Next Level BS #24: Decades of Institutionalized Racism Set The Stage for Ferguson

a reply to: theNLBS

Man great thread as an amateur historian I tried to get these very or similar points across to many of my fellow ATS members not always successfully I might add,looking at the aftermath of the non indictment and simply writing off whole sectors of the community as mare animals devoid of reason and logic appealing to their lowest instinct is really simplistic as with the comparison with newly arrived foreigners with only one shirt and one dollar who made it is also simplistic, for the most part we came at a time when the battle for civil rights were basically won,we were usually accorded the benefit of the doubt based on accent or language as not being one of "them" meaning old line AAs not saying everything is peachy but I noticed there is a more visceral relationship between AAs and Americans of European origins that have very deep roots, I often wrote about the roots of that goes back to when our common oppressor hit upon the ingenious idea of turning natural allies against each other,for in the early years of colonial America White Black and native American slaves would ran off and plot together then something changed the slavetoracy made slavery permanent to Blacks and invented the concept of "RACE" for before then one was simply an Irishman an Englishman or an Indian ,Blacks were generally called Negroes the color black was some times applied but there was no concept as race as we know it today.
After Bacon's Rebellion things began to change

After Bacon's Rebellion (1676–1677)
In 1676, Nathaniel Bacon led a rebellion against the colonial government that was fueled by fear and hatred of Indians. Although Bacon served on the governor's Council and was one of the richest men in the colony, his followers included large numbers of disaffected servants, both black and white. Not long after the rebellion, the number of white indentured servants began to drop and the number of enslaved Africans to increase greatly. At the same time, Virginia began to pass laws that instituted much more rigid distinctions between white and nonwhite, free and slave.

encyclopediavirginia.org...
This was where it all started ^^ while the vast majority of White never own slaves many non the least became part of the structure by becoming slave catchers as more privileges were given the more distant they became,in many cases the cops of today reminds one of the slave hunters of yesteryear for bridging that gap between emancipation and Jim Crow was the chain gangs manned by armed men overseeing Black men busting rocks or chopping down trees even hired out to local farmer by the state.

Great piece, the past matters especially since it really wasn't all that long ago.

That prosecutor is a real piece of work. My jaw was on the floor listening to him talk before gleefully delivering the news that Wilson would face no charges. Now I'm reading through the court documents and again my jaw is on the floor. All three prosecutors (thus far) caveat every answer witnesses give with some kind of justification for whatever in such a way that really all that bastard needed to say when he came out Monday night and privileged us all with his presence for five fking minutes, "But you gotta understand Mike Brown was a big scary black man".

I cried too. I'd never seen that footage before. I get it, everything that business owner (from the LA riots) said, I get it. But I see the other side too, the rage... and what most people don't understand is that local businesses, largely, shape the politics of the Ferguson's all over the country and it doesn't seem to matter how many citizens go to town halls, It's not their voices that are listened to.

Now as far as the protests go... Hundreds of thousands of people are marching all over the country, shutting down highways, roads. People don't understand why. The answer is such common sense... a system that only works for some, isn't really working at all. Even if you're (plural) a selfish prick only looking out for you and yours, eventually in one way or another our unequal system is going to bite you in the ass too, unless of course you're rich enough to avoid all consequence. Then again even the ultra rich get stuck in traffic.

I am a huge supporter of local businesses and boycott retail chains but I've also attended city council meetings on issues of the businesses vs the communities... local business owners need to understand that their communities are essential to their income and thus need to stop selling them out. That's why you hear things like "Don't touch that place, they're good people." I'm not saying it's right, but I can't exactly say it's wrong either.

a reply to: theNLBS

(Thank you, Joe. Here is my response - it may seem odd, but it came out this way, so...whatever.)


It is so easy to forget, it seems, our country's fairly recent history, much less what came before...
Strange fruit there was ...
Strange fruit indeed was hanging from the trees, and not so very long ago Billie Holiday sung it out with a voice that calls up chills on the spine and lays it all out for everyone to see...
And these latest riots are fruits from the same rotted growth spawned in times too far distant for youth to connect with, yet far too close for the elders to forget.
Racism has deep roots and bitter, poisonous fruits and the blight remains in spite of our higher selves, our inner angels, our laws and our reasoning.
People grow tired of being told about the rage, about the days of slaves and segregation, about the guilt and victimization of the past without seeing it's still-evil shoots grasp and choke those on every side of the issue.
It's easy to forget what was borne by someone else's tissues, engraved on someone else's bones, washed in someone else's blood.
Hell is made of the negative-"isms." Our own very special earth-bound hell.
This tree, evil devil tree, is best ripped out by the roots and burned by the circle of humanity, not as an echo of crosses on lawns (I know a bi-racial couple who had that happen to them), or a harkening back to burning books, or burning businesses and homes, but as a bonfire to celebrate the death of all illusory division, and to give warmth to the hearts and minds of our children.
Let all these negative-"isms" become true history, not written again and again; let us ALL be free - all races, all women, all men.




Sorry if thats "too out there." Just the way I feel.

a reply to: AboveBoard

No, decades of institutionalized ignorance set the stage for ferguson.

a reply to: AboveBoard

There has been far worse racism/slavery throughout history. The slavery in america actually gave them a chance to prosper. Africans selling africans. They still would if they could and do their best even now. Child soldiers anyone?

If america is so bad leave! I don't hear jews bitching about the holocaust all damn day everyday....they actually had it bad. Slavery in america will be looked back on as a good thing in the future.

The last guy in the video sums up pretty well why the world is at the state it is:

watchman: hey man what are you doing this, this is a community.

Looter: I don't care.

Too many people that don't care in the world

a reply to: theNLBS

That's a damned fine episode Joe.

The historical context which stands behind the current foreground on this issue, is vitally important if ones aim is to understand the prevailing circumstances in a manner appropriate to their importance.

However, there is another angle to all this, which I believe needs to be paid a little attention.

Law enforcement organisations have in the past, and in other places, installed agent provocateurs, and deep cover agents amongst certain protest groups in times past, individuals whose job is to infiltrate a group, report on its activities, gain the trust of its members AND to engage in behaviours which discredit that group or cause, while offering law enforcement agencies the legal framework necessary to swoop in and arrest all or most of that groups members.

For example, agent provocateurs can turn a peaceful protest into a riot by way of several different methods. They can set fire to buildings, shoot a gun in the crowd somewhere, throw the first brick, the first punch, and then get out of dodge before the crapstorm starts. They rarely need to be deep under cover, just a mask over the face usually does it, or some other effective disguise. The reason they do this is to give uniformed law enforcement officers at protests a reason to go at the protestors hard, instead of doing what they are supposed to do, which is stand aside and allow peaceful protests to continue without impediment.

Deep cover agents also use discrediting tactics, although they play a long game. In the UK for example, some of the deep cover police officers placed into environmental protest groups, not only spent years stoking the fire, pumping those groups up in order that they would eventually break the law (where they had not necessarily done so before), but going so deep under cover that they fathered children with and got married to persons in those groups as well.

These deep cover officers can totally change the outlook and intent of a group over a long period if they get in far enough, if they gain the ear of the originating members for instance, or the leaders of the more long standing outfits.

Here's the thing though... This tactic is not limited to being used by government, by law enforcement. Any organisation with a dog in a fight, can insert an agent provocateur into an otherwise peaceful situation, and create chaos by way of their actions.

So how much of the recent craziness, the burning, the violence on the streets, was actually naturally occurring, rather than being the result of a concerted effort to discredit those who feel strongly about the issues raised by the shooting death of young Mr Brown, and by the failure of the government to ensure that the law is applied to all persons equally regardless of race or status? Who has deep cover agents where, which of the organisations which have featured highly in the run up to these events have been infiltrated, and what specific orders have been given regarding destabilising situations?

On the specific situation at hand, that being the failure to prosecute the officer involved in the shooting appropriately, I think when something sounds unfair, looks unfair, and smells to high heaven, then people have a right to be damned frustrated and angry about it.

The law must serve the ends of justice, and on every occasion where that fails to happen, the people SHOULD be in the streets, making noise, creating havoc, and generally making a scene! Nothing changes when everyone remains quiet!

a reply to: Hefficide

Perhaps some Americans themselves believe in this post-racial America, but from Europe it seems you Americans have a LOT of unresolved issues concerning race, in many ways.

a reply to: SkepticOverlord

What exactly has happened to the man that upset him so badly? As this is not a text and I couldn't make out everything he said I can't really do further research about what situation this was and why. And what happened to him.

a reply to: transola

If america is so bad leave!

To where, exactly?

Slavery in america will be looked back on as a good thing in the future.

I sure may hope not

originally posted by: transola
a reply to: AboveBoard

There has been far worse racism/slavery throughout history. The slavery in america actually gave them a chance to prosper. Africans selling africans. They still would if they could and do their best even now. Child soldiers anyone?

If america is so bad leave! I don't hear jews bitching about the holocaust all damn day everyday....they actually had it bad. Slavery in america will be looked back on as a good thing in the future.

Because Jews for one of the few epochs in their history were not put upon by the nation they reside in,and you have got to be kidding about them not recognizing the holocaust,a thing the even the Germans dealt with, and far worst racism/slavery throughout history?? care to name some?? ..and yes I heard that tired response before... "If america is so bad leave" here is why, it is down right impractical, the Blood sweat and tears given to this land both as free men and bound slave,mean't that my old line AA inlaws GET TO STAY! THEY EARNED THAT RIGHT! perhaps it's the oppressors and haters who should get the hell outta my country the ones who actually are keeping our country from progressing.
And yes slavery was/is an evil institution but in traditional Africa and the East Slaves were not chattel.

And as to this NLBS: Very interesting, thanks. It's pretty difficult to get an image of the situation in America from this distance, at least for me. The USA in general seems so ambivalent in so many ways. Some say the country's great and doing really well, some say people still live in tents all over the country, some say there's real racism still happening and some say that there isn't or even that whites are being discriminated against. (for the last one: I tend to be sceptical seems exactly like the MRA whining regarding feminazis snip-snipping their balls off)

Just like Hefficide said, some Americans seem to believe they live in a post-racial society. From Europe at least it seems as if that couldn't be less true, there still seems to be a huge focus on ethnicity with different 'allowed' words for different groups, and a LOT of sensitivities. It gets mentioned all the time! ''I'm a black guy from State X..'' when it isn't about him, his race or background or anything... that kind of thing. There's just still this focus. It's there too if you force yourself to never ever mention the race of a friend, it's this hyperfocus on race that seams very real.

I should read and learn more about racist atrocities in the USA. Many horrible things apparently happened and I can't fathom why you would deny or justify that. Why were blacks viewed with such disgust and contempt? Was it JUST for being black, or did they believe they were also stupid, mean, whatever?

And it was the left wing that wanted emancipation for black people, right?

originally posted by: kosmicjack
Thank you for this.

I feel less lonely saying it over and over again on ATS.

It's not as simple as Brown/Wilson - it's about systemic injustice/ and institutional racism which cultivates disenfranchisement and a sense of hopelessness.

And, as we see in Ferguson, hopelessness breeds self-destruction and desperation.

Until we have tough conversations and call it out, every generation will go through this, just as it has since Jim Crow.

Nah, as the man at the end and the reporter clearly demonstrate this shizzel is born out of a bunch or cradle to grave government handouts spoiled brat nincompoopizim.

The rioters and looters really don't give a dam about Jim f-in Crow or no one else. That was Jim Crow with a hammer in his hand.

originally posted by: Pitou
a reply to: Hefficide

Perhaps some Americans themselves believe in this post-racial America, but from Europe it seems you Americans have a LOT of unresolved issues concerning race, in many ways.

Well you certainly will try to understand considering we have had to come back over there and stomp out a really, really big race issues once.

And no what we have here is a race that cant seem to find itself, kills itself and burn itself down, blames others and historical ghosts, hates its own heroes unless they have a ball or an AK-47 in their hand and are pumped full of hate and suspicion by their fathers and the educational system.

a reply to: transola

Comparing your suffering to that of the jews is a JOKE.