The neighbors didn't move....they had considered it but were afraid to move to a less Hispanic more white area after seeing that their rights truly didn't mean much as far as Caucasian police were concerned. So they stayed put and paid off their house. Something good that has come out of this is that more and more neighbors have been getting cheap smartphones - right now you can get a good one for $20 at Metro PCS with a $40 total monthly bill with audio and video and the neighborhood watch organization has sent the police a statement to the effect that neighborhood residents are taking police brutality seriously and are equipping themselves with smartphones to capture video and audio of illegal police behavior. Also this has been forwarded to the mayor's office and I have to say in the past couple of weeks I have seen fewer cop cars clinging and lingering about and the one that did pass me a few days ago did not attempt to ask me an arrogant question as they so often do.Originally Posted by dmc
Moving back to your point, dmc, I wouldn't move out of the neighborhood if I came into some large windfall - six figures before the decimal point but I don't know the exact amount the neighbors were able to get - to do so would be to live amongst people who tend to be OK with such illegal police behavior or are willing to look the other way and give the police a free pass. I'd be guilty of condoning police brutality in an indirect way by moving to a "better" area and I don't want to live with that, I deserve better. Once you see police brutality at work right in front of you, there is no trust possible nor is there any going back towards faith in the system - ironically, in my case, I had little of either before I witnessed this.
I will say it is nice that Medicaid was expanded and even though earlier this year I had issues with whether or not I was covered - I'm grateful. So some good has taken place and I won't deny that. But, but, but.....Is it too much to ask for to not live in fear of the police illegally assaulting me for no reason? My take living in a lower income neighborhood is that in America, yes, this is asking for too much. I'm grateful every day that I'm white, not that I think white people are so great but statistically I'm less likely to be illegally assaulted by the police - neighbors tell me white skin equals a higher chance of calling the media and suing - what a sad perception as this needs to be automatic across all races. At any rate, I'll most likely stay put where I am until leaving America, or if I stay and move, it will be to somewhere like Douglas, on the border, with a large Hispanic population.
As far as how many are assaulted by police, I can't tell you. I hear stories at the neighborhood watch that I tend to believe of Hispanics walking home from work late a night stopped the police and thrown down and attacked but I was not there and I have only posted of the one incident I witnessed out of fairness. So many people where I live are terrified by the police as the perception is brown skin equals no rights in America, ditto for low income. This perception is not going to change any time soon and I don't see police behavior changing either without huge settlements and a great deal of negative publicity. At least where I live residents are equipping themselves with smartphones and warning the police of the intention of suing and warning the police of the intention to move about in pairs as to better protect themselves against the police and to better capture audio and video if necessary. And yes, America is truly that bad for some of it's citizens/legal residents. Rob
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