Gun Deaths, Sacramento and Dallas
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A few years ago, after having my alley-loading driveway partially blocked by the neighbor across the alley parking a big pickup in the lane where they're not supposed to park it, and leave it there all day, I left a polite note on the truck asking them to stop doing that. Several months later, I used the alley to park my car for five minutes to unload a christmas tree. About an hour later, I was outside grilling a steak when that pickup drove up and parked in an even more annoying spot, right in front of me as I was grilling. Out popped a 20 something girl and guy of a certain minority status. It was Thanksgiving and I wished them both happy Thanksgiving. The driver, the guy, grunted at me and the girl struck a pose, wordless, with her arms crossed and one leg splayed out slightly to the side. You'd know it if you saw it. No words whatsoever were spoken by them. The implication was clear, we're black, we're not going to take this nonsense from some white guy, and we know you're intimidated. My dog was out there with me and he wouldn't stop barking at them. I tried to calm him down as the girl continued her stare-down. She finally responded with a "happy thanksgiving" to my second attempt at verbal communication. Verbal communication wasn't really their point.
It is reasonable to believe that if you have nothing to lose, you are scary. I doubt this family was of the nothing to lose sort, but I could be wrong, or they could have been nothing to lose adjacent. But their assumption that they're going to go scare the white guy has stuck with me. Race relations in this country are dysfunctional, maybe especially in this leftist stronghold where high status whites proudly teach black people that their lives are fundamentally different and hope-challenged. But yes, if you have cultures where a huge percentage of the people you grow up with expect to go to prison at some point, and it's largely normalized and shame-free, those are dangerous people.
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A few years ago, after having my alley-loading driveway partially blocked by the neighbor across the alley parking a big pickup in the lane where they're not supposed to park it, and leave it there all day, I left a polite note on the truck asking them to stop doing that. Several months later, I used the alley to park my car for five minutes to unload a christmas tree. About an hour later, I was outside grilling a steak when that pickup drove up and parked in an even more annoying spot, right in front of me as I was grilling. Out popped a 20 something girl and guy of a certain minority status. It was Thanksgiving and I wished them both happy Thanksgiving. The driver, the guy, grunted at me and the girl struck a pose, wordless, with her arms crossed and one leg splayed out slightly to the side. You'd know it if you saw it. No words whatsoever were spoken by them. The implication was clear, we're black, we're not going to take this nonsense from some white guy, and we know you're intimidated. My dog was out there with me and he wouldn't stop barking at them. I tried to calm him down as the girl continued her stare-down. She finally responded with a "happy thanksgiving" to my second attempt at verbal communication. Verbal communication wasn't really their point.
It is reasonable to believe that if you have nothing to lose, you are scary. I doubt this family was of the nothing to lose sort, but I could be wrong, or they could have been nothing to lose adjacent. But their assumption that they're going to go scare the white guy has stuck with me. Race relations in this country are dysfunctional, maybe especially in this leftist stronghold where high status whites proudly teach black people that their lives are fundamentally different and hope-challenged. But yes, if you have cultures where a huge percentage of the people you grow up with expect to go to prison at some point, and it's largely normalized and shame-free, those are dangerous people.
@Horace said in Gun Deaths, Sacramento and Dallas:
A few years ago, after having my alley-loading driveway partially blocked by the neighbor across the alley parking a big pickup in the lane where they're not supposed to park it, and leave it there all day, I left a polite note on the truck asking them to stop doing that. Several months later, I used the alley to park my car for five minutes to unload a christmas tree. About an hour later, I was outside grilling a steak when that pickup drove up and parked in an even more annoying spot, right in front of me as I was grilling. Out popped a 20 something girl and guy of a certain minority status. It was Thanksgiving and I wished them both happy Thanksgiving. The driver, the guy, grunted at me and the girl struck a pose, wordless, with her arms crossed and one leg splayed out slightly to the side. You'd know it if you saw it. No words whatsoever were spoken by them. The implication was clear, we're black, we're not going to take this nonsense from some white guy, and we know you're intimidated. My dog was out there with me and he wouldn't stop barking at them. I tried to calm him down as the girl continued her stare-down. She finally responded with a "happy thanksgiving" to my second attempt at verbal communication. Verbal communication wasn't really their point.
It is reasonable to believe that if you have nothing to lose, you are scary. I doubt this family was of the nothing to lose sort, but I could be wrong, or they could have been nothing to lose adjacent. But their assumption that they're going to go scare the white guy has stuck with me. Race relations in this country are dysfunctional, maybe especially in this leftist stronghold where high status whites proudly teach black people that their lives are fundamentally different and hope-challenged. But yes, if you have cultures where a huge percentage of the people you grow up with expect to go to prison at some point, and it's largely normalized and shame-free, those are dangerous people.
I noticed a difference in the racial environment/tension here as soon as I moved to the US. We were living in an apartment complex which was pretty racially diverse, and I was struck by a vibe, something I couldn't quite put my finger on, that I'd never noticed before either in the UK or Canada.
Funnily enough, I don't notice it anymore, which implies I've probably just got used to it. Either that, or I just live in a much less diverse area, which is also true. This town isn't exactly a cultural melting pot.
I asked about it a bit at the time, and people got really embarrassed and clearly didn't want to talk about it.
I was only joking
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@Horace said in Gun Deaths, Sacramento and Dallas:
A few years ago, after having my alley-loading driveway partially blocked by the neighbor across the alley parking a big pickup in the lane where they're not supposed to park it, and leave it there all day, I left a polite note on the truck asking them to stop doing that. Several months later, I used the alley to park my car for five minutes to unload a christmas tree. About an hour later, I was outside grilling a steak when that pickup drove up and parked in an even more annoying spot, right in front of me as I was grilling. Out popped a 20 something girl and guy of a certain minority status. It was Thanksgiving and I wished them both happy Thanksgiving. The driver, the guy, grunted at me and the girl struck a pose, wordless, with her arms crossed and one leg splayed out slightly to the side. You'd know it if you saw it. No words whatsoever were spoken by them. The implication was clear, we're black, we're not going to take this nonsense from some white guy, and we know you're intimidated. My dog was out there with me and he wouldn't stop barking at them. I tried to calm him down as the girl continued her stare-down. She finally responded with a "happy thanksgiving" to my second attempt at verbal communication. Verbal communication wasn't really their point.
It is reasonable to believe that if you have nothing to lose, you are scary. I doubt this family was of the nothing to lose sort, but I could be wrong, or they could have been nothing to lose adjacent. But their assumption that they're going to go scare the white guy has stuck with me. Race relations in this country are dysfunctional, maybe especially in this leftist stronghold where high status whites proudly teach black people that their lives are fundamentally different and hope-challenged. But yes, if you have cultures where a huge percentage of the people you grow up with expect to go to prison at some point, and it's largely normalized and shame-free, those are dangerous people.
I noticed a difference in the racial environment/tension here as soon as I moved to the US. We were living in an apartment complex which was pretty racially diverse, and I was struck by a vibe, something I couldn't quite put my finger on, that I'd never noticed before either in the UK or Canada.
Funnily enough, I don't notice it anymore, which implies I've probably just got used to it. Either that, or I just live in a much less diverse area, which is also true. This town isn't exactly a cultural melting pot.
I asked about it a bit at the time, and people got really embarrassed and clearly didn't want to talk about it.
@Doctor-Phibes said in Gun Deaths, Sacramento and Dallas:
I asked about it a bit at the time, and people got really embarrassed and clearly didn't want to talk about it.
For all its liberalism, Boston was always a red-lined environment.
And not just by skin color. Irish, Italian, Jewish, Catholic, non-Catholic, Black, yellow, democrat, republican they all had their turf. I don't know if it is still this way, it has been decades since I lived there.
Northern Virginia neighborhoods seemed to have people from every possible ethnic group living together, no big deal. Of course the sexual predators in Loudoun County are a different story.
Southern Virginia, where I am now, is black and white. There are a lot of both in the neighborhood. No big deal, at least not as far as I can tell.
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@Doctor-Phibes said in Gun Deaths, Sacramento and Dallas:
I asked about it a bit at the time, and people got really embarrassed and clearly didn't want to talk about it.
For all its liberalism, Boston was always a red-lined environment.
And not just by skin color. Irish, Italian, Jewish, Catholic, non-Catholic, Black, yellow, democrat, republican they all had their turf. I don't know if it is still this way, it has been decades since I lived there.
Northern Virginia neighborhoods seemed to have people from every possible ethnic group living together, no big deal. Of course the sexual predators in Loudoun County are a different story.
Southern Virginia, where I am now, is black and white. There are a lot of both in the neighborhood. No big deal, at least not as far as I can tell.
@Copper said in Gun Deaths, Sacramento and Dallas:
For all its liberalism, Boston was always a red-lined environment.
And not just by skin color. Irish, Italian, Jewish, Catholic, non-Catholic, Black, yellow, democrat, republican they all had their turf. I don't know if it is still this way, it has been decades since I lived there.
A friend of mine who grew up there, and whose dad owned a store, says he clearly remembers him being referred to as a 'damn guinea'. I don't think it's the same now, but I don't go into the city much.
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@Horace said in Gun Deaths, Sacramento and Dallas:
A few years ago, after having my alley-loading driveway partially blocked by the neighbor across the alley parking a big pickup in the lane where they're not supposed to park it, and leave it there all day, I left a polite note on the truck asking them to stop doing that. Several months later, I used the alley to park my car for five minutes to unload a christmas tree. About an hour later, I was outside grilling a steak when that pickup drove up and parked in an even more annoying spot, right in front of me as I was grilling. Out popped a 20 something girl and guy of a certain minority status. It was Thanksgiving and I wished them both happy Thanksgiving. The driver, the guy, grunted at me and the girl struck a pose, wordless, with her arms crossed and one leg splayed out slightly to the side. You'd know it if you saw it. No words whatsoever were spoken by them. The implication was clear, we're black, we're not going to take this nonsense from some white guy, and we know you're intimidated. My dog was out there with me and he wouldn't stop barking at them. I tried to calm him down as the girl continued her stare-down. She finally responded with a "happy thanksgiving" to my second attempt at verbal communication. Verbal communication wasn't really their point.
It is reasonable to believe that if you have nothing to lose, you are scary. I doubt this family was of the nothing to lose sort, but I could be wrong, or they could have been nothing to lose adjacent. But their assumption that they're going to go scare the white guy has stuck with me. Race relations in this country are dysfunctional, maybe especially in this leftist stronghold where high status whites proudly teach black people that their lives are fundamentally different and hope-challenged. But yes, if you have cultures where a huge percentage of the people you grow up with expect to go to prison at some point, and it's largely normalized and shame-free, those are dangerous people.
I noticed a difference in the racial environment/tension here as soon as I moved to the US. We were living in an apartment complex which was pretty racially diverse, and I was struck by a vibe, something I couldn't quite put my finger on, that I'd never noticed before either in the UK or Canada.
Funnily enough, I don't notice it anymore, which implies I've probably just got used to it. Either that, or I just live in a much less diverse area, which is also true. This town isn't exactly a cultural melting pot.
I asked about it a bit at the time, and people got really embarrassed and clearly didn't want to talk about it.
@Doctor-Phibes said in Gun Deaths, Sacramento and Dallas:.
I noticed a difference in the racial environment/tension here as soon as I moved to the US. We were living in an apartment complex which was pretty racially diverse, and I was struck by a vibe, something I couldn't quite put my finger on, that I'd never noticed before either in the UK or Canada.
I really noticed it’s absence when I moved to Brazil. It was so refreshing.
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Growing up in Southwestern PA, there was none. My circle was probably 70% white, 20% black, and 10% Asian. The only conversations about race were jokes based on the stereotypes…
When I moved to DC? Holy hell… There is an entire industry here based on being black. I mean, this is how they make their living and a good living it is. Unfortunately, it’s at the cost of their black neighbors. I’ve done quite a bit of work down at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts, and have been inspired by so many of those kids and their teachers, but disgusted at the same time by these groups that you see are trying to radicalize these kids.
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CNN attempts to make sense of the tragedy:
https://www.cnn.com/2022/04/05/us/sacramento-california-shooting-tuesday/index.html
Entirely due to guns, nothing to do with culture.
Some strange attempt at blaming the police for not stopping it, too. That's particularly rich:
During an emotional vigil Monday night, members of the Sacramento community and officials expressed frustration with repeated instances of gun violence in the city and called for action to prevent more shootings.
“The last time we had a mass shooting we did the same thing,” said one speaker who did not share his name but identified himself as a cousin of one of the victims. “Sat out here, held up our candles, talk about the police are here for us now, the public officials are here for us now.”
“How are they here for us when we are sitting doing the same damn thing again? The same thing,” he said. “So who’s going to stop it?”
I guess the implication is that those communities are clamoring for, what, more gun laws? I mean, I get that high status white people who've never interacted with a low status black person are clamoring for more gun laws, but what about those low status black communities, what do they want?
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Shooting in downtown Sacramento, 6 deaths 10 injuries:
https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/article260065985.html
Shooting in Dallas, 1 death multiple injuries including minors:
@Axtremus said in Gun Deaths, Sacramento and Dallas:
Shooting in downtown Sacramento, 6 deaths 10 injuries:
The man arrested for possessing a machine gun at the scene of Sunday’s deadly shooting in Sacramento was allowed to leave prison in February despite opposition from the county’s district attorney to his early release.
Smiley Martin, 27, was convicted in 2018 and was serving a 10-year sentence for domestic violence and assault when he was released.He was arrested Tuesday morning at a Sacramento hospital on charges of being a felon in possession of a firearm and possession of a stolen handgun that was converted to be a fully automatic weapon.
Police said he was injured in a gun battle in downtown Sacramento that broke out about 2 a.m. Sunday outside a series of nightclubs, causing the deaths of six people and injuring 12.
Almost exactly a year ago, Dist. Atty. Anne Marie Schubert’s office opposed Smiley Martin’s release from state prison to the Board of Parole Hearings in a two-page letter, first reported by the Sacramento Bee. The district attorney’s office asked that he not be freed because he is a career criminal and a danger to the community. Schubert released the letter after a records request but would not comment further.
“Inmate Martin has, for his entire adult life, displayed a pattern of criminal behavior,” wrote Deputy Dist. Atty Danielle Abildgaard. “While the current case on review may not be ‘violent’ under the Penal Code, Inmate Martin’s criminal conduct is violent and lengthy.
“Inmate Martin has committed several felony violations and clearly has little regard for human life and the law, which can be shown by his conduct in his prior felony convictions of robbery, possession of a firearm and prior misdemeanor conviction of providing false information to a peace officer.”
