Posted on 11/18/2014 6:06:46 AM PST by shortstop
In Missouri yesterday, the governor put the National Guard on alert.
He and his state and much of the county are fearing the worst.
As early as today, a grand jury could come back in Ferguson after months of deliberation in the matter of a white police officer who shot and killed a black teen-ager.
The National Guard and the region’s police agencies are on standby because of the expectation that the jury will find no probable cause to charge the officer with a crime. That decision, many fear, could spark race riots in Missouri and elsewhere.
Earlier, upset in Ferguson led to violent riots that burned down a portion of the city and saw widespread looting and theft.
Many have warned that the reaction to an exoneration of the officer could be worse. And many believe that the results of the grand jury’s investigation of the matter have been purposely delayed in order to let the seasons change and the cold weather come.
Simply put: People don’t like to riot in the snow.
And there’s a polar vortex for the rest of the week.
So it could be soon.
And the anticipated reaction should give us pause.
We have made a national assumption that some black people, disappointed with the grand jury’s decision, will react with violence and mayhem.
That assumption, and the realities or perceptions that underlie it, is deeply troubling.
It presumes that some black people have disengaged from our system of law, that they do not civilly submit to it, but rather reserve the right to rise up, mob like, against it. It presumes that some black people have decided that the law does not apply to them.
It also puts some black people in a unique category of people who have opted out of the social contract.
That should bother us.
White people should be bothered by a double standard of citizenship, black people should be bothered that the country thinks so little of their maturity and behavior, and all of us should be bothered that our society is so deeply divided on the issue of race.
There is an unspoken problem in this country when the president is a genteel, black, sometime college professor, and yet the police departments of most American big cities have prepared contingency plans in case of black riot over the Ferguson decision.
The assumption across the nation is that there is a possibility that black neighborhoods throughout urban America could ignite in anger if the police officer is cleared.
Is that assumption bigotry based in stereotype, or is it prudence based in experience? Are the mayors and police chiefs unfairly characterizing black neighborhoods, or have black neighborhoods earned the mistrust and suspicion?
There hasn’t even been a decision announced and yet the St. Louis region law-enforcement community has been mobilized and the governor has called out the National Guard. They are expecting big problems.
From black people.
Which makes me think black people either have a conduct problem or a perception problem.
Again, the numbers of violent, thieving rioters is smaller than the total number of all protesters, but it is a significant and impactful number, and enough to drive police policy in the state of Missouri and elsewhere across the country.
And black people should be either angered by that or ashamed by that.
Angered if the rest of the county unfairly thinks they are a bunch of uncivilized rioters; ashamed if in fact they are a bunch of uncivilized rioters.
The activists have presented Ferguson as an insight into a problem between black people and the police, but I think the matter more clearly illustrates a problem between black people and the rest of America.
America does not trust black people to respond to a legal decision peacefully, and that is the result of either a horrific stereotype about black people, or horrific conduct by black people.
Either way, we’ve got a problem.
And it won’t get solved by looking the other way.
Because a society as large and as varied as ours is naturally going to have differing opinions and views – it has ever been thus in the United States. But the overwhelming majority of our history includes the ethic that we follow the rules, abide by what they say, and support our system of laws and justice.
That’s the American way: Be a good citizen – win, lose or draw.
But that is not what we are preparing for.
We are preparing for urban insurrection.
And that ought to shame one side or the other, and scare the daylights out of us all.
"People"?
They should be more specific.
this exemplifies what we have become since Obama took office. He has divided us into races and caused friction to all.
If he had been able to get Holder to take away our guns, he would have succeeded.
Let the riots begin, as I will defend my family and my possessions.
The so called polar vortex is just a regular jet stream going a little more inland than usual. The Climate Change fanatics invented it to deflect global cooling.
I think they used to call it a winter blast or something like that.
“black people should be bothered that the country thinks so little of their maturity and behavior, and all of us should be bothered that our society is so deeply divided on the issue of race.” What should bother black people is the large criminal element relative to their percentage of the overall population. There is very good reason to expect big trouble and only prudent to be ready. History is a great teacher.
It appears that the slaves of the Democrat Plantation are upset at the conditions under which they have chosen to live. What ever they are planning to do will not change what they have accepted for years.
agreed with many above.. too cold. minor protests and isolated incidents will occurr without a doubt.
there is a reason cities always have riots in the summer. hmmmm, wonder what the reason could be...... Satan? Weather?... now isn’t that conveeeeeeeeenient.... (Church Lady)
This should give us pause AND is probably why the town needs to be preapred to enfirce the law.
Hopefully the cold keeps these varmints away...I have a sad feeling the hate will continue to fester through Obama’s last two years. They will muster up one more Trayvon/Brown “situation” and hope it benefits them in some way.
Hate for what? Their hate for whitey?
A water hose with a wetting agent works better. The wetting agent allows the water to soak through the clothes quicker.
I think this would be a wonderful opportunity to pause for a moment and give thanks for the many great contributions of the Black community and their culture to our society. Their peaceful and generous nature makes them ideal neighbors, lending testimony to their exceptional family values and parenting skills unrivaled by any other culture.Their commitment to academic excellence enriches our schools and serves as an example to all who hope to achieve prominence as a people. Real Estate values are fueled by the influx of African Americans into an area due to their caring and respectful nurturing of these communities, an example of all they have achieved by their enthusiasm for self-improvement through hard work and a self-reliant can-do nature. Without their industrious and creative drive, we would be poorer as a nation
Yep. Any glucoside alkyl ethers or glycerol alkyl esters will work well. Literally would freeze them on the spot (lethally) like some sort of freeze ray seen in Hollywood....albeit in slow motion and with ALOT of pain and suffering.
No, that assumption is based on past performances of some of them. What is "deeply troubling" is that this guy lumps the good and bad together and then bemoans normal reactions to the bad performers.
Good idea, but rubber bullets and bean bag first.
Damn it!! Either do it today or wait until after I get home Thursday. I go tomorrow night for my 2nd sleep study to get fitted for a CPAP and then shopping on Thursday after I get my iron infusion.
I don’t want to miss my state being over run with a bunch of commies and muslim rabble-rousers from other states using the excuse of a dead thug to loot and riot in the name of “social justice” or whatever they are calling it.
rabble-rouser
noun
1.
a person who stirs up the passions or prejudices of the public, usually for his or her own interests; demagogue.
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