All things Racist...USA edition (2 Viewers)

[Farb]

I was looking for a place to put this so we could discuss but didn't really find a place that worked so I created this thread so we can all place articles, experiences, videos and examples of racism in the USA.

This is one that happened this week. The lady even called and filed a complaint on the officer. This officer also chose to wear the body cam (apparently, LA doesn't require this yet). This exchange wasn't necessarily racist IMO until she started with the "mexican racist...you will never be white, like you want" garbage. That is when it turned racist IMO

All the murderer and other insults, I think are just a by product of CRT and ACAB rhetoric that is very common on the radical left and sadly is being brought to mainstream in this country.

Another point that I think is worth mentioning is she is a teacher and the sense of entitlement she feels is mind blowing.

https://news.yahoo.com/black-teacher-berates-latino-la-221235341.html

 

[LA - L.A.]

I just want to bring to your attention the sadness of our system. If you aren't aware, Marcellus Williams, an innocent man was killed by the government tonight. The Supreme Court could have stopped this but we have these "justices" running the show. Please look up the story if you haven't. I'm so heartbroken.

The family of the victim told the Governor and the courts they didn't want him to be killed, but damned if they didn't all murder him anyhow. So much for the "culture of life" that Republican politicians and conservative judges hypocritically shroud themselves in.

 

[samiam5211]

I just want to bring to your attention the sadness of our system. If you aren't aware, Marcellus Williams, an innocent man was killed by the government tonight. The Supreme Court could have stopped this but we have these "justices" running the show. Please look up the story if you haven't. I'm so heartbroken.

Lawyers, prosecutors, jurors and more believed Marcellus Williams may have been innocent. Missouri executed him anyway

The 55-year-old was sentenced to death in 2001 for killing Felicia Gayle, a former newspaper reporter found dead in her gated community home.

www.abc.net.au

This quote from the governor was pretty pathetic.

No jury nor court, including at the trial, appellate, and Supreme Court levels, have ever found merit in Mr Williams's innocence claims," he said.

"At the end of the day, his guilty verdict and sentence of capital punishment were upheld."

He didn't need to prove his innocence, only that the conviction was unjust. Just the prosecutors carelessly tainting the knife and pretending they didn't know where the DNA came from is enough to have the conviction thrown out IMO.

Did they find Williams' DNA anywhere at the scene? I can't find mention of it one way or the other in the several articles i checked just now.

 

[Optimus Prime]

I believe one of the main witnesses admitted that he lied during the trial

 

[Optimus Prime]

After the Connecticut Sun defeated Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever on Wednesday night, knocking the rookie and her teammates out of the WNBA playoffs, Alyssa Thomas wanted to speak.

The All-Star forward called out the hate that Sun players have faced from sections of the Fever fanbase, saying the racist abuse she has witnessed was unprecedented in her 11-year career.

“Basketball is headed in a great direction, but we don’t want fans that are going to degrade us and call us racial names,” she said. “Something needs to be done, whether it’s them checking their fans or this league checking, there’s no time for it any more.”

Thomas is far from alone. Angel Reese, who many of Clark’s fans paint as a villain due to the pair’s on-court rivalry, has spoken about similar issues.

“Caitlin is an amazing player and I’ve always thought she’s an amazing player,” Reese said on her podcast. “We’ve been playing each other since high school, there’s never been beef. We’ve talked trash to each other in AAU. [Her fans] ride for her and I respect that, but sometimes it’s very disrespectful. I think there’s a lot of racism when it comes to it – and I don’t believe she stands on any of that.”

It’s no secret that many of Clark’s fans – or people who say they are her fans – claim they are defending her before spewing racist abuse against players in a league where the majority of players are Black.

Clark herself has rejected such behavior, telling reporters: “People should not be using my name to push those agendas. It’s disappointing. It’s not acceptable,” Clark said. “Treating every single woman in this league with the same amount of respect, I think, it’s just a basic human thing that everybody should do.”

Clark made those comments in June, but the racism among elements of her fanbase go back to her time in college. Which is to say, this is nothing new. And yet important figures around the league have not done enough to quell it.

First up is the league itself. The WNBA has been fully aware of the racism and vitriol that has been running rampant among fans well before Thomas’s comments, and the league issued a statement decrying such abuse on Wednesday.

And yet, saying the league has handled the situation well would be a little too kind. A few weeks ago WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert, was asked about the “darker” tone taken by the some of the league’s fanbase, particularly when it came to racist and homophobic abuse.

Engelbert seemed more interested in how that tone affected business and the league’s bottom line than the pain inflicted on players.


“[The Clark-Reese] is a little of that Bird-Magic moment if you recall from 1979, when those two rookies came in from a big college rivalry, one white, one Black. And so we have that moment with these two,” she said. “But the one thing I know about sports, you need rivalry. That’s what makes people watch. They want to watch games of consequence between rivals. They don’t want everybody being nice to one another.”

Engelbert later admitted she had “missed the mark” with her comments and wrote a letter of apology to the league’s players. But it was disturbing that someone who should be helping to protect players didn’t get it right the first time and had to make that apology in the first place.

As for the Fever, have they done everything they could do stop such behavior? Their coach, Christie Sides, condemned online abuse after Wednesday’s game, but there was no official statement from the team. Sure, many of those spewing abuse online do not claim to be Fever fans – and probably aren’t – but that shouldn’t stop the team from being clear where it stands. They Fever are certainly happy to welcome the hike in attendance and income that Clark brings. So why not fight the negative elements that their star player attracts?

Unfortunately, it’s not only fans who are weaponizing Clark. It appears as though every time Clark gets fouled, certain members of the media begin to push the narrative that she is a white damsel in distress being beaten up by Black opponents. Whether they truly believe this or not, it sure helps push up clicks. (Who can forget the Chicago Sun-Times writer distancing herself from that infamous back page headline last month?)……

Caitlin Clark must keep condemning any of her fans projecting racism and hate | Etan Thomas

Calling out the racist element in her fan base is no small burden, but with Caitlin Clark’s great fame comes great responsibility. If her words can limit hate, staying silent just isn’t an option

www.theguardian.com

 

[bird]

After the Connecticut Sun defeated Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever on Wednesday night, knocking the rookie and her teammates out of the WNBA playoffs, Alyssa Thomas wanted to speak.

The All-Star forward called out the hate that Sun players have faced from sections of the Fever fanbase, saying the racist abuse she has witnessed was unprecedented in her 11-year career.

“Basketball is headed in a great direction, but we don’t want fans that are going to degrade us and call us racial names,” she said. “Something needs to be done, whether it’s them checking their fans or this league checking, there’s no time for it any more.”

Thomas is far from alone. Angel Reese, who many of Clark’s fans paint as a villain due to the pair’s on-court rivalry, has spoken about similar issues.

“Caitlin is an amazing player and I’ve always thought she’s an amazing player,” Reese said on her podcast. “We’ve been playing each other since high school, there’s never been beef. We’ve talked trash to each other in AAU. [Her fans] ride for her and I respect that, but sometimes it’s very disrespectful. I think there’s a lot of racism when it comes to it – and I don’t believe she stands on any of that.”

It’s no secret that many of Clark’s fans – or people who say they are her fans – claim they are defending her before spewing racist abuse against players in a league where the majority of players are Black.

Clark herself has rejected such behavior, telling reporters: “People should not be using my name to push those agendas. It’s disappointing. It’s not acceptable,” Clark said. “Treating every single woman in this league with the same amount of respect, I think, it’s just a basic human thing that everybody should do.”

Clark made those comments in June, but the racism among elements of her fanbase go back to her time in college. Which is to say, this is nothing new. And yet important figures around the league have not done enough to quell it.

First up is the league itself. The WNBA has been fully aware of the racism and vitriol that has been running rampant among fans well before Thomas’s comments, and the league issued a statement decrying such abuse on Wednesday.

And yet, saying the league has handled the situation well would be a little too kind. A few weeks ago WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert, was asked about the “darker” tone taken by the some of the league’s fanbase, particularly when it came to racist and homophobic abuse.

Engelbert seemed more interested in how that tone affected business and the league’s bottom line than the pain inflicted on players.


“[The Clark-Reese] is a little of that Bird-Magic moment if you recall from 1979, when those two rookies came in from a big college rivalry, one white, one Black. And so we have that moment with these two,” she said. “But the one thing I know about sports, you need rivalry. That’s what makes people watch. They want to watch games of consequence between rivals. They don’t want everybody being nice to one another.”

Engelbert later admitted she had “missed the mark” with her comments and wrote a letter of apology to the league’s players. But it was disturbing that someone who should be helping to protect players didn’t get it right the first time and had to make that apology in the first place.

As for the Fever, have they done everything they could do stop such behavior? Their coach, Christie Sides, condemned online abuse after Wednesday’s game, but there was no official statement from the team. Sure, many of those spewing abuse online do not claim to be Fever fans – and probably aren’t – but that shouldn’t stop the team from being clear where it stands. They Fever are certainly happy to welcome the hike in attendance and income that Clark brings. So why not fight the negative elements that their star player attracts?

Unfortunately, it’s not only fans who are weaponizing Clark. It appears as though every time Clark gets fouled, certain members of the media begin to push the narrative that she is a white damsel in distress being beaten up by Black opponents. Whether they truly believe this or not, it sure helps push up clicks. (Who can forget the Chicago Sun-Times writer distancing herself from that infamous back page headline last month?)……

Caitlin Clark must keep condemning any of her fans projecting racism and hate | Etan Thomas

Calling out the racist element in her fan base is no small burden, but with Caitlin Clark’s great fame comes great responsibility. If her words can limit hate, staying silent just isn’t an option

www.theguardian.com

Hey, I thought that this country was post-racial. I mean, after all, nothing bad has happened since a Black man became president.

Now, where did I put my sarcasm button?

 

[Optimus Prime]

Late Monday, the US Department of Justice (DoJ) announced it plans to launch the first-ever federal investigation into the 1921 Tulsa race massacre, in which hundreds of Black Tulsans were killed, thousands were displaced and forced into internment camps overseen by the national guard, and Greenwood, the thriving district once known as “Black Wall Street”, was decimated, looted and burned by a racist mob.

The review, launched by the civil rights division’s Cold Case Unit, comes after a major setback for survivors and descendants of the massacre. In June, Oklahoma’s supreme court dismissed a lawsuit brought by two survivors, Lessie Benningfield Randle, 109, and Viola Fletcher, 110. In July, the women once again called for Joe Bidenand the justice department to intervene.

Kristen Clarke, the assistant attorney general who announced the DoJ review, called the Tulsa race massacre “one of the deadliest episodes of mass racial violence in this nation’s history”.

“We honor the legacy of the Tulsa race massacresurvivors, Emmett Till, the Act that bears his name, this country and the truth by conducting our own review and evaluation of the massacre,” Clarke said, announcing that the review should be finalized by the end of the year.

“We thus are examining available documents, witness accounts, scholarly and historical research and other information on the massacre. When we have finished our federal review, we will issue a report analyzing the massacre in light of both modern and then-existing civil rights law.”…….

US justice department announces investigation into Tulsa race massacre

Review of 1921 massacre comes months after Oklahoma supreme court dismissed lawsuit brought by two survivors

www.theguardian.com

 

[zztop]

Not really surprised this happened in Mississippi

When Mississippi Once Banned “Sesame Street”

The show ran into problems during its first season in 1970 when a small group of Mississippi television consultants found it too controversial. The reason? Black cast members.

getpocket.com

 

[zztop]

Idaho state senator tells Native American candidate 'go back where you came from' in forum

An Idaho state senator is reported to have told a Native American candidate to “go back where you came from” during a candidate forum this week.

apnews.com

 

[LA - L.A.]

Idaho state senator tells Native American candidate 'go back where you came from' in forum

An Idaho state senator is reported to have told a Native American candidate to “go back where you came from” during a candidate forum this week.

apnews.com

I hope the Native American candidate said the obvious aloud and told the Republican candidate to go back to were his family came from. Screw taking the high road on that one.

 

[Optimus Prime]

Universities across the country have transformed at the command of anti-diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) legislation. At the University of Texas-Austin, the legislation led to resource cancellations, office closures, and staff firings -- pushing some students to create alternatives to their school’s defunct diversity programs.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed SB 17 into law in 2023, barring public institutions of higher education from having diversity, equity, and inclusion offices, as well as programs, activities, and training conducted by those offices. The law also restricts training or hiring policies based on race, gender identity or sexual orientation.

His office told ABC News in a recent statement that the legislation was intended to ensure people “advance based on talent and merit at public colleges and universities in Texas.”

Abbott’s office criticized universities for using DEI offices to “advance political agendas and exclude conservative viewpoints on college campuses. These efforts adversely affect our students, limit exposure to diverse thought, and destroy our education system,” read the statement from Abbott’s press secretary Andrew Mahaleris.

ABC News spoke to UT Austin students and a terminated faculty member about the compounding impact the loss of diversity programs has had on campus...........

When DEI is gone: A look at the fallout at one Texas university

Students at the University of Texas-Austin have been in mourning as they watched the impact of anti-diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) legislation on their campus.

abcnews.go.com

 

[coldseat]

Universities across the country have transformed at the command of anti-diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) legislation. At the University of Texas-Austin, the legislation led to resource cancellations, office closures, and staff firings -- pushing some students to create alternatives to their school’s defunct diversity programs.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed SB 17 into law in 2023, barring public institutions of higher education from having diversity, equity, and inclusion offices, as well as programs, activities, and training conducted by those offices. The law also restricts training or hiring policies based on race, gender identity or sexual orientation.

His office told ABC News in a recent statement that the legislation was intended to ensure people “advance based on talent and merit at public colleges and universities in Texas.”

Abbott’s office criticized universities for using DEI offices to “advance political agendas and exclude conservative viewpoints on college campuses. These efforts adversely affect our students, limit exposure to diverse thought, and destroy our education system,” read the statement from Abbott’s press secretary Andrew Mahaleris.

ABC News spoke to UT Austin students and a terminated faculty member about the compounding impact the loss of diversity programs has had on campus...........

When DEI is gone: A look at the fallout at one Texas university

Students at the University of Texas-Austin have been in mourning as they watched the impact of anti-diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) legislation on their campus.

abcnews.go.com

In an ironic plot twist, private Catholic Universities are now more inclusive than public universities here in Texas. My kid chose to go to his mother's alma mater, St. Mary's University here in San Antonio. He works in their DEI office and says the university has a very inclusive atmosphere, including being very welcoming and accepting of LGBTQ+ students.

 

[Optimus Prime]

New York (CNN) — Ken Frazier grew up in a poor Philadelphia neighborhood as the son of a janitor and grandson of a man born into slavery.

He rose to the heights of corporate America as CEO of Merck from 2011 to 2021, becoming the first Black chief executive of a major pharmaceutical company.

Ken Chenault, the CEO of American Express from 2001 to 2018, became just the third Black CEO of a Fortune 500 company in history at the time he took over.

The two pioneering business leaders told CNN in an interview that companies turning their backs on strategies to promote diversity will limit equal opportunities for people who face disadvantages because of their skin color, the neighborhood they grew up in, the quality of school they attended and other forces beyond their control.

The two pioneering business leaders told CNN in an interview that companies turning their backs on strategies to promote diversity will limit equal opportunities for people who face disadvantages because of their skin color, the neighborhood they grew up in, the quality of school they attended and other forces beyond their control.

Their warning comes as DEI initiatives are under fire from right-wing political and legal attacks.

Companies such as John Deere, Tractor Supply Co. and Harley-Davidson have retreated on DEI programs in recent months, fearful of a backlash like the one that wrecked Bud Light’s business after the beer brand embraced (and then distanced itself from) a trans influencer.

But Frazier, 69, and Chenault, 73, said corporate diversity strategies are essential in a country where not everyone starts from the same place and bias exists.

The two leaders have co-founded OneTen, an organization aiming to create one million careers for people without a four-year college degree……

Two of America’s most prominent Black business leaders have a warning for companies abandoning DEI | CNN Business

Ken Frazier and Ken Chenault said companies retreating from DEI will limit equal opportunities for disadvantaged Americans.

www.cnn.com

 

[Optimus Prime]

The United States Postal Service (USPS) is facing accusations of retaliation, harassment and intimidation from a longtime employee who alleges she experienced racism on the job.

Carla Thomas Vinson has worked for USPS in Gainesville, Florida, for about 26 years. Everything changed last February.

Vinson, who is African American, overheard two white colleagues in conversation. Both used racial slurs, according to Vinson and a legal filing submitted by USPS – which one of them would later repeat to her, directly, when recounting the exchange.

In an interview with the Guardian, Vinson claimed she had been subjected to “stalking, intimidation, bullying” after she complained about the incident. “I feel as though a company that I have invested so many years in has failed me,” she said.

USPS declined to comment. “It is USPS policy not to comment on pending litigation or internal personnel matters,” a spokesperson said……

Vinson, a supervisor at USPS at the time, did not normally work on Sundays. An exception was 19 February 2023. The office was mostly empty.


That morning, while making a pot of coffee, she overheard a postal employee speaking to one of her fellow supervisors. William Roy complained to Alvin Tate that he felt he was being treated like a “forking N-word”, according to Vinson. She saysTate reassured him he was not, and that he was “one of us”.

“I was kind of shocked, because Roy is an older white male,” Vinson said in an interview. While she said Roy did not talk to a lot of people at the post office, she claimed that she was someone he spoke to “every day”.

Roy left the office, and Tate came to her desk. At this point, according to Vinson, Tate sat down and repeated the conversation, including the racial slur that both he and Roy had used.

Vinson was “just stunned”, she told the Guardian. “I didn’t say a word.”

She remembers reaching for a yellow sticky tab, and making a mark each time Tate used the N-word. He did so 17 times, according to Vinson. In an affidavit, Tate claimed he only used the N-word once, when reciting the initial conversation back to Vinson.

Tate walked away. “I got up. I was so shocked,” said Vinson. “I went to the bathroom and I cried. I literally cried. Because I couldn’t believe that this man, that I’ve been working with for a few years, felt the need to sit down and say these things, and just kept on saying it over and over again.”


Around 45 minutes later, she decided to confront Tate. “I said: ‘Alvin, you don’t think the conversation that you and Roy had was hurtful to me’,” Vinson recalled. “And I said: ‘And then you came, you never addressed Roy by saying that as a supervisor, but then you came and sat at my desk, and you said it over and over again like it’s in your everyday vocabulary. You continue to say it.’”

Vinson says she started to cry. “I didn’t even realize what I was saying,” Tate said, according to her and the USPS motion for summary judgment. He allegedly added: “Can you tell me what it means?”

Tate later claimed in an affidavit he asked Vinson what the word meant to her so she can understand why it upset her.

She went home early……….

USPS accused of retaliation and harassment after employee raised racism allegations

Exclusive: Carla Vinson, who worked for USPS for 26 years, says she endured ‘intimidation and bullying’ after reporting two white coworkers who allegedly used racial slurs

www.theguardian.com

 

[SamAndreas]

The United States Postal Service (USPS) is facing accusations of retaliation, harassment and intimidation from a longtime employee who alleges she experienced racism on the job.

Carla Thomas Vinson has worked for USPS in Gainesville, Florida, for about 26 years. Everything changed last February.

Vinson, who is African American, overheard two white colleagues in conversation. Both used racial slurs, according to Vinson and a legal filing submitted by USPS – which one of them would later repeat to her, directly, when recounting the exchange.

In an interview with the Guardian, Vinson claimed she had been subjected to “stalking, intimidation, bullying” after she complained about the incident. “I feel as though a company that I have invested so many years in has failed me,” she said.

USPS declined to comment. “It is USPS policy not to comment on pending litigation or internal personnel matters,” a spokesperson said……

Vinson, a supervisor at USPS at the time, did not normally work on Sundays. An exception was 19 February 2023. The office was mostly empty.


That morning, while making a pot of coffee, she overheard a postal employee speaking to one of her fellow supervisors. William Roy complained to Alvin Tate that he felt he was being treated like a “forking N-word”, according to Vinson. She saysTate reassured him he was not, and that he was “one of us”.

“I was kind of shocked, because Roy is an older white male,” Vinson said in an interview. While she said Roy did not talk to a lot of people at the post office, she claimed that she was someone he spoke to “every day”.

Roy left the office, and Tate came to her desk. At this point, according to Vinson, Tate sat down and repeated the conversation, including the racial slur that both he and Roy had used.

Vinson was “just stunned”, she told the Guardian. “I didn’t say a word.”

She remembers reaching for a yellow sticky tab, and making a mark each time Tate used the N-word. He did so 17 times, according to Vinson. In an affidavit, Tate claimed he only used the N-word once, when reciting the initial conversation back to Vinson.

Tate walked away. “I got up. I was so shocked,” said Vinson. “I went to the bathroom and I cried. I literally cried. Because I couldn’t believe that this man, that I’ve been working with for a few years, felt the need to sit down and say these things, and just kept on saying it over and over again.”


Around 45 minutes later, she decided to confront Tate. “I said: ‘Alvin, you don’t think the conversation that you and Roy had was hurtful to me’,” Vinson recalled. “And I said: ‘And then you came, you never addressed Roy by saying that as a supervisor, but then you came and sat at my desk, and you said it over and over again like it’s in your everyday vocabulary. You continue to say it.’”

Vinson says she started to cry. “I didn’t even realize what I was saying,” Tate said, according to her and the USPS motion for summary judgment. He allegedly added: “Can you tell me what it means?”

Tate later claimed in an affidavit he asked Vinson what the word meant to her so she can understand why it upset her.

She went home early……….

USPS accused of retaliation and harassment after employee raised racism allegations

Exclusive: Carla Vinson, who worked for USPS for 26 years, says she endured ‘intimidation and bullying’ after reporting two white coworkers who allegedly used racial slurs

www.theguardian.com

"Going Postal" has more than one meaning.


I recall a delivery postman when I was growing up who would almost always wear his uniform shorts on cold days as well as on the warm days. He did that until the day his wife shot him several times, which killed him at home.

Then there was a pre-trial period which resulted in a judgment that the shooting was justified.

She was sort of the PTA mom for the whole town. She was always at school doing things, helping. Always nice. Two weeks before this happened she was one of the chaperones who went on a several day band trip to mexico with us.



Two times during my life I have seen that, where they rule that it was justified for a wife to have shot her husband, because it turned out that the husband deserved his death at home.

The second time I saw that happen was in the remote hills of Montana. That was an odd one, she got rid of his body by burning it in the wood stove. Her kids helped her do that gristly part. One of her kids talked about it months later in school, otherwise no one in town was concerned that he had disappeared, no one had missed him.

 

[Optimus Prime]

An international network of “race science” activists seeking to influence public debate with discredited ideas on race and eugenics has been operating with secret funding from a multimillionaire US tech entrepreneur.

Undercover filming has revealed the existence of the organisation, formed two years ago as the Human Diversity Foundation. Its members have used podcasts, videos, an online magazine and research papers to seed “dangerous ideology” about the supposed genetic superiority of certain ethnic groups.

The anti-racism campaign Hope Not Hate began investigating after encountering the group’s English organiser, a former religious studies teacher, at a far-right conference. Undercover footage was shared with the Guardian, which conducted further research alongside Hope Not Hate and reporting partners in Germany.

HDF received more than $1m from Andrew Conru, a Seattle businessman who made his fortune from dating websites, the recordings reveal. After being approached by the Guardian, Conru pulled his support, saying the group appeared to have deviated from its original mission of “non-partisan academic research”.

While it remains a fringe outfit, HDF is part of a movement to rehabilitate so-called race science as a topic of open debate. Labelled scientific racism by mainstream academics, it seeks to prove biological differences between races such as higher average IQ or a tendency to commit crime. Its supporters claim inequality between groups is largely explained by genetics rather than external factors like discrimination.

Dr Rebecca Sear, the director of the Centre for Culture and Evolution at Brunel University, described it as a “dangerous ideology” with political aims and real-world consequences.

“Scientific racism has been used to argue against any policies that attempt to reduce inequalities between racial groups,” she said. It was also deployed to “argue for more restrictive immigration policies, such as reducing immigration from supposedly ‘low IQ’ populations”.

In one conversation, HDF’s organiser was recorded discussing “remigration” – a euphemism for the mass removal of ethnic minorities – saying: “You’ve just got to pay people to go home.” The term has become a buzzword on the hard right, with Donald Trump using it in September to describe his own policies in a post on X that has been viewed 56m times.………

Revealed: International ‘race science’ network secretly funded by US tech boss

Group promoting ‘dangerous’ scientific racism ideology teamed up with rightwing extremist, recordings reveal

www.theguardian.com