dark clothes walking in the middle of a dark street the other night until my lights shined on them. I almost had a heart attack and one of them may have crapped his pants.

[workerbee]

Invisible? INVISIBLE?

There’s a drumbeat 24/7 about black issues, black history, black community, black problems, black victims, black black black black black. It is only marginally quieter (these days) because it’s being drowned about by the homosexual crowd and their issues, history, community, etc. etc. etc.

Enough about how effin’ downtrodden and oppressed everybody is! Take some responsibility already! Stop impregnating your little girls, stop teaching your kids they deserve something for nothing, stop waiting around to be rescued. INVISIBLE my arse.