We are calling on all members of the UC Davis community. The recent murders of Black people and the subsequent lack of justice served to their killers, which has been widely publicized within media and social networks, portrays a microcosm of the systemic and institutional racism that continues to persist in our society. These tragedies along with discourse that has followed have profoundly impacted many students, faculty, staff, and alumni of UC Davis. During these particular devastating times, the UC Davis Cross Cultural Center stands with you.
Black lives matter.
These words are more than a hashtag, a trend, or a headline. As Alicia Garza, one of the creators of the #BlackLivesMatter movement, states, “Black Lives Matter is an ideological and political intervention in a world where Black lives are systematically and intentionally targeted for demise. It is an affirmation of Black folks’ contributions to this society, our humanity, and our resilience in the face of deadly oppression.”
Black lives matter. Black trans lives matter. Black queer lives matter. Black differently abled lives matter. These words are the foundation of resistance made tangible by those who have been historically marginalized in our society and still to overcome oppression. Those who have been distorted in the media, lives written off, whose voices have been silenced this day, the people upon whose backs this country was built and is carried. The loss of lives and continued violence are not isolated incidents. They are a part of a larger system with its own history that has become institutionalized. These oppressions permeate through all of our public and private institutions, including the judicial, health/medical, economic, political, and educational systems. They are the result of colonialism, racist ideologies, white supremacy and practices perpetuated in its support i.e. gentrification and marginalization. These systems affect all members of our community, and therefore everyone should embrace their own responsibility to think critically, to question, to learn, to challenge, and to heal.
We recognize those who came before us, and the UC Davis Cross Cultural Center’s history which is grounded in social justice action and activism. It has been two and a half decades since people decided to go on a hunger strike together on the steps of Mrak Hall to combat racism on our campus. There have been many powerful student demonstrations for community healing and peaceful protest. The struggle continues with us, and we support students who are exercising their right to create action.
Many lives have been lost thus our actions must continue well beyond letter writing. We call on our campus and community partners to take action and sustain dialogue, as well as join us in the following:
- Educate yourself by actively and respectfully participating in critical conversation within and beyond the academic institution with the intention of bringing about a positive change in our nation
- Do not be complacent; be an intentional advocate and enlighten those around you
- Practice self-care, as mental health and wellness are important parts of the process
Now is a time to be creative and bold, to take risks, to act accountably, and to prepare for sustained struggle for racial justice. We can be complacent and do nothing, or address the injustice in our own backyards.
In Solidarity,
The UC Davis Cross Cultural Center
Abire Sabbagh, Aditi Shakkarwar, Amanda Ong, Briana Rivas, Brianna Vargas, crystal marich, Daniel Cardenas, Danielle Soba, Donald Yu, Dorothy Hoang, Dulce G. Gonzalez, Esther Priscilla Ebuehi, Fong Tran, Francisco Gomez, Gabriela Preciado, Griscel Lopez, Heriberto Soto, Irum Ahmed, Jasmine Garcia, Jenny Huynh, Jess Galicia, Jessica Marquez, Joanna Jaroszewska, Karla Ocampo, Koby Rodriguez, Kriti Garg, Lamia Hajani, Lorena Castillo, Lucian Novosel, Marcela Alvarez, Maria Salazar, Mariah Watson, Michael Yepez , Miranda Bard, Nathan Ellstrand, Nilofer Chollampat, Pranay Kejriwal, Sam Alavi, sensze yang, Steven Baissa, Syazana Hisham, Theodore Mitchell, Zaharina Velazquez-Ramos
I feel that “murders” and “killers” are improper terms if this article is referring to the police incidents unless it’s referring to all black deaths of which we know black killers murder more blacks than anyone else.
As far as “justice served to their killers” I would think that most people think that justice has been served in most cases unless of course once again the article is referring to blacks getting away with killing other blacks.
“Black Lives Matter” just as ALL LIVES MATTER
It is using “murders” because the authors believe that the killings were “unlawful” even if they were unprosecuted.
The term “Black Lives Matter” obviously refers to the perception by many that black lives are undervalued in the legal system, and not just in this context. Statistical analysis shows that when blacks are the victims of crime, the sentences are lighter than when whites are the victims of crime. All lives may matter, but empirical evidence suggests some lives are treated as though they matter more than others.
We all know that whites in America have more money (and more expensive stuff) than blacks in America. It is not “racism” when the white guy that steals a $5 box of plastic forks from a black guy gets less punishment than the white guy that steals a $20,000 box of silver from a rich white lady.
P.S. In all your “court watching” can you give a single example where a black guy had something real expensive stolen any the thief was not punished?
“P.S. In all your “court watching” can you give a single example where a black guy had something real expensive stolen any the thief was not punished?”
Not sure what you’re asking here, the end of the sentence is missing a word or something. My point is that on average, controlling for crime, controlling for priors, crimes with black victims are punished less harshly than crimes with white victims. I’m not sure the point you’re trying to make.
There is a major distinction between murder and the different forms of manslaughter. The continued reference to “murders of black people” grows tiresome. It detracts from the issue of how can police improve their tactics, procedures and training to reduce the use of force. Most responsible agencies will be continually looking for ways to reduce the use of force incidents in their jurisdictions. I fail to see how you are going to get line officers support when you are unjustly calling their comrades murders when they are not.
Changing topics somewhat. What about the sale of realistic looking toy guns? Why is there no movement to ban the sale of these items? How many more individuals will be killed in incidents where police cannot tell if it is a gun or a toy until shooting the person with the toy? What about a class action lawsuit against the manufacturers of these toys? Three of the shooting deaths mentioned recently by individuals here involve police shooting and killing individuals with realistic looking toy guns. There is a pattern here. Instead of targeting the police officers who are making split second decisions that can result in the use of lethal force the focus should be on these toys. How many times this year has a police officer pointed their firearms at individuals with these toy guns and not fired? These officers have to live with the fact that they got it wrong and killed children because they could not distinguish the difference between a real gun and a toy until it was to late. I have not read anything about the emotional damage to these officers. Where is the concern for them?
“There is a major distinction between murder and the different forms of manslaughter. The continued reference to “murders of black people” grows tiresome. ”
first, you seem to be holding people making a related point to a legally precise definition when the colloquial term for unlawful killing is murder. technically speaking, i suppose they could use the term homicide, which is the coroner’s definition from any killing at the hands of another person. but the bigger point is why does it matter?
you argue that it “detracts from the issue of how can police improve their tactics, procedures and training to reduce the use of force.” it’s a nice thought. but i don’t think that’s where people are right now. people are angry and this is a pent up sense of injustice and it has only now emerged and rushed to the surface.
I call it murder when a policeman puts a person in a chokehold, the person says I can’t breathe at least 8 times, the policeman continues to choke him. He dies hours later and the medical examiner calls it murder but authorities refuse to indite the officer. I call it murder just like the medical examiner. I call the failure to indite a failure of our system. I call that failure an example of how police behave with impunity, how they are not held accountable for their actions and how black lives do not matter as much as protecting the police.
Remember John Pike? He was awarded $38,000 in damages for psychological trama from pepper spraying students. He retired from the police with full benefits. Don’t cry for the police. They are well protected.
“I feel that “murders” and “killers” are improper terms if this article is referring to the police incidents unless it’s referring to all black deaths of which we know black killers murder more blacks than anyone else.”
I again want to make a distinction between the issue of the murders and killings of black civilians done by other civilians, and the death of black civilians at the hands of those whose job it is to protect the community. While it is true that there are many more deaths of civilians at the hands of other civilians than at the hands of the police, this argument is nothing more than an attempt to distract from the fact that these are two completely different issues.
Both issues are of critical importance. But deaths caused by the actions of the police in their official duty have a separate and special significance as they are actions ostensibly occurring in order to protect the community, are paid for by the community, and thus are de facto approved or sanctioned by the community.
These police actions take on an overarching social significance since they are a reflection of how we want our police to manage our safety. Are we, as a society, ok with an individual ending up dead for the crime of illegally selling cigarettes and then talking back to a police officer ? If not, we have an obligation to do something to change the processes that allow such an event to occur in our name. Are we ok with the policies and procedures that underlie the act of taking out one’s weapon in a stairwell resulting in the presumably accidental shooting of a complete innocent ? Are we ok with shooting a 12 year old within 2 seconds of arriving on the scene with no time for assessment of the situation ?
I agree completely with the posters who say that each case must be judged on its own merits. I also agree that it is legitimate and essential to look for, and honestly admit when patterns are observed that need to be addressed on a systemic level.
good point again tia. people who want to draw equivalence between murders and police killings are missing the color of authority issue.
Garner’s poor health was the real cause of death. A healthy individual would have walked away from that incident and into jail. That is probably one of the major reasons there was non indictment. The real lesson from this incident is that he would be alive today if had cooperated in the arrest. According to his wife he was lazy and cold not hold a job. He made some cash selling loose cigarettes. The cops referred to him as “the cigarette man”. He ends up dead after beefing his ninth arrest for the same offense. Making him the symbol of this movement is silly.
I don’t see why his health is an issue and I don’t care if he was a bum. The police should have treated him the same as, say a wall street broker in a multi-thousand dollar suit. After all they are also repeat offenders. No one, I mean no one should be choked to the point they later die. If he had heart disease he could have had a heart attack, it does matter how they are treated and those police act on behalf of the public. When they behave inappropriately they should be punished. And this wasn’t a split second decision where the police were in danger.
The patterns include a rush to judgement, and pre-judging of events to be “racist” without any proof, and the media and race hustlers going to town, oftentimes with the “victim” actually having committed a crime. Meanwhile, white “victims” who are arrested, shot, or killed, are virtually ignored.
Tia wrote:
> Are we ok with shooting a 12 year old within 2 seconds
> of arriving on the scene with no time for assessment of
> the situation
I don’t think anyone (of any race) wants cops shooting kids. Off the top of my head I can think of three kids (black, brown and white) that have been killed by cops who thought they had a real gun. Did only the black kid’s life “matter”? It is funny that the same people chanting “black lives matter” would be screaming “racism” if the (larger number) of white families with relatives killed by cops made “white lives matter” t shirts (or tried to start a white students union at UCD)…
“It is funny that the same people chanting “black lives matter” would be screaming “racism” if the (larger number) of white families with relatives killed by cops made “white lives matter” t shirts”
it’s not funny at all. what is “funny” is that white people don’t seem to understand the difference.
“it’s not funny at all. what is “funny” is that white people don’t seem to understand the difference.”
Please explain. As an Olive-skinned Jew, I don’t understand. How could I understand?
We’re all stupid we just don’t know it.
i leave that to you. i wasn’t addressing you or jews who certainly have a better sense than other whites in this country about being on the receiving end of white supremacy and its legacy. white lives aren’t undervalued, at least not as a racial group. individually perhaps.
a lot of people question whether white people should even use slogans “hands up don’t shoot” or “I can’t breathe,” in solidarity with african-american protesters or whether that is hypocritical.
i don’t know. when i see comments by south of davis and the dripping sarcasm and indifference, i get depressed.
yup
Due to “level of response” error in restricted levels, I clarify that the “yup” was in response to BP, not DP. Not clarifying that could change the course of history.
No, what is funny is that black people think there should be a difference.
“No, what is funny is that black people think there should be a difference.”
I don’t believe that is true for the majority of black people zaqzaq. I believe that what is being expressed is that they believe that lives should be valued equally and that they do not believe that this has been achieved in our society.
But since, statistically, blacks do much more crime on blacks, wouldn’t a correction to this cause more blacks to be punished for crime. And then wouldn’t you complain about that statistic too?
You seem to be caught in an irrational loop of complaints. Maybe you should start looking at root causes instead of outcome stats.
“blacks do much more crime on blacks, wouldn’t a correction to this cause more blacks to be punished for crime. ”
not sure david got this right.
This is death penalty specific.
“In the Philadelphia study, the racial combination which was most likely to result in a death sentence was a black defendant with a nonblack victim, regardless of how severe the murder committed. Black-on-black crimes were less likely to receive a death sentence, followed by crimes by other defendants, regardless of the race of their victims.”
see this graph: http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/fig5.gif
Now this is a bit old, but I don’t think the data has changed much. This is from a 2007 New York Times article:
“A 2005 study by the Justice Department found that while Hispanic, black and white drivers were stopped by the police about as often, Hispanic drivers or their vehicles were searched 11.4 percent of the time and blacks 10.2 percent of the time, compared with 3.5 percent for white drivers. Data collected from state courts by the Justice Department also shows that a higher percentage of black felons than white felons receive prison sentences for nearly all offenses, and also that blacks receive longer maximum sentences for most offenses.”
When I was a kid, I had a liberal stepdad and a conservative dad. I always thought my dad was just a racist who didn’t know what he was talking about. At one point we had it out and so I left my lilly-white hometown to to live with my mom and stepdad in what happened to be a predominantly black school district (which my liberal stepdad considered a great opportunity for me to learn a valuable cultural lesson). After I got a harsh lesson in anti-white racism by getting my ass kicked for about the 10th time at school, I realized that dad may not be so stupid after all and moved back with in him.
It was one of those hard lessons in life about the difference between how things *should* be and how they actually *are*. It’s not that my dad wanted to teach me to be some racist cross-burner or something, he just wanted to teach me that racism cuts BOTH ways–and that walking into the wrong school/neighborhood/bar with white skin can be just as dangerous as the vice versa. And it’s a lot easier to learn that lesson the easy way than the hard way, believe me.
I like to think that maybe things have changed since I was a kid. I’m not sure, as I learned to avoid these situations altogether by keeping my dumb ass out of where I wasn’t wanted.
Of course, no one is ever going to say any of that publicly. You’re more likely in the modern world to encounter the Loch Ness monster than any truly honest dialogue on race.
Thanks for sharing this Clem. One common theme… Kids can be the most cruel. The reason, I think, has a lot to do with the lack of development to control their destructive emotions. They need strong parents and strong and effective schools to help them develop the ability to control destructive emotions. The problem I see today is that the see-everything-through-racism-tinted-glasses people is that they validate the behavior that is really a manifestation of lack of development away from destructive emotions. They enable destructive emotions… and the problems are perpetuated.
Black lives matter.
It doesn’t make sense to me. You would think that everyone would want that to be explicit and implicit in every government action. I think we all want our institutions to fulfill the promise of democracy and treat us all equally under the law. If police abuses diminish and police practices improve because of this current movement, it will be better for every member of our society who interacts with the “justice system,” including the policemen themselves.
You would think that. I do think that but I believe the problem is both racist and a symptom of our ever increasing authoritarian society. What we see when the people in control have too much power and too little oversight, is the birth of fascism. It goes along with the increasing militarization of our police, the rise of private armies that outnumber our national armed forces and empire building.
“The recent murders of Black people and the subsequent lack of justice served to their killers, which has been widely publicized within media and social networks, portrays a microcosm of the systemic and institutional racism that continues to persist in our society.”
I stopped reading the article right here. “Murder” has a very specific definition and requires intent. The recent incidents involving the police do not rise to the level of murder, period. It is this nonsense that detracts from the real issues of the police using excessive force, racial profiling when it does occur (and it does), etc. Crying wolf too often causes people to turn a deaf ear when the wolf really is at the door. This is a prime example of bad journalism.
Good point, and the argument about semantics is proof of that. People are annoyed listening to the mantra of the activist who repeats ad infinitum what someone else thought up for them to say.
Just like the term “mass incarceration” also being used has little meaning to me in the cases of criminals sentenced one by one, when my limited experience pictures trainloads of people being taken away. The terms “murder” and “killers” is to incite an emotional response, and many of you take the bait.
When I served on a union board, they taught me a couple things. They like to protest, and never targeted the actual people behind the cause of the grievance, and thought a sign on a stick would explain all the nuances along with a chant that usually ended in “when so we want it? NOW” They thought this would inspire something positive. As marketing, it was way off target.
I also wanted to point out, as you all know, this country was grown on the melting pot. When one culture had too much influence there was resistance, as each culture tried to be recognized, or dominate. Are the people who protest today doing that? Are they inclusive and understanding of all who support them?
If they want my understanding and support, they first have to engage with an attitude of friendship and common goals. While my reading of many great posts here has made me realize some of the common goals, it is the people who protest, loot, and burn to destroy any progress made.
Hey, we have mass incarceration even if the people are put away one by one. We have 2.2 million people in jail or prison–up 500% in the last 30 years. We are number one followed by North Korean and China. You can thank the conservatives and their wars on drugs and crime and the rise of private prisons for profit.
All Lives Matter.
Police Lives Matter.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRKtflyhuec
as david points out, you missed the point of the slogan “black lives matter” – “The term “Black Lives Matter” obviously refers to the perception by many that black lives are undervalued in the legal system” so while all lives matter, some seem to matter more than others.
Nobody missed the point of the slogan. What you’re missing is people are getting tired of the race baiting and don’t automatically buy into the rhetoric as much as they used to.
the problem i have is that the definition of race baiting seems to be anyone raising a potential grievance.
another echo brought to you by Fox Propaganda.
DP. if the slogan is pointed at the legal system, why don’t they loot and burn that, and protest when the people are in the building to hear their grievance? If the people who mete out the justice are biased, and dispense justice, why are we not having more lawyers and judges tossed? I assume from my experience all the lawyers in the justice systems I have worked around are all under scrutiny every case. Some judges used to have reputations for being more strict than others. For some of them, even what you wear in the court can be an influence.
most of the time, you reserve bouncing a judge for cases of extreme bias. why? first, you can only bounce one judge per cases unless you can prove actual bias. second, you will end up in front of that judge countless other times, so why antagonize them. and finally, it’s not like the other judges are that much better.
i think you have separate the burning and looting from the protests. they served different purposes.
why don’t people protest the legal system? they do sometimes. the devs for instance. what has it gotten them? not a whole lot i’m afraid, the system is pretty immune.
here’s the thing, the protests have a chance to succeed in bringing about some change, so it’s not a futile gesture.
So there is a “purpose” to doing both? This should be interesting.
The only judges I seem to see bounced out is the ones playing with themselves under their robes…
Devs? Sorry, no point of reference.. What are they/them?
The undervalued lives are the lives of the people without $ to purchase further legal counsel and influence; the role of skin color is minor compared to this.
Facts Matter. Context Matters. 3 white men are killed to 1 black man.
If you want to bark up the tree of police procedures, that’s another matter.
Yes, race baiting. How about plain old fashioned lying.
In the new issue of People Magazine, Michelle Obama gives as an example of “racism” when a much shorter woman asked her to get an item off a top shelf at Target. Yes, this is the new “racism”.
But it gets better. Much, much better.
Mrs. Obama told the same exact story 3 years previous on the nationally broadcast David Letterman show, and thought the interchange was cute. No mention of racism.
People Magazine Fails: Michelle’s 2014 Target Racism Story Exposed As a 2012 Target Feel-Good Story
– See more at: http://newsbusters.org/blogs/tim-graham/2014/12/17/people-magazine-fails-michelles-2014-target-racism-story-exposed-2012#sthash.Dn5dpjcW.dpuf
“Yes, race baiting”
how are people taking to the streets race baiting? forget about politicians, this really isn’t about them.
The “race-baiting” was done by journalists and the likes of Al Sharpton to encourage protestors to take to the streets, burning and looting.
Examples, preferably quotes.
Just google “Ferguson race-baiting”
in other words you can’t
I applaud the names at the bottom of this article, standing up and signing your names to an article, instead of hiding behind an acronym.
This is one of the best things I enjoyed about my time of visiting the Quad, when tables were set up to represent a point of view, and the people there would talk and discuss the issues they represented.
When I lived in communist Poland 30 +years ago that I heard many times ” We are 50 years behind Blacks ” . I did not understand what it this means.
When I got deported in 1982 with one way ticket to USA than shortly after I found out why people living in communist countries are 50 years behind Blacks regardless of my view what I think about neo -racial segregation which is taking place in USA today and disadvantage to be Black person. I only look in the employment ratio white versa blacks in UC Davis Medical Center department where I worked for 13 years . You no need a better comparison than the employer with 10k plus employees which is encircled by African -American neighborhoods. UC Davis regime has many unwritten policies which prohibits qualified African -American to obtain employment with UC Davis Medical Center or UC Davis Example : In 2000-2005 four unqualified white folks were hired in UC Davis Medical Central Plant. They were provided the qualifications tests question and answers by current Central Plant Manager who brought them from his previous employment place. This fact was reported up to Chancellor and I almost lost my job because of disclosure . This is only one example I know but if look other shops in the Department that it is a common practice not offer job to qualified African Americans . This is the unwritten UC Davis “Principles of Community ” which translates to ” Sausage is not for dogs” and if say something about than you will greeted by Manager with words ” I will send Gestapo on your ass” as I was landed in the other shop abruptly removed from Central Plant in March 2007 accused of racism and bigotry which ended with the Settlement -Agreement I signed UC Regents in February 2009.
When I lived in communist Poland 30 +years ago that I heard many times ” We are 50 years behind Blacks ” . I did not understand what it this means.
When I got deported in 1982 with one way ticket to USA than shortly after I found out why people living in communist countries are 50 years behind Blacks regardless of my view what I think about neo -racial segregation which is taking place in USA today and disadvantage to be Black person. I only look in the employment ratio white versa blacks in UC Davis Medical Center department where I worked for 13 years . You no need a better comparison than the employer with 10k plus employees which is encircled by African -American neighborhoods. UC Davis regime has many unwritten policies which prohibits qualified African -American to obtain employment with UC Davis Medical Center or UC Davis Example : In 2000-2005 four unqualified white folks were hired in UC Davis Medical Central Plant. They were provided the qualifications tests question and answers by current Central Plant Manager who brought them from his previous employment place. This fact was reported up to Chancellor and I almost lost my job because of disclosure . This is only one example I know but if look other shops in the Department that it is a common practice not offer job to qualified African Americans . This is the unwritten UC Davis “Principles of Community ” which translates to ” Sausage is not for dogs” and if say something about than you will be greeted by Manager with words ” I will send Gestapo on your ass” as I was and landed in the other shop abruptly removed from the Central Plant in March 2007 accused of racism and bigotry which is customary when you report manager misconduct . My racism and bigotry ended in Settlement -Agreement I signed with UC Regents in February 2009 which last only two years like the agreement I signed with Polish communists in 1981 and landed in prison on December 13, 1981. UC Davis was a little more generous firing me from the job on December 5, 2012 with UC Davis Police Poster distributed around UC Davis Medical Center Campus .
http://youtu.be/lewPtNHJNb4