Racism is growing in Texas March 22, 2007
Posted by Al in : politics,scary , trackbackWhat can I say? Whilst the rest of the world moves on and tries to get different cultures and races to work together, America (in this case Paris, Texas) chooses to revert back to the days when racial segregation as still in place. The housing market is till predominantly segregated – there are black areas and there are white areas. The criminal justice system certainly appears to be segregated when a white man who killed 2 blacks is given probation and told to write a Christmas card to the deceased’s family every year, whereas a black kid who pushed a hall monitor is given 7 years in jail.
I can speak from experience on how racism is still rife in the USA. About 10 years ago I was in my local nightclub and myself and some friends met up with a group of American ladies. We offered to show them around and buy them some drinks, obviously in the hope of some action later on. However the girl I was with was from Alabama and I remember clearly how she reacted when I shook the hand of one of my friends who was black – afterwards she told me that back in her town he would not be allowed in the same nightclub as white folk! Now this happened in the ’90’s, which is 30+ years after Martin Luther King had done his stuff and segregation was supposed to have ended. However I could see she was really shocked, and repelled, by my friendship with a black guy.
Something really needs to be done in the USA to sort out the racism issue. I know that the issue is not cut and dried: I believe that blacks need to stop seeing themselves as inferior and discriminated against as much as whites need to stop seeing them as inferior and discriminating against them. This will be hard to do as this attitude has been ingrained so deeply, however most of the USA manages to do a better job of dealing with these issues than Paris, Texas. I prescribe public floggings for anyone, black or white, who can definitely be convicted of any form of racism, but I doubt they would listen to me.
Comments»
I’m from Paris and most of what you wrote here is wrong on the facts. Most people writing about this has no idea about the true facts. While I agree racism exists to some degree in almost any community, this is not a case of racism. This is a the case of an out-of-control student, who had been in trouble 17 previous times, who had exhausted all means of discipline through the school system, who pushed a 58 year old woman to the ground so hard to cause bodily injury. She would have been eligible for probation had her mother cooperated. Four African American teachers testified against her. Please try to find out your facts. Most of us here, black and white, wish it would just go away.
The girl in Texas Youth Commission for pushing the teacher’s aid and breaking her collar bone has been sentenced for UP TO seven years. She can work through the three levels required to get out in six months if she will do as she is told and will do her school work. She was offered probation, but refused to take it and wanted to go before a jury where even more evidence against her past behavior was shown.
The white man that you refered to that killed the black grandmother and grandson, lost control of his vehicle on an icy highway and could not stop his vehicle. This can be found in the Paris News archive articles.
The other girl that was mentioned that burned her parent’s and her home was given probation, but is now in Texas Youth Commission, working her levels.
I know several other 14 year olds that went to TYC for varied reasons and one has been there for 5 years working his levels. He is due to be released soon. The rules are the same for everyone. Once someone goes to TYC they are allowed to obtain a GED and are prepared for some type of job. They work their levels and learn to follow the rules of society, and discover that there are consequences for not following the rules. If she is to be saved, this may be the best thing for her.
OK. I stand corrected on this matter, my apologies to the folks in Paris, Texas. The sentences still seem a little unbalanced to me, but then that might just be the judicial system rather than racism.
Maybe I was prejudiced after my previous experiences with Americans from the South, in which case I am probably guilty of some form of racism myself. I will birch myself tonight.
I’m not sure if any of us are in a position to purport to know the facts regarding this case as we are not directly involved (unless you are a reader who is). There is obvious dispute regarding the ‘facts’ concerning the situation and after trawling the internet I have come across many different opinions.
The conclusion that I myself have come to is that, although I do not have a conclusive opinion on the issues themselves, the case and the initial article from the Chicago Tribune posted on this site has sparked
a very interesting open debate. I fully respect the two responses to Al’s post but I do not believe they draw a line under the situation.
See some more views (from both sides) here –
http://antiessentialistspeaksup.wordpress.com/2007/03/28/about-shaquanda-cotton/
Well, now there is more to this story and it is possible the 2 recent commenters may have to back down on what they said. According to then the girl who pushed the hall monitor did not have any previous convictions and may well have been treated unfairly after all. Also her sentence has just been extended because she had an extra pair of socks and a polystyrene cup – scary stuff”
If Paris Texas is so racist, then why do blacks still live there? If I lived in a town that hated me I would move.
They must be stupid or something, is there any other explanation?