Recreational & Family - This made my blood boil!

From http://www.wcnc.com

CORNELIUS, N.C. -- A neighborhood bike ride turned into a nightmare for one mother and daughter. A woman said she was afraid for her life when a car pulled up behind she and her seven-year-old and the people inside began yelling racial slurs and calling them names.

The woman and her 7-year-old daughter were peddling down Jetton Road near the Peninsula clubhouse when they heard screeching tires.

"The sound of the car is what I first noticed,” said the mother who did not want to be identified to protect her daughter. “Immediately after that they made a point to pull even closer.”

The woman said the people in the car called them the ‘N’ word.

“The other people in the car just laughed basically,” the woman said.

The use of the ‘N’ word and the threatening way the car was used has Cornelius police looking at this as a possible hate crime.

"It has been reported to me that there were some racial remarks made during the event,” said Chief Ron McKinney, Cornelius Police. “I think the potential for hate crime type charges may occur later on".

The woman got the tag number and police have a strong lead on possible suspects.

The most difficult part of the ordeal for her is explaining the ‘N’ word to her daughter.

“She is afraid. She wants to know what happened, why it happened,” the woman said. “I guess when we left for a bike ride Sunday afternoon I didn’t expect that I would be explaining to her what type of things they said to us…It was a very, very traumatic experience.”

The victim said the suspects were in their 20's.

what the h*** is wrong with people these days...

I can't imagine just driving up to someone(let alone a mother and her young daughter!) and yelling out racial slurs and curse words at them.

what the h*** is wrong with people these days...

I can't imagine just driving up to someone(let alone a mother and her young daughter!) and yelling out racial slurs and curse words at them.

Really? What if they were on bikes? You'd abuse a biker, wouldn't you?!?

Thats really too bad that in todays society people have to deal with things like that.
Especially when a mother and daughter are just out enjoying an afternoon ride minding their own business.
I for one have brought my kids up knowing that all people equal and if i ever caught my kids doing something like this or even associated with someone doing this I would have their hides, I guess it shows that the young adults in this matter were not brought up with good values in their homes, maybe some time behind bars will teach them the meaning of treating others as they wish to be treated themselves..

This makes me sick. In the 40+ years after the Civil Rights movement, that this mentality still exists out there. I'm not at all surprized, just disgusted and saddened.

cars make it worse people feel really brave in them. plus they like to show how stupid they really are.

Jerks like that will eventually get what they deserve. I hope it's sooner than later, though. Dirtbags.

Really? What if they were on bikes? You'd abuse a biker, wouldn't you?!?



if the kids were on bikes? I don't really get what your saying. Why would I abuse a biker?

similar things have happened to me. i'm a white guy and i've been yelled at riding though some areas of new york. i've had people drive up and say i'm in the wrong neighborhood. one time i was riding with a white shirt and black slacks and i was yelled at for being a mormon (which i'm not..but that's not the issue anyway). i do nothing except continue to ride and pretend to ignore, but the truth is that it makes me really really mad. it's always shocking to me to learn how much hate people have toward each other. now i'm all worked up myself...

From http://www.wcnc.com .
The attitude of the people in the story makes me mad. The fact that this was a shocking NEWS story makes me glad. 50+ years ago in many parts of the USA this was a common occurrence and would not even get a notice from the white owned news media. We really ARE making progress as a nation. Racists are now the social outcasts - that's an improvement.

Racists are now the social outcasts - that's an improvement.

getting there. i agree - it's good to see that this is posted on here for people to talk about. and judging by the anger it's causing that's a good thing too...

I think cyclists can especially empathize with this lady and kids. We are no differant than anyone else, but are treated with so much disrespect. It is amazing that people in vehicles will do or say to someone else, but if you meet them in a supermarket line-up they wouldn't say boo.

There is so much intolerence and it makes me angry. I HAVE learned from these people (motorists) tho. Never to treat anyone how they treat me.

Most surprising thing I have EVER seen or heard was the attitude of 2 of my uncles who live in Toronto. One uncle is an RCMP officer the other OPP. They have got to be the msot racist people i know. They do not like black people and are quite adament about it. Even enough to say that their treatment of someone, under arrest, is a bit...harse at times.

I cannot believe these people are in my family.

Digger

I emailed Chief McKinney asking if there was an update on this case and he kindly responded:

"Yes, the case is disturbing. We have identified the owner of the car and presented a lineup to the victim. Unfortunately, the victim was unable to pick out the suspect. The district attorney’s office has denied our request for an order to require the car owner to personally appear for a show-up. I’ve asked area residents if anyone knew the suspect or saw him on the day of the incident in an effort to locate the other people in the car (there were three). I’m prepared to offer immunity if they testify against the driver, who did all the talking. No arrests at this time. Officers are working the area and looking for the car, which is owned by a 20 yr old who has run away from his home is south Charlotte. His mother is helping us and will call when she hears from him."

I emailed Chief McKinney asking if there was an update on this case and he kindly responded:

"Yes, the case is disturbing. We have identified the owner of the car and presented a lineup to the victim. Unfortunately, the victim was unable to pick out the suspect. The district attorney’s office has denied our request for an order to require the car owner to personally appear for a show-up. I’ve asked area residents if anyone knew the suspect or saw him on the day of the incident in an effort to locate the other people in the car (there were three). I’m prepared to offer immunity if they testify against the driver, who did all the talking. No arrests at this time. Officers are working the area and looking for the car, which is owned by a 20 yr old who has run away from his home is south Charlotte. His mother is helping us and will call when she hears from him."


You'd probably find that family's name in the dictionary under "dysfunctional". My bet would be that using the racial epithets was just a side thought in this incident, although it will help with prosecution if the driver is caught. My belief is that they would have gone through the same motions regardless of race, having fun harassing cyclists.
Have you thought about suing the car owner in civil court? It sounds like assault to me, with added fear because of the racial overtones. You might get a default judgment if he doesn't show up in court. Hopefully his insurance company, if he has one, will have to pay.

Ok as bad as this case sounds, I gotta tell y'all I deal with this everday. Most of the road routes here take me through East Waco, which is even poorer than Waco itself.

It never fails...

"Are you lost BOY?"

"******** cracker..."

"Hey look at the white f*ggot"

Most of the driver incidents happen here too. I will have a car fly up behind me, lay on the horn, or a car full of guys go by with the windows down, either yelling something, or as has happened twice, a hand out of the window making a gun shape acting like they're shooting me. Jack In the Box or whatever they happen to be finished eating gets thrown out the window at me...

A few times I've had groups of Jr. High-High School kids run out from the front yard in front of me in an attempt to block me and pull me off the bike. This happens almost everytime I ride, and I'll just say its not exactly making me more sympathetic to "the black man's plight". Black people walk through Waco constantly, and they don't get harassed, at least not every single time they walk through town.

Thankfully this stretch of road is only about 4mi long and I don't have to stop much. So my point is before everyone is like CIVIL RIGHTS HAS FAILED!!! AFFIRMATIVE ACTION!!! ACLU!!! I just want to know where MY civil rights are?

Ok as bad as this case sounds, I gotta tell y'all I deal with this everday. Most of the road routes here take me through East Waco, which is even poorer than Waco itself.

It never fails...

"Are you lost BOY?"

"******** cracker..."

"Hey look at the white f*ggot"

Most of the driver incidents happen here too. I will have a car fly up behind me, lay on the horn, or a car full of guys go by with the windows down, either yelling something, or as has happened twice, a hand out of the window making a gun shape acting like they're shooting me. Jack In the Box or whatever they happen to be finished eating gets thrown out the window at me...

A few times I've had groups of Jr. High-High School kids run out from the front yard in front of me in an attempt to block me and pull me off the bike.


Jeepers, remind me not to ride in that neighborhood.

i know this all too well. i cannot justify anyone's actions, however, i will say that given a historical context the abuse you've recieved is a drop in the bucket. it hurts nonetheless though, but just remember what some black people had to endure for decades in this country. you're experiencing only a small fraction of it.

The attitude of the people in the story makes me mad. The fact that this was a shocking NEWS story makes me glad. 50+ years ago in many parts of the USA this was a common occurrence and would not even get a notice from the white owned news media. We really ARE making progress as a nation. Racists are now the social outcasts - that's an improvement.


the only problem is that racism from minorities seems to be acceptable. you run into some it if yer white and ride the public transit in south dallas. even just like a few weeks ago i had a black teacher ... BLACK mind you... get accused of racism by a black student because the student didn't feel that not acting like he was still in H.S. was important... i used to rent a room from this lady that's a bilingual teacher. she went to apply for a job at one of the ISD's around here and was told they had no need for such teacher (by an all black cast of office employee's). a few weeks later she runs into this lady at some store. it turns out the lady is those peoples boss and that they actually have a shortage of bilingual teachers. my landlord was spanish but looked white. in all actuallity racism is just a prominent as it was then, i think. it just gets looked down on now from a hypocritical audience. oh, and this isn't coming from old people. it's coming from them all. i think to many minorities here are taught that the world thinks they are inferior and end up becoming paranoid and therefore racist themselves. with whites... all i can think of is that it's a tradition of sorts. even with out race we'ed all just find some other reason to hate each other... all the racist white people (i haven't been round the white trash kkk type... so i can't comment) seem to have, in their minds, "good reasons" to hate blacks (my grandma's boyfreind for example. he supposedly got screwed over by a black .. troop, regiment... whatever back in ww2) and blacks have the same "good reasons" to hate whites. IMO they're all just different colors of trash. sorry. just wanted to vent about that.

i know this all too well. i cannot justify anyone's actions, however, i will say that given a historical context the abuse you've recieved is a drop in the bucket. it hurts nonetheless though, but just remember what some black people had to endure for decades in this country. you're experiencing only a small fraction of it.


so that makes it acceptable?

Ok as bad as this case sounds, I gotta tell y'all I deal with this everday. Most of the road routes here take me through East Waco, which is even poorer than Waco itself.

It never fails...

"Are you lost BOY?"

"******** cracker..."

"Hey look at the white f*ggot"

Most of the driver incidents happen here too. I will have a car fly up behind me, lay on the horn, or a car full of guys go by with the windows down, either yelling something, or as has happened twice, a hand out of the window making a gun shape acting like they're shooting me. Jack In the Box or whatever they happen to be finished eating gets thrown out the window at me...

A few times I've had groups of Jr. High-High School kids run out from the front yard in front of me in an attempt to block me and pull me off the bike. This happens almost everytime I ride, and I'll just say its not exactly making me more sympathetic to "the black man's plight". Black people walk through Waco constantly, and they don't get harassed, at least not every single time they walk through town.

Thankfully this stretch of road is only about 4mi long and I don't have to stop much. So my point is before everyone is like CIVIL RIGHTS HAS FAILED!!! AFFIRMATIVE ACTION!!! ACLU!!! I just want to know where MY civil rights are?


you ever get the "what's wrong mister" thing after they steal yer stuff? :D (my poor bag)

or "hey, do i know you?!" even when they abviously don't and there relatives tell them they don't know me and they end up saying "i was just messin' with him".


i honestly think racism is more prominent among young blacks than it is old ones... it's very odd indeed.

and why do they constatly make fun of they way others talk? or act like it's cool to hate white people? god.... rant... end.

There is so much intolerence and it makes me angry. I HAVE learned from these people (motorists) tho. Never to treat anyone how they treat me.



Digger


yup. otherwise it just keeps cycling around (not on a cycle of course!)... i wish more people would listen to good ole martin king jr.

it just shows you how stupid and dog like people are. they want what feels good now. even if it will make them feel bad later. stupid people destroy. what do you call someone who adamantly hates stupid people?

so that makes it acceptable?


not at all. nobody should do this...ever. however, i just think that given the makeup and history of this country it's harder for me to accept that a white guy getting harrassed is as significant as a black women and her child getting harrassed (based on the above stories).

both are wrong obviously, but the "n" word has a connotation to it that is more severe than "white boy" or "cracker" in my mind.

not at all. nobody should do this...ever. however, i just think that given the makeup and history of this country it's harder for me to accept that a white guy getting harrassed is as significant as a black women and her child getting harrassed (based on the above stories).

both are wrong obviously, but the "n" word has a connotation to it that is more severe than "white boy" or "cracker" in my mind.


are you black?

are you black?

no, i'm a white guy. i've been called the very same things that seely has been called and i hate it more than anything. i used to live in a very poor section of brooklyn and saw first hand how ugly race relations can be in these neighborhoods. i have feared for my life on several occations coming home late at night. it ain't good.

however, in my case, i believe the anger is coming from a whole host of other issues. poverty, poor schooling conditions, etc. the comments made by the people in the car may have been careless and stupid, but they bring with them a whole different meaning whether they know it or not. blacks still struggle in this country as a people and nobody will convince me that we are all on equal ground. calling a child and a woman the "n" word has a deeper and more significant meaning to me.

i agree. its also true with other visible minority groups.


no, i'm a white guy. i've been called the very same things that seely has been called and i hate it more than anything. i used to live in a very poor section of brooklyn and saw first hand how ugly race relations can be in these neighborhoods. i have feared for my life on several occations coming home late at night. it ain't good.

however, in my case, i believe the anger is coming from a whole host of other issues. poverty, poor schooling conditions, etc. the comments made by the people in the car may have been careless and stupid, but they bring with them a whole different meaning whether they know it or not. blacks still struggle in this country as a people and nobody will convince me that we are all on equal ground. calling a child and a woman the "n" word has a deeper and more significant meaning to me.

no, i'm a white guy. i've been called the very same things that seely has been called and i hate it more than anything. i used to live in a very poor section of brooklyn and saw first hand how ugly race relations can be in these neighborhoods. i have feared for my life on several occations coming home late at night. it ain't good.

however, in my case, i believe the anger is coming from a whole host of other issues. poverty, poor schooling conditions, etc. the comments made by the people in the car may have been careless and stupid, but they bring with them a whole different meaning whether they know it or not. blacks still struggle in this country as a people and nobody will convince me that we are all on equal ground. calling a child and a woman the "n" word has a deeper and more significant meaning to me.

haven't ya noticed that rednecks are usually poor? are we to have "understanding" for them?

haven't ya noticed that rednecks are usually poor? are we to have "understanding" for them?


yes, we should. This is what I was saying about poverty and poor schooling conditions as being at the root of the problem. When you grow up in an environment like this, it’s very difficult to rise to the same expectations that a wealthier person can. I’m not stupid, I do realize that some people are racists regardless of where they grew up. However, I’d like to believe that if resources were allocated more fairly and that if every child had the same opportunities a lot of racial and economic tensions would be alleviated.

And it’s a fact – if you grow up in a poorer neighborhood you will NOT receive the same education as someone from a wealthier school district. Here is a quote from an article about NY schools:

“In New York state, the richest school district spent $38,572 per student. That’s seven times what the poorest district spent— $5,423.”

A lot of people are born into this and the cycle continues to feed on its self. Poorer areas tend to have more crime, more drugs, etc. If you’re child is receiving $38,000 per year would you expect more of him\her than if it were $5000? Of course you would. that’s why I think it’s important to understand where people are coming from and what their circumstances are and we should try our best to make sure everyone is treated the same.

And it’s a fact – if you grow up in a poorer neighborhood you will NOT receive the same education as someone from a wealthier school district.

What's that got to do with being racist? Racism is taught, not taught or ignored at home. Just because you have money doesn't mean you aren't racist.

Whenever you call a person a name it's wrong.

What's that got to do with being racist? Racism is taught, not taught or ignored at home. Just because you have money doesn't mean you aren't racist.

Whenever you call a person a name it's wrong.

i was responding to this post:
"haven't ya noticed that rednecks are usually poor? are we to have "understanding" for them?"

i'm agruing that to have an understanding of people's motivations you need to understand where they are coming from. I made it clear in my posts that i did NOT believe having money does not make you a racist - i'm saying that the missallocation of funds earmarked for schools and other services is a contributing factor to a lot of problems in this country, rasicm is just one of them. i strongly believe that a lot of these problems would go away if things were more equal. but you're right - calling a person a name is wrong. but maybe there is a reason why someone would feel like doing that, you think?

Isnt the word redneck just as bad to say? Racism isnt going away and when they say what a wonderfull melting pot California is,thats BS and it doesnt work. Hell,whites cant get along with themselfs and blacks cant get along with themselfs and so on and so on.

Isnt the word redneck just as bad to say? Racism isnt going away and when they say what a wonderfull melting pot California is,thats BS and it doesnt work. Hell,whites cant get along with themselfs and blacks cant get along with themselfs and so on and so on.

socially the word redneck isn't as bad. think about it... the very fact that you used the term redneck in your post but not the "other" word proves that point. how many times has the full "n" word been used in this thread? not once. you're more comfortable using redneck in a conversation then the "n" word, right? that's why calling a women and a child the "n" word has a deeper meaning than if it were the other way around.

if you look them both up in the dictionary, they are pretty much just negative. however, our social expectations of how to use these words are very different. and in regards to california, some of the most segregated schools in the country are there. there are nieghboords that are nearly completely black and nearly completely hispanic and nearly completely white. far from being a melting pot.

socially the word redneck isn't as bad. think about it... the very fact that you used the term redneck in your post but not the "other" word proves that point. how many times has the full "n" word been used in this thread? not once. you're more comfortable using redneck in a conversation then the "n" word, right? that's why calling a women and a child the "n" word has a deeper meaning than if it were the other way around.

if you look them both up in the dictionary, they are pretty much just negative. however, our social expectations of how to use these words are very different. and in regards to california, some of the most segregated schools in the country are there. there are nieghboords that are nearly completely black and nearly completely hispanic and nearly completely white. far from being a melting pot.

Its a melting pot for those who you named plus every other color in the world is in Calif. One thing that is happening is the blacks are being moved out and the Mexicans are moving in. In fact yesterday at the elem school i work at we had a crowd of 50-75 parents show up demanding to be heard for all the bad stuff we do to their children.Making them sit on hot asphalt, not letting them drink water,letting the restrooms stay dirty,pulling their chikd by the ear when they are in line to eat and putting in the end,ect,ect,ect. All said they saw this stuff. Oh,not one white,black parent,every one was hispanic and not one helps at the school. Go figure.

Its a melting pot for those who you named plus every other color in the world is in Calif. One thing that is happening is the blacks are being moved out and the Mexicans are moving in. In fact yesterday at the elem school i work at we had a crowd of 50-75 parents show up demanding to be heard for all the bad stuff we do to their children.Making them sit on hot asphalt, not letting them drink water,letting the restrooms stay dirty,pulling their chikd by the ear when they are in line to eat and putting in the end,ect,ect,ect. All said they saw this stuff. Oh,not one white,black parent,every one was hispanic and not one helps at the school. Go figure.

first of all, i commend you for working in an elementary school - that's a good thing to be doing. however, i have seen with my own eyes the racial and economic barriers in california (L.A. especially). it's the same way here in new york. i lived in a neighboorhod where the middle school was 95% hispanic! 15 blocks down the road it was 60% white. however you look at it, it's shocklingly segragated. maybe your particular school district is different though, i don't know.

so, let me ask you, why do you think the hispanic parents are acting like this? i'm sure your staff doesn't treat the children as they are accusing.

Not sure. They like to belive we are doing bad things to the kids. One thing is the parents that dont speak english go by what their kids tell them and the kids are,well,the kids in general here dont flush toilets,dont use trashcans,expect us to wait on them,i suppose this is how it is at home and when they come to school and we dont go for it,they go home and makeup stories and the parents belive{they want to**them but when the principal asked for parent names that saw all of these names,nobody came up with one but still say all that stuff happens.

Not sure. They like to belive we are doing bad things to the kids. One thing is the parents that dont speak english go by what their kids tell them and the kids are,well,the kids in general here dont flush toilets,dont use trashcans,expect us to wait on them,i suppose this is how it is at home and when they come to school and we dont go for it,they go home and makeup stories and the parents belive{they want to**them but when the principal asked for parent names that saw all of these names,nobody came up with one but still say all that stuff happens.


Yeah this sounds frustrating. I’ll offer one more point of view on this then I’m going to sign off on this thread since I’ve probably said too much here anyway. I tend to believe that poorer, less educated people will lash out at what they percieve is authority in ways that may be counter productive. As misguided as these efforts may be, I think in general they do it to have their voices heard. They probably think they are being perceieved as unwelcome outsiders and only by “demanding” to be treated with respect will they gain respect. This is opposite from what I think is right – people should act repectable in order to be respected.

However, that being said: one has to wonder why people are fighting to gain acceptance in the first place? I happen to believe (as I mentioned before) that there are basic inqualities that drive this madness that can be solved by distributing state and federal wealth more evenly. it won’t fix everything obviously, but it should be a start. there has been progress made in the last 40 years, so i don't think it's hopeless at all, and i hope that in the next 40 years it will be better than it is today.

Ok, just thought I'd point out, there is a difference between prejudice and racism. Prejudice is individual disdain for someone because of their identity (calling someone the n-word, calling someone a cracker). Racism is an INSTITUTIONALIZED SYSTEM of oppression. Racism is also tied together with class and gender oppression. To say that racists are now the social outcasts is to miss the point. Bigots and extremely prejudiced people are social outcasts, but we all participate in and (some of us) benefit from a racist system. Being white means to some extent that you reap the benefits of such a system, even if you yourself are not "racist" towards others. To focus solely on racism in lieu of understanding class, for instance, is a mistake, because there are plenty of lower class white people that are victims of oppression as well. But still, the person of color who calls you a cracker is not benefitting from an economic and social system that priviledges his skin color and cultural background. You are, even if it makes you feel uncomfortable.

you ever get the "what's wrong mister" thing after they steal yer stuff? :D (my poor bag)

That kind of thing towards me is grounds for an automatic butt-whooping. A guy on my block did that after busting out hte window of my car and taking my radio. Needless to say I got my stuff and window money back. I have a burning hatred of thieves, especially ones who will lie to you in your face.


BTW, his line was "I heard your car got broken into...."...only way I knew he did it was he had MY driving glasses hanging off his pocket....what a moron :fight:

I wander? If people riding by me yelling. Get the F off the road "*****" would be considered racist?

yes, we should. This is what I was saying about poverty and poor schooling conditions as being at the root of the problem. When you grow up in an environment like this, it’s very difficult to rise to the same expectations that a wealthier person can. I’m not stupid, I do realize that some people are racists regardless of where they grew up. However, I’d like to believe that if resources were allocated more fairly and that if every child had the same opportunities a lot of racial and economic tensions would be alleviated.

And it’s a fact – if you grow up in a poorer neighborhood you will NOT receive the same education as someone from a wealthier school district. Here is a quote from an article about NY schools:

“In New York state, the richest school district spent $38,572 per student. That’s seven times what the poorest district spent— $5,423.”

A lot of people are born into this and the cycle continues to feed on its self. Poorer areas tend to have more crime, more drugs, etc. If you’re child is receiving $38,000 per year would you expect more of him\her than if it were $5000? Of course you would. that’s why I think it’s important to understand where people are coming from and what their circumstances are and we should try our best to make sure everyone is treated the same.


i'm poor and i don't steal and i ain't racist. O_o

I wander? If people riding by me yelling. Get the F off the road "*****" would be considered racist?

no. that's the road ragers.

this racial slur has happen to me up close and personal, and I was wandering if coming to Canada 15 years ago was a good decision, I was riding my bike up North of Toronto when a Big SUV drive up close to me, when he open the window he was just shouting at the top of his voice go home you "*****", and I shouted back I am not chinese, and to think I am not even a chinese and this middle age driver shouted again go back to your country you *****, and speed away, I was fuming mad, because I was just riding my bike and minding my own bussiness.

so every one hates everyone... gooddd... i'm sooo tired.

so every one hates everyone... gooddd... i'm sooo tired.


Sometimes it seems like that doesn't it?

Ah, human nature to be confrontational I guess. When I was in the military the navy hated the army, the army hated the navy, the air force hated both of em.

People fight over hockey teams or soccer or football. The town I live in now there is confrontation between the twin cities - Halifax is a beter place to live than Dartmouth and vice versa. Personally I don't see a difference.

An yup, there are people who don't like another race, or homosexuals, or certain religion, or cyclists.

I want off this planet and if you ever discover a way off, let me know. :-) But ya can't let it get you down, its their problem, not yours.

Digger