Baton Rouge winks at racially motivated hate crime

Originally posted by Auricom
This is typical of what happens in America. (And actually world wide.) Reverse hate like this gets swept under the rug and ignored. However, if it was reversed there would be absolute RIOTING in the media. People will cry foul, Al Sharpton and the other idiots would be on TV demanding that the "inequality and racism" be addressed and claim we're all evil bastards.

Then numerous threads on ATS would pop up denouncing racism. But when some black people beat up (and even butcher) whites just because they're white, nothing happens. Crickets chirp. And those who mention it will be looked at cross eyed.

Racism goes both ways, blacks are just as capable as whites. And truth be told, there's more black on white crime then vice versa.

I agree with everything you said and to validate things, I haven't heard one word of this being mentioned on local Baton Rouge television, but if the roles were reversed, it would be national headlines. Very sad days for our country. racism is racism is racism, and allowing anyone a pass only serves to perpetuate it.

Originally posted by blackthorne
i am sickened by race crimes that happen to ANYBODY. may those who did this be brought to swift justice.

Why "sickened by race crimes?" Don't non-race crimes sicken you? Or do you feel better if it's just black-on-black or white-on-white crime. Is that, somehow, preferable to "race crimes?"

reply to post by groingrinder


They were staring at you not because they were racist or wanted to harm you. They were staring because you were a white family at their local "hood" gas station. Sorta like if a black family was driving to St. Louis going through Colorado and stopped. To be quite honest black or white stopping in a high crime area for gas at night is a bad idea. If you look like a victim you will be victimized. Its what "criminals" do.

Click here for more information.

reply to post by incoserv

yes, all crime violent crimes sicken me. just when people harm one another over something as petty as the difference in skin just gets to me.

Originally posted by seabag
reply to post by TDawgRex

 

That's exactly what I was talking about. A reasonable person should be wise enough to avoid trouble. Stopping at a gas station in a high crime neighborhood with your wife and young daughter isn't exactly a smart move.

It's sad that it is this way in some areas but that's reality. Every country has "areas" that should be avoided if you have any damn sense.

edit on 15-5-2013 by seabag because: (no reason given)

I lived in Baton Rouge for 15 years. It's a BIG city.

Are you suggesting that a black neighborhood is a high crime area? How would those people know? What if they are not from there, how would they know? I lived in BR for 15 years and I knew of only one area that would have been considered high crime, YET, there were many, many more than that. I usually went to places I knew and stayed away from the rest unless I had business there. There were times I had to stop and get gas in places I had never been. There had been times I have gone into an area I knew nothing about because I took a wrong turn or had to turn around...

Only COPs know what areas are high crime unless you yourself are living in that area and witness it yourself. Assuming doesn't cut it. Besides... We pay taxes. We should be able to go down any road we please since we pay for them. If it's a known high crim area, why not do something about it? Why not have cops stationed there to prevent this sort of thing.

Should I keep blacks out of my neighborhood because I wouldn't want a high crime influence in mine? Why then should I stay out of theirs because it belongs to them? Because it's percieved as a high crime? Once again... Can you say that they honestly knew? What indications did they have? Black neighborhood? Blacks hanging out at a gas station? Or just where it was located in reference to where the white people live?

Your point and example do not hold water.

Those attackers should be charged with a hate crime. nuff said!


I have to add. The location these people were beat up was not just some "hood". It was off a main highway. Plank Road is a very long road that leads to many places that isn't considered high crime. Having to stop and get gas there might have been due to the lack of other gas stations opened at that time of night. Hell, I've had to turn off of many interstate exits that seemed questionable in the manner of safety. I've had to go down that road often when I lived in BR because my girlfriend lived in Baker, which is not the "hood". if he was buying crack at a residence, I can understand it, but he wasnt. He was in a public place, a gas station where loitering usually isn't tolerated but in some places, that alone should be a warning sign. I dont know of any family that's willing to go and get their lights punched out on purpose... so you might want to rethink your logic.


The airport is also in that area. The way to a nearby city *Baker* is also taken this way. So many possibilities as to why these people stopped there.

It sickens me to hear that excuse. I've heard many white people say this same thing over the years.. dont go there becasue it's a bad neighborhood... main because it was a black part of town. Now I'm seeing it being said from blacks about their own segregated subdivision. Pretty sad stuff.

reply to post by theRhenn

Those attackers should be charged with a hate crime. nuff said!

A hate crime is not just any crime that occurs between people of different races. The ethnicities of the people involved isn't necessarily a factor. It is a crime that is motivated by prejudice instead of circumstance. A hate crime can be committed against a person of the same race. For example a white man who beats a white woman because she is dating a black man, or a black man who beats another black man because he is homosexual. If a homosexual is beaten up because he cut someone off in traffic it is an aggravated crime, but it is not a hate crime because the crime was retaliation for an act committed by the victim.

If the police have no evidence of racial motivation they can not, and should not charge the suspects with hate crimes. They said there was no evidence, hence no hate crime. I don't think hate crime laws should even exist, but they do exist and therefore they must be followed by the police.

reply to post by Slugworth


What act did the victim make other than getting off the interstate and hitting a gas station?

The white guy had a pink shirt on. The black guy made fun of him for it. The white guy stood firm and voiced his rebuke. The black guy tells him he's in the wrong neighborhood.

If a white guy tells a black guy that he's in the wrong neighborhood and beats him for it.. it's a hate crime. It's racialy motivated... How is that not clear?

Turn it around, as in this case. Black guy tells the white guy, "You dont belong here... this is for black people, not white people and you wont escape without being taken out" and goes on to jumping and beating the guy and his family down, one by one.

How is that not racist? Did he beat him down for money? No. Did he beat him down because he was white in a black part of town? Everything said in that report says yes. If he was talking about crime instead of race, then a crime would have been commited... Not just the beat down. There had to be an M.O. Otherwise, the black guy would have to assume that those people were not part of a criminal background, saying that they didn't belong there because of it.

You'll have to give me reason to prove to me that this was not a hate crime based on racism.

reply to post by theRhenn

First of all, the article does not specify anyone's race besides the victim. You are assuming that the suspects were black. They may have been, so lets assume for the sake of argument that they were.

What act did the victim make other than getting off the interstate and hitting a gas station?

The victim did not do anything that excuses the attack. He did not deserve to be attacked.

The white guy had a pink shirt on. The black guy made fun of him for it. The white guy stood firm and voiced his rebuke. The black guy tells him he's in the wrong neighborhood.

That is one way to interpret the events. Another would be: Someone made fun of the white guy's shirt. The white guy childishly engaged the black guy in an argument, instead of standing firm and ignoring the ridicule like a grown man should when escorting his family. The black guy pointed out that they were in his neighborhood, surrounded by his friends, and that the white guy was outnumbered. The white guy ignored this warning. The argument escalated to a fight. The suspect is not innocent of a crime, but the victim is certainly guilty of stupidity. Stupidity is not a crime but, right or wrong, it does occasionally lead to hard lessons learned.

"Wrong neighborhood" is an ambiguous term and is not necessarily a reference to the racial demographics. A gang member could use the same phrase towards a rival gang member who is of the same race.

If a white guy tells a black guy that he's in the wrong neighborhood and beats him for it.. it's a hate crime. It's racialy motivated

No, it is not necessarily racially motivated. If a white drug dealer sees a rival black drug dealer working his turf and warns him with the exact same "wrong neighborhood" phrase he is not doing it because he is black. He is doing it because he is on his turf. Not every crime involving people of different races is a hate crime. Race vs race is not the definition of hate crime.

How is that not racist? Did he beat him down for money? No.

Have you ever been in a fight? If so, what was your motivation? Did you steal your opponents money?

Did he beat him down because he was white in a black part of town? Everything said in that report says yes.

Read the article again. It does not make any mention of the racial demographics in the neighborhood. You are assuming that it is mostly black because it has a high crime rate.

There had to be an M.O.

If M.O. stands for modus operandi, then there was no M.O. unless the suspect has a habit of fighting people in gas station parking lots. From the context I think you meant to say "motivation".

I live right in the middle of a 25 block stretch of bars and nightlife. A few thousand people get ripping drunk here almost every night. Living and working in this neighborhood I have seen fights break out over insults to people's shirts, shoes, hats, jewelry, tattoos, cars, girlfriends, favorite team, hair style, car stereo music choice, car stereo volume, driving skills, spot in line at the pizza shop, who bought the last round, who pays for the next round, who gets to drive, who gets to ride shotgun, who is taller, and plenty of other dumb reasons including race. Sometimes it is as simple as "You wanna fight? YEAH I do!!!" and they go at it. Some of these fights have gotten really nasty. I have seen people get thrown through walls and windows, stabbings, heads bashed open on concrete, and guns fired for no reason other than they were drunk and feeling violent. There does not have to be a logical motivation behind violence.

You'll have to give me reason to prove to me that this was not a hate crime based on racism.

The police do not have to prove that a crime did not happen. They have to prove that it did happen. White vs black is not proof of a hate crime. If the attacker did not mention race, has no history of racially motivated crime, and had other motivation to attack (such as the argument) there is no proof of a hate crime.

Neither of us were there so neither can state definitively what happened. The police arrived shortly after the incident occurred, interviewed witness, and determined that there was not evidence of a hate crime. Their record of the events is the most reliable one we have. We can try to fill in the blanks, such as what events preceded the attack and what motivated the attacker, but the "hate crime" question was not left blank.

Originally posted by seabag
reply to post by TDawgRex

 

That's exactly what I was talking about. A reasonable person should be wise enough to avoid trouble. Stopping at a gas station in a high crime neighborhood with your wife and young daughter isn't exactly a smart move.

It's sad that it is this way in some areas but that's reality. Every country has "areas" that should be avoided if you have any damn sense.

edit on 15-5-2013 by seabag because: (no reason given)

reply to post by seabag


Neither is running out of gas in said neighborhood.

Just to toss my .02 in the ring.

This is another in a long list of examples of what TPTB want. Use fear to play on our own prejudices, and ignorance. Those in positions of power are scared to death of the poor banding together. The police abandon these areas, allowing those in that community to fend for themselves. Jobs dry up, businesses fail, despair sets in followed by drugs and crime. This forces the people of that community to band together in a tribal fashion usually based on race of said inhabitants. I've been through poor neighborhoods of all kinds, white, black, brown doesn't make a difference, it's pretty much the same story everywhere. Factory closes down, jobs sent overseas to utilize even cheaper labor to increase corp profit, shortly after local businesses fail or turn into liqueur and gun stores. Looking at it from my perspective the real "hate" crime here is the one perpetrated on the american people by cor PIRATE america.

Look at the 60's, that era scared the hell out of the power structure because people of different cultural backgrounds banded together. It really was the last time that millions of americans threw cultural differences out the window, and stood up to the Gov't. They learned a lot from the rebellion that almost was, once it was quashed they concocted ways to make sure it never happens again. If people would take a abstract look at the reality we live in it's very easy to see how things are manipulated to keep the oppressed fighting amongst each other. Historically speaking it has always been the poor rising against the greedy once they get tired of being screwed.

So here we are, a group of intelligent americans divided amongst ourselves, debating the issue of race related crime without furthering our thinking to the real problem. Whose fault is it really that these circumstances were allowed to exist in the first place? Is it the black peoples fault that there are no opportunities in the area they were unfortunate enough to be raised in? Not really, sure this is america, go to college, get a great job, move out of the ghetto...easier said then done, believe me. Further more if a person can't go to college, either for financial reasons or just because they are not smart enough, or whatever, does that mean they don't deserve an opportunity to earn a living wage? On the flip side, is it the white persons fault they were in the wrong place at the wrong time?

...Meh I was going to go on but whats the point? No one listens to me anyway, I'm just a blue collar middle class white guy that's watching my neighborhood deteriorate into what will become a "high crime" area in the near future.

Baton Rouge is a crap hole of a city, I know because I spent time there after hurricane Katrina. What made it even worse after that was a lot of the refugees that ran from N.O. went to Baton Rouge, the rest went to Houston, both cities crime rates went up considerably after that.

Any meme that replaces critical thought should be avoided. Political correctness is one of those memes. Yea sure, intentions are good, but its moral hazard.

We can't get this country back on track until we can rally around some common values. Fair application of the "justice" system would be a good place to start. Since when do people get tickets for felony assault?

Originally posted by Hopechest
reply to post by Berzerked

 

It happens to all sides and whites get away with just as much, if not more, than blacks do. The prison populations attest to this fact.

That's funny because I have been arrested twice. At no time did anyone say, "Well you're white so we aren't going to put you in jail. I was put right in there along with everyone else. I still had to pay fines and probation and all that fun stuff.

Don't you think that maybe, just maybe, the prison demographics show who is being arrested for crime and not skin color?

Originally posted by Berzerked
Baton Rouge is a crap hole of a city, I know because I spent time there after hurricane Katrina. What made it even worse after that was a lot of the refugees that ran from N.O. went to Baton Rouge, the rest went to Houston, both cities crime rates went up considerably after that.

I agree totally. I live in central LA and I can tell you that even around my rural neck of the woods the population of black folks doubled practically overnight after Katrina.

One thing that I've noticed around where I live is that the older white folks tend to be a little more racist than the young white people are. And it is just the opposite in the black community. The older black folks are generally tolerant of everyone else while the young black people are very racist towards whites.

Anyone who says that this was not a racially motivated crime must be living in an all white gated community and never been around any of the "young thugs" they got around here. They call it the dirty South for a reason. If you don't believe me just come live here and see.

reply to post by incoserv



From the original article....

All three defendants, Dickerson, Bessye and Simmons, have had run-ins with the law prior to Sunday's incident.

Why am I not surprised.

America is getting dumber and dumber.

reply to post by incoserv



3 white people beat up 3 black people for being in the wrong neighborhood?

idk about riots but there would definitely be a different tone..kkk..neo-nazi..equal rights, etc..

shame on you posters for condoning this clear act of racial violence as "they should have known" not to stop in a crappy neighborhood.. your feeding the exact racial point of the perpetrators.. you:"you people live in the crappy broke poor areas. we dont and we know it & we dont stop there." them: "this crappy area is all we got so stay out"

I know the reality of the world we live in.. I also know change starts inside.. be the change.. be the difference.

Deny Ignorance.

Originally posted by seabag
reply to post by incoserv

 

What the family did was actually pretty stupid. It’s a known high crime area according to the article. Why in the world would you stop for gas at 10pm in a high crime area with your wife and young daughter??

I’m not justifying the beating but…come on! That wasn’t a smart move!

I agree, women that dress too scantily are asking to get raped...

Just kidding, I know what you are saying. In the guys defense, maybe he was on E, and didn't know the unwritten rule of not stopping in a ghetto area no matter what

Originally posted by kingofmd

Just kidding, I know what you are saying. In the guys defense, maybe he was on E, and didn't know the unwritten rule of not stopping in a ghetto area no matter what

Ever been to Baton Rouge? The whole place is one big ghetto.

So what should the guy have done? Run out of gas in the "ghetto"?

Yeah, that sounds like a much better alternative.

When people riot, it isn't because of one incident, it's because of repressed rage from a long history of abuses. To suggest that a racial group would or should riot because of a single incident fairly smacks of race-baiting.

What I object to is the double-standard in media coverage. We were all sickened by the Byrd case; many people I know felt ashamed of being white on that day. Then, just to remind us again, the media re-ran the story on the 10th anniversary of the incident. But there have been equally horrific crimes by blacks against whites that barely received coverage beyond the local level. There was the Channon Christian case-read up on that if you have a strong stomach and no latent racism-which was virtually ignored outside of the state where it happened. I'm not sure why the media picks and chooses like that. Maybe they're mostly liberal and sympathize with minorities, maybe they feel that the rest of us are so racist that such stories would inflame us, I don't know.

Bottom line is-suck it up. Until whites are made slaves for 300 years, no one is going to feel sorry for us.