Fueled by rage from police incidents that involve black suspects being killed, the mobs seek justice through destruction and anarchy. But what gets them to that point? Some say it's frustration because of black oppression for hundreds of years. Some say it's their socioeconomic situation. Some even say there is a war on young black men by the white community - or at least by white cops.
Is it one of those things? Is it all of those things combined? Or is it something else?
I won't pretend to know what life is like in the inner city for young black Americans. I've driven through some of the poor, inner city communities in Chicago, Miami, East Saint Louis, and even Washington, DC. Life has to be difficult for those people. Yet some make it out successfully and move on to productive lives.
But what is it that causes the mob mentality - the need to destroy your own neighborhood in anger? These days, besides their frustration with their socioeconomic situation, we have the media that sensationalizes everything for rating purposes and says whatever they need to say, true or not, to make things worse than they already are. That was evident in the Trayvon Martin case when MSNBC edited audio 911 recordings to make it sound as if George Zimmerman was profiling Martin. When the unedited recording was made public MSNBC said that they had simply "made an error" when editing the recording. As if the recording needed to be edited...
The media played a big part in the rioting and destruction in Ferguson, Missouri, as well. They reported Michael Brown as being a "gentle giant," ignoring for a long time the strong armed robbery at the convenience store and his criminal record. They put Dorian Johnson's face (Brown's friend and accomplice) on national TV as he lied about what happened - without vetting his story. Johnson's story started the whole "Hands Up - Don't Shoot" mantra that turned out to be completely false. The medial also told the American public where Officer Wilson lived even as death threats were being made against him - which was irresponsible at best and downright unethical at worst.
The other problem we seem to have is a lack of effective political leadership. And it begins with the President of the United States. President Obama has inserted himself into nearly every well known case that involved a black man and police. Beginning with the Professor Henry Louis Gates case, of which the President said "I don't have all the facts but the police acted stupidly," - President Obama has made the police out to be inept, incompetent racists at every opportunity - even when there was no evidence of that.
"If I had a son he would look like Trayvon," the President said in the Martin/Zimmerman case in Florida just a couple of years later. Zimmerman went on to be acquitted of his charges because the jury believed that while he was stupid to get out of his vehicle and follow Martin through the neighborhood, Martin attacking Zimmerman was what ultimately led to Martin's death.
Fast forward to the Michael Brown case. As angry protesters took to the streets and began destroying parts of Ferguson, Missouri, fueled by the main stream media's false reporting, President Obama weighed in again with questionable information.
“I know the events of the past few days have prompted strong passions, but as details unfold, I urge everyone in Ferguson, Missouri, and across the country, to remember this young man through reflection and understanding,” Obama said in a statement.
Obama either didn't know or didn't care that Michael Brown was a juvenile delinquent who was killed because he physically assaulted Officer Wilson with intent to do grievous bodily harm. Obama sent three White House representatives to Brown's funeral - only to later have the official Justice Department report say that Wilson acted lawfully and in self defense when he shot Brown.
The Mayor of Ferguson did his best to help the situation. But the Governor of Missouri, Jay Nixon (D), blew it completely. Just days after the shooting, before the investigation was even half completed, Nixon called for the indictment of Officer Darren Wilson on murder charges. Such idiocy only serves to fan the flames in a community where black hoodlums are already destroying and looting businesses. The governor pronounced Wilson guilty before the investigation was complete. he could have echoed President Obama.... "I don't have all the information but Officer Wilson murdered Michael Brown." Except that wasn't the case.
Then Attorney General Eric Holder didn't help matters in the Martin case or the Brown case. He automatically assumed that both Zimmerman and Wilson were guilty of racism and civil rights violations and dispatched FBI investigators (as many as 40 in Ferguson) to find the proof. He personally traveled to Ferguson to assure the community that he would get Wilson. Except that didn't happen because Wilson committed no crime.
Holder has a history of empowering black radicals dating back to the New Black Panther Party intimidating voters in the 2008 Presidential election. His failure to prosecute them told the rest of the black activists that he was on their side. His actions and words embolden those who wish to create havoc in the streets.
When Eric Garner died in New York following an altercation with police in which he resisted arrest and was taken to the ground by force, the President said “My tradition is not to remark on cases where there may still be an investigation,” which was as ludicrous as his statement about the Professor Gates case. His tradition is to always weigh in on cases that have to do with black suspects.
In that case, leadership failed completely. The President weighed in, Eric Holder took up another federal investigation, and the Mayor of New York, Bill "I'm An Idiot" De Blasio, wrote his entire police force off as being inherently racist. His criticism of his own force earned him the honor of having his entire department turn their backs to him in public. I doubt they have yet forgiven him for his insult.
Now let's jump ahead to Baltimore. Following the death of Freddie Gray, a black man who was arrested by Baltimore police and who died of a broken spine while in police custody, protests turned into riots and destruction and oddly enough, they were authorized by the Baltimore mayor, Stephanie Rawlings-Blake.
In a televised statement the mayor said "I’ve made it very clear that I work with the police and instructed them to do everything that they could to make sure that the protesters were able to exercise their right to free speech. It’s a very delicate balancing act, because, while we tried to make sure that they were protected from the cars and the other things that were going on, we also gave those who wished to destroy space to do that as well. And we worked very hard to keep that balance and to put ourselves in the best position to de-escalate, and that’s what you saw."
She gave them space to destroy if they wished to destroy? What kind of capable, competent mayor does that? The results of her bad judgement are obvious. Not only are businesses and police being attacked but recently the violent protesters (some mere children) have begun hurling bricks, rocks, bottles and cinder blocks at ambulances and firetrucks as they are responding to emergencies. Up to 15 police officers have been injured and one is reported to be unresponsive. Are you happy with that, Madam Mayor?
And let us not forget the guys who were cutting holes in fire department hoses while they were attempting to extinguish fires in businesses...
Of course, following the destruction and the injuries the mayor backtracked her statement saying she did not intend to condone the destruction that took place and may have enabled it "inadvertently." I think she knew exactly what she was saying. She also called those who are destroying things "thugs." I wonder if anyone is going to call her a racist for that?
Yesterday the mayor announced that a curfew would go into effect - today. She gave the thugs another night to riot and destroy. Poor leadership at its best.
Some liberal media outlets, such as "fusion.net," somehow see this as a good thing.
So according to them, looting businesses, setting them on fire, destroying vehicles that are owned and financed by the taxpayers, and attacking EMS personnel and vehicles on their way to save a life or two is healthy and positive? In what kind of world do they live?
The mob mentality feeds on destruction of whatever happens to be there - even their own neighborhoods and businesses. In Ferguson, after they burned down several businesses and forced others to close, the same mob demanded that the government and/or corporations rebuild those businesses or else. Or else what? They'll burn them down again? Perhaps they'll burn down more businesses to force the government and corporations to rebuild the first ones?
The mob mentality can be seen at work in many situations. As was pointed out by a friend of mine this morning - the mob mentality often takes over following sports events. And it doesn't seem to matter whether or not which team won or lost. Fans of the losing team riot. Fans of the winning team riot. Because they're idiots. I was in Denver in 1999 when Denver won the Superbowl. Their fans took to the streets, breaking windows, setting fires and looting stores. The mob mentality has no common sense whatsoever. It becomes about mass destruction - basically for no reason at all.
President Obama has spoken personally with Mayor Rawlings-Blake. I can't help but wonder how she rated this call. He didn't call the mayor of Ferguson at all during the protests and riots there. I will leave it up to the reader to decide on that one.
But have no fear. I just read that Mayor Rawlings-Blake has requested the presence of Reverend Al Sharpton, President Obama's personal adviser on race relations, to help ease the violence and tension and that Sharpton is on his way there now. Yeah.... that's a great idea - because bringing in a race baiting activist who makes his living stirring up racial tension and conflict always works...
No comments:
Post a Comment