Truth in the Age of Cellphones

[DaShuckster]

I've been struck by how cellphone videos have given minorities a new -- and more persuasive -- voice in this country. It certainly has shook up the establishment, be it police departments, home owners associations, apartment managers, government officials, etc. They've shed some much-needed light on what its like to walk in the shoes of American minorities.

But rather than address the underlying issues that these uncomfortable videos bring to the surface, the line we hear is The Damn Media Sensationalizes Everything! They Are Responsible for Creating Riots!!!

Yeah, if there were no videos of racial injustices, things would be back to peachy-keen again, right guys? 🙄

 

[Knight In TN]

I've been struck by how cellphone videos have given minorities a new -- and more persuasive -- voice in this country. It certainly has shook up the establishment, be it police departments, home owners associations, apartment managers, government officials, etc. They've shed some much-needed light on what its like to walk in the shoes of American minorities.

But rather than address the underlying issues that these uncomfortable videos bring to the surface, the line we hear is The Damn Media Sensationalizes Everything! They Are Responsible for Creating Riots!!!

Yeah, if there were no videos of racial injustices, things would be back to peachy-keen again, right guys? 🙄

A video is evidence of one thing happening, but not evidence of a trend or widespread issue.

There are millions of interactions between police and black people every day. The staggering majority of them are conducted with professionalism on both sides. A viral video of one of those interactions going wrong every few months doesn’t mean that systemic racism pervades all police departments, but that’s what the media pushes.

 

[chemmie]

LOL.
White people chiming in about how this doesn't prove anything, and all the crap black folks have been claiming for hundreds of years is just in their imagination.

 

[Knight In TN]

LOL.
White people chiming in about how this doesn't prove anything, and all the crap black folks have been claiming for hundreds of years is just in their imagination.

Big fan of anecdotal evidence, are ya?

 

[DaShuckster]

Big fan of anecdotal evidence, are ya?

This kind of comment is the very reason I thought the topic was worth discussing. Whenever one of these racial profiling or police malpractice videos surface, the response from our Usual Suspects is: 1) it doesn't tell the FULL story; 2) it's a really rare occurrence; or 3) it just one bad (cop, neighbor, etc.) The attitude behind whichever response used -- including "Big fan of anecdotal evidence, are ya?" -- is that 'it's no big deal.'

 

[Knight In TN]

This kind of comment is the very reason I thought the topic was worth discussing. Whenever one of these racial profiling or police malpractice videos surface, the response from our Usual Suspects is: 1) it doesn't tell the FULL story; 2) it's a really rare occurrence; or 3) it just one bad (cop, neighbor, etc.) The attitude behind whichever response used -- including "Big fan of anecdotal evidence, are ya?" -- is that 'it's no big deal.'

Any instance is a big deal. It doesn’t mean that it’s widespread and indicative of a systemic problem though.

Abolish the police. For or against? ACAB. True or not?

 

[DaShuckster]

Any instance is a big deal. It doesn’t mean that it’s widespread and indicative of a systemic problem though.

Abolish the police. For or against? ACAB. True or not?

Again, whenever a case is put on full display, the reflexive, knee jerk response is "it doesn't mean its a problem" followed by "So you want to abolish the police?"

Here's a thought: Maybe we need to look more closely at the type of individuals we hire to protect us with deadly weapons and how we go about training them.

 

[Knight In TN]

Again, whenever a case is put on full display, the reflexive, knee jerk response is "it doesn't mean its a problem" followed by "So you want to abolish the police?"

Here's a thought: Maybe we need to look more closely at the type of individuals we hire to protect us with deadly weapons and how we go about training them.

I’m for that. What I’m against is this absurd notion that police just shoot unarmed black people at an alarming rate because they’re so racist they just can’t help themselves.

Who was the last unarmed white person shot by police? Can you name a single one? It’s not because it doesn’t happen, and it’s actually more common than black people being shot by police.

You can’t name one, and that’s by design. This is not meant to be a conversation about poor police training. It’s not supposed to be a conversation about use of force training vs deescalation.

There’s a sick win-win for the mainstream media in this. They get to play the rioting videos (ratings boom!) and get to play the identity politics game which is a favorite of the Democrat party.

 

[DaShuckster]

Who was the last unarmed white person shot by police? Can you name a single one? It’s not because it doesn’t happen, and it’s actually more common than black people being shot by police.

News flash: We call Blacks a minority because there are a lot more White people in this country. So it stands to reason it's more common for Whites to be shot by police.

But that doesn't change the truth: Black Americans are several times more likely to be killed in police shootings that White Americans are.

 

[chemmie]

Who was the last unarmed white person shot by police? Can you name a single one? It’s not because it doesn’t happen, and it’s actually more common than black people being shot by police.

Stop saying that. It makes you look really stupid.

 

[_glaciers]

all i heard:

ps try not to get aroused, @DaShuckster

 

[Happy Hands]

I've been struck by how cellphone videos have given minorities a new -- and more persuasive -- voice in this country. It certainly has shook up the establishment, be it police departments, home owners associations, apartment managers, government officials, etc. They've shed some much-needed light on what its like to walk in the shoes of American minorities.

But rather than address the underlying issues that these uncomfortable videos bring to the surface, the line we hear is The Damn Media Sensationalizes Everything! They Are Responsible for Creating Riots!!!

Yeah, if there were no videos of racial injustices, things would be back to peachy-keen again, right guys? 🙄

The videos are important for sure. They help she’s light on police misconduct and acts of racism by average citizens. The problem is that they are usually not shows in the appropriate context. Media also has a tendency to highlight certain videos and downplay others. This leads to availability bias and improper understanding of how often certain events happen. I saw a poll last month where a large percent believed that thousands of black people are killed by police very year. The number is far lower( which isn’t to excuse it). It’s impossible to have conversations and debate when media are more interested in clicks than in-depth factual analysis of an event and thus, the populace is ignorant of reality (and this goes for both sides).

 

[Knight_Classes_begin_7pm]

I've been struck by how cellphone videos have given minorities a new -- and more persuasive -- voice in this country. It certainly has shook up the establishment, be it police departments, home owners associations, apartment managers, government officials, etc. They've shed some much-needed light on what its like to walk in the shoes of American minorities.

But rather than address the underlying issues that these uncomfortable videos bring to the surface, the line we hear is The Damn Media Sensationalizes Everything! They Are Responsible for Creating Riots!!!

Yeah, if there were no videos of racial injustices, things would be back to peachy-keen again, right guys? 🙄

Very true! Thought about this often.

 

[DaShuckster]

The videos are important for sure. They help she’s light on police misconduct and acts of racism by average citizens. The problem is that they are usually not shows in the appropriate context. Media also has a tendency to highlight certain videos and downplay others. This leads to availability bias and improper understanding of how often certain events happen.

I understand your point but its simply the swinging of the pendulum. Prior to cellphones, a police officer's account of a cop-shooting death ("he was killed while resisting arrest") led to 'improper understanding of how often certain events happened' too.

So while there is some justifiable concern about "hyping these shooting deaths up," it shouldn't sway our attention away from the fact that it is a legitimate policing issue that needs to be seriously addressed, not swept under the rug.

 

[Knight_Classes_begin_7pm]

LOL.
White people chiming in about how this doesn't prove anything, and all the crap black folks have been claiming for hundreds of years is just in their imagination.

THIS^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

 

[_glaciers]

Stop saying that. It makes you look really stupid.

how about instead of acting like a child with hurt feelings you explain why.

oh right, you can't. hurts when statistics aren't on you side, doesn't it?

 

[Knight In TN]

Stop saying that. It makes you look really stupid.

Anything to say about my point? No? Then STFU, you look really stupid.

Are you for or against abolishing the police? ACAB: true or false?

 

[Ucfmikes]

These cellphone videos have been great at showing how often it is that young black men resist the police and arrest. How often that they don’t cooperate with the police. I always thought that it happened, but now I actually see it. 😊.

 

[DaShuckster]

These cellphone videos have been great at showing how often it is that young black men resist the police and arrest. How often that they don’t cooperate with the police. I always thought that it happened, but now I actually see it. 😊.

Ha ha. I confess when a Black army officer in uniform gets pepper sprayed for not obeying direct commands you realize just how ‘uppity’ those young Black men can be, right?

But to be fair to that army guy, it’s kind of hard to stick both of your hands out the window of your new van AND take off your seatbelt, open the car door, and exit the vehicle all at the same time.

 

[OLearyLastCall]

I’m for that. What I’m against is this absurd notion that police just shoot unarmed black people at an alarming rate because they’re so racist they just can’t help themselves.

Who was the last unarmed white person shot by police? Can you name a single one? It’s not because it doesn’t happen, and it’s actually more common than black people being shot by police.

You can’t name one, and that’s by design. This is not meant to be a conversation about poor police training. It’s not supposed to be a conversation about use of force training vs deescalation.

There’s a sick win-win for the mainstream media in this. They get to play the rioting videos (ratings boom!) and get to play the identity politics game which is a favorite of the Democrat party.

A white teenager was shot dead by police literally yesterday because he was playing with a toy gun.

Maryland teen carrying airsoft gun fatally shot by state trooper: police

A Maryland state trooper is under investigation after he fatally shot a 16-year-old boy who was pointing an airsoft gun at him in a residential driveway Tuesday, police said. The officer was respon…

www.nydailynews.com

 

[Knight In TN]

A white teenager was shot dead by police literally yesterday because he was playing with a toy gun.

Maryland teen carrying airsoft gun fatally shot by state trooper: police

A Maryland state trooper is under investigation after he fatally shot a 16-year-old boy who was pointing an airsoft gun at him in a residential driveway Tuesday, police said. The officer was respon…

www.nydailynews.com

That story is from NY Daily News. I just went to their website and it’s nowhere to be found on the main page. There’s a story at the top about the Chauvin trial, which obviously makes sense. The story directly below that is about A-Rod and J-Lo breaking up 🙄.

I kept scrolling and never found anything about it.

I’m not minimizing police misuse of force. But you HAVE to ask yourself why one story gets covered extensively and one doesn’t. This is not about holding police accountable for misusing force, because that looks like another great example that illustrates that issue perfectly and you can’t find that story unless you look for it specifically. So what IS the purpose of covering black people being shot by police but not white people?

 

[DaShuckster]

I’m not minimizing police misuse of force. But you HAVE to ask yourself why one story gets covered extensively and one doesn’t.

Good Lord, the things the snowflake Right whine about!

You know what, @Knight In TN, I'm not minimizing the coverage of women's sports. But you HAVE to ask yourself why my Granddaughter's impressive victory in her high school track meet didn't get covered like a transgendered girl's win did? One gets covered extensively and one doesn't. Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!

 

[Knight In TN]

Good Lord, the things the snowflake Right whine about!

You know what, @Knight In TN, I'm not minimizing the coverage of women's sports. But you HAVE to ask yourself why my Granddaughter's impressive victory in her high school track meet didn't get covered like a transgendered girl's win did? One gets covered extensively and one doesn't. Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!

You’re not getting this, which really shouldn’t surprise me.

Let me ask you some specific questions.

Q: Is the problem RACIST police shooting black people because they’re too racist and can’t help but shoot black people if they get a chance to?

Q: Is the problem more about poorly trained police who don’t handle stressful situations well?

Q: If the media report extensively on situations where police kill a black person, but do not give any airtime or space on their website to similar situations involving white victims, what is the motivation?

I’ll give you my opinion on all 3.

1. No, I don’t think there’s much evidence to support that being a widespread issue.

2. I think there are lots of cops who are quick to get aggressive and are very poor at managing their emotions and situations. Training and accountability absolutely needs to improve.

3. It seems like a narrative is being pushed to me, and in the pursuit of ratings. Fear keeps eyeballs and drives engagement, but so does incredulity and rage. If they can show you a story that makes you feel righteously indignant, you’ll keep watching. If that indignation leads you to protest and riot and give them their next story too... well that’s just icing on the cake.

 

[DaShuckster]

You’re not getting this, which really shouldn’t surprise me.

Trust me, I'm getting your perspective loud and clear.

Q: Is the problem RACIST police shooting black people because they’re too racist and can’t help but shoot black people if they get a chance to?

I don't think anybody in Blue wants to kill anybody. However, I do believe there is a small number (note the emphasis) of officers who get into the profession because they love guns and like the AW-THORITY that the badge and their guns give them.

Q: Is the problem more about poorly trained police who don’t handle stressful situations well?

I agree with you that training is a big part of the problem. While most officers are not racist, some of them (note the emphasis) react differently out of fear when the detainee is a person of color. Unfortunately, this is one of those issues that's pretty invisible -- until it isn't.

Q: If the media report extensively on situations where police kill a black person, but do not give any airtime or space on their website to similar situations involving white victims, what is the motivation?

You act like sensationalized news reporting has become a racial thing. As long as I've watched the news, it's always (note the emphasis) featured the most sensationalized stories of all types because that's what their viewers want to see. If you want to ask why 'cop shoots an unarmed Black man' stories get highlighted, you might also ask why in the hell the goings-on of the Royal Family in the United Kingdom gets airtime on our evening news shows.

 

[_glaciers]

You act like sensationalized news reporting has become a racial thing. As long as I've watched the news, it's always (note the emphasis) featured the most sensationalized stories of all types because that's what their viewers want to see. If you want to ask why 'cop shoots an unarmed Black man' stories get highlighted, you might also ask why in the hell the goings-on of the Royal Family in the United Kingdom gets airtime on our evening news shows.

wtf does that even mean

 

[Knight In TN]

Trust me, I'm getting your perspective loud and clear.

I don't think anybody in Blue wants to kill anybody. However, I do believe there is a small number (note the emphasis) of officers who get into the profession because they love guns and like the AW-THORITY that the badge and their guns give them.

I agree with you that training is a big part of the problem. While most officers are not racist, some of them (note the emphasis) react differently out of fear when the detainee is a person of color. Unfortunately, this is one of those issues that's pretty invisible -- until it isn't.

You act like sensationalized news reporting has become a racial thing. As long as I've watched the news, it's always (note the emphasis) featured the most sensationalized stories of all types because that's what their viewers want to see. If you want to ask why 'cop shoots an unarmed Black man' stories get highlighted, you might also ask why in the hell the goings-on of the Royal Family in the United Kingdom gets airtime on our evening news shows.

From your answer, it seems like you don’t believe that racism is the motivating factor in most police shootings. Specifically, do you think the Daunte Wright situation was racially motivated?
I would assume race comes in pretty far down the list of factors that resulted in him getting shot.

I think his warrant for a gun charge put them on high alert and then when he tried to jump into his car and escape arrest all of those fears understandably started to come to the forefront.

I think she was genuinely confused as to which weapon she grabbed, and that was a result of being in such a heightened state of stress. Her own partner was in the line of fire and could have just as easily been shot.

So the question is, why the hyper focus on the racial component from the media?

They very specifically want everyone to know that it was a black man who was shot. At best that’s preying on the fears of black people to get ratings. At worst it’s intentionally trying to further divide the country along racial lines.

 

[DaShuckster]

From your answer, it seems like you don’t believe that racism is the motivating factor in most police shootings. Specifically, do you think the Daunte Wright situation was racially motivated?

Hmmm....does it always take three cops to approach a guy on a traffic stop with expired tags?

I think his warrant for a gun charge put them on high alert

Ooooooh, a GUN charge. You mean the petty misdemeanor he was got for not having a permit? THAT gun charge?

 

[Knight In TN]

Hmmm....does it always take three cops to approach a guy on a traffic stop with expired tags?

Ooooooh, a GUN charge. You mean the petty misdemeanor he was got for not having a permit? THAT gun charge?

He had used a gun to rob someone in December 2019. He was out on bail and got caught with a gun (which was not allowed under the conditions of his bail) and he skipped his Zoom hearing, when the warrant was issued for his arrest.

If that’s not enough to make a police officer nervous about what this kid might do, I don’t know what is.

 

[DaShuckster]

He had used a gun to rob someone in December 2019. He was out on bail and got caught with a gun (which was not allowed under the conditions of his bail) and he skipped his Zoom hearing, when the warrant was issued for his arrest.

LOL Try again. The warrant had ZERO to do with the aggravated robbery case.

The cops pulled him over for expired license plate tags. The arrest warrant was because he skipped a court hearing on an unrelated misdemeanor charge.

 

[Knight In TN]

LOL Try again. The warrant had ZERO to do with the aggravated robbery case.

The cops pulled him over for expired license plate tags. The arrest warrant was because he skipped a court hearing on an unrelated misdemeanor charge.

Bro, I didn’t say the warrant was for the aggravated robbery case.

I said he was arrested for aggravated robbery in December 2019. True.

I said he was out on bail. True.

I said he was caught with a gun. True.

I said not having a gun was also part of the conditions of his bail. True.

I said he skipped his Zoom hearing, when a warrant was issued for his arrest. True.

Which of those things do you think is not true? Do you think the cops didn’t have any idea about the pending aggravated robbery charges?

 

[Crazyhole]

Bro, I didn’t say the warrant was for the aggravated robbery case.

I said he was arrested for aggravated robbery in December 2019. True.

I said he was out on bail. True.

I said he was caught with a gun. True.

I said not having a gun was also part of the conditions of his bail. True.

I said he skipped his Zoom hearing, when a warrant was issued for his arrest. True.

Which of those things do you think is not true? Do you think the cops didn’t have any idea about the pending aggravated robbery charges?

He was black, therefore shuckster gives him the benefit of the doubt because he believes black people are too stupid to understand or follow the rules that white people have to.

On the flip side of this, a white person made the mistake of thinking she was holding a taser instead of a gun so we should probably roll out the gallows and have a public beheading.

 

[DaShuckster]

He was black, therefore shuckster gives him the benefit of the doubt because he believes black people are too stupid to understand or follow the rules that white people have to.

Or maybe Shuck thinks that Black people shouldn't be killed for expired license tags.

On the flip side of this, a white person made the mistake of thinking she was holding a taser instead of a gun so we should probably roll out the gallows and have a public beheading.

She KILLED an unarmed man. Kind of a biggie thing for a slap on the wrist, don't you think?

 

[Crazyhole]

Or maybe Shuck thinks that Black people shouldn't be killed for expired license tags.

She KILLED an unarmed man. Kind of a biggie thing for a slap on the wrist, don't you think?

We both know what shuckster thinks. This woman should either get the death penalty or life in prison, and there should be statues erected across the country to celebrate this young man. All he did was drive with expired tags and this karen-level bitch shot him in the face because of it.

 

[Knight In TN]

Or maybe Shuck thinks that Black people shouldn't be killed for expired license tags.

She KILLED an unarmed man. Kind of a biggie thing for a slap on the wrist, don't you think?

Do you really think he was killed for expired tags? You really think that’s an accurate way of describing the events surrounding his death?

 

[DaShuckster]

Do you really think he was killed for expired tags? You really think that’s an accurate way of describing the events surrounding his death?

Was he stopped for expired tags? Yes.

Were multiple officers involved in this traffic stop? Yes.

Was the driver armed? No.

Did he attempt to leave the scene? Yes.

Was the situation in any way worthy of the use of DEADLY force? No.

 

[Crazyhole]

Was he stopped for expired tags? Yes.

Were multiple officers involved in this traffic stop? Yes.

Was the driver armed? No.

Did he attempt to leave the scene? Yes.

Was the situation in any way worthy of the use of DEADLY force? No.

Did he have a warrant out for his arrest?

 

[Knight In TN]

Was he stopped for expired tags? Yes.

Were multiple officers involved in this traffic stop? Yes.

Was the driver armed? No.

Did he attempt to leave the scene? Yes.

Was the situation in any way worthy of the use of DEADLY force? No.

So someone has already used a gun to try to rob someone, ignored the conditions of bail and was caught with a gun again 7 months later, then failed to appear...

Cops should definitely just let him get back in his car rather than use force? Obviously she fûcked up and grabbed the gun instead of the taser, and literally nobody is defending her for that.

But you don’t seem to appreciate the dangerous and deadly situation HE created by jumping back into his car and trying to get away.

The cops have not searched his car. They don’t know what he has in it, but they have a decent idea of how he feels about guns, and how he feels about law enforcement. These are all things they would have almost certainly seen from the warrant and other charges on his record.

Everyone wishes she had grabbed the taser like she meant to. But holy shit, how hard is it to not run when you’re being arrested? When has that EVER gone well for someone? They were all extremely professional with him and there wasn’t a hint of violence in how they handled that stop until he ran and got back in his car to flee.

 

[DaShuckster]

Obviously she fûcked up and grabbed the gun instead of the taser, and literally nobody is defending her for that.

Instead of defending her actions, we get people defending her by blaming the victim.

Did that kid do a stupid thing? Yes, he f*ked up and panicked. He freaked and in the emotion of the moment he jumped back in his car. Literally nobody is defending him for that.

But, let's be perfectly clear here: He did not 'deserve' to die for what happened that day. She made as stupid a mistake as humanly possible -- particularly for a 26-year police veteran for crying out loud. But don't worry, you and I both know that no jury will convict her of manslaughter.

 

[Knight In TN]

Instead of defending her actions, we get people defending her by blaming the victim.

Did that kid do a stupid thing? Yes, he f*ked up and panicked. He freaked and in the emotion of the moment he jumped back in his car. Literally nobody is defending him for that.

But, let's be perfectly clear here: He did not 'deserve' to die for what happened that day. She made as stupid a mistake as humanly possible -- particularly for a 26-year police veteran for crying out loud. But don't worry, you and I both know that no jury will convict her of manslaughter.

Nobody says he deserved to die. Does someone who does parkour along rooftops deserve to die if they slip? No, but they could have avoided it in the first place by making better choices.

She made a horrible, stupid, tragic mistake.

He made a horrible, stupid, tragic DECISION. That decision lead to her mistake.

Now he’s dead, she’s unemployed and facing a manslaughter charge, and Minnesota is erupting again.

 

[DaShuckster]

She made a horrible, stupid, tragic mistake.

He made a horrible, stupid, tragic DECISION. That decision lead to her mistake.

Interesting how you can watch the video of the incident and describe the kid's impulsive reaction as a DECISION while her impulsive reaction was a MISTAKE.