Protests Riots and Black Lives Matter

[Stan-and-Jan0]

I am quite beside myself with disgust and disappointment that Airbnb would enter the fray of political turmoil by supporting an organization who's stated mission is not only a lie but as they demonstrate daily, the protests and ensuing riots one has to know that it's not about racial equality. I will get into a long diatribe here but I'll just say that every time I see BLM box on the website with a donate button, I have to wonder if anyone at Airbnb actually knows what BLM stands for and what their true mission is. Look at what's happening in Seattle right now. It's really quite disheartening.

Very little respect left for this company.

[Ann72]

As @Sally221 said, Wow, @Fred13, your knowledge of this history goes all the way back 56 years?  You're completely unaware of moments in history like the 1921 riot in Tulsa, home of the legendary "Black Wall Street" and a solidly middle and upper middle class black community called Greenwood, that was burned to the ground in a matter of hours by whites?  That until the Jim Crow laws Sally mentions, post-Reconstruction blacks were making serious political and economic progress in our society?  

The one kernel of sense in your post is indirect, and I'm sure if you'd edited your post you would have seen it:  early intervention is necessary.  And that is exactly the point of the movement to de-fund the police.  That movement has no intention of reducing policing.  It is meant to equalize funds to go to early education and other programs that have been proven to reduce crime.  Instead, your beloved capitalist society builds a bigger and more bloated prison system - because that's a profitable business.

[Lisa723]

@Fred13 

https://www.dictionary.com/browse/whitesplain

[Sarah977]

@Fred13  Blacks should be educated in "vocational skills that surely lead somewhere"?  You mean they are best suited to things like being a car mechanic, a plumber or carpenter? Nothing wrong with those occupations, and of course we all need those types of services, but seriously?  Seems to me they should be given the same educational opportunities as everyone else- the possibility to become a lawyer, doctor, university professor, or anything else they have an interest in and gravitate towards.

However, the current US secretary of education is only interested in directing funding to schools for white Christian kids, instead of funnelling money into schooling in disadvantaged areas.

[Suzanne302]

@Fred13As others have said my first reaction upon reading your post was, wow.

"The only solution I see is a back-to-basics fundamental approach through the establishment of a new Federally-funded Local Educational Establishments  in every troubled area in the nation whose emphasis is to show the mathematical certainty of a self-destructive way of life; the dangers of a drug culture, the danger of poverty, broken homes, the crush of poor education, an understanding of what law & order means, and teach vocational skills that surely lead to somewhere, and offers readiness & hope from the bottom up. The emphasis is to become prepared to effectively compete and have a real chance at the 'American dream'."

Wow. You may has well have said, "If only those blacks would just decide to be better people they would be able to live the American Dream!" You are completely oblivious to the fact that the deck has been stacked against them for centuries and that has consequences.

Denial of systemic racism is the problem and that's what we need to solve.

And did you really compare the African Americans to the Irish, Italians, and Asians? Irish, Italians, and Asians came here seeking a better life. They weren't dragged across the ocean to become slaves and then to be systematically oppressed for hundreds of years. Wow.

[Yadira22]

As too many people seem to be so under-educated on their own country’s history and social economic disparities I have linked below a selection of free courses from reputable colleges (introductory level) and articles. Yes- I am actively asking you to educate yourself! 

- American Capitalism: A History

By Cornell University

https://www.ilr.cornell.edu/news/american-capitalism-history

- Citizen Politics in America: Public Opinion, Elections, Interest Groups and the Media 

By Harvard University

https://online-learning.harvard.edu/course/citizen-politics-america-public-opinion-elections-interes...

-Us Public Policy: Social, Economic and Foreign Policies 

by Harvard University

https://online-learning.harvard.edu/course/us-public-policy-social-economic-and-foreign-policies?del...

Tangible Things 

By Harvard University, apparently It will teach strong critical thinking and analytical skills and the basics of historical thinking and analysis. 

https://online-learning.harvard.edu/tangible-things?delta=0

And 

Justice 

By Harvard University, a key skill taught is the ability to better articulate and evaluate philosophical arguments and ask philosophical questions. Course claims to invite learners to subject their own views on these controversies to critical examination.

https://online-learning.harvard.edu/course/justice?delta=1

- Articles

https://scholar.google.co.uk/scholar?oe=UTF-8&hl=en-gb&client=safari&um=1&ie=UTF-8&lr&q=related:g4FJ...

Happy learning!! 

[Michelle1709]

Well... Seems like you all have it figured out. I appreciate Airbnb’s recognition of it’s patrons. 

And I quote “Career criminal”. Utterly abhorent....

[Ann72]

@Michelle1709  Yes, it is abhorrent when anybody is murdered in public by a police officer without due process.

[Helen350]

... but he WAS a career criminal! - So nothing wrong in stating facts! - High on drugs at the time of his arrest, & refused to come quietly.

[Danielle476]

So he deserved to die, is that it?  @Helen350 Your posts are tone-deaf and unhelpful.  

As for your "refused to come quietly" comment, Mr. Floyd lost consciousness 4 minutes into being restrained - that's less than half of the 8 minute, 46 second video.  That's almost 5 minutes that he was unconscious, or as you may see it - compliant and coming quietly.  He wasn't resisting - he was dying.  

I'm sure you'd be fine with your son being treated in this manner though right?  You'd have nothing critical to say about the police or how they handled the arrest?  You'd agree that your son deserved to die over $20?  Good to know.  I'll be sure to nominate you for Mother of the Year so you can share your 'facts' with the masses.

[Ann72]

Love you @Danielle476!

[Danielle476]

@Ann72 Just pointing out the blatant hypocrisy.  She literally had zero hesitation calling us out for saying 'Goodbye' to a member saying he was leaving AirBNB because they support BLM - somehow inferring that we weren't being 'welcoming' and that 'nobody should behave this way' or whatever ridiculous conclusion she drew from that brief exchange.  But a man loses his life at the hands of police aaaaand....he deserved it!  

When you're more upset at how a white man is treated during his voluntary exit from an online community centre than how a black man is treated during an arrest by those sworn to protect us, you have some serious issues.  Unreal.

[Yadira22]

@Helen350 even if he was a "career criminal" and somehow this made it "ok", he was unarmed and alone, against 4 armed police officers, surely their training combined should have been enough as to be able to physically restrain and place him into custody without killing him because lets be honest nurses and other medical healthcare staff have to deal with physical confrontations often from patients and yet somehow they don't kill their patients and still manage to restrain and treat them accordingly. If these police officer's training did not teach them this, then it needs to be changed drastically as to address this and any other issues seen within this sector. 

However, in this situation a police officer put his knee on George Floyd's neck for approximately nine minutes as to "restrain him", whilst one held down on his back with George's hands being restricted and the other his (GF's) legs, even if this was ethical (which its not) 15 or so seconds would have been enough as to handcuff and restrain George Floyd effectively?!

This is how he lost his life, explained medically. 

He was held in the prone position; face down, laying flat. 

To breathe you need to increase the size of your chest; ribs raise and diaphragm contracts. 

When laying face down, the bodyweight makes raising your ribs and expanding of lungs hard and even harder with a full grown man kneeling on your neck, making breathing abnormal, creating "air hunger" (i.e. "I can't breathe")- this is medically termed as "compressive asphyxia".

The weight of an adult's knee on the neck could fracture the hyoid bone and/or the cervical spine. Your airway is like a straight straw, any bends (from these fractures) in the straw could cause airway blockage. This excess weight on the neck also restricts the oxygen supply from the carotid artery (supplying the brain), causing necrosis of brain tissue. Thereby, resulting in stroke and/or cardiac arrest. 

Credit Dr Karan Raj. 

Surely you can see this is not resisting of arrest, this is murder and someone died. I would not justify how he died and many others don't either, so please tell me why do you?

[Sarah977]

@Helen350  Jeez, so if someone has been in trouble with the law before, then it's perfectly okay to kill them? And how do you know he was "high on drugs?" Were you there, or did you just read that someplace and assume it was true?

There is no excuse whatsoever for what these officers did to him. Police are trained to de-escalate a situation, not make it worse. 4 police officers couldn't manage to restrain one unarmed man? Give me a break. He was murdered with intent.

[Michelle1709]

Verbal mutilation!

[Michelle1709]

Yes. I’m fortunately not in need of educating on that point.  I was quoting a particular comment made in this thread.

Which is actually the sentiment of many of the points in this thread!...  So much easier when people don’t mince words I think......

Saying it without saying it....