Open Thread | Why Aren’t Our Children Allowed to be Children?😢

Posted on September 13, 2019 by rikyrah

The important issues for Black women:

Essence Magazine did a poll consisting of Black women. Joy Reid revealed the results on her show on Sunday.
Concerning the 2020 Election, UNDECIDED got the largest share of ‘ who is your choice’, and then Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.

Most important issue for Black women:

Criminal Justice Reform.

I understand that.

Those that want to mischaracterize this position of those that want Criminal Justice Reform say that we hate cops. That we don’t want cops in our neighborhood. That’s not true. We want police in our neighborhoods. We pay taxes. We are citizens. We know that there are criminals out there. We just don’t want everyone with a certain skin color to be treated like criminals. We only want equal justice under the law.

We want the ability to raise our children so that their lives aren’t shrouded in fear.

Peanut is now 11. You know, she’s growing up and maturing, and staking out her independence. It’s sort of sad, but, I accept that’s how it’s going to be as she grows up. But, every once in awhile, she’ll come in and start talking to me about random stuff, and I know that eventually, she will get around to what she really wants to talk about with me.

The other day, she wanted to talk about the police. Would I be mad at her if she joined the police? I told her that I wouldn’t be mad at her, but, that, no, I wouldn’t want her to become a cop. She was like, ‘ maybe I could be one of the good ones.’, and that hurt me. Then, we started talking about cases that had been in the news, and she knew about the outcomes of the cases, as well as how the victims of police misconduct had died.

Peanut is bi-racial, and she has White looking Hispanic relatives on the other side of her family. When she told me that they don’t have to bother about their contact with the police because they look White and she doesn’t….that stabbed me in the heart. Then she was like, ‘I might have a run in with the police, but, ICE would be more inclined to pick them up.”

WHY does an 11 year old know this? WHY can’t she just be an 11 year old child? Do you know the anger and sadness that I felt? I’m the adult. I’m part of her village. I feel it’s my job to protect her, and yet, I feel helpless. Torn, between wanting to shield her, and then, yet, if we don’t prepare her for possible encounters with the police, then we aren’t doing our jobs as those who love her. The rage in knowing that, even if we try and prepare her as best we can, it might not still be enough. That she’ll come across the ‘wrong cop’.

That’s TERRORISM against this community. We shouldn’t have to live like this. Our children shouldn’t have to live like this. They should be allowed to have their childhoods.
But, tell that to Tamir Rice or Rekia Boyd.

How can I not be honest with her, when she sees that this can be the reality for a child?😠

When we see that they can take mass murderers into custody after they go to Burger King. But, yet, can’t seem to extend the acknowledgement of humanity to Black bodies. We are Black, and therefore, we are guilty.
HELL NO TO THAT.

We love our children just like any other community.

This entry was posted in Open Thread, Police bruality, Police violence, Politics, Racial Bias, Racial Profiling, racial terror, Uncategorized and tagged , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

93 Responses to Open Thread | Why Aren’t Our Children Allowed to be Children?😢

  1. Liza says:
    September 13, 2019 at 7:16 pm

    I think that Biden was so outraged by Julian Castro pointing out the contradiction because Biden was blathering and very likely did not remember what he said two minutes earlier.

    Biden did not have a good night.

    https://twitter.com/SawyerHackett/status/1172524771059351552

    Reply
    • eliihass says:
      September 13, 2019 at 8:04 pm

      Pffffftt..

      Castro, like Harris and Booker before him, only showed his lack of character/honor .. and just how small he is..

      There are better and more honorable ways to distinguish oneself from the pack..

      Castro, like Harris and Booker, failed the most basic character/integrity test..

      The measure of a person is how desperate they get, and what they’ll resort to..

      Reply
  2. eliihass says:
    September 13, 2019 at 7:10 pm

    “…Power (and the lust for it) is a corrupting thing.. and it will make people do some ugly stuff..”

    -Michelle Obama, July 2019~

    As is already on display with Dem candidates …an ugly, grasping desperation …driven entirely by self-serving, raw ambition, opportunism, self aggrandizement ..

    The true measure of any person is how low they’ll stoop, and what they’ll resort to in pursuit of power…

    Desperation reveals true character..

    And the utter short-sightedness of those who very erroneously think that it can all be explained away or ‘justified’.. because, ‘primaries’ …or that it’ll all be soon forgotten …or forgiven..

    Folks …including many outside the agenda-driven social media echo-chamber, are watching.. keenly.. and many are already turned off..

    And no, there won’t be any ‘coalescing’ or ‘coming together’ in the end..

    P.S:

    And some ‘folks of color’ are showing themselves to be just as despicable, dishonest, entitled, petty, small, malicious, 2-faced, backstabbers…

    Reply
  3. Liza says:
    September 13, 2019 at 7:09 pm

    Yeah, couldn’t help but notice.

    Okay, I’m going to say it. JB is increasingly showing us we need to be concerned. He should not be the frontrunner. he shouldn’t even be in the race.

    https://twitter.com/AnandWrites/status/1172536318909386756

    Reply
    • eliihass says:
      September 13, 2019 at 7:10 pm

      Rubbish..

      Reply
    • eliihass says:
      September 13, 2019 at 7:55 pm

      FYI,

      Attempts to ‘take out’ Biden with these ‘mental decline’ attacks are not only incredibly despicable, but will certainly not make Booker, Harris, Castro et al ‘catch on’.. or make black voters ‘swarm’ to them..

      This isn’t 2008.. and there is no ‘Obama scenario’ playing out..

      And no, they are not ‘still introducing’ themselves to the country… voters mostly now know who these folks are …at least as far as character and integrity are concerned.. they’ve already shown their a*ses… and essentially over-played their hands.. they don’t get to make repeat ‘first impressions’..

      Folks aren’t stupid..

      And after they’ve managed to hobble Biden with these attacks, they’ll next come for the next one, then the next one, then the next.. until there isn’t any left..

      Candidates and their supporters arrogantly and erroneously believe that after they’ve ‘taken out’ the other candidate that their person will then get to automatically have Dems ‘coalesce’ around them (because only then does ‘vote blue no matter who’ kick in).. ha!

      Sorry to say, doesn’t work like that..

      Better believe this: ‘take out’ Biden with these disrespectful, personal, scurrilous attacks …and there are a ton of his supporters who’ll either stay home, or actually vote for the treasonous buffoon..

      Incredibly mind-blowing how folks – some of whom actively ingratiated themselves to him and his family… went from years of elevating Biden and even attempting to use him to try to spitefully disrespect/diminish the younger President principal on his team …and even getting offended by and trying to erase the historic black FLOTUS in favor of forcefully etching in the Bidens..

      To this now..

      Biden as some ‘racist’, ‘dumb’, ‘clueless’, ‘scum of the earth’..

      People beware, this is your lot if you dare get in the way of the raw political ambitions of all manner of budding ‘politicos’..

      It has already been incredibly eye-opening.. and it’s not even 2020 yet..

      And better believe that the Obamas know that they’d as easily by at the receiving end of the very same personally demeaning and vicious attacks by some in their own party …

      Dems are not loyal..

      And in the end, Dems lose..

      Reply
      • Liza says:
        September 13, 2019 at 9:35 pm

        Eliihass, my first observations of the debate were mine and mine alone.

        I will vote for whichever Democrat ends up with the nomination. The Democrat has my vote, that’s all.

        I recorded the debate and watched it with zero expectations, I did not listen to the pre-debate hype, who needed to “take out” who, etc…

        I listened to the debate, each speaker (except for one that I won’t mention), and used closed captioning. I started to notice that Biden’s answers were a bit rambling and he wasn’t really answering the questions asked. Then I noticed that he was actually getting worse as the debate went on.

        I have nothing against Biden but I have said from the beginning that Biden and Sanders are too old for this. Sanders appears to be holding up better at least from the perspective of staying on point and sounding reasonably articulate.

        Look at the earlier tweet from @WalkerBragman that I linked. For God’s sake, that reads like a Sarah Palin word salad and, yes, it was very obvious. It is no surprise to me that social media has picked up on some of Biden’s responses.

        BTW, this has nothing to do with the Obamas, at least for me. This was just me listening to the candidates because I wanted to know more about them. And what I observed about Biden has apparently been observed by others.

        People either get old or they die. Sometimes we get too old to do what we want to do. And four years is one hell of a long time for a person who is 76. A lot of changes can happen and they happen very quickly.

        Joe is not showing me that he is one of those exceptional elderly people who will make it to 85 and beyond and still be as sharp as a tack.

        I’m sorry, but that’s what I see and if he wins I will pray that I’m wrong.

        Reply
        • eliihass says:
          September 14, 2019 at 12:22 am

          Debates do not a good president or leader decide or make..

          Neither does it signal ability, judgement, experience or a fitness to lead..

          There are extremely articulate and brilliant college and high school kids who can study up on the issues and stand on that debate stage and clean the clocks of every last one of those politicos.. I know that my young nephews and nieces absolutely can.. doesn’t mean they should be president/commander in chief of the world’s largest economy/most powerful military..

          Funny thing is, in the end, the treasonous buffoon could as easily decide that he doesn’t feel like doing debates.. and just like that, once again, upend the democratic process.. and nobody will say or do anything about it..

          As if..

          In the end, we come at this differently..

          I value character, integrity, honor, humanity.. and very importantly, decency …the ability to treat people with respect and with dignity.. especially when they are on my team.. no matter what the stakes are..

          Even if Biden was actually ‘losing it’, this is not how to treat him… and certainly, the way Castro, Harris, Booker et al have very publicly disrespected and demeaned him, is not only unconscionable, but reveals a whole lot about them..

          I don’t want to be a part of a party that not only gleefully disrespects one of their ‘statesmen’ that up to just 2 short years ago they were sucking up to and begging and relying on to go help campaign for Dem candidates in the 2018 midterms ..

          A party that peddles ad hominem whisper-campaigns that they hope will strong-arm and squeeze out one of the more decent, loyal of Dems from the line-up.. in the hope that some self-aggrandizing, vacuous, peacocking, ambitious candidates who’ve never actually accomplished anything, and who can’t seem to catch-on with the voters on their own merit, can hopefully be elevated.. pfffftt..

          The line-up was already ho-hum, seriously weak sauce …as I already noted right from the start.. but these attacks from Dems on their own current front runner, all hoping to ‘benefit’ their person, is only sure to harden battle lines and cause even more irreversible division, resentment and enmity among Dem voters..

          You might be planning to vote for the eventual Dem nominee, but others are not..

          And certainly not with the scorched earth, entirely self-aggrandizing nature of many of the candidates and their supporters.. and no, this isn’t ‘politics as usual’.. with the advent of social media, everyone and their mother fancy their own opinions and bubbles.. and everyone is dug in..

          I can assure you that at this rate, there won’t be any ‘unifying’ of this party any time soon …or come November 2020..

          Reply
        • eliihass says:
          September 14, 2019 at 12:31 am

          PS:

          The Obamas aren’t stupid..

          They aren’t blind or deaf… they clearly see just how quickly people turn, and that they could just as easily be disrespected and demeaned as Biden now is …by the very same opportunistic grandstanders that had to be reminded not to attack their legacy.. Even with a treasonous buffoon staring them in the face..

          Reply
      • Liza says:
        September 14, 2019 at 9:25 am

        I mostly agree with you, Eliihass, but I probably place a higher value on language and communication skills for those who want to rule the “free” world.

        What I saw with Joe Biden, and again let me stress that I have disengaged from all the criticisms of all the candidates (preferring my own judgement), is someone who was not articulating coherent responses to the questions he was asked. He rambled, spoke in fragments, and could not focus. And this went on the whole night.

        I’ve known a few folks in their late 70’s who were as sharp as ever, maybe two or three. it is not the norm. That why selling brain performance supplements is a multi-hundred million dollar industry.

        I think it’s a red flag. I guess we’ll just have to see what happens.

        Reply
      • Liza says:
        September 14, 2019 at 9:30 am

        Correcting type-o’s…

        “I’ve known a few folks in their late 70’s who were as sharp as ever, maybe two or three. It is not the norm. That is why selling brain performance supplements is a multi-hundred million dollar industry.”

        Reply
  7. Liza says:
    September 13, 2019 at 5:43 pm

    Like I told y’all. Biden was blathering, this is one of his worst replies and I think it was toward the end of the debate. This is not good, actually worries me. Biden didn’t have a good night, to say the least.
    https://twitter.com/WalkerBragman/status/1172534522920996870

    Reply
  14. rikyrah says:
    September 13, 2019 at 3:06 pm

    NOT The Onion.

    House Republicans say they’ll run in 2020 on repealing Obamacare and reducing the debt they helped grow https://t.co/VOOzp4J4be— Bloomberg Politics (@bpolitics) September 13, 2019

    Reply
  15. rikyrah says:
    September 13, 2019 at 3:04 pm

    ‘I was screaming’: Tennis star Coco Gauff, 15, recalls her excitement at meeting Michelle Obama, admitting she always tries to ‘play it cool’ with celebrities but is ‘really fangirling so hard’ inside

    The teenage tennis star talked about the ‘best summer [she’s] ever had’ on the Today show this morning
    Admitted that she’s freaked out over attention from famous people like the former first lady and Jaden Smith
    She and Mrs. Obama met and traded autographs on August 1, and Obama shared a photo and kind message on social media
    Coco also reflected on the emotional moment Naomi Osaka, 21, pulled her into post-match interview after US Open loss
    By CARLY STERN FOR DAILYMAIL.COM

    PUBLISHED: 10:53 EDT, 13 September 2019 | UPDATED: 11:11 EDT, 13 September 2019

    Reply
    • Liza says:
      September 13, 2019 at 2:11 pm

      I recorded the debate and just finished watching it.

      My most notable observation is that Joe Biden has considerable difficulty in focusing and answering the question that is asked. He seems to be just blathering quite a bit if you listen to him closely, which I did.

      Bernie, the other geriatric candidate, is a hell of a lot more focused than Biden.

      Elizabeth, who might also be considered geriatric, had some really good moments.

      Cory Booker did really well.

      Kamala took on Trump and I liked it, don’t know what others think. But someone had to do it.

      Reply
  19. Liza says:
    September 13, 2019 at 10:23 am

    Well, I hadn’t thought of it like this, but….
    https://twitter.com/KieseLaymon/status/1172333790863085568

    Reply
  22. rikyrah says:
    September 13, 2019 at 10:07 am

    It’s worth noting that Briscoe Cain sneaked into last year’s Texas Democratic convention with a handgun and tried to hand out yard signs inviting shooters to attack Democrats’ houses.
    This man is not well and should not be a state representative, OR own guns. https://t.co/zcJc0EEMuT— Matthew Chapman (@fawfulfan) September 13, 2019

    Reply
  23. rikyrah says:
    September 13, 2019 at 10:00 am

    Breaking on @MSNBC: The U.S. 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals has revived a lawsuit claiming that Trump violated the Constitution by accepting foreign and domestic payments through his businesses.— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) September 13, 2019

    Reply
  24. rikyrah says:
    September 13, 2019 at 9:40 am

    YEAH…..answer that, Uber….

    Noam Scheiber
    @noamscheiber
    ·15h
    So, to recap: Yesterday Uber said it wouldn’t reclassify drivers as employees under California’s new law b/c it doesn’t believe drivers are part of its “usual course of business.” Here’s how that argument played when Uber tried it before a judge in NY in 2017.

    The judge asked “if you have people requesting rides but no drivers, how would that work?” That stumped the Uber attorney and it was pretty much over.

    Reply
  25. rikyrah says:
    September 13, 2019 at 9:36 am

    Possible problems with Warren/Sanders and Black folk:

    glory bsays:
    September 13, 2019 at 7:41 am

    Here’s what a number of African American women I’m acquainted with think about Warren and Bernie:

    1) Why isn’t anyone going to explain his numerous pro-gun votes? If others have to apologize for previous mistakes, how does he get away with merely saying he now has an “F” from the NRA?

    2) Warren was a Republican long after the Southern Strategy came to light. Why did she look away from that?
    Also, black women worked HARD for Clinton, she seemed to hand wave that away when she said the DNC rigged the primary against Bernie. Why does she think that happened? She never explained.

    I’ll also note that lots of educated black people work for government agencies, significantly higher percentages than other races. Most are happy with their health care coverage. I saw Steve Ratner on msnbc a few minutes ago, he said 85% of all people with employer provided coverage like it and want to keep it.

    Reply
  26. rikyrah says:
    September 13, 2019 at 9:22 am

    To clarify: Rahm Emanuel once mailed the body of a dead, decomposing fish to bully a Dem he disliked.

    Then, as a mayor of Chicago, he worked to hide footage of the murder of Laquan McDonald from the public.

    Now he’s an investment banker & on TV. And all this is seen as normal. https://t.co/XJgL3lQ8ve

    — Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) September 13, 2019

    Reply
  28. rikyrah says:
    September 13, 2019 at 8:51 am

    Marcus H. Johnson (@marcushjohnson) Tweeted:
    Interesting piece on the Elizabeth Warren-Obama Administration relationship. Warren’s biggest weakness right now is Black voters and southern states, how they perceive her relationship with Obama matters https://t.co/hJfNMbR6OZ https://twitter.com/marcushjohnson/status/1172213823480258560?s=17

    Reply
  29. rikyrah says:
    September 13, 2019 at 8:44 am

    This is some purity pony bullshyt. If you aren’t smart enough to know that every candidate on that stage is Pro-DACA, then you are too stupid for words. Take your azzes over to Moscow Mitch and see how you’re treated.

    I interviewed the protestors that interrupted the @ABCPolitics #DemDebate – they said they chanted: “We are DACA recipients, our lives are at risk, save DACA.” They said that none of the 2020 candidates adequately addressed their issue tonight and wouldn’t support any of them. 👇🏼 pic.twitter.com/56GSJgjpCj

    — Ben Pu (@BenPu_nbc) September 13, 2019

    Reply
  30. rikyrah says:
    September 13, 2019 at 8:29 am

    Matt Murphy (@MattMurph24) Tweeted:
    If it wasn’t for the Obama administration, EW would still be the most popular law professor in Massachusetts. https://twitter.com/MattMurph24/status/1172133357788041216?s=17

    Reply
  37. rikyrah says:
    September 13, 2019 at 7:17 am

    jen (@jenmendez_) Tweeted:
    I’m seeing lots of articles about what Kamala Harris “has to do” tonight.

    I’m seeing zero articles about what all the white dudes polling at 3% “have to do” tonight.

    Exhausted of this coverage. https://twitter.com/jenmendez_/status/1172217106458468352?s=17

    Reply
  39. rikyrah says:
    September 13, 2019 at 7:16 am

    True

    Amene (@Ange_Amene) Tweeted:
    Actually this primary race is a good example of how white people never start at the bottom like Black people or POC. https://twitter.com/Ange_Amene/status/1172148383512875008?s=17

    Reply
  40. rikyrah says:
    September 13, 2019 at 7:15 am

    drwatson (@terrinwatson) Tweeted:
    Dear Educators,
    Do not write off parents, particularly those of color, who do not attend Open House. Many are managing multiple jobs, young children, and other obligations. Be graceful and endeavor to build bridges, not walls. Lack of physical presence does not mean indifference. https://twitter.com/terrinwatson/status/1172065081682796545?s=17

    Reply
  44. rikyrah says:
    September 13, 2019 at 7:13 am

    Acidic Today, Alkaline Tomorrow (@THISisLULE) Tweeted:
    Meghan Markle’s capsule collection just launched today and items are already sold out. So much for the idea that everyone hates her and everything she does https://twitter.com/THISisLULE/status/1172097557364924416?s=17

    Reply
  49. rikyrah says:
    September 13, 2019 at 7:10 am

    Marcus H. Johnson (@marcushjohnson) Tweeted:
    I think it will be extremely difficult for Elizabeth Warren to win over Black voters at large because she didn’t make that effort until she wanted to be President. Black voters generally not capitalism hating populists either. But not impossible. Just highly unlikely https://t.co/wGGuxe6XE7 https://twitter.com/marcushjohnson/status/1172214688203137024?s=17

    Reply
  56. rikyrah says:
    September 13, 2019 at 7:06 am

    Elie Mystal (@ElieNYC) Tweeted:
    . @KamalaHarris “If a black child has had two black teachers before 3rd grade, they’re 32% more likely to go to college.”

    My kid has had TWO by first grade :) https://twitter.com/ElieNYC/status/1172332302401015808?s=17

    Reply
    • majiir says:
      September 13, 2019 at 3:26 pm

      Although many might not know it, black teachers make a difference in the lives and futures of black students. I had black high school students who weren’t considering college, but when they took my classes, they changed their minds. I emphasized the importance of educating themselves and told them they could do it. I had a lot of male students go to college, complete college, and now they’re making good money and living good lives. I ran into one of my former students who works at my doctor’s office. I asked her when she was going back to school to become an RN because she’s smart, and I know she can do it. I kept after her, she enrolled, took the test for nursing school, passed with flying colors, and she’s now in her second year. I am so proud of her, and she and her family are proud of her. I take her lunch nearly every Thursday and help pay some of her expenses. She told me recently that she doesn’t care if anyone except me attends her graduation, but I have to be there. I laughed. I plan to attend, if it’s the Lord’s will. I taught this child’s mama, too. She’s been making mostly A’s in every class she’s taken. Black teachers can make a huge difference in black students’ lives.

      I’ve had some of my white students tell me, too, that I made a difference in their lives and their decision to go to college. One of my white female students is in medical school as I type. I didn’t know she was from a disadvantaged background when she was my student. She married a so-called preacher, had four kids. He started to abuse her, so she left Tennessee and moved back to GA. I was still teaching at the time. She began subbing at the same school. She walked into my classroom one day after school and told me one of her professors had asked her why she decided to go to medical school at an older age, and she told him it was because of me, and the fact that I had faith in her. I teared up. I couldn’t help it. All some kids need is someone who believes in them.

      Reply
  57. rikyrah says:
    September 13, 2019 at 7:06 am

    👏👏👏👏

    The Age of Sussex (@brenbrenchie) Tweeted:
    It’s been amazing and inspiring to watch both Meghan and Harry go from strength to strength in the course of the past three years. You see it , you sense it. They keep growing into better, stronger, versions of themselves. God bless https://twitter.com/brenbrenchie/status/1172153434298040320?s=17

    Reply
  62. rikyrah says:
    September 13, 2019 at 7:03 am

    Progressives Aren’t Allies When You Need Them🥀🤬 (@Needle_of_Arya) Tweeted:
    So I’m going to tell you all right now that the media want Biden to have the nomination, and then immediately thereafter will help Trump destroy him.

    Bookmark this tweet. https://twitter.com/Needle_of_Arya/status/1172379356234018816?s=17

    Reply
  63. rikyrah says:
    September 13, 2019 at 7:03 am

    Atty. Francis Lloyd Holland (@ColorArousal) Tweeted:
    @Needle_of_Arya Now that you say it, it’s easy to foresee. 1st media convinces Dems to nominate Biden.

    Then, media drags out his 78 yrs of cringe-worthy.

    Whatever Trump feeds media on Biden, media runs it endless loop. Since there’s nothing new to learn re Biden, focus on old silliness. https://twitter.com/ColorArousal/status/1172400590841712641?s=17

    Reply
  65. rikyrah says:
    September 13, 2019 at 7:01 am

    Caroline Orr (@RVAwonk) Tweeted:
    During tonight’s #DemDebate, a GOP congressman threatened to shoot a presidential candidate, and a new GOP PAC ran an ad that opened with @AOC’s face being burned off.

    The GOP clearly sees inflicting terror as the only path to victory. Don’t underestimate what they’ll do. https://twitter.com/RVAwonk/status/1172391059617271813?s=17

    Reply
  78. rikyrah says:
    September 13, 2019 at 4:17 am

    Good Morning, Everyone 😀😀😀

    Reply

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