Demonstrations in Peckham today -Black Lives Matter

WiresDreamDisasters

https://twitter.com/i/status/1267263490009546753

Getting worse.

WiresDreamDisasters

https://twitter.com/i/status/1266924387795709954

WiresDreamDisasters

https://twitter.com/i/status/1266859410481131521

WiresDreamDisasters

https://twitter.com/indyfromspace/status/1267271817439346689

Verified checkmark fantasising about pulling down obelisks... wonder which one she means...

WiresDreamDisasters

https://twitter.com/i/status/1267250164277764097

WiresDreamDisasters

https://twitter.com/i/status/1267236623705669633

WiresDreamDisasters

@Paul_C ;

If I was truly going to stand behind a video clip and say "this encapsulates the entirety of my thought" it would shaped something roughly like this.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1267105564179542017

Karlos

EricTheWeary said:

 perhaps  they are demonstrating a solidarity   

That's it... In one word. Solidarity. 

Unfortunately, like empathy, it's a noun that is lost on many.

rlw

Getting back to the original post, racism might be less of a thing here than it was thirty years ago, or at least in London, but in North Yorkshire it's like it's 1970, not 2020.  Just that it's not so overt.

Dominic

I understand both their revulsion at the appalling American Police and I condone their solidarity ( support ) but I just don't follow the logic or appropriateness of inflicting that anger on the streets of London ,Police or Business' especially at a time of Social distance when nobody here is to blame or has any influence over the American government or Police.
 I would guess 999 out of 1000 people here are appalled - it's not like they need to sway the consensus of British opinion.
I still see it like  aggressively demonstrating outside the Pedigree Chum factory about people eating dogs in China .
 Sadly , the well intentioned people are often hijacked by Anarchist trouble makers .

WiresDreamDisasters

Dominic said:

I understand both their revulsion at the appalling American Police and I condone their solidarity ( support ) but I just don't follow the logic or appropriateness of inflicting that anger on the streets of London ,Police or Business' especially at a time of Social distance when nobody here is to blame or has any influence over the American government or Police.
 I would guess 999 out of 1000 people here are appalled - it's not like they need to sway the consensus of British opinion.
I still see it like  aggressively demonstrating outside the Pedigree Chum factory about people eating dogs in China .
 Sadly , the well intentioned people are often hijacked by Anarchist trouble makers .

80% of people in America are appalled too. I can't find it now but >80% of people responding to a poll want the cop who did this murder to face justice and a murder charge.

Karlos

Dominic said:

 I just don't follow the logic or appropriateness of inflicting that anger on the streets of London ,Police or Business' 

As with many issues, it seems the only way to get some folk to listen is to hit them in the wallet.

I'm not condoning it but it's like that meme that's been doing the rounds says; people tried taking a knee and that was ignored.

WiresDreamDisasters

Karlos said:

Dominic said:

 I just don't follow the logic or appropriateness of inflicting that anger on the streets of London ,Police or Business' 

As with many issues, it seems the only way to get some folk to listen is to hit them in the wallet.

I'm not condoning it but it's like that meme that's been doing the rounds says; people tried taking a knee and that was ignored.

Matt is gonna love that I posted this! But I'd curious on your take.
https://quillette.com/2020/05/30/americas-black-communities-are-suffering-violent-protests-will-make-the-suffering-worse/

Paul_C

WiresDreamDisasters said:

@Paul_C I'm afraid I don't have a simple response. I haven't yet formulated my entire thoughts on this issue. I just think it's really shitty that a man was murdered and people are rioting and causing even more damage and pain to random strangers as a consequence.

If that makes me disgusting and repulsive, fuck it. So be it.

Not at all, I don't disagree with any of the above.

My impression, as a middle-aged white guy who has never come close to living the experience of the black American, is that there is a hell of a lot for them to be angry about and when peaceful protests (Colin Kaepernick's taking a knee, for example) achieve nothing (you could say, with Trump spouting his racist bile that it just roused the morons even more) inevitably there comes a point where it explodes into violence.

I don't condone it, but I can see how the daily drip of stories of black men and women being killed by the people who are meant to "protect and serve" them, without much evidence that anything is being done to prevent it happening again, has to drive people to the point of lashing out.

octatonic

I spend a decent amount of time in the US and I've lived there too.
I don't now how anyone can deny a level of systemic racism in the US.
It is obvious.

Police disproportionately pull over cars driven by black drivers and the use of force is much more likely in those situations.
I've lived in middle class areas- black people are in the minority there.

And the thing is it is here too- it is just less violently expressed.

Dominic

I'm sure it exists here but very much less than it did 30 years ago in the days of the SPG ,Broadwater Farm ,Keith Blakelock etc .......
For those who remember ;Linton Kwesi Johnson ;Dear Mamma 

tony99

Dominic said:

I'm sure it exists here but very much less than it did 30 years ago in the days of the SPG ,Broadwater Farm ,Keith Blakelock etc .......
For those who remember ;Linton Kwesi Johnson ;Dear Mamma 

Inglan is a bitch, there's no escapin' it!!

Dominic

I rather enjoyed his work......great modern day Poet ,gritty and succinct.
............oh,no ...I made myself sound like Brian Sewell .

Paul_C

Dominic said:

I'm sure it exists here but very much less than it did 30 years ago in the days of the SPG ,Broadwater Farm ,Keith Blakelock etc .......
For those who remember ;Linton Kwesi Johnson ;Dear Mamma 

https://www.inquest.org.uk/bame-deaths-in-police-custody

Paul_C

Oh, and to add to your bafflement, there have been marches in support of Black Lives Matter in Europe and New Zealand too.