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Minorities, Cops, and the Problems InBetween...

Posted: Mon Jun 08, 2009 2:47 am
by Ult_Sm86
Here's what I've noticed, it seems to be an endless circle.
We get news stories about minorities in America being beaten on by cops, ignored by politicians, deprived of necessary funds by pompous economic/corporate heads, and yet we see what some say to be "Reactions" from the masses of minorities. Crime, gangs, drug dealing, what have you.

Not that these activities are restricted to minorities, but in suburban shit holes, after all the ignoring and beating, ... well it seems like a natural circle.

What do you guys thinks?

(Also, by no means am i done making my voice heard on this, I will be returning after I get some responses, with some polls, statistics, articles, and funny political comics)

Minorities, Cops, and the Problems InBetween...

Posted: Mon Jun 08, 2009 3:05 am
by fourpawsonthefloor
It's plain stereotyping. It's tied to socio-economics waaaay more. The problem is highly complex and is fed by the media jumping on stories that fit it and by movies and other things that perpetuate it. It's not something that is going to be fixed overnight. I do think more resources and some more common sense needs to be applied though.

Simply, does it exist? Yes. Is it blown out of proportion? HELL yes.

Minorities, Cops, and the Problems InBetween...

Posted: Mon Jun 08, 2009 3:20 am
by Ult_Sm86
Oh, I completely agree.

However it does seem like a sad circle when someone points out the crime rate of New Orleans rises after Katrina but they fail to acknowledge all the other times it spiked... It's nitpicking information to fit your own argument, and though I think there is a legit connection, I do believe it gets over blown.

A good place to start this discussion I think is the sudden "Growth" of gang activity in Phoenix, Arizona and other southern cities. What do we know/think about this??

Minorities, Cops, and the Problems InBetween...

Posted: Mon Jun 08, 2009 3:24 am
by JSherlock
Actually, I disagree on where this stuff happens. Crime, violence, drugs, and gangs are found everywhere, in my opinion. Like Paws said, we only think of these things in the 'bad part of town' because of media. This is not to say that most of the problems are not in such places, but we hear about the good parts less often and the bad parts more often. Also, I agree - it is socio-economincal stereotyping - and of course, prejudice about status, race and/or religion. Either from those who participate or those who look on, sometimes both parties have prejudices about the other group and themselves - and how they should interact.

It is an endless swtichback circular path. I believe it stems from misunderstanding, misjudgment, stereotyping and prejudice (racist/religious).

[Edited on 8/6/2009 by JSherlock]

Minorities, Cops, and the Problems InBetween...

Posted: Mon Jun 08, 2009 3:28 am
by Ult_Sm86
I agree with you, but please flush out your idea.

Why would you say then, that America is saying there seems to be such a problem with Mexican Gangs "all of a sudden".
I'll cite this article for now, NPR but there's more to come.

Minorities, Cops, and the Problems InBetween...

Posted: Mon Jun 08, 2009 3:43 am
by JSherlock
Ult_Sm86 wrote:I agree with you, but please flush out your idea.

Why would you say then, that America is saying there seems to be such a problem with Mexican Gangs "all of a sudden".
Neither of us has specifically mentioned "Mexican Gangs", just you.

I merely said no matter where you go - there's trouble going on. White, black, latin asian, rich, poor, above the below and below the upper, every country you can think of, there's something going on in its underworld.

There are gangs all over [the world) of every persuasion - and just because a new chapter/group/gang is making a more visible stake on a city, doesn't mean it hasn't been going on for years, albeit more subtly.

And it's flesh, not flush.

Minorities, Cops, and the Problems InBetween...

Posted: Mon Jun 08, 2009 4:10 am
by Ult_Sm86
I meant flesh.

And yeah JS, I know no one said it but me. I'm just asking you what you think the reason for this is, being I'm trying to get a legit debate going with some discussion here instead of consistent "Well what she said makes the most sense. It's just stereotypes--end."

I mean I get that, but I wanted you to say exactly what you said, an opinion on the matter.

A new spike or burst of gang activity doesn't say anything about a single minority, or even multiple groups of minorities. If anything it says something about the system that we function in.

I realize that no matter where we go there is always gangs, always problems with drugs.

I'm trying to keep this reigned in and about America though and what we think the reason is for these connections and invisible lines we draw to connect crime with minorities and crime rate.

If you simply want to dismiss this and chalk it up to humanity that's fine, but I believe there is more to it all.

Minorities, Cops, and the Problems InBetween...

Posted: Mon Jun 08, 2009 6:37 pm
by fourpawsonthefloor
Well a good example here is just in your head. This is ground into us often from childhood.

Picture a nice looking woman. She's got a million dollar home. She dresses in designer clothes. There's never a time when she isn't impecably dressed. She takes a drink or two at lunch and then has a gin an tonic before dinner and a couple of glasses of wine during. After dinner she pours herself a big glass of scotch and sips it by her bed as she reads. The next morning she gets up and does it all again. What's your view of her?

Now picture a man who lives in an apartment in 'the bad part of the city'. Things are run down, graffittied on and people just don't walk there after dark. He holds down a job as a janitor for a manufacturing plant. Every night he drinks a case of beer after work.

Same people, really, just different environments. Who's going to get judged on?

Minorities, Cops, and the Problems InBetween...

Posted: Mon Jun 08, 2009 7:04 pm
by Ult_Sm86
I agree. But the closer you put people, the higher the crime rate is. Cities naturally have it.

So why do we attribute it solely to minorities? I'm just trying to comprehend this terrible logic of "well the cities are bad 'cuz they're all black/hispanic/asian, and they bring all their gangs in."

Minorities, Cops, and the Problems InBetween...

Posted: Tue Jun 09, 2009 2:28 am
by Angelique
It's a vicious cycle that started with the oppression of minorities in the first place. Some people who have a hard time finding legitimate employment or perceive that they would because of their skin color, social status, or what have you are more likely to try to find their livelihoods elsewhere. They also feel that The Man is keeping them down, and to an extent, they may be right. They may also consequently be less likely to respect police, upholding and representing in their minds an establishment that keeps them down. And even an honest mistake by a cop is just proof of how horrible law enforcement is in general.

On the other side, police have to be careful of people who may have a chip on their shoulder, particularly when lives are on the line. If they perceive that people from such-and-such a neighborhood are more likely to kill cops than cooperate with them, they may feel that being nice won't work and they have to come down harder.

I'm speaking of the extremes, here. Yes, there are racist cops. Yes, there are people who would be quite proud to kill or assault a police officer. However, most people I've encountered fall somewhere in the middle. I met an honest, caring cop who was only a little overzealous in his desire to look out for kids when he mistakenly "profiled" and apprehended me for allegedly being a teenage runaway. And most of the real teenage runaways I'd worked with, even the ones with some lengthy criminal records, knew that the cops were only trying to do their jobs, part of which was to look out for them.