Aug 25 2014
From Macy’s to Ferguson: The Spectrum of American Racism – Part 1
While thousands of New Yorkers marched over the weekend to protest of the police killing of Eric Garner, thousands more are expected to attend Michael Brown’s funeral today in Ferguson Missouri. The spectrum of racial discrimination in the United States runs long and wide.
On one end is the outright murder of black men like Brown, Garner, and countless others at the hands of police. And on the other end are every day aggressions like racial profiling which reinforce a second class status for people of color in America.
Representing that other end of the spectrum is the settlement that Macy’s Department store agreed to pay last week to the tune of a $650,000 fine. The fine is in response to the store’s notorious racial profiling policy in New York State which singled out minority shoppers. Barney’s department store, also based in New York, agreed to pay a $525,000 fine for arresting and harassing black customers after they made large purchases.
The election of Barack Obama to the presidency has made many whites feel that racism is no longer an issue in the US. But study after study confirms that racism remains ingrained in the minds of Americans and the every day onslaught of discrimination can take a deep toll on the psyche of black Americans and people of color.
GUEST: Jody David Armour is the Roy P. Crocker Professor of Law at the University of Southern California. He is the author of Negrophobia and Reasonable Racism: The Hidden Costs of Being Black in America. He is also a Soros Justice Senior Fellow of The Open Society Institute’s Center on Crime, Communities and Culture.
4 Responses to “From Macy’s to Ferguson: The Spectrum of American Racism – Part 1”
This interview was simply filled with misinformation, unfortunately. This show & KPFK in general, do a disservice to young black males, in that, you lead them to believe they are not responsible for their own safety & future. I teach use-of-force and I can tell you that the suspect ALWAYS dictates the outcome of a police contact by their attitude & behavior (both before & during the contact).
Perhaps you should do some research outside “activist” world, and you will find a ton of data & experts that can help you & your listeners who may subscribe to these false narratives, and actually give them tools they can use to improve their lives, and keep them safe on the street. The biggest threat to young black males IS young black males, not cops of any race.
You can start here tho!
http://therightscoop.com/forensic-criminologist-shows-how-fast-an-assailant-can-harm-a-cop-from-very-far-away/
When you’re a young, PCP-crazed, doped-up, 300lbs, 6’5″ tall man who ten minutes before committed a strong-arm robbery and stole blunts, you’re not unarmed, just as Trayvon Martin, beating Mr. Zimmerman’s head into the pavement on the provocation of Miss Jeantel wasn’t unarmed, either. And when you’re struggling to grab the gun of your victim, you are both in possession of that firearm, so, again, you’re not unarmed. Any questions?
Don’t like it here? I’m beginning to think it’d be much cheaper to give everyone who is dissatisfied or hates it here a one-way ticket to anywhere in the world, a million dollars each and they agree to renounce their citizenship than what we’re doing now. Any takers?
https://www.facebook.com/notes/verax-strategies-group-info-page/the-open-season-on-cops-is-not-by-criminals-but-by-activists-politicans/341749309320953
I’ve been absent for a while, but now I remember why I used to love this web site. Thanks , I will try and check back more often. How frequently you update your website?