By now most of us have heard of Jonathan Ferrell, the 24-year-old former Florida A&M football player who was shot and killed by a Charlotte police officer. We have become almost desensitized to the killing of black men, so why did this particular death bother me so much?
The night he was shot, Ferrell was in a very bad car crash. His vehicle sustained so much damage that he was forced to knock out the back window to escape it. He left the accident, injured and most likely in shock, and made his way to a door of a nearby home.
Not able to recognize a distressed citizen, the home owner cried on the phone as she spoke to the 911 operator. “He is trying to kick down my door,” she said. One of the responding police officers shared her perception and shot Ferrell 10 times, killing him.
The need for minorities to make themselves more palatable or less threatening to the mainstream is more than a coping mechanism — it is a survival skill. I am not suggesting that Ferrell contributed in any way to being shot, but, in the state of mind he was likely in, Ferrell forgot his filters.
Something else does not sit right with me about the situation. Maybe it’s that Ferrell was so young when he died, maybe it was because he was a local brother, or maybe because I recently had an encounter with a Charlotte police officer that left me feeling profiled.
I will preface my story with this: My inspection sticker was expired, but I had already taken my vehicle in. My mechanic found that a part had to be replaced, which was going to take a few days since he had to order the part.
Around that time, I was running errands when I noticed a police car parked at the convenience store at the corner of Parkwood Avenue and The Plaza. He began to follow me, and I immediately got that uneasy feeling anyone gets when they know a police encounter is possible. The officer played a game of cat and mouse with me as I continued my errands. Finally, I passed a gas station on Central, only to see that the police car was posted up and obviously waiting for me. The officer merged onto Central behind me, so I pulled into my neighborhood cleaners, which is when he finally hit the lights.
I have a ritual whenever an officer pulls me over, which has happened in every state I’ve lived in, sometimes with their guns drawn. I roll my window down, turn down my radio and keep my hands at 10 and 2 on the steering wheel. The officer approached cautiously and asked, “Do you know why I pulled you over?” I refrained from saying what I was thinking: “No, but I think the more appropriate question is, ‘Do I know why you have been following me?'” Because really, would he have so passionately tailed a Dilworth soccer mom with an expired sticker?
Instead, I went with a simple “no.”
At the officer’s request, I handed him my license but said that I would have to reach into my glove compartment for my registration. I turned toward the glove box, and that’s when he asked, “Do you have a gun?”
Years of conditioning have taught me to keep my cool in situations like this, so I slowly turned back to the officer and said, “I am a teacher, sir, and no, I do not have a gun.” Sharing my background was my way of putting his irrational fears to rest, but also a way to protect myself in case the situation escalated.
If you think this heightened sensitivity on the part of minorities is paranoia, look at signifiers in popular culture. The Geico pig commercial is a highly successful ad campaign. Why? Because the satirical comedy is steeped in truth. In one commercial, said pig experiences a classic case of DWB (driving while black) and he tells an officer, “You pulled me over because I’m a pig driving a convertible.” Another commercial is more blatant. When the pig is offended by a flight attendant’s insensitive remark, he turns for support to an African-American man sitting across from him. But unlike the mildly annoyed feeling the pig is left with, most folks in those situations feel angry and disenfranchised.
Ferrell’s mother appeared on CNN and said there is no explanation for why police shot her son. I guess what bothers me so much is that there is an explanation.
I have to wonder: If Ferrell had not been in such a state of shock and panic, all very natural responses given that he was involved in a violent car crash, would the outcome have been different? Ferrell acted as anyone would in a similar situation, but the ugly truth is that he was not just anyone. He was a large, dark-skinned man.
Trayvon Martin was profiled by George Zimmerman because of the stereotype against this group. I was tailed and asked if I had a gun because of it.
The sad truth is that stereotype is so entrenched in our culture, I am not sure if it’s going away anytime soon. Maybe when pigs fly.
This article appears in Oct 9-15, 2013.
It is so sad that African American men are presumed guilty of unspecified crimes by police and other citizens. I do believe that some of our men have given the rest of us a bad reputation and we should do more to call them out and demand they be accountable for following the laws we all have to follow.
Having said that, this case is another example of an innocent black man being senselessly killed. And the sad part is that so many of us are becoming desensitized to these killings.
Great column, Sir.
@D Barbara McWhite It is sad that the persona of black man has become synonymous with thug and criminal. You are right that the actions of some have a direct impact on the entire demographic. I pray that things will change but looking at historical patterns I do not think that will be possible anytime soon. Thank you for reading and sharing your thoughts on this subject!
Charles, excellent insight — as always.
On a side note, I thought Ta-Nehisi Coates was uncharacteristically reticent in his commentary on the Ferrell case. I think he’s right about not blaming the woman who called the police, but I would have liked to have read more than just that first and last graf from him on the police response. Maybe I just wanted to see a longer piece on this from him in general.
http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archiv…
@ Mark Kemp I am just trying to keep things in perspective for myself and others if it helps…smile Thank you for reading man!
As i’ve been enlightening and self educating myself I have came across a study of the late great W.E.B. Du Bois, “double consciousness.” As I was reading this yesterday morning I thought to myself what if he did act different and was composed and in the right state of mind would the outcome of this tragic accident be? Well I came up with this and not to sound bias towards any race(because I believe and practice in the equality of all people)but regardless of how brother Ferrell acted he was profiled because of his skin color and he didn’t act “White”. It is sad that we have been institutionalized and oppressed into thinking that whatever we do we have to act and look like “The White Man” to be accepted and not to be seen as a danger when we mean no harm. I’m glad that you wrote this column to bring awareness to “Racial Profiling” in our own back yard(even though we live in the southern baptist bible belt). Great Column Mr. Easley!
I can only relate my own experience to this discussion, but not as a black woman, but has an older white female. There are certain retail establishments that when seeing an older woman walk into the store totally and completely ignore her…rather me. I could and have stood around for more than 10 minutes waiting for someone (anyone) to help in my selection. Couples and men were immediately approached, but it was if I was invisible. I walked out. So in my own way, I can understand the stereotyping, but to a much lesser degree. As to the shooting of the young man being discussed, I was horrified. Maybe he was disoriented from the accident and yes, maybe the homeowner was frightened, but the police officer was totally wrong. Ten shots! Unheard of! One shot in the leg to stop him would have been sufficient regardless of the color of his skin. But ten shots! The officer was in the wrong not the young man or the homeowner and that is where the blame belongs.
@Daisean Mills I am very glad you reading some of our great thinkers young artist. It does not mean that we have to necessarily look or act white but the ugly truth is that black and brown men have to monitor their actions as they can be misinterpreted given the prevalent stereotypes of that demographic. Like I said it is more than coping mechanism for us it becomes a necessary survival skill. Thank you for reading and sharing your thoughts on this this subject young artist. And keep reading the classic thinkers…smile
@Sue Johnson You are correct that unfortunately whenever, race, class, gender, age or any other isms are present there is always the potential for bias treatment. You are right the officer was wrong but my point is the farther you are away from the mainstream then the more you are made aware that you have to sometimes overcompensate in order to get treated equally or fairly. Like I am sure you have to all but trip one of those store clerks to get some service…smile Thank you for reading and sharing your thoughts.
Charles, I have thought long and hard about this tragic event. It occured just down my street. Helicopters, news crews,
and looky loos for days. It quickly became spectacularized. My gut responded it was
” because he was black”. My neighborhood FB group had opinions, questions, condemnations and condolences. It was a study on ism upon ism.
An innocent young man lost his life! His potential completely denied. That’s the issue for me. As we prejudge we deny worthy potential in each other. When we live under the spell of a prejudiced culture we deny our own.
Charles you always bring more clarity to difficult issues. You are our Flannery O’Connor. Just when we think we have “it” figured out, you teach us to see our world with brighter eyes and better thinking.
My sense of not belonging into Charlotte’s society comes from people who are so intolerant of others that they if you are in the same economic bracket, social strata, congregation you are immediately an outcast.
The history of our country is very telling. After all the White House was built in large part with slave labor. Big business has had a history supplying economic incentives to target and discriminate people who are at risk. Our judicial system still unfairly punishes blacks. Why because some fat cats who bank rolled the prison system give incentives to police departments when they fill up the jails.
If people could only open their eyes they would see that without the contributions of our colored brothers, American culture would be really fuckin’ bland. Without Gospel , Jazz there would be no blues and no rock.
WE NEED TO WAKE THE FUCK UP.
Another great post Charles. Thank you. It saddens me to think of what our men have to go through in this day and age. And no I can’t imagine a police officer tailing, following, a soccer mom like that. That’s just ridiculous.
It is very sad that in 2013 we are still dealing with this. I suspect that it will not ever totally go away. It is annoying and taxing. After the GZ case and recently serving on a superior court case in our county, I have absolutely no respect for nor any faith in our justice system. I will not be surprised to see the police officer walk on these charges. We have to continue to educate our children on how to respond when they are confronted/accosted by the police and those in authority. I have no doubt that Jonathan knew and had been schooled on the protocol. This substantiates the notion that due to that terrible wreck, he was indeed out of his “right” mind that night. What “robber” announces his presence and intent by violently and viciously banging on a door before they rob someone?
@Sandy I did not know you were so close to the unfortunate event and had a somewhat ground zero view. I agree with you that a young life has been denied based on prejudice and it is truly tragic. I am also honored and humbled by your words of phrase. Thank you for reading and sharing your experience and thoughts!
@Andrew You speak very important and passionate words. It is a very sobering thought to some people how much contribution to our American culture has come from one demographic of people. Keep your passion going and thank you for reading and sharing your thoughts!
@Ms. Durden It is very sad that in those moments my education, good will and history as a committed educator do not matter. I am only reduced to a stereotype of a persona someone carries in their head. Thank you for reading and your support Diva….smile.
@Melyndag You are right and I agree that young Mr. Ferrell had indeed been taught how to use his filters but that unfortunate accident put him in a justifiably different state of mind. It is sad that he was not seen and helped like most any other citizen in need. And yes we must continue to teach our youth how to interact with authority figures for their own protection. Thank you for reading and sharing your thoughts on this subject!
As a white woman roughly the same age as yourself, and a past resident of Charlotte, I was deeply saddened by this event. When did we become such a community of fear rather than assistance. I probably would have been scared to have that man knock on my door, but one would hope that ‘little voice’ would have me helping him. The actions of the officer do seem excessive. However, I also have a family member on the police force and some of the stories he tells? They often have so little information about what they are about to face. In a perfect world, there would be no need for ‘filters’ but this is not a perfect world. Until then, I try to put myself in another’s shoes, and remember that what I do unto others will be what is done unto me.
@Marty Kindall Chester I know your spirit and it is kind so I do believe you would act from that space. I also have friends and family who are police officers and I do understand that they must make life changing decisions under extreme conditions but they are also trained to hopefully make better decisions than the regular citizen. I like your philosophy of doing unto others. Maybe if those in authority positions would follow a similar ideology there might be less tragedies like this one. Thank you for reading and sharing your thoughts!
sad that police no longer protect and serve or the other mantra they’ve had in the past …safe , courteous service . all across this nation with the onslaught of reality shows like C.O.P.S and others like them ….law enforcement sensationalizes fact from fiction like every other segment of society . there are no more “officer friendly’s ” and i’ve seen up close and personal how law enforcement escalate not decipitate encounters where they are called to intervene . i just viewed a YOUTUBE piece where a young poet describes an outing with his pre-k nephew who is inquisitive about everything and everything , sees a police officer and tells his uncle “they have to hide from the police ” and how it traumatized him to know that there is no “protection ” from our “protection “. sad right ? or the profoundness of the movie version of “a time to kill ” when the young daughter says to her father “i was just calling and calling you daddy !!!” and the way african american fathers continuously are fed the notion that we cannot protect or champion our children ( trayvon martin anyone ?) and in that same film the only way the defense can defend is by describing the horrible thing that was done to this young girl in detail ….and saying now imagine if she was blonde and blue -eyed …..we african americans have to have the ability to have two personas to survive …. and one better be “palatable ” to mainstream society . i will stop here because bubbling up are too numerous incidents to share in this space … but the “hope ” and prayer is that we not give up on one another and champion our civil liberties as
countless others have before us and inform our men / boys on how to conduct themselves in these situations so that it will not “seem ” as if it is open season on african american men and the majority is ok with it … i view a lot of films …another recent one comes to mind … anyone have any thoughts on “THE PURGE “???
@Godds Child You bring up so many important and valid points but I really have to commend you for bringing the show C.O.P.S. to this discussion. I used to talk about that show in my Mass Media Arts class that it did more damage to how brown men are perceived in the media than many historical outlets. I think I have found a fellow film buff….smile Thank you for reading and sharing your very learned contribution to this subject!
This is complete nonsense. Anyone else think it’s just a little weird that this story evaporated from the news around the same time this bonehead’s toxicology report was due to come back?
This sounds a LOT more like suicide by cop than racism. I mean, what kind of idiot runs toward the police when they have a taser pointed at them? I’d also almost meet you halfway and say ten shots was excessive but frankly if someone (black, white, or otherwise) is dumb enough to charge a cop I really don’t care what happens after that.
Here’s how it works, the police are in charge. They are the authority. When they tell you to get on the ground, you do it or you’re taking your chances. It’s not up for negotiation, it’s not a discussion. Once things get sorted out, you file a complaint and say your peace then but you don’t run towards them in the middle of the night and expect that to work in your favor.
It’s against the law to resist arrest. I don’t understand why people can’t fathom this concept. Whenever these morons get killed, it’s never when they’re in their home taking care of their kids, or on their way to volunteer somewhere, or doing anything other than being high and something illegal. And yes, driving under the influence is illegal.
It frightens me that you’re a teacher. More and more people are waking up to the fact that these “racist” incidents are rarely racist, these “victims” are just dumb. Perpetuating this BS victim crap is just going to cause more friction and end up with more dead people that feel it’s their right to challenge a cop.
You want to help black people? Go up to Chicago and sift through the God knows how many black victims of black offenders from any random weekend. This is sensationalist journalism and I’d be willing to bet you know it but I imagine it beats working for a living.
Oh, and I got pulled over in Virginia last week. By a black cop. I was doing 85 in a 70 but now that I think about it the cop was clearly racist. I think I’ll call for a national discussion on race and go boycott something.
Nah, I’ll just take my lumps and get on with my life. Like a man.
@Hard Truth Suicide by cop…really? What is frightening is that you somehow think this young man deserved to be killed. And you clearly have some preconceived notions about some minorities. I as you insinuate I do not live on public assistance and work very hard for a living. But by all means you are entitled to your opinion no matter how inflammatory it might be. Thank you for reading and sharing your views.
Yup, suicide by cop. No less ridiculous an assumption that the police killed him solely because he was black. He was obviously high on something, beating on someone’s door in the middle of the night, ran towards the police who had guns trained on him but no, the cops shot him solely because he was black. What would you have done Charles? Tickled him into submission?
And nice try but I’m not biting. Who said anything about public assistance? I was referring more to your bogus ‘journalism’ in sensationalizing this for your own gain instead of writing about something legitimate like, oh I don’t know, personal accountability for one’s actions?
Here’s a real lesson you can pass on to your students. Don’t do drugs. And if you do, don’t drive. And if you do and you get pulled over or get in an accident, don’t run towards the cops that respond to the scene. I never said he deserved to die, I just think “Unarmed Man Shot by the Police” made a real easy headline without any sort of full understanding of what happened. Like I said, let’s see that toxicology report. How much you want to bet that doesn’t make it into the news?
And the main preconceived notion I have is that minorities, ah screw it, black people are always putting these idiots on pedestals because they don’t want to address their real problems and crying ‘racism’. But then, you can’t get a nice settlement out of that, like this guy’s family will.
@Hard Truth You again have very definite opinions about this situation and minorities in general. All of which seem to be part of your very deep seated ideology. You are correct about one thing I do share with students that I mentor that if they are indeed detained by authorities they must monitor their actions as to not play into underlying fears of those in positions to protect and serve. I also would challenge had this been a distressed white soccer mom in a similar situation she would not have been met with such excessive force. Thank you again for your comments and we can respectfully be polarized on this subject.
Charles, you have very definite opinions about this situation and minorities in general as well all of which seem to be part of your very deep seated ideology.
Um, exactly how often do you see white soccer moms driving under the influence in the middle of the night banging on peoples’ doors running towards cops with drawn weapons? Not exactly apples to apples there teach.
And exactly how do you determine whether a white woman has children that play soccer or do you just assume they all do?
Generalizations like that seem kind of, I don’t know, racist?
This reminds me when I first left NY to attend UNC Wilmington in 85. The first thing I learned my first day of attending college, was that it was a crime to be black. The threats I received for 4 yrs. This is such a tragedy, once again. The judicial system has allowed these people to walk away. Our youth are our future and seems to me that they are out to purposely end our future. Had this been a young white man, he would he would still be alive, obviously. We are encountering blanant racism from the White House down to our own neighborhoods. First they flood our communities with drugs. That did not work out as their planned, so now let’s just shoot them. My heart goes out to all the families that are having to bury their child behind racism. S/N for that officer to following you the way he did, that was stalker tendencies, racial profiling and he should have been the one who was pulled over. This is getting a bit out of control. And the sad part is that we will never have a fair judicial system to protect us. Nothing has changed since Dr. King. We are only going backwards. My heart truly aches
after reading this I do look at some things differently but I still have one question what is the lady who made the call saying or thinking right now I will truly like to know. because I really feel they are leaving out the key pointer of this situation..mr. easley..charles I might say…u always do well on these columns …
@La-Trenda A Gift The threats you endured during your undergraduate years is unfortunate but not uncommon. It is sad that some folks still think that the playing field is equal and that as minorities we still have to deal with folks who treat you differently and sometimes unfairly just based on what you look like. Thank you for sharing your story maybe some other folks will see that Jonathan Ferrell was not an isolated incident but part of a larger and historical pattern of behavior towards a specific demographic. Thank you for reading and sharing your insight.
@Quiet Storm Fairley You are right that there are some things that need clarifying but at the end of the day one thing for me is clear that this incident might have been handled differently if the victim was not a young man of color. Thank you for reading and sharing your thoughts.
great article! I live in an area where the population of African American is far less than that of Caucasians but for what ever reason the crimes of AA’s are portrayed in the media much more frequently. Which gives you the the impression AA are the only ones committing crimes of any nature. How can we balance the scales when your voice is being minimized?
Wow, this has turned into quite the intellectual discourse. Urban legends, insubstantiable claims, LOT of whining.
Good luck guys. If you check your history, virtually every successful culture has been made so by crying “it’s not fair” as loudly and often as possible.
Disgraceful. Just flat out disgraceful.
Here is the simple fact, the justice system is set up to prosecute us and protect them. Enough Said!
@Kishia D You make a great point that the there is a disproportional portrayal of minorities committing crimes because that is what media outlets like to concentrate on but we know that other folks are doing bad deeds as well. Thank you for reading and sharing your views on this topic!
@James it is sad that folks have such little faith in our justice system and that is definitely understandable given how disproportionately minorities are convicted and sentenced to longer jail terms when compared to their mainstream counterparts for the exact offenses. Thank you for reading and sharing your thoughts!
As a retired peace officer I was disturbed by the Ferrell shooting. I see it as murder based on the information that has been brought forth publicly. My feeling is this officer was scared and emptied his firearm on Ferrell. What I don’t understand is why the other officers didn’t intervene.
Although this situation is tragic for all involved and there seems to be an increase in black males being assaulted and or killed. I’m not totally convinced that this incident was totally racially motivated. Looking at the picture of the Officer he appears to be small physically and he overreacted. Regardless the officer overreacted and now a family is suffering a loss that could have been avoided. My condolences to the Ferrell family.
@WEWSR I am glad to have an officer’s point of view on this topic. You bring up a great point that maybe the officer was intimidated by Ferrell’s size but I also think that the persona of the black man as violent and predatory coupled with his size may have contributed to the officer’s fears. Thank you for your important and learned perspective on this topic!
Now we’re talking! Got a couple of fantastic examples of the media picking and choosing what to report:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wichita_Massacre
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murders_of_Channon_Christian_and_Christopher_Newsom
The wikipedia entry for the Wichita Horror really doesn’t do it justice, do a little googling to get the full details.
I mean, either of these are infinitely more cut and dried than the poor little dead thug Trayvon story, kind of weird how the ultra racist media didn’t bring either of these stories to light huh?
I realized those two stores were kind of old. This one is actually pretty good for a laugh and was in today’s news:
http://www.ksla.com/story/23679489/walmart-shelves-in-springhill-mansfield-cleared-in-ebt-glitch
Wonder why Wal Mart didn’t just shut it down, say come back tomorrow. I guess they were afraid of that media generated violent persona. Seriously, read the story, even you guys have to kind of laugh at this behavior.
Mr Easley,
Did you ever consider that you are being racist by assuming the police officer was not doing his due diligence?
Hard Truth is being obtuse and combative, but most of his points are valid.
It’s unfortunate that the man lost his life, whether he was sober, on drugs or alcohol, regardless, it’s unfortunate and a tragedy. Let that be clear.
That being said, it’s somewhat funny that you are stereotyping all police officers while writing a column about stereotyping. I’m white and male and have been followed many times by police officers for minor things as forgetting about renewing registration etc. Some of the officers were even black, but I didn’t jump to the conclusion they were racist. It’s actually their job to do those things. As with any profession or people, there are bad apples, but most of the time they are just doing the job according to the law.
You also have no idea the circumstances in this case, and it sounds as if most people reacted how they were supposed to and it was just an unfortunate accident—those things do happen.
Was the girl wrong for calling the police? Of course not, if some stranger came banging on the door in the late hours, I would hope my daughter would immediately call the police. She did the right thing.
The police officer obviously felt threatened and shot, I will say that 10 times seems excessive, but officers do run into hyped up druggies who can withstand a lot of pain due to their drug intake, that is a known fact. If he asked the guy to stop and the guy kept charging him, he was within the law.
Finally, stereotypes DO exist. They exist for all races. I don’t doubt it happens to African Americans that some police officers take an extra interest in watching them. Not all though. But what you need to understand is this, stereotypes exist for a reason, and is a defense mechanism. African Americans commit a proportional large amount of the crimes in this country, which is why some of those suspicions exist. Just like other communities that have their own problems, if African Americans feel like stereotyping is a problem that creates burdens for them, need to look into their own community and clean up the violence and crime so those stereotypes will fade with time. Stop reverse racism and blaming everything else on others.
@Peace This officer just happened to be white but I have been stopped and treated in a similar fashion by black police officers some more aggressive than their white counterparts. I said that African-Americans are not immune to the persona that is so pervasive when it comes to black men.
Your point of AA committing a proportional large amount of crime is another media exaggerated fact. The true fact is that AA are sentenced disproportionately than their mainstream counterparts when committing the exact same offense.
AA did not create these historical stereotypes but what is always amusing is that the marginalized group is suppose to fix and prepare a problem that we all have to take responsibility in creating and sustaining.
Thank you for reading and sharing your thoughts on this subject.
Charles, do you have any sort of data to back these claims up or is this forum just another typical whine fest? Are AAs sentenced disproportionately or do they commit a(n), overwhelmingly, disporportionate amount of crime which in turn leads to more, but not necessarily disporportionate, sentencing? Any data, at all, whatsoever?
There’s claims on here saying the media overreports crimes by AAs. Really? I gave you two links to horrific crimes that were pretty much completely ignored by the mainstream media. The Trayvon story commanded the headlines for a year and let’s face it, this kid was on a one way path to prison or the morgue for a while. What do you think would have happened if two white brothers did that to a group of AAs in Wichita? Pretty sure that would have made the news.
You’ve insinuated that I was assuming all AAs are on social assistance, which I didn’t even sort of do, but then I provided a link to that Wal Mart story where looking for a white person in that video is pretty much a game of Where’s Waldo. I guess it’s just all the AAs in that one city.
Are you sure these are stereotypes? Have you ever stopped to consider whether they’re not?
The hard truth that @HardTruth is unwilling to admit that stereotypes toward African-Americans permeate our culture. These stereotypes may in fact be sub-consciously held — but nonetheless the outcomes are oppression and tragic situations such as the one discussed in this column. To me it shows that @HardTruth is trying to manipulate the facts of this situation in a very stereotypical manner — by insinuating that this young man must have been high on drugs or alcohol at the time of his crash and murder with absolutely no evidence. My guess is that @HardTruth would assume any young black male between the ages of 15 and 35 driving late night is under the influence of drugs or alcohol and therefore a target for police brutality. People like @HardTruth would never admit to the fact that institutional racism was invented to keep African-Americans in this country enslaved for 300+ years. Nor would @HardTruth ever admit to police racial profiling, or that the drug war and judicial system in this country have been biased against minorities — for proof on that just look at the disproportionate sentencing between crack offenders and cocaine offenders. Look at the fact that white Americans have been capitalizing their wealth for centuries, much of it earned on the backs of indentured servants and slaves, whereas African Americans never even got 40 acres and a mule. And to get more into modern American history look at the ways in which African Americans WWII vets were discriminated against during the GI Housing bill that brought economic advancements to their white counterparts.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Housing_Segre…
on stereotypes — the officer shooting this man was a tragic example of this type of stereotyping:
http://abcnews.go.com/WhatWouldYouDo/bike-…
Mr. Easley’s column really is what is needed in this country — a contribution to a true dialog on stereotyping and race relations in this country. It is the class structure and income inequality that lies beneath many of the ways race has been constructed in this country — will leave that for a different day…
@Asher Webb I am honored by your words. I also believe that you are an example of how we can influence one another regardless of our race, class, gender etc… Historically when I step into a classroom I am sharing my authentic self and my students who are typically a very diverse group benefit from that exchange. It allows us to see and connect with one another on a very profound level.
I applaud you for sharing your stats and historical perspective. I think that sometimes when this type of information comes from someone other than minorities it will have a different impact on the discussion.
Thank you for reading and your contribution to this subject and dialogue!
@HardTruth
200% done with seeing shit like this everywhere I go, and I am taking it out on you.
Stereotypes exist so the majority can file away the minority in predictable, convenient, and seemingly easier categories. Because surely, stereotypes can’t be individuals with their own minds, right? And they MUST be true, right!? It’s not like they’re there to keep those pesky minorities in line or anything. (Calling it now! You’re just going to say it’s all a conspiracy!)
And drop the respectability politics. You may not have quoted Bill Cosby, but you tried it anyway. An AA can do “everything right,” including not following stereotypes, and still get killed. Telling us to “clean up the violence and crime” isn’t going to do a damn thing. No matter how much money they make or how well-dressed and Corporate-English they speak, at the end of the day we are black and expendable. LeVar Burton knows this (http://www.theroot.com/buzz/reading-rainbow-hosts-new-lesson-how-avoid-being-shot-police). I know this. Easley knows this. You obviously still don’t understand this.
We can look into our own community until the cows come home, but if the macrocosm still wants to oppress and stereotype us, what’s your advice then? “Deal with it” ?!
And another thing: “reverse racism” is not a thing. Do not confuse discrimination with racism. Do your own legwork and follow the link: http://callingoutbigotry.tumblr.com/post/51288105158/why-reverse-racism-doesnt-exist
Speaking of legwork… “Charles, do you have any sort of data to back these claims up or is this forum just another typical whine fest?” What, you can comment on an article but can’t Google your information? It’s infuriating when not only we have to repeat ourselves, but have to tote around sources for folks who can’t be bothered to do their own legwork. Go on. Google it. Wikipedia doesn’t count. Obviously skewed-and-racist sources also don’t count. Good luck!
“The Trayvon story commanded the headlines for a year and let’s face it, this kid was on a one way path to prison or the morgue for a while.”
The utter disrespect and out-of-touch with reality as to WHY said case took the news for a year (and never would have, if it weren’t for social media blowing it out of obscurity!), and the “he was going to get locked up or die anyway”… I’m gobsmacked. I have no words. This is beyond insulting, and the only good response is one I probably should not post on Creative Loafing.
That is all I am going to say to you, because clearly you are not worth more of my time. While I know you’re going to not take my comment to heart anyway, there are others that will hopefully come away with something from my words. And if not? Well, venting’s good for you. So here I post.
The excuses would have validity 50 to 100 years ago. They don’t hold water anymore. If anything, African Americans have more opportunities than any race in this country. Employers bend over backward to appear diverse and hire african americans even when they are not as qualified for jobs. Trust me, I’ve personally interviewed direct reports and have been pushed by human resources to hire the African American applicant over a more qualified one. I fight back to hire the qualified one. I’m happy to see that affirmative action bans are going to upheld in the supreme court. It’s about time.
What would be refreshing is to hear more African Americans talk about working hard, getting an education, and earning their living. There are plenty who do, but unfortunately, the African American community values sports and a street lifestyle in many areas over education and work and even makes fun of those who do strive for excellence and become professionals.
Time to move on. Slavery was 150 years ago, I wasn’t around, my parents weren’t around, my grandparents and so on weren’t around. It was a tragedy, but now you have had years with many programs in place to give African Americans opportunities, many of which have squandered. My people were once persecuted and killed to the brink of extinction, yet I don’t use that as a crutch.
Mr Easley,
You are either blind or ignorant if you actually believe that African Americans do not commit proportionally higher amounts of crime in this country. Look up any stats you want, it bears it out.
That is just simple ignorance if you believe otherwise.
Lol….
The witty Geico double entendre had the pig “flying” first class and that combined with his smarts and technology sense, had to make him “high” on the “hog.”
Some interesting spins on what are some very somber topics on your part professor.
Mr. Ferrell’s fate was very unfortunate and that, in my estimation, exacerbated as he was massacred by those involved in his killing, perhaps as maybe a common pig, since that has entered to some degree this analysis.
Motorist pullovers for driver license and insurance checks can offer up a different set of considerations and views of officers, especially for people of color. Your precautions seem as practical as any, especially if they permit you to drive away largely intact.
Both of these cases cause us to reflect dutifully on how strained our relations, socially and otherwise, are in this country. We must insist better, do more.
We sometimes slough over who in theory empowers law enforcement and whom officers are suppose to be sworn to serve. Citizens should not expect to agree with every element that composes that “service” before they comply. But, neither should the public feel they have nothing to expect but what is assigned them as service. Bully service never builds what should be desired public trust.
We need another column in this discussion for the repugnance, haughtiness and loftiness too many of us have experience with officers for daring to seek a rationale for an action taken.
How reliant we have become on highly dramatic abuse reports/recordings before we revisit the notion that the Metropolis’ Finest is not all it should be. We have no reason to not believe that most officers perform their jobs laudably and have the public’s protection as their primary interests. However, we know too that public safety personnel are part of a well-guarded institution that has a host of reasons not to prefer a lot of scrutiny and transparency, especially when it comes to violation of civil liberties and rights.
Who of marginal intelligence believes for one moment that any real complaint against police treatment would ever see the light of day in an objective public safety review process?
With that said, there will always be more than an acorn of truth in good satire and apparently Geico is poised to uncover some.
I await another Geico TV ad on profiling that might take on the following contours:
Geico Pig: (Smugly looking ahead…) I bet you stopped me because of my age and this luxury car I am driving…
Officer: (Snorts): Not really… he takes the requested information and meanders back to his squad car.
A gasping Geico Pig now notices that he has been “profiled” by one of his own….
Change that reveals the greatest similarities…
How about that to beat a pig a pecking…?
@Tony-Tony Stark I really miss our intellectual pow wows back in the day at CAU but I am always excited when you lend your very insightful and learned perspective to any topic. I love your last suggested commercial as it proves the point I make that these images are so historical and prevalent that AA are not immune to them as well.
Thank you as always for reading and sharing our thoughts old friend!
What are we going to do to help stop situations like this and improve race relations?
@WEWSR It is definitely a work in progress. We have to first admit the ugly truth that there is a problem before we can address it. Thank you for reading and sharing your thoughts.
Charles is a coward and race baiter. You honestly think he’ll respond?
@CoSign Redux My apologies for not responding to your earlier comment. I like you get frustrated with the expectation that I somehow need an APA style citation page for every point I make as a minority while other folks get to share vile caustic remarks freely. Thank you for reading and your passionate response! Like most folks I know you have other important things to do so you respond and keep it moving.
@everyone_trying_to_win_an_internet_fight:
Race issues are clearly real. You can see it in these responses alone. Escalating this argument will not get anyone anywhere. Charles was well within his right to post an op-ed from his perspective. This is America. He can write about how amazing the red skies at night are, and that’s his right. @HardTruth and @@peace are well within their rights to post their opinions in response. However, the one thing that EVERYONE in this thread, media, politics, the inner cities, the boonies, and the burbs seems to be forgetting, is that America is supposed to be a melting pot. Our language divides us. Even in late 2013, we still call people black, white, turban-heads, gay, straight, guidos, yellow, and any number of other segregation-oriented descriptors. How can these chunks of stew melt together when we still think in these terms?
Until we, as a whole, can admit that we’re American People (not gay white male, straight black female, trans asian, et. al.) hate speech will continue. Personally, I think if media were to refer to everyone as “citizen”, the lines imposed (self imposed or not) on people would be a whole lot harder to see. Think of how this would be if the headlines had read “Officer Shoots Citizen in Charlotte Neighborhood”. Would race wars be the first thing people jump to, or would it be the officer’s ability to react appropriately? It’s high time we improve our language to remove the divide between members of the American race. That’s what it boils down to. Sure, I come from Irish decent, but at the end of the day, as much as I appreciate what my great grandcestors went through, I’m not them. I’m a new generation in a new time; I’m an American and nothing else. Nothing else should matter. My rights are just as important as yours, and your rights are just as important as mine. We’re from the same country, living at the same time, wanting to live a good life.
My wife and I are raising our children this way. If they see a same-sex couple, they don’t flinch. Love is love. Until recently, my eldest didn’t even notice a difference between skin color (which raised all sorts of questions about why people have different skin color). This is where we need to be going. I’m not white, I’m a mix of heritages that culminated into the here and now.
I think Mr. Easley is entirely valid in his points of view. Present circumstances and his experience led him there. Authority figures are way more likely to overreact towards minority offenders because of stereotypes regarding aggression. I also think HardTruth is right in regards to the need to lose the race card-flag-thingie. The difference is, I’m not going to delude myself into thinking that the race card-flag-thingie isn’t at all valid. Rather than his method of “get over it”, I think we should learn to forgive the past for its sins (which are well documented and numerous) and adopt a more blended mentality. If we can stop thinking of ourselves as separate groups living near each other and think more along the lines of neighbors and brothers, then race won’t matter.
Not to repeat myself, we can’t overcome racial profiling until we can overcome our own language. I’d love it if this could be eliminated over the next few decades. If for no other reason, maybe there’ll be a little less vitriol in article responses online.
Mr. Easley was a teacher of mine at AICH. I can say that he is one of the single most open-minded people I have ever met. He never cared about which of his students came from where. Everyone got a chance to be creative. It was our work that defined who we were. It was our thoughts and intentions that defined our character. It was our willingness that defined our fortitude. To him, ideas were currency. I’m glad he’s writing now, because he was rich as hell back in class. Keep making people expand their thoughts Mr. E.
@Mark Butler I agree that we have carry over from historical wounds that as a society and country we have not appropriately addressed. I am glad that you are raising your children and I hope that they grow up in a very different environment. I just became a great Uncle again yesterday so I hope things will be different for that generation.
However you are right as much as I would like this utopian society and as much as I try and say that I am the same as anyone else I cam constantly reminded that against all my efforts folks will see and treat me differently based on their perceptions.
But like you I remain optimistic and try and look for a better way in the future.
I am honored that I imparted some wisdom as your teacher…smile
Keep up the good work and keep your open mind we need more of that philosophy.
Thank you for reading and sharing your thoughts on this subject. Best to you and your family…smile