Urgent Response to Racism: Police Screening Needed

Obviously screening of both neighborhood watch personnel and police in many cases, needs to be reexamined.

(SALEM) - Just some evolving thoughts on follow-up to that fatal shooting of a teen in Florida by that neighborhood watch vigilante, and what preventive steps appear in order:

There may or may not be parallels between the killing of an innocent Black teen recently in Sanford, FL and the massacre of 16 Muslim innocents in an Afghan village at the hands of a sergeant from Ft. Lewis, WA who apparently went berserk.

Ultimately, we are our brother's and sister's keeper. That's the measure of being a civilization.

Salem-News.com Community Writer Barry Lee Coyne brings to our readers stories from his combined career of journalism and gerontology, and explains that these paths shaped his values. Lee Coyne once worked for The Civil Service Leader in NY State and covered the Legislature. He has also done features on mediation and arbitration, and believes in healthy skepticism. This writer-therapist often views the world as the masks of comedy and tragedy placed upon the scales of justice. For him, optimism inevitably wins. "Lyrical Lee" has traveled to 30 nations aboard and was once a press intern at the UN. His first published article was in The NY Daily News in '59, dealing with the need for integrity in public office.

He also launched the nation's first tele-conference on health education for shut-ins, created the Eldermentors project in VA to pair retirees with immigrant students needing role models, and was the main catalyst behind CCTV's "Public Public" panel show here in Salem. Lee received his BA in International Relations and an MSW in community organization. He currently serves as a member of Salem's Library Advisory Board. To send Lee an email, please write to this address: luckycoyne@yahoo.com

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Anonymous March 29, 2012 6:34 pm (Pacific time)

Liberals and lefties think that their opinions are facts and the law. Then they retreat to racial comments, when none are warranted. They especially like to play the blame game, and disregard any differences of opinion. In their mind, they’re always right. They go on to assume a gazillion things as if it were the very truth from heaven. They then go on to cry wolf, as if they were some sort of victims. They’re pathetic, illogical, and spout pure nonsense.This story is and should have been local news. Sadly, deaths occur every day in this country. This should never have been national news.

Anonymous March 29, 2012 10:15 am (Pacific time)

"Parents of murdered Brit students slam Obama...""Parents of murdered British students critizise Barack Obama. The parents of two British students murdered in Florida have criticized President Barack Obama for his lack of compassion over their son's deaths. His failure to respond to three letters sent to the White House was because there was no "political value" and not worthy of a few minutes of his time. They spoke out as teenager (17) Shawn Tyson began a life sentence after being found guilty of the murder of James Cooper and James Kouzaris last April. The 17 year old, who shot the men as they begged for their lives, will die in prison. His conviction of first degree murder carries an mandatory life sentence without the chance of parole." There have been more whites killed by blacks since Trayvon was killed, than all the blacks killed by whites in the last 5 years. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/9173820/Parents-of-murdered-British-students-criticise-Barack-Obama.html

Anonymous March 28, 2012 9:33 pm (Pacific time)

Sorry, I just can't stop that voice in the back of my mind that wonders, in a ripple in the pond sort of way, how many lives Zimmerman saved that day.

Tim King: Right, because you are a racist?

Anonymous March 28, 2012 6:14 pm (Pacific time)

I think people with racist mindsets forgot to take the meds their doctors addicted them to. Racists have lower IQ's and actually don't bathe as often; (statistical data), they are far more likely to molest their own kids (more statical data), and this explains so much is wrong in Alabama, Mississippi and other redneck confederate traitor states. White men with racist attitudes should be placed in reeducation camps and held to blame for what is taking place, forced to accept responsibly for these acts. Every time a Black person is murdered, a thousand racists should be placed in these camps. Then, you toss the racist perp in the mix, and tell the rest that this is the guy who got them locked up. Then, they will kill the original criminal, and we can prosecute a dozen for murder and the rest within a hundred feet of being accessories. We can teach them that there are backlashes for their whacky and sick perversions.

Anonymous March 25, 2012 6:22 pm (Pacific time)

Steelfish-- I think we are seeing the 0bama administration seeing their defeat and covertly cheering on a race war as a means of revenge against whitey and the American way of life. I really do. Ask yourself whether you think it was and/or is a higher priority for 0bama to attain/re-attain the office of president or for him to tear down the American system. I think it’s the latter. Honestly, I think of him as a vandal, a juvenile delinquent. He would rather paint his tag on your garage door than to think about how much work it took to build the garage door, and how much work it took you to pay for the garage door. As the election nears and his numbers worsen, I don’t think there’s much of anything he’ll hesitate to do if it means chaos and societal disintegration. If he can’t have it his way, he’ll eagerly contribute to and urge on the destruction of America. A race war would serve his aims quite nicely. And his brain-dead supporters think they’ll benefit from it. Some of the white ones might. But Blacks will find themselves in far worse condition. They will Balkanize themselves even more restrictively into ghetto- like urban living conditions and justify their hatred ever more intensely. And the more they justify their animus against whites, the more they will harden the attitudes of whites against them. Too damn bad, but they made their beds and they are going to lie in them.

Lee Coyne-writer March 25, 2012 5:42 pm (Pacific time)

Responding to Comment #1 it may be that you had negative exp in that case but there's also many positives ones I've encountered. Right now our local PD is working with reduced staff per budget cut process, which I bemoan; so your query wasn't deemed an urgent priority--not a crime in action. I happen to feel grief for all those innocent drug war Mexicans who were murdered, a major reason to want to flee and find more safety in the US. That part is seldom noted-- and needs to be resolved.

Anonymous March 25, 2012 11:21 am (Pacific time)

police screening? More legislation? Please tell me this article is a joke.. Example: last year, I called the Salem Police Department, and asked them if I could open carry in downtown Salem. I already knew the answer, it was just an experiment. NOBODY could answer my question..After being put on hold, then being transferred several times, they finally told me they did not know, but will find out and get back to me. THREE days later, they called and said "yes, it is legal to open carry in downtown Salem"...Which I already knew...dear lord. Yeh, lets let the police decide..the same ones that get away with anything, thus, allowing others to do the same by example. I grew up in southern californina, and I was an advocate for the blacks..I was watching the hispanic gangs flooding across the border and the deaths and havoc began, just when I thought the black plight was gaining ground..NOBODY helped me then.. I like hispanics also, my kids are 1/4 hispanic, but the influx of so many, too soon, caused the problems..This is chemistry 101. NOBODY, not obama, nor anyone, listened. The deaths between the blacks and hispanics is overwhelming, but never talked about..It is now of my opinion, that this is being used as a racial divide by the obama admin, and something to take our minds off the senseless bombing of every country on the planet, and an economy that is about to go off the cliff... I bet I am correct on this.

Anonymous March 25, 2012 8:44 am (Pacific time)

Barry your list of conditions sound fine if the criminals follow the same conditions. You think they will? Of course as you know living in Oregon over 150,000 citizens have CHL's, and their crime rates that would cause them to lose those licenses are even below the rare crime rates for the police. They both happen, but it is statistically nil. Suffice, it is a rare rare event for a CHL holder to commit a crime. Rather doubtful they would quit carrying, considering they got those CHL's for protection. Considering all the laws on the books (legislative laws), they have not deterred criminal behavior. Maybe we need to step up the penalties for violent criminals? What do you think? By the way, number 4 on your list would be rather subjective don't you think?

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