From Emmett Till to Michael Brown, a story as old as America itself

MSNBC ^ | August 30, 2014 | Gov. Ted Strickland and Judith Browne Dianis

[2ndDivisionVet]

Familiarity breeds contempt.

For two weeks now, as we’ve watched the events in Ferguson, Missouri unfold, there’s been a vulgar familiarity about them. The grieving family, the protesters, the police in gas masks and military garb: They all seemed locked into a story as old as America itself. It is the story of implicit bias, black pain, disenfranchised communities and systemic racism.

Eighteen-year-old Michael Brown was killed by a police officer when he was stopped for walking in the middle of a street. Witnesses say Brown put his hands up and said “Don’t shoot” to Officer Darren Wilson. The police, however, have remained quiet on Wilson’s version of events, choosing instead to make the victim the focus by releasing grainy video footage of the teen allegedly haranguing a store keeper over a pack of pilfered cigars.

It’s all too familiar, from the blaming of the victim to the community outcry, and is yet another example of how this nation has long devalued the lives of its black citizens. Instead of trust and healing, the streets of Ferguson were full of tear gas and militarized police. In the place of justice, there is only anger, reminiscent of scenes we have seen before.

Fifty-nine years ago this week, 14-year-old Emmett Till was murdered for allegedly “whistling” at a white woman. His death and open-casket funeral revealing the boy’s brutalized body caused a national outcry, demonstrating how African Americans were viewed as less than human in many parts of our society, and that those who kill them would likely go unpunished.

But the killings of Emmett Till and those like him, for infractions small or imagined, didn’t start 59 years ago. These killings and the divide they illustrate are rooted in 400 years of oppression....

[Texicanus]

Slavery is like a bleeding wound that never heals. As long as there are self-righteous people who, for whatever reason, will pick at the wound, it will only bleed more.

The “slavery” wound has become infectious among African-Americans. Their wound has been bleeding since emancipation despite the efforts of many to forgive and forget. They continue to “pick” at the wound complaining it will not heal because they have been deprived of their “freedoms” and past-earned “wealth” by other Americans (with different ethnic backgrounds and motives).

Segregation, Integration, Affirmative action, and other government legislation and treasure have been to no avail as the wound is not healing. Instead, it appears to be festering. The other America has long since forgiven and forgotten and moved on to better lives for themselves and their children. They want to see the African-Americans succeed and join in the success of America, but as equals, not superiors.

All this to say, they (the African-Americans) must forgive and forget the past too if they are to have a better life and take their rightful place in America. They must quit “picking” at the wound and let it heal. Only then will they earn the respect of their fellow Americans. The government cannot buy or legislate such respect.

Until then, everyone should sit back and enjoy the “great society” LBJ and his followers have provided us. Oh, and don’t forget to vote Democratic to sustain the government plantation and the “free” benefits that perpetuate the “new” slavery. /s

[dfwgator]

Slavery is like a bleeding wound that never heals. As long as there are self-righteous people who, for whatever reason, will pick at the wound, it will only bleed more.

As long as there is money to be made by exploiting it, it will always be around.

[RightGeek]

So when is St. Swisher going to be canonized?

[Texicanus]

“As long as there is money to be made by exploiting it, it will always be around.”
—
True, money is a great motivator. It’s made a lot of politicians, preachers, lawyers, and other assorted race baitors quite rich (and notorious) in the past 50 years. They will be around to fight for the last dollar.

The exploited, not so much. A few are beginning to recognize the continual hype, exploitation, and meager government monies handed out for votes are not improving their lifestyle much. In fact, some have noticed many undocumented workers are earning more money and leading better lifestyles.

But money can be one of their motivators too. With the exception of fraud, they can earn a lot more money if they escape the government plantation. Some through personal responsibility, free education, and hard work have escaped. Unfortunately, many have no plan to escape and will endure.

So, I guess money works both ways.

[Scoutmaster]

I'm sorry. We have a serious problem with black on white crime in this country.

However, I don't consider any of those examples to be "white Emmett Till".

Till was pistol whipped, beaten, had an eye gouged out, was shot through the head, was weighted down (using barbed wire) and dumped in the Tallahatchie River with a 70-pound weight around his neck. His offense? He may have whistled at or spoken to a white woman. Witnesses tell conflicting stories, as the FBI will tell you.

Till's face was so mutilated that he couldn't be identified and part of the defense strategy was the body didn't belong to Till.

The murder was planned for four days. Roy Bryant and his half-brother J. W. Milam were found not guilty by an all-white jury.

Within months, they were bragging about killing Till and how they did it, although they now were protected from prosecution by the doctrine of double jeopardy.

I haven't read all of the 27 stories, but none comes close to the planned torture killing of Emmitt Till.

[Scoutmaster]

Gov. Ted Strickland and Judith Browne Dianis should be horsewhipped for comparing Michael Brown to Emmitt Till.

[mrsmel]

I most definitely consider what was done to Channon Christian and Christopher Newsome, to be at least par with till, if not worse. They were tortured until dead for days, not hours, and Channon died a slow agonizing death. The animals (including a female) who tortured and murdered them ate breakfast as Channon lay dying under the same roof.

[Scoutmaster]

The killings of Channon Christian and Christopher Newsome and that of Emmitt Till aren't remotely the same thing.

The killers of Christian and Newsome were animals.

1955 was a different era. Emmett Till's murderers were closer to, if not, ordinary citizens. Till's murder resonates more with that of Andrew Goodman, James Chaney and Michael Schwerner.

Till's murderer's walked free and bragged about it.

Lemaricus Davidson was sentenced to death by lethal injection. Letalvis Cobbins and George Thomas were sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole (Thomas' sentence was later reduced). Vanessa Coleman has been convicted of facilitating the crimes and sentenced to 35 years in prison. Eric Boyd was convicted of federal charges as accessory after the fact to carjacking and sentenced to 18 years in prison.

The lesson of Till was the lack of a fair judicial system for blacks accused by whites in 1955 in Mississippi. There wasn't even a fair judicial system in 1964, when Chaney, Goodman, and Schwerner were murdered for signing up blacks to vote.

Christian and Newsome are a case of inhumane killers who were brought to justice. I don't consider convicting criminals the same thing as giving them a complete pass, as in the Till case.

[Friendofgeorge]

“choosing instead to make the victim the focus by releasing grainy video footage of the teen allegedly haranguing a store keeper over a pack of pilfered cigars.”

This is so funny...it`s not grainy and nobody is denying it outside of the MSM.

[Impy]

Violent husbands/boyfriends attack people who hit on the women all the time, it doesn’t have anything to do with race.

[Uncle Lonny]

You need to read all the 27 stories. And BTW, it is just the short list. There are many more examples out there.

Whether the white victims were murdered quickly or burned alive like the white woman in Boston, beaten to death like the bicyclist in Chicago, or brutalized and tortured like Till misses the point. They, like Till were murdered because brutal racist thugs felt “disrespected” by a victim of another race.

Yelling “Will you please hurry up!” no more warrants a lethal response than wolf whistling at another mans wife.

Of course, the big difference is that Tills murderers got off Scott free in racist Mississippi in 1955. Another major difference is the Till murder is widely known and memorialized where as the white victims have fallen down the memory hole.

The white race hatred that fueled the Till murder in Mississippi in 1955 has its mirror image in the epic,violent, black race hatred against whites today. And the corrupt all white jury that let Tills murderers walk has its mirror image in a Corrupt Liberal Media that ignores the racist motives in huge amts of black on white violent crime.

These are the issues that need to be addressed.

[Uncle Lonny]

“Christian and Newsome are a case of inhumane killers who were brought to justice. I don’t consider convicting criminals the same thing as giving them a complete pass, as in the Till case. “

I agree.

But racist hatred fuel both crimes. And the Corrupt Liberal Media that ignores the overwhelming evidence of it in thousands of violent black on white crimes is just as corrupt as the jury that let Tills murderers walk.