George Floyd protests

[BillyStubbsTears]

This is what happens to a young black couple just driving home.

Live in TV.

https://mobile.twitter.com/KCJ_Swish/status/1266913464234237954

And how many more times is this happening off camera?

I do not condone rioting. But I understand it when this is the context of how black Americans are treated.

I heard a young, professional middle class black American interviewed on the radio a couple of days ago. He said he never goes for a walk in his neighbourhood without either his little dog, or his little girl. Because they humanise him and make him seem harmless. Whereas on his own, he is a 6'2" athletically built black man and he knows how that profiles him to the police.

Shocking that that country seems to be degenerating on the race question.

[Filo]

America is one f**ked up Country, a bow and arrow ffs!

https://youtu.be/yImHy8-pkns

[SydneyRover]

Remember the LA riots started by the non conviction of 4 police that beat him up badly but not convicted?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rodney_King

Mapping US police killings of Black Americans

https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/interactive/2020/05/mapping-police-killings-black-americans-200531105741757.html

[BillyStubbsTears]

And this. In front of TV cameras.

https://mobile.twitter.com/RetiredMaybe/status/1266940818545401856

[BillyStubbsTears]

And it's looking like Trump's years of attacking the press are having a very disturbing effect.

https://www.bellingcat.com/news/americas/2020/05/31/us-law-enforcement-are-deliberately-targeting-journalists-during-george-floyd-protests/

[bpoolrover]

Protesting is fine and having your say is fine what has happened not just on this occasion but on many more is disgusting, but if someone dies from rioting looting or setting fire to things then that person is no better than the officer or person that has been racist, while I understand it has happened now the social distancing at the London protest has also put peoples lives at risk

[River Don]

The overriding memory of visiting the Southern United States for me, was that there is far more racial segregation over there than here. There are black areas, there are white areas, there isn't a lot of mixing.

The other noticeable difference was the attitude of the police, there was a real 'respect my authority' uptightness about them. It felt like they wanted to be seen to be laying down the law all the time. Not at all like the community policing in the UK.

the US claims to be a melting pot but really, for me it gets nowhere near London in that respect.

[drfchound]

Agreed RD.
I was in South Carolina about a dozen years ago and I noticed the same things that You did.
A couple of years after that I went to Atlanta and in the big city it was much worse.

[BillyStubbsTears]

These people weren't rioting.

Yet.

I would be now if I'd been treated like that.

https://mobile.twitter.com/JimMFelton/status/1267025377857241089

[IDM]

Protesting is fine and having your say is fine what has happened not just on this occasion but on many more is disgusting, but if someone dies from rioting looting or setting fire to things then that person is no better than the officer or person that has been racist, while I understand it has happened now the social distancing at the London protest has also put peoples lives at risk

Indeed - two wrongs don’t make a right..

However often the violence/looting which turns a protest into a riot, isn’t started by the protest itself, more a minority element looking for trouble, or using the protest as a shield to get away with criminal activity.

But when the police react, and perhaps strongly, sometimes the regular protesters get caught up in it and then they react violently.

It’s a vicious circle, which is why things need to be nipped in the bud - like in this case the American policeman should have been arrested and charged same day, not several days later.

[Mike_F]

The overriding memory of visiting the Southern United States for me, was that there is far more racial segregation over there than here. There are black areas, there are white areas, there isn't a lot of mixing.

The other noticeable difference was the attitude of the police, there was a real 'respect my authority' uptightness about them. It felt like they wanted to be seen to be laying down the law all the time. Not at all like the community policing in the UK.

the US claims to be a melting pot but really, for me it gets nowhere near London in that respect.

The US is policed by force, the UK is policed by consent. The closest we get to US style policing here is when you're in a group of football fans.

[IDM]

Not always Mike.  There was one uniformed PC on the road bridge at Charlton station when that game was abandoned - all he was doing was trying to direct people to the correct platform, and he was getting dogs abuse from some Rovers fans, average age between 15-17 by my reckoning..

[Mike_F]

Trouble with little belle ends like that is they perpetuate the myth about football crowds being trouble makers. And that leads to the rough treatment we all get from time to time at the hands of over-zealous plod.

Of course many a time I've had friendly conversations with police officers in a football setting and that's how it should be.

[ravenrover]

Yes I had a few friendly wotds with a mounted officer once after his horse decided to to step on my foot

[Sprotyrover]

Ha ha Police horses, I once saw two officers being shouted at because their horse had shit in the street. I went up, pushed Muppet out of way and asked them if I could have some for my Roses . "Yes mate we collect it and take it back to the stables but if you give us your address we will let you have a few Bags" and They did for several months . And my Roses loved it.

[bpoolrover]

Yes I had a few friendly wotds with a mounted officer once after his horse decided to to step on my foot

my brother was with his mate watching city v United when he was 12 and got trampled on, the copper did the decent thing and stopped thou, then told him he shouldn’t have been in the f way lol

[SydneyRover]

Racism by the police doesn't just happen in the US either

UK protesters accuse police of targeting black people during lockdown

The Guardian revealed last week that BAME people in England were 54% more likely to be fined under coronavirus rules than white people.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jun/01/uk-police-accused-of-targeting-black-people-during-lockdown

Racism by the police doesn't just happen in the US or Britain either

Aboriginal drivers in WA more likely to get fines from police officers than traffic cameras

The police have promised to fix ant problems with the cameras! 

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/feb/05/aboriginal-drivers-in-wa-more-likely-to-get-fines-from-police-officers-than-traffic-cameras

[Nudga]

Pallets of bricks being dropped off at strategic protest points.

[BillyStubbsTears]

More deliberate targeting of journalists.

https://mobile.twitter.com/brett_mcgurk/status/1267662905383596032

This is what happens in dysfunctional states where the police are off the leash.

Remember, the started because of police being out of control.

[BillyStubbsTears]

How f**ked up is American politics?

https://mobile.twitter.com/mattgaetz/status/1267513356853919744

That is a Republican congressman, calling for extra-judicial killing of American citizens.

[BillyStubbsTears]

https://mobile.twitter.com/OwenJones84/status/1267763301766836224

[wilts rover]

White supremacists attempt to pose as Antifa in call for violence

https://twitter.com/donie/status/1267676236022788104

[foxbat]

and this , the Country the Brexiteers want us to align with and cut our ties with Europe

[drfchound]

Do people want us to cut our ties with Europe though.

[selby]

  Nobody can condone what has happened in the States, but where was the aghast at the police brutality in Paris that went on for months, the Russians and Turks lobbing bombs about in Syria, the military and police in Burma, and recently Hong Kong, and the luvvies were not that bothered about it in the northern counties in the miners strike either.
   Come on stop picking political correct subjects that suit your political beliefs and start a discussion about all police brutality if you want to be taken seriously and not just because of Trump.
  The saying should go all lives matter.

[IDM]

Your last line is one of the few non-football things you have posted that I actually agree with.

All lives do matter.

[SydneyRover]

People all over the world protest about various things selby but unless you want the forum to turn into a human rights site which cannot be done and give the respect that each subject deserves. if you want a few token comments on each subject that can be done but it won't mean much.

Activists tend to select a subject that they feel is important to campaign on but support other allied campaigns.

[idler]

We can comment on all of those instances Selby but the main reason for commenting on this one is that the protests and congregating are taking place in our country. This could directly affect us in prolonging lockdown or costing the lives of friends and family.

[RoversAlias]

Your last line is one of the few non-football things you have posted that I actually agree with.

All lives do matter.

In theory yes, but the phrase "All lives matter" in the context of racial oppression is an offensive one and for reasons that I have only recently fully understood, but that I do agree with.

The best analogy I have seen is this one: If you live on a street and a neighbour's house is on fire, you would want the fire brigade to help that house only and put the fire out. You wouldn't go up to them and say "my house is just as important as theirs!" and get them to turn the hose on your unaffected house, would you?

People's lives of all creeds and colours matter of course. But until everyone starts truly believing that Black lives matter, then all lives cannot matter equally.

Simply put, it is the black communities and black people that are being most affected by this institutional, cultural racism in the United States and it has been this way for many, many years. That sector of our society need the help, support and increased awareness more than anyone right now and that is why we see the movement that is occurring at the moment.

[BillyStubbsTears]

Bang on RA. Bang on.