We need to be more careful with this idea of ‘sanctuary cities’ – for a few reasons:
1). These regions are not safe havens for all undocumented immigrants – only those without criminal records. The mayors of New York City and Los Angeles stated they would protect the “good and law-abiding immigrants” from deportation. The law is not race-neutral and objective in its application. As long as an immigrant is found guilty of a crime, they are no longer ‘law-abiding’ and can be deported. Not to mention the fact that we re-entrench white supremacy by classifying who is good/innocent (historically white) and who is bad/guilty (historically black). The logic running beneath ‘sanctuary cities’ only normalizes the gaze of the State and makes it stronger.
2). So-called sanctuaries are rooted in the criminal justice system. When Immigration Customs Enforcement requests that an immigrant be detained, the county can decline because they have ‘discretion’ and it is ‘voluntary’. In doing so, the justice system can present itself as a hero – a savior that steps in to rescue immigrants from despair. New York City and Los Angeles are ‘sanctuaries’, but this does not change the fact that their police departments are notorious for racism. This reminds me of that video of a black woman who was pulled over by a cop who then gave her an ice cream cone. On a different scale, the police in ‘sanctuary cities’ can say: we could’ve deported you, but we are nice enough not to. It becomes easier to fall into a Blue Lives Matter perspective where the violence of policing is overlooked.
Undocumented immigrants are still exploited and terrorized by the police in these ‘sanctuaries’ – but they are supposed to be grateful that they won’t be deported back to a land destabilized by U.S. corporations and armed forces … which likely motivated their migration here in the first place? Oh, how nice of us!
3). As long as there is racism, sexism, and capitalism – there is no such thing as a ‘sanctuary’. We should be under no illusions as to who our enemies are. In contrast to what many are saying: the real ‘showdown’ is not between the federal government and local governments in court – but between the oppressors and the oppressed in the street.
Prompt: Automatic
January 27, 2017 at 6:07 pm
Man that’s crazy because Dave, Keisha, and I just recorded a podcast talking about this. Being from San Francisco a sanctuary city, Trump used the Pier 14 killing of Kate Steinle to spearhead his campaign. (A homeless immigrant stole a pistol from a police car.)
http://abc7news.com/politics/bullet-that-killed-steinle-at-pier-14-appears-to-have-ricocheted/958526/
What’s crazy is that police, sheriff, fbi, Cia etc always have their guns stolen while they are parked on a street. But no mention of that however
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January 27, 2017 at 6:25 pm
Conservatives always point to this one instance as a reason undocumented immigrants should be deported. They are like the kid on the basketball court who could only dribble with one hand lol.
The police are swine. We need not be worried about immigrants committing crimes, we should be worried about the police. Not only are their guns stolen, but they put drugs onto the street. There are documented cases of CIA planes crashing with tons of cocaine on them. When someone gets arrested with money and drugs, the police seize it. They do not put it into an evidence locker like Law & Order claims, they dump it right back onto the street and make some side money, and/or they give themselves something to police. For all this talk about crime rates, the police do not really want a society with no crime – because they would be out of a job. So we CREATE new crimes all the time so they can stay in work; and they make sure they dump those drugs back onto the street to pad those stats of theirs.
It is absurd to think that cities, with their police departments, are somehow offering “protection” to immigrants. This is like a wolf saying it will protect the sheep.
The fact that San Francisco is a sanctuary city is complete bullshit. Undocumented immigrants often make less than minimum wage – – so how in the hell are they supposed to find housing in that city? How can a city that doesn’t even have affordable housing for anyone claim they are a sanctuary for immigrants? I mean…come on.
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January 27, 2017 at 7:32 pm
Preeeeeeeeaaaachhhh. But what’s crazy is, who hires illegal immigrants? Who are taking these wealthy kids to schools? I know I can’t afford to hire an illegal immigrant to help me. Hmmmmm. Brotha Darryl any hints? Lmfao. It’s the biggest scapegoat.
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January 27, 2017 at 8:47 pm
Lol. You’re definitely onto something. Here’s a hint: people blame immigrants for stealing their jobs, so they want them deported. But in reality, immigrants tend to do jobs that no one else wants to do … like farming/agriculture. So deporting all these people will not magically open up a bunch of jobs for Americans. We have to ask: who benefits from hiring undocumented workers for cheap? Who benefits from sending jobs overseas? These are the SAME people that are behind this entire phenomenon. Instead of focusing on THESE people, we are focusing on immigrants who want nothing more than a decent life. It’s divide and conquer, and like you said … scapegoating.
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January 30, 2017 at 3:31 pm
There is almost always some stipulation that comes with our laws; leaving certain individuals or groups vulnerable to discrimination. Its ridiculous. This weekend, I was discussing that with a colleague of mine who has been affected by the travel ban (specifically, the 13th amendment’s exception clause). It wasn’t until we read the exception clause to the travel ban that he understood my issue with the 13th amendment clause.
How solid is a law when it comes with a disclaimer? When it includes variables or stipulations such as: case-by-case determinations, significant criminal history, or links to terrorism. With no specific details as to what is considered significant, or a link. its all objective. There is never a clear definitive answer because its all tailored to fit the agenda of those in power.
I read a statement in a CNN article from the Department of Homeland Security Official (in regards to the travel ban) yesterday. It read: “This is our message to them: get on a plane. Come back to the US. You will be subject to secondary screening, but everything else will be normal.” It reminded me of all the times last year that black folks were advised by non-sympathizers to not worry about “driving while black” if we had nothing to hide. Although the statement was targeting a different group of people, the words seems to transform in my mind. I saw: “Get in a car. Come back to the roads. You’ll be subject to unlawful traffic stops and searches, but everything else will be normal.” As if that makes everything okay…
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January 30, 2017 at 4:10 pm
Greaaaaat comment! I agree: laws are always crafted with loopholes. The Constitution was written 241 years ago, but we are still using it today because it is vague to the point where every generation can re-interpret it to fit their desire to oppress us. The rulers make the rules ; laws are just what the people in power want.
I am amped right now that you are peeping the connection to the 13th Amendment. You said you didn’t have a “flare” for discussing social issues!!! You’re on fire right now! lol.
But yes, the logic of the 13th Amendment is pretty much the template for all of these xenophobic, anti-immigrant, anti-refugee actions. As you know, after the 13th Amendment was signed “freeing” black people, the Southern States passed laws making a bunch of everyday actions illegal: a black person became a “criminal” if they were standing around with no job, etc. Under the exception clause, as long as they were convicted of a crime, they could become slaves again. You’re right: it is ridiculous. A lot of people think the law is race-neutral. Its not. As you said, it is a tool for those in power. Whether something is legal/constitutional makes no difference because, realistically, the biggest atrocities in human history were perfectly legal. Europeans kidnapped hundreds of millions of Africans and broke 0.00 laws. Europeans stole the West from Native Americans and pillaged them, and broke 0.00 laws. 6 million Jews died during the Holocaust – Hitler aint break a single law. It is clear that the rulers make the rules. The problem is not the rules, the problem is the ruler. We will obtain small victories in court debating what the rules are, but as long as we have rulers, we will always be, as you said “vulnerable to discrimination”.
That statement from Homeland Security is disgusting. It just goes to show how psychical and physical violations are completely routine for us. We are becoming desensitized. We are on surveillance camera roughly 30 times a day: red lights, ATM machines, stores, etc. Our oppressors are trying to convince us that the only problem with them violating us is that they don’t get the chance to do it enough. They honestly believe that if they violate us enough times, it will be allright. And for the most part, it becomes part of the norm for us. For the first time in my life, I got on an airplane over the summer. I, of course, was angry that I had to take my shoes off, empty my pockets, and let some stranger “search” me. But I was more upset that no one was upset about it. No one was refusing. THAT is scary. So I am happy to see these movements of people refusing this nonsense … showing up at airports and disrupting.
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January 30, 2017 at 5:22 pm
Woo hoo! I’m so happy that I’m developing in my knowledge and conversations around social issues. Your blog has really been instrumental in that. I don’t think enough conscious / informed black folks understand how infrequently some of us have been exposed to conversations such as these. And to pick up a book and learn is hard when you don’t know what you’re searching for or when you haven’t been challenged intellectually on these topics. I’ll get there! 😀
Its so crazy, what you said about our oppressors searching for validation/justification in violating us. The colleague that I mentioned speaking to yesterday, we discussed this ALSO. His views broke my heart and upset me greatly. We were discussing profiling and I showed him a chart showing how many whites vs. blacks were pulled over in Ferguson during the Mike Brown trials. He was in shock! He then went on to tell me that his wife had been pulled over a few times, going 2 miles over the speed limit while wearing her hijab. I naturally sympathized with him and thought we would have common ground. But his following response was something to the affect of:
“my wife was calm. He asked her to get out of the car and to walk back to his police car. I was told to stay seated. I was worried but she was calm and so was I. So we were able to get out of the situation without any drama. If we don’t fight back or make it big deal, then we can usually avoid the confrontation.”
Darrrrryyyyyllll…..that was the moment I realized I cannot discuss politics or race at work. I am horrible at calmly debating. I get loud, angry, flustered, etc. Its horrible. I lose control and I freak everyone out. I think I did the same with this guy but I lost it. You can only imagine how many points I threw at him about aiding in our oppressors violating us. They are convinced that we need to be controlled and they will seek out ways to do so. They have a point to prove and as many unjust encounters necessary to prove their case is what they aim for. And just like you said, it becomes the norm for us…to be oppressed…and to take that oppression with grace and dignity. Its deplorable. And to sit in the passenger seat while your wife is asked to accompany an officer to his vehicle for a traffic stop does nothing to help. Although I honestly don’t know what else he is to do – as he communicated to me as well.
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January 30, 2017 at 6:22 pm
I am glad my blog has served a purpose beyond being a personal diary of sorts. Thank you for the positive feedback! You are sharp =D
Wow @ your colleague’s police story. Far too many people engage in a politics of respectability – where they think the only problem confronting folks is that we are not polite enough, or that we do not follow the rules closely enough. Sure, his wife was mild and timid in that situation and that likely played a part – but lets not sit here and pretend that the cop pulled them over for being 2 mph over the speed limit. Why did he have her step out of the car? From your description, it was simply a traffic violation – which could’ve been resolved with a simple citation. The fact that she was removed from the vehicle shows that there was ANOTHER reason at play here. The original infraction – the speeding – is simply the “cover” for what they really wanted to do: to humiliate and dominate her because of her sex/ethnicity/religion. People front as if the police are completely justified in their actions – behaving in reaction to a threat. But the fact of the matter is: the police tend to shoot unarmed black men – even when they have no weapons, have their hands in the air, or are laying down on the ground. I mean … we watched Walter Scott get murdered on film. The police lied and said he posed a threat … but Scott was running AWAY from him. That is so angering. Yeah, definitely don’t discuss politics at work – especially if it is going to make you angry. It is good to have a healthy debate, but there comes a time when it is simply unproductive. It is not your job to educate and persuade everyone. Save your energy for the battles you are fighting and will need to fight in the future.
People need to detox themselves of their positive views of the police. This is why I resent clowns like Steve Harvey: I saw one episode of his talk show where he had a mini-documentary of a black “activist” (ACTORvist) going for a ride-along with a local police officer. The objective was for the black activist to get an idea as to how “dangerous” policing is – and develop an appreciation for the hard work of policing. Steve Harvey is up there talking about we need to understand “both sides of the story” (the police and the community). No! There is only one REAL side: the police. The community has no “side”. Your colleague’s wife had no “side” – she was wearing a hijab and that was the end of it. She was guilty from the beginning. The only “side” we have is being able to pick a side of the jail cell, or pick a side in the back of a police car, or pick a side of the cemetery for the coffin of our loved one. That is our “side” in the matter. The police are going to do whatever they want: they are the judge, the jury, and the executioner – and under Trump, they will be even more emboldened.
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January 31, 2017 at 11:27 pm
I think the only safe haven one can have in America as a person of color, is the freedom in one’s mind. That way, anything could happen on the outside but nothing will disrupt the stillness within. That’s what I’ve been on lately. Creating new systems internally first and then going externally but that’s just me. Cause this country is a joke as far as feeling a sense of safety from the government.
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January 31, 2017 at 11:47 pm
I agree – this country is becoming more and more of a parody. We absolutely have to turn inward. It is sad, because it is like an added layer of segregation we have to deal with – but it is a necessary defense mechanism. We are not safe anywhere.
What you said about freedom in one’s mind reminds me of a Stevie Wonder song called “Treat Myself”. If you haven’t heard it, here is the link! I hope you like it:
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February 1, 2017 at 12:14 am
Wow you told me a Stevie Wonder song I’ve never heard… that’s a rarity. I will listen now! Thanks!
And yes, it is extremely necessary. I don’t think a lot of us really know how vital our energy is to our own evolution but that’s another story for another day… in fact Thursday on my blog. (shameless plug lol)
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February 1, 2017 at 12:28 am
Shamelesssss lol. Will definitely check it out =D
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February 1, 2017 at 12:31 am
Hahaha … thanks 🙂
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February 1, 2017 at 12:25 am
I like this song! Makes me happy. And yes, definitely fits!
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February 1, 2017 at 12:28 am
Awesome! =D
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February 4, 2017 at 2:42 pm
Snap..snap..snap……YAAASSSS!
That’s exactly where we have to go…inside..in your mind.
That’s where the peace is. The only place where we can really effect change 🙂
Forget finding any external peace in this current situation–it’s yesterday’s news.
Go girl!
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February 7, 2017 at 7:54 am
Thanks girl!
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February 1, 2017 at 1:30 am
I feel a lil out the loop on this topic. This piece actually makes me want to read more into this matter. Do you have any articles I can read on this similar topic. I want to know more… Great Post!
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February 4, 2017 at 2:36 pm
Hey Bro Darryl! What’s up, love?
Excellent commentary, as usual 🙂
To be honest, if a police officer stopped me and gave me a damned ice cream cone, I wouldn’t dare eat it.
I’m being very honest here!
It’s terrible that I can’t trust a police officer to give me a scoop of freaking ice cream that wasn’t somehow tampered with.
This distrust of the police and the government by the Black community has been the case well before I even stepped a physical foot on this planet and that’s a damned shame.
My brother retired from upper level Law Enforcement after 21 years of service and my Dad was an MP in the Air Force and I still have trouble trusting them.
Now what does that tell you?
SMH.
Good work!
How you doin’?
LOL!!!
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February 4, 2017 at 2:36 pm
PS: Distrust of the police and government of ALL people of color.
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February 4, 2017 at 10:34 pm
Hey Lady G! Thank you! How have you beeeeen!? I have been alright, thanks for asking! I just got back from a family dinner: my parents, siblings, in laws. It was nice. Things like that restore my faith in humanity. Wanna know the best part? It was free! lol. My mom had a gift card to a restaurant so we all got steak and cake.
Lol @ not eating the ice cream offered by cops. I wouldn’t eat it either! I love black raspberry ice cream with gummy bears – but if a cop pulled me over and offered me a bowl of that … I’m ALL set! Lol.
In Boston, the police have a “community policing” project known as Operation Hoodsie Cup. The cops go into the poor black/brown areas where the people have no trust in the police (understandably) – and then they hand out … hoodsie cups. They don’t bother to address the structural violence that is causing the rift to begin with. Lady G – I kid you not – the police purchased an $89,000 ice cream truck. Look at this nonsense:
Whenever a black person gets shot by the cops, the Captain sends out an email: “add sprinkles” lol.
Dang, smh at not fully trusting your brother or father. I feel you. There is something really hostile about these positions and worldviews.
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February 4, 2017 at 10:44 pm
LOL!!! Black raspberry with gummy bears!!!
$89,000 for a gotdamn ice cream truck? That’s a damn shame.
The LEAST they could do is buy some books or start a tutoring program or give them some real damn food- lots of families are food insecure.
I just can’t with that nonsense!
Hell, if you’re not going to address the true issue at least do something useful.
BTW, I DO trust my brother and father; sorry for wording that in a confusing way. It’s just that I still don’t their former colleagues. You would think that I would but I don’t.
Oh and Mama got a blessing for all y’all! Steak and cake for EV-ERY-BODY!!! YAAASSSSS!
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February 4, 2017 at 10:52 pm
Ohhhhh I get you about trust with your brother and father. Absolutely.
And great point about the ice cream project. That is such a colossal waste. It is moreso a PR move than anything else – the cops get to show up, look good, do a little dance, and then that is the end of it. But at the end of the day, the Boston Police are making disgusting demands: they are asking for bigger guns, more vests, etc. We don’t need ice cream trucks – we need to divest from the police. Lets use some of that money to, like you said, buy some books! Logic is going out of style, I swear. From the looks of it, Trump is finna sign an executive order making it illegal lol.
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February 6, 2017 at 7:30 pm
LOL!!!
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February 4, 2017 at 7:01 pm
Darryl, I’m at the movies watching I AM NOT YOUR NEGRO and just hadddd to tell you how much you need to see this if you haven’t yet
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February 4, 2017 at 7:18 pm
Word? I haven’t even heard about that! Let me know how it is! I’d love to see and review it!
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February 4, 2017 at 7:21 pm
Im not surprised – its super low profile. I literally saw a sponsored ad of it on Instagram and thats how I heard of it. Any black scholar would eat this movie up. Its like nourishment for someone with your mind lol! Go check the trailer!
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February 4, 2017 at 7:33 pm
Hmm low profile is good – that way we know it is more real. I just looked up when it is screening in my city, and it is showing on March 10th. I put it on my calendar ☺ Thanks for telling me about this, I need that nourishment lol. Would love to have a discussion with you about it!
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February 4, 2017 at 7:35 pm
March 10th?! LORDT !! Ill have to see it again to be ready for our discussion lol! By March, I’ll be a political and cultural beast if I keep at this pace!
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February 4, 2017 at 7:41 pm
That’s what I’m sayinggg! Nobody cares about Rhode Island apparently! Lol you been in beast mode for a while now. I swear .. ever since that high heel piece .. you been cookin! You tried to say you don’t have a flair.. I’ll never let you live that one down! You been on fire with these comments lol🔥🔥
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February 4, 2017 at 7:44 pm
Lmbo look at you motivating me! Trying yo make me go open anothet book tonight smh 😅. We should have a cultutal education book club on WordPress. Book of the month (s) – because I may need more than one month to swallow everything I read lol. Then we could have discussions on your page! Thanks Darryl for volunteering! What book will we be reading first? 😂
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February 4, 2017 at 7:54 pm
Lol! That is the best idea I’ve heard all day! I’m definitely down for it! This is YOUR idea, so maybe WE could launch it? We can vote on books and such, and do skype chats, or whatever we think it cool. We could def get a few participants and a lot of good discussions ! What do you think?
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February 4, 2017 at 8:02 pm
I think it sounds great! WE can definitely put this together. Maybe even have a podcast (switching up guests maybe?) around the books that we’re reading for a larger discussion. 😀
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February 4, 2017 at 8:13 pm
Yes! We should def do this. I am down for any form of communication. One book per month (or so) is not too much of a commitment – and we can post questions for discussion, etc. This is awesome! Ahhhh 😀
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February 5, 2017 at 12:25 am
I loooooveeeee the idea of posting questions for discussions. Do you already have some books in mind?!
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February 5, 2017 at 6:01 am
Excellent! Yes – the first thing I thought of was Toni Morrison’s “The Bluest Eye” or “Beloved” or “Playing in the Dark: Whiteness and the Literary Imagination”. I have been meaning to get around to this last one.
Do you have any books or topics or authors in mind?
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February 5, 2017 at 6:31 am
Also James Baldwin’s “The Fire Next Time”. I really want to read black women, though – as I think a lot of readings privilege men and ignore the contributions and positions of black women. That is why I thought of Toni. But I’m going over this Baldwin text and he has some gems
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February 5, 2017 at 5:54 pm
You have to read some things you HAVENT read, too ya know! 😅😅. It has to be an experience for you too!
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February 5, 2017 at 6:38 pm
Lol I haven’t read all of the things I have suggested! On my momma, I haven’t lol. I have read only portions of them, gotten the flavor, and moved on. I have read like 20% of that Lorde text. It is really good from what I saw. I want to learn too, of course. ☺
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February 5, 2017 at 6:48 pm
Lol ok ok I trust you! I havent read the book Passing, yet (not sure if thats too old). And I would love to finish reading Black Like Me. A variety of classics with newer books would be nice too! What do you think? I’m looking up some more while here at work! I’m so excited 😁. I like the tony morrison books that you recommended – they sounded like good reads and I haven’t read any yet. What about Cornell West’s Race Matters? Is that worth reading? I want to learn about some things I’ve heard about but are unfamiliar with – like the Medical Apartheid. Honestly, there’s so much that I want to learn that Im just open to anything. I really should follow your direction with the read list lol 🙄. We should totally work on compiling our lists this week. Then we can open the floor for more suggestions from everyone!
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February 5, 2017 at 6:55 pm
I have never heard of Black Like Me, so let’s add that one. I have read portions of the West text, and it is good. I have shelves full of half way finished books lol. I’ve heard great things about that Medical Apartheid. Wherever you want to start is fine with me!
Anything in particular you are interested in?
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February 6, 2017 at 1:39 pm
I’m so surprised you haven’t heard of Black Like Me! Its been used as text in classes, I think. Super intriguing and I know you’ll love that one :D. We may need to explore your bookshelf for more ideas lol! Then you can save some moolah too haha!
I own the Medical Apartheid but I was out of my element when I first tried to read it lol (I won’t lie). And its a THICK book so I was intimidated at the struggle I would have while reading. We can table that one too but something tells me it may require too long of a time commitment than most would be up for. But I would definitely appreciate it if we could read that one together.
And I DO have certain things I’m super interested in. Can I email you? I’m getting lost in all of the comments lmao
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February 6, 2017 at 2:15 pm
Great, would love to hear more about your interests. Lol, I am getting lost too. Email me at darryl.walker.jr@gmail.com ☺
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February 6, 2017 at 2:26 pm
hahaha! I’m emailing you now!
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February 5, 2017 at 8:03 am
I just read part of Playing in the Dark and I think it’s a bit dense, and may turn readers off a bit with its high language and such. Book Clubs should be enlightening and fun. Have you heard of Audre Lorde? She was a fabulous writer .. a black woman and proclaimed lesbian .. with a book called “Sister Outsider” – a collection of short essays about different topics. It is available for free online, too!
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February 5, 2017 at 5:52 pm
Then that sounds like a good one! I had one someone recommended me but I dont know if its any good. Its called Our Black Year by Maggie Anderson. “one familys quest to buy black in America’s racially divided economy.” Can you see if that’s worth tabling too?!
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February 5, 2017 at 6:36 pm
I will look into that one too. Sounds good ☺
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February 5, 2017 at 5:53 pm
I never heard of Audre Lorde but Im definitely interested. And I love short essays because they are easy to dissect and discuss. This sounds like a win!
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February 4, 2017 at 8:21 pm
This is cool we all working together. This is why I joined WP!
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February 5, 2017 at 12:23 am
😀 woo hoo!
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February 7, 2017 at 12:06 pm
I don’t have the option to respond to your comment in the discussion we were having about my colleague’s police story, SO I’ll post it down here lol. First of all, if this is your “diary”… I fear for the personal journal that you might keep at home lol. I do agree with David/Tarreau (forgot who recommended it) that you publish a book of essays. I know that you’re waiting to obtain your PhD though. What’s the reason behind that, if I may ask?
You’re right – the infraction truly was simply a “cover” for the officer’s true intentions. One of the things that bother me most about profiling is how people justify this discrimination whenever the outcome seems to “supports” the generalization(s) made about the victim. It creates a culture where it is considered okay to discriminate first, as long as they can justify their prejudice later (or successfully fabricate the truth afterwards). And the world just silently approves of this injustice…
I don’t understand who we are as a people today. I was talking with my dad last night about the current state of America and I’m just baffled at who we’ve become. But then again, as I read through the articles you’ve included in your most recently military piece (thank you again), I’m seeing that this is who we’ve always been as a country. (FYI – that’s why I haven’t responded to the article yet. I’m still reading through the pieces about our war history that you included. Sadly, I didn’t know our history here and it’s a lot to take in).
People are searching for ways to justify their inhumanity. And at this point I don’t know how much of that is due to them being in a state of denial, ignorance or just pure hatred. Its not hard to see that many officers are creating a threat – not just reacting to one. With that being said, I’m convinced that people just don’t want to detox themselves of their positive views of the police. Why would they? They have the police acting as an advocate in their lives; against a group of people that they’ve been conditioned to view as savages. For many of them, the police are simply carrying out a job that they feel is well-overdue. And you’re right, black people HAVE exhausted SO much energy in trying to educate or persuade White America of our humanity. You’re right – our energy needs to be used more effectively.
The Steve Harvey approach disgusts me and reminds me the two-day workshop created (in 2014?) teaching students how to react “appropriately” if stopped by law enforcement (https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2014/12/how-to-deal-with-the-police/384000/). I won’t even elaborate on my thoughts on this because I’m sure you already know them lol.
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February 7, 2017 at 2:08 pm
Hey Josie! I hope all is well. I have no idea about not being able to comment … I guess WP thought we were talking too much and shut it down 😂
Good question about the PhD. I’d be happy to discuss. Thank you for the support! I barely graduated high school. My grades were barely passing (a little above a D-), I had to go to summer school a couple of times, and I would always cut class. The only thing I learned in four years was how to cheat on exams. I was so busy trying to “bag” girls (unsuccessful, lmao) and look cool. Everyone in school thought I was stupid. This has haunted me ever since; so I cleanse my “demons”, so to speak, by getting higher levels of education – the highest being the PhD. I am trying to redeem that high school version of me.
Also, the most influential person I ever met, who really opened my eyes to the world and challenged me, was a professor of Africana studies/Sociology. Deep down, I want to be like him … that is why I got my Masters in Sociology, from the same school he did, and I am thinking about a PhD. But I have been hesitant about getting the PhD because my Masters program was really taxing. It wore me out being one of the only black people in a basically all white program – where people failed to really “get it” about race. A PhD will take another 4 years and I will not be able to make any real money during that time because it is so demanding. And then there is no guarantee that I will land a big time gig at a college like I dream of … so I am on the fence as of now. This blog is, in part, a way to keep my writing and thinking sharp, you know … to avoid getting rusty. Ahh I feel better lol.
You said: “It creates a culture where it is considered okay to discriminate first, as long as they can justify their prejudice later.” Yes, I totally agree! Great way of putting it!
You are right: “people are searching for ways to justify their inhumanity”. That is what our entire political, economic, and social systems are: complex excuses to be inhumane. We can approach this through an analogy that kinda symbolizes our situation. People are starving and dying of malnutrition while others are overeating and dying of heart attacks related to obesity. The solution is rather simple, right? … redistribute the wealth from these folks and give it to those folks. But no! We come up with all this fancy sounding garbage about “private property”, “money”, “laws” and “individualism” – which are basically excuses to be inhumane.
Interesting point about what may motivate this! I feel you. It is likely a mixture. I wonder to which degree human problems are not simply rooted in a repressed sexuality (sorry Freud!) or economic motives (sorry Marx!), but a desire for recognition and self esteem. We need to feel important. One of the ways we do this is by, as you gestured toward, the police “creating problems and not just reacting to them”. Sure, there is money in policing, but I think they get a *special feeling* when they put those badges on. What will happen if crime rates fell to zero? There would be a crisis of meaning, so America needs to keep re-inventing problems … like “terrorism”.
We all need to feel respected and important. It gives our lives a sense of purpose, a reason to get out of bed in the morning. This is not a bad thing, but I think human beings are gaining a sense of meaning by robbing other people of fruitful lives. This is an issue. We feel important when we police black folks as “thugs” – we get to feel good, while destroying others. It gives our lives a clear structure: we know who the “angels” are, and we know who the “devils” are. The American sense of self came through enslaving blacks and killing natives. Men degrade women so they can feel better. What we need to do is derive a sense of self esteem that does not involve destroying others.
Thanks for sending that article. Approaches like that really bother me. Having a workshop to teach folks how to “react” to the police fails to address the structural purpose that they serve. The police were not, are not, and never will be our friends. It doesn’t matter how many videos the media circulates of Officer Bob rescuing kitties from trees, or eating fried chicken with little black kids … they are still an occupying force that serves the ruling class. Focusing on how we “react” to them is basically saying they are a natural, normal, and ethical institution. They aren’t. We need to be divesting from the police and thinking about a world that doesn’t need them at all.
And at another level, focusing on our reactions to them criminalizes us. To keep it real: the violence that accrues to black folks from the State doesn’t require a bad “reaction” or transgression. Black people catch hell not because of what we did or didn’t do, but because of who we are. The problem is not our actions, the problem is our existence. When black folks are just chilling, minding our own business, we are deemed “threats” and shot down. When we have no weapons, have our hands in the air, are lying on the ground, or running away .. we are shot. It doesn’t matter what we do/don’t do. But like we said: this is the “cover” for the deeper reason that our very BEING offends us.
This kinda reminds me of that Chris Rock skit about “how to not get your ass kicked by the police”. I admit, it is hilarious, but also problematic. Here’s the link: http://youtu.be/OEvMc-K8XHY
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February 7, 2017 at 12:08 pm
Jesus…I’m starting to write essay-style replies like you lmao 🙂
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February 7, 2017 at 2:10 pm
Lol that’s awesome! I prefer long comments. Shows you really thought about it 😀
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