More than 82% of the Homan Square arrests thus far disclosed – or 2,974 arrests – are of black people, while 8.5% are of white people. Chicago, according to the 2010 US census, is 33% black and 32% white.
As the Guardian has documented, Homan Square, named after a notorious Chicago slumlord Samuel Homan, was, until recently, a secret site where thousands of people of color have been – and apparently still are – held and interrogated for hours, “off the books”, often without being under arrest.
They are handcuffed to a wall in dark and foreboding rooms and cells, with inconsistent access to food, drink or access to bathroom facilities. The Guardian’s continuing investigation reveals that when this sensory deprivation does not yield sufficient cooperation, the police interrogators all too often employ physical brutality that meets the United Nations Convention Against Torture’s definition of torture.
That would be true if it was a modern ideal, but it originated in the 18th century and was an appeal to allow ethnicities and races to intermarry and attain equal rights during the early history of the country making something new in the world. Even the popularization from the play is appealing to the ideal of creating a blurred boundary between cultures and forgiving ethnic disputes.
Obviously the modern ideal of multiculturalism attain the preservation of unique culture without appropriation in addition to equality - but that’s why there is an effort to popularize the cultural mosaic metaphor.
I’ve never denied that someone has the right to defend themselves. This discussion is about instigating violence against white supremacists, and I don’t believe that makes people safer, I don’t think it even typically reassures them.
More violence only accelerates the problem.
I’m prepared to accept ugly truths… but the US is not heading for a 2nd civil war. I’d urge you to read about countries who actually do have civil wars, their divisions are a lot nastier than the US is dealing with.
What is possible is big rise in right wing terrorism, and my fear is an escalation from the left could trigger this.
I do agree it will get dicier, at the end of the day this is all happening because the days of global US supremacy, and the unchallenged dominance of white people in the US, is ending. A lot of people will be uncomfortable with that.
I have to ask. Have you actually dealt with Nazis, offline? I find that tends to be the primary thing that divides people who think that is possible to rely on reason and discourse and people who see Nazism as an intrinsic threat. Because honestly your posts read like someone who hasn’t been paying attention.There has been a steady drumbeat of these groups killing people and that trend line has been bending up.
Even if he has, there’s likely to be a distinct difference to how they’d react to some rando dude who shares the same skin tone as they do, than to how they would react if someone belonging to one of their targeted groups tried to engage them “rationally and peacefully.”
Like a member upthread said, screw being anyone’s ‘martyr on demand.’
People of Color, Gay and Transfolk, Jews and Muslims are not here to be anyone else’s ‘human shields.’
“Both sides” are not ‘equivalent’ to one another, and to imply that they are is to be intentionally disingenuous.
Clearly they treat members of targeted groups very differently, but even
for someone who isn’t in those groups, actually dealing with Nazis makes it
clear that we’re not talking about people open to reasoned discussion. It’s
an ideology that leaves always destruction in its wake. This article
expresses it better than I can right now.
Oh, I concur; when you start off from an extremist position which alienates and dehumanizes other people, reason, rationality and compromise are already long gone in the rear view mirror.
I was just pointing out how easy it is to idealize attempting rational engagement with irrational people who bear malicious intent, when one is not the target of their animosity.
