#crimingwhilewhite

[thesummerqueen]

The worst I've gotten were traffic violations.

You can believe me, I was punished for those appropriately. It cost some damn money.

I have no idea if anyone of color has been more abused over traffic violations.

The only place I've ever directly, tangibly felt the color of my skin has helped me is when I'm out photographing things. I've never been bitched out by an officious prick of a security guard for taking photos of a building. I can't say the same of the minorities in our photography group.

Otherwise, it's the usual white, middle-class American benefits.

[Jenny A]

Well how about our white American members????

That might want too confess that they got away with something, that a racist police officer would have acted quite "differently" if you were black????

I have a lead foot. I have never had a speeding ticket, though I have a little collection of warnings. If I were black, Hispanic, a boy, or drove sporty cars, I'm pretty sure I'd have tickets.

[Thumpalumpacus]

@Parkers Tan,
If you still live in Oxnard, we're neighbors. I live in Ventura and though I'm 65 am enrolling at Ventura College and will transfer to Oxnard to complete courses for an Addiction Counseling certificate.
Several years ago, while still active in crack addiction I was standing around a known drug transaction area waiting for a dealer to bring back a rock. The police came and because of my behavior and the location had probable cause to search me and found my very dirty pipe. I'm white, of very conventional looks and I was polite. After taking me to the substation and interviewing me, where I admitted to being a regular user, they released me without charges.
What do you think the odds are that I'd have walked if I was black, polite or not?

Tom, congrats on kicking, bud -- that's some wicked shit, and you seem to be living proof that it ain't too late.

I'm betting that with either department VPD or OPD, you'd have been in jail before you could give them your last name.

My son and I eventually moved to Ventura after years in Oxnard -- we lived down in Hueneme for a while, then up on the north end on Ventura Road, before we settled into a nice little place in the Ventura Avenue neighborhood than was a lot more laid back than N Oxnard. I liked the VPD much more, but even so, I have no doubt that there are minorities in the city who could tell a different story.

I moved back home to Texas a couple of years ago, but I'll be headed back to Ventura this upcoming June.

[Tombochan]

@Parkers,
Jeez dude, we live blocks apart.

---

LiIVED blocks apart. Didn't read your whole post, then my mobile isn't letting me edit.

[Thumpalumpacus]

Yeah? I lived on Olive Street, about five blocks up from the Von's. I loved it, heavily immigrant, great real Mexican food all around, and pretty peaceful all the way around.

I wonder if we haven't run across each other before? How long have you lived in that neighborhood?

[Losty]

I'm too lazy to click the link, but I am white. Anyone want to clue me in on what the cause is and what I should be doing now?

[The Valkyrie]

I'm too lazy to click the link, but I am white. Anyone want to clue me in on what the cause is and what I should be doing now?

Apparently getting away with crimes because you're white.

I certainly haven't gotten away with anything because of my skin colour, not that I've ever done anything particularly serious: speeding and kicking some guy who groped me in the balls.

[Losty]

I can get out of a speeding ticket using bewbies but I don't think it's because I'm white. Pretty sure I've never committed any other crimes.

[Ryantology]

I was pulled over years ago for a rolling stop. I had just moved a few days earlier and I still had a lot of stuff in my car. I was nailed in a part of my city that was not really the best part of it, let's say, and the white cops implied several times that they suspected my car was loaded with stolen merchandise, though they did not act upon this assumption in any way.

It still made me really uncomfortable, and if I was black, I would have been legitimately afraid of serious trouble resulting from that situation, even if I'd handled it exactly the same way.

[Jenny A]

I certainly haven't gotten away with anything because of my skin colour, not that I've ever done anything particularly serious: speeding and kicking some guy who groped me in the balls.

I kicking someone that gropes you a crime? I've been in that situation just twice and both time I sucker punched the guy. I didn't think, I just did it. The first time was funny be the young man's twin sister saw it and she thought it was funny. The second time worried me cause the guy was over 60 and it took him awhile to straighten up and stagger away.