The neighbor should have knocked on the door and asked, Are you OK? Do you need
help? If there was no answer, he should have gone in to see. As a white person
who has heard, only secondhand about what the police do to black people, even I
know that. I've had two experiences with the police. A very long time ago, Art
and I were walking from Penn Station to a theater on Broadway to see a matinee.
We were two older people carrying white canes. A young police officer offered
to walk with us and help us find the theater. It wasn't really necessary, but
he seemed so kind and so young and so eager to help, that we accepted his
offer. The other experience was many years later when the woman who cleaned my
apartment each week, brought her daughter to help. They were white. Her
daughter stole my credit card. I didn't know it until I got a bill with a bunch
of charges from stores that some young person had obviously visited. In order
for Bank of America to credit my card and investigate fraud, they required that
I report the theft to the police. A police officer visited me and questioned
me. His attitude was such that I felt as if I were the thief, not my cleaner's
daughter. Later, I realized why. That night the precinct called and asked if I
wanted to press charges. They said that I had to charge both my cleaner and her
daughter since they were both present. I didn't want to charge my cleaner
because she hadn't stolen the card. I didn't want to charge her daughter
because I didn't think that if she were arrested, any rehabilitation would be
offered and I knew that there were all kinds of psychological issues in that
family.
Miriam
-----Original Message-----
From: blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx On Behalf Of Carl Jarvis
Sent: Tuesday, October 15, 2019 1:05 PM
To: blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [blind-democracy] Re: Murder and Robbery!
I wondered the same thing. When we lived in a close neighborhood in Renton,
our neighbor's front door was in easy sight from our front door. One late
evening Cathy said, "Mary's door is standing wide open and there're no lights
on". We hiked over and banged on the open door. Mary came trundling down the
hall. Obviously embarrassed, she said, "My daughter dropped me off and I had
to make a dash for the bathroom".
But that was in an all white "middle class" neighborhood. I can imagine if I
were the fellow in the news story, wondering if going to the door myself was
wise. And maybe if his neighbor had been a large young man, he would have
thought of police violence. But his neighbor was a young 28 year old woman
with a heart condition. In my mind, despite reports of discrimination within
the police force, he did the right thing. He called a non emergency number and
requested a Wellness Check. Yes, he might have stayed by his front door until
the police arrived and become alarmed over the large number of officers...in
plain clothes, showing up to do a wellness check. But if he'd yelled out, his
neighbor might be alive, but he might be dead.
No, to my way of thinking it is a serious national problem among police
departments. You'll notice that the investigator reported that the incidence
of violence was about the same under the previous Black police chief, as under
the current White chief.
In all of my 84 years I have never had a run in with the police, the state
troopers, the National Guard, and only one bad experience with the FBI. That
was back around 1950, when the FBI was hassling my dad for his past membership
to the American Communist Party.
But what I'm getting at is that my experiences have been what we would consider
"normal". Yet for the first 14 years of my life we were definitely among the
Lower Working Class. And yet, living in a dump of a rental house, the fire
chief would check on us himself, to be certain we were not in danger of fire.
The local police would come up the hill to check on us when he knew that dad
was on the road. We were looked on by caring officials, not seen as a threat.
The difference between my family and a similar Black family was simply that,
Black and White.
We urge people to join the Democratic Party and change the Party Planks to
reflect the people's needs. But the problem is far too complex to be solved by
taking over a political party...as if that could even happen! The problem
cannot be compromised, as Barack Obama thought. If indeed that were his real
reason. The problem is ingrained deep within our social nature. The vary
traits that enabled us to become the King of the Animal World, has also been
our worst enemy.
Jesus understood this. He urged that we become "born again", shedding our
animal nature and embracing a higher one. But even though He understood the
problem, Jesus could do virtually nothing about it.
And while many great minds understand the basic issue, and what needs to occur
in order to change it, lesser minds become cheer leaders, such as Donald Trump,
and gain the support of the masses.
I often think that our make up includes one little gene, a "greed gene", that
one day can be blipped out of each new baby. But then, what if all that does
is to turn us into mindless robots?
Sheesh...
Carl Jarvis
On 10/15/19, Miriam Vieni <miriamvieni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
While I listened, I wondered why that concerned neighbor didn't just
knock on the doorframe and then go into that apartment and check for
himself to see if everything was OK. After all, he, too, is black. He
knows the history of the Fort Worth police department. He was
concerned about whether or not his neighbor was sick. Knowing what the
police generally do, why in God's name would a black person in a black
neighborhood, call them for help?
Miriam
-----Original Message-----
From: blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx On Behalf Of Carl Jarvis
Sent: Tuesday, October 15, 2019 11:24 AM
To: blind-democracy <blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [blind-democracy] Murder and Robbery!
Today's Democracy Now is well worth the investment of an hour.
After headlines, the hour is divided between the Fort Worth murder of
the 28 year old woman, shot through her bedroom window by a young out
of uniform police officer who shouted, "hands up!" and fired in less
than a second, killing her. And the second half of the program tells
of the investigation of the massive robbery by corporate Banksters who
have grown fat and wealthy through trickery and foreclosures, leaving
many Americans homeless.
It's no longer good enough to simply be concerned. We need to take
action and become involved anyway we can.
Begin by going to:
democracynow.org