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I recently stopped following a local Facebook page after my comment on a post was deleted. I’m here to talk about that post.
First things first:
1) The post was public (as my screenshot indicates by the globe symbol), so I am not violating any perceived privacy by sharing the content.
2) Every anti-racist comment that I saw was removed.
3) Admin did not respond to my asking why my comment was removed. (I noticed it was removed after I clicked on a notification of the ‘likes’ my comment was receiving.)
4) I am not disputing the right of Admin to delete or reject a post/comment, as it’s their private page and they have the right to do as they wish so long as they don’t violate Facebook’s standards (which they did not violate).
The post: A woman wrote about a noteworthy positive experience she had with a police officer (it’s the second half of the story that is problematic).
Now, because this involved a sensitive topic (the death of a beloved dog); and because I believe we should recognize when officers show empathy and don’t, like, shoot people; and because I truly believed there was not a conscious intent to be racist or classist*, I was sensitive in my reply.
Fortunately, since I write my longer fb posts in gmail first so that I don’t accidentally post before I’m finished, I have the text of my post:
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First, sincerely, I’m sorry for your loss. Losing a pup is devastating. And secondly, I think compassion should be rewarded within law enforcement, so thank you for your post. That said, I want to gently point a few things out:
“I figured that my old used vehicle…looked like something even I…would pull over on a Citizens Arrest.”
Joking or not, it is not reasonable to expect that an old vehicle should be pulled over. This supports the criminalization of poverty. It is not a crime to drive a junker and no driver should feel that their jalopy warrants getting pulled over.
“I don’t know who she expected behind the wheel of this vehicle, but I don’t think it was the likes of the now quite choked up me.”
Whom would *you* expect behind the wheel? Why? I urge you to examine the racism and classism underlying those assumptions.
“She understandably had a back-up Sheriff in another car, and another back-up for the back up did a drive by.”
Three police vehicles—and all the firing power that comes therewith—should not be an “understandable” response to a broken taillight (sic).
Anyway, compassion should be a job requirement for law enforcement and should be encouraged, so I appreciate that aspect of your post.
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*While I continue to believe there was no original intent to be racist or classist, the poster showed me, by deleting every anti-racist comment, that she believes that racism and classism should be given a voice and anti-racism/anti-classism should have their voices taken away.
Now, you might be thinking “Seriously, that wasn’t an appropriate time to call out racism/classism.
Racism isn’t appropriate, ever;
anti-racism isn’t inappropriate, ever.
-Kari Martindale, just now
Don’t just scroll through racism–call it out. And if you’re choosing not to speak up, make sure you’re asking yourself, in *every single situation you don’t speak up*, why you’re not speaking up—and whether avoiding whatever consequence you think you’d endure is worth supporting racism.
Every time someone willfully ignores racism or classism (or any ism or phobia), they’re supporting the maintenance of that ism. Maintaining racism. Maintaining classism. Maintaining homophobia. Maintaining xenophobia.
And that’s what oppressors count on. Racists count on people who just want to keep the peace. Racists count on people scrolling on by.
They count on people like the poster trying to gloss over the situation with comments like this, which she posted after seeing some of the (now-deleted) anti-racist comments:
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That’s a wonderful example of using your adorable late dog to try to keep the peace between racists and anti-racists.
I have adorable late pups as well. Here’s what Flash and Scarlet have to say:
Wow. Racist? Or yeah maybe it’s a feel good post that you had to overthink and take off to another planet no one is on. Awkward. Damn I bet you are fun at parties.
Wow….way to make Kari’s point!