Everyone in Dallas Area, stay inside and stay safe

[Idgit]

I would guess that race relations are generally better and have generally been steadily improving. What I think has changed, as others have mentioned, is the proliferation of video. I also think police organizations in America have militarized more, and that we're going through a sea change in terms of how criminals can be identified, traced, and caught.

It feels like a transitionary phase where best practice hasn't caught up with capabilities. Sprinkle in the sorts of relatively rare abuses of power we've always had and put them on video, and it makes for an incendiary situation.

 

[MichaelWinicki]

The 8 years came from the what seemed to be a very high point in 2008 with the election. Regardless of politics, it seemed many of us thought relations were near an all-time high then. So, as I was trying to illustrate, it seems to be "relatively" worse since then. I saw a pew poll recently that said Americans (all races) feel race relations are worse now than have been since way back in 1992 (Rodney King)....and way, WAY worse than 6-8 years ago.

That's all.

I think there's been a very gradual improvement in relations since the end of WW2.

I don't think you all of a sudden have a lot more folks that are intolerant of other races than there were 8 years ago.

 

[DFWJC]

I think there's been a very gradual improvement in relations since the end of WW2.

I don't think you all of a sudden have a lot more folks that are intolerant of other races than there were 8 years ago.

I said that

"Racial relations have always been in a ebb and flow, but generally since the 60s, they've been getting steadily better overall with ebbs/flows intermittently."

So in graph form with time and improvement as axis...it would be steadily rising (so improving over time) but have waves in it...with a fairly sharp downward wave recently. imo

 

[MichaelWinicki]

I would guess that race relations are generally better and have generally been steadily improving. What I think has changed, as others have mentioned, is the proliferation of video. I also think police organizations in America have militarized more, and that we're going through a sea change in terms of how criminals can be identified, traced, and caught.

It feels like a transitionary phase where best practice hasn't caught up with capabilities. Sprinkle in the sorts of relatively rare abuses of power we've always had and put them on video, and it makes for an incendiary situation.

Brilliant post.

It's not that police weren't shooting black men/boys under questionable circumstances 10 years... It's just know one knew about.

And the police have militarized more so in the last decade because you've had a flood of military vets who's come back and entered law enforcement. On top of that the whole 9/11 thing created a "war at home" atmosphere.

I don't honestly don't see where the militazation of the police has any affect on this shooting of innocents problem. This is something that's been happening for decades.

 

[Denim Chicken]

And there has always been economic disparity among the classes... you show me proof that it's so much wider now than ever.

Really, Mike? This is very common knowledge and gets very much media coverage.

http://www.cbpp.org/research/povert...ics-on-historical-trends-in-income-inequality
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/economic-inequality-it-s-far-worse-than-you-think/
http://inequality.org/income-inequality/
http://scalar.usc.edu/works/growing-apart-a-political-history-of-american-inequality/index

 

[MichaelWinicki]

Really, Mike? This is very common knowledge and gets very much media coverage.

http://www.cbpp.org/research/povert...ics-on-historical-trends-in-income-inequality
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/economic-inequality-it-s-far-worse-than-you-think/
http://inequality.org/income-inequality/
http://scalar.usc.edu/works/growing-apart-a-political-history-of-american-inequality/index

Those all have biased slants.

In addition what does "economic inequality" actually mean?

Right now the poorest demographics in this country are far better off than the poorest demographics in any previous generation... They have cell phones... low cost/free housing... low cost/free food... low cost/free medical... low cost/free schooling.

There is more opportunity for the poorest demographics today than ever before in this country.

 

[Denim Chicken]

Those all have biased slants.

In addition what does "economic inequality" actually mean?

Right now the poorest demographics in this country are far better off than the poorest demographics in any previous generation... They have cell phones... low cost/free housing... low cost/free food... low cost/free medical... low cost/free schooling.

There is more opportunity for the poorest demographics today than ever before in this country.

OK, you have obviously made up your mind.

 

[WhizKid]

Really, Mike? This is very common knowledge and gets very much media coverage.

http://www.cbpp.org/research/povert...ics-on-historical-trends-in-income-inequality
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/economic-inequality-it-s-far-worse-than-you-think/
http://inequality.org/income-inequality/
http://scalar.usc.edu/works/growing-apart-a-political-history-of-american-inequality/index

Truth. That gap has been growing since about the early to mid 1970s.

 

[Denim Chicken]

.

I don't honestly don't see where the militazation of the police has any affect on this shooting of innocents problem. This is something that's been happening for decades.

Because it foments a mentality of seeing the citizens you are sworn to protect as the enemy, lends military style tactics to situations where they are not warranted, and escalates situations to violence unnecessarily.

 

[MichaelWinicki]

Because it foments a mentality of seeing the citizens you are sworn to protect as the enemy, lends military style tactics to situations where they are not warranted, and escalates situations to violence unnecessarily.

You've always had a small percentage that have seen others that way... It's always been there and I'll hold my ground that it was far worse in past generations than it is today. Today it seems worse for one reason=the media.

 

[Denim Chicken]

You've always had a small percentage that have seen others that way... It's always been there and I'll hold my ground that it was far worse in past generations than it is today. Today it seems worse for one reason=the media.

There are very real statics to back-up the claims I put forth, such as the increase in the instances that SWAT teams are used, increases in no-knock warrants, armored vehicles and other military equipment proliferated to local law enforcement--but you keep blaming CNN.

 

[MichaelWinicki]

There are very real statics to back-up the claims I put forth, such as the increase in the instances that SWAT teams are used, increases in no-knock warrants, armored vehicles and other military equipment proliferated to local law enforcement--but you keep blaming CNN.

I still have no idea what any of that has to do with tea prices in China.

 

[Kaiser]

Good read on the subject, if interested: Rise of the Warrior Cop: The Militarization of America's Police Forces by Radley Balko

I don't agree with everything Balko says but some of that stuff is completely out of control. A friend of mine that is LAPD was telling me a small town in Florida has a population of 500 or so and 3 people on their police force.... that has an MRAP. Completely nuts.

Also if you do like Balko, there is a website called Popehat that is run by Ken White here is LA, he strongly supports Balko and does a lot of criminal defense, but he also swings between hilarious and poignant on his website.

 

[Denim Chicken]

I still have no idea what any of that has to do with tea prices in China.

Police are killing more people due to the evolution in engagement tactics.

This is a good example that illiterates the point:

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlin...ice-grenade-dropped-in-crib-during-drug-raid/

 

[MichaelWinicki]

Police are killing more people due to the evolution in engagement tactics.

Yeah, that's it.

 

[Denim Chicken]

Yeah, that's it.

A part of it, yes.

 

[MichaelWinicki]

A part of it, yes.

Well at this point I've posted all I'm going to on this topic... I have work to do!

 

[Denim Chicken]

Well at this point I've posted all I'm going to on this topic... I have work to do!

Go do your work, Winicki. peace

 

[mattjames2010]

Won't link obviously, but I see Facebook has left up a page that Micah used to frequent often. The page, just 5 hours ago, has called for the death of police officers and even firemen. This freakin' page has been on Facebook since 2014, was a page riling people up in Ferguson and telling them to kill any police officer they see.

I've seen Facebook remove pages and post for FAR LESS. Yet crap like this stays up? What a trash site.

 

[Tabascocat]

Well, he's the dead suspect. But I'm very interested in the other three suspects that everyone seems to have forgotten.

He was a lone shooter. The female looks to be a girlfriend or acquaintance. The other two were probably not involved at all. This is what my cousin told me a few hours ago FWIW, they are still looking at them closely to rule them out.