Obama: Police need training to distinguish gang banger from kid in a hoodie

Absolutely! Local businesses are definitely part of the community and need protection as much as anyone else!

Yes, it sure does. And it even applies in economic terms too, for instance it won't do to send a rich cop from Beverly Hills into one of the poor white areas up around Tujunga, or vice versa, in such situations there may not be as good an understanding of the needs and behaviors of the community as there needs to be.

Yeah, I'm trying to think broadly about this, I'm just saying "in general" the makeup of the cops oughta reflect the makeup of the community, and the cops oughta be "part of" the community as much as possible, so as not to be perceived as some kind of outside ivory-tower "different" people who don't understand the realities on the ground.

 

Sorry but gangbangers do not "look just like everyone else". They're usually easily identifiable. Their bosses look just like everyone else, but that's a different issue entirely.

 

yeah, it is unfortunate that we have a president feeding into the problems we already have. It's not like the police are just randoming shooting blacks. There was a black man who refused to listen to a police officer, and then attacked the police officer when the officer tried enforcing the law - and he was subsequently shot in the struggle. Then there's a 12yo black kid who has a realistic toy weapon, and refuses to listen to the police, and when told by the police to put his hands up he instead reaches for the gun, and is subsequently shot because the gun looks real and the police can't be sure one way or the other.

This isn't a problem with the police. This is a problem with two individuals.

 

Well, if the President is implying that it was somehow ok for Michael Brown to steal cigars from a local storeowner "because of social and cultural factors", I'd have to disagree with that. Property rights are fundamental to all Americans, even and especially black folks, like for instance the ones who are getting their homes taken by the bank or the IRS. You can ask them what property rights mean, and even though they're being put through the wringer they're not the ones out there stealing cigars.

The ones out there stealing cigars are the ones who don't want to work. And I'm sorry but it's complete and total BS that they can't find jobs. There are thousands of jobs to be had here in Los Angeles right now at this exact minute, and none of them require a college education.

I have a feeling the gubmint won't go so easy on these folks next time around.

 

Gangbangers may or may not be thugs. Gangbangers can be wearing fancy clothes rather than hoodies. But, how can you tell a thug in a hoodie from a kid in a hoodie?

Well, a kid will wear the hood up when the weather is cold. For thugs the hoodie isn't about cold weather. But, if she see two males walking with hoodies down but they put them up as they go into the convenience store, look out. Or, if you're coming down the sidewalk and three males are talking without their hoodies up and when they see you it's hoodies up, cross the street. If a male gets on a bus or subway car and puts his hoodie up, it's time to get ready.

For kids, hoodies are to stay warm. For thugs, hoodies are to hide their faces.