Guest Commentary
by Michael A. Schwartz, SD Rostra Junkie
A couple of questions on the Ferguson shooting and riots…
1. If you are making the argument that Michael Brown was racially profiled by the police officer who shot him, aren’t you arguing that racially profiling works? Because Michael Brown had just robbed a store, beaten the owner, smoked pot, and turned out to be the kind of man who attacked and severely injured a cop while going for his gun while the cop was trying to question him?
2. If you have ever made the argument that firearm magazine capacity should be limited, isn’t the shooting in Ferguson strong evidence that you are putting gun owners in danger? Because it took a trained police officer 6 shots to finally stop Michael Brown from attacking him.
3. If you are making the argument that the frequency of white police officers shooting blacks is a huge problem in the black community, aren’t you being intellectually dishonest? Because dozens of blacks have been shot, tragically, in the last week since Michael Brown was shot and the vast majority of them were shot by other blacks.
4. If you’ve ever made the case that only cops should have guns and are making the case that in Ferguson, the cops are racist, control-freak, authoritarians who like to shoot blacks…well, do I even need to go any further with that question?
5. If you have ever made the case that civilians do not need semi-automatic rifles with normal capacity magazines to protect themselves during unrest because we live in a civil, modern society…aren’t the days and days of riots that instantly broke out in a fly-over state like Missouri strong evidence that you’re wrong?
6. If you are shaking your head pointing out how the shooting of Michael Brown is proof-positive that we’re a racist society and black mothers have an enormously tough time raising their black sons…shouldn’t you be making the case that anyone who robs a store, beats the owner, and attacks a cop will have a difficult time in society and that parents should raise their kids to not engage in that kind of activity in order to be successful and alive?
The reporting changes. I could be wrong with what I am suggesting above if some other facts come out. But as it stands now…any feedback on these 6 questions is welcome. Perhaps I am not looking at things correctly. I am truly all ears.
Comments 9
Thinking about #3. “white police officers shooting blacks”
An article in the Daily Caller had this to say which I hadn’t considered nor was aware of.
“Black people have legitimate historical grievances over how they have been treated by police. But today the main problem facing the black community is black-on-black crime.”
“Many black people have their lives disrupted by the criminal justice system, but the lives and property of many blacks are also protected by that same system. The average black person is 6.5 times more likely to be murdered than the average white person. But the police aren’t the ones killing blacks. Over nine out of every ten black people who were murdered were murdered by other black people.”
http://dailycaller.com/2014/08/22/violent-crime-not-police-abuse-is-the-real-threat-to-black-americans/
Even while writing this, I’m not comfortable thinking of people as “blacks” or “whites”. And only categorize people that way because so many insist on it. I think all people on people crime is a tragedy and the blame for the crime falls squarely on the criminal. Not their skin tone.
Still, cultures do exist. And there appears to be a big problem in America’s black culture and America’s law enforcement culture that likely cannot be legislated away.
Michael and Eric,
Numbers do not lie and you are both correct that most black murder victims were killed by black murderers. The same can also be said for white victims being killed by white murderers. In fact, the same also holds true for Latinos and Asians. This is probably due to the fact that most murders are either committed by someone the victim knew and/or committed in the neighborhood where the victim lived.
I do think, however that you are both missing the bigger point. We all know that there are dangerous people in the world and as a general rule, we try to avoid them. A policeman, or any authority figure, on the other hand, should not be someone we have to fear and avoid. That is why being killed by the police is a much bigger deal in the grand scheme of things than being killed by some gang banger or because of a personal issue.
Like no other group, blacks venerate the “gangsta” culture, coupled with a remarkable disdain for “bitches.” It’s almost “bad form” for a black man to marry a woman he’s impregnated.
And yet the media-designated “black leaders” make no serious effort to reverse this devastating mindset in the black community (especially among young blacks). It’s clear these civil rights charlatans are more interested in scoring race points (which lines their pockets) than facing the embarrassing truth.
Facts: A United States Department of Justice report which surveyed homicide statistics between 1974 and 2004 stated that of the crimes surveyed, 52.2% of the offenders were Black, 45.8% were White, and 2% were Other Races.
Of the victims in those same crimes, 50.9% were White, 46.9% were Black, and 2.1% were Other Races.
The report further stated that “most murders are intraracial” with 86% of White murders committed by Whites, and 93% of Black murders committed by Blacks.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Race_and_crime_in_the_United_States#Murder
If you do the grisly math, each WEEK over 110 blacks are killed by other blacks.
http://www.vpc.org/studies/blackhomicide11.pdf
Where’s the outrage? Where’s the black leadership? HINT: There’s no profit for the race baiters in combating the TRUE danger to blacks.
HQ makes good points. How much the point in his second paragraph applies to the Michael Brown homicide is still unclear because we still don’t know all the facts. We know there was a homicide. What we don’t know is whether it was lawful or unlawful.
HQ, that may be YOUR point (and I agree with you), but that’s not THE point of those pointing out the skin color of the cop and victim.
I’m not on the Ferguson cop’s side here. He has a huge hurdle to overcome because the man he shot was unarmed. If the reports are right and the evidence shows that the cop was beaten and wrestled for his gun, the likelihood of this ruled as a defensive shoot is high.
Michael,
I think many are actually making the same point that I did although there are certainly a few who benefit every time they can stir up racial unrest. Those few need to be ignored.
As for the particulars of this case, I agree with you and Dave that everyone would be better served if we didn’t pass judgement on what happened in Ferguson until all of the facts were known.
Richard,
You recite some amazing stereotypes in your first two paragraphs, stereotypes that I am sure you realize apply to a small minority of African Americans.
As for your statistics, I am not sure of your point nor am I sure that 98% of all crimes are committed by Caucasians and African Americans meaning that less than 2% of all crimes are committed by Hispanics. If in fact, 110 African Americans are killed by other African Americans every week, then using your own numbers would show that figure to be slightly higher for Caucasians killing other Caucasians.
Mr. Rider, “facts” can be sourced and stated without perpetuating the disgusting racial stereotypes in your first paragraph.