Taking a knee at national anthem is offensive to some, but only once again taking focus off major issues
At this point, we all need to take a step back and take note of all the moving parts. But there are people who are trying desperately to get white people (I know, I am one) to see the problem and not delay. Wanting to get word out that white people need to address other white people to get through that this is happening no matter what the law says, it’s attitudes of white privilege and racial bias. People are determined to not let this go and make their voices heard, they are tired of seeing the same thing happen and having to anticipate the worst case scenario, fearful they will die if they do anything wrong with police, no matter what car they drive or clothes.
Also, some rumors (I believe to some extent is accurate) that there are white supremacists doing violence and trying to start a race war.
I support something that would actually help the situation. I have seen the problem of police treating black folks, I have seen sincere white people who wish to inform police with actions of peaceful demonstration.
All this is doing is making opportunistic agitators come out among the peaceful protesters. It’s been happening before, daytime peaceful than night comes and violence begins.
This situation is a lot of anger. We have well meaning peaceful protesters and opportunistic agitators, starting violence and damage. We have opportunistic people looting while police are elsewhere.
And we have people who have had enough of this and feel there is nothing to be gained by letting this go on and on.
It is correct that the white protesters won't pay as high a price if caught. We have a major problem and stopping traffic can also be construed by some as an affront to their liberty. But we know the lives of those murdered by police are worth more than some being inconvenienced. That is the message that needs to be sent. How do we get the agitators and violent people to stay away from peaceful demonstrations? It’s being reported that protesters do not bring hammers and gasoline. But we have people out of work, locked down. People coming in and breaking into businesses stealing what they can. I think this is going to get worse. Tensions high.
If the national guard is called in, I fear for everyone out there. It’s a recipe for disaster. I feel the President is not going to help, but stoke more violence and destruction. I do think it is taking way too long to get police and the system to be what they claim, liberty and justice for all.
One thing I know is that the media report the most dramatic scenes, it takes a very large crowd of organized peaceful demonstrators who are disciplined to be sworn to not attack or even defend themselves. But go limp.
One thing after all this stuff is there are many different things going on. Protests are not riots, riots are inflamed by those outside the protest. We have opportunists in looters who are not protesters for BLM. Opportunists for white supremacy inciting violence who are not protesters.
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At the suggestion of a couple of people, I make my first diary of posted above comment on tiredntexas’s diary.
I have seen this time and time again over my lifetime, but only as an observer. Wondering what can I do about this. I have vocalized and written opinions even when folks (including my parents) seemed unhappy about things I believed in.
I always believed in civil rights and equal rights. Being barely 10 years old when JFK was assassinated, then later being news of MLK, Bobby Kennedy assassinated. It wasn’t clear to me what was going on. We lived in a racially segregated area. The only Black folks I saw then were on Ed Sullivan. I was particularly enthralled with James Brown and watched him sing and flinging sweat with enthusiasm. It got into my soul, too. I saw my brother’s album covers before J.B. on B&W tv, some had photos of the artists on them, some didn’t. That was the do-wop era.
I always noticed the disparity, but my own whiteness wasn’t noticed until much later as beneficial to my own success. Mind you, I am a common person who has not achieved anything greater than retirement after putting in my work, following rules — with a few exceptions. My exceptions to law bending- yes, breaking… was never seen as anything more that something to be warned. I got a lesson of consequences, but I did not pay with jail time. Nobody pulled me over because I was driving while white, it was because I was speeding. Never got away with that, but other things, I did. It is important for white people to look back and try to count the times they were given a pass or they got a job, got a loan, got to move into an apartment, etc.
So, I chose the Kaepernick photo because it is understood and misunderstood by different people by the same action. People complain about the insult to military and the dishonor. That could not be further from the truth. Service members died for what we say at the end of the pledge of allegiance. Liberty and Justice for ALL- with solemn hand over heart.
If people refuse to look at the way justice is not equal and the result is continuing the abuse of people of color by police, by threatening to call police for minor infractions or simply now not liking a person of color asking them to leash their dog in a regulated leash your dog area. Calling police because someone looks suspicious for “being there”- oh, just thinking about that- no wonder people are so deeply hurt and angry.
We white people need to stop pretending other things like they ran away, they squirmed, they clawed at an arm that was choking them, they refused to get up and get in the car- get this- because they were afraid moving would get them shot or even more drastic- the police had their knee on a persons neck, pinned to the ground. Please, stop for a moment think and absorb that. I heard the police telling George Floyd to get up and get in the car while the police had him pinned — by his neck on the ground!
So, when I think back to sitting around the kitchen table with my Dad reading the newspaper during the Watts riots, my father (a Republican) whom I love to the moon says something like “they are looting and burning and violent in their own neighborhoods”. There was that critical statement, “they” separating to where they belong and not knowing or even asking why there is so much anger.
I’m no stranger to feeling intense solidarity with people of color, immigrants, the non Christian folks who are so often treated as other and not belonging. I’m no stranger to not comprehending that being a white female, I was vulnerable and needed to be protected and given a break, when my family being mostly farmers from way back were beneficiaries of at least one thing. They were white, they were poor and escaping depression from Mid West to CA were not faced with racism in the way TOO MANY white people limit the racism as against black, brown, native, Jewish, Muslim and Asian people. But racism includes some whiteness being the norm or center and others are outside that. Just think of it as do we describe our coworkers who are white as white or caucasian? No, but we often describe the people who are not white by race or skin color. We might differentiate someone as Italian or Irish in a way, but they aren’t “different” in that way.
I am trying to find some way of doing something good, something that will make some difference. If a famous QB (Niner fan from way back) and any other Pro or college players cannot be allowed to take a knee for a brief time to draw attention to “Black Lives Matter” being killed by police and vigilantes. The subject becomes dishonoring the flag that we pledge allegiance to with liberty and justice for ALL. People died for that claim- liberty and justice for all. That is what the problem is being exposed. It’s not actually happening for ALL.
I don't know what else to do but try to get white people to see the problem of white privilege, white nationalism, white supremacy, white dominance is much greater, it’s not a past issue, it’s happening now and trump has given people some sense of white people are victims of diversity, given them some rallying words, some reason to defend their white victimhood because… ???
Those “others” (not as I see those people at all) are asking for equal justice under the law, They are asking a white woman to leash her dog where leashing of dogs is posted and she is going to call police and lie that he is assaulting her. You see, she is being assaulted because a polite black man has the audacity to ask her to follow the regulations. She knowingly threatened the “African American man” (her words) with calling the police on him for attacking a white woman- her authority to break ordinances?). An African American man cannot peacefully watch birds because a white woman has a right to let her dog trample about freely where is is not allowed and he dared to asked her to leash her dog. She went ballistic and drags her poor dog around by the collar while she threatens him.
What I want is to ask white people to stop viewing non white people as “others” and acknowledge being white has given us a better chance of success. I ask do we white people deserve a better chance or better treatment by white people or any people? What is it about being white that earns any better treatment or protection?
Do we suspect a white person of violating anything because they are white?
Take notice of how so many people are out of work, more than -maybe ever- the recipe for disaster is police diverted to a peaceful protest and looting and destruction of businesses is a rationalized as “they owe us” so we will get something, since they only give us grief. But that is a whole other issue- separate, but culminating into a volcano eruption.
How do we get more white people to stop reflexively elevating their own concerns over the very lives lost and daily injustices people of color repeated again and again? Stop prioritizing your own “issues” and listen to what the actual message is.
Also, stop inserting your own causes into BLM non violent protests. There are MANY white people who get it and want solidarity and respect the BLM. And PLEASE do not pretend to be part of a peaceful demonstration and invoke violence and damage.
There are those who are going to rationalize some racial reason for having a vigilante actions and trump is going to call the military in, you can see it building. Don’t let that happen, trump is using this to rally his base, too. They will twist it into what they want and use it to continue the injustice and death.
