General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: They Dared Me to Post This... [View all]Prism
(5,815 posts)I do social work in Oakland of all places. Believe me, institutionalized racism and its effects on PoC communities is not a very difficult spot around here. There are days where it is not uncommon to look at a situation and declare, "Holy fucking shit, America. Really?! Best we can do?" And what's useful is that San Francisco is just across the Bay, so you have this immediately accessible direct comparison to make between two cities. The way the governments of Oakland and S.F. treat PoCs is very different, and the racism in Oakland institutions is more readily perceived. It gives one of the starkest views of how differently communities can be treated. (Not that S.F. is entirely angelic here. But Oakland government/police are a mess).
I simply think lack of economic opportunity was too blithely dismissed in the OP. Its effects are far-reaching and profound.
What's interesting is that I think 95% of DU is actually in agreement on the economic vs. social question, but for some reason we've decided we're all going to fight about it. I think it's primary/candidate driven. Circular firing squad, where people who all want the same thing try to find some minor semantics or verbiage to go full coliseum on the situation.
It feels counterproductive.