America`s Gun Culture

[muppet]

I would tend to have a lot of sympathy for the cops in these instances but those 2 looked incompetent and the victim paid the price for it.

I would always try to get into the heads of everyone including the cops.

But after they shot Castile, they took his girlfriend away in handcuffs. What exactly was she supposed to have done?

[armaghniac]

But after they shot Castile, they took his girlfriend away in handcuffs. What exactly was she supposed to have done?

Accessory to a black person.

[J70]

Tweet from a former Republican Congressman.

Says it all really.

Par for the course for that half-wit.

So who's he declaring war on?

[johnneycool]

I would tend to have a lot of sympathy for the cops in these instances but those 2 looked incompetent and the victim paid the price for it.

I would always try to get into the heads of everyone including the cops.

But after they shot Castile, they took his girlfriend away in handcuffs. What exactly was she supposed to have done?

That Castile footage is just unreal and really hard to fathom.
Cop pulls a family over for having a fault tail light and automatically approach's the car with his gun drawn.

In what sort of civilized society is that considered normal?

[Asal Mor]

I would tend to have a lot of sympathy for the cops in these instances but those 2 looked incompetent and the victim paid the price for it.

I would always try to get into the heads of everyone including the cops.

But after they shot Castile, they took his girlfriend away in handcuffs. What exactly was she supposed to have done?

That Castile footage is just unreal and really hard to fathom.
Cop pulls a family over for having a fault tail light and automatically approach's the car with his gun drawn.

In what sort of civilized society is that considered normal?

A totally insane one (though it can be really annoying when you see a car driving around with a broken light).

[foxcommander]

BLM marches/rallies will have to be outlawed if they are going to be means of targeting police.
Otherwise this could really get out of hand.

[seafoid]

https://theintercept.com/2016/07/08/how-the-dallas-police-used-an-improvised-killer-robot-to-take-down-the-sniper/

[Muck Savage]

This is getting out of hand.

I felt very sorry for the Black family in the car to see a man being shot by the Officer. I do not believe that the Police man got out of bed that morning and said 'I'm going to to shoot a black man today'. There is already a lot of tension out there so when he pulled the car over, the guy said 'Gun' and the already nervous cop pull the gun and shot. I don't think the man was killed by a racist I think he was shot by a badly trained, stressed cop.
There are a lot of groups out there like Black lives Matter that are fulling this tension and not helping the situation. Leaders going out telling people that cops need to get a taste of their own medicine, Damn white america etc. This is only increasing racial tension and I believe the so called Dallas terrorist is a product of these hate groups. Groups like this need to be shut down. I'm looking at all these so called protests, protesting face to face with cops, shouting derogatory terms at the police and filing that tension. it's snowballing!

This needs leadership to fix this, I don't see Obama doing it and I certainly don't see either of the two candidates doing it.

[seafoid]

Any media referring to this as terrorism yet? Not the right shade of brown?

I believe it should be called terrorism.  Planned sniper shootings on police and a suspected bomb... surely that's terrorism.
I won't be so naive to say there is no racism in America in general and among some cops.  I will say though that protestors and a lot of black people don't do anything to help their cause.  Things are so far removed from what Dr King started I'm sure he is shaking his head at all of this.  It has become a viscous circle.  Cops are afraid and over reacting to simple situations that could be solved without bullets.  Black people are afraid and angry and violent which makes cops even more on edge....

...I agree it is terrorism. The terrorists are being radicalised by the worst of the otherwise good police forces, and they are being armed by the NRA, who are facilitated by all those politicians who take NRA donations.

John McCain alone has received $7.7m from the NRA and of course he blames Obama.

I don't buy the notion that terrorism is beyond the pale. People can only take so much crap. Israelis and  Fox use the word to mesmerise people and justify repression.

You end up with bollocks like Mr Potato head

Ambassador Bolton: There is no moral equivalency to, on the one hand, deliberate attacking of civilians, taking lives, taking hostages, versus the inadvertent and highly unfortunate civilian deaths that occur when a country exercises its right to self-defense. Those are not the same act, they are not motivated for the same reasons, they do not carry the same moral weight.

  I think it was Brendan Behan who said the terrorists are the ones with the small guns.
US power is violent and vindictive. Ask Leonard Peltier or Chelsea Manning.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWUsSawPeVg

[general_lee]

No sympathy from me for the cops. America in my eyes is as nuts as north Korea or Saudi Arabia. Watched the videos of both shootings. Completely unjustified and people on here "empathising" with the police officers is f**king laughable. Could you imagine an RUC man in Crumlin road jail shooting dead a young nationalist 30 years ago "sorry your honour, promise I don't hate Catholics I was just scared he might be a gunman". I doubt anyone on here would be saying he must have been poorly trained and stressed. f**k me like! 

[muppet]

This is getting out of hand.

I felt very sorry for the Black family in the car to see a man being shot by the Officer. I do not believe that the Police man got out of bed that morning and said 'I'm going to to shoot a black man today'. There is already a lot of tension out there so when he pulled the car over, the guy said 'Gun' and the already nervous cop pull the gun and shot. I don't think the man was killed by a racist I think he was shot by a badly trained, stressed cop.
There are a lot of groups out there like Black lives Matter that are fulling this tension and not helping the situation. Leaders going out telling people that cops need to get a taste of their own medicine, Damn white america etc. This is only increasing racial tension and I believe the so called Dallas terrorist is a product of these hate groups. Groups like this need to be shut down. I'm looking at all these so called protests, protesting face to face with cops, shouting derogatory terms at the police and filing that tension. it's snowballing!

This needs leadership to fix this, I don't see Obama doing it and I certainly don't see either of the two candidates doing it.

If the cop was in the RUC and the dead man was a Catholic, how would you feel about Catholic groups voicing their responses? What response would you expect? Would there be protests? Should those groups and protests be shut down? Would it be fair to accuse them of fuelling racial tension?

[J70]

This is getting out of hand.

I felt very sorry for the Black family in the car to see a man being shot by the Officer. I do not believe that the Police man got out of bed that morning and said 'I'm going to to shoot a black man today'. There is already a lot of tension out there so when he pulled the car over, the guy said 'Gun' and the already nervous cop pull the gun and shot. I don't think the man was killed by a racist I think he was shot by a badly trained, stressed cop.
There are a lot of groups out there like Black lives Matter that are fulling this tension and not helping the situation. Leaders going out telling people that cops need to get a taste of their own medicine, Damn white america etc. This is only increasing racial tension and I believe the so called Dallas terrorist is a product of these hate groups. Groups like this need to be shut down. I'm looking at all these so called protests, protesting face to face with cops, shouting derogatory terms at the police and filing that tension. it's snowballing!

This needs leadership to fix this, I don't see Obama doing it and I certainly don't see either of the two candidates doing it.

So what do you propose?

That black people just keep their heads down and accept their lot in life. Accept that they're treated disproportionately harshly by the justice system, both police and courts, for the same crimes as whites? Accept that police are more likely to kill them just because the cop is prejudiced or afraid?

Should the anti-abortion movement be shut down because once in a while some nut goes too far and bombs a clinic or shoots a doctor dead?

These problems existed LONG before BLM. Its just that they are now getting an airing and some pushback due to mobile phone videos.

[longballin]

This is getting out of hand.

I felt very sorry for the Black family in the car to see a man being shot by the Officer. I do not believe that the Police man got out of bed that morning and said 'I'm going to to shoot a black man today'. There is already a lot of tension out there so when he pulled the car over, the guy said 'Gun' and the already nervous cop pull the gun and shot. I don't think the man was killed by a racist I think he was shot by a badly trained, stressed cop.
There are a lot of groups out there like Black lives Matter that are fulling this tension and not helping the situation. Leaders going out telling people that cops need to get a taste of their own medicine, Damn white america etc. This is only increasing racial tension and I believe the so called Dallas terrorist is a product of these hate groups. Groups like this need to be shut down. I'm looking at all these so called protests, protesting face to face with cops, shouting derogatory terms at the police and filing that tension. it's snowballing!

This needs leadership to fix this, I don't see Obama doing it and I certainly don't see either of the two candidates doing it.

If the cop was in the RUC and the dead man was a Catholic, how would you feel about Catholic groups voicing their responses? What response would you expect? Would there be protests? Should those groups and protests be shut down? Would it be fair to accuse them of fuelling racial tension?

I thought the same... there will inevitably be black people will take up arms against the cops if nothing done to stop their people being shot with impunity. RUC - state forces here a good example...

[Muck Savage]

So what do you propose?

That black people just keep their heads down and accept their lot in life. Accept that they're treated disproportionately harshly by the justice system, both police and courts, for the same crimes as whites? Accept that police are more likely to kill them just because the cop is prejudiced or afraid?

Should the anti-abortion movement be shut down because once in a while some nut goes too far and bombs a clinic or shoots a doctor dead?

These problems existed LONG before BLM. Its just that they are now getting an airing and some pushback due to mobile phone videos.

I don't believe that these hate group are the right way to go. Certainly going on a roof-top and shooting a Cops is not the right way. This was not a terrorist as has been mentioned before, this was racially motivated by a racist. Just as some of the cop shootings have been racially motivated.

It needs strong leadership.
Jobs - We need more jobs in areas that are predominantly Black. Black unemployment rates have gone up in the last few years. More Black families are on benefits, food stamps etc.

Schools - The school structure needs to be fixed. It is set up that the rich areas continue to get the better teachers, facilities etc. More money needs to be put into this in Black areas. Education is very important

Police relationships - Needs to be addressed. Police need to be given X% of time each week to work on community projects each week in Black areas, with or without uniforms. This time should be on the clock, not their own free time.

In the last 24 hours, there have been 4 ambush's on Police across the country. As sure as night and day another innocent Black man will be shot.

Until something along these lines change Racists will shoot innocent people on both sides.

[J70]

So what do you propose?

That black people just keep their heads down and accept their lot in life. Accept that they're treated disproportionately harshly by the justice system, both police and courts, for the same crimes as whites? Accept that police are more likely to kill them just because the cop is prejudiced or afraid?

Should the anti-abortion movement be shut down because once in a while some nut goes too far and bombs a clinic or shoots a doctor dead?

These problems existed LONG before BLM. Its just that they are now getting an airing and some pushback due to mobile phone videos.

I don't believe that these hate group are the right way to go. Certainly going on a roof-top and shooting a Cops is not the right way. This was not a terrorist as has been mentioned before, this was racially motivated by a racist. Just as some of the cop shootings have been racially motivated.

It needs strong leadership.
Jobs - We need more jobs in areas that are predominantly Black. Black unemployment rates have gone up in the last few years. More Black families are on benefits, food stamps etc.

Schools - The school structure needs to be fixed. It is set up that the rich areas continue to get the better teachers, facilities etc. More money needs to be put into this in Black areas. Education is very important

Police relationships - Needs to be addressed. Police need to be given X% of time each week to work on community projects each week in Black areas, with or without uniforms. This time should be on the clock, not their own free time.

In the last 24 hours, there have been 4 ambush's on Police across the country. As sure as night and day another innocent Black man will be shot.

Until something along these lines change Racists will shoot innocent people on both sides.

But the shooter in Dallas was not associated with BLM, which is not an organized, centralized group anyway, more a loose collection of groups under one umbrella, some good, some not so good. Kind of like the Tea Party movement in organization.

I hear you on the other stuff, but will it ever happen? In many areas, school funding is tied in with property taxes, which basically causes a positive (or negative) feedback loop, in that the schools in the rich areas are well funded while those in poor areas are not. School quality is in turn an influence on property values, and so round and round it goes. People are very reluctant to give that up. Even in NYC you see it's influence, with many teachers opting to take advantage of accelerated certification programmes, before fleeing for the suburbs once they've done their due time, meaning that poor schools are often stuck with inexperienced and less able teachers. And even in liberal, progressive NYC, you see occasional push-back from parents in good public schools when efforts are made to include the housing projects down the block in the catchment for their school. Not really because their child will sit side by side with poor black or hispanic kids, but because their child might be passed over and not get a coveted place in the school at all.

With the police, it will take years, with the already poisonous relationships in some areas, and the "snitches end up in ditches" fear. How do you break through all that? How do you address what Cornell West calls the "niggerization" of black people, where their history of being downtrodden, rejected, unsafe, poorly treated by government and society, becomes a trap from which they cannot escape, and which is further beaten into them every time a man is stopped, for no reason other than racial profiling, by the police, and where they, through no fault of their own, appear threatening to people of other races and even their own. This goes for middle and upper class black experience too. And then the crime rates in the poor neighbourhoods, typical of socially deprived areas, which necessitate the increased presence of police, which leads to racial profiling, and on and on it goes.