The sad results of Obama’s two terms
Written by Dmitri Drobnitsky; Originally appeared at Apn, translated by AlexD exclusively for SouthFront
America is once again in the grips of racial riots. The matter reached the point of armed assaults on the police; in addition of the sniper ambush in Dallas, there were murder attempts in Louisiana and Missouri. Shots were fired in San Antonio in the state of Texas.
Increasingly the situation reminds us of the late 1960’s when racially motived riots erupted everywhere, the paramilitary groups “Black Panthers”, “Black Power” and others were terrorizing the police and government agencies.
As in almost half a century ago, the American public is split, afraid and full of anger and mistrust. Inter-racial relations in the USA deteriorated to the extreme. Mutual accusation in the MSM and social networks once again turn into open threats. Once again, from dark corners radical Black groups emerge – “New Black Panthers”, “Urban League of Missouri” and the new “Black Lives Matter”, which even if it presents itself as a peaceful social movement, at its meetings and social networks sites comes out with not so peaceful slogans.
In 2014 when racial protests swept across many cities in the USA because of the killing of the Black Michael Brown by the police in Ferguson, the slogan “No justice, no peace” was adopted, actually meaning that the protest will not end until the white police officer was convicted. The same year the Black Lives Matter activists marched through the streets of New York, shouting, “What do we want? Dead cops! When do we want this? Now!” [link here]
In July 2015, the Twitter account of the movement was overloaded with messages expressing the open support for the Dallas shooting. A new “fashionable” chant of the Black activists appeared: “Pigs in a blankets. Fry ‘Em like bacon!” (it has been a few years that African-Americans call cops “pigs in a blankets” or simply “pigs”) [link here]. And with this change Black Lives Matter marched the streets of Saint Paul, in the state of Minnesota. The slogan spread through social networks and quickly repeated at marches in Louisiana and Missouri where clashes with police followed and both sides had victims.
It is hard to believe that in the second decade of the 21st century the USA has a Black president. The Attorney General is Black as well, and a second one in a row. Meanwhile in Dallas, where innocent policemen fell under sniper fire, where the Chief of police is Black as well.
And that is what at first glance seems the most paradoxical. During Barak Obama’s presidency inter-racial relations only grew worse.
According to Gallup polls [link here], in 2009, when Obama entered the White House, 70% of White and 61% of Black Americans thought that these relations appear to be “very good” and “fairly good”. At the end of 2015 the figures were only 51% and 45%, accordingly.
The poll conducted by the PBS network in collaboration with Marist College’s Institute for Public Opinion [link here] showed that 60% of Whites and 56% of Blacks think that inter-racial relations deteriorated in the last year. Meanwhile 40% of all polled believe that they deteriorated throughout the presidency of Obama.
The administration of the 44th president of the USA did not skimp on the rhetoric of racial inequality and the “structures of racism” of the American society, about the difficult position of the Black communities of the United States and about the injustice against them by the law enforcement system.
But was there anything done to improve the situation? Analyses of the data show that if there were any attempts made, they all failed. Poverty, unemployment and the level of crime in Black neighbourhoods only grew. The artificial employment index (taking into account the number of working hours per person) decreased in that group of population to 19.6%, the number of people that receive food stamps increased to 58%, the number of homeless increased by 4.6%.
Under these conditions Black communities literally sink in an abyss of criminal activity. The political home of Barak Obama, the city of Chicago, reveals the terrifying example of this trend.
The metropolis today is divided approximately in three parts, Whites, Latinos and Blacks. During Obama’s presidency there were 3,459 wilful killings, 70% of which were Blacks on Blacks. A number of these crimes had, as we say here, a domestic character, but the vast majority, were the result of settling of accounts between gangs.
The Black population of the USA amounts to 14%. According to the Justice Department’s statistics, they commit 24% violent crimes in the country.
What does the Obama Administration say about this? Almost nothing. Even after the most terrible and criminal mass shootings of Black citizens of Chicago the president spoke (9 times during his entire stay at the White House) in a neutral-funereal tone, without any derivations whatsoever, including in relation to the mayor and City Council, represented by the Democrats.
But every time, when the police was doing, according to the liberal MSM, “something not right” about relations with the African-Americans, full political diatribes and invective speeches followed. And this happened no less than twelve times, and this is only according to my calculations.
It all began in 2009, when in the course of a routine stop of a Black Harvard professor (and after the conversation was released on the spot). Obama did not fail to call the police action “stupid” and “race motivated”. The scandal followed, which the president preferred to quickly put out publicly, by inviting for a beer to the White House the professor and the arresting police officer.
But Obama did not learn anything. Ferguson, New York, Baltimore and many other events less hyped in the MSM, were declared by the president “example of racial discrimination” even before a serious investigation was started of the incidents.
But when in New York in 2014 the Black American Ismaaiyl Brinsley approached a police car with a request for help and at close range shot two cops, announcing in advance the impending “revenge for ours” on Instagram, the president did not utter anything about the racial hatred of the killer or about the “war with the police”, which the Black extremist groups declared a while back.
When it became clear that the police that were killed were not White but Asian and Latino, the Black community’s social networks filled with Tweets such as “Did not bang the right one, brother!” And this once again was left without attention.
Even after the recent slaughter in Dallas, not a word was said about hatred and racism, despite the fact that the shooter in the course of negotiations with the police clearly made us understand (and there is no point to doubt the Black chief of police David Brown), that he deliberately was hunting police officers, first and foremost White police officers. And judging by everything, the sniper was not going to limit himself to killing only five cops. In his apartment, a considerable arsenal of arms and ammunition was found, which, given his military experience, could be have been used for a much larger-scale carnage.
When the police cornered the shooter and started negotiating, he refused to give himself up and before dying, wrote with his own blood on the wall, un-deciphered so far, the abbreviation “R.B” and other signs. It is possible those are the initials of a friend or a sweetheart. It could be, the name of yet unknown by the public of an extremist cell. In any case, it is clear that the Dallas sniper was fully determined to go all the way and become a hero, as the many “Black Panthers” killed in the shooting wars of the sixties.
The Texas guardians of order already called the Attorney General of the USA to look at the event as a mass killing on the grounds of hatred, however so far there is no answer. As usual, the ritual words follow about valiant police officers and racial inequality in America…
Meanwhile the main instigators of riots in Ferguson and Baltimore, the leaders of the Black Lives Matter movement, over the years not once visited the White House. And the Reverend Al Sharpton, who during the memorial service in Ferguson from the church pulpit proclaimed, “There is no justice, no peace!” happens to be a long-time friend of the president from the times when Obama was a senator from the state of Illinois.
How, with such a background, does life in Obama’s America look like for the Black citizens of the USA? They in the majority are poor, herded into disadvantaged districts and have little chance of getting a good job. Gangs control the territories. Drugs are everywhere, rackets, violence. To survive to adulthood, without getting into trouble, to finish school with good marks and to escape to college or another city seems to be something like “mission impossible”.
When you live in such a district, the police’s wary attitude towards you is guaranteed. The situation is complicated with the fact that around you live many suspicious characters. And here there were shootouts with the police. So the best, the trained, the experienced, the true serving-and-protecting cops, do not try to go there. That means that even the police, who come here, is not of the best quality. What an explosive mixture!
For example, how to we deal with the situation such as that of Filando Castile before he was killed in Minnesota, who was stopped on the road on suspicion of various administrative offences 52 times, especially given that half of the charges the court rejected as illegal or unsubstantial? And how to assess the posting on the networks the record where the police officer just shot four times the driver, screams something, breaking a teenager’s falsetto and directing the gun into the cabin? Anyway, the 53rd stop was Filando’s last…
The White population of the USA, among which, if honestly considered, may have barely a couple of percentage points of racists, to put it mildly as well, is perplexed: why namely “Black lives matter”, and not all? Why the most distinct (even the Latinos and Asians do not live as densely and do not stand by each other) group of the population, moreover, which works the least, receives the most various benefits even after ten years of affirmative action acts so aggressively during demonstrations? Why for the expression “Black fool” one can fall under the boycott of all the residents of their own district, but a “White bitch” counts for a witty name-calling? And why the media and Hollywood always poke the Whites’ nose with their “structural racism”?
The police are also furious. Let alone who’s who, law enforcement agencies clearly present themselves as ideal example of the American melting pot. Here there are no Blacks, Yellows, Whites – only “Blue” (the colour of the uniforms). So why were they all called racists and continue to be so, regardless of the Dallas slaughter, which is not something like a terrorist attack, but more a hate crime which they do not want to call? And the cops are starting to look warily at the faces of the Blacks: whoever walks towards me is he going to attack?
Apparently Barak Obama at the beginning of his presidency tried to break this vicious circle of mutual distrust. Just as president Johnson tried to do in the 1960’s by announcing the building of the Great Society.
However it was quickly understood that if finally the problem of systemic Black poverty and unemployment were solved, these would be bad electoral prospects for the Democratic Party.
The well-off Black Americans integrated in industries and local communities and not feeling like a discriminated minority, will stop voting for the Democrats solidarily. They will vote as the whole society does, for whichever party they want. But if they stay in their ghettos and they over and over again will toss ideas about racism and selective police brutality, give new benefits and criticize White America, they will remain an easily mobilized detachment of the left-wing liberals.
One has only to whispers something and they go tearing a Trump pre-election event, vote “just right” and generally stay as the hopeful bulwark of the so-called “Obama coalition voters”, on whom even Hillary Clinton counts.
Jobs? Education? Equality? It is not for this that the present administration of the White House is courting the Black activists and it is not for this that Lyndon Johnson maintained a friendship with Doctor Martin Luther King.
The situation seems just as out of control as at the end of the 1960’s, when America chose the Republican Richard Nixon, in response to his call to finally restore law and order, having enough of barricades, riots and shoot-outs.
And it is not by chance that Donald Trump, reacting on the tragic events in Dallas, in his televised address [link here] echoed Nixon: “We must restore law and order. We must restore the confidence of our people that they are safe in their homes and streets.”
Well, what would solve the real problems of the Black communities has once again been delayed; the African-Americans can only blame their own leaders and that party for which they vote in such a disciplined way.
You just all my support after this lopsided analysis. Talking about the affects without addressing the cause, now I have to 2nd guess your stance on everything and your true motives. because on this topic your are extremely uninformed. If I didn’t know better I would believe you. The people in East Ukraine had it easier leading up to their stance. What you gotta say about centuries of being decimated, religiously, economically, spiritually. Every way possible. And these people’s reactions are over blown lol. Makes me question what really happened in was in the caucuses. Educate your properly on the situation or leave it alone and stick to the war in the M.E. stay off the topic of North Africa also, you also seemed misinformed about their also
I would strongly disagree. Living in the USA the author is very accurate It amazes me to think of what hapen with the Tea Party in the press with tiniest whispers and false accusations that might have been racist organization. The press went out their way to demonize that group. Press and Obama treats Black lives matter like a peaceful group struggling for change. They are not. They call for violence and against police. They ignore the facts of case ignore their own black on black violence and try to tear down our country. They are racist bigots who think their own lives are more valuable than mine or yours. If this president was even remotely honest he would treat groups such as black lives matters as hate groups who sponsor terrorism on american soil. Inciting a riot or inciting people to kill is against the law the people who fund this group and support this group should be rounded up and put on trial Very well written guys. Bravo.
Do they call whites killing whites. White on white, when 85% of whites are killed by whites. No. This black on black thiNguyen is illogical. Most races kill their own race. So your whole argument is null.
Actually more whites are killed by police than blacks . Almost twice the number. Plus you are wrong more minorities kill whites than other white people. Get this through your head all lives matter. Stop whining step up be a man.
P.S black lives matter has been infiltrated by morons and fools like the stop the war movement in the 60s. Your obviously oblivious to the other side of the story. F the msn. They are The Elite and their job is to play us against each other. I was born and raised in NY. You haven’t the slightest idea what your speaking of. Lol at a bigot calling people reacting to bigotry and racism bigots. Lol. Your lack of knowledge on this is funny and dangerous at the same time. Your obviously the bigot here. Point Blank Period. You get all your info on this from the msm then attack them lol. Hilarious. Trump and Hillary love your type. No mind of their own.
That your opinion matters one bit more than any other opinion is racist. You hide your bigotry well.
While one can appreciate Dimitri’s take on this subject, it’s quite clear how lacking his Russian/Ukrainian/Caucas perspective is on US race relations. In order to relate with non whites and ensure a clear and balanced take there needs to be a fair and critical assessment of the white population and it’s historical interaction, especially that of white ‘elites’ and their subsequent agendas in relation. I can relate with both Max and Mr butters.
Unless southfront.org balances out the perspectives – oh I don’t know maybe get someone credible and intelligent from the Carribean to offer an in depth look as well? If not then all this article does is further divide and uplift the ego of uninformed whites (fortunately this one is Informed). Is that the point?
Anyways my 2 cents.
Hello, if somebody is ready to provide opposite oppinion in gentle and fact-based style, we are ready to post it. We support public discussions on various important topics. P.S. The author worked in the US for a long time.
Most black people think that all white people are rich and also out to get them. Every black person I have ever met, without exception, has said to me “are you the po-lice?”. Of course every white person in the country is a cop, that makes sense, to them anyway. Just look up police abuse videos. A lot of them are of cops abusing white people(which no one seems to care about), but the ones where they abuse black people have a pattern to them: they very frequently start with the black person arguing with the cop, playing jailhouse lawyer, getting an attitude…NOT saying it is ok when the cops abuse people, but why do they have to pick fights with the cops to begin with? I wish cops would stop shooting everyone but it really offends me when blacks say my life does not matter because I am not black. Their imagined oppression is an excuse to demand special treatment. White people are poor too, we have unemployment too, cops shoot us too. But they just don’t care. I am sure I am not the only white person who feels like most blacks are blatant racists. The more they riot, the less sympathy they get from those they already hate.