The Fourth of July. A day dedicated to celebrating America’s independence from British rule. Family gatherings, cookouts, parties, fireworks, parades and other leisurely pursuits abound, all commemorating America’s right to self-govern without “interference from or domination by another country or power.” Americans relish the Fourth of July because the independence of our beloved country extends to our individual rights and freedoms, including our first amendment right to freely express ourselves by living as we choose, without being subjected to any undue restraints or restrictions — that is, unless you are a young African-American living in Charlotte, N.C.
To say that I was appalled to learn of Mayor Pat McCrory’s letter to the City Manager identifying African-American youth as participating in a “gangster type of dress, attitude, behavior and action,” is an understatement. How ironic is it that as we celebrated the Fourth of July, young black people were (and still are) being singled-out as “criminals” for exercising their right to express themselves through style, dress and attitude, the majority of whom are good kids. According to an article in The Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Mecklenburg Police said that the Uptown crowd of about 20,000 consisted of mostly African-American youth. “Most behaved and fewer than 1 percent were arrested.” Some idiots/pundits who obviously know little about social scientific research leapt over that data and highlighted the fact that 122 of the 143 adults arrested this July 4 were African-American as proof that African-Americans are troublemakers. If African-Americans are being racially profiled, as evidenced by the statements made by Mayor McCrory, then police officers will be more inclined to arrest people who fit the description. Why? Because they will be more attuned to their misbehavior — which greatly reduces the ability to randomly identify people who break the law while increasing the probability of arresting young blacks, as evidenced by the previous data. Further, if the majority of people in attendance are African-American, then there is a higher probability that there will be more arrests of blacks based on numbers alone.
Consider this possibility: What if we identified the many drunk and disorderly well-dressed young white men and women who drag themselves from bar to bar on Tryon and College streets every day of the week as people whose presence and behavior is detrimental to our society? And what if we advised our police officers to “monitor” their behavior and to arrest them if they appear to be intoxicated? Then there would be many more arrests of good-looking, young white people in Uptown.
Numerous young whites who frequent Uptown bars engage in disorderly conduct, impede traffic and revel in disruptive behavior like bellowing and vomiting in the streets. In fact, many of them stumble to their cars to drive home. If driving drunk does not create an unsafe environment, then I don’t know what does. But it is clear that Mayor McCrory and others are not concerned with the lawful or lawless behavior of young whites. One of the privileges of being white in this country is the right to be an individual, while one of the burdens of being black in this society is always being defined as part of a collective, and having individual acts color (pun intended) your collective life experiences.
Perhaps the celebration of Independence Day should be reserved for whites in Charlotte since blacks were still enslaved during that time anyway. It is ironic that African-Americans celebrate an Independence Day that did not apply to them. I guess everyone needs a day off though, although it appears that you can never get a day off from being black in this country, because some are obsessed with controlling our behavior and our bodies. Why is the presence of large numbers of blacks so threatening? French writer Albert Camus states, “The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion,” which is what many young blacks are forced to do; any time that you are singled out and treated the way that they are, you are not free. And you wonder why some young blacks walk around with “gangsta attitudes.” Because freedom is relative and independence is elusive when you are constantly being under siege for daring to be different as a young person in this world. Do we really all have to look like Opie or Carlton Banks to be free? I hope not. But we do need to treat all citizens equally and allow young black people the freedom to define themselves and their culture on their terms, just like everyone else.
This article appears in Jul 18-24, 2007.
i agree with the majority of your points. unfortunately we’ll probably be in the minority in this town. its time for us to take this matter to the polls. save the apology, mayor.
Setting the stage..I’m white. Now that we’re past that, I want to comment on your editorial.
You described what happened downtown on the 4th of July as racial profiling. You described the young folks who were arrested as being victimized because they were wearing gangster clothes and not having the freedom to have “atitude”. Well, my take on that is that if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it’s a duck. If they dress like a gang member and act like a gang member I, for one, would consider them gang members. I did not attend the celebration downtown but had I been surrounded by a bunch of what appeared to be gang members I would have left. You do know that many gangs require that you kill someone in order to be a member, yes?
Now, if those young men don’t want to be profiled as gang members why do they wear the clothes, have the tattoos and the attitude? Remember, if it looks like a duck…..
In closing, don’t you think it’s time the black community stopped hiding behind skin color? That excuse is wearing very, very thin.
Believe it or not, I strongly agree with Dixon…and I’m black.
I feel like we continuously give our black children an excuse to misbehave…”Oh you’re just expressing yourself honey, you can wear your pants low and skip school because you’re just expressing yourself” Let’s get real…We should be encouraging them to have more respect for themselves and care about what they look like. Unfortunately “we” were the trouble makers July 4th…no need to sugarcoat the situation. These kids have parents that don’t give a damn where they are and then it makes the whole race look bad..??
Black people need to step up and start taking responsibility for their actions. We need to stop sympathizing our oppression and do something to change the outlook that other ethnicities have on us. Babying the misbehaving children doesn’t solve the problem it only makes it worse.
I look forward to your upcoming articles..
Should we wait for the problem in Charlotte to become so severe that we see episodes like what happened in other cities where black youth rioted on Juneteenth, including one incident where a Hispanic man was pulled from his car and beaten to death?
Certain people have been blaming the rest of the world for the black community’s problems for the last half century, and it has got to stop. Just as the majority of peaceful Muslims need to step up and stop the Muslim fanatics, the majority of law-abiding black people need to step up and put a stop to the culture of crime and misbehavior among too many young black people.
This is not a genetic thing or a poverty thing. It is a cultural thing, where excuses and an obsession with past grievances enables anti-social and criminal behavior grossly disproportionate to other groups. Instead of wasting time blaming Pat McCrory for stating the obvious, how about writing a column about the need for leadership among black youth? How about a column on the need for organization and outrage in the black community?
The “drunk white kids” you refer to are contributing to the economic growth of uptown by patronizing the bars and restaurants. The vast majority of the black youths (under 21) on July 4th did not contribute to the bottom line of uptowns bars and restaurant.
Jesse Jackson: “There is nothing more painful for me at this stage of my life than to walk down the street and hear footsteps and start to think about robbery and then look around and see it’s somebody white and feel relieved. How humiliating.” November 27, 1993
This is not a white or black thing. If the “uptown professional”, white or black, who frequent the Uptown bars were carrying guns (AK-47’s) or had cause riots over the last two years and the police did nothing then the writer of this article may have a point. However, that has not been the case.
Just like in any group there are a select few who cause trouble and portray a bad image on the whole group. For me I am an “uptown professional” who has gotten arrest by the police for doing stupid things (puking on the side of the street). Cops arrest the people who cause the trouble and they really do not care what the skin color is of the person causing the trouble. If I had a concealed AK-47 and I went to uptown during the 4th of July celebration, I am 100% positive that I would have been arrested. By the way I am white but that shouldn’t matter cause I was carrying an AK-47 among 20,000 people celebrating.
To answer the writers question “why is the presence of a large number of blacks so threatening?” It is not threatening, until you know the reasons behind any mob or group of people who are, celebration, protesting, or rebelling. History has shown that over the last three years on the 4th of July that riots, gang activity, fighting, and juveniles are breaking the law in a number of ways. The majority of people involved happened to be black. Instead of thinking that all of black youth is oppressed the writer should ask herself “why are a select few kids walking around with guns?” White or black, I am scared for the kids.
What a bunch of moronic comments. People can dress any way they want to in this country as long as they can afford the clothes. Black youth dress gangster because it’s hip just like wearing bell bottom and plaid shirts used to be hip (actually it’s sort of hip again). This is all about conforming to white expectations of behavior and black people don’t have to do it. White people are so afraid that black people are going to rise up and throw off the chains of oppression and they should be because eventually we will. Like Malcolm X said “There’s never been a bloodless revolution.”
Whites today never owned slaves but most of wealth today was passed down to them and denied to hard working and deserving black folk, whose children now suffer largely because of those economic disparities. What is white folk’s answer to this dilemna? Lock them up and throw away the key. That ain’t gonna fly for much longer. So fear that.
Black people are tired of being treated like animals just because it gives white people the common enemy they always long for to unite them as one. Black people were the first people on this planet and we will be the last.
And as far as contributing to downtown more black people than any race live inside the city limits so we contribute disproportionately to the ridiculously high property taxes in this city and get nothing in return for it except a bunch of new condos for white people, a bunch of racial profiling for us and of course as many jails as we can stand to lock up the “wild animals”.
Who is really the gangster? Bush, a psychotic deviant that starts illegal wars that kill and maim millions, or a kid acting out because he had no father figure because his father was locked up for petty drug offenses.
This is very much a black and white thing. In fact it is a white and non-white thing too because white people do the same thing to anyone with non-white skin. McCrory is a redneck and his abysmal track record on race prove it. He doesn’t deserve to even be a sheriff in a small, country town.
Most whites are passive racists which means they sit back while the active racists like McCrory and other politicians at all levels of government makes decisions that negatively impact the lives of millions of minorities. It’s like receiving stolen goods. Most whites didn’t commit the crime but they sure as hell benefited from it. White people are not guiltless and you will go down just like the man that hires the hitman.
People who use the race card are doing more damage to their cause than good.
The race card is being used so frequently and inaccurately these days it’s like the boy who cried wolf. People are becoming desensitized to it and it has lost almost any credibility, because it has been so widely abused.
Recently Carolina Panthers offensive lineman and former Louisiana sheriff’s deputy D’Anthony Batiste suggested that local police might have had racial motives when he was arrested in March
Batiste was arrested on March 25 when Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department officer Bret Balamucki pulled up beside him near the intersection of South Boulevard and Woodlawn Road. Balamucki said in court that the tinting on the windows of Batiste’s 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe was so dark “I couldn’t see who was inside.”
They couldn’t see inside the car b/c the tinting was so dark, but he was being racially profiled?
If you listen to sports radio in this town, you will hear a strong racial divide and argument between blacks and whites regarding Michael Vick and his dog fighting indiction. The majority of blacks claim this to be a racial issue and another case of profiling.
Then there’s the 4th of July issue. I agree that Mayor McCrory should have been more careful when he chose his words to describe the arrests during the uptown celebration, but… his comments were accurate.
After the riots the past two years, something had to be done. If people were breaking the law, they should have been arrested regardless of their color. I was also glad to see the proactive planning of staffing such a strong police force uptown for that night.
Instead of saying, “You arrested lots of black kids. You want to keep blacks out of uptown.” Why don’t we get just as motivated to solve the problems of juveniles out past 11pm without their parents, people with fire arms in uptown celebrations (even AK-47’s), people possesing/selling drugs, etc.?
I think that mr. thompson’s comments are racist and much more hateful then the mayors. It seems to me that we have along way to go in this culture.
“White people are not guiltless and you will go down just like the man that hires the hitman.” This is bigotry and we need to move on. I am white and afraid of the conversation.
I’m the bigot? Who started slavery and who perpetuates the legacy of it still today that keeps black people suffering at the bottom? Who inherited wealth over the centuries and now says black people just want a handout? Who paid reparations to everyone except black people? Who ignores the suffering of everyone except white people? Who invades countries and steals their natural resources? Who lynched black people for centuries? I think we know who the bigots are. Just because you are too uninformed to realize it doesn’t make it untrue.
My great grandparents were from Ireland, they came over here and lived and worked in deplorable conditions. They were slaves, slaves to the factories, slaves to the one room they lived in with 5 kids and their animals. They were only free to work and die. I inherited my wealth through their sacrifice and hard work, just as the freedoms blacks now enjoy are inherited from the blood, sweat and tears of the slaves. White Irish, Italian and other European decendents never asked for reparations or handouts, they worked for it. So please explain to me why should someone whos done nothing wrong, pay reparations to someone who hasn’t been wronged. The time for blaming everybody else for your problems is over.
Don’t try to minimize the effect of the legacy of slavery on black people by comparing genocide of black people to white people not being able to get along based on cultural differences. Black people have been systematically targeted by this government for subjugation and marginalization. They were no large numbers of white slaves. The few that were were treated very well and were mostly indentured servants.
Black people suffer right now, yes right now, because of what white people’s ancestors did to my ancestors. The reason white people today owe black people is because your ancestors never made good on their promises of 40 acres and a mule. Black people need our own land to self-determine our communities. As it stands we are completely under the control of this racist, fascist government. Our ancestors got nothing for their labor and hence nothing was passed down to my generation. The majority of blacks still live check to check.
Whites owe blacks because you still benefit via white privilege and white supremacy from the crimes of your ancestors. That is an abomination and we will not stop until we get reparations so you can complain all you want. Eventually we will get them unless you kill all of us first, which given the track record of whites is somewhat likely.
I don’t expect whites to understand. That’s the problem. You won’t because you can’t. You do not possess the loving kindness that allows people to live together in harmony. Everything with whites is a competition and everything must be exploited for personal gain. Western “lack of civilization” is doomed and I cannot wait for that day because the planet may actually stand a chance of surviving then.
Webster definition of a bigot – one who regards or treats the members of a group (as a racial or ethnic group) with hatred and intolerance.
“I don’t expect whites to understand. That’s the problem. You won’t because you can’t. You do not possess the loving kindness that allows people to live together in harmony.” – George Thompson
And in no way would I try to “minimize the effect of the legacy of slavery on black people” I would acknowledge the detriment that slavery, and post civil war policies and attitudes, had on black society. As an American i am willing to help correct these detriments but to hold me accountable for slavery because I am white is the equivalent of me holding you accountable for stealing my car because you are black (as was the car thief). It seems to me that you’re not looking for resolution but only revenge – that my friend makes you a bigot.
Can’t we all just get along?
The mayor’s comments were true, but the context in which he said it was not. I work with youths with behavioral problems and you would be surprised thay they comprise of groups from all races. I think the real issue is who is being disruptive. The mayor didn’t make his commment in the context of offering a solution, he simply pointed the finger at one group. I don’t believe it’s the mayor’s responsibility solely to come up with a solution. Parents, teachers, adults all have a part in keeping the city safe. A gangster is a member of an organized group of criminals. You cannot tell me that black youth are the only ones in this city that fit that category. There’s alot of criminal activity that is being perpetuated by wel-dressed individuals. They may not be loud or disruptive in the streets, but their behavior and attitudes are a detriment to the city also.
As for the slavery comments, it is two-fold. I personally believe some whites would prefer to sweep that time (including the civil rights era)under the rug because opportunities are more plentiful than in the past,but opportunities being opened and people deep down viewing you as less than they are are two different issues and is mainly what blacks complain so much about. I have experienced this personally. I don’t ask for handouts. I don’t let negative racist attitudes stop my success, but can we stop pretending they don’t exist. I don’t think many whites have had the experience of someone treating not expecting anything good or productive from you simply based on your color without considering looking beyond that. As for blacks, we have to realize we may not have an opportunity to change all negative attitudes towards us, but nothing can keep us from achieving whatever it is God has purposed us to do.
Just for clarification this is the mayors quote: “too many of our youth, primarily African American, are imitating and/or participating in a gangster type of dress, attitude, behavior and action.”
It does highlight African American youth but it does not single them out – everyone gets caught up on the word dress but no one wants to address the issue of Behavior and Action – which was the point of the memo.
I think the memo from the mayor was a stupid move because white politicians, especially republicans, have always been viewed negatively when they participate in race related issues and he knew that and chose to open the can of worms anyway. The irony in the matter is that Malcolm Graham said something very similar at conference a few months ago.
Dan,
If you feel the mayor highlighted black youth, but did not single them out, then who else do you think he was talking about? He certainly did not mention any other group. Again, if we are talking about behavior and action that is “gangster” look at the news and you will see the problem stretches into all elements of our society, not primarily African American youth.
Again the context of this memo was at the 4th of July – which a majority of attendees were African American. So the comments were directed to that day and time and not to Charlotte or America as a whole.
Robin if you have not read the memo and read the police reports of the night that inspired the memo – you should it would give you context.
I am not going to defend the comments but I would hope that the discussion would actually acknowledge the context that is was in. The author did not even credit the Mayor with the entire quote. And it is also worth mentioning that Warren Turner agreed and supported the Mayors comments.
The question I have is – is the statement incorrect are there too many youths in our community and unfortunately a disproportionate amount of African American youths that are mimicking street gangs in dress, attitude, behavior and action?
Is that the true. If it is true lets address it – if it is false – then lets address the mayor. We are so caught up on deconstruction the grammar and lexis of the mayor – I think we are missing the Issue.
Dan
We had a community fireworks show as we do each year. Where several hundred to over a thousand people attend. Mostly white families, it gets quite crowded on the narrow streets. Every one was curtious of each other. There were no arrest or gun play. Only people enjoying the holiday. Out of all the people there, many were young white youth. Now explain to me, I must be missing something. Let’s see it was the 4th of July, both places had fireworks and a large crowd. Lots of young people. The one downtown in excess of 100 arrest. Arrest zero at our function. So the only difference I see is the ratio of races at each event.
And by the way Mr Thompson, Malcom X was a heroin addict!
to see in charlotte’s “liberal” paper that people are so misinformed.
I understand that when race is talked about, white people often go on the defensive, b/c it is hard to be in the power group. However, I hope that white people will stop individualizing this and be honest with themselves. First of all, what is “gangster” dress? Hip hop culture is present in EVERY ethnicity and most countries. Just like it has infiltrated the suburbs, it has affected inner-city youth. So young people across the globe are dressing like these young black “gangsters” that police are profiling.
And by the way Robert, yes, Malcom X was a heroin addict. Malcom X also cleaned up his life before becoming the public figure that he was. Was that your attempt to rub something in black people’s faces? totally unnecessary commetn.
What this boils down to is expectation of assimilation. Since the black kids don’t fit the White version of what a respectable citizen looks like, they’re criminals. Well newsflash, I know PLENTY of young african americans who wear white T-shirts, baggy jeans, and express other connections to hip hop culture. The VAST majority of them are in college, starting professional careers, goal oriented, good-natured people. You all can be blind and say they brought this on themselves, but the truth is these guys were targeted because they weren’t assimilated. It’s classic fear of the unknown.
And to the black woman that said that “we” were causing all the trouble, i’m sorry that you are so lost. crowd of 20000, 122 blacks arrested. hmmm… not a lot of damn people in the scheme of things.
I’m not a person who is making excuses for my state of being. I don’t need hand outs or excuses. I am a college student, headed to dental school soon. I am just calling it like it is. Educated yourselves, please.
To Dan,
We may not see eye to eye on this issue, but I do respect your stance on addressing the issue to move closer to a solution as opposed to being stuck on blame. I would like to mention though, because this comes up often: Just because a person is black and is a politician, it does not mean he or she speaks for all black people. That’s a thing of the past. We are all individuals with the capability to think and reason for ourselves. We do not all agree and represent each other as you can see in the aforementioned comments.
My next point is solution-based. Are you willing to mentor one of the youths that this whole discussion is about? Again, I work with these kids everyday. They are bright individuals. Some are white and some are black. Both dress in “gangster” style as we call it. They all come from unfortunate situations and generally need to be exposed to a different type of environment. It’s not that they would oppose it, it’s just not enough people willing to take the time to show them another way. If we look at them in judgment, we will never be open to help them or just give them a little push in the right direction. Matter of fact, my invitation goes out to everyone. My email is: robine.brown@cms.k12.nc.us
Who is ready to move past blame to solution?
I have a young man who wants to change his life around. He wants to be a veteinarian. We are trying to get him a job at a vet so he can be familiar with the practice and how it runs. He is a prime example of what we are talking about. He dresses in the baggy jeans and large T-shirts. If you look at him you would immediately think he is in a gang, based on his dress, but he is not. He really wants to make a success of his life, he just needs more exposure. If anyone is a veterinarian, or knows of an opening, please contact me. My email address is in comment above. Thanks.
I am glad that someone is taking action. I’ll be emailing you soon to see if we can connect on some issues
Thanks Austin. I look forward to your correspondence.