Michael Rose Ivey Statement on Kneeling

[Skerpokes]

Why are we isolating 5-10 events where an officer was CLEARLY in the wrong and making it out to be an epidemic, sensationalizing everything and so on

I think there is more to it than this. I think that in general, black people's experience and interactions with police are a night and day difference than what most white people experience with police.

Part of it I believe is a sociological issue. I compare it to a prison guard. You work long enough inside of a prison and see what goes on in there day in and day out, it changes you. It hardens you and it creates an inhumane image of the inmates in your brain.

The officers who work in the ghettos and see and deal with things that we'll never understand have perhaps formed a perception of black people that is not justified or fair.

 

[Skerpokes]

They knew what was in his car. They had already searched it. ANd again disobeying a police officer is not a capital crime. And regardless of all the if's, his children do not have a father today because a cop shot an unarmed man for disregarding and instruction even though he had his hands in the air and was approaching a vehicle that had already been cleared of the possiblity of any weapons. The attitude that if they just do what their told they won't get shot has to be debunked. That was the first thing the officer said, therefore that was the officer's justification. That is the problem.

I agree with you. Hence why I implied that a less lethal method would have worked just fine.

 

[iruletheskool]

I think there is more to it than this. I think that in general, black people's experience and interactions with police are a night and day difference than what most white people experience with police.

Part of it I believe is a sociological issue. I compare it to a prison guard. You work long enough inside of a prison and see what goes on in there day in and day out, it changes you. It hardens you and it creates an inhumane image of the inmates in your brain.

The officers who work in the ghettos and see and deal with things that we'll never understand have perhaps formed a perception of black people that is not justified or fair.

Ok but what do we do about it?

 

[HuskerInSecLand]

Nobody thinks it's ok, but . . . ? what is there to do about it? that's a small number in light of the violent crime rate and population of our country

and now we have black americans thinking they have to be afraid of every police officer and creating tension where there does not need to be

This is where I strongly disagree with you. It is a huge number if even one of them are your loved one. And no the tensions of blacks in our society existed long, long before this. Have you ever heard of being pulled over for Driving While Black? Being in the wrong neighborhood? Suspected of intent to shoplift because you are black?
The tensions are there this has just brought the pimple to a head.

 

[HuskerInSecLand]

I agree with you. Hence why I implied that a less lethal method would have worked just fine.

I knew that and I really didn't have an issue, just wanted to take another opportunity to make a point.

Sorry.

 

[Skerpokes]

Ok but what do we do about it?

The first thing you do is have open dialogue about it which most likely wouldn't have begun to happen if people hadn't started protesting during the anthem.

 

[iruletheskool]

This is where I strongly disagree with you. It is a huge number if even one of them are your loved one. And no the tensions of blacks in our society existed long, long before this. Have you ever heard of being pulled over for Driving While Black? Being in the wrong neighborhood? Suspected of intent to shoplift because you are black?
The tensions are there this has just brought the pimple to a head.

I've posted this question about 5 times now, but what do we do about it?

 

[uncfan103]

This is about how police treat minorities.

The issue should be police violence. Not police violence only towards minorities.

 

[HuskerInSecLand]

Ok but what do we do about it?

I already said I believe something has changed in training or policy. WHatever that is has to be identified and changed. It can not be ok to shoot someone for disobeying. Disobeying should not be automatically viewed as a threat to their lives. Civil Disobedience is a long accepted form of protest and LEOs have to be able to deal with it without killing people.

 

[iruletheskool]

so we all agree that rioting is not the answer

 

[Skerpokes]

Then I think that you have to reevaluate police training. And somehow someway you have to repair the relationship and perception between the black community and the police. And let me be clear, this is a two-way street. The black community has to meet halfway.

We need to educate their children that the police are not the enemy. It drives me nuts that people protest against the police, but when shit hits the fan, the police are the first people they call for help.

We need to teach children that all people, black, white, yellow and orange are responsible for their actions. If you commit a crime, be prepared for the repercussions.

 

[Skerpokes]

so we all agree that rioting is not the answer

I do not think anybody here has said that or even implied that

 

[iruletheskool]

I do not think anybody here has said that or even implied that

but that's the only thing people are doing

 

[Skerpokes]

but that's the only thing people are doing

That's a pretty broad brush you have there

 

[uncfan103]

Unfortunately there is no 1 answer to this problem.

I do no envy the responsibility and burden placed on a police officer when they put on that uniform and I would NOT want their job. I wouldn't want their job before all of these shootings happened, and I most certainly do not want their job now with all of the animosity and hostility directed towards them.

Likewise, I would not want to be a black person right now. I would not want to be pulled over and even have the slightest uncertainty of what COULD happen to me even if I do follow orders. I do not know how parents in the black community explain to their children why black moms and dads are being killed at the hands of the police. I do not know how black kids grow up and NOT have a negative image and fear of police officers.

IMO, in most of these instances there is blame to go around. The victim is usually not completely innocent, and the police officer could have used better judgement and less lethal force. I will never fully appreciate the responsibility we place on police officers. At the end of the day, they are all human and must make a life or death decision in a split second and as humans do, they make mistakes.

I agree, I wouldn't want that perception, the implicit bias surrounding me that comes with being black. However, now is a better time than ever to be black in America. It's not the best situation to be in, but there are more opportunities for minorities than ever before. The president is black, shows that people can achieve anything. Doesn't mean that we can't treat minorities better, and that we can't improve the current situation.

I don't want to take away from anything you're saying, I think this post hits the nail on the head. Mistakes are made in most of these situations, by police officers and victims.

 

[uncfan103]

Sorry for butting in on the Nebraska board. There were protests at the UNC home game this weekend and I just wanted to read what you all had to say.

 

[Jack_John_Mark]

Ok but what do we do about it?

We protest, stool. We protest because there's nothing that can be done and it gives us a chance to get on tv and get attention. That's what we do.

 

[Jack_John_Mark]

I try to stay out of this as much as I can but it's hard some times.

What drives me nuts is when people feel like they need to take one side or the other simply for political reasons.

I'm as neutral as they come on this topic. I believe there is injustice to an extent, just not nearly the extent that the far left is making it out to be.

 

[Neb4life]

Read a story of a youth football team doing this here in Texas. Ok for grown ups to do things that they feel strongly about. But don't put that on kids.
I do not agree with the kneeling stuff but I have never walked in a black mans shoes. Please just be logical about what you want to represent.

 

[Skerpokes]

Let me also say that I have some issues with the "Black Lives Matter" group. For one, if the issue is truly about

The issue should be police violence. Not police violence only towards minorities.

Then why is the group called "BLACK Lives Matter"?