I guess the line that was my “trigger” was your phrase “it was clear that he didn’t intend to injure the police.”
No. No. It’s not clear. I don’t feel it’s appropriate to just state that, when people of color never, ever get to rely on that point. And for all I know, you’re black. I still believe this. Probably a year ago I wouldn’t have looked at it quite the same. And let me tell you – I’m a preeeetty progressive-minded guy and always have been. But I am now seeing that asserting things that some people just don’t get to assert is not necessarily helpful. Especially in a context that can easily obscure tone and context like a text-based bbs, when it’s not usually obvious what background a person is coming from.
And yes, I do agree with many of the points you made, and re-read some of your posts. But I really do think it goes beyond knowing what is right and wrong, being rational, all that good stuff. It’s about realizing it’s just not cool to make blanket decrees, ones that not all communities are given the privilege of making in such a way, and assuming any rational person would just agree with it.
To me, it’s getting very close to “Oh, I’m colorblind, I’m not the problem” territory. No one of color in this country from the moment they pop out, for one second of their lives, has the privilege to think in terms of “color-blindness.” And again I think you know this, I am just talking through the specifics of my point.
Minorities are treated as the “other” from day 1. I don’t get the feeling that most black folks have the luxury to just stop thinking of people in racial terms – because they themselves are being blatantly thought of, in racial terms, every single day by the bulk of the society around them.
But I apologize for coming on a bit strong. As some here might agree with, I think I actually have been mellowing on the bb forum over the past couple years… mostly. 
I’ll give you a personal example of some of my own shift. From like an hour ago. And very close to home, here on bb.
I saw I got a like on some post, so like any normal 21st-century dopamine-hooked cyborg sucking from the teet of the nascent (batshit) global hive mind, I took a peek, and it was a post from 6 years ago.
Definitely an even-more-ragey phase of NickyG! 
I was, loudly and vehemently and yellingly, making proclamatory statements involving a particularly fucked-with minority community that I consider myself wholly aligned with and ally to. Have friends amongst.
And JFC – I realized just how out of line I was in a few major ways. And a lot of it involved trying to make a strong, rational point – that I now realize, I just don’t have the right to make in that kind of way. Not even if it’s saying things compatible with the views of many in that community.
But yeah, no. I wouldn’t put the thoughts out there in that way now, because I realize I just don’t have the right to make strong, “rational,” presumptive arguments representing the perspective of any element of a community that I can’t claim to understand the diverse set of experiences of in any way, shape, or form. I mean, maybe in some circles with people I already know quite well? But on an internet forum, trying to make a point? Nah. And I will reiterate, it was much more egregious than your statement. Yeeaaah.
So enough for now, and thank you for engaging politely. I give you the benefit of the doubt. Tbh, I often post things like this halfway for myself, to assist with working through my thinking about these things. I think the better we can get at engaging around these kinds of nuanced issues and articulating our perspectives, the more helpful it will be in productively rectifying the very deep issues we face.
