Race in America - Riots Explode in Chicago

[MDlaxfan76]

On a black person calling the police, you are again misunderstanding the challenge for black men and boys. It's not that the caller is racist, it's that they are more likely to perceive danger when the man or boy is black. This is true throughout the society, in all our messaging, and we see black police at times with these same reactions. And it doesn't matter whether the black boy or man is where they should be, dressed appropriate to their environment, driving a nice car...etc. A black person is less likely to have these perceptions of danger, but it's not a guarantee.

I worked in NYC for 2 decades, the 80s and 90s, catching the dubious end of the Koch admin and then the Dinkins mess. I traveled on foot and subways at all hours of the day, in good and bad areas, and I wasn't packing like Bernard Getz. Looking back, I was probably quite lucky not to have had any incidents. Would I cross the street or change train cars if I felt there was a chance of something happening? You bet, unless there was a cop or two (or back then, even a Guardian Angel) visibly in area, which was rare. Am I racist because of that? No F'ing way. That's called self preservation and has nothing to do with the color of anyone's skin.

I'm with you 100% on taking care to avoid an "incident". We don't walk down a darkened alley by ourselves...

This doesn't make a you a "racist" and no one suggested otherwise.

Now if you're walking down a main Ave and see a group of kids walking toward you, bouncing a basketball, do you notice their skin color? Does it make a difference to your sense of concern? do you cross the street if they're black but not if they're white?

Do those boys notice your reaction on their way to basketball courts behind the church?

It all depends of course. If it's a high crime area I would cross the road whether they were black or white. Would I care how they felt? Not in the least, since I'm looking out for numero uno in that area.

MD, you ever been a victim of a crime? Ever had you car stolen or your house broken into for instance?

Have I been a victim of a crime?
Whole bunch of times. House, car, person.

We lived in the South End of Boston in the mid '80's, last block of half rehabbed brownstones before 5 blocks north to Mass Ave and Roxbury, all boarded up blocks. Played b-ball in the church park across Columbus Ave, sole white guy (and an ex-wrestler to boot). Took me quite awhile to even be allowed on the court, but once it started to dawn on them that we'd then win game after game, (I played tough D, set a hard pick, and passed...only need 4 shooters...) it was easier, though generally the #5 pick...win and stay on...

Car was broken into so many times, the lock didn't work anymore...was really PO'd when the thief broke the window instead of trying the door, in order to steal the AM radio out of the Toyola Corolla...thief in training.

Had a purse snatched from my wife as we went into the brownstone ground level after walking home from dinner, me in front, her mom, then her...we walked by the perp a few doors down, he came up behind us and put his knee in her back and ripped it off; I took off after the perp on foot in my suit and hard soles, he in his sneakers...car saw me chasing the guy, swerved to cut him off and he cut down an alley, I continued to chase...thank goodness he didn't turn around, he came back up on Columbus, me losing ground and yelling, a gay couple walking up their stoop saw me chasing and blew a police whistle, perp dropped the bag, turned the corner and kept going...police were there in 60 seconds...but no dice catching him. when we gave our statements, each of us had seen the guy as we passed him, but we all described him differently, black, brown, white, color of his jacket, all different...

One lazy Sunday afternoon, my wife and I were sleeping after a little 'afternoon delight' to awaken to a figure in our doorway of our bedroom...he'd come through the back garden and up the stairs..."is Mikey here?" Huh, no Mikey here...he turned and left...did it happen? Yup, found my wife's purse down the hall dropped as he ran out...

Later, we were commuting to Baltimore for business staying a week at a time...got 3 alarm calls three nights in a row...police have responded, no problem, everything looks secure...must be the rats...4th night, the police got smart and sent one cop back to the alley as well as to the front door. Saw two guys loading a TV into the trunk of a car...one guy took off, cop tackles the other guy who is yelling in Spanish....got him by the leg...and the leg comes off!!!...prosthetic leg...cop telling us the story was quite a character. Other perp running through the park got close lined by an undercover female cop...we prosecuted, but never did recover the last stuff...fortunately they didn't get the most precious stuff, though my album collection...

I've also been stuck up at gunpoint, though not in that neighborhood.

[Typical Lax Dad]

Point?

What do you think the point is?

Because I practice the maieutic method, which is why I first asked. But in typical fashion....you often take issue when asked a direct question, not sure why that is.

It’s a stupid question....to me.

[Typical Lax Dad]

Tell me that cop lost his job.

No sign that he did. Name Garrett Lindley, and he also shot a woman in 2016. Lawsuit was filed last summer against him by the black man in the video. I cannot find any indication that it was settled, or that there is a verdict yet.

Original incident in May 2016, Houston.

Just doing his job. Who is to say that guy didn’t have hostages in the house?

[youthathletics]

Point?

What do you think the point is?

Because I practice the maieutic method, which is why I first asked. But in typical fashion....you often take issue when asked a direct question, not sure why that is.

It’s a stupid question....to me.

Just like all your one-sided video posts are stupid right....stop trying to keep score, you are part of the problem.

[Typical Lax Dad]

On a black person calling the police, you are again misunderstanding the challenge for black men and boys. It's not that the caller is racist, it's that they are more likely to perceive danger when the man or boy is black. This is true throughout the society, in all our messaging, and we see black police at times with these same reactions. And it doesn't matter whether the black boy or man is where they should be, dressed appropriate to their environment, driving a nice car...etc. A black person is less likely to have these perceptions of danger, but it's not a guarantee.

I worked in NYC for 2 decades, the 80s and 90s, catching the dubious end of the Koch admin and then the Dinkins mess. I traveled on foot and subways at all hours of the day, in good and bad areas, and I wasn't packing like Bernard Getz. Looking back, I was probably quite lucky not to have had any incidents. Would I cross the street or change train cars if I felt there was a chance of something happening? You bet, unless there was a cop or two (or back then, even a Guardian Angel) visibly in area, which was rare. Am I racist because of that? No F'ing way. That's called self preservation and has nothing to do with the color of anyone's skin.

I'm with you 100% on taking care to avoid an "incident". We don't walk down a darkened alley by ourselves...

This doesn't make a you a "racist" and no one suggested otherwise.

Now if you're walking down a main Ave and see a group of kids walking toward you, bouncing a basketball, do you notice their skin color? Does it make a difference to your sense of concern? do you cross the street if they're black but not if they're white?

Do those boys notice your reaction on their way to basketball courts behind the church?

It all depends of course. If it's a high crime area I would cross the road whether they were black or white. Would I care how they felt? Not in the least, since I'm looking out for numero uno in that area.

MD, you ever been a victim of a crime? Ever had you car stolen or your house broken into for instance?

Have I been a victim of a crime?
Whole bunch of times. House, car, person.

We lived in the South End of Boston in the mid '80's, last block of half rehabbed brownstones before 5 blocks north to Mass Ave and Roxbury, all boarded up blocks. Played b-ball in the church park across Columbus Ave, sole white guy (and an ex-wrestler to boot). Took me quite awhile to even be allowed on the court, but once it started to dawn on them that we'd then win game after game, (I played tough D, set a hard pick, and passed...only need 4 shooters...) it was easier, though generally the #5 pick...win and stay on...

Car was broken into so many times, the lock didn't work anymore...was really PO'd when the thief broke the window instead of trying the door, in order to steal the AM radio out of the Toyola Corolla...thief in training.

Had a purse snatched from my wife as we went into the brownstone ground level after walking home from dinner, me in front, her mom, then her...we walked by the perp a few doors down, he came up behind us and put his knee in her back and ripped it off; I took off after the perp on foot in my suit and hard soles, he in his sneakers...car saw me chasing the guy, swerved to cut him off and he cut down an alley, I continued to chase...thank goodness he didn't turn around, he came back up on Columbus, me losing ground and yelling, a gay couple walking up their stoop saw me chasing and blew a police whistle, perp dropped the bag, turned the corner and kept going...police were there in 60 seconds...but no dice catching him. when we gave our statements, each of us had seen the guy as we passed him, but we all described him differently, black, brown, white, color of his jacket, all different...

One lazy Sunday afternoon, my wife and I were sleeping after a little 'afternoon delight' to awaken to a figure in our doorway of our bedroom...he'd come through the back garden and up the stairs..."is Mikey here?" Huh, no Mikey here...he turned and left...did it happen? Yup, found my wife's purse down the hall dropped as he ran out...

Later, we were commuting to Baltimore for business staying a week at a time...got 3 alarm calls three nights in a row...police have responded, no problem, everything looks secure...must be the rats...4th night, the police got smart and sent one cop back to the alley as well as to the front door. Saw two guys loading a TV into the trunk of a car...one guy took off, cop tackles the other guy who is yelling in Spanish....got him by the leg...and the leg comes off!!!...prosthetic leg...cop telling us the story was quite a character. Other perp running through the park got close lined by an undercover female cop...we prosecuted, but never did recover the last stuff...fortunately they didn't get the most precious stuff, though my album collection...

I've also been stuck up at gunpoint, though not in that neighborhood.

I knew a person that owned a brownstone a couple blocks down from Mass. Ave and Columbus. He had to sell it when his son’s home burned down and the insurance only covered the small remaining balance on a mortgage because that is the only type of insurance being underwritten in his Columbia Rd. Neighborhood (redlining). He lost all the equity in his home and his father lost all the upset of a back bay brown stone. That’s how you diminish wealth transfer with redlining.

[Typical Lax Dad]

Point?

What do you think the point is?

Because I practice the maieutic method, which is why I first asked. But in typical fashion....you often take issue when asked a direct question, not sure why that is.

It’s a stupid question....to me.

Just like all your one-sided video posts are stupid right....stop trying to keep score, you are part of the problem.

You are entitled to your opinion. You may find them stupid. I find them humorous.

[tech37]

On a black person calling the police, you are again misunderstanding the challenge for black men and boys. It's not that the caller is racist, it's that they are more likely to perceive danger when the man or boy is black. This is true throughout the society, in all our messaging, and we see black police at times with these same reactions. And it doesn't matter whether the black boy or man is where they should be, dressed appropriate to their environment, driving a nice car...etc. A black person is less likely to have these perceptions of danger, but it's not a guarantee.

I worked in NYC for 2 decades, the 80s and 90s, catching the dubious end of the Koch admin and then the Dinkins mess. I traveled on foot and subways at all hours of the day, in good and bad areas, and I wasn't packing like Bernard Getz. Looking back, I was probably quite lucky not to have had any incidents. Would I cross the street or change train cars if I felt there was a chance of something happening? You bet, unless there was a cop or two (or back then, even a Guardian Angel) visibly in area, which was rare. Am I racist because of that? No F'ing way. That's called self preservation and has nothing to do with the color of anyone's skin.

I'm with you 100% on taking care to avoid an "incident". We don't walk down a darkened alley by ourselves...

This doesn't make a you a "racist" and no one suggested otherwise.

Now if you're walking down a main Ave and see a group of kids walking toward you, bouncing a basketball, do you notice their skin color? Does it make a difference to your sense of concern? do you cross the street if they're black but not if they're white?

Do those boys notice your reaction on their way to basketball courts behind the church?

It all depends of course. If it's a high crime area I would cross the road whether they were black or white. Would I care how they felt? Not in the least, since I'm looking out for numero uno in that area.

MD, you ever been a victim of a crime? Ever had you car stolen or your house broken into for instance?

Have I been a victim of a crime?
Whole bunch of times. House, car, person.

We lived in the South End of Boston in the mid '80's, last block of half rehabbed brownstones before 5 blocks north to Mass Ave and Roxbury, all boarded up blocks. Played b-ball in the church park across Columbus Ave, sole white guy (and an ex-wrestler to boot). Took me quite awhile to even be allowed on the court, but once it started to dawn on them that we'd then win game after game, (I played tough D, set a hard pick, and passed...only need 4 shooters...) it was easier, though generally the #5 pick...win and stay on...

Car was broken into so many times, the lock didn't work anymore...was really PO'd when the thief broke the window instead of trying the door, in order to steal the AM radio out of the Toyola Corolla...thief in training.

Had a purse snatched from my wife as we went into the brownstone ground level after walking home from dinner, me in front, her mom, then her...we walked by the perp a few doors down, he came up behind us and put his knee in her back and ripped it off; I took off after the perp on foot in my suit and hard soles, he in his sneakers...car saw me chasing the guy, swerved to cut him off and he cut down an alley, I continued to chase...thank goodness he didn't turn around, he came back up on Columbus, me losing ground and yelling, a gay couple walking up their stoop saw me chasing and blew a police whistle, perp dropped the bag, turned the corner and kept going...police were there in 60 seconds...but no dice catching him. when we gave our statements, each of us had seen the guy as we passed him, but we all described him differently, black, brown, white, color of his jacket, all different... So you noticed the perp and nothing registered? You didn't want to change your position in relation to the women to perhaps protect them because you were afraid you might seem racist and/or hurt his feelings?

One lazy Sunday afternoon, my wife and I were sleeping after a little 'afternoon delight' to awaken to a figure in our doorway of our bedroom...he'd come through the back garden and up the stairs..."is Mikey here?" Huh, no Mikey here...he turned and left...did it happen? Yup, found my wife's purse down the hall dropped as he ran out...

Later, we were commuting to Baltimore for business staying a week at a time...got 3 alarm calls three nights in a row...police have responded, no problem, everything looks secure...must be the rats...4th night, the police got smart and sent one cop back to the alley as well as to the front door. Saw two guys loading a TV into the trunk of a car...one guy took off, cop tackles the other guy who is yelling in Spanish....got him by the leg...and the leg comes off!!!...prosthetic leg...cop telling us the story was quite a character. Other perp running through the park got close lined by an undercover female cop...we prosecuted, but never did recover the last stuff...fortunately they didn't get the most precious stuff, though my album collection...

I've also been stuck up at gunpoint, though not in that neighborhood.

[MDlaxfan76]

On a black person calling the police, you are again misunderstanding the challenge for black men and boys. It's not that the caller is racist, it's that they are more likely to perceive danger when the man or boy is black. This is true throughout the society, in all our messaging, and we see black police at times with these same reactions. And it doesn't matter whether the black boy or man is where they should be, dressed appropriate to their environment, driving a nice car...etc. A black person is less likely to have these perceptions of danger, but it's not a guarantee.

I worked in NYC for 2 decades, the 80s and 90s, catching the dubious end of the Koch admin and then the Dinkins mess. I traveled on foot and subways at all hours of the day, in good and bad areas, and I wasn't packing like Bernard Getz. Looking back, I was probably quite lucky not to have had any incidents. Would I cross the street or change train cars if I felt there was a chance of something happening? You bet, unless there was a cop or two (or back then, even a Guardian Angel) visibly in area, which was rare. Am I racist because of that? No F'ing way. That's called self preservation and has nothing to do with the color of anyone's skin.

I'm with you 100% on taking care to avoid an "incident". We don't walk down a darkened alley by ourselves...

This doesn't make a you a "racist" and no one suggested otherwise.

Now if you're walking down a main Ave and see a group of kids walking toward you, bouncing a basketball, do you notice their skin color? Does it make a difference to your sense of concern? do you cross the street if they're black but not if they're white?

Do those boys notice your reaction on their way to basketball courts behind the church?

It all depends of course. If it's a high crime area I would cross the road whether they were black or white. Would I care how they felt? Not in the least, since I'm looking out for numero uno in that area.

MD, you ever been a victim of a crime? Ever had you car stolen or your house broken into for instance?

Have I been a victim of a crime?
Whole bunch of times. House, car, person.

We lived in the South End of Boston in the mid '80's, last block of half rehabbed brownstones before 5 blocks north to Mass Ave and Roxbury, all boarded up blocks. Played b-ball in the church park across Columbus Ave, sole white guy (and an ex-wrestler to boot). Took me quite awhile to even be allowed on the court, but once it started to dawn on them that we'd then win game after game, (I played tough D, set a hard pick, and passed...only need 4 shooters...) it was easier, though generally the #5 pick...win and stay on...

Car was broken into so many times, the lock didn't work anymore...was really PO'd when the thief broke the window instead of trying the door, in order to steal the AM radio out of the Toyola Corolla...thief in training.

Had a purse snatched from my wife as we went into the brownstone ground level after walking home from dinner, me in front, her mom, then her...we walked by the perp a few doors down, he came up behind us and put his knee in her back and ripped it off; I took off after the perp on foot in my suit and hard soles, he in his sneakers...car saw me chasing the guy, swerved to cut him off and he cut down an alley, I continued to chase...thank goodness he didn't turn around, he came back up on Columbus, me losing ground and yelling, a gay couple walking up their stoop saw me chasing and blew a police whistle, perp dropped the bag, turned the corner and kept going...police were there in 60 seconds...but no dice catching him. when we gave our statements, each of us had seen the guy as we passed him, but we all described him differently, black, brown, white, color of his jacket, all different... So you noticed the perp and nothing registered? You didn't want to change your position in relation to the women to perhaps protect them because you were afraid you might seem racist and/or hurt his feelings?

One lazy Sunday afternoon, my wife and I were sleeping after a little 'afternoon delight' to awaken to a figure in our doorway of our bedroom...he'd come through the back garden and up the stairs..."is Mikey here?" Huh, no Mikey here...he turned and left...did it happen? Yup, found my wife's purse down the hall dropped as he ran out...

Later, we were commuting to Baltimore for business staying a week at a time...got 3 alarm calls three nights in a row...police have responded, no problem, everything looks secure...must be the rats...4th night, the police got smart and sent one cop back to the alley as well as to the front door. Saw two guys loading a TV into the trunk of a car...one guy took off, cop tackles the other guy who is yelling in Spanish....got him by the leg...and the leg comes off!!!...prosthetic leg...cop telling us the story was quite a character. Other perp running through the park got close lined by an undercover female cop...we prosecuted, but never did recover the last stuff...fortunately they didn't get the most precious stuff, though my album collection...

I've also been stuck up at gunpoint, though not in that neighborhood.

No, none of us found him to be particularly threatening or unusual. Looked like a wino, at worst.
Par for the course in the neighborhood.
And we were well lubricated ourselves from a nice dinner, wine, etc about 4 blocks away.

I was opening the door, we were all inside our little iron gate, though my wife was trailing a step behind her mother, gate still open, not that it would have prevented anything.

BTW, in chasing after him, I was in pretty decent shape still in my late 20's but I lost a lot of ground in my hard shoes...it occurred to me afterwards how dangerous it was to be playing 'Spencer For Hire'...

Despite these stories from 5 years in the neighborhood, we got pretty comfortable, though I didn't let my wife walk home by herself at night from Bain at Copley Plaza. I'd meet her or she'd get a cab, despite it being only 6-7 blocks.

For my part, playing ball with all ages from the neighborhood led to lots of quiet acknowledgement away from the court. Of course, the drug deals going down while we were playing ball didn't exactly make me feel chill...

[Peter Brown]

Ooooopps, Biden participated in a very unfunny blackface comedy skit:

https://twitter.com/BigFish3000/status/ ... 02595?s=20

Imagine if DeSantis had done this...would Democrats be able to breathe?

[CU77]

It's a fake video Pete. As you would know if you had actually read the whole thread.

Some accounts are tweeting this video at prominent reporters. But it's faked - it's a high-quality CSpan video distorted and darkened to make a black singer (Jerome Powell, who you can still book for your DC events!) look like a white guy in blackface.

https://twitter.com/daveweigel/status/1 ... 8502893568

Really, you're going to have to do better if you want to ever move up from intern to Junior Apprentice Troll.

[Typical Lax Dad]

On a black person calling the police, you are again misunderstanding the challenge for black men and boys. It's not that the caller is racist, it's that they are more likely to perceive danger when the man or boy is black. This is true throughout the society, in all our messaging, and we see black police at times with these same reactions. And it doesn't matter whether the black boy or man is where they should be, dressed appropriate to their environment, driving a nice car...etc. A black person is less likely to have these perceptions of danger, but it's not a guarantee.

I worked in NYC for 2 decades, the 80s and 90s, catching the dubious end of the Koch admin and then the Dinkins mess. I traveled on foot and subways at all hours of the day, in good and bad areas, and I wasn't packing like Bernard Getz. Looking back, I was probably quite lucky not to have had any incidents. Would I cross the street or change train cars if I felt there was a chance of something happening? You bet, unless there was a cop or two (or back then, even a Guardian Angel) visibly in area, which was rare. Am I racist because of that? No F'ing way. That's called self preservation and has nothing to do with the color of anyone's skin.

I'm with you 100% on taking care to avoid an "incident". We don't walk down a darkened alley by ourselves...

This doesn't make a you a "racist" and no one suggested otherwise.

Now if you're walking down a main Ave and see a group of kids walking toward you, bouncing a basketball, do you notice their skin color? Does it make a difference to your sense of concern? do you cross the street if they're black but not if they're white?

Do those boys notice your reaction on their way to basketball courts behind the church?

It all depends of course. If it's a high crime area I would cross the road whether they were black or white. Would I care how they felt? Not in the least, since I'm looking out for numero uno in that area.

MD, you ever been a victim of a crime? Ever had you car stolen or your house broken into for instance?

Have I been a victim of a crime?
Whole bunch of times. House, car, person.

We lived in the South End of Boston in the mid '80's, last block of half rehabbed brownstones before 5 blocks north to Mass Ave and Roxbury, all boarded up blocks. Played b-ball in the church park across Columbus Ave, sole white guy (and an ex-wrestler to boot). Took me quite awhile to even be allowed on the court, but once it started to dawn on them that we'd then win game after game, (I played tough D, set a hard pick, and passed...only need 4 shooters...) it was easier, though generally the #5 pick...win and stay on...

Car was broken into so many times, the lock didn't work anymore...was really PO'd when the thief broke the window instead of trying the door, in order to steal the AM radio out of the Toyola Corolla...thief in training.

Had a purse snatched from my wife as we went into the brownstone ground level after walking home from dinner, me in front, her mom, then her...we walked by the perp a few doors down, he came up behind us and put his knee in her back and ripped it off; I took off after the perp on foot in my suit and hard soles, he in his sneakers...car saw me chasing the guy, swerved to cut him off and he cut down an alley, I continued to chase...thank goodness he didn't turn around, he came back up on Columbus, me losing ground and yelling, a gay couple walking up their stoop saw me chasing and blew a police whistle, perp dropped the bag, turned the corner and kept going...police were there in 60 seconds...but no dice catching him. when we gave our statements, each of us had seen the guy as we passed him, but we all described him differently, black, brown, white, color of his jacket, all different... So you noticed the perp and nothing registered? You didn't want to change your position in relation to the women to perhaps protect them because you were afraid you might seem racist and/or hurt his feelings?

One lazy Sunday afternoon, my wife and I were sleeping after a little 'afternoon delight' to awaken to a figure in our doorway of our bedroom...he'd come through the back garden and up the stairs..."is Mikey here?" Huh, no Mikey here...he turned and left...did it happen? Yup, found my wife's purse down the hall dropped as he ran out...

Later, we were commuting to Baltimore for business staying a week at a time...got 3 alarm calls three nights in a row...police have responded, no problem, everything looks secure...must be the rats...4th night, the police got smart and sent one cop back to the alley as well as to the front door. Saw two guys loading a TV into the trunk of a car...one guy took off, cop tackles the other guy who is yelling in Spanish....got him by the leg...and the leg comes off!!!...prosthetic leg...cop telling us the story was quite a character. Other perp running through the park got close lined by an undercover female cop...we prosecuted, but never did recover the last stuff...fortunately they didn't get the most precious stuff, though my album collection...

I've also been stuck up at gunpoint, though not in that neighborhood.

No, none of us found him to be particularly threatening or unusual. Looked like a wino, at worst.
Par for the course in the neighborhood.
And we were well lubricated ourselves from a nice dinner, wine, etc about 4 blocks away.

I was opening the door, we were all inside our little iron gate, though my wife was trailing a step behind her mother, gate still open, not that it would have prevented anything.

BTW, in chasing after him, I was in pretty decent shape still in my late 20's but I lost a lot of ground in my hard shoes...it occurred to me afterwards how dangerous it was to be playing 'Spencer For Hire'...

Despite these stories from 5 years in the neighborhood, we got pretty comfortable, though I didn't let my wife walk home by herself at night from Bain at Copley Plaza. I'd meet her or she'd get a cab, despite it being only 6-7 blocks.

For my part, playing ball with all ages from the neighborhood led to lots of quiet acknowledgement away from the court. Of course, the drug deals going down while we were playing ball didn't exactly make me feel chill...

It’s amazing how that neighborhood has flourished. Club called Wally’s has the best jazz in Boston. Berklee students or former students. It’s a dive but it’s fantastic!



There was a little breakfast spot down on Columbus that my wife and used to frequent. Really nice.

[MDlaxfan76]

It's a fake video Pete. As you would know if you had actually read the whole thread.

Some accounts are tweeting this video at prominent reporters. But it's faked - it's a high-quality CSpan video distorted and darkened to make a black singer (Jerome Powell, who you can still book for your DC events!) look like a white guy in blackface.

https://twitter.com/daveweigel/status/1 ... 8502893568

Really, you're going to have to do better if you want to ever move up from intern to Junior Apprentice Troll.

you beat me to it...man, how stupid do these guys need to be?

[MDlaxfan76]

On a black person calling the police, you are again misunderstanding the challenge for black men and boys. It's not that the caller is racist, it's that they are more likely to perceive danger when the man or boy is black. This is true throughout the society, in all our messaging, and we see black police at times with these same reactions. And it doesn't matter whether the black boy or man is where they should be, dressed appropriate to their environment, driving a nice car...etc. A black person is less likely to have these perceptions of danger, but it's not a guarantee.

I worked in NYC for 2 decades, the 80s and 90s, catching the dubious end of the Koch admin and then the Dinkins mess. I traveled on foot and subways at all hours of the day, in good and bad areas, and I wasn't packing like Bernard Getz. Looking back, I was probably quite lucky not to have had any incidents. Would I cross the street or change train cars if I felt there was a chance of something happening? You bet, unless there was a cop or two (or back then, even a Guardian Angel) visibly in area, which was rare. Am I racist because of that? No F'ing way. That's called self preservation and has nothing to do with the color of anyone's skin.

I'm with you 100% on taking care to avoid an "incident". We don't walk down a darkened alley by ourselves...

This doesn't make a you a "racist" and no one suggested otherwise.

Now if you're walking down a main Ave and see a group of kids walking toward you, bouncing a basketball, do you notice their skin color? Does it make a difference to your sense of concern? do you cross the street if they're black but not if they're white?

Do those boys notice your reaction on their way to basketball courts behind the church?

It all depends of course. If it's a high crime area I would cross the road whether they were black or white. Would I care how they felt? Not in the least, since I'm looking out for numero uno in that area.

MD, you ever been a victim of a crime? Ever had you car stolen or your house broken into for instance?

Have I been a victim of a crime?
Whole bunch of times. House, car, person.

We lived in the South End of Boston in the mid '80's, last block of half rehabbed brownstones before 5 blocks north to Mass Ave and Roxbury, all boarded up blocks. Played b-ball in the church park across Columbus Ave, sole white guy (and an ex-wrestler to boot). Took me quite awhile to even be allowed on the court, but once it started to dawn on them that we'd then win game after game, (I played tough D, set a hard pick, and passed...only need 4 shooters...) it was easier, though generally the #5 pick...win and stay on...

Car was broken into so many times, the lock didn't work anymore...was really PO'd when the thief broke the window instead of trying the door, in order to steal the AM radio out of the Toyola Corolla...thief in training.

Had a purse snatched from my wife as we went into the brownstone ground level after walking home from dinner, me in front, her mom, then her...we walked by the perp a few doors down, he came up behind us and put his knee in her back and ripped it off; I took off after the perp on foot in my suit and hard soles, he in his sneakers...car saw me chasing the guy, swerved to cut him off and he cut down an alley, I continued to chase...thank goodness he didn't turn around, he came back up on Columbus, me losing ground and yelling, a gay couple walking up their stoop saw me chasing and blew a police whistle, perp dropped the bag, turned the corner and kept going...police were there in 60 seconds...but no dice catching him. when we gave our statements, each of us had seen the guy as we passed him, but we all described him differently, black, brown, white, color of his jacket, all different... So you noticed the perp and nothing registered? You didn't want to change your position in relation to the women to perhaps protect them because you were afraid you might seem racist and/or hurt his feelings?

One lazy Sunday afternoon, my wife and I were sleeping after a little 'afternoon delight' to awaken to a figure in our doorway of our bedroom...he'd come through the back garden and up the stairs..."is Mikey here?" Huh, no Mikey here...he turned and left...did it happen? Yup, found my wife's purse down the hall dropped as he ran out...

Later, we were commuting to Baltimore for business staying a week at a time...got 3 alarm calls three nights in a row...police have responded, no problem, everything looks secure...must be the rats...4th night, the police got smart and sent one cop back to the alley as well as to the front door. Saw two guys loading a TV into the trunk of a car...one guy took off, cop tackles the other guy who is yelling in Spanish....got him by the leg...and the leg comes off!!!...prosthetic leg...cop telling us the story was quite a character. Other perp running through the park got close lined by an undercover female cop...we prosecuted, but never did recover the last stuff...fortunately they didn't get the most precious stuff, though my album collection...

I've also been stuck up at gunpoint, though not in that neighborhood.

No, none of us found him to be particularly threatening or unusual. Looked like a wino, at worst.
Par for the course in the neighborhood.
And we were well lubricated ourselves from a nice dinner, wine, etc about 4 blocks away.

I was opening the door, we were all inside our little iron gate, though my wife was trailing a step behind her mother, gate still open, not that it would have prevented anything.

BTW, in chasing after him, I was in pretty decent shape still in my late 20's but I lost a lot of ground in my hard shoes...it occurred to me afterwards how dangerous it was to be playing 'Spencer For Hire'...

Despite these stories from 5 years in the neighborhood, we got pretty comfortable, though I didn't let my wife walk home by herself at night from Bain at Copley Plaza. I'd meet her or she'd get a cab, despite it being only 6-7 blocks.

For my part, playing ball with all ages from the neighborhood led to lots of quiet acknowledgement away from the court. Of course, the drug deals going down while we were playing ball didn't exactly make me feel chill...

It’s amazing how that neighborhood has flourished. Club called Wally’s has the best jazz in Boston. Berklee students or former students. It’s a dive but it’s fantastic!



There was a little breakfast spot down on Columbus that my wife and used to frequent. Really nice.

The breakfast spot was Charlie's, about 7-8 blocks south of Mass Ave, 3-4 blocks from us...fantastic blueberry pancakes, cranberry waffles, serious corned beef hash...family style dining, you waited for chairs to open up, often 45 minutes on a Saturday morning, and never knew who you'd be sitting next to, police chief, neighborhood nut, an actor from Spencer, a yuppie couple like us, priest, a disheveled artist, whoever...mix of races, genders, and every other sort of difference. Pictures on the walls of generations of who's who in Boston politics, arts, church... Worth the wait, even in the snowing cold!

Tragically, it closed just a couple of years ago, but not before we had a chance to take my son and some buddies when they were in school across the river.

Mass Ave was rough in that era. Whole area of South End is very posh now. Back then there was a smattering of art dealers, small restaurants, enough to make it seriously cool, but amidst a lot of grit. Gay community were the earliest wave of the turnaround, yuppies like us just on their heels. Interesting re the redlining impact driving the shuttering. We renovated 3 lower of the 5 stories. Beautiful old moldings and high ceilings in the top floor, exposed the brick lower level, back garden. But don't start me on rats and sewer back ups!

[tech37]

On a black person calling the police, you are again misunderstanding the challenge for black men and boys. It's not that the caller is racist, it's that they are more likely to perceive danger when the man or boy is black. This is true throughout the society, in all our messaging, and we see black police at times with these same reactions. And it doesn't matter whether the black boy or man is where they should be, dressed appropriate to their environment, driving a nice car...etc. A black person is less likely to have these perceptions of danger, but it's not a guarantee.

I worked in NYC for 2 decades, the 80s and 90s, catching the dubious end of the Koch admin and then the Dinkins mess. I traveled on foot and subways at all hours of the day, in good and bad areas, and I wasn't packing like Bernard Getz. Looking back, I was probably quite lucky not to have had any incidents. Would I cross the street or change train cars if I felt there was a chance of something happening? You bet, unless there was a cop or two (or back then, even a Guardian Angel) visibly in area, which was rare. Am I racist because of that? No F'ing way. That's called self preservation and has nothing to do with the color of anyone's skin.

I'm with you 100% on taking care to avoid an "incident". We don't walk down a darkened alley by ourselves...

This doesn't make a you a "racist" and no one suggested otherwise.

Now if you're walking down a main Ave and see a group of kids walking toward you, bouncing a basketball, do you notice their skin color? Does it make a difference to your sense of concern? do you cross the street if they're black but not if they're white?

Do those boys notice your reaction on their way to basketball courts behind the church?

It all depends of course. If it's a high crime area I would cross the road whether they were black or white. Would I care how they felt? Not in the least, since I'm looking out for numero uno in that area.

MD, you ever been a victim of a crime? Ever had you car stolen or your house broken into for instance?

Have I been a victim of a crime?
Whole bunch of times. House, car, person.

We lived in the South End of Boston in the mid '80's, last block of half rehabbed brownstones before 5 blocks north to Mass Ave and Roxbury, all boarded up blocks. Played b-ball in the church park across Columbus Ave, sole white guy (and an ex-wrestler to boot). Took me quite awhile to even be allowed on the court, but once it started to dawn on them that we'd then win game after game, (I played tough D, set a hard pick, and passed...only need 4 shooters...) it was easier, though generally the #5 pick...win and stay on...

Car was broken into so many times, the lock didn't work anymore...was really PO'd when the thief broke the window instead of trying the door, in order to steal the AM radio out of the Toyola Corolla...thief in training.

Had a purse snatched from my wife as we went into the brownstone ground level after walking home from dinner, me in front, her mom, then her...we walked by the perp a few doors down, he came up behind us and put his knee in her back and ripped it off; I took off after the perp on foot in my suit and hard soles, he in his sneakers...car saw me chasing the guy, swerved to cut him off and he cut down an alley, I continued to chase...thank goodness he didn't turn around, he came back up on Columbus, me losing ground and yelling, a gay couple walking up their stoop saw me chasing and blew a police whistle, perp dropped the bag, turned the corner and kept going...police were there in 60 seconds...but no dice catching him. when we gave our statements, each of us had seen the guy as we passed him, but we all described him differently, black, brown, white, color of his jacket, all different... So you noticed the perp and nothing registered? You didn't want to change your position in relation to the women to perhaps protect them because you were afraid you might seem racist and/or hurt his feelings?

One lazy Sunday afternoon, my wife and I were sleeping after a little 'afternoon delight' to awaken to a figure in our doorway of our bedroom...he'd come through the back garden and up the stairs..."is Mikey here?" Huh, no Mikey here...he turned and left...did it happen? Yup, found my wife's purse down the hall dropped as he ran out...

Later, we were commuting to Baltimore for business staying a week at a time...got 3 alarm calls three nights in a row...police have responded, no problem, everything looks secure...must be the rats...4th night, the police got smart and sent one cop back to the alley as well as to the front door. Saw two guys loading a TV into the trunk of a car...one guy took off, cop tackles the other guy who is yelling in Spanish....got him by the leg...and the leg comes off!!!...prosthetic leg...cop telling us the story was quite a character. Other perp running through the park got close lined by an undercover female cop...we prosecuted, but never did recover the last stuff...fortunately they didn't get the most precious stuff, though my album collection...

I've also been stuck up at gunpoint, though not in that neighborhood.

No, none of us found him to be particularly threatening or unusual. Looked like a wino, at worst.
Par for the course in the neighborhood.
And we were well lubricated ourselves from a nice dinner, wine, etc about 4 blocks away.

I was opening the door, we were all inside our little iron gate, though my wife was trailing a step behind her mother, gate still open, not that it would have prevented anything.

BTW, in chasing after him, I was in pretty decent shape still in my late 20's but I lost a lot of ground in my hard shoes...it occurred to me afterwards how dangerous it was to be playing 'Spencer For Hire'...

Despite these stories from 5 years in the neighborhood, we got pretty comfortable, though I didn't let my wife walk home by herself at night from Bain at Copley Plaza. I'd meet her or she'd get a cab, despite it being only 6-7 blocks.

For my part, playing ball with all ages from the neighborhood led to lots of quiet acknowledgement away from the court. Of course, the drug deals going down while we were playing ball didn't exactly make me feel chill...

After this incident I assume you moved to an area where you wouldn't need to decide if you should cross the road or not.

[MDlaxfan76]

On a black person calling the police, you are again misunderstanding the challenge for black men and boys. It's not that the caller is racist, it's that they are more likely to perceive danger when the man or boy is black. This is true throughout the society, in all our messaging, and we see black police at times with these same reactions. And it doesn't matter whether the black boy or man is where they should be, dressed appropriate to their environment, driving a nice car...etc. A black person is less likely to have these perceptions of danger, but it's not a guarantee.

I worked in NYC for 2 decades, the 80s and 90s, catching the dubious end of the Koch admin and then the Dinkins mess. I traveled on foot and subways at all hours of the day, in good and bad areas, and I wasn't packing like Bernard Getz. Looking back, I was probably quite lucky not to have had any incidents. Would I cross the street or change train cars if I felt there was a chance of something happening? You bet, unless there was a cop or two (or back then, even a Guardian Angel) visibly in area, which was rare. Am I racist because of that? No F'ing way. That's called self preservation and has nothing to do with the color of anyone's skin.

I'm with you 100% on taking care to avoid an "incident". We don't walk down a darkened alley by ourselves...

This doesn't make a you a "racist" and no one suggested otherwise.

Now if you're walking down a main Ave and see a group of kids walking toward you, bouncing a basketball, do you notice their skin color? Does it make a difference to your sense of concern? do you cross the street if they're black but not if they're white?

Do those boys notice your reaction on their way to basketball courts behind the church?

It all depends of course. If it's a high crime area I would cross the road whether they were black or white. Would I care how they felt? Not in the least, since I'm looking out for numero uno in that area.

MD, you ever been a victim of a crime? Ever had you car stolen or your house broken into for instance?

Have I been a victim of a crime?
Whole bunch of times. House, car, person.

We lived in the South End of Boston in the mid '80's, last block of half rehabbed brownstones before 5 blocks north to Mass Ave and Roxbury, all boarded up blocks. Played b-ball in the church park across Columbus Ave, sole white guy (and an ex-wrestler to boot). Took me quite awhile to even be allowed on the court, but once it started to dawn on them that we'd then win game after game, (I played tough D, set a hard pick, and passed...only need 4 shooters...) it was easier, though generally the #5 pick...win and stay on...

Car was broken into so many times, the lock didn't work anymore...was really PO'd when the thief broke the window instead of trying the door, in order to steal the AM radio out of the Toyola Corolla...thief in training.

Had a purse snatched from my wife as we went into the brownstone ground level after walking home from dinner, me in front, her mom, then her...we walked by the perp a few doors down, he came up behind us and put his knee in her back and ripped it off; I took off after the perp on foot in my suit and hard soles, he in his sneakers...car saw me chasing the guy, swerved to cut him off and he cut down an alley, I continued to chase...thank goodness he didn't turn around, he came back up on Columbus, me losing ground and yelling, a gay couple walking up their stoop saw me chasing and blew a police whistle, perp dropped the bag, turned the corner and kept going...police were there in 60 seconds...but no dice catching him. when we gave our statements, each of us had seen the guy as we passed him, but we all described him differently, black, brown, white, color of his jacket, all different... So you noticed the perp and nothing registered? You didn't want to change your position in relation to the women to perhaps protect them because you were afraid you might seem racist and/or hurt his feelings?

One lazy Sunday afternoon, my wife and I were sleeping after a little 'afternoon delight' to awaken to a figure in our doorway of our bedroom...he'd come through the back garden and up the stairs..."is Mikey here?" Huh, no Mikey here...he turned and left...did it happen? Yup, found my wife's purse down the hall dropped as he ran out...

Later, we were commuting to Baltimore for business staying a week at a time...got 3 alarm calls three nights in a row...police have responded, no problem, everything looks secure...must be the rats...4th night, the police got smart and sent one cop back to the alley as well as to the front door. Saw two guys loading a TV into the trunk of a car...one guy took off, cop tackles the other guy who is yelling in Spanish....got him by the leg...and the leg comes off!!!...prosthetic leg...cop telling us the story was quite a character. Other perp running through the park got close lined by an undercover female cop...we prosecuted, but never did recover the last stuff...fortunately they didn't get the most precious stuff, though my album collection...

I've also been stuck up at gunpoint, though not in that neighborhood.

No, none of us found him to be particularly threatening or unusual. Looked like a wino, at worst.
Par for the course in the neighborhood.
And we were well lubricated ourselves from a nice dinner, wine, etc about 4 blocks away.

I was opening the door, we were all inside our little iron gate, though my wife was trailing a step behind her mother, gate still open, not that it would have prevented anything.

BTW, in chasing after him, I was in pretty decent shape still in my late 20's but I lost a lot of ground in my hard shoes...it occurred to me afterwards how dangerous it was to be playing 'Spencer For Hire'...

Despite these stories from 5 years in the neighborhood, we got pretty comfortable, though I didn't let my wife walk home by herself at night from Bain at Copley Plaza. I'd meet her or she'd get a cab, despite it being only 6-7 blocks.

For my part, playing ball with all ages from the neighborhood led to lots of quiet acknowledgement away from the court. Of course, the drug deals going down while we were playing ball didn't exactly make me feel chill...

After this incident I assume you moved to an area where you wouldn't need to decide if you should cross the road or not.

No, we were there for 5 years, only reason we moved was for a venture we were building, with a key location back near my hometown of Baltimore. We had a great experience...wish I'd been wise enough to hold onto that property though!

But when we knew my wife was pregnant, we did look for somewhere with a larger backyard, somewhere to throw a ball, etc.

[youthathletics]

On a black person calling the police, you are again misunderstanding the challenge for black men and boys. It's not that the caller is racist, it's that they are more likely to perceive danger when the man or boy is black. This is true throughout the society, in all our messaging, and we see black police at times with these same reactions. And it doesn't matter whether the black boy or man is where they should be, dressed appropriate to their environment, driving a nice car...etc. A black person is less likely to have these perceptions of danger, but it's not a guarantee.

I worked in NYC for 2 decades, the 80s and 90s, catching the dubious end of the Koch admin and then the Dinkins mess. I traveled on foot and subways at all hours of the day, in good and bad areas, and I wasn't packing like Bernard Getz. Looking back, I was probably quite lucky not to have had any incidents. Would I cross the street or change train cars if I felt there was a chance of something happening? You bet, unless there was a cop or two (or back then, even a Guardian Angel) visibly in area, which was rare. Am I racist because of that? No F'ing way. That's called self preservation and has nothing to do with the color of anyone's skin.

I'm with you 100% on taking care to avoid an "incident". We don't walk down a darkened alley by ourselves...

This doesn't make a you a "racist" and no one suggested otherwise.

Now if you're walking down a main Ave and see a group of kids walking toward you, bouncing a basketball, do you notice their skin color? Does it make a difference to your sense of concern? do you cross the street if they're black but not if they're white?

Do those boys notice your reaction on their way to basketball courts behind the church?

It all depends of course. If it's a high crime area I would cross the road whether they were black or white. Would I care how they felt? Not in the least, since I'm looking out for numero uno in that area.

MD, you ever been a victim of a crime? Ever had you car stolen or your house broken into for instance?

Have I been a victim of a crime?
Whole bunch of times. House, car, person.

We lived in the South End of Boston in the mid '80's, last block of half rehabbed brownstones before 5 blocks north to Mass Ave and Roxbury, all boarded up blocks. Played b-ball in the church park across Columbus Ave, sole white guy (and an ex-wrestler to boot). Took me quite awhile to even be allowed on the court, but once it started to dawn on them that we'd then win game after game, (I played tough D, set a hard pick, and passed...only need 4 shooters...) it was easier, though generally the #5 pick...win and stay on...

Car was broken into so many times, the lock didn't work anymore...was really PO'd when the thief broke the window instead of trying the door, in order to steal the AM radio out of the Toyola Corolla...thief in training.

Had a purse snatched from my wife as we went into the brownstone ground level after walking home from dinner, me in front, her mom, then her...we walked by the perp a few doors down, he came up behind us and put his knee in her back and ripped it off; I took off after the perp on foot in my suit and hard soles, he in his sneakers...car saw me chasing the guy, swerved to cut him off and he cut down an alley, I continued to chase...thank goodness he didn't turn around, he came back up on Columbus, me losing ground and yelling, a gay couple walking up their stoop saw me chasing and blew a police whistle, perp dropped the bag, turned the corner and kept going...police were there in 60 seconds...but no dice catching him. when we gave our statements, each of us had seen the guy as we passed him, but we all described him differently, black, brown, white, color of his jacket, all different... So you noticed the perp and nothing registered? You didn't want to change your position in relation to the women to perhaps protect them because you were afraid you might seem racist and/or hurt his feelings?

One lazy Sunday afternoon, my wife and I were sleeping after a little 'afternoon delight' to awaken to a figure in our doorway of our bedroom...he'd come through the back garden and up the stairs..."is Mikey here?" Huh, no Mikey here...he turned and left...did it happen? Yup, found my wife's purse down the hall dropped as he ran out...

Later, we were commuting to Baltimore for business staying a week at a time...got 3 alarm calls three nights in a row...police have responded, no problem, everything looks secure...must be the rats...4th night, the police got smart and sent one cop back to the alley as well as to the front door. Saw two guys loading a TV into the trunk of a car...one guy took off, cop tackles the other guy who is yelling in Spanish....got him by the leg...and the leg comes off!!!...prosthetic leg...cop telling us the story was quite a character. Other perp running through the park got close lined by an undercover female cop...we prosecuted, but never did recover the last stuff...fortunately they didn't get the most precious stuff, though my album collection...

I've also been stuck up at gunpoint, though not in that neighborhood.

No, none of us found him to be particularly threatening or unusual. Looked like a wino, at worst.
Par for the course in the neighborhood.
And we were well lubricated ourselves from a nice dinner, wine, etc about 4 blocks away.

I was opening the door, we were all inside our little iron gate, though my wife was trailing a step behind her mother, gate still open, not that it would have prevented anything.

BTW, in chasing after him, I was in pretty decent shape still in my late 20's but I lost a lot of ground in my hard shoes...it occurred to me afterwards how dangerous it was to be playing 'Spencer For Hire'...

Despite these stories from 5 years in the neighborhood, we got pretty comfortable, though I didn't let my wife walk home by herself at night from Bain at Copley Plaza. I'd meet her or she'd get a cab, despite it being only 6-7 blocks.

For my part, playing ball with all ages from the neighborhood led to lots of quiet acknowledgement away from the court. Of course, the drug deals going down while we were playing ball didn't exactly make me feel chill...

After this incident I assume you moved to an area where you wouldn't need to decide if you should cross the road or not.

No, we were there for 5 years, only reason we moved was for a venture we were building, with a key location back near my hometown of Baltimore. We had a great experience...wish I'd been wise enough to hold onto that property though!

But when we knew my wife was pregnant, we did look for somewhere with a larger backyard, somewhere to throw a ball, etc.

Classic White Flight excuse.

[Typical Lax Dad]

On a black person calling the police, you are again misunderstanding the challenge for black men and boys. It's not that the caller is racist, it's that they are more likely to perceive danger when the man or boy is black. This is true throughout the society, in all our messaging, and we see black police at times with these same reactions. And it doesn't matter whether the black boy or man is where they should be, dressed appropriate to their environment, driving a nice car...etc. A black person is less likely to have these perceptions of danger, but it's not a guarantee.

I worked in NYC for 2 decades, the 80s and 90s, catching the dubious end of the Koch admin and then the Dinkins mess. I traveled on foot and subways at all hours of the day, in good and bad areas, and I wasn't packing like Bernard Getz. Looking back, I was probably quite lucky not to have had any incidents. Would I cross the street or change train cars if I felt there was a chance of something happening? You bet, unless there was a cop or two (or back then, even a Guardian Angel) visibly in area, which was rare. Am I racist because of that? No F'ing way. That's called self preservation and has nothing to do with the color of anyone's skin.

I'm with you 100% on taking care to avoid an "incident". We don't walk down a darkened alley by ourselves...

This doesn't make a you a "racist" and no one suggested otherwise.

Now if you're walking down a main Ave and see a group of kids walking toward you, bouncing a basketball, do you notice their skin color? Does it make a difference to your sense of concern? do you cross the street if they're black but not if they're white?

Do those boys notice your reaction on their way to basketball courts behind the church?

It all depends of course. If it's a high crime area I would cross the road whether they were black or white. Would I care how they felt? Not in the least, since I'm looking out for numero uno in that area.

MD, you ever been a victim of a crime? Ever had you car stolen or your house broken into for instance?

Have I been a victim of a crime?
Whole bunch of times. House, car, person.

We lived in the South End of Boston in the mid '80's, last block of half rehabbed brownstones before 5 blocks north to Mass Ave and Roxbury, all boarded up blocks. Played b-ball in the church park across Columbus Ave, sole white guy (and an ex-wrestler to boot). Took me quite awhile to even be allowed on the court, but once it started to dawn on them that we'd then win game after game, (I played tough D, set a hard pick, and passed...only need 4 shooters...) it was easier, though generally the #5 pick...win and stay on...

Car was broken into so many times, the lock didn't work anymore...was really PO'd when the thief broke the window instead of trying the door, in order to steal the AM radio out of the Toyola Corolla...thief in training.

Had a purse snatched from my wife as we went into the brownstone ground level after walking home from dinner, me in front, her mom, then her...we walked by the perp a few doors down, he came up behind us and put his knee in her back and ripped it off; I took off after the perp on foot in my suit and hard soles, he in his sneakers...car saw me chasing the guy, swerved to cut him off and he cut down an alley, I continued to chase...thank goodness he didn't turn around, he came back up on Columbus, me losing ground and yelling, a gay couple walking up their stoop saw me chasing and blew a police whistle, perp dropped the bag, turned the corner and kept going...police were there in 60 seconds...but no dice catching him. when we gave our statements, each of us had seen the guy as we passed him, but we all described him differently, black, brown, white, color of his jacket, all different... So you noticed the perp and nothing registered? You didn't want to change your position in relation to the women to perhaps protect them because you were afraid you might seem racist and/or hurt his feelings?

One lazy Sunday afternoon, my wife and I were sleeping after a little 'afternoon delight' to awaken to a figure in our doorway of our bedroom...he'd come through the back garden and up the stairs..."is Mikey here?" Huh, no Mikey here...he turned and left...did it happen? Yup, found my wife's purse down the hall dropped as he ran out...

Later, we were commuting to Baltimore for business staying a week at a time...got 3 alarm calls three nights in a row...police have responded, no problem, everything looks secure...must be the rats...4th night, the police got smart and sent one cop back to the alley as well as to the front door. Saw two guys loading a TV into the trunk of a car...one guy took off, cop tackles the other guy who is yelling in Spanish....got him by the leg...and the leg comes off!!!...prosthetic leg...cop telling us the story was quite a character. Other perp running through the park got close lined by an undercover female cop...we prosecuted, but never did recover the last stuff...fortunately they didn't get the most precious stuff, though my album collection...

I've also been stuck up at gunpoint, though not in that neighborhood.

No, none of us found him to be particularly threatening or unusual. Looked like a wino, at worst.
Par for the course in the neighborhood.
And we were well lubricated ourselves from a nice dinner, wine, etc about 4 blocks away.

I was opening the door, we were all inside our little iron gate, though my wife was trailing a step behind her mother, gate still open, not that it would have prevented anything.

BTW, in chasing after him, I was in pretty decent shape still in my late 20's but I lost a lot of ground in my hard shoes...it occurred to me afterwards how dangerous it was to be playing 'Spencer For Hire'...

Despite these stories from 5 years in the neighborhood, we got pretty comfortable, though I didn't let my wife walk home by herself at night from Bain at Copley Plaza. I'd meet her or she'd get a cab, despite it being only 6-7 blocks.

For my part, playing ball with all ages from the neighborhood led to lots of quiet acknowledgement away from the court. Of course, the drug deals going down while we were playing ball didn't exactly make me feel chill...

After this incident I assume you moved to an area where you wouldn't need to decide if you should cross the road or not.

No, we were there for 5 years, only reason we moved was for a venture we were building, with a key location back near my hometown of Baltimore. We had a great experience...wish I'd been wise enough to hold onto that property though!

But when we knew my wife was pregnant, we did look for somewhere with a larger backyard, somewhere to throw a ball, etc.

Classic White Flight excuse.

Like this stupid video:

[tech37]

On a black person calling the police, you are again misunderstanding the challenge for black men and boys. It's not that the caller is racist, it's that they are more likely to perceive danger when the man or boy is black. This is true throughout the society, in all our messaging, and we see black police at times with these same reactions. And it doesn't matter whether the black boy or man is where they should be, dressed appropriate to their environment, driving a nice car...etc. A black person is less likely to have these perceptions of danger, but it's not a guarantee.

I worked in NYC for 2 decades, the 80s and 90s, catching the dubious end of the Koch admin and then the Dinkins mess. I traveled on foot and subways at all hours of the day, in good and bad areas, and I wasn't packing like Bernard Getz. Looking back, I was probably quite lucky not to have had any incidents. Would I cross the street or change train cars if I felt there was a chance of something happening? You bet, unless there was a cop or two (or back then, even a Guardian Angel) visibly in area, which was rare. Am I racist because of that? No F'ing way. That's called self preservation and has nothing to do with the color of anyone's skin.

I'm with you 100% on taking care to avoid an "incident". We don't walk down a darkened alley by ourselves...

This doesn't make a you a "racist" and no one suggested otherwise.

Now if you're walking down a main Ave and see a group of kids walking toward you, bouncing a basketball, do you notice their skin color? Does it make a difference to your sense of concern? do you cross the street if they're black but not if they're white?

Do those boys notice your reaction on their way to basketball courts behind the church?

It all depends of course. If it's a high crime area I would cross the road whether they were black or white. Would I care how they felt? Not in the least, since I'm looking out for numero uno in that area.

MD, you ever been a victim of a crime? Ever had you car stolen or your house broken into for instance?

Have I been a victim of a crime?
Whole bunch of times. House, car, person.

We lived in the South End of Boston in the mid '80's, last block of half rehabbed brownstones before 5 blocks north to Mass Ave and Roxbury, all boarded up blocks. Played b-ball in the church park across Columbus Ave, sole white guy (and an ex-wrestler to boot). Took me quite awhile to even be allowed on the court, but once it started to dawn on them that we'd then win game after game, (I played tough D, set a hard pick, and passed...only need 4 shooters...) it was easier, though generally the #5 pick...win and stay on...

Car was broken into so many times, the lock didn't work anymore...was really PO'd when the thief broke the window instead of trying the door, in order to steal the AM radio out of the Toyola Corolla...thief in training.

Had a purse snatched from my wife as we went into the brownstone ground level after walking home from dinner, me in front, her mom, then her...we walked by the perp a few doors down, he came up behind us and put his knee in her back and ripped it off; I took off after the perp on foot in my suit and hard soles, he in his sneakers...car saw me chasing the guy, swerved to cut him off and he cut down an alley, I continued to chase...thank goodness he didn't turn around, he came back up on Columbus, me losing ground and yelling, a gay couple walking up their stoop saw me chasing and blew a police whistle, perp dropped the bag, turned the corner and kept going...police were there in 60 seconds...but no dice catching him. when we gave our statements, each of us had seen the guy as we passed him, but we all described him differently, black, brown, white, color of his jacket, all different... So you noticed the perp and nothing registered? You didn't want to change your position in relation to the women to perhaps protect them because you were afraid you might seem racist and/or hurt his feelings?

One lazy Sunday afternoon, my wife and I were sleeping after a little 'afternoon delight' to awaken to a figure in our doorway of our bedroom...he'd come through the back garden and up the stairs..."is Mikey here?" Huh, no Mikey here...he turned and left...did it happen? Yup, found my wife's purse down the hall dropped as he ran out...

Later, we were commuting to Baltimore for business staying a week at a time...got 3 alarm calls three nights in a row...police have responded, no problem, everything looks secure...must be the rats...4th night, the police got smart and sent one cop back to the alley as well as to the front door. Saw two guys loading a TV into the trunk of a car...one guy took off, cop tackles the other guy who is yelling in Spanish....got him by the leg...and the leg comes off!!!...prosthetic leg...cop telling us the story was quite a character. Other perp running through the park got close lined by an undercover female cop...we prosecuted, but never did recover the last stuff...fortunately they didn't get the most precious stuff, though my album collection...

I've also been stuck up at gunpoint, though not in that neighborhood.

No, none of us found him to be particularly threatening or unusual. Looked like a wino, at worst.
Par for the course in the neighborhood.
And we were well lubricated ourselves from a nice dinner, wine, etc about 4 blocks away.

I was opening the door, we were all inside our little iron gate, though my wife was trailing a step behind her mother, gate still open, not that it would have prevented anything.

BTW, in chasing after him, I was in pretty decent shape still in my late 20's but I lost a lot of ground in my hard shoes...it occurred to me afterwards how dangerous it was to be playing 'Spencer For Hire'...

Despite these stories from 5 years in the neighborhood, we got pretty comfortable, though I didn't let my wife walk home by herself at night from Bain at Copley Plaza. I'd meet her or she'd get a cab, despite it being only 6-7 blocks.

For my part, playing ball with all ages from the neighborhood led to lots of quiet acknowledgement away from the court. Of course, the drug deals going down while we were playing ball didn't exactly make me feel chill...

After this incident I assume you moved to an area where you wouldn't need to decide if you should cross the road or not.

No, we were there for 5 years, only reason we moved was for a venture we were building, with a key location back near my hometown of Baltimore. We had a great experience...wish I'd been wise enough to hold onto that property though!

But when we knew my wife was pregnant, we did look for somewhere with a larger backyard, somewhere to throw a ball, etc.

Classic White Flight excuse.

He was just exercising his "white privilege," can't say I blame him.

[Farfromgeneva]

It's a fake video Pete. As you would know if you had actually read the whole thread.

Some accounts are tweeting this video at prominent reporters. But it's faked - it's a high-quality CSpan video distorted and darkened to make a black singer (Jerome Powell, who you can still book for your DC events!) look like a white guy in blackface.

https://twitter.com/daveweigel/status/1 ... 8502893568

Really, you're going to have to do better if you want to ever move up from intern to Junior Apprentice Troll.

It’s all just JV stuff. Still unconvinced he’s not a Estonian teenager beating off to all of this.

[MDlaxfan76]

On a black person calling the police, you are again misunderstanding the challenge for black men and boys. It's not that the caller is racist, it's that they are more likely to perceive danger when the man or boy is black. This is true throughout the society, in all our messaging, and we see black police at times with these same reactions. And it doesn't matter whether the black boy or man is where they should be, dressed appropriate to their environment, driving a nice car...etc. A black person is less likely to have these perceptions of danger, but it's not a guarantee.

I worked in NYC for 2 decades, the 80s and 90s, catching the dubious end of the Koch admin and then the Dinkins mess. I traveled on foot and subways at all hours of the day, in good and bad areas, and I wasn't packing like Bernard Getz. Looking back, I was probably quite lucky not to have had any incidents. Would I cross the street or change train cars if I felt there was a chance of something happening? You bet, unless there was a cop or two (or back then, even a Guardian Angel) visibly in area, which was rare. Am I racist because of that? No F'ing way. That's called self preservation and has nothing to do with the color of anyone's skin.

I'm with you 100% on taking care to avoid an "incident". We don't walk down a darkened alley by ourselves...

This doesn't make a you a "racist" and no one suggested otherwise.

Now if you're walking down a main Ave and see a group of kids walking toward you, bouncing a basketball, do you notice their skin color? Does it make a difference to your sense of concern? do you cross the street if they're black but not if they're white?

Do those boys notice your reaction on their way to basketball courts behind the church?

It all depends of course. If it's a high crime area I would cross the road whether they were black or white. Would I care how they felt? Not in the least, since I'm looking out for numero uno in that area.

MD, you ever been a victim of a crime? Ever had you car stolen or your house broken into for instance?

Have I been a victim of a crime?
Whole bunch of times. House, car, person.

We lived in the South End of Boston in the mid '80's, last block of half rehabbed brownstones before 5 blocks north to Mass Ave and Roxbury, all boarded up blocks. Played b-ball in the church park across Columbus Ave, sole white guy (and an ex-wrestler to boot). Took me quite awhile to even be allowed on the court, but once it started to dawn on them that we'd then win game after game, (I played tough D, set a hard pick, and passed...only need 4 shooters...) it was easier, though generally the #5 pick...win and stay on...

Car was broken into so many times, the lock didn't work anymore...was really PO'd when the thief broke the window instead of trying the door, in order to steal the AM radio out of the Toyola Corolla...thief in training.

Had a purse snatched from my wife as we went into the brownstone ground level after walking home from dinner, me in front, her mom, then her...we walked by the perp a few doors down, he came up behind us and put his knee in her back and ripped it off; I took off after the perp on foot in my suit and hard soles, he in his sneakers...car saw me chasing the guy, swerved to cut him off and he cut down an alley, I continued to chase...thank goodness he didn't turn around, he came back up on Columbus, me losing ground and yelling, a gay couple walking up their stoop saw me chasing and blew a police whistle, perp dropped the bag, turned the corner and kept going...police were there in 60 seconds...but no dice catching him. when we gave our statements, each of us had seen the guy as we passed him, but we all described him differently, black, brown, white, color of his jacket, all different... So you noticed the perp and nothing registered? You didn't want to change your position in relation to the women to perhaps protect them because you were afraid you might seem racist and/or hurt his feelings?

One lazy Sunday afternoon, my wife and I were sleeping after a little 'afternoon delight' to awaken to a figure in our doorway of our bedroom...he'd come through the back garden and up the stairs..."is Mikey here?" Huh, no Mikey here...he turned and left...did it happen? Yup, found my wife's purse down the hall dropped as he ran out...

Later, we were commuting to Baltimore for business staying a week at a time...got 3 alarm calls three nights in a row...police have responded, no problem, everything looks secure...must be the rats...4th night, the police got smart and sent one cop back to the alley as well as to the front door. Saw two guys loading a TV into the trunk of a car...one guy took off, cop tackles the other guy who is yelling in Spanish....got him by the leg...and the leg comes off!!!...prosthetic leg...cop telling us the story was quite a character. Other perp running through the park got close lined by an undercover female cop...we prosecuted, but never did recover the last stuff...fortunately they didn't get the most precious stuff, though my album collection...

I've also been stuck up at gunpoint, though not in that neighborhood.

No, none of us found him to be particularly threatening or unusual. Looked like a wino, at worst.
Par for the course in the neighborhood.
And we were well lubricated ourselves from a nice dinner, wine, etc about 4 blocks away.

I was opening the door, we were all inside our little iron gate, though my wife was trailing a step behind her mother, gate still open, not that it would have prevented anything.

BTW, in chasing after him, I was in pretty decent shape still in my late 20's but I lost a lot of ground in my hard shoes...it occurred to me afterwards how dangerous it was to be playing 'Spencer For Hire'...

Despite these stories from 5 years in the neighborhood, we got pretty comfortable, though I didn't let my wife walk home by herself at night from Bain at Copley Plaza. I'd meet her or she'd get a cab, despite it being only 6-7 blocks.

For my part, playing ball with all ages from the neighborhood led to lots of quiet acknowledgement away from the court. Of course, the drug deals going down while we were playing ball didn't exactly make me feel chill...

After this incident I assume you moved to an area where you wouldn't need to decide if you should cross the road or not.

No, we were there for 5 years, only reason we moved was for a venture we were building, with a key location back near my hometown of Baltimore. We had a great experience...wish I'd been wise enough to hold onto that property though!

But when we knew my wife was pregnant, we did look for somewhere with a larger backyard, somewhere to throw a ball, etc.

Classic White Flight excuse.

classic I want to play catch with my son excuse...with the mobility to make it happen.

And yes, that's a privilege too...no one looked sideways at us when we were looking at homes to buy. And it never occurred to me that they would, and yes, that's 'white privilege'.