Blacks surprised, concerned that arrest in sniper case will be seen in racial terms

AP | 10/27/02 | JESSE J. HOLLAND

[kattracks]

FORT WASHINGTON, Md. (AP) -- For several weeks, John Morgan kept looking for a white Chevy Astro minivan or a white box truck being driven by a white male who was responsible for a string of sniper-style killings in the Washington, D.C., suburbs.

So when police announced they had arrested two black men -- John Allen Muhammad and John Lee Malvo -- driving a dark blue Chevrolet Caprice, Morgan, who is black himself, was flabbergasted.

"With everything I had heard on television and what people were saying, everyone assumed they were going to be white men," Morgan, a telecommunications engineer said Sunday before services at Ebenezer African Methodist Episcopal Church in this Washington suburb.

As the Washington area celebrated the end of the killings, some blacks questioned their own strongly held stereotypes about blacks and the types of crimes they may or may not commit.

Many criminologists, psychologists and sociologists who profile serial killers and other criminals had suggested for weeks that the sniper was likely a white male, probably in his 30s or 40s, who was a loner with a background in the military or weapons training.

Beverly Foster, a 49-year-old black dentist from Arlington, Va., believed them, saying she didn't think blacks "killed like that."

"It just seemed too senseless, too random. It just didn't fit us," she said as she left the Alfred Street Baptist Church in Alexandria, Va. "I'm not saying that we can't, but with all of the past things that have happened, it just didn't seem like the type of thing we would do."

Black leaders said the arrests prove the fallacy of most stereotypes.

"None of us thought that the sniper was going to be one of us," Rev. John O. Peterson told his Alfred Street congregation. "But this just shows that the devil, he has an affirmative action program."

Stewart Small, a 35-year-old America Online writer-editor from Alexandria, said he, too, was surprised by the arrests.

"Traditionally, murders like this that have been taking place are -- quote unquote -- typical of the white male, like Theodore Kaczynski, the Unabomber, Ted Bundy, so I think a lot of us figured that the sniper would fall into that pattern," said Stewart. "When I found out, I was definitely shocked."

Morgan and Small both said they hoped that Muhammad's arrest won't create more racism for black American males.

"Historically, it seems like if you pardon the pun, one bad apple spoils it for everyone else, and historically, it seems especially true for the black male," Small said.

Copyright 2002 Associated Press. All rights reserved.

[willyboyishere]

Apparently everyone's conveniently forgotten Colin Ferguson who shot up a trainload of people in New York some years ago. But people should not worry about a "racist" backlash.
If anything most whites will bend over backwards to avoid
a pointlessly divisive reaction like that. It's as though
the blacks quoted in the article really want (and pretend to "expect") a renewal of retrograde "racism". It's really
an extension of the current and ongoing "not all Muslims are like that" syndrome. But, of course, this black happened also to be a Muslim. So if we could just restrict
ourselves to a little "anti-Muslim" sentiment, folks, we should be alright.................

[willyboyishere]

Apparently everyone's conveniently forgotten Colin Ferguson who shot up a trainload of people in New York some years ago. But people should not worry about a "racist" backlash.
If anything most whites will bend over backwards to avoid
a pointlessly divisive reaction like that. It's as though
the blacks quoted in the article really want (and pretend to "expect") a renewal of retrograde "racism". It's really
an extension of the current and ongoing "not all Muslims are like that" syndrome. But, of course, this black happened also to be a Muslim. So if we could just restrict
ourselves to a little "anti-Muslim" sentiment, folks, we should be alright.................

[mhking]

Black conservative ping

If you want on (or off) of my black conservative ping list, please let me know via FREEPmail. (And no, you don't have to be black to be on the list!)

Extra warning: this is a high-volume ping list.

[GOPJ]

Yes, I was sooooooo frightened that all black people must pay me money. It sounds so stupid when we say it. The killer doesn't represent all black people -- but his hate may represent all black Muslims. OK, they owe me money for pain and suffering.

I demand reparations.

[per loin]

Statistically, blacks commit serial murders at a rate above their percentage in the population. The opposite for whites.

[Katya]

Look, most of this is because the "media" has been spinning the serial killer angle, as opposed to the terrorist reality. As a serial murderer, the black perp does not fit the pattern, but as an Islamist and terrorist it is indeed plausible.

[Norman Arbuthnot]

,his boasting about being CIA leaves one wondering if that may be where he got his training.

He do need any training from the CIA to do what he did. The shooting part was easy given the fact that he was firing from a relatively close range (less than 150 meters) and with a scope. A lot of Army soldiers and Marines could make those shots without scopes. The hole in the trunk was clever, but I don't think he needed CIA training to devise that.

This guy had a history of violent behavior that went back twenty years and in this episode he elevated it to a heinous level.

[joesnuffy]

One of the problems is indentifying who is labled a terrorist and who isnt...
You have got some amatuers with some al Qaeda training ...a loose or informal band...who have been instructed not necessarily under direct command and control of a big name like Bin Laden
And those who would like to be associated with or recognized by the big players...who will do the job..perhaps to prove themselves or make a name fo themselves..or who are believers and want the eternal rewards of jihaad...

Kind of like satanists...they pick up a book at the bookstore work a few spells may have an informal group...they may end up doing a ritual murder but they arent allied to a larger more formal group..they walk the walk and talk the talk but arent under the direct control of a human higher higher ...but they are believers..and that is what motivates them

We are looking for a more direct connection in order to persuade liberal morons as why we should bomb the crap outta Iraq..instead of simply considering any act of terrorism in the name of any kind of islam to be an act of war and treat the perps that way..rather than trying to treat this as a political football and trying to wedge the beltway snipers as either formal terrorists or just nut jobs...as if their is a differnence..

Until we are willing to admit the truth about Islam we will get nowhere in a fight against terrorism on our own soil imo

[ladyinred]

Beverly Foster, a 49-year-old black dentist from Arlington, Va., believed them, saying she didn't think blacks "killed like that."

HUH?

[eastforker]

The aspect I was refering to was with the calous slaughter.Yes it is easy to make the shots,what is not easy is killing over and over in a three week time span.That takes deliberate fortitude,like maybe he has done this sort of thing before.We have some shooters in the ATF,Harouchi(spl)comes to mind that has no problems pulling the trigger at men,women or children,it takes a certain mindset to do that.

[ladyinred]

Why don't you speak for yourself, Ms. Foster, instead of for "us."

I was thinking the same thing as I read her comments.

[blam]

"Until we are willing to admit the truth about Islam we will get nowhere in a fight against terrorism on our own soil imo"

Yup. They want to kill all Americans.

[Norman Arbuthnot]

has no problems pulling the trigger at men,women or children,it takes a certain mindset to do that.

Yes, it does, the mindset of a criminal.

[Lancey Howard]

Malvo

[Lilly]

"Beverly Foster, a 49-year-old black dentist from Arlington, Va., believed them, saying she didn't think blacks "killed like that."

...what an idiot! Are there schools Specifically for training Black people "how" to kill? What an idiot!

...I'm embarssed for this lady!

[Lilly]

re: post #14

LOL!!

[browardchad]

please refer to such people by the politically-correct term of "Assault Muslims"

Muslims, no surprise, don't consider black Muslims to be the genuine article.

I ran across this post today on an ezboard for the Young Muslims of North America:

Before they even caught this guy i was praying dont let this guy be muslim, have a muslim name or any correlation to Islam. With the statements that this individual (the shooter) made it was very hard for me to believe that he could be a muslim. The tarot card with i'am God on it and so forth. Also the fact that he was killing innocent people was appalling and disturbing. i thought it was just another nut like Dhammer or Ted Bundy. It turns out he was Nation and therefore not a muslim. Though that cant bring any reconciliation to us because much of the news media has been biased when analyzing a motive. The blame slinging, Al-Qaeda anecdotes, radical extremist Islam theorys are all being flung out with alarming speed on stations such as CNN, FOX, MSNBC, and into the newspapers and other media outlets. It is hard not to see a new wave of Islamiophobia take hold and cause infliction. This will serve only to give more validity to George Bush and his fellow hawks in the congress to push their "Homeland Security" bills and increase the presidential powers and other methods used to subjugate the populace and Muslims in particular. This has been a diversion from the issues of Iraq and Palestine which where making significant progress, i dont know what to think, nor do i want to come out with conspiracy theorys, but this was to precisely timed. There is something bigger going on in the world picture and in these events then we know. To many it may be obvious but to some its not. May Allah swt protect us and give us iman and tawfeeq and help the muslimeen and mujahideen fighting all over the world.

Interesting -- apparently, it's non-Muslim for a sniper to kill innocent people, but if the mulimeen and mujahideen kill infidels, it's just peachy (and not a little schizophrenic).

[xzins]

I simply do NOT see it in racial terms. There might be a number of reasons for that, but the two best are that this guy killed as many (more?) blacks as whites. Also, I see "muhammed" and I don't think "black." I think 9/11.

I don't see how any reasonably sane American could see Mu'Mad's killing spree in terms of black/white.

[Republican Wildcat]

It's sad people have such poison in their heads. A lot of the racism they see is only in their minds. Of course we aren't going to blame blacks for this--we will blame the individuals who committed the act. The act is no more evil being committed by blacks than it would be committed by whites.