# Have race relations seriously improved or degraded since Obama took office? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [August 27, 2014, 11:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-race-relations-seriously-improved-or-degraded-since-obama-took-office/696623 "2014-08-27T11:51:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Damuri\_Ajashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@Damuri\_Ajashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damuri_Ajashi)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2014, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-race-relations-seriously-improved-or-degraded-since-obama-took-office/696623/21 "2014-08-28T03:01:58Z")
> [@Charlie\_Wayne](#): > > It’s true there have been many forward movements since the abolition of slavery. But all those improvements happened long ago and recently I can’t see hardly any efforts towards improvements. The race problems never went away, they just festered under a scab and now a lot of the pus is running out. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2014, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-race-relations-seriously-improved-or-degraded-since-obama-took-office/696623/22 "2014-08-28T17:38:27Z")
> [@Damuri\_Ajashi](#): > > The race problems never went away, they just festered under a scab and now a lot of the pus is running out. Periodically I hope we’re about to address the underlying injury; I don’t think I’ve ever seen as much discussion of these issues as I have seen lately. But I don’t think it’s a discussion a lot of people want to have. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2014, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-race-relations-seriously-improved-or-degraded-since-obama-took-office/696623/23 "2014-09-04T16:44:50Z")
Race relations are better than ever, but STILL highly problematic. The election of Obama (which would have been unthinkable when I was a kid) proves that things HAVE improved. But if people thought his election would make things even better, they were wrong. I think a lot of white voters had the idea that, if a black President were elected, America could finally “get past” race, and that race would no longer be such a huge issue. Black voters hoped for just the opposite- they hoped that, once a black man was elected, THEIR concerns would get more attention and THEIR agenda would be implemented. Both sides have been disappointed. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2014, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-race-relations-seriously-improved-or-degraded-since-obama-took-office/696623/24 "2014-09-04T17:21:17Z")
> [@Charlie\_Wayne](#): > > The description of the bank robber was a tall black man and this producer was a tall black man. I don’t think this was racism. I think it’s simply a case of fitting the description. If the suspect description were that of a tall blonde woman wearing blue shoes, and a tall blonde (but unrelated) woman in blue shoes happened to be in the area, chances are she would have been apprehended. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2014, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-race-relations-seriously-improved-or-degraded-since-obama-took-office/696623/25 "2014-09-04T17:24:02Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > I don’t think this was racism. I think it’s simply a case of fitting the description. > If the suspect description were that of a tall blonde woman wearing blue shoes, and a tall blonde (but unrelated) woman in blue shoes happened to be in the area, chances are she would have been apprehended. It wasn’t the arrest, but how the producer was (allegedly) treated afterwards. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2014, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-race-relations-seriously-improved-or-degraded-since-obama-took-office/696623/26 "2014-09-04T19:15:07Z")
> [@Iggy](#): > > And when Belk’s unrealistic expectations were not met What unrealistic expectations? They had him. They had HD images of the actual perp. There is no reason the matter could not have been cleared up in ten minutes, as he correctly states, and certainly no justification for holding Belk incommunicado for hours on end. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2014, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-race-relations-seriously-improved-or-degraded-since-obama-took-office/696623/27 "2014-09-04T19:25:40Z")
> [@Iggy](#): > > Belk was detained on suspicion of being involved in a bank robbery. The description of the suspect officers had to work on was a 1)tall 2)black 3)bald 4)man 5)wearing a green shirt. And Belk matched all five points. Lousy coincidence. > > Further a witness to the robbery positively (but incorrectly, as we now know) identified Belk as being involved in the robbery. Belk was detained within a block of the robbery within minutes after it happened. Can’t really fault police for detaining him. > > But Belk’s expectation is that police should have stopped everything the moment they detained him and go view the surveillance tapes. His expectation was it should take no more than 10 minutes. That’s not how it works. > > . Yes, If I matched those many points, _and_ was within a block of the robbery _and_ a witness IDed me, I’d expect a lot of trouble, and I am pretty damn white. Not about race. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2014, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-race-relations-seriously-improved-or-degraded-since-obama-took-office/696623/28 "2014-09-04T19:30:03Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > It wasn’t the arrest, but how the producer was (allegedly) treated afterwards. Ever been arrested for a felony? No phone call or lawyer until they get done processing you. This takes a few hours, no matter what color your skin is. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2014, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-race-relations-seriously-improved-or-degraded-since-obama-took-office/696623/29 "2014-09-04T19:57:23Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > “Racism wouldn’t be a big problem if black people just stopped complaining about it!” [Molly Ivins said it better in 1995:](http://www.motherjones.com/politics/1995/05/lyin-bully) > [@](#): > > I have a correspondent named Irwin Wingo in Weatherford, Texas. Irwin and some of the leading men of the town are in the habit of meeting about 10 every morning at the Chat’n’Chew Cafe to drink coffee and discuss the state of the world. One of their number is a dittohead, a Limbaugh listener. He came in one day, plopped himself down, and said, “I think Rush is right: Racism in this country is dead. I don’t know what the niggers will find to gripe about now.” About post-stupid: > [@](#): > > A dittohead in the crowd rose to protest: “We don’t send you to Washington to make responsible decisions. We send you there to represent us.” ---
**Author:** ![Flywheel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Flywheel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flywheel)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2014, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-race-relations-seriously-improved-or-degraded-since-obama-took-office/696623/30 "2014-09-04T21:43:58Z")
Not all [bald men](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KL0BWFthUds&t=2m31s) look alike. ---
**Author:** ![Iggy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iggy/32/3364_2.png) [@Iggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iggy)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2014, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-race-relations-seriously-improved-or-degraded-since-obama-took-office/696623/31 "2014-09-05T22:46:48Z")
> [@Steve\_MB](#): > > **What unrealistic expectations?** They had him. They had HD images of the actual perp. There is no reason the matter could not have been cleared up in ten minutes, as he correctly states, and certainly no justification for holding Belk incommunicado for hours on end. Belk’s unrealistic expectations were that he would: 1. receive his phone call prior to booking being completed. 2. have, in his words, “an explanation of charges”. Police don’t charge. Prosecutors do. 3. be read his rights. Police have no requirement to Mirandize someone prior to questioning them. Unlike on TV, police do not have to read you your rights as they put on the handcuffs. 4. have video evidence reviewed prior to booking. I have no idea how fast officers were able to review the video but in my humble experience (working in a 9-1-1 center that runs a public CCTV system) often someone must be called out to a business to access the video system for playback. Belk was detained about six hours. And that is sad because he is not guilty. But police had reasonable suspicion to detain him and did review evidence in a timely manner and released him when it was apparent they had the wrong man. And they apologized. Still, Belk is [considering suing](http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-producer-beverly-hills-arrest-reaction-20140829-story.html). ---
**Author:** ![Icarus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icarus/32/72_2.png) [@Icarus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icarus)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2014, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-race-relations-seriously-improved-or-degraded-since-obama-took-office/696623/32 "2014-09-06T00:52:02Z")
**Have race relations seriously improved or degraded since Obama took office?** …the side discussion of the Belk experience aside… IMHO race relations have improved, but I would not use the modifier of “seriously”. I think that the recent events in Ferguson, MO, have provided the opportunity for African Americans to say, “see, this is what we put up with!”, and more importantly for many non-African Americans to say, “oh, I guess you DO have a point.” That is progress. Much like the Gay Marriage issue, the dialog has shifted. By no means has it shifted as far and as fast as the Gay Marriage issue, but I see perceptible movement in the dialog. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2014, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-race-relations-seriously-improved-or-degraded-since-obama-took-office/696623/33 "2014-09-06T01:10:55Z")
> [@Icarus](#): > > I think that the recent events in Ferguson, MO, have provided the opportunity for African Americans to say, “see, this is what we put up with!”, and more importantly for many non-African Americans to say, “oh, I guess you DO have a point.” That is progress. Exactly. It has nothing to do with Obama, really, but I guess you can say he hasn’t impeded it and a different president might have. The Justice Department is treating this case seriously and in general it’s taken these sorts of issues very seriously - and that’s a big deal. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-race-relations-seriously-improved-or-degraded-since-obama-took-office/696623.md?page=1)