Posted on 05/20/2015 8:25:55 AM PDT by Responsibility2nd
The firefight in Waco between rival outlaw motorcycle gangs is raising questions about perceptions and portrayals of crime in America.
Washington — The prevailing images of protests in Baltimore and Ferguson, Missouri, over police killings of black men were of police in riot gear, handcuffed protesters, tear gas and mass arrests. The main images of a fatal gun battle between armed bikers and police in Waco, Texas, also showed mass arrests — carried out by nonchalant-looking officers sitting around calm bikers on cell phones.
The firefight in Waco is raising questions about perceptions and portrayals of crime in America, considering the vehement reaction that the earlier protests got from police, politicians and some members of the public.
Media critics, columnists and civil rights activists are complaining that there appears to be little societal concern about the gunplay at a restaurant in Texas, whereas politicians — including President Barack Obama — described violent looters in Baltimore as "thugs," and the media devoted hours of television and radio airtime to dissecting social ills that affect the black community.
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There were no deaths during the Baltimore and Ferguson protests, yet people immediately stereotyped all of the protesters as criminals, said Nicole Lee, a human rights lawyer who worked with protesters in both cities.
"Nine people were killed in Waco, and yet you have not heard the level of disgust and dismay as you did over fires burning in Ferguson and in Baltimore," Lee said. "One of the things the protesters always said was that while many of them disagreed with the property destruction, that you can rebuild property. But you can't bring back people, and yet you're not hearing an equal amount of disgust from the media and from people over what happened in Waco."
(Excerpt) Read more at csmonitor.com ...
Well, I don’t know about that, all the stories I saw were just bikers killing bikers. Wouldn’t surprise me that some FReepers have other theories though.
Lots of differences as to the incidents themselves, and how they played out.
But for me, a thug is a thug is a thug. Whether rioting, looting Negroes, or meth-peddling, Nazi-tattooed biker gangs. I have the same policy towards both. Shoot ‘em dead. Send a message that they don’t belong in my community or my state. A message in blood. Either stay and die, or move over to some faggoty, limp-wristed blue state, whose leaders will “stand down” and “give them space.”
You know, when bikers fight almost never does a civilian on the scene eat anything other but a little dust.
A lot of people wish they had even that amount of honor to lean on.
At least a nice big knife fight was going on, the bikers claim that someone produced but did not necessarily fire a gun and the assembled 22 or more police officers opened up on the crowd, full auto. I’m not big on taking bikers at their words but the police clearly did not have riot shields, clearly didn’t use gas. How did they subdue this extremely large disturbance, with at least one gun involved, so quickly and efficiently? Opening up into the crowd seems like the only logical way they could have done that.
So yes, since no one ever fired indiscriminately into the crowd in Baltimore, the police do seem to have reacted differently.
And yes, looting and burning down buildings does make you a criminal
Yeah, that will create an aura of compliance amongst the remaining participants. Also you can bet those bikers knew the drill when being arrested.
Memo to inner-city cops: look nonchalant
The dead and wounded seem to have almost if not exclusively law enforcement bullets in them. Most of the police description of the fracas is not in agreement with that of the other witnesses.
“Its funny watching this emotional bond some feel to the Banditos and Cossacks.”
Well, it’s understandable. Even though they are criminal, drug dealing scumbags, they project an image that resonates... kind of the last vestige of that “Wild West” frontier spirit.
Baltimore was street vandalism and street riots, so they got riot control response with typical low quality east coast police standards.
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True dat. There are tens of thousands are blacks living in near poverty in Houston, Dallas and all over Texas.
Why are there no Fergusons or Baltimores happening here?
Because we Texans hold them - like poor white people - to the same standard of fairness and decency. Because there are no decades of liberal democratic rules designed to limit and oppress them.
If you studied the history of where the word “thug” came from, it was an Eastern religious cult that delighted in double crossing victims.
Bikers tend to avoid that... double crossing gets punished, quickly.
And also because they are not promised a moon that can never be delivered.
The Gangs may have not burined down the Twin Peaks, but I bet they do not open for business for quite a while.
That is as devastating to a business as looting.
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Yeah well, that Twin Peaks got what they deserved. They were warned but they ignored the risks. Their franchise was pulled.
The parent corp wimped out.
Ok, I didn’t read through all the comments carefully so I may have missed it but, were the bikers funded by George Soros?
Nobody is claiming the bikers were shot in the back with their hands up, either.
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Oh yes they are. I can be back here with FR links if necessary. FReepers are claiming bikers were shot as they tried to flee on their bikes.
The bikers were criminals and thugs, and I’m not heartbroken that nine of them are dead. The Baltimore protestors who marched peacefully were not necessarily thugs, but the Baltimore criminals who rioted and looted stores were thugs. I’m disappointed that no looters were killed. In any case, the Waco gunfight was over quickly, while the thugs in Baltimore had time to bus in more looters and criminals. It’s much harder to get upset over violence that is over within minutes than over a multi-day series of riots with cheerleaders calling for more thuggish recruits to join in.
As for the morons who complain that we value property more than we value the lives of looters, they are right. With today’s ammo prices, black thugs, union thugs, and biker thugs are still worth a double tap, but just barely.
Yes, the white rioters are shot at the drop of a hat.
Great take by the author, I hadn’t even thought of this.
What about the businesses in the same retail center as the Twin Peaks?
Do you think that the Blood Bath & Beyond store in same the same retail center may lose business now that the are is know to be frequented by Violent Gangs?
#BikerLivesMatter?
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