I received this email today from a reader. (He's asked that I not mention his name.)
Marty,
The latest hate crime in Oakland resulted in the death of a poor, helpless, non-English-speaking, Chinese victim. This blatant act of murder was committed by racist black thugs.
Black racism directed at non-blacks, especially towards Asian immigrants and Asian Americans is rampant in Oakland and in cities all across America.
It is hypocritical and disingenuous to not acknowledge that black racism is the impetus behind many crimes committed by black thugs against Asian victims. This ugly reality needs to be openly discussed, black racists need to be vilified, and responsible community groups need to find real solutions.
Black politicians, police administrators, and other so-called leaders need to be held accountable for their whitewashing of black racist hate crimes. These people howl so loudly when there is even the barest hint of racism -- real or imagined -- directed towards blacks.
Where is the outrage when a black racist is the perpetrator? Violent racists of any color should be demonized and punished. |
Did you just find a random picture of black people to post? That's not very kind to the people in the picture, who for all you know are not murderers or racists.
ReplyDeleteGood point, Michael. I have replaced that with a photo of a person convicted of a hate crime and added the victim.
ReplyDeleteIs this Jamie Fox in an orange jump suit? Has he been convicted in this hate crime? If not, I think it should be removed.
ReplyDeleteFull disclosure -- I'm a black woman. I see that this letter was written with a lot of anger, and understandably so. However, the problems between blacks and Asians are not that simple. What we need is dialogue -- a true discussion about what it is that separates AND binds us. To be honest, the racism goes both ways. Using words like, "these people..." in a letter does not help the matter either. Those of us who live in neglected communities - no matter the color, ethnicity, or religion - fear the same "thugs" the gentleman describes in his letter. So rather than point fingers, let's have a real discussion that will move us towards progress rather than more violence.
Fine, I replaced the picture. I didn't realize it was the actor playing the murderer. Now, I've posted the picture of the murderer.
ReplyDeleteBut I think it's far less important to worry about that or whether someone's offended at the use of "these people", or even to throw labels at the letter like "simplistic" than to acknowledge the fact that the media and Black leaders do not fairly acknowledge what is a serious problem, a deadly problem. A MEANINGFUL dialogue that you call for cannot take place unless the problem is brought to light. That was my purpose in posting Mr. Lau's letter.
It is sad that less attention was paid by your readers to the letter and the subject,"Black Racism", while attention was given to a stock photo.
ReplyDeleteReading and comprehension 101.
Good post Marty, love your blog. Keep up the great work.
As an instructor of reading and comprehension, I view pictures as a very important part of creating a message -- as blogs are designed to do. Placing pictures of random black people (or any person of any color) in connection to a crime they had nothing to do with is irresponsible. After researching both photos of the victim and murderer, it seems as if the hate crime your photos refer to happened some years ago while the letter seems to reference a hate crime that I assume happened fairly recently. As a matter of fact, the murderer in the photo, Stanley Tookie Williams III, died in prison in 2005... Am I wrong?
ReplyDeleteAnd I do think my prior comments focus on the "Black racism." There has always been a struggle between poor people of color because of the illusion that one group is attaining greater access to resources than the other. The truth is that everyone is fighting over peanuts. When people don't know the history or struggle of other ethnic groups, they cannot help but to rely on stereotypes. This is another reason why connecting the appropriate photo to the story is so important.
I would like to further understand this rash of black racism that, you believe, black leaders won't acknowledge. What black leaders are you referring to? And please reference more than just Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson...
"I would like to further understand this rash of black racism that, you believe, black leaders won't acknowledge. What black leaders are you referring to?"
ReplyDeleteI'm curious, Halona. Which black leaders ARE addressing the issue of black racism? Racism is a PC subject that most people in general never honestly address.
I just read about the crime in question, which occurred in broad daylight about 5 blocks from where I work. The two men in question have recently been charged with murder. The attack, according to the story I read, has "no evidence that it was racially motivated."
I don't surely know if this particular hateful act was what is defined as a racially motivated "hate crime," but I do agree with Mr. Lau & Mr. Nemko that black racism (and I'd like to add, racism in general, no matter the races involved) has yet to be properly addressed. Until then, there will be no real solutions for it.
To Marty: I live in a part of the east coast that doesn't have as much black crime on asians. Its mostly black on black. For that reason I am shocked at this crime. Instead of being defensive and deconstructive like Agouda, I'd like to offer what may be a solution.
ReplyDeleteThe black community and korean community get along here because we share a common belief in Christianity. Christ transcends, race, culture...so even though we have differences we are able to overlook them. Martin Luther King was a Christian minister, and unlike Malcolm X managed to bring black and all AMERICANS together. TRUE christians try their best to get along, not for themselves, but for God. I know others may not share the same beliefs or even agree, but I still think for the black community, Christ is the only way to heal past wounds.
Lastly, the other way to fix this hatred, is to "criticize by creation". American culture must enter a Rennaisance, a rebirth. Gerald Celente has discussed this, check out his trend alerts. For starters all black celebrities should try their best to keep their wedding vows. While I'm no fan of Obama's policies, at least he hasn't cheated on Michelle. Tiger has failed in this area unfortunately.
So Marty, please don't get discouraged. There is a new generation of blacks (I'm a part of them in my early twenties)that will replace these black people of hate. We are mainly middle class, whose Moms worked hard to get us through school, no hand outs were accepted because we were $3000 over the limit.