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What U.S. hasn't learned about race relations: From Watts in '65 to Ferguson in '15

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The Watts uprising was a harbinger of things to come.

Ignited 50 years ago on Aug. 11, 1965, the Watts rebellion still challenges all Americans to consider whether the nation has made the progress that has been easily symbolized but rarely realized in the movement for equal justice under the law. With Ferguson, Missouri, locked down in its second state of emergency on the anniversary of a white police officer killing Michael Brown, an unarmed black teenager, the possibility of progress over a half-century arc remains in doubt.

Serious reflection on the rebellion, the biggest U.S. black uprising since the era of slavery, should rightly disrupt the joyous commemorations of the 1965 Voting Rights Act and other Great Society advances. Because it forces the nation to wrestle with continuing civil rights problems and examine the terrible legacy of police brutality in black communities. The systemic concentrated poverty and police oppression that triggered the rebellion still marks the United States - from Ferguson to Baltimore, Maryland.

Revisiting the Watts uprising also expands the accepted geography of the civil-rights movement. Nostalgia often limits commemorations to the South, almost exclusively east of the Mississippi River. Yet the West Coast was where some of the most radical elements took shape. Consider the Black Panthers, U.S. Organization, the origins of Kwanzaa, the emergence of gangsta rap and the L.A. Rebellion film movement - a groundbreaking group of powerful black moviemakers including Charles Burnett - just to name a few.

The Watts uprising, like so many of the racial incidents today, started with a minor traffic stop. On Aug. 11, 1965, a white cop in Watts pulled over a 21-year-old black man, Marquett Frye for suspected drunk-driving. It was near Frye's house so a neighbor went to get his mother, who walked over to see what was happening. It all escalated from there.

In a sense, as Tim Watkins, president of the Watts Labor Community Action Committee, recently explained, it looks pre-ordained. Prior to this traffic stop, folks in Watts had already had enough of police mistreatment and brutality. So when police arrested Frye, his mother, Rena Price, took issue with how officers were handling it, members of the surrounding community were ready to take issue with how the officers were handling Price. Six days, 34 deaths, 1,000 injuries and nearly 4,000 arrests later, "calm" was restored to Los Angeles.

Whenever a community feels under siege by those sworn to protect and serve it, the possibility for civil resistance arises. But when being under siege is just another symptom of being under-served; when the full set of basic civic services - access to healthcare, building grocery stores rather than liquor stores, public transportation - when these needs are not being met, then you have a cauldron for revolutionary actions.

Watts is a relatively small neighborhood, slightly more than 2 square miles in South-Central Los Angeles. Its slight physical geography, however, will never match its cultural and conceptual hold on the national imagination. The Watts uprising is America's permanent and prescient reminder of what happens when the nation socially and civically ignores entire communities.

Its enduring legacy encompasses African-Americans' black revolutionary history and also today's Black Lives Matter movement. Watts is a touchstone - a municipal "canary in the mine" - foretelling the current unrest in American cities like Ferguson, Baltimore and North Charleston, South Carolina.

When police stops turn violent, the black community does now what it did in response to police brutality 50 years ago - we protest. And protest ain't always pretty. But one way or another, people who feel oppressed will fight the state powers and this can lead to confrontations that too often end in unarmed young black men lying dead in the street.

A return to black progressives' radical roots in the West is welcome. But there are also substantive payoffs in commemorating the 1965 Watts uprising along with other major civil rights advances. Doing so effectively highlights the work yet to be done. In addition, it helps in revealing the sustained efforts to erode the gains of these significant civil-right achievements.

The nation celebrated 60 years of the U.S. Supreme Court's landmark ruling Brown vs. Board of Education in 2014 - even as some U.S. school districts are more racially segregated than they were 40 years ago. This summer we are celebrating 50 years of the Voting Rights Act. But, just two years ago, the Supreme Court altered the legislation, removing the federal oversight formulas that successfully held state and local discriminatory disenfranchisement practices at bay for decades. These historical and commemorative ironies abound, but our reflections on Watts may escape this conundrum.

The Watts uprising clearly foreshadowed things to come. In the summer of 1967, Newark, New Jersey, and Detroit, Michigan, erupted. Other cities followed a similar course of events. National and civic leaders were increasingly confused and afraid.

President Lyndon B. Johnson convened the Kerner Commission to find out what was happening in America's cities and why. The commission, chaired by then-Illinois Governor Otto Kerner, was a who's who of contemporary politics, including New York Mayor John Lindsay, Senator Edward Brooke (R-Mass.), Senator Fred R. Harris (D-Okla.), Roy Wilkins, NAACP executive director and I.W. Abel, president and co-founder of the United Steelworkers of America. The panel's mandate was essentially to figure out how to ensure that similar outbreaks of violence would not occur again.

The commission's report, released February 29, 1968, suggested that blacks in America lived in a kind of apartheid state, their lives constricted by law enforcement - sometimes brutally so. This, in some ways and in some places, remains true today. The Kerner report also argued that the United States was moving toward a segregated nation. There is plenty of evidence today that this is still the case.

Revisiting Watts with these historic benchmarks in mind should force Americans to confront these facts. And maybe demand a new Kerner Commission.

We are now less than two years from the 50th anniversary of the creation of the Kerner Commission and one year out from the Ferguson uprising. Not enough has changed.

This commemorative moment, however, is more historical present than historical past. Fifty years ago, the Watts rebellion demonstrated that eventually people will violently reject the brutality produced by state-sanctioned violence. This sadly remains all too familiar in many American communities today.

© (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2015.

©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.

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"The Kerner report also argued that the United States was moving toward a segregated nation. There is plenty of evidence today that this is still the case." - James Braxton Peterson

Mr. Braxton Peterson writes a historical piece that can't encompass the black experience of 1965 Watts and 2015 Ferguson. In 1965 the racist ruled. Today, the racist can't rule. The advancement of civil rights is given short shrift in Mr. Braxton Peterson's piece and hardly describes the challenges of today's integrated communities.

Today's violence is gun violence. The inequality of today's America is a caliber and quantity inequality. Adrift in a sea of guns America's culture of violence is more lethal in numbers of dead and maimed. America's culture of violence isn't race relations based, it is simply the rise of less control and more firepower.

Mr. Braxton Peterson does note the one most destructive influence in black culture, the profiteering on violence in the hero worship of gansta rap. In selling the attitude of defiance for no reason but defiance and disrespect as a condition of manhood, the devolution of black dignity came at the hands of selling anger as an identity.

There are plenty of sources for the anger of the NWA phenomena but attending school, maintaining self control and rewarding right action weren't among them. Mr. Braxton Peterson could address these contributors to safe and peaceful communities but instead presses a cultural apartheid as "sadly remains all too familiar in many American communities today."

Painting Ferguson as Watts is a handy rhetorical trick for arguments sake, and isn't actually without parallel. The most shameful example of this type of comparison however was played out immediately after the election of President Barack Obama. If Mr. Braxton Peterson needed a healthy example of racism in America the rise of the 'Birthers' is exactly that. In that one mean spirited and wholly racist effort the world could easy see racism was alive and breathing freely in America. (One candidate today still pitches this vile racism as his crowning achievement.)

What Mr. Braxton Peterson might do is strip down his history to the issue of police brutality and patterns of arrest and incarceration. If America can improve what it needs to improve is the reduction of deadly weapons awash in her streets, the reject of anger for the sake anger and the rejection of the myriad voices of bigotry that have full play in some political parties and social organizations in America.

America today isn't the Watts of '65. Making a historical mask to place over the real issues rampant in American society today isn't the answer. It would be better that Mr. Braxton Peterson spent another bit of effort focusing the attention of his reader on the awareness of those elements that can change, and change soon, within and about civil rights in general which is the common denominator of a life in pursuit of liberty and justice for all. That clearly is still a work in progress.

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Furguson had plenty and a wide variety of stores, of which most were black owned. It had one liquor store. Now there are no stores there because they shot through the windows and pilfered everything in site, and finished them off with fire.

Hi sentence about Michael was incomplete. He forgot to add on what he had done before walking down the middle of the street with his pants hanging low trying to be the man.

This author goes nowhere. Sorry, but he needs to visit these places and do real research, but I bet he would be afraid to walk into these areas, unless of course he was carrying a gun.

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As a young teen, I experienced firsthand the riots in Detroit. I will never, ever forget.

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The important point is that violent uprisings are a reaction against systematic police violence, which is in itself a product of de facto segregation.

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Kabu: Not true at all. Violent uprisings are a reaction to frustration, and it is not from race, but that often triggers it. It is frustration from the lack of an upbringing knowing who your father is, not having ten or more siblings with all different fathers, whom are not available or want to be available to help raise outstanding young men and girls into men and women productive for society. No books in the homes, and no library as that was burnt down too. Education is looked down upon as studying is for white man only, and since everyone thinks they will become a rap star and promote gangs, things are just not going well. If they do not become a thug gangster rap star (Never smile in a photo), they want to play basketball. The whole mess comes down to education. Being a role model and teaching your kids that education is better than selling 1 cig. butt at a time on the street corner, or shoving an old man into a display case and stealing his cigarillos, then things will not change. Would you invest in a store in one of those neighborhoods? Most of the owners were black and they had to call for police protection to go to the night deposit boxes for the days receipts. You have to have lived in an American city to understand it. Just reading peoples' opinions here is not reality.

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Today's violence is gun violence. The inequality of today's America is a caliber and quantity inequality. Adrift in a sea of guns America's culture of violence is more lethal in numbers of dead and maimed. America's culture of violence isn't race relations based, it is simply the rise of less control and more firepower.

Not true. Graph gun ownership versus gun crime for the United States, and you'll find that there isn't a statistical correlation. For example, a state like Vermont has one of the highest rates of gun ownership yet is also one of the safest. Moreover, violent crime has been falling nationwide for several decades. There isn't a sudden epidemic of gun violence, it's just getting a lot more attention in the media. And poverty is a symptom, not a cause of crime. Otherwise, how do you explain why Tennessee is one of the safest yet poorest states? I would say the true culprit is cultural.

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The important point is that violent uprisings are a reaction against systematic police violence, which is in itself a product of de facto segregation.

No. Uprisings are a result of integration. All conflicts are a result of integration between peoples that don't want to be next to each other. That's why all these countries in the middle east and Africa are constantly in civil strife, people just don't want to be next to people that are vastly different from themselves.It's why countries like Japan and S.Korea are so peaceful, relatively little to no cultural and racial differences. Multiculturalism = conflict.

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After the civil rights movement, the Black community should've used this positive momentum to educate themselves. From there, pursue careers. Enhance their culture. Raise families. Invest money, create business opportunities within their communities.

Sure, some did this. Others chose gangs, crime, drugs, alcohol and continued to play the victim/racism card.

Black Lives do matter. But they got to wear the shoe recognizing where (some, not all) in their communities went wrong.

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AiserXAUG. 13, 2015 - 02:07PM JST No. Uprisings are a result of integration. All conflicts are a result of integration between peoples that don't want to be next to each other. That's why all these countries in the middle east and Africa are constantly in civil strife, people just don't want to be next to people that are vastly different from themselves.It's why countries like Japan and S.Korea are so peaceful, relatively little to no cultural and racial differences. Multiculturalism = conflict.

Looks like someone's never been to Singapore.

Multiculturalism ≠ conflict. Intolerance = conflict.

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@AiserX So why do you think the murder rate has dropped so precipitously in NYC over the last 3 decades? It's not less multicultural, is it? What about cities in Honduras, Venezuela and Mexico? What accounts for the high crime rates there? Something other than multiculturalism? @Illyas Could you explain more what you mean by "cultural"? What about Alaskan "culture" makes it so relatively dangerous?

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There is no correlation between Watts and Ferguson. In the 1960s there wasvracism, lynchings, segregation, kkk groups running around not being incarcerated, there was a reason to riot. Ferguson was sparked by a thug criminal attacking a police officer and the riot that followed was instigated by left wing media and politicians to invent a racist incident which didn't exist. The perpetrators were all lazy welfare parasites who are the cause of their own problems. Those criminals we're not in anyway suffering under similar circumstances as Watts. So to attempt to equate the two incidences to legitimize Ferguson is just wrong. The only lesson learned is America is long past instutionalized racism, many people though fabricate racism for the purposes of obtaining money, fame or in the case of government, more power

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Ferguson was a different case, a majority of black owned business, a pretty thriving community, a diverse political base with black leadership.

Ferguson was sparked in part by MORE (( the new version of ACORN), irresponsible political comments by government leadership and a continued decision that the police are simply bad.

in the year since the original shooting, riots, looting and burning the local economy still has not fully recovered, the outside rabble rousers are still there. Ferguson also managed to find a good police chief- instead of falling for a political appointment

yet we just had another round of massive demonstrations with shootings- again with help from MORE - so when does it stop? the Police Officer was not at fault, though his life is ruined, his family is in hiding and i doubt he will work again

the US is more segregated in tone now but not by choice of law, by choice of the people. our parents wanted integration- the current generation talks of Segregation and Cultural Integrity. not understanding that if you have a country of immigrants that you have to allow interrelationship exchange or as a country you will breakdown into the tribal and religious based fights that occur in the middle east and Africa

we should be above that , above the thought that someones religion, race, sex anything makes one superior- we are all human

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katsu78AUG. 13, 2015 - 04:10PM JST Looks like someone's never been to Singapore. Multiculturalism ≠ conflict. Intolerance = conflict.

shallotsAUG. 13, 2015 - 06:09PM JST @AiserX So why do you think the murder rate has dropped so precipitously in NYC over the last 3 decades? It's not less multicultural, is it? What about cities in Honduras, Venezuela and Mexico? What accounts for the high crime rates there?

Bravo katsu and shallots!

Except in the South in the U.S., which includes Missouri for all intents and purposes, the issue is more one of economic class than "race." Racism is learned and most "racial" or ethnic conflicts are based on one group's ability to suppress another. Look at Ireland, Palestine, Burma, India, indigenous groups everywhere vs. invaders.

Todd TopolskiAUG. 13, 2015 - 10:50PM JST The only lesson learned is America is long past instutionalized racism, many people though fabricate racism for the purposes of obtaining money, fame or in the case of government, more power

I think what you mean is the pre-Civil Rights era America of codified racism. Institutionalized racism is alive and well and your attitude is exactly what keeps it alive.

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The problem is too many white people cannot bear the thought of sharing this country's infinite abundance with blacks.

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I dunno. With a 1/2 black commander-in-chief, I'd say they doing okay B. Sabbath. Just too bad that fact cannot be attributed to "real" african-americans, but only to Obama's daddy from Africa.

I think they've been cheated. Which illustrates the main point- when will Blacks in America get their act together? There are no "get out of jail for free cards" in real life, like the game- Monopoly.

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@Wc626 You are surprisingly comfortable determining who can be black and who cannot? How is this so? What does it mean to you? That Obama would have been allowed to drink from half the water fountains in Alabama? Attend half the white schools? Sleep in half the white hotels? Eat at half the white lunch counters? Run half the white companies in America? Join half the white battalions in the U.S army (once upon a time)? Marry half the white women? I know a racist when I read one.

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praackAUG. 13, 2015 - 11:55PM JST Ferguson was a different case, a majority of black owned business, a pretty thriving community, a diverse political base with black leadership.

Where did you get this? Ferguson's population is majority Black and poor. Very little ownership of anything. The city government is mostly white as is the police force.

That helps explain why majority-black Ferguson has a virtually all-white power structure: a white mayor; a school board with six white members and one Hispanic, which recently suspended a highly regarded young black superintendent who then resigned; a City Council with just one black member; and a 6 percent black police force.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/18/opinion/in-ferguson-black-town-white-power.html?_r=0

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The problem is too many white people cannot bear the thought of sharing this country's infinite abundance with blacks.

There are also too many Blacks that want to depend on the government for everything. That's putting it more accurately.

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bass4funkAUG. 14, 2015 - 09:39AM JST There are also too many Blacks that want to depend on the government for everything. That's putting it more accurately.

Thank you George Wallace.

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I'm sorry, if you don't want to hear the truth.

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The problem is too many white liberals cannot bear the thought of blacks having any responsibility for their current state.

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Illyas AUG. 14, 2015 - 10:13AM JST The problem is too many white liberals cannot bear the thought of blacks having any responsibility for their current state.

How can a race be collectively responsible for ... well, anything? The whole notion of collective guilt just doesn't make any kind of rational sense.

Go talk to any black person. Get them to tell you their whole life story. Study their school system, their home life, the choices they made. Maybe this person had the same opportunities as anyone else in America and squandered them. In that case, it's totally fair to hold that person responsible for their current state. But that person is an individual, not a race.

Me personally, so long as schools with large percentage black populations aren't getting the same resources and so long as a statistically significant number of police are treating black people differently from white people, then I think we as a society have more important things to discuss than whether or not an individual black person is making the most of the life they're given.

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IllyasAUG. 14, 2015 - 10:13AM JST The problem is too many white liberals cannot bear the thought of blacks having any responsibility for their current state.

Another, know nothing, unapologetic racist who has likely never spoken with an African-American.

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@Jeff

I have spoken to several, not that it actually matters when your response consists of an obvious fallacy. I don't have to speak to anyone to know that 75% of blacks are born to single mothers. That's a cultural issue, and no amount of apologizing, welfare, or police reform will change that.

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