Search the Community

Not that I need to; however I will answer the bolded. I served an entire career as a law enforcement officer. I have been part of that community, and the greater community of criminal justice, for the past 35+ years. Almost my entire adult life. I have worked almost exclusively in the violent crime arena (still do in retirement as a consultant) and have been in many emotionally charged and potentially dangerous situations. I am well educated and have provided training to law enforcement officers, criminal justice professionals, and mental health professionals in the area of offender and victim characteristics/behaviors in violent crime, particularly homicide, sexual assault, and intimate partner violence. Over the last 35+ years, I can tell you that there is no institution in this country that has made a greater effort in that time to eliminate what people refer to as "systemic racism" than law enforcement. I have seen bad LE Officers and personally investigated a few (each one convicted and sentenced). They have always existed and always will exist - as they do in every other segment of society. I have also seen racist LE Officers. But I have also seen them slowly and surely weeded out of the profession. Weeds are weeds, however, and it takes time and effort to completely eradicate them. Over the years, I have personally interacted with, literally, thousands of LE Officers. I have watched the profession evolve, for the better. As a group, they are men and women who take an oath to protect and serve, and the vast majority take that oath seriously and try to serve and protect every citizen out there, regardless of race. I am open to new and innovative ways of policing. I recognize problems exist in law enforcement and I am also aware that problems exist in the communities they serve. As always, solutions to problems can never be arrived at without first accurately defining the problem. We have not arrived in a place in this country where those on both sides are willing to do that. I am in the habit of engaing posters who are interested in civil, intellectually honest discussions. You are intersted in neither.

Again just please preface these with "I have no imagination and cannot think of an answer to these on my own. Please help me." Or at least drop the sarcasm if you want a kinder response. Yes. The mediators would separate a physically abusive husband in this situation. This is why you bring multiple mediators. You would subdue him with minimal violence; outnumbering him should give you enough advantage. You separate them. And you bring in crisis and relationship counselors. And you make an effort to solve the issue instead of worsening it. Or, you have the current system, which would address your situation like this — armed cops arrive, write a report, do nothing, and don't return until he's killed her. Great. First of all, hello, you're a dumbass and obviously racist so a big ***** you to begin. To answer your question, this isn't a Trump-only issue. Remember Obama's response to Ferguson? It sucked ass. Obama is not helping right now, either. His funded groups are promoting "8 can't wait" — a moderate do-nothing reform that would, again, simply put this issue in a box, put a "we tried" label on it, and hope it doesn't return again next year. So, when you bold the part that says "systemic racism" you might want to look into what that means. Because your childish assumption that somehow Obama's presidency was going to fix that, just because he's black... I just, I want you to hear me: you are stupid as *****.

Wouldn't you say it's at least equally naive to believe that ones personal experience represents a good barometer for the experience of people whose backgrounds and life experiences are much different? You know, like you do here: If we're going to be un-naive and not accept things at face value, it's possible that the credit card algorithm mistakenly flagged transactions of black customers as fraudulent because their spending patterns matched the spending patterns of stolen cards; it's possible the "other professor grading the paper" was not as blinded to the identity of the author as you believe, or that both professors were reacting subconsciously to subtle clues in the writing that marked it as the work of a person of color but that did not impact the actual content or argument; it's possible that the pizza place was not flagging equally crime-ridden white neighborhoods, or was denying service to black neighborhoods that were no more crime ridden along with those with legit high crime rates. It's also possible that all these things you experienced did not have a racist cause, and yet those anecdotal experiences would not disprove that black and brown people may indeed start life in this country without an equal chance of equal success for similar personal qualities, or that black and brown people as a whole don't experience racism that may not stop them from achieving success, but that does impact them and affect their daily lives. I think you mistake "others are afraid and threatened by this discussion" for "others choose not to engage with you because they perceive your posts and arguments as dogmatic and framed to reinforce your belief set, rather than having genuine intellectual interest in open exploration and exchange of information and ideas" Prove me wrong: explain what you would accept as convincing evidence that racism still exists, and that systemic racism hindered the success of black families through the late '60s and beyond. Can you prove that we're the freest and most prosperous country in the history of the world? What are your criteria for this? Does it specifically include criteria for the prosperity and freedom of black and brown people, or is this just another way of saying "I got mine, Hell with You bub"? Rob, Rob, Rob, Rob. Don't you think it's naive of you to accept wherever you read or heard that, at face value? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_empires https://www.history.com/news/7-influential-african-empires https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenwood_District,_Tulsa https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tulsa_race_massacre https://www.history.com/news/georgia-racial-expulsion-stacey-abrams https://www.npr.org/2016/09/15/494063372/the-racial-cleansing-that-drove-1-100-black-residents-out-of-forsyth-county-ga https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_expulsions_of_African_Americans Some of these empires were pretty free and prosperous. Some of the residents of these towns and business districts, ditto What are your criteria and how can you prove that on average, black Americans today are freer and more prosperous than blacks living in historical black empires, the Ghana Empire, Mali, Aksum and Adal on the Horn, etc etc? Or blacks pre-1919 who had spent 50 years post-slavery working to achieve prosperity for their families only to have that wealth wrested from them during the bloody summer of 1919 and to be denied Government jobs when Wilson segregated the federal government? Don't confuse agreement with Travis Heath that debate with pseudo-intellectual white dudes about the existence and effects of racism in the US based upon assertion, personal experience as a white male, and personal belief bolstered by selected information interpreted selectively for being "threatened" or "upset" by you.

I know the irony of your posts have already been pointed out but look at your top 2 lines. First stop with the hyperbole it will help your argument out. Everyone did not decide we are living in the 1800s and everything under the sun didn't become racist. That is not the conversation. The conversation is that black people are still not receiving the same treatment and opportunities that white people are. That black people are not receiving equal treatment from LEO's. It isn't every opportunity that isn't equal nor is it every LEO. I will give you some very quick examples that happen so much you might not even blink an eye (which IS the issue): Whenever a black athlete is "surprisingly well spoken" Someone making a racist joke in front of you. A lady clutching her purse when a black man gets on the elevator with her because she is scared. When talking about someone saying the black guy or girl as the differentiation. Have you ever used the inverse? These aren't "major things" but when enough of them pile up you can see that an issue exists and should be addressed. That's what is meant by systemic racism. It isn't that everyone is racist. It is that racism exists in forms many of us don't notice because we have never really paid attention. I'm not afraid to engage in this discussion with you. I am trying to understand your argument. I do wonder if you are being honest about challenging your beliefs as poster after poster has engaged you and been dismissed. To me (I won't assume the rests motives) people are asking to be treated fairly. It forced me to answer some of the questions I posed above and make me wonder why my answers were what they were. I have been challenging my beliefs and ideas and have come to the conclusion that they have a valid point. While I am not racist nor do I consider myself racist, I have allowed racist jokes to be made or racist language to be used and not spoken up. That has changed and that is the progress this movement is about. I grew up in a small town believe me racism still exists in the US. You have been very staunch in your position but have you ever thought to listen. I mean truly listen. Black comedians have been talking about run ins with the cops forever, why is that? Is it something they created? Or is there a kernel of truth? Have you ever spent any amount of time in an inner city setting (the projects if your will)? Have you talked to people about what it is like to grow up in that environment? That is the answer to your last question (how to fix). Instead of thinking that you as a white man know what the black experience is like, listen. Time and effort will fix this. The further we get from segregation the better. Both the sitting president and the dem nominee have some skeletons in their closet when it comes to racism. As younger generations come into positions of power this will get better. Right now we have a president who tweeted a video of a guy saying white power and a challenger who said if you don't vote for me your not black. That is a giant waving red flag that racism is still an issue in this country. In the mean time all we can do right now is try to be better. Challenge ourselves to learn and grow each and every day. Progress and growth is something we should all strive for each and every day.

What's naive is accepting everything you hear at face value without skepticism. You didn't inquire as to any of the examples, yet you somehow know I'm "uninformed." Let me share just a small few of the endless stream of examples. I used to work in credit card fraud where an algorithm blocks a card based on spending patterns typical of stolen cards. The algorithm doesn't factor race, and no human eye evaluates the process, but I've had countless people tell me their card was stopped because of racism. In college a black guy claimed he got a B because the professor was racist. The school had another professor grade the paper without knowing who wrote it. He gave it a C. I used to work at a pizza place. We didn't deliver to certain neighborhoods because they were very highly ranked for murders per capital nationwide. But if I had a nickel for every time I heard it was because we were racist and hated making money if it meant black people got pizza I could retire early. That's just the tip of the iceberg of things I've experienced personally. I could go on about this all day. The overwhelming majority of claims of racism I've ever heard have been baseless or outright false. And that's prior to two months ago when for no particular reason everyone decided we were living in the 1800s again and everything under the sun suddenly became racist. I'm challenging previously and currently held beliefs and ideas right now any you and many others are afraid and threatened by this discussion. Why is that? If we need to "change" from the freest and most prosperous country in the history of the world, I'd like to be real clear on what we're changing, why and how. I'm not hearing a whole lot of substance. All I hear is that black Americans, who are the freest and most prosperous black people anywhere in the history of the planet, are woefully oppressed. This is based on ???, and to fix it we're going to ???. Burning cities, tearing down statues, and changing mascots doesn't seem effective. Neither does imposing your will on people to make them "uncomfortable" enough to comply with demands that you can't articulate in an effort to end whatever this "systemic racism" that you can't define or identify is. And pursuing "justice" against innocent people for things they never did, and claiming grievances for things you never experienced, is not any kind of "change" I'm interested in. That's cognitive dissonance. If you got something to say stand up and say it.

I tagged you in the post and posted another study that had similar findings in the original thread. I also posted links in this one, but no matter how much evidence I provide it seems you'll always dismiss it without explanation. Conspicuously absent from any of your arguments is any supporting evidence. You simply state the narrative and resort to the same sort of "argument" you've presented above. If you have empirical evidence supporting this theory I'd like to see it but you can't because it does not exist. The police brutality angle has sputtered out and morphed into a broad "systemic racism" argument because the former, as it has been characterized, is fairly easily debunked, whereas the latter can never be disproven, making its findings inherently unscientific. If America was a hot bed of racism one would think there would be countless examples and empirical evidence to support the theory, yet we never get that. We get scarce helpings of anecdotal evidence, most of which is unverifiable or ambiguous, along with patronizing rhetoric that attempts to shame skeptics who refuse to believe a narrative that is at odds with all the evidence we have seen. It's hard to grasp the theory of overwhelming "systemic racism" in a country where the greatest threat to ones livelihood is being perceived as having any negative perceptions regarding any minority group. It is also hard to fathom when the disparities that we are told are a product of this "systemic racism" do not seem to affect other minorities or black people who immigrate here from other countries. It is hard to buy into the theory when you've seen countless accusations of racism, and the majority of those you can confirm one way or the other prove either baseless or demonstrably false. It's even harder when the same people that tell you this is an epidemic lie to you about everything else under the sun. It's hard to accept that black people live under the constant strain of racism when so many black people claim to rarely if ever experience this kind of racism. It's even harder to accept a theory you're not allowed to question. We're told white people can't have an opinion, unless of course they share the view that we're told is the that of black folks. Of course, if I mention a black man with an opposing view I am expressing white fragility, which is racist, because he doesn't speak for all black people - only the one's you agree with do. So in essence, only those expressing the "systemic racist" theory of America are allowed to opine. All other voices need to silence themselves or be silenced.

This is a terrific post and I thank you for sharing it. I think the only part of it that I would contend with is the first statement. I do think, for many in the black community, police brutality has a lot to do with race. I’m not of the view that police are inherently racist or that all police forces are corrupted by racism. I think the issue is that, for many in the black community, encounters with the police are an entry point for being stuck in “the system,” and that system, as a whole, does not serve African-Americans nearly as well as it should and often makes their lives much worse. The police are the touchpoints for a much bigger threat. I agree it’s not fair to all of the great policemen and women out there to label the entire law enforcement community racist because of a few horrible actors. But those bad apples (as you concede) make it worse for everyone, because they confirm some people’s worst fears and biases, and undermine a fragile trust that you and your colleagues worked so hard to establish. To put it another way, as Chris Rock said, police are like pilots in that you really can’t have any bad apples - you can’t have a few pilots who just love crashing into mountains. Law enforcement almost needs to bat 1.000 at this point in society and it’s not fair but it’s where things are at.

This is some "rubber, glue" nonsense. All of your logic is circular. You failed to address, meaningfully, any of the points raised against you, at any point in our discussions here. You're insisting to me that the widely-held definition of Racism is not acceptable to you (and also that it's my invention). So does "systemic racism" not exist, or you only want to argue the linguistic angle? You also haven't addressed the "white genocide" angle. I haven't read your posts on it. I just saw that they came up. Is "white genocide" something you are concerned about? I continue to await any single PPP poster, besides myself, to point out Reality Check's behavior is targeted harassment and that this repeated question (answered repeatedly) is racist. Truly, this is where our real heroes are.

The 4th post in this thread returns to the KKK talking point, part of Reality Check's repeated targeted harassment. I've been reported by every member of PPP, but this lynching behavior bothers nobody. Interesting. The 5th post says there's no point, and decides White people are the real victims because the only thing worse than actual racism is a White person being called Racist. The 6th post is a South Park gif of the KKK And the 7th post is from the poster who, in response to my posts calling out racism, made a thread dedicated to harassing one poster here. This is also okay on this forum. So tell me again how this forum isn't full of racists because your German Grandaddy also struggled. This is actually your tactic. "Racism" is well-defined, I'm not defining anything new. Language evolves Do some research. If you'd like to insist to me that "racism" absolutely does not include the "systemic" definition, go ahead and knock yourself out. I will await your conclusions. I reject your idea that "Racism" isn't real because you have decided it is. You are afraid of "White genocide" and are not credible. Your post history is full of this.

As a old white guy I agreed with Kaep and his kneeling. He used this platform to draw attention to the systemic racism that has existed in the country for way too long. It was never about disrespecting the flag. And last I checked, the flag also stands for "liberty and justice for all". Not just for white people. Drew screwed up during a very volatile yet important time in our country. He was tone deaf. I don't consider Brees a racist but he did speak with a sense of entitlement. When that flag goes up I think of alot more than my marine corp father who got to return to a world of white privilege. Black military didn't experience that luxury. Change has to happen now. We need to listen and do a hell of alot more than has been done over the last several decades.

If I'd done something racist I'd apologize for it to the specific people I'd effected not just randomly. I'd kneel in solidarity against police brutality and systemic racism, I'm not going to kneel to apologize for being born a specific race.

Oh I dont think it was deliberate. Freudian slips happen all the time. His intention certainly wasnt to sound racist. Maybe the discussions were partly about racism in the justice system so black people in prison was on his mind and that slipped out. Some people on both sides are overreacting.

There's a big difference between a handful of randos having an opinion and having systemic institutionalized discriminatory racism. If he's lying awake at night because a few senior citizens and some internet trolls have racist opinions he should grow a sack.

And that's exactly my point. If we take as your given that there is absolutely no systemic racism in the system, explain to me how 80% of children in Broward county get free or subsidized meals in school, and here's the key, without being racist or prejudiced in your explanation. Boyst62 is out clearly, but can anyone else please give it a shot. Remove all racism from the equation, from the system and from the explanation and see if you can convince me that when 80% of kids in one of the most affluent counties gets help to eat that a) there is no racism in the current system and more so b) that the current situation was not caused by racism. Remember, this didn't happen overnight. If you make a valid argument I will conceed or counter, but any prejudice or generalization of the few to the many is an instant fail.

Almost 80% of kids in Broward county get free or subsidized lunches (largely minorities), and while it is socio economic, I believe it is a symptom of which the causes are the result of systemic racist practices such as red lining and building highways through middle class urban neighborhoods in the 50s and 60s, as well as preditory lending practices leading up to the great recession that led to people of color to lose a stagering amount more wealth than whites. It's not about money in your bank account, it's about wealth like property and other assets that can be passed down through families, and we as a nation have historically deprived black people access to build wealth. That is a issue that must be measured in generational impact, not in the short term. It's not about being free of overt prejudice that we need to achieve, we have made great strides in that over the last many years, but it's the systemic remains of that prejudice that are so deeply rooted in a lack of wealth accumulation, that even the removal of all racism will not likely resolve on their own, and certainly not in a single generation. We need to step in and help, and forget morality, we cannot survive as a nation without a more balanced number of people being in the middle, and the people currently marginalized are more than capable of not just being in the middle, but driving the coubtry forward from thr middle. As such, I don't think anything changed, I think YouTube and other social media is allowing us to see what is happening. The regualr media sold out for add revenue and their corporate sponsors did not want extreme poverty to dominate the local and national news. It's like the Vietnam war, do you think our war tactics changed significantly (look at what happened in Guantanamo Bay), or do you think the government colluded with the networks to stop showing soldiers and civilians blown to pieces? Nothing's changed except our ability to see it.

Dumb thing to say, but in no way indicative of systemic racism, or even racism in the officer who said it. In a vacuum, sure. But nothing exists in a vacuum. It's far more likely that this officer was deescalating a situation using sarcasm. Because he's a human being, and human beings do things like that. Was it stupid? Absolutely. Especially in the current environment where victims are afforded hero status, and social justice warriors are finding racists under every rock. But actually racist? Highly unlikely. Hence the problem with the protests. If this is your evidence of a systemic problem, I have good news for you: your problem doesn't exist.

I do not find your argument persuasive. It is the equivalent of someone saying all Republicans are racists. Some are, but that does not mean it is the core belief of the party. BLM is looking for justice for African Americans in how they are treated by police compared to white people. Showing me an extremist hot head does not prove your point that BLM is just a slimy cause against white people, any more than Charlottesville shows all Republicans are white supremacists. BLM has a point. It flows from a history of slavery to Jim Crow and on-going racism in America. Do I agree with every, or even most of what they do, no. But they have a valid point of view if you examine all sorts of statistics on police behavior. The fact that NFL players have the stature to draw attention to this matter does not make them hypocrites, they are using their status to make a point to help less fortunate people who are largely powerless in our system. I know we will never agree on this, but I promise I don't think you are a racist just because we disagree.

Then you're an enabler and a hypocrite. You're more than willing to sit here condemning others, but completely fail to take any responsibility for your own lack of action when you had the opportunity because it was too hard. And no, I don't have any racists in my life. The fact that astounds you speaks to the company you're willing to keep. And yes, you can do exactly that. You simply choose not to, and then blame others for the worlds problems. People are judged on everything. What I question is that it's evidence of systemic racism.

Of course there are actual racists and actual racism. Case in point: Kelly the Dog's friend. Had that been me I wouldn't have rested until he was ruined, especially working in government. That was an individual racist, and a very solvable problem, as are most individual instances of racism. What you're asking me to believe is that racism is absurdly wide spread, deeply systemic, and is a major driving factor in the employment market. Stop projecting. And no, I'm not being an ass. You had the opportunity to help people and actually take down an actual racist who was doing real harm, and you did nothing, yet here you are casting stones about. That's on you.

I just think the whole size of government thing means you are closer to totalitarians is silly. The slaves lived is a system of totalitarisim but that was a small government system. Racism is what connects Nazis to the far right and seeps into some mainstream Republicanism too I would argue. Trump's pardon of an obvious racist probably won't cost him many votes. But we shall see

Race baiting? So I found it...you’re right that you didn’t specifically state say 1st round but you did say early rounds. So no, I wasn’t way off. You’re saying in this quote that he wasn’t an early round pick (1-3) because he was black. I’m the one race baiting huh? BADOLBILZ 241 Posted October 15, 2017 So a white QB with Taylor's arm, athleticism, character, production, experience in a pro-style system and the intelligence to both audible at the LOS AND make the line calls for VA Tech wouldn't get taken until the 6th round? Look, I hate the overplay of racism.....I think there is often a reverse racism in play and that the anthem protests are preaching to the choir and racially divisive. But Taylor was taken by a black GM in the 6th round that didn't need a QB because he was bpa BY A LOT. And then there is Jake Locker.........lesser player in almost every respect.......taken in the first round. Have we not already determined that Russell Wilson should have been a first round pick? Taylor should have been taken in the early rounds as well......no question about it........and anyone who says otherwise either doesn't know the value of QB play or has an agenda. Face it.......race was a big factor in his low pedigree........and his low pedigree has been a big factor in fans and analysts perception of him..........therefore race is a big factor in the double standard. As for currently, there is a very vocal minority of racists at the stadium and calling in to radio shows etc.. It's MUCH smaller than it used to be........but based on talking to them and hearing them in the stadium I'd still put that vocal figure close to 10% of the white males in the stadium. And even among that group I think it's more of a creeping feeling that having a black QB is a disadvantage than it is any kind of racial hate. I'd say that figure is less here........but they exist for sure and that is part of the vocal Tyrod hate. Without it.......he has less critics AND more vocal support. The racial element bothers the much higher % of people who hate Taylor that are just football-dumb.............because they get lumped in with them as racists...........but unfortunately you guys have racism on your side on the anti-Taylor team.

There isn't any racism in the way minorities are treated by law enforcement or the justice system. There are certainly individual racists, but there is no systemic racism. The whole concept is largely manufactured by a grievance industry who take political profit from race baiting, and manipulate statistics to tell a lie towards those ends. "None of your problems are your fault. There is a white boogie man out there who has stacked the deck against you with a goal of making your life worse for no other reason than your skin color. You are hereby absolved of your sins. Now please vote for me."

You're making a pretty strong case that the Federal Government shouldn't be involved in the Amber Alert system, assuming your right about the lack of real impacts from a shut down. Really, it's an argument that everything that was shut down is wasted dollars that the Federal Government shouldn't be spending, because shutting those things down didn't matter. Is that the argument you're making? You absolutely can, and should characterize the Klan based on what it is now, when what it is now is having the actual impact. Nearly everyone whom the Klan of the 1950s and prior impacted is dead today. That Klan is irrelevant to the conversation. Which is fine, because it's the only relevant comparison. Both organizations are racist at their core. Anything beyond that is an acknowledgment that you find one group's racism acceptable.

The first two are not because of racism. The first point, we don't all start off equally, applies to every person on the planet. It's simply reality. Some people are born smarter, or with better over all genetics. Some are born the child of Bill Gates. None of that is due in any way to racism. The second point, black Americans have a higher likelihood of starting off further behind because of prior injustices from decades past and because of perverse incentives created by the welfare state, is due to racism from the past by people who are mostly dead now, and because of a system that rewards poor behavior with money for the purpose of creating a permanent underclass as a voting block. Summed up very succinctly by Lyndon B. Johnson: "I'll have those n*****s voting Democratic for the next 200 years."; soft-slavery is perpetual multi-generational dependance, which serves to hold a group of people in a perpetual underclass by making their chains fit softly upon their wrists. It started off with the desruction of the black family, but is no longer isolated to minorities. It is the marginalization of the black male (now all males). It is the handout that replaced that paycheck which made the marginalization of men possible. It is the incentivization of these same behaviors, generation after generation, which normalizes, and removes the shame. But most importantly, it is the slave masters, using these humans for nothing more than their votes, much like the Southern farmer in his field. Again, this was started along racial lines, but now extends into all racial groups. The third is in no way racial. It is hard truths. These truths apply to all races. Black two parent families have much better odds of being in the middle class than single white parents. The fourth breaks down on racial lines, but is not racist. There are no white racists out there forcing black people to have children out of wedlock, nor are there white racists forcing black men out of high school. This is a major cultural problem that black Americans have to solve for themselves. It cannot be done for them. The fifth and final point is absolutely not placing an undue burden on black people. In a free society we are all required to own our decision making. The freedom to make a good decision is also the freedom to make a bad decision, and there is nothing inherent to having more melanin that makes blacks less capable of good decision making. They are just as smart and as capable as their white counterparts, and they have agency. Again, much of this is due to a cultural problem with an upside-down value system as relates to being successful and escaping intergenerational poverty.

From the article, I think he is coming from the right place with his intent and he is trying to be measured, but this is the kind of thing I was talking about and I don't think it is productive unless he is open to listening. I'll try to give some examples. That is the very first sentence of the article. He later cites a specific case but one in which the person shot was actually armed. I get his connection given his home town and am not too worried about that one error if it were isolated. What does bother me is him saying "by the police" instead of "by police". The whole premise of the protest is that police are categorizing people into groups (which of course they should not do). He doesn't even get out of his first sentence and he has done the same thing. There are hundreds if not thousands of police departments nationwide. "The police" paints them as monolithic. I wouldn't like it if some police chief said some like "this is how we plan on dealing with blacks" or "the blacks". I can understand if he thinks there is a problem with the Baton Rouge police, or the Chicago police, or something more specific than "the police". In general I will give him the benefit of the doubt here because I assume there was limited space for the article, but systemic oppression and the other things listed need to be defined, articulated specifically, and validated before they can be fixed. If not, just about anything can be attributed to them. A dialogue about this should always be on the table but both sides need to be willing to listen. If blacks are being arrested at a higher rate, that is a valid data point and a reason to start a discussion, but it is not proof of anything. Skin color may or may not be a determining factor in those numbers. Clearly it has no place in being a determining factor and if it is one, that should be eliminated. But anything that is in need of elimination needs to be defined. It's not an easy task for anyone on any side of this argument and no one side should assume it is easy for the other. I'm 100% with him on this and am glad to see they took there time and put thought into how to structure their protest. I have to differ here. Kaepernick has shown intentions that are not necessarily in line with what one would call the best. The pig socks, Castro praise and Che t-shirt make me wonder how much of the pervious quote Kaepernick would share with Reid. Free and fair society with free speech? Che? That makes no sense at all. Maybe I don't agree 100% with Reid on that quote because he shouldn't be baffled at the backlash that came after those statements by Kaepernick. His girlfriend equating the Ravens owner with a slave owner is probably not the most constructive thing I have ever heard. A discussion involves more than one way communication. It is not fair to expect Reid, Kaepernick or anyone else to fully comprehend arrest and shooting statistics before saying something. But it wouldn't be fair for them to ignore these statistics either. Because the truth is the truth. Sometimes we know it all but most times we don't. It isn't right to assign cause to the unknown parts so that it matches your agenda. We all do this all the time and always have (I didn't do my homework because that teacher is mean to me and would have just given me a zero anyway). Those who really want a solution to a problem need to move toward a solution. Personally, I don't think pig socks is an indication of someone who wants something solved. Racism will go away when racists are seen for what they actually are, which is groups of idiots. The best way to deal with idiots is to ignore them. Systemic issues in law and policing can be written out. A racist cop or a racist perpetrator cannot be. They need to be dealt with individually and that is not going to happen all at once. It can't, as much as we'd all like that. Assuming the cop that shot Michael Brown was a racist pig and ruining his life over it does not move us toward any worthwhile goal.