Double standard?

[PWRDbyUNCLEbens]

First of all I want to say that this is a touchy subject, and I'm trying to keep it open-minded despite what some may think. Here is the story from the comcast website.

Emergency Declared After Anti-Nazi Riots
By JOHN SEEWER, Associated Press Writer
6 hours ago

TOLEDO, Ohio - A crowd protesting a white supremacists' march Saturday turned violent, throwing baseball-sized rocks at police, vandalizing vehicles and stores, and setting fire to a neighborhood bar, authorities said.

When Mayor Jack Ford and a local minister tried to calm the rioting, they were cursed for allowing the march, and Ford said a masked gang member threatened to shoot him.

At least 65 people were arrested and several police officers were injured before calm was restored about four hours later.

Ford blamed the rioting on gangs taking advantage of a volatile situation. He declared a state of emergency, set an 8 p.m. curfew through the weekend, and asked the Highway Patrol for help.

"It's exactly what they wanted," Ford said of the group that planned the march, which was canceled because of the rioting.

At least two dozen members of the National Socialist Movement, which calls itself "America's Nazi Party," had gathered at a city park to march under police protection. Organizers said they were demonstrating against black gangs they said were harassing white residents.

The violence broke out about one-quarter of a mile away along the planned march route shortly before it was to begin. One group of men pounded on a convenience store, and others overturned vehicles. There was a report of a shooting but police hadn't found a victim, Police Chief Mike Navarre said.

About 150 police officers chased bands of young men through the area. Officers wearing gas masks fired tear gas canisters and flash-bang devices designed to stun suspects, but the groups continued throwing rocks and bottles. Several officers and firefighters suffered minor injuries, Navarre said. At one point, the crowd reached 600 people, officials said.

Finally, police marched shoulder-to-shoulder down the street shouting to people to stay inside, and the crowd of several hundred broke up.

At least 65 people were arrested on charges including assault, vandalism, failure to obey police and failure to disperse, Navarre said. He said the white supremacists had left hours earlier.

"We frankly could have made a couple hundred arrests easily," Navarre said. "We just didn't have the resources on hand to arrest all of them."

The mayor had appealed to residents the night before to ignore the march. He said the city wouldn't give the Nazi group a permit to march in the streets but couldn't stop them from walking on the sidewalks.

When the rioting began, Ford tried to negotiate with those involved, but "they weren't interested in that." He said people in the crowd swore at him and wanted to know why he was protecting the Nazis.

They were mostly "gang members who had real or imagined grievances and took it as an opportunity to speak in their own way," Ford said.

"I was chagrined that there were obvious mothers and children in the crowd with them," he said.

Thomas Frisch, 76, said a large group of men destroyed the exterior of a gas station next to his home of 30 years.

"A whole big gang started to come in here. Next thing you know, they're jumping on the car. Then they overturned it. Then they started on the building, breaking windows, ripping the bars off," he said.

Louis Ratajski, 86, and his nephew, Terry Rybczynski, left Jim & Lou's Bar as a crowd gathered in front pelting police with rocks and breaking the windows. They climbed down a fire escape from the apartment where Ratajski lived over the bar and only later saw the fire on television.

"I was shaking. I feared for my life." Rybczynski said.

Keith White, a black resident, criticized city officials for allowing the march in the first place.

"They let them come here and expect this not to happen?" said White, 29.

A spokesman for the National Socialist Movement blamed police for losing control of the situation.

Now figure its a black group coming to town to protest hate against black people from surrounding white people. I guarantee you if the same situation broke out the cops would not be blamed it would be rioters.

Second of all they say they shouldn't have allowed them to protest at all. Ok now what if a town told a black group not to protest? In that case it would be racist, and there would be a huge fiasco over it.

It's hard to say this without coming off wrong, but why in the fu*k is there this kind of double standard. Nowadays every crime is a hate crime, and any authority has to worry about wether they are going to be taken to court over a racist action.

This shit never happens to white people because we're always the aggressors, and no one ever even attempts to mention the racism toward white poeple for fear of being labeled a racist.

Certainly there are bad police, and civilians who abuse other people because of they're race, but it's not always that situation.

I swear the Political Correctness in this country is going to cause me to move.

[KustmAce]

One question...


How the hell do you pronounce this?

Terry Rybczynski

[clawhammer]

I agree with PWRDbyUNCLEbens. You made a good point.

[TexasF355F1]

First a mod should move this into the Politics Forum.

Second of all, I agree with UncleBens 110%. There is a double standard in this country. If a group of 1,000,000 black people can get together and march, why can't Neo-Nazi's. I don't agree with the white power movement, but if other races are allowed to march why can't whites. Now I'm not trying to be 100% accurate here, but I'm making a gross gernalization; typically when riots or protests occur the african americans are the ones who start vandalizing and rioting. And they wonder why things continue to be hard, because they're making it hard for the african americans who want to move on with their lives and the ones causing trouble are the ones making it worse for those who do and want to do good. At some point they need to stop living in the past and realize the VAST majority of people have nothing against them and want everyone to get along. It's stunts like these that keep them down.

I am in no way trying to offend anyone here, just stating my opinion as I see it.

[Phieta]

I hate Illinois Nazis. I mean, Ohio Nazis.

Though I agree with UncleBen.

[fredjacksonsan]

Originally Posted by KustmAce

One question...


How the hell do you pronounce this?

"Rybczynski

Ri-chin-ski. cz in Polish = ch in English. The b is silent in this case.

[fredjacksonsan]

Originally Posted by Phieta

I hate Illinois Nazis. I mean, Ohio Nazis.

Though I agree with UncleBen.

Very subtle....nice "Blues Brothers" reference.

[carrrnuttt]

Moving this where it needs to be.

As for the issue. Double-standard is right. There was a recent rally where African-Americans had everyone sing the "African-American national anthem". Can you imagine if it were a group of white people that wanted to sing the "Caucasian national anthem"?

[YogsVR4]

Its a damn shame that the whole thing happened to begin with. Let the Nazi's hold their rally and let the protesters ridicule them for the halfwits they are. The fact some people took advantage of all the pent up anger to start a riot just shows that there the idiots were out in force and to many people went along for the ride.

I listened to speaches made at marches and protests put together by black organizations and (for the most part) you never hear the raw hate you do from the Nazi parties. Sure, you'll hear some speakers point fingers and put blame where it doesn't belong, but I don't see marhces by people calling for the eradication of other races other then by the Nazis. I would expect the emotional charge out of this to be pretty damn high. If the question comes up that there is a double standard out there, I'll be the first to say it exists and is getting worse. I'm just not wholey convinced this is a case of it though.

[Ace$nyper]

Originally Posted by YogsVR4

Its a damn shame that the whole thing happened to begin with. Let the Nazi's hold their rally and let the protesters ridicule them for the halfwits they are.

That sounds alot like the 1st amendment!

Its funny reading about this right now because, my dad was reading up on a mens rights group *dunno name off hand* but the flak they get and from what he told me its about fathers getting right to see their kids after devorce I think its a great cause but the words mens right group sure shakes people up.

[Steel]

well to add along to the last post, it seems as of a lot of "groups" are losing rights and priveleges to other "groups" just becuase of historically recent reversal of roles. Men vs. women, we all know in divorce men usually get the short end of the stick. Gay pride marches, whole lotta fanfare... imagine the shit that would fly if there was a "straight white pride" march. of even a "white pride march". These days its not PC to be proud to be white, or straight.

Im not racist or prejudiced ion any way, but i ahte double standard in ANY situation. Like the DS for women in the military for exmpale, that really gets under my skin.

[twospirits]

Fuck whitey, Black Power all the way.

j/k

Seriously, I do agree that there is a double standard. And its idiots that end up rioting that make it worse. The Neo-Nazis have the right to march and speak whatever they want. I don't agree with their views but still they do have that right. True the black folks have suffered alot due to the whites in the past, but how long does one have to hold a grudge or hold it against the white folks? If we can't get past our differences and our injustices of our forefathers, how can we possibly get to accept each other and move beyond this hatred and get along. There will always be predejuices (sp) among the groups/races etc, but I don't see why the groups can't come to terms and move beyond.
[quote=Steel]imagine the shit that would fly if there was a "straight white pride" march. [quote]Isn't that the Columbus day parade or the St Patricks Day parade? Alot of white folks in that. and very popular too.

Bottom line, yea theres a double standard and its a shame that there is, but whats the solution? Stop everyone from protesting/marching or allow everyone regardless of color or race to march/protest?

TS out

[fredjacksonsan]

TS, you misspelled "whitey". It's spelled c-r-a-c-k-e-r.

Seriously though, one thing the white supremacists don't realize is that although caucasians are in the majority here in the US, that worldwide the caucasian population is less than 15%, and that percentage is declining.

Quite a valid point, Steel, that because they're in the US, they're allowed and have the right to assemble and march. If this was another country the neo-nazis might have been attacked by police for being disruptive.

It's a shame that in this day and age, some people can't realize that despite the color of someone's skin, they're still a person. Some of the most bigoted comments against people of color I have ever heard came from a white girl sitting on a beach - with one of the darkest tans I have ever seen. The irony, I'm sure, would have been lost on her.

Racism is a learned behavior, so do your part to teach your kids right.

[BNaylor]

If those Nazis staged a protest in my neighborhood, we'd probably do the same thing or even shoot a few of them. The idiots were wearing Nazi outfits and swastikas. It was deliberate and intentional provocation.....go figure. They can practice their free speech on the moon as far as I'm concerned and should be considered as a terrorist or hate organization.

BTW - I'm white and my neighborhood is predominantly white.