Baton Rouge winks at racially motivated hate crime

reply to post by seabag


Travelers do not know better. When I was younger, in the 70's my wife and I were traveling through St. Louis going to Colorado. We had car problems and got off the interstate looking for a service station and ended up in a part of town that we were afraid to get out of the car in because everyone kept staring us down.

Everything that is based on race needs to stop. We are all equals in the eyes of God.

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

It seems like not everyone commenting here actually read the linked article. The suspects were not all let go with tickets. One was arrested for assault, and two were ticketed for battery. According to the article the difference between assault and battery is the level of damage done to the victim. The father was seriously injured, but apparently the wife and daughter were not. The police followed procedure by arresting one and ticketing the others. The article says that the person who punched the wife was another woman, but does not specify if she was one of the ones ticketed and does not specify the gender of anyone else besides the man arrested. The image of three black men beating up a white family is misleading.

It does not say that the attack was unprovoked or motivated by race either. The police account of the incident says that the white guy was wearing a pink shirt, someone made fun of him for it, and an argument broke out followed by a fight. I have to wonder if the guy was talking tough right before he got beat up. It doesn't excuse the attack, but it does take some of the weight out of the "innocent victim" claim.

Everyone has a legal right to be in whatever neighborhood at whatever time they want, but the legal theory and the practical reality are two different things. I often ride my bike through "bad" neighborhoods. People tell me all of the time that I am setting myself up for trouble by doing this, but I have never had a serious problem while doing so. Riding a bicycle anywhere in the city means having insults and mockery thrown at you from all kinds of people. If I stopped and trash-talked back at everyone who did it to me then I would probably have been in many fights by now. Instead I just make sure that I'm always armed, I stay aware of who is around me and what they are doing, and maintain thick enough skin to ignore it and be on my way. If you are going to wear a pink shirt you should have some thick skin as well because, right or wrong, you will face some level of ridicule from people who can't understand why you would do such a thing, just like the people who can't grasp why a grown man would want to ride a bicycle.

If he did engage the guy who made fun of him in an argument over something as stupid as his shirt color being mocked while his family was sitting in the car he's a moron. If you are with your child it borders on dangerous neglect to place some concept of defending the honor of your choice of shirt above that duty of protecting your family by avoiding the confrontation and shrugging it off. My dad was a tough dude, and I have no doubt that he could have handled himself quite well in a fight based on his background and the stories I heard of his youth from my uncles but I never once saw him get in a stupid argument with someone while he had us kids with him. It would have been unthinkably out of character. The opportunity certainly presented itself on several occasions but his priority was always to protect his family, not making sure that everyone knew he was a tough guy. He also set a good example for me and my brother about what real manhood and honor are about. Be yourself, let 'em talk, ignore them. Don't be baited by insults into fights. Save your knuckles for a fight about something important.

Again, I'm not saying the attackers were justified in any way. I just think the story seems a bit deeper than "three racist black guys beat up an innocent white family for minding their own business in a black neighborhood".

reply to post by groingrinder

Travelers do not know better. When I was younger, in the 70's my wife and I were traveling through St. Louis going to Colorado. We had car problems and got off the interstate looking for a service station and ended up in a part of town that we were afraid to get out of the car in because everyone kept staring us down.

If travelers do not know better then how did you know it wasn’t smart to stop? Obviously you knew better because you saw people starring you down. You made my point! People should be smart enough to know when things don’t look good. He could have gone to another of the 1,000+ gas stations that are likely within 5 miles of that one. He shouldn't have to do that in a free country but that's the reality we live in, friend.

Everything that is based on race needs to stop. We are all equals in the eyes of God.

That would be great. Do you think it ever has or ever will stop?

Originally posted by Hopechest
reply to post by incoserv

 

There's a very long history of white attacks on blacks simply being dismissed.

Not sure what your point here is.

The point is:

Individuals were attacked because of their race.

What is the point of you turning it around? Does it make it worse if you switch which race was attacked? Does past history simply make it ok now to dismiss it?

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??

Well lets see.. 10 pm.. out of gas.. where else you gonna fill up? Perhaps they had no choice.

The thing is.. and i live in a suburb of New Orleans.. there are mean people where ever you go.. Granted - But there are far more black thugs willing to beat up white folks for any excuse they can find than there are white folks going around beating on black folks.

Blacks in these " caged off" areas of the city with this mentality congregate for these purposes. They do it to establish gang territory and generally because they are big pricks who lack proper education and moral values.

Its WRONG to get whites in fear of certain city areas they are entitled to got to just because there is a bad element. If the cops Know there is a bad element in this area, they need to wipe out the threat. This is the problem. We have places in cities where cops are afraid to go so the thugs keep being thugs and never learn.

Originally posted by Hopechest
reply to post by Slugworth

 

Many people forget the history of racism by whites on the black community.

They are trying to play victims now as if they are innocent of any wrong doing yet both sides are guilty of this even to this day.

The victims in this case were innocent and had nothing to do with the old history you continue to bring up.

reply to post by seabag
Having traveled through Baton Rouge at least 100 times I can honestly tell you that getting off of the Interstate and trying to find a gas station as well as finding your way back onto the Interstate can be a complete nightmare- and if you aren't familiar with the area and get trapped in by other traffic and get stuck in the wrong lane there is no telling where you might end up. The article says the gas station is right off of Interstate 10, and I promise that from the Interstate someone traveling through looking for a gas station wouldn't know if it were a bad area or a good area. Rush hours are the worst and you can get stuck in traffic for hours, but late at night the big trucks are horrendous. I usually wait until I split off from Interstate 10 to Highway 12 before I stop to get gas, but sometimes traffic just WILL NOT let you get over. People drive like maniacs over there and I'm glad not to live there!

reply to post by JohnPhoenix


I don't disagree with anything you said. That is the reality we live in.

...and maybe he really was on fumes and had no choice but to stop.

I carry a gun...daily. This case is a good example of why people should be armed. I can assure you my wife and daughter would have been just fine in that situation.

1) I wouldn't have been in that situation in the first place and,

2) Nobody would have gotten punched

This is why I don't think that there should be "Hate" crimes. Three people beat three other people.

To me it doesn't matter what their skin color was. This is an assault and should be treated as such.

However, we live in a time when political correctness has run amok. I'm pretty sure if the races of the people were reversed that this would be national news and the perps would be charged with a hate crime.

Obviously they deserved it because a long time ago black people sold black people to white people. That sounds about right, doesn't it?

All BS aside. If they were from the area they should have know better than to go there. If they were from out of town they should have known better than to go there. When bars on the windows become more prevalent you should just assume that you are in a bad neighborhood. Better to assume than to have your woman knocked unconsious and your face beat in because you are white.

MOTF!

Originally posted by MessOnTheFED!
Obviously they deserved it because a long time ago black people sold black people to white people. That sounds about right, doesn't it?

All BS aside. If they were from the area they should have know better than to go there. If they were from out of town they should have known better than to go there. When bars on the windows become more prevalent you should just assume that you are in a bad neighborhood. Better to assume than to have your woman knocked unconsious and your face beat in because you are white.

MOTF!

Your logic is not welcome here, sir!

You make too much sense! Are you lost?

reply to post by seabag


Only on days that end with Y....

MOTF!

Originally posted by Hopechest
reply to post by incoserv

 

There's a very long history of white attacks on blacks simply being dismissed.

Not sure what your point here is.

Oh sure....now and again folks need to even up the score a bit.

What is rolling around in your head here is hard to understand.

Originally posted by Slugworth


Again, I'm not saying the attackers were justified in any way. I just think the story seems a bit deeper than "three racist black guys beat up an innocent white family for minding their own business in a black neighborhood".

edit on 5/15/2013 by Slugworth because: typo & wording

Are you thinking maybe they were homophobes.....you know the pink shirt and all.

reply to post by incoserv


The crime had nothing to do with race. Your thread title is misleading and contradicts what is written in the article.

As to whether this falls under a hate crime, police said early reports show it DOES NOT meet the statute but remains under investigation.

The headline should read: A stupid white man became a victim of assault because he had a false sense of security.

Stubbs said a man wearing a pink shirt was in line trying to pay for gas when Donald Dickerson, 41, started making fun of him, leading to an argument.

He was a stranger in a bad area at night and thought it was a good idea to argue with the kind of people who hang out in gas stations. This guy either has a mental disability or zero common sense.

He could have easily met the same fate in a biker bar or a redneck town if he chose to get mouthy with the locals because he looked out of place. If someone crazy or dangerous is heckling or taunting you, then. keep quiet, be polite, and get out of there as quick as possible. It's not rocket science. That goes for everyone who values their health and safety.. black, white, and everything in between.

reply to post by Logarock

Are you thinking maybe they were homophobes.....you know the pink shirt and all.

I wouldn't be at all surprised if a few homophobic slurs were thrown around, the guy felt that his manhood was in question and need to prove how tough he was, and caught a beatdown. Like MaryStillToe points out, the same thing could have happened in a biker bar full of white guys. When entering a gas station in a poor neighborhood or a biker bar in the country one should not assume that people are going to be politically correct about anything. If the guy had walked into a biker bar and a big guy insulted his pink shirt and laughed at him, he talked back, and a righteous butt-kicking followed it wouldn't surprise anyone. We would all be laughing at him and wondering what he expected by wearing that pink shirt in that kind of bar, and why he was stupid enough to open his mouth in return while surrounded by potentially hostile people.

In the same scenario, if he took it in stride and laughed with them there is a good chance they would have bought him a beer. I've been called out plenty of times as a "white-boy" or whatever. If you laugh it off it can lead to making new friends. I make friends everywhere I go, regardless of the racial or economic demographics, largely because I don't try to assert my dominance when outnumbered and standing on other people's turf.

Ive been to the "hood" a few times...sometimes it's unavoidable..I fixed up apartments in "the hood" in florida one time...never had any problem just friendliness...Mind you I looked as broke as the black folks who lived there...because I was about as broke at the time...poverty, the great equalizer of the races.
Of course it only takes one idiot or a gang to change your perceptions...
One time I walked into a hood by mistake, because it had the nearest KFC...no problems that time either...a few surprised looks...but that's all.
Only time I had threats was when walking in a predominately black street, I had a cute black chick on my arm...still alive today though... Oh and I wouldn't recommend doing this hahaha
Fear attracts predators, so walk with confidence wherever you go and remember your not breaking any laws ect.
As for carrying a gun...thats a dumb way of looking at life..if you know all the bad guys carry guns and more often than not you will be out gunned if the brown stuff hits the fan..
Its your country walk where you like...

hey here's an idea...instead of this walking to Washington with your guns...why not have a national walk through the hood day instead...you know, say hello to some black people...instead of having a split and unhealthy society.

Originally posted by Slugworth
reply to post by incoserv

 

Should the white community stage a riot? Is it time for that?

No, for all of the same reasons that the black community should not riot when a white person does something wicked to a black person. It would also be a splendid idea if we no longer attached ourselves to color-coded separatist "communities".

A star for you!

Slugworth, I actually agree with you 100%. I posed the question as a rhetorical one. It'd be stupid and counter-productive to staged a riot. (Riots are, generally, not staged, anyway.)

In addition, I really hate the whole hate crime concept. Again, I used the phrase rhetorically. Crime is crime, and people generally commit crimes against people that they hate. You don't - for the most part - commit a crime against someone you like or love. Whether racially motivated or not, it's wrong.

John Donne said, of death, "Ask not for whom the bell tolls, it tolls for thee." The same goes for these "racially motivated hate crimes." It's the same to me whether it's a black man attacked by a white bigot, a white man attacked by a black bigot, or a people of the same race hurting each other. It's just wrong.

Unfortunately, we live in a climate where there are people interested in driving wedges between segments of society because they know that divided we fall. And there are members of society who play into their hands.

I wanted to write them much earlier in the thread, but got busy and wasn't able to get back to it. As I said in the OP, my intention wasn't to race-bait, but to get us thinking.

When will we ever learn?

Originally posted by Wildbob77
This is why I don't think that there should be "Hate" crimes. Three people beat three other people.

To me it doesn't matter what their skin color was. This is an assault and should be treated as such.

However, we live in a time when political correctness has run amok. I'm pretty sure if the races of the people were reversed that this would be national news and the perps would be charged with a hate crime.

YES!!!!!! Somebody got what I was getting at. Thank you, Wildbob!!!!! I'd give you many stars, if I could.

No, white folks should not riot, because that'd be stupid. It's just stuipd when black folks riot if the situation is reversed.

All three perpertrators should be treated as assailants, regardless of anybody's race.

Ask not for whom the bell tolls...