Coverage of Waco biker gang killings reveals disparities in news coverage

[KamaAina]

http://www.salon.com/2015/05/18/coverage_of_waco_biker_gang_killings_reveals_disparities_in_news_coverage/

Nine people have died after a shootout between rival motorcycle gangs in Waco on Sunday, when gunfire erupted in the parking lot of a Twin Peaks restaurant in the central Texas city.

I use the terms “shootout” and “gunfire erupted” after reading numerous eyewitness reports, local news coverage and national stories about the “incident,” which has been described with a whole host of phrases already. None, however, are quite as familiar as another term that’s been used to describe similarly chaotic events in the news of late: “Riot.”

Of course, the deadly shootout in Texas was exactly that: A shootout. The rival gangs were not engaged in a demonstration or protest and they were predominantly white, which means that — despite the fact that dozens of people engaged in acts of obscene violence — they did not “riot,” as far as much of the media is concerned. “Riots” are reserved for communities of color in protest, whether they organize violently or not, and the “thuggishness” of those involved is debatable. That doesn’t seem to be the case in Texas.

A riot is not simply a demonstration against police brutality. It can also be what happens when scores of hostile white people open gunfire in a parking lot. And when that happens, it can be described as anything but a “riot.”

[JustAnotherGen]

1. Thanks for this Kama

As far as I'm concerned - that was a freaking riot. If I had time - I'd love to look up the posts of the 'oh the horrors' of the girls beating the girl at the McDonald's in Brooklyn a few months ago -

And compare/contrast their responses to this.

[malaise]

13. Great spot

M$Greedia knows that we know - pathetic and biased coverage but what's new.

This is a classic example of white privilege on M$Greedia. Remember now it's just 1% of them there bikers who are trouble - but it's all of us.

[AuntPatsy]

2. What your saying I agree with, I am not on board though with police account.....

[pinboy3niner]

3. CNN's Ashleigh Banfield called the bikers involved "thugs"

We're not likely to hear many say that, and it was striking to hear it from Banfield during her Noon Eastern news hour.

[WillowTree]

23. Probably because that, among other things, is what they are.

[okasha]

40. "Thugs" is probably the kindest thing

anyone has called these murdering sociopaths since they were weaned.

[Anansi1171]

4. Huge K&R, KamaAina!

Those with eyes to see and ears to hear cannot escape the hollow double standards.

They cannot be "thugs", they are whites, proud rednecks even.

Whites aren't violent by nature, don'tchaknow!

Whites don't commit crimes against other whites!!

Well, it does help when the guys arresting you look like you and party with you when they are off-duty.

[KamaAina]

5. Remember this?

[phil89]

11. They were called thugs

stop lying please.

[nadinbrzezinski]

6. In the coverage I have heard

and I admit to not hearing much, since I am working on the final report on 21st century policing, to write an article later in the day. it is striking how the photos are different as well. And I have avoided quite a bit of them as well But this photo is truly striking.



But there is implicit bias in media reporting. I will be the first one to tell you this. We have been reporting on a lot of issues of race. We consciously look for photos when we run them, that do not trigger archetypes. But we have to be conscious of our own bias.

And right now they called it "deadly melee" on MSNBC. Riot could be more appropriate, armed riot.

One way I dissect the bias is by avoiding the images and just listening to the audio. It is easier.

Speaking of words used... the use of the word "gang," and "biker gang" did surprise me since media usually reserves the word for Peoples of Color. I am willing to bet most of these good ol' boys are not listed in any gang database as well. Some might...

[pinboy3niner]

8. DOJ calls them OMGs--Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs

I just heard that today on CNN and found this at the Department's website:
http://www.justice.gov/criminal/ocgs/gangs/motorcycle.html

[nadinbrzezinski]

9. Yeah, but I am willing to bet that for example

my friends in the Hells Angels are NOT extensively listed in the CAL Gang database.



Just call it a sneaky, and I know for sure this is NOT the case for San Diego.

[herding cats]

7. It was a violent riot by two rival gangs.

If they'd been POC they would have had the police there in full riot gear shooting teargas and rubber bullets into the crowd, with no regards for the innocent people there just doing daily things. The mentality is, in communities of color there are no innocent people.

These were drug and gun trafficking, murdering outlaws, and yet they were treated with more respect than the people who come out to protest the loss of their civil rights. The media, the police and a large portion of our society should be ashamed of themselves.

[left-of-center2012]

10. Has Obama been blamed yet?

Or Hillary?

[imnew]

12. It wasn't a riot

[spanone]

19. it was a slaughter. more dead than the amtrak fiasco.

[bravenak]

38. Yes. It was.

A deadly gun riot between two savage killer gangs of hoodlums and murderers.

[freshwest]

45. Just talked to two relations down there. Said Abbott's response: MOAR GUNZ. They don't support OC.

Even though one is conservative and the other just left the GOP. Over OC, women and minority rights. So a few good things are happening.

They have now arrested 200 involved in this fracas. I don't call it a riot as that is a rebellion by people who are not being heard by government.

There were five gangs fighting over territory. In time, a conflict was going to happen, and it was in Waco. Sometimes they occur on private land or small towns.

The flash point was when the Bandidos, who see the state as their turf and wear a Texas flag on their jackets to indicate they own the activities they do, saw a new gang with the same. That is when the fight started.

They didn't care if bystanders got killed while they proved their turf or made a stand on the turf the wanted. Some were shot, others were stabbed.

[mythology]

14. Except the violence was directed at other people not at other property

This wasn't a riot. It was a group of criminals committing crimes against other criminals.

[NaturalHigh]

41. Exactly right.

If they had been attacking innocents who weren't involved in their criminal feud, then it would have been a riot.

[imnew]

15. This is a riot

[bravenak]

37. It was a deadly violent gang war in public endangering the lives of innocent americans.

And it was a gun riot. Yep. A GUN RIOT.

[Renew Deal]

16. It wasn't a riot, it was a gang war and the article is idiotic race baiting.

[WillowTree]

29. Right on and exceptionally well put.

Kudos.

[B2G]

17. I've had the news on in the background all day

The coverage has been pretty much constant.

[Skittles]

18. mmmm

to me, a riot is when you rampage, loot, burn, etc - these gun humping paranoid assholes had a shootout - I doubt the word RIOT would have been used even if all the people involved were people of color....heck, I've seen plenty of shootout stories from birthday parties that went awry and the word RIOT was never used

[B2G]

20. Have you ever heard the word 'riot' used to describe

a war between the Crips and the Bloods?

Me either.

[Skittles]

22. nope

I dislike articles like this one because there certainly ARE disparities in coverage - for example, the dead blonde girl syndrome - but this one is just plain wrong

[snooper2]

21. The difference is riots are typically disorganized groups

Word probably doesn't really apply in this case-

The assholes tearing shit up after a football game should be considered a riot

[beemer27]

24. This is not a riot.

This is motorcycle gang fight. They used deadly force on each other, and did not attack non-bikers, and did not destroy property or loot stores. I do realize that there are many who would like to equate this incident with the riots that have recently occurred, but this is a different affair entirely. The police will try to find all who committed crimes and charge them the same as the police try to charge rioters with crimes they may have committed. Skin color will have nothing to do with the charges. If the police can find evidence of a crime, they will bring charges. That is what they do. Wait and see what charges are brought, and against who.

[Blue_Adept]

25. Words and meanings are tough

Especially when people are trying to use an event for their agenda as opposed to the event itself.

It's not a riot.

It's not the difference in meaning between pop or soda or something.

These are things that have clearly defined meanings. No matter how much some might want to change them to fit their agenda.

[FLPanhandle]

26. +1

This was not a riot even if all the participants were black.

[treestar]

49. +1

There's enough real racism without having to milk every thing to its maximum to try to find it where it isn't a factor.

[seveneyes]

27. Other than shooting and arresting a few outlaws, they were hands off mostly

The majority conspires to agree.

[Puddy]

28. This was not a Riot it was bunch of meth-head thugs in a shoot out against each other.....

trying to bring race into this is just silly.

[Igel]

33. And yet it's often done.

Like the "thugs" reference above.

McWhorter was on NPR a couple of weeks ago saying that "thugs" was obsolete when not used wrt people of color. He had two sets of connotations going, one for blacks and one for whites. Problem was, he himself pointed out examples of non-blacks called "thugs" and decided to say that this current and on-going use by a third group of people was itself "archaic." Current use isn't archaic, sort of by definition. But if the examples he pointed out--and the many other examples that you come across on a frequent basis--weren't obsolete and archaic, then he had no obligatory point: A clear split in the use of the word between two communities separated by race and history. He would be left arguing the word instance by instance, which is always a pain. It was that nuisance, that ambiguity, that he needed to rule out a priori.

[NobodyHere]

36. What's wrong with using the word thug?

Whether it is thugs like these bikers or the thugs involved in the Baltimore riots or the thugs in the Baltimore PD who injure/murder passengers?

[wingzeroday]

30. Ridiculous

This was a mixed group of 1%er OMG members of organized crime who engaged in open warfare against each other. These groups are known security threats globally and from what I have read after pouring over accounts is that law enforcement had placed assets outside of the event because of the known history of violence that these groups had. It has been reported from a variety of sources including witness accounts of families who were eating dinner at a nearby restaurant that some of these gang members fired upon law enforcement and at least several of the dead were in fact killed by LEOs who responded with deadly force (rifles and sidearms).


If this is being compared to the civil unrest in Baltimore recently I would like to ask how many protestors were shot and killed by police during those disturbances?

[butterfly77]

31. Kicked&Recommended...

[Matrosov]

32. Just the white trash taking itself out

I don't have a problem with this not being considered a riot. The dead weren't the result of police brutality, but of a bunch of meth heads trying to kill each other.

[underpants]

34. Twin Peaks is a chain of "breasturant"s

Like Hooters. Get it, Twin PEAKS. It's also in a pretty cookie-cutter suburban ....um .... strip mall

[JonLP24]

35. It got my attention

The only that did on ABC which I left on after the Houston-LA game. I was mostly focused on what I'm doing now.

[X_Digger]

39. It was a shootout, not a riot.

If two predominantly black gangs got into a shootout, it would be.. a shootout.

[uponit7771]

42. +1

[uponit7771]

43. armed riot

[one_voice]

44. ,

[cascadiance]

46. Who took out the "h" and "k" letters from the spelling of Waco for these idiots...

It sure seems like the spelling I feel should be used with those letters applies to so many people that live there!

[muriel_volestrangler]

47. A 'shootout' is worse than a 'riot', isn't it?

It's more likely to leave people dead. Riots are uncontrolled; chiefly " A violent disturbance of the peace by a crowd; an outbreak of violent civil disorder or lawlessness", but also "Revelry, celebration, merriment, esp. of an unrestrained, lively, or noisy nature", " An impressively large or varied display of something, esp. a vivid display of colour" and "A highly amusing or entertaining person or thing".

[treestar]

48. While I agree there are disparities

Why must it be characterized as a "riot?" It was still a bad thing. At least the black communities had reason to protest something. Why the need to feel that if it is not labeled "riot" the bikers are OK people somehow and what they did was OK?