As if black folks didn't have enough other stuff to worry about (hypertension, the achievement gap, Rudy 4 Prez) already, the fine folks at Yahoo! Sports took a little time to enlighten us how the notorious Mike Vick case is indicative of the racial divide in America.
The crowded, chaotic sidewalk on Main Street, across from the federal courthouse, was an unlikely location for a lesson on the virtues of the fifth amendment.Knee-Grow, please. The man had a kennel full of dead Rotweillers buried in his back yard. How can you even attempt to defend that? And this ain't Mike Nifong Part II, this is the Feds we're talkin' about. As in the "we win convictions 95% of the time" Feds. #7 is in some serious #2.
But standing behind a throng that wanted a pound of Michael Vick's flesh – people that had just screamed for the Atlanta Falcons quarterback to "burn in hell" and held signs advocating his murder, torture and neutering – was Thomas Smith in work boots and a white t-shirt.
High above his head he held a simple sign with just a single word: "Constitution."
"These folks have convicted a man who hasn't even had a chance to defend himself," said Smith. "They just forget everything about America."
Yahoo! commentator Dan Wetzel, a decent writer who is usually pretty insighful, couldn't resist the opportunity to pile on. Because, you know, people like reading about race and whatnot, and it probably will ensure plenty of hits and click-thru ads.
White people screaming for justice; black people asking if they still remember everything justice entails.Everything that involves race ain't racist. The PETA folks are on Vick because he's an easy target: a stereotypical dumb jock who allegedly committed an unjustifiable crime to numerous animals. Such a story only becomes "race-related" when the media decides that branding it as such is good business. There are lots of other legit cases of racism (Google "genarlow wilson" "stepha henry" or "jena 6" just for kicks) that are underreported, but then again, who wants to read about that?
That a case involving dog fighting can break so quickly along racial lines is a testament to how it bubbles below just about everything in this country. We all wish it wasn't so, including both sides here. No one wanted this. Almost no one even wanted to acknowledge it. But it was there, plain as day in black and white.
"I wouldn't say it's a racial thing," said David Williams, an African American, in a hopeful tone. "It's not racial. But for these animal rights people to take one person and crucify him isn't fair."
The thing is, the "animal rights people" here were an estimated 90 percent white. The pro-Vick/due process crowd was probably 95 percent black.
I wish these "Vick Supporters" would get a life and a clue. Expending precious energy defending a guy who more than likely did it is like peeing in the wind. Nothing good is gonna come out of that. If they want to make a difference, go tutor, or mentor, or heck, COACH some damn kids so we don't have another Mike Vick in 10 years.
BTW, is it just me, or does anyone else notice that the minute a brotha gets in some legal trouble, he immediately changes his appearance to something less menacing/intimidating? Bye bye cornrows, hello Ceaser. Just an observation.
Racial Divide [Yahoo! Sports]
