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What a week this has been! Here around Chicago, everybody was holding their collective breaths waiting for the verdict to come down after the Prosecution rested its case against Jason Van Dyke, the white cop, who mowed down LaQuan McDonald, a black teenager walking away from him with a knife clutched in his hand.  Because Van Dyke felt threatened by this situation, his reaction was to empty his gun in the back of this young man, riddling his body with 16 bullets. 

 

This killing was covered up by Chicago law enforcement with the cooperation of other cops on the scene who did not feel similarly threatened but later chose to observe the oath of silence rather than betray their trigger-happy comrade.  The truth finally came to light when rumors that this incident was captured on a body cam reached the media, after which the tape was finally released under pressure, and once it was aired all over TV, outrage was immediate at the sight of the young man being hit in the back and falling to the ground as a hail of bullets continued to puncture his shuddering body. 

 

Heads soon began to roll. The Cook County States Attorney was voted out of office, and the Mayor withdrew his plans to run for re-election, so great was the black community's resentment against him. After 3 years of finger-pointing and political mayhem, the perpetrator was finally indicted for murder and brought to trial, his case lasting over a month as a stream of experts and witnesses provided dramatic testimony. Much speculation also centered around a jury made up of 6 women and 4 men, 1 Asian, 1 Hispanic, 1 Black and the rest White.

 

Once word came down that the verdict had been reached and would soon be announced,  Chicago was literally on lock down, anticipating trouble in case an innocent verdict caused all hell to break loose. Extra police were dispatched everywhere, workers were sent home from their jobs early, businesses were closing up shop. crowds gathering outside the court house. 

 

But Lady justice got her due.  After 2 days  of deliberation, the jury found Jason Van Dyke guilty of second degree murder, his sentence to be determined by a judge whom everybody has described as being very fair.  There was also praise for the all-white prosecution team who presented a strong effective case for the State.  So, this is a victory in a war that has yet to be won.  Colin Kaepernick, can feel a little compensated.

 

Then,  there was the clash for the confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh, for Supreme Court Justice that has now ended in his being sworn in.   It's impossible for me to pass any impartial judgment on this case because i have such a visceral dislike for Kavanaugh, his supporters and his president.  I cannot stomach these Republicans and what "making America great again" means to them. In my gut, however, I know that, as flawed as they are, Liberal and Progressive Democrats and Moderate Independent representatives would be better for the nation's survival than those Red-neck racists, and White privileged conservatives and Blue collar bigots who infest this country and will now be in a position to bring about a change for the worst.

 

Donald Trump is a despicable person who is not the caliber of man who should be President of the United States and leader of the free world. And the fact that millions of white people, especially white men,  feel this way, too,  is proof of how he  is not only a disgrace but a threat to the survival of America.          

 

 

 

   

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Excellent recap!  I had to download the nbc5chicago app - because none of the cable stations carried the verdict live.  

 

Two of my three daughters work in the loop - so my anxiety was dialed up to “high”.  

 

As for the grifters in Washington; well, I do my best not to think about any of them so that I may maintain my good health. 

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4 hours ago, Cynique said:

Much speculation also centered around a jury made up of 6 women and 4 men, 1 Asian, 1 Hispanic, 1 Black and the rest White.

 

So the jury had 9 qhite nonhispanic people on it? Assuming the jury had 12 people on it whar was the gender of tbe other two?

 

4 hours ago, Cynique said:

Colin Kaepernick, can feel a little compensated.

 

So if colin never took a knee this guy trigger happy cop would have walked free?

 

As far as Kavanaugh yall better hope the notorious RGB makes another 2 years...

 

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@TroyThe other 2 white alternates, were dismissed; one man, one woman. Why i don't know, but when questioned they said they were leaning toward a guilty verdict.  It's very possible that all the controversy surrounding Kaepernick's kneeling about police misconduct played a role in a white cop being tried for murder for the first  time in over 50 years in a city where cops regularly get away with shooting and mistreating black males. 

 

What difference will it make if RBG makes it another 2 years?Kavanaugh's confirmation has given Conservatives a majority of one on the court.  

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Because if RGB is replaced by another white male of privilege with a sense of entitlement, the court will be f*cked for at least another generation.

 

Hopefully a conviction will stop the wanton killing of Black people by law enforcement, but something tells me it will not.

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1 hour ago, Troy said:

Because if RGB is replaced by another white male of privilege with a sense of entitlement, the court will be f*cked for at least another generation.

 

Well, that situation exists now with the induction of  Kavanaugh.    He basically will cancel out the liberal justices on the court because he is the 5th and deciding conservative vote.

 

1 hour ago, Troy said:

Hopefully a conviction will stop the wanton killing of Black people by law enforcement, but something tells me it will not.

I think that in Chicago,  cops will now think twice before they act recklessly and decide to exacerbate a situation instead of neutralizing it. 

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2 hours ago, Cynique said:

 ...cops will now think twice...

 

"Think" is the operative word here.  None of the shooting of Black people I've seen involved any form of reasoning or thinking.  These don't seem to be situations in which the cops involved actually thought things through.  Indeed, some believe the time in which a cop stops to "think twice," can mean the difference between life and death.

 

Of course a racist cop whose goal is too simply kill or lock as many negroes up as he can will not be stopped by kneeling, laws, public outcry, or laws. 

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Well , one of the things that helped convict Van Dyke was the unanimous  opinion of the jury members who revealed that the fact that all of the other officers  at the scene of Laquan McDonald's killing, did not shoot first and ask questions later. Unlike Officer Van Dyke, they all exercised restraint. There is a trend toward at least firing officers who act without just cause.   If Trump is re-elected any progress will be reversed.  

 

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2 hours ago, Cynique said:

If Trump is re-elected any progress will be reversed.  

 

You know police have been killing, beating the crap out of, and robbing Black folks for as long as I can remember.  The media did not cover this when I was younger, but today if feels like every incident is constantly -- everyone know Sandra Bland's name, but no one knows any of the Black woman killed by police over the years back in the 70's. The 24/7 news cycles distorts reality. 

 

I'm saying this because it is very possible that police brutality may be way down compared to when I was a teen.  I don't know but I would not be surprised if it is.

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