The outrage and condemnation of anyone involved in the Baltimore protests who didn't behave like MLK or Gandhi continues to this day. (Same for Ferguson.) Some of the looters Baltimore, who constituted a huge minority of the whole, were opportunists who sought personal gain at the expense of others. Some were just folk who completely and totally let rage at generations of inequity get the better of them.
The gangs in Waco, judging by the mugshots recently released, are overwhelmingly caucasian. They've been involved selling meth and other drugs for years--and we all know what a toll meth takes, and the crime it spawns among users. They didn't throw rocks or even Molotov cocktails. They had brass knuks, chains, knives and guns, lots of guns. They didn't just shoot at each other, they tried to shoot cops!
I think it's a very fair question to ask, Where's the general outrage and condemnation of biker gangs? Of their long established crime syndicates? Of the societal harm caused by their criminal enterprises? Of their brazen and institutionalized violence not merely at one another, but at anyone else who dares get in the way--including cops, DA's and judges?
Can anyone here honestly deny that there would have been lots more outrage had the gangs involved been primarily comprised of African Americans?
I'm not looking for an argument. I'm not calling anyone a racist. I don't think there's an easy answer for any of these questions. But I do believe that the disparity in how we interpret these events says a lot about us. And that anyone honest enough to do so may be well served to think about these different reactions.
The gangs in Waco, judging by the mugshots recently released, are overwhelmingly caucasian. They've been involved selling meth and other drugs for years--and we all know what a toll meth takes, and the crime it spawns among users. They didn't throw rocks or even Molotov cocktails. They had brass knuks, chains, knives and guns, lots of guns. They didn't just shoot at each other, they tried to shoot cops!
I think it's a very fair question to ask, Where's the general outrage and condemnation of biker gangs? Of their long established crime syndicates? Of the societal harm caused by their criminal enterprises? Of their brazen and institutionalized violence not merely at one another, but at anyone else who dares get in the way--including cops, DA's and judges?
Can anyone here honestly deny that there would have been lots more outrage had the gangs involved been primarily comprised of African Americans?
I'm not looking for an argument. I'm not calling anyone a racist. I don't think there's an easy answer for any of these questions. But I do believe that the disparity in how we interpret these events says a lot about us. And that anyone honest enough to do so may be well served to think about these different reactions.
