... how come this doesn't happen when a cop kills a white man by mistake? It's happened. It doesn't even get reported.
Whether or not it gets reported in the news is irrelevant (except maybe for raising awareness). What's wrong is that it happens. So, these cases you mention where someone white is killed by a cop. Were they killed
because they were white? If not, it's not the same thing.
I've never been pulled over by a cop because I was white. Have you? As I mentioned, I have been pulled over because a cop thought I was black. Further, every male minority I know has been stopped by a cop at least once because of race.
So, the issue is being emphasized because it's something that happens almost exclusively to minorities. It rarely, if ever happens to whites.
And herein lies the problem,,,in my view.
If it were me,,,I'd just do what the cops told me to.
And there still might be trouble due to the prejudice of some cops. If there's a weapon involved there will surely be problems. And "going down without a fight"....I don't agree with that way of thinking at all.
Indeed this is where the problem lies, because you don't get it yet. It's not as if these police stop minorities and ask them politely to pay a parking fine. When they stop them, they move immediately to excessive force without due process. There's no opportunity to "just do what what the cops ask".
Do you know any police officers? I've known several - and here's the thing. They are not a special class of people. They're just people. There are some excellent cops and there are some horrible cops just like there are excellent people and horrible people. The difference, though, is that police have been given the authority to use deadly force, and bad cops frequently use it improperly.
One cop I knew was on a vice squad, and he would talk to me about how he loved it - not because he got to help people or stop crime - but because he loved to fight. He told me straight out he goes into every situation
hoping there will be a fight because he loves to bash in people's faces. That's not the kind of guy I think should be a cop.
I understand what the black community is going through,,,as much as could be understood without actually living it,,,,there is a limit to really understanding something.
I'm sure that's true, but from my perspective that's exactly the problem. I'm sure you're a kind, loving Christian, but if you have no experience with this kind of thing, my position is you have 2 choices. 1) You can educate yourself. 2) You can remain silent about things you aren't familiar with.
It seems odd, but recently I've heard several public figures say that a huge problem in the U.S. is that people seem to think they're an expert about everything and have something valuable to say about everything. I respect more those who say, "I've no experience with this."
I'd like for us all to stop seeing color.
I agree with your sentiment 100%. I will clarify by adjusting your phrase to, "I'd like people to stop assuming color is bad." I rather think color is one of the varieties of God's creation worth celebrating. Beauty comes in so many amazing shapes, sizes, and colors.
Personally, "white" is not a facet of my identity. I think of myself as a Christian, engineer, father, KC fan, etc. "White" never enters into it, and that's why I'm part of a mixed family. It has never been an issue for me to form family bonds with anyone. I honestly never think of it. I know them by who they are, not by their race.
I was proud of that until one of my family convinced me that is exactly my problem. It meant I had no sympathy and absolutely no understanding of what types of things happen to people of color in this country. I have learned they were 100% right, because even though it doesn't happen to me, I now have to watch these beloved family members discriminated against on a regular basis.
It happens ALL THE TIME - DAY IN - DAY OUT.
I wish everyone was color blind, but if I want to help solve the problem, I can't let color blindness blind me to the problems of people of color.
