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 Review #4070036 |
 | My fellow white Americans  [13+] A call for change for all, but especially white Americans, with regards to racism.  |
| (2.5)| I saw your essay on the Shameless Plug Page and even though I don't usually review essays, I'm glad I read this. I should begin by telling you that I retired from law enforcement with 25 years of experience. I think I have a pretty good perspective on what some people are dealing with. I also tutor elementary school children, helping them to read. For the last two years I have been tutoring a black girl who is now twelve. I mention this not because I think her race is important, but judging from your essay, it seems that this is important to you. The Police: Rule #1. It is the job of every police officer to survive his shift so that he can go home to his family. Rule #2. The police make mistakes. Just like everyone else, the police are real people. They don't get put away in some locker room until tomorrow when they're dusted off and sent back out onto the streets. Not all police receive the same standard of training. Some police departments do a better job than others. Rule #3. See rule # 1. Minorities: Yes, plural. Black Americans are not the only minorities. You seem to have left that fact out of your essay. What about Indians, Spanish speaking people, Asian, and there are others. We have a fairly popular black President. We have had countless black leaders in this country; Colin Powell, Condy Rice, Barack Obama, and many, many very popular, very rich performers. How did they accomplish what they accomplished? I'm guessing they are successful because they worked hard both in school and at their jobs. But then there are people like Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson. Instead of getting in front of a TV camera to try to stop the recent rioting, they encourage the violence, especially Sharpton. Could that cause some of the bigotry you wrote about? You say you cross the street when you see a young black man coming your way. That's your prejudice, your bias, so you can own it. Don't point to what YOU do and say, "See, there is bigotry." I don't cross the street when I encounter a young person, black or white. Let me give you a couple of examples of what I think is the worst bigotry in America. Charter schools: Charter schools are found in predominantly poor neighborhoods. These schools are doing a tremendously better job than regular public schools. Black parents fight tooth and nail to get their kids into these schools because they realize the advantages. Bigotry is when those schools are closed as a political payback to teacher's unions for their election support. I suggest you watch the documentary: Waiting for Superman. Bigotry is when black leaders will not allow honest discussions about real problems holding back young black people. Forget about his recent issues, and consider this. Bill Cosby has tried over and over again to start discussions about teenage pregnancy in black neighborhoods, absent parents, and a government that has given itself the role of father in these single parent homes. He is lambasted by, are you ready? black activists who claim to have the best interest of black families in mind. As long a people are forbidden to discuss the real issues holding people back, the longer they will be held back. The comedian, Chris Rock said this: "If you believe that cop was out there because he just wanted to shoot Michael Brown, and if you think Michael Brown was just a kid on his way to school and minding his own business, then you are willfully ignorant." I totally agree with him. I have to ask a simple question about Michael Brown. Michael Brown was walking in the middle of the street. The police officer asked him to move to the sidewalk. (A lawful request). Why didn't he just do that, instead of reaching into the cruiser and assaulting the police officer and then trying to wrestle the cop's gun away from him? Let me ask you: If MIchael Brown had just done what the officer asked, would any of this rioting have occurred? The Only People who heard and saw every piece of evidence in the Michael Brown case was the Grand Jury. After countless hours of investigation and deliberation, they saw fit to not indict. Imagine if every time a Grand Jury decided something we didn't like...is that cause to loot and riot? I have appeared before many Grand Jury's and I can honestly say that they are made up of responsible, respectable citizens. I wish I had a nickel for each time I heard this exchange: "If you didn't arrest me, I wouldn't be in trouble." "You're in trouble because of the crime you committed." "Yeah, but I wasn't in trouble until you arrested me." REALLY? Which came first, the crime or the arrest? You wrote: The fact is, if the person to be stopped or apprehended is black, he or she is far more likely to be hurt or killed. Where did you get this fact? I don't believe this is accurate. This is from the 2010 U.S. Census, and the 2012 FBI Crime Statistics. Black Americans are 12.61% of the population. 91% of murdered Black Americans are killed by other Black Americans. Have you heard any outrage over that? You haven't expressed any outrage over the fact that more people are killed during a weekend in Detroit than in the war in Afghanistan. I didn't see your outrage over this in your essay. Instead of cautioning a black child to be wary of the police, they would benefit more from being told to be wary of the people in their neighborhoods. There are over 23 millions black Americans in the U.S. In the last year there have been 123 black American's shot by police. It is irresponsible to suggest that there is an epidemic of police shooting black Americans. It is simply not true. None of this excuses the bigotry that remains in America. And I'm not suggesting that we tolerate bigotry simply because some people don't respect the law. I'm simply suggesting that some bigotry is caused by the actions of those who later stand up and say, "See, I'm in trouble because of him!" We are all responsible for our own actions, black, white, Latin, Asian, whatever. And until everyone accepts responsibility for themselves instead of placing the blame elsewhere, things will not improve. I have spent many years as a police officer, and I resent the assumption that it is the police who are creating the problems. The problems are not systemic, they are cultural. Why is the percentage of unwed mother's bearing children near 80% in black communities? Why is the high school drop-out rate of black students so much higher than white students? Why are 91% of murdered black Americans killed by other black Americans? It isn't because of their skin color, it's the culture these people have to live under. Good students are ridiculed, drug usage is rampant, crime is very high. These problems are not caused by white racists and not by the police. There are problems the Sharpton's of the world refuse to acknowledge and discuss. I believe they fear that discussing these problems might solve some of them, and then where would their wealth come from? I think your essay is based on an incorrect premise, states facts that are not supported, and illustrates your personal prejudices more than it does others. Bikerider  
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