The inequality of black and white was again vividly on display in Staten Island last week. The manager of a bar which had defied restriction orders due to COVID, ran away from the police and then drove his car with a cop on the hood of the car. This was caught on video. The man said that he was running away from two men who did not identify themselves as policemen. Yeah, right!
The guy was eventually arrested without injury. Not only that, he was released without bond! Now, what would happen if this guy was black? A black guy running away from the police? Probably shot. A black guy made it into his car and then hit a cop? Probably shot. A black guy arrested after above action? Probably beat up, if not get kneed to death or given an injection of ketamine at a dose twice his weight. A black guy goes before a judge after hitting a cop with a car? Certainly he would not have gotten out without bail. Maybe a black guy could have come out of this unscathed, like this Staten Island guy. But don't bet on it.
Those who support this white guy would say the government deprived him of his freedom to operate his bar. They deprived him of his freedom not to be intimidated by the police. But do any of these people support black people who are deprived of their right to be treated as equal human beings?
Apparently Staten Island is a little different from the other boroughs in that it is conservative and pro police. So maybe these cops knew the restaurant owner or he knows people on the force and was given preferential treatment. It'll be interesting to see what happens to him going forward.
ReplyDeleteI had also read that he tried to get around the law by operating his business inside an adjacent building so when the inspectors came, there would be no one in the bar. He would tell his customers to go through a door that got them inside the other building.
So I realize you're trying to make an observation where if he were black that he probably isn't alive at this moment. You are probably correct, but I think the fact that he is white may not be the deciding factor on why he got special treatment. And yes, I think he got special treatment.
I could never go to a restaurant knowing that the owner is willing to put lives at risk. Do they not wash their hands or sanitize normally? I do have sympathy for these businesses but I also appreciate the businesses that are able to adapt in these times.
-LBOAYM
It is possible that race is not the only factor. But if the cops and the guy knew each other, why did he had to run away from them? Why did his lawyer said that the cops never identified themselves and that he was fearing for his life and so he ran. Why did the cop jump on the hood and why did he started moving the car with the cop on the hood?
ReplyDeleteI stand by my assertion that any of the above action taken by the guy would likely led to him getting killed or at least seriously injured by the cops if he is black. It is just like the white guys in Kenosha walking around with automatic weapons and the police gave them water instead of stopping them. My brother in law was part of a scholar study of interaction between cops and drivers in Oakland. The study found that white drivers were treated much better than black drivers, even when the cop was black. So I think that white people get special treatment with the police even when they don't realize it.
I do feel for the restaurants. But people don't realize that unless we are willing to put in the sacrifice to eradicate this disease, we can never go back to normal. These on and off restrictions just delay the return to normalcy. China endured a tough two months and they are completely back to normal. These restaurants may get a lot of supporters coming out to protest and eat. But it won't last. Even without lockdown the business will deteriorate as hospitalization and deaths mound. I say take your medicine now or else you will be sick much longer.