Racism..........either way ?

Question

I see in the news today that a black girl who was vandalising a car was punched by police officers. In the sensationalist press it was suggested that this was a racist attack and not just a police officer controlling a vandal. In the light of this reporting and investigating, will our police be forced to behave with dual standards towards micreants and have to treat black people with kid gloves to avoid this type of response ?

Answer 1

I live in a predominantely "British White" area, although there is a high concentration of afro-caribbean, indian, chinese and pakistanis who live here to. I'm certainly not saying that they shouldn't live here, but they shouldn't receive special treatment.

I was out in the pub one night with my friends having a quiet drink and a smoke (nothing too extravagant there), and these afro-caribbean guys, must be about 25ish and about 5 in all order their drinks and sit close to us. Normally, I'm pretty docile and friendly so I was smiling at them. It kept on that way until it was very obvious that they were leering at both me, and my friends. There was nothing revealing about what we wore, plain button up shirts since we had just finished work, but they were making it very clear that they were interested in "our assets". They started calling us slutty whores who wanted some black action, and alike. We contacted the police who came to assess the situation and the afro-caribbean guys came back with "they were saying we shouldn't be allowed in here because we're black" when we had done nothing of the sort. I felt like I had been very let down by the police because they had favoured these guys simply because they were playing the racist card, and that they were just trying to avoid a "racist" incident.

I'm of the opinion whereby the police now have to be very tip-toe around the race issue because its all very well and good to say that they're being racist as an easy defence. Its idiotic, and not something that 21st Century Britain should be living with.

The police have very evident double standards, and it needs to be tackled ASAP. Racism is not a defence anymore, its an excuse.

Answer 2

This is pure racism. Worse in some respects as when the press and media hype this sort of thing as a racist attack with nothing to suggest it was then they are in effect inciting the black communities and all too often this has resulted in violence on the streets.

It is time the media was taken to task for this.

Whether the officer was justified or not in hitting the girl should be decided by a court and no doubt will be. The fact that she has already been in court for the offence and found guilty speaks volumes - does it not?

Nothing in the video or the reporting gave any reason to suggest it was racially motivated so surely the racism is coming from the media and I would think the officer may well have a good case for taking the papers to court himself.

The issue should be what is right and wrong and the first court has already made that decision against the girl. She is now suing so another court will make that decision. He is likely to be investigated by the In dependant Police Complaints system. That is three separate and correct means of fair judgement.

The racism and race to judge by the media is sickening and likely to cause increasing racial and civil unrest.

Answer 3

If anything the copper involved should be given a medal. The police should be allowed to use any and all means at their disposal to combat crime.
If the little b1tch hadnt been vandalising someone elses property she wouldn't have got a kicking. Simple! What would you have done to her if YOU had caught her vandalising YOUR car?
Race doesnt come into the equation. If it was a white man caught doing the same thing at that particular time and place he would have got the same treatment and rightly so.
If giving her a bit of a beating deters her and others from committing similar crimes then that particular cop has done his job well I say.
But as usual the political correct idiots will hound the police until this officer is either sacked or banged up or both. Not stopping to think that if the girl hadnt been doing wrong she wouldn't have been in that position in the first place

Answer 4

Race doesn't come into it. You don't go around beating seven colours of sh#t out of a woman just because she's drunk and having a pissy! I find it really alarming that a majority of people are able to justify this abuse by saying 'this is just p.c. propaganda' or 'she was just playing the race card'
I'll say it again, a grown man, beating up a woman, is never acceptable under any circumstances. Anyone seen children of men? You can easily see how people in this country would be happy to let that happen!

EDIT: The question of press sensationalism is a completely different issue. Without a doubt the press have sensationalised this story and bought out the racism card. the media is in the business of making money and, in that respect, they've done well here. I personally believe that the media cleverly manipulates innate feelings of racism within indigenous Brits by pretending to come down on the side of ethnic minorities, when they know this will rile the whites, and sell more papers.

Answer 5

I see no reason that when reporting that it is necessary to mention whether a person it black, white, yellow or green. this is when it is blown out of proportion by the media. As for the police office or police officers punching the girl that is an internal affair and should be treat by the police superiors. Racisms biggest enemy is the media. No one should be handled with kid gloves as no one is above the law.
Who suggested this was a racist attack?

Answer 6

I think that the majority of police officers treat everyone the same black,white,asian.
I also watched the video, I saw 4 officers a police dog and a woman lying on the ground being punched repeatedly by a single police officer.

The report said that the woman was thrown out of the club for being violent and she seemingly vandalised a car.

If she was that violent why was she not handcuffed and if need be leg restraints used as well ( this is just handcuffs put round the ankles) initially?

Why did the four officers not hold her down to restrain her in
order for her to be cuffed? instead they left their colleague to deal with her by deadening her arm, not very proffessional.

This was a woman on her own, drunk ,having an epileptic fit perhaps due to overdrinking, perhaps not, didn't a man die on the floor of a Police station 2 years ago whilst the police stood over and watched then panic when they realized he was dead, does no one remember that incident? or the one where they sat on a woman who was to be deported and suffocated her, the white man who's neighbour videod the police officer assaulting him outside his front door when the man had not raised a hand ,they were only restraining these people also, there are thousands of incidents like this which go unreported because there are no witnessess or the witnessess are to frightened to come forward.

Whoever smuggled this tape out for the public to see obviously did not agree with the amount of force used on the woman but was he frightened to complain internally? or was he just so sick of the violence within the division that he felt he had to highlight it.? and for it being a McIntyre story unless the man is psychic he knew nothing about this incident until the tape was given to him.

I just hope that the above who have condoned the Police on their brilliant policing skills concerning this incident never find themselves in the position of being arrested and restrained.

Answer 7

If you go around the bars in a big city most weekends you will see the police use force to restrain people, not unusual to see the police hit the person in the arm to get the handcuffs on. The press likes to jump on stories like this and then the campaigners will latch on to the story to prove their cases, such people as the racist, bigoted or paranoid activist. Only difference between a normal drunked violent arrest and the one on this girl was the location and the recording being released.
I do still think that there should be an independent enquiry to find out what happened and if things need to be changed in the future when the police have to use force to make an arrest.

Answer 8

I don't condone racism or police brutality and I don't this falls into either category. The female was drunk and had committed criminal damage. She started fighting with the officer as she was removed from the club and had to be restrained. He chose to hit her on the arm 4 or 5 times. I'm sure if he'd subdued her with CS spray or hit her with his truncheon there would have been more of an outcry. Many police officers will tell you that drunken females are more of a handful and more violent than drunken males. Had she been white I'm sure she would have been treated in the same manner. She had committed a crime, what did she expect a telling off and told not to do it again?

Unfortunately for society, positive discrimination can be just as bad as negative.

Answer 9

I saw this on News night and I feel that it was sensationalised by the newspapers.

It doesn't matter what colour, race or creed you are, if you are intoxicated and hitting out, you need to calm down. The same goes for people who have taken drugs. If you cannot calm down yourself, then you need to be restrained and made safe until the effects of the drug/alcohol wear off.
This police officer may have hit her five times in an effort to subdue her and who's to say it was not reasonable force? I know what I'm like if I get angry and I would not want anyone trying to restrain me , I would probably hit back.
We were not there so we do nto know what actually happened. Even the CCTV is unclear. Yes it shows him striking her but we do not know which part of her body was hit.
I agree it needs to be investigated, simply because all cases where a PC/WPC has struck someone need to be investigated, irrespective of race, colour or creed.

This was not racism and should never, ever have been described as such.
There are too many countries in the world, Australia is one of them, where there is a double standard. I've known cases, whilst living there, where police have to act differently just because of skin colour. It is unfair.

We are all British, regardless of our heritage. If our ancestors, choose to settle here, or if we ourselves do, then we agree to abide by the laws of this country and NOT expect special treatment because our skin colour may be different. The law is the same for anyone. I suspect this officer would have reacted exactly the same had this been a white woman.

Answer 10

She got hit, she didn't like it. She has a legitimate right to complain and have all the facts investigated. This will include her own actions and behaviour. We should let an investigation by the Independent Police Complaints Commission take place. It is in every-ones' interest to ensure we have the best possible policing of our streets.

She clearly has a case to answer for the vandalism she has admitted to.

Let the correct authorities decide if the policeman involved has a case to answer for his actions.

Answer 11

I haven't seen this particular footage, but I am realising one problem here in the UK, and that is an upcoming "reverse discrimination".

In our phobia to be over the top politically correct we often are more careful not to upset the sensitivities of ethnic groups and by doing so automatically run into the risk of "neglecting" the rest of the society.

A picture or footage is usually a snapshot and does not tell the entire story, that#s what journalists live on, they need something incomplete to make up sellable stories.

I do not think our police is so dump to go OTT and be unnecessarily violent because they will feel the heat, and they are certainly no idiots who can't control themselves or be silly enough to do something unjust in front of camera, so logic suggest to me to be on the side of the police unless prooven otherwise.

And even if they had been overly forceful, my advise is (to black, white and green): Don't vandalise anything in the first place and you do not need to be concerned of the degree of force you are handled with.