Columns Feb 26, 2009 at 4:00 am

The Week in Review

Comments

1
... People actually... believe this? Look, this is way too perfect of a set: a man (specifically a Black man), walking down a street alone (empty? crowded?) downtown and some guy drives up, gets out of a car and shoots him (in an oversized hoodie, marking him as Black and a "gang member" despite the fact that few gang members would wear hoodies) "for no reason", then runs back to the car and drives away. One person sees this. (Who? Who are they related to? What do they do? Why was there only one?) This is reported on, of course, despite the fact this happens much more than we're told to Black people and other people of color. (It's a wonderful way to make people who are largely ignorant of any actual experience with racism feel good about the justice system at work.)

Five days later, there's an anti-"no snitching" rally done. (I'm pretty sure that very few murder/shooting cases, especially having to do with gangs, are solved that quickly) and people are talking about a "street code" that says that cooperating with the authorities makes you a rat. (This is a common tactic used by people who want to destroy communities that they cannot otherwise penetrate; by making members of that community so suspicious of each other that they cooperate with the authorities, the community is weakened and eventually brought under control. I'll let you draw your own conclusions on that, but there's a reason why many are so vehemently "anti-snitching".)

Dudes? I don't know what's going on here, but it sure as hell isn't what we're being told. The pieces don't fit together to someone with more than brushing experience with gang culture and/or street culture.

I don't think this'll actually be listened to, but hell, the only thing it can do is offend people who would rather be comfortable.
2
erik: you are a moron.
3
someone_else: you are right. . .

Please wait...

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