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Wednesday, June 18, 2003
posted by gbarto at 12:56 AM:
A wealth of idiocy:Police Fight Rioters in Michigan
Building, cars set ablaze as hundreds gather at site of fatal police chase
The city in question is Benton Harbor and I regret to say I'm not too terribly surprised. The place has been a mess for years. Par for the course in these situations, the public response to a questionable police action has been largely to destroy their own stuff, as though that would do anything other than confirm every bigoted impression that they're trying to fight. As for the chase, it's a hell of a note because the choices for the cops are to let a suspect go who might pose who knows what danger or risk - as was the case - a crash - in this case, of a motorcyclist. Of course there are two roots for the problems in Benton Harbor as far as my understanding of things go: a sense of aggrievement equaling entitlement on the part of the black community and a general failure to understand the possibility of blacks as human on the part of certain sectors of the white community. The whites started it, but the civil rights establishment hasn't done Benton Harbor many favors in terms of actually trying to lift anyone out of the situation. An ugly mess, in short, that exploded. Unfortunately, the end result is less likely to be a realization that this nonsense is untenable than a continuing hardening of differences that causes blacks and whites alike to watch their city disintegrate around them while too suspicious of the other to look for a better way.
In other news of the idiotic:
Mom Dies After Boxing Bout
Florida police investigating 'Toughman' fight that led to woman's injuries
It's the THIRD death in nine months! Oh, and it happened at a public fairground. It's bad enough that this stuff goes on and that some people view it as entertainment. But must tax dollars provide the venue?
This fight is a reminder that grownups, too, need to listen to the stuff about "you could put an eye out" and all that and understand that as grownups they should know better. But that's okay. Here's boxing promoter and all round asshole Art Dore:
Dore in a statement Tuesday said he was "devastated" by the death. He added that Toughman bouts still have "the best safety record among all forms of boxing," and that all safety precautions were taken before the event.It's nice to see that his ass is covered. But you know the millionaire will find a way to keep collecting his big bucks while rubes fill up his accounts fifty bucks at a time for the opportunity to get pummeled. Sick.
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