The nation has been gripped by the protests taking place in recent days in the city of Baltimore. Watching the news has been an incredibly powerful, emotional experience for me.
The protests resonate with me personally for several reasons. First, obviously, as an American, as we all should take notice of these events and of the disturbing reasons why they are taking place. We have fundamental flaws with many police forces across America and our criminal justice system that must be resolved.
They also resonate with me because of my birth date. I was born on April 27th, 1992, the same day that the Rodney King riots began in Los Angeles. I’ve heard the stories of how my parents were terrified to come back and forth from the hospital because of the violence around the city. I’ve heard about the smoke that was coming in through the ventilators when I was in the ICU. The Rodney King riots were one of the darkest times in the history of Los Angeles and the history of our country.
Thirdly, they resonate with me as a gay man and an advocate for the rights of the LGBT community. Although I do not condone violence and regret that the protests in Baltimore have at times been overshadowed by a relatively small group of rioters who have tried to use the death of Freddie Gray as an excuse for criminal behavior, I do think that protesting and civil disobedience is a critical part of forcing the political establishment to take notice.
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
Throughout the history of the gay rights movement, protesting has been a huge tool towards creating more awareness, progress and equality. In 1969, it was the Stonewall riots that sparked the beginning of the modern gay rights revolution. In 1979, when Dan White, the man who assassinated the gay rights icon and San Francisco City Supervisor Harvey Milk, was sentenced to just 1 year in prison for the murder, the LGBT community took to the streets to express their anger in what has now become known as the “White Night Riots”.
In 1991, when Governor Pete Wilson in California vetoed AB101, a proposed law to protect gay people from employment discrimination, the community in Los Angeles marched to show their disapproval. And in 2008, in spontaneous demonstrations that marked the start of a new, renewed era of activism, thousands upon thousands of people turned out to stand against the bigotry of California’s Proposition 8, a state constitutional ban against gay marriage that has since been overturned.
Again, violence is never the right choice. But it is inspiring when you see young people who are inspired to stand up and make their voices heard, whether it be on the issue of gay rights, the civil rights of African-Americans, or any other constituency. All of our lives matter, and I hope the LGBT community will stand behind the African-American as strongly and stridently as we can to make sure justice is served. As Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”
James Duke Mason is a Los Angeles-based writer and political activist.
Giancarlo85
This nation has many flaws and needs many reforms. The problem with the police in this country is the system is so fragmented. It makes it very difficult to even start reform. In other developed countries, the police all fall under one agency. Like the federal police in Germany.
We need to make the court system more fair and transparent. The jury system is also very easily tainted. We see guilty men get off with crimes they clearly committed.
BJ McFrisky
I suspect Martin Luther King, Jr., is doing some serious rolling in his grave right now, since apparently this article’s author is unfamiliar with MLK’s Six Steps For Nonviolent Social Change, in which he condemned ANY form of violence to achieve a social goal.
Next time, perhaps Mr. Mason should use the Black Panthers as a source for rationalizing violence, or ISIS, or MS13, or even Charlie freakin’ Manson, but not a respectable preacher of nonviolence like MLK.
Consider this a teachable moment.
Bauhaus
@BJ McFrisky:
Conveniently, you ignore Mr. Masons statement: “Again, violence is never the right choice.”
The teachable moment will be when the DOJ proves what we all already know to be true about policing in Baltimore.
It must be exhausting being you. It goes without saying, depressing.
Ummmm Yeah
Nope. I don’t stand with criminals that run from the cops or try to take their guns. Not to mention blacks don’t support gays, so no I don’t have to stand with Baltimore unless you mean stand with cops doing a dangerous job and having to deal with an self entitled group that think they should be allowed to rob, rape and kill.
BJ McFrisky
@Bauhaus: True, he said, “violence is never the right choice,” however, he followed that with, “BUT it is inspiring . . .”
Being “inspired” by violence is not a condemnation of violence, no matter how you spin it.
But, nice try.
Alexander R. Rodriguez
nope we don’t need to stand with thugs and common criminals that burn and destory and turn to ash a DEMOCRATIC CITY run by…..DEMOCRATS….with a DEMOCRATIC MAYOR….and Gov. who is running for Pres, who was a….DEMOCRAT. It’s A DEMOCRAT problem….not America’s……..
tmccloud1
As a GWJM in Bsltimore, I think the author needs his head examined…to compare what recently happened in Baltimore to the White Night Riots, or even Stonewall, was like comparing an apple to an orange, bith fuit, both sweet, but VERY different. The White Night Riots were because of a specific injustice each(white nights because of the low sentence given to Dan white)…the rage had not been simmering prior to that. In the case of Baltimore it was drugs and revenge….the neighborhood where Freddie gray was arrested and injured is NOT a safe neighborhood for anyone. Black on Black crime is through the roof., Gays are not as likely to have such an unsafe living space…I mean when was the last time you saw a bar fight break out in a gay bar??? In the case of Stonewall and the White Night riots, very little property was actually damaged(except the for occasional trash can. compare that to baltimore where a MALL was trashed and looted, 2 drugstores, one of which was owned by a NIGERIAN family were looted for drugs and destroyed, and countless other businesses as well. Its bad enough that the neighborhood is considered a “food desert” by the USDA(http://apps.ams.usda.gov/fooddeserts/fooddeserts.aspx), But they are also medical deserts, where getting medication is difficult if not impossible, and these animals made life worse for more people than they know…they stopped elderly and infirm from getting needed medication, they put workers at the pharmacies out of business, and cleaned out the livelihood of their neighbors.
Victor Barry
It’s so one way. Blacks are the most homophobic race. They need to own up to their part of the problem. There are a lot of thugs. Deal with that part too. Stop pulling gays into this race bullshit. I’m not defending police brutality, or their legitimate complaints, just stupid statements like this one.
Kieran
James writes: “They also resonate with me because of my birth date. I was born on April 27th, 1992, the same day that the Rodney King riots began in Los Angeles. I’ve heard the stories of how my parents were terrified to come back and forth from the hospital because of the violence around the city. I’ve heard about the smoke that was coming in through the ventilators when I was in the ICU.”
Have you also heard how it was the police force of Los Angeles that likely prevented the hospital from being burned down by rioters while you were lying helplessly in your incubator?
Giancarlo85
@Alexander R. Rodriguez: Blah blah blah… more bullshit from Alexander Rodridguez. The ashamed nut. Cities tends to have the most economic activity and of course they are run by democrats. But if you’re trying to blame urban violence on democrats you’re a brainless partisan idiot. You do realize it is you republicans that are to blame? You are helping out corporations who are shipping out jobs. Many people are left without well paying jobs. Then when everything goes to shit, you republicans get huge bail-outs for the white collar criminals.
@tmccloud1: Maybe you should ask yourself why gangs exist. The US isn’t even that extreme of an example. Brazil is… there are huge disparities between the rich and poor. The lack of opportunity for the poor has been a persistent problem (despite reforms in the last decade or so).
Giancarlo85
@Kieran: The LAPD committed a great deal of abuses and were not held accountable. People were upset and simmering tensions were evident for years.
Right wing idiots, like BJ, ignore the real reasons why these tensions even exist.
To all the right wing drones on here: We have a right wing Congress that refuses to push any far reaching reform. Many of these police agencies receive federal funding. A few have been subject to Department of Justice investigation and possible take-over by either the state or federal government. Some have even been disbanded for corruption and abuse. So please don’t sit here and tell me everything is fine.
Giancarlo85
And people should realize the majority of these recent protests have not been violent. Only some have been. A majority of these protests were not riots.
K Patrick McCarthy
Yeah, not gonna happen!
Bauhaus
@BJ McFrisky:
Don’t even attempt to troll me, Troll.
Violence isn’t what inspires him. Here’s what does:
“…inspiring when you see young people who are inspired to stand up and make their voices heard, whether it be on the issue of gay rights, the civil rights of African-Americans, or any other constituency.”
aliengod
@Alexander R. Rodriguez: You’re exactly right. The author of this article needs his head examined.
@Giancarlo85: Do you own a television? Did you somehow miss the news coverage of the rioting thugs in Baltimore? You really need to spend less time trying to come up with snarky comments and insults and educate yourself.
JCG
@Giancarlo85: Sadly, one day of violence got more attention than the subsequent days of peaceful protests. Thank the media for that!
Giancarlo85
@aliengod: You have never been educated. You have never been informed about anything. Violence always gets attention on TV, while the peaceful protests do not. The media focuses on violence as JCG has said.
You’re an uneducated prick with no real knowledge.
onthemark
The most important reform we can ALL do is to legalize marijuana.
Marijuana criminalization is RAC!ST. Its entire design, from the very beginning in the 1930s, was and is RAC!ST. Get rid of it, and you get rid of a great deal of the police abuse and idiocy.
Tear out police abuse at the roots.
Several states are likely to vote on cannabis legalization in 2016 including: Arizona, Arkansas, California, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana and Wyoming. Nevada is already scheduled to vote on it in 2016.
Ohio will likely vote on it THIS November, 2015.
A few other states without robust initiative processes (e.g. Vermont, Rhode Island) have strong currents in the legislature toward legalization.
If your state is not on the list, get involved!
The most pathetic thing about Baltimore is how everyone involved, including former Attorney General Eric “Dick” Holder, said how much they lo-o-o-oved the TV show “The Wire”! Apparently none of them were trying to be at all ironic?
Charlie Steven
I totally agree with everyone else’s comments
aliengod
@Giancarlo85: LOL. Always true to form. I guess you excel at consistency, however ignorant of the facts you usually are.
onthemark
@Giancarlo85: “The problem with the police in this country is the system is so fragmented. It makes it very difficult to even start reform. In other developed countries, the police all fall under one agency. Like the federal police in Germany.”
You come up with the oddest “solutions” at times. We don’t need a national police force run by a bunch of rac!st d!ckheads from Texas and the rest of Crackerland, which is essentially what what would happen under your proposal. No thank you.
Giancarlo85
@aliengod: You’re an ignorant right wing moron who has no concept of debating with facts.
@onthemark: I’m not saying put it under control in Texas. Where did I say that? You can just streamline reform easier. With a fragmented system it makes it impossible.
But then again you’re always OFFTHEMARK.
BJ McFrisky
@Bauhaus: . . . which they could have done without violence, much to the approval of the rest of the country. As it stands, they only succeeded in turning the public against them while hurrying along the death of their own city. “Social justice! Lookie, we torched our own neighborhood! Yay for us! What do we want? Dead cops (and more money)! When do we want ’em? Now!”
With “voices” like that wanting to be heard, I assure you that most Americans are happy to not be anywhere near Baltimore.
Giancarlo85
@BJ McFrisky: So do you say the same thing when you want to bomb other countries?
onthemark
@Giancarlo85: Define “streamline.” You seem to be assuming that Democrats will be in control of the national government forever. That is not a safe assumption. The Republicans control Congress already. Who exactly would be running a national police force? That’s a scary notion.
onthemark
@BJ McFrisky: BJ, when are you going to Syria to fight ISIS? We have your cool camo outfit all ready for you!
onthemark
@BJ McFrisky: The indictments of the six police on murder charges get well over 60% approval in national polling.
BJ McFrisky
@onthemark: Well, I WAS going to commend you on your comment re: cannabis legalization, but since you’ve proven yourself to be no more than a snarky little twit, I’ll refrain (okay, okay, I still commend you on your comment re: cannabis legalization).
Also, I was in the service back in the 90s, so I already have my cool cammo outfit. Just waiting for a reason to don it yet again (other than date night).
Clai Green
I am not standing with criminals seriously there is a vast difference ! I personally do not support police brutality ever or criminal police but on the other hand I don’t support all this support of these dead people that had a mile long police record and were first hand criminals ! Get the priorities straight ! My fight for equal rights has nothing to do with dead criminals ever nor should any upstanding black Anerican
Bauhaus
@BJ McFrisky:
You said: “As it stands, they only succeeded in turning the public against them…”
No. What they got was six cops held accountable (extremely rare) and a DOJ investigation.
“Sunlight is said to be the best of disinfectants; electric light the most efficient policeman.”
Justice Louis D. Brandeis
Alex Anderson
How about no . I’m not standing with any dead thugs And criminals .
onthemark
@BJ McFrisky: Thanks! I’m glad you’re in favor of legalization.
Theonewhoismany
@Giancarlo85 you give me hope that there is some semblance of perspective on here.
Taskebab
@BJ McFrisky: And how exactly did Martin Luther King Jr. get into that grave? MLK is the proof that non-violence doesn’t work.
Bauhaus
@Alexander R. Rodriguez:
The mouth-breather comes up for air. There’s no “we” here. There’s only you. Go back to your self-flagellation, now. Dragging that crucifix around with you must so awfully tiring.
Stetson Hogue
There was another equality group that tried something like this and people went off on them. Had a lot of supporters unlike them and stop donating.
Chuck Knapp
I don’t stand with them,police put their lives on the line for a thankless job.
bobnla
We are dealing with a shattered black culture in the inner city, an absence of a good moral compass, destruction of the family unit, disrespect of authority, an ineffective public school system, entrenched liberal Democratic rule, a welfare system proven to be dependence-generating, and government-sponsored programs from the era of the Great Society and beyond which have been an expensive failure over the last 50 years. We feed them, we house them, we reward them for having out-of-wedlock babies…and what do we hear; ‘we want, we want, we want more…’ And then they blame the police, corporate America, and nasty Republicans. Go figure! Grab a mirror, take a good look, Baltimore; take a look Ferguson; take a look New York…and THAT is the problem…you are looking at it.
Arcamenel
Yeah keep calling them thugs, we all know what you really want to say but then you’d be putting your blatant racism on full display.
aliengod
@bobnla: Very well stated. You’re exactly right.
Joshua Andrew
Definitely no. Sorry, I’m fighting three causes already but will not fight to support people who don’t support me and cause damage to government entities.
Bauhaus
@bobnla:
“We are dealing with a shattered black culture in the inner city”, blah, blah, blah.
No, we’re dealing with the homicide of an innocent man by cops, and the aftermath.
Curty
As a gay man who lives in baltimore county, I will say this has nothing to do with our community, in fact at some rallies gay slurs have been used. At a rally at city hall last week they emphasize black families, man and a woman. One speaker said, “not that abnormal shit.” To which the crowd laugh. So I think the gay community should be concerned about police Brutality, but be careful with this so called movement as many of the protesters, organizers are not gay friendly. Jamal Bryant a sorta spokesperson and pastor is quite anti gay. So be careful glbt community in support of the people involved.
plantedit
It’s nice that an article was written that, if it serves no other purpose, begins the conversation of changing perception.
There are responses to the article that further reflect someone’s desire to make people believe they are different or separate from another human being. The statement that blacks are very homophobic and therefore shouldn’t be supported in their efforts regarding Baltimore is a bit harsh. If in fact there are those who are homophobic within the Black community. then why assert the same negative energy? It’s also a broad statement based on bad interactions or something that was read. Some blacks actually support gays, respect them and they want their loved ones to be happy. Traditional religious blacks may not agree with the lifestyle choice but they are shown empathy by Christian blacks like myself. I don’t agree with vicious words or actions towards to gays nor do I practice hateful or hurtful words towards straights. Gays Accepting Yahweh as Saviour, GAYS. Loving, confident and proud gay individuals. I’m connected greatly to those who are spiritual even without a religious attachment.
There are blacks who don’t support gay rights. They don’t understand the need to stand together with gays against hatred, bigotry, refusal of rights and inequality. Woman fighting for their equal rights, immigrants fighting for equal treatment, workers fighting for reasonable pay, etc. We are all coping with the same issues. In different forms our problems may come but at the root it’s still problems. Gays have a separation amongst themselves that was created by an external entity then internalized by gays. Color of the skin, individual looks, body shapes nor financial status change the fact that we are all no different. We are all gay.
Violence as a result of unresolved conflict is a logical reaction. It is evident around the world and in some cases with no solution in sight. I don’t agree with looting and torching vehicles or other violent acts. Some people take advantage of a situation. Criminal actions take the spotlight off the real issue, obviously. To say that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. would be rolling over in his grave, is a loose statement. It’s common in objectivity to observe and evaluate the entire situation and make a more informed assessment. Straights and gays have similarities like being frustrated or intolerant and making loose, harmful or inaccurate statements. Change is here, it’d be good to acknowledge it and be more open minded.
CCTR
@James Duke Mason, personally I appreciate your poignant post despite the obvious but predictable bigotted responses. It’s too bad so many only read the headline and missed the crux of your message, the quote from MLK. Sad but true, to many black lives really don’t matter as they are seen as nothing but criminals thugs, and homophobes.
Donnie Bass
NO thanks, I’m not standing up for a bunch of homophobes.
Trajan Saldana
reading these comments is like sitting back and watching a slow-motion train wreck
Maude
I have to stand with the cops.
I don’t particularly love cops, but generally speaking, it’s the cops that keep all of us safe most of the time.
Without cops, we’d all be living in a cesspool of our own making.
The bad guys don’t care if you’re gay, black, white, yellow, or red…they just want your money, or your life.
I lived in NYC under Mayor Lindsey some years back, and the cops held a ‘by the book’ showdown…the didn’t write many tickets, they looked the other way when an infraction was committed, they didn’t respond to 911 calls as quickly as they could…etc, etc, etc…
The crime rate shot up in all the neighborhoods where you might suspect it would.
Rapes, and murders happened 10 fold.
I’ll take the cops anyday, because I saw what happens without them.
Curty
Plantied are you even gay? “Lifestyle” choice? That’s what you think being gay is? Your statement there just overshadows your whole wordly, long comment. What is your “lifestyle” choice? Smh
Maude
and to add insult to injury, Queerty has decided to moderate my post.
Because I spoke a truth that might offend a stupid person I guess.
plantedit
@Curty Lifestyle choice is what some who are gay and not gay call it. It’s debatable for some I’m not hung up on defending or against it.
I’m pretty much gay and it’s unfortunate that the lifestyle choice phrasing overshadowed the essence of the post.
Saint Law
@Maude: “I have to stand with the cops.”
Priceless. Some rubber wristed nancy cake.
“The bad guys don’t care if you’re gay, black, white, yellow or red…”
The cops on the other hand most certainly Do care if you’re black or brown.
What is loathsome about so many Americans is their tacit or overt support of a criminal ‘justice’ system that allows it’s police force to victimize so many of its citizens on no basis whatsoever.
For thirty years and more the poor black and white (but mainly black) population of Baltimore have been terrorised by their police force on the basis of “probable cause” – a designation so elastic that when David Simon was filming the Wire he would have to frequently attend a police station to secure the release of his camera and sound crew who had suffered arbitrary arrest.
The police regularly perform sweeps wherein virtually everybody they can find is arrested: old people, mothers – it doesn’t matter – and held overnight and then informed that if they wish to be released they have to sign a waiver of their right to sue for wrongful arrest or be held until trial be it how ever so long.
Most waive their right as how could they not? In the last ten years thousands of black men have died in police custody in America. What attention has America paid to their plight?
All many of you care about is that they die quietly. And then you wonder why your cities go up in smoke.
Christ. What a shithole America is. I can never be thankful enough I don’t have to live there.
CCTR
Many are either unaware of, forgetting or ignoring the fact that there was a time when LGBT people were targeted, harassed,arrested, and criminalized by the police and courts for congregating in “gay bars” and for consensual sexual acts they were assumed to be engaging in in the privacy of their own homes. Whatever the community is that you belong to injustice is injustice, and all communities should have been/be against it.
Saint Law
@BJ McFrisky: Your posts make a kind of sense once you realise that you’re always high.
I mean psychological sense. As statements they’re always tendentious gibberish.
Curty
I’ve been to two rallies and have heard homophobic comments. I’m sorry its hard to stand by people that is protesting, upset.. when as a gay man supporting it and you hear gay slurs being used openly. What struck me last week at city hall Was when the gangs blood and crips were allowed to speak and people cheered them! I was truly disgusted and thought, “that’s the problem now.” The gangs, thug culture. More people in these communities need to distance themselves from the criminals destroying their communities.
Saint Law
@aliengod: “Do you own a television?”
That question encapsulates perfectly your stupidity. It really is a wonder you can breathe unaided.
Maude
@Bauhaus:
He shouldn’t be dead. Period!
But to say “we’re dealing with the homicide of an innocent man” stretches your credibility beyond any civilized understanding of right and wrong.
Shame on you, you embarrass yourself, and every decent human being, gay or straight who is watching and hoping for honest justice for the deceased, rather than mob justice for yourself.
You are exactly the person that encourages mayhem and harm to all by riot, because your stupidity is palpable in the extreme.
plantedit
Gay slurs are common from a group of people who are hurting looking to dignify who they are. The same message I have for gays to see they are fighting for rights like blacks, I’m speaking about blacks to realize they are no different. But separation of people serves a greater purpose. Change occurs with the strength and effort of many united and there’s a force intentionally working against it. Many separate occurrences seem all connected.
Maude
@Saint Law:
You have some of your facts right, but all of your conclusions wrong.
A little bit of information is a dangerous thing, and your statements are proof positive of that fact.
I suggest you cram for additional information by reading all opinions rather than just a select few.
Curty
Plantedit, I don’t care for the reason, stop excusing gay slurs. That should be as unacceptable as the N word. Im just saying its hard to align yourself with some of the people at the rallies and people on t.v. when they have made anti gay comments publicly. You may not care but as a self respecting gay man who serves gay youth, I do.
AtticusBennett
any gay men that won’t, are complete losers. wimps. cowards. and frankly deserve every ounce of the anti-gay hate they will receive in life, from their own families and complete strangers.
we LGBT people have a history of being rounded up and targeted by the cops, or dismissed when we’re attacked.
and shame on you pathetic homos who refuse to stand in solidarity with other oppressed and targeted communities.
http://littlekiwilovesbauhaus.blogspot.ca/2013/04/no-racism-is-not-dead.html
AtticusBennett
@Victor Barry: you’re a sack of shit.
Giancarlo85
@bobnla: You are a nutcase and a liar. You try to blame everything on democrats. Somehow in your demented reality, democrats are to blame for all the problems. That is why democrats are better for jobs, the economy and crime rates have dropped under Democrat administrations. This is never the case for Republicans. Your views are repugnant and are without merit or evidence.
Yes, I have to agree with Saint law. This country has true dimwitted idiots who think they have answers for everything. Republicans claim they have the secret formula. Why is it this country gets so fucked under Republican administrations? The last four or five Republican presidencies have been fucking disasters. You think people like bobina would learn their lesson, but no these idiots still spout off the same lies. It all really started with Reagan and the fake report on the welfare queen. You cannot help but see that this constant vilification has done nothing but inflamed tensions.
Giancarlo85
@Maude: Considering you live by the bible, you ought not to question other people and their information. You have no credibility.
darian
I am sickened by majority of the comments on here. Black people are not the most violent homophobic race in this country. And you bigoted queens are no better than you hetero counter parts. Honestly at this point as a gay black male I’m tired of you bitchy white faggots so I’m starting to see why why the so called majority of black people want nothing to do with you either. Done.
Patrick Cremeans
Sorry, but if you don’t want the police to accidentally sever your spine don’t run from them and resist arrest, making them take you to the ground.
Martyn Valenzuela
Gay protesters don’t loot businesses and burn their own neighborhoods down- they throw parades!
AtticusBennett
@Patrick Cremeans: “sorry, if you don’t want to get arrested for doing absolutely nothing wrong don’t be black”
AtticusBennett
btw – this commenting now links your comments to your Facebook profiles. it’s a neat way to confirm that idiotic comments are coming from bonafide mouth-breathers who look like they’re missing a chromosome or twenty.
Allen Manual
Wtf no!!! Rotfl thats a joke right blacks and gays , most str8 black people dont even like gay pple so why stand togeatber
David Conan
No
BJ McFrisky
@Saint Law: And YOUR comments make sense now that I “realise” you’re not even an American.
Bauhaus
@Maude:
You are one of the worst shitheals on Queerty, so I’m going to ignore you and your inane comments.
McShane
@Saint Law: OmFG, you’re right, about the amount of people who died while in custody.
The Bureau of Justice Statistics starts to give some sense of scale: At least 4,813 people died while in custody of local and state law enforcement between 2003 and 2009, according to the latest available report, published in 2011. Sixty-one percent of those deaths were classified as homicides.
The agency reports that 41.7 percent of those who were deemed to have been killed by police while in custody were white, 31.7 percent were black, and 20.3 percent were Hispanic. (Others died from intoxication, suicide, or by accidental, natural, or unknown causes.)
There were an estimated 98 million arrests in the United States by local, state, and federal law enforcement from 2003 to 2009, according to FBI statistics. Fifteen states, plus the District of Columbia, did not consistently report deaths in police custody during that period. Maryland, along with Georgia and Montana, didn’t submit any records at all.
And that’s minus four whole years and consistent data from fifteen states!
heavylifter
Cities like Baltimore are war zones, blacks kill each other in huge numbers but no one is marching in the streets.
ONLY when a white cop kills a black thug do the Progressives start screeching about racism.
Notice how the reality that half the cops arrested for the Baltimore killing are BLACK. But the Progressive ignore this or minimise it becasue it does not fit their narrative about evil whitey oppressing minorities.
heavylifter
Why should gays stand with hood rats? – that one in Ferguson, the one down in Florida etc, all drug using, gang worshipping wannabes with a track record.
Hey ! Actually that does sound a bit like a lot of gays if you replace “gang” with the latest “queen of pop music”, lol.
Bauhaus
@McShane:
It is shameful. It is a national disgrace. Thanks for the numbers!
calabrazy55
NO! Why is it that our country is being fragmented by the deaths of 100%criminals. Thugs that you would definitely cross the street to avoid. Write a story about that. How black culture glorifies criminal activity. And Gray was being investigated/sued for insurance fraud.
James Hart
I really enjoy being lectured by a wet-behind-the-ears 23 year old kid. Thanks, Queerty.
VampDC
FALSE!!!
What a STUPID STUPID article. Makes me never want to go on Queerty again.
You also realize studies have shown homophobia is strongest in black communities.
Scott Rose
Two concrete steps society could take to make life better for both police and the poor would be to stop the inane and wasteful “war on drugs” and to finally summon the social and political will to enact and enforce sensible gun control legislation. Non-violent people with substance dependency issues need treatment and social support, not criminal justice processing. The more guns and the more random shooting there is from civilians, the more cynical police become in the exercise of their duties.
The way marijuana became illegal in the United States is disgraceful. When hemp was still a legal crop, William Randolph Hearst invented a new means of producing paper with trees, and he didn’t want the competition from hemp, which was less-expensive. His brother-in-law Harry J. Anslinger worked for the U.S. government. Anslinger began a campaign to make hemp and marijuana illegal. The effective of his tactics was a campaign that said that if white women smoked marijuana, they would want to have sex with black men.
Empirically we know that today, marijuana prohibition is disproportionately enforced against black Americans. This is an outrageous thing.
And it goes without saying that police do not have license to be judge, jury and executioner.
Manuel Correa-Amsler
Oh please I don’t do thugs
jason smeds
Because crime committed by blacks is disproportionately high, the police tend to target blacks. This means they are more likely to pull up a black guy than a white guy even though that black guy hasn’t done anything.
It’s this “prejudicial targeting” of black men which needs to be addressed.
Giancarlo85
A great deal of the reason why crime exists in inner-cities is the lack of economic opportunities. This is a society that still sees segregation. People are prevented from having opportunities. Maybe people ought to look at the real reasons why there is tension, poverty and crime. People used to think the Italians were dirty violent criminals too. Same shit different day. Just ra*c*i*sm.
Vincent Milligan
Uh , no
Scott Deer
I absolutely refuse
calabrazy55
Ho@Giancarlo85: how many blacks killed whites last year and how many whites killed blacks? Think about it
Curty
Thug and criminal behavior need to not be glorified and tolerated but fought against. I think a lot of inner city, poor communities accept their situation too much and the thugs and criminals become like role models. Its a sad, sick reality for some poor and minorities in these communities. And I will speak out against homophobia in a lot of these communities. I’ve been to rallies because what happened to Gray was wrong. But shouting gay slurs and letting the bloods and crips speak, make me less sympathetic. There’s things these people can do too, to change their outlook and image.
level75RDM
@Curty: Learning to accept your situation seems like a good idea when there is no way to get out of it anyway. You people make it sound like it’s easy to just go back to school and get an education when you’re working multiple jobs at minimum wage.
I don’t agree with what happened to Officer Brian Moore, but I won’t speak up about the riots seeing as, quite frankly, none of us here have any business denouncing them. It’s easy to forget that parade of men in nothing but their underwear, drag queens, and respectable nuclear families (that happen to have same sex parents) are marching in commemoration of a series of riots, but the point has been lost.
All I can see is that, after forty years of being the “good” citizens, making our way to being CEO’s of tech and fashion companies, of proving we’re good enough to be parents, that our youth are innocent victims of bullying, and that we can be just as respectable as the Jones next door, we’re still compared to pedophiles and morally abhorrent, sexually primitive animals. That we’re somehow out to destroy society. Now just imagine if a bunch of us decided to go and actually do it
aliengod
@Giancarlo85: You’re just wrong! There isn’t a lack of “economic opportunities”. There’s a lack of motivation. This isn’t an issue of racism. It’s an issue of a large segment of the population having become dependent on the welfare system. It’s laziness! The Democrats have touted a welfare system where people are rewarded for having multiple children, food stamps are easily attainable (which in many states can be used to buy cigarettes), and there’s no incentive to get a job. The cycle of uneducated, unemployed degenerates will continue until we do away with the current system of “welfare” that allows them to live this way.
@jason smeds: You’re correct that crime committed by blacks is disproportionately high. But I’m not sure that calling this “prejudicial targeting” is right. When we were on high alert after 9/11 because of Islamic terrorists attacking the WTC, didn’t it make sense that we profiled muslims rather than old women in wheelchairs? It’s all situational. In this case, it isn’t the white people stealing cars and looting liquor stores in Baltimore. It was black thugs… most of which hate LGB people. I have no intention of aligning myself with the likes of them!
@Scott Rose: I agree with you. The “War on Drugs” should end.
Giancarlo85
@aliengod: You have no mental power at all. Do you actually think about the garbage you post before you hit the “post comment” button? It is all about institutional rac*sm. And it has nothing to do with being dependent on the welfare system. Do you actually believe the republican bullcrap? Are you really this demented?
The democrats have not touted a welfare system. Republican states take the most in welfare, and they take more than they put back in. Many republican states take $2 for every $1 they give back to the federal system. Democratic states on the other hand take less federal money. Seems like someone is getting the shorter end of the stick.
By the way, most food stamps are not used on cigarettes. Many are highly restrictive. You’re a misinformed, uneducated idiot.
http://wallethub.com/edu/states-most-least-dependent-on-the-federal-government/2700/#red-vs-blue
You’re a total and complete bullshit artist. You don’t even know what you’re talking about. You libertarian types are all the same… you lie about everything.
Democrat states are states that have the highest levels of economic activity, the highest number of well paying jobs and are the economic centers. Los Angeles alone sees more economic activity than entire republican states!
http://d2e70e9yced57e.cloudfront.net/wallethub/images/posts/11487/states-most-least-dependent-on-the-federal-government-blue-vs-red-image.jpg – Look at this image very closely. It’s based on facts.
And look at California. People often accuse our state of taking more. More bullshit. Our return on taxpayer investment is $0.68 for every dollar. And let me just take the example of South Carolina. Their return on taxpayer investment is $5.38. They are the quintessential welfare state. For every dollar they put in the federal system, they get over $5 in return. And they are solidly republican.
Giancarlo85
@aliengod: Why is it republican states have the highest level of poverty, the highest percentage of the population on welfare, and the lowest levels of economic activity? Oh wait, you’ll still come up with some stupid lie about how democrat states are causing some kind of mess.
You just don’t realize without democratic states, the republican state you live in would be piss fucking poor. California, again… $2.4 trillion economy, 4 of the busiest ports in the entire country (where over 80% of imports/exports enter and exit the country). Without our state, you would be as poor as Haiti.
Shame on you for lying so blatantly!
aliengod
@Giancarlo85: Again, you’re delusional. Typical Californian. You’ve used the same “WalletHub” stats for both your references. “Los Angeles alone sees more economic activity than entire republican states” because of Hollywood. Are you so dull you don’t know this? Hundreds of millions of dollars in the LA economy are due to movie production. So your references are null. You can’t compare South Carolina to California. You’re simply ignorant of the facts.
jwtraveler
It’s the downside of gay liberation that so many privileged gay white people now identify with the institutions of oppression that used to imprison us, commit us to mental institutions and attack us without leaving us any legal or political recourse. “Now that we have ours, why should we care about anyone else?”
Not at all different from the fundamentalist black preachers who feel that the civil rights that black people have finally won entitle them to join their white, Christian, fellow bigots in opposing gay rights. “Now that we have ours, why should we care about anyone else?”
Yup. Blacks hate gays. Gays hate blacks. Keep fighting. Just the way the straight, white power structure likes it.
Giancarlo85
@aliengod: Why are my tax dollars going to your shithole of a state?
And you want other sources? Sure you can just ask me. Here you go:
***Edit: I was going to post a politifact link, but it has the word “soc*i*al*i*sm in it but is strangely censored on here.****
http://taxfoundation.org/article/facts-figures-2014-how-does-your-state-compare
Tax Foundation did their own study that corresponds with this fact. Wallethub states are based on figures released by the federal government and the GAO.
You didn’t post shit and you doubt my sources? Are you really this stupid and lazy?
“because of Hollywood. Are you so dull you don’t know this? Hundreds of millions of dollars in the LA economy are due to movie production. ”
Incorrect. Hollywood has been leaving LA for years basically. Movie production doesn’t even account for a small fraction of economic activity in this city.
http://www.city-data.com/us-cities/The-West/Los-Angeles-Economy.html
“Los Angeles is the largest major manufacturing center in the United States, with 500,000 workers in manufacturing activities in 2003. The largest components are apparel (68,300 jobs), computer and electronic products (60,000 jobs), transportation products (54,600 jobs), fabricated metal products (49,900 jobs), food products (44,800 jobs), and furniture (27,400 jobs). The last few years have witnessed major economic expansion. The three-tiered, traditional economy (aerospace, entertainment, and tourism) has evolved into a well balanced, multi-tiered economic engine driven by unparalleled access to world markets.”
—
We’re also the center of SpaceX (Hawthrone) and the booming aerospace industry.
“So your references are null.”
No they aren’t. They are factual.
You are null and your argument is void. You are intellectually dishonest and stupid.
Giancarlo85
@aliengod: Why are you so fucking lazy? You come up with a rapid fire response and you can’t even bothered to bring up your own sources. Almost all republican states (barring one or two) are what I described. Welfare states. They take money and they don’t give anything in return.
Most democrat states give far more money and get little in return.
Is this so hard for you to comprehend? And before you go after my sources, you lazy shit… come up with your own!
aliengod
@Giancarlo85: LOL! You can always be counted on for a good laugh. Do you not realize that the welfare system is a Democrat idea? It’s another system of big government touted by the Democrat Party. Simply stating that many Republican states are “welfare states” means nothing other than they are victims of Democrat policies… a welfare system that does nothing other than imprison it’s recipients in a cycle of dependence.
Giancarlo85
@aliengod: Why are you always so lazy? The welfare system is a republican idea fully implemented in republican states which absorb the greatest amount of federal money. You are simply a lazy liar who can’t be bothered to back up anything he says. I didn’t simply state anything. I backed up my claims. Victims of democrat policies? How is that, dirtbag? How can a republican state ruled by dumbass republicans (much like yourself) be victims of democrat policies?
You’re a lazy stupid fool who doesn’t back up anything. Your arguments reek of intellectual dishonesty.
Giancarlo85
I get it…
Aliengod: “Even though all the facts say one thing, my little thoughts say the other… so I’m right and your FACTS are just facts… they aren’t relevant to anything!!!!”
You’re such a big fucking dumbass. I don’t even know why I wasted my time looking up sources.
darian
@Giancarlo85: I’ve given up on trying to have intelligent conversions with him along with the rest of the Republican sellouts. I find it funny they are quick to demean black people for not overwhelming supporting gays then turn around and not only support but want to give them positions of power when they say clear as day….. HE HATE YOU. I guess as long as they are white their right huh.
darian
That was supposed to be we hate you.
jwtraveler
One thing I’ve learned from reading these comments: Gay men are r@cists. And I’m white. I can only imagine what the black men are thinking.
Bob Kellerman
A naive high school essay
DuMaurier
@jwtraveler: I have to wonder too. Obviously it isn’t universal (as your and other posts here show), but it’s hard to forget that the first time I saw someone use the n-word on a comments board it came from a white gay man (YouTube discussion about a marriage equality video)
Franklin
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Sometimes, I really hate being a black gay man in America. You have to deal with bs from two communities who you thought would have your back. God it can be so depressing. After reading some of these comments I guess I know the real reason why so many grindr profiles say no blacks.
tmccloud1
@Franklin you wrote:” After reading some of these comments I guess I know the real reason why so many grindr profiles say no blacks.”
sexual desire and attraction is a complex thing.. i mean i’m not physically attracted to African americans or asians, but that’s because I prefer a hairy body over a smooth one, and by and large most men of color are on the smooth side.
As far as supporting communities of color, I don’t mind supporting african americans, when i see them doing for themselves…
Sluggo2007
@Ummmm Yeah: Excellent comment and so true!!!!
Sluggo2007
@Giancarlo85: As usual, your head is planted firmly up your butt. The author of this article was born in 1992. That explains volumes. He doesn’t have a clue.
tllthn89
Not a chance in heck. I don’t care skin color. I am the same way w our community if I think we are over reacting or incorrect or unfair. It’s time we start enjoying our freedoms and stop taking them for granted. Fight when we have to, enjoy what we have the rest of the time 🙂
James Hart
@AtticusBennett: Shame on you. You say you stand with the oppressed and then compare people to individuals with severe disabilities like Down’s Syndrome. Shame on you.
Giancarlo85
@Sluggo2007: Was I even talking about the article, pathetic child? I was talking about the unsupported garbage certain people here post. Just like you did. How old are you? 12? You sure act like a child.
@darian: The most interesting fact is that a majority of African Americans do support same sex marriage, according to recent polling data. Some people on here are stuck in the past. And since we have a few loser Republicans who post here, they are stuck in a different universe.
darian
@Giancarlo85: Agreed. These bigoted gays seem to think whites have a monopoly on being gay and all black people will attack them forgetting that they are 3 times more likely to be attacked by another white guy usually in the name of Jesus. I get it now. In order to be a Republican you have to hate someone and gay Republicans hate blacks got it.
Blackceo
This is some good popcorn reading. Totally not surprised by the level of ignorance in many of the comments. Carry on.
wpewen
Well, it would be great if the gay community returned to it’s roots and advocated for civil rights for EVERYONE. That’s the way it was when I came out in late 70’s LA, a white boy from the suburbs. But no, now we have GOP gays who know all about it, and have got theirs. They don’t give a fuck about other people. LOTS of them.
Giancarlo85
@darian: All these gay republicans can do is attack the age of the author or come up with some other topic that is not related. Gay republicans don’t just hate blacks… they really hate themselves. Gay republicans really wish they weren’t gay so they would fit in better.
Gay republicans hate gay African Americans and gay Latinos. They would rather we just disappear.
@wpewen: Lots of the GOProud idiots on here don’t care about anyone but their own “checkbook”. Some of these guys claim they vote based on economics (too bad republicans are shit for the economy anyways).
AtticusBennett
the appalling racism in these comments is indicative that a lot of you are broken boys who are barely any better than the bigots who raised you. congrats.
Cam
@BJ McFrisky: said.. “I suspect Martin Luther King, Jr., is doing some serious rolling in his grave right now, since apparently this article’s author is unfamiliar with MLK’s Six Steps For Nonviolent Social Change, in which he condemned ANY form of violence to achieve a social goal.”
__________________
You can always tell when right wingers know that they are being rac-ists or defending rac-ism because it is the only time they will bring up Martin Luther King.
So BJ, funny how you didn’t mention non-violence in relation to unarmed citizens being shot by the police. Weird how you forgot that part right?
Franklin
@tmccloud1: Let me clue you in on something. The majority of black folks are doing for themselves. Don’t let the media fool you. We even do for ourselves in the gay community by starting our own pride organizations, so that gay people of color have a place where they feel comfortable and not marginalized. Also, most of the people spewing this negative about black people are probably people that haven’t even met that many black people. If I were to move to a small all white town in Mississippi and get treated badly for being gay there, would it be accurate for me to talk about how the majority of white people are homophobic?
Cee
@BJ McFrisky: He didn’t say he was inspired by violence…so you try again. He said it was inspiring to see young people who are inspired to stand up and make their voices heard. Stop trying to twist what he said when it’s clear as day.
Cee
@Taskebab: He was non-violent and had too much influence. That’s why he was killed.
Cee
@CCTR: Black people are only seen that way by people who have little to no interaction with Black people in their daily lives. Most Black people are not thugs. People prejudge and go by the media. They’re all sheep. Talk to a random Black person at the store or on the street and they would see most are non-threatening.
Saint Law
@Maude: No my facts are correct and my conclusions irrefutable. Which is why you were unable to refute them.
Your worthless, craven, little half-life.
Saint Law
@BJ McFrisky: I don’t live in the States and yet I know more about what’s going on there than you.
But that’s coz you are only secondarily an American citizen. Primarily you’re an occupant of your own arsehole.
Saint Law
@aliengod: “a welfare system does does nothing other than imprison it’s recipients in a cycle of dependence.”
Do you possess one thought you can call your own? Or even an iota of an inner life?
There is very little in the way of welfare in your primitive country. When in the 80s and early 90s welfare was withdrawn the drugs economy became the main economy of the ghettos because there Were No Other Jobs.
What do you propose people do? Move en masse to another state? I can just see what shitbags like you would make of the arrival of thousands of impoverished Black and Hispanic people in your neighborhood.
Xzamilio
@BJ McFrisky: “Again, violence is never the right choice. But it is inspiring when you see young people who are inspired to stand up and make their voices heard, whether it be on the issue of gay rights, the civil rights of African-Americans, or any other constituency.”
How do you figure you can quote mine someone that atrociously? You purposely left off the other portion of what he said
darian
@Giancarlo85: Exact these are the same mental midgets that want to congratulate guy benson for just being gay at fox news meanwhile this author is actually taking a stance on a civil rights issue now all of a sudden he’s a bad guy? It’s just more Republican bullshit.
Giancarlo85
@Xzamilio: That’s what the right wing turds do on here best. They always misquote others. They even misquote other posters. I don’t know why these bigots try to act smart. They should go back to the right wing blog they came from.
@darian: Exactly. Benson hasn’t done shit for the LGBT community, yet a few of these GOProuder types want to hail him as some sort of hero. He’s just another talking head at Fox that is ashamed of his sexuality and wants to downplay it.
Gay republicans wish they were straight. They never want to bring up the fact they are gay. That has to do with them feeling ashamed of themselves.
Elliot Bermel
Absolutely not.
William Mc Gregor
How quickly our community forgets the many riots by those who came before us as a result of the injustice perpetrated against us. Remember people, if it weren’t for others outside of our collective groups our fight for equality would have never happened as fast as it has. If you aren’t willing to help others then don’t have a hissy when no one comes to our aide.
enlightenone
@Victor Barry: “Stop pulling gays into this race bullshit.”
And when a thug cop or two or three attack your “faggot” ass you will reconsider your dumb statement of blacks being a homophobic RACE!
This is the first time I’ve called someone a “faggot.” It fits!!
enlightenone
@Joshua Andrew: “will not fight to support people who don’t support me and cause damage to government entities.”
Intelligent MEN and women are needed; so I’m sure your services will not be requested!
charmin88
@Ummmm Yeah: you are so ignorant it’s not even funny. First of all There are Gay people who are black and case you haven’t noticed. Second, you want equal rights Well guess what so do black people. some would say the same stereotypes you just accused all blacks of being but use ignorant things that antigay bigots like to accuse guys of like pedophile etc.
charmin88
It shows in these ignorant comments mainly by white gays that (which is sad) that if it’s not about “white” Gays no one cares about other people’s injustice. I do how ever appreciate and commend some of the queer people on here who are standing up for blacks. They have common sense to know that white Gay privileges are not the only thing that’s important. LGBT people come in all races. So saying and calling all blacks “thugs” and lazy shows your no better than antigay bigots. Yall should be ashamed of yourself
charmin88
@AtticusBennett: I have so much respect for you. Thank you, I really do mean it, for showing that all Gays on here aren’t as r-cist and ignorant. As a young Gay black man I really needed to hear there are still good people in the Gay community.
BJ McFrisky
@Xzamilio: . . . said, “How do you figure you can quote mine someone that atrociously?”
I’m sure I could respond to your question, but I don’t know what it means. Clarification?
Giancarlo85
@BJ McFrisky: You re a typical right winger. You misquote people and take words out of context. This has to do with a lack of mental power on your part.
UltimateSin
@charmin88: I couldn’t agree more with you.
Reading some of these comments it makes me wonder how many of the people making them are b!goted rac!$ts who if born straight would also be die hard conservative republicans.
Charlie in Charge
Everyone keeps saying violence isn’t the answer… but why not? It seems to be the only thing working.
I support the Stonewall riots and the Baltimore riots.
darian
@UltimateSin: Some then are gay and still die hard Republicans in their minds.
CCTR
@Cee: True, prejudice is undoubtedly based on ignorance. Look at so many of the disturbing comments here. It is clear that many didn’t read the article or if they did they clearly misunderstood it.
That sheep mentality you mention helps to maintain the polarizing raycist status quo of entitlement and access in this country that is so advantageous for so many. If they are able to join the herd and benefit personally from it they have no interest, nor incentive to educate themselves.
Jacob23
There is no possibility of the LGBT community standing with Baltimore because there is no such thing as the “LGBT community.” There is an LGB community, however, and James Duke Mason may direct his arguments to us if he so desires.
Giancarlo85
@Jacob23: You keep spewing that shit. You obviously don’t know what you are talking about and you have no say over anything. There is no such thing as “LGB”. You just make things up as you go along. Take your transphobic hatred somewhere else.