I lived in Austin for a time, and right now, my husband is there working. I'll join him later this year, probably in time for the summer, where 100+ degree weather and 100% humidity is not unheard of and I'll subsist on a diet of Dr. Pepper Icees and Slurpees, ice cream slushes from Sonic (the rumored new pickle juice slush intrigues me and makes me wonder-- will they have an ice cream slush version of it, delighting pregnant women everywhere? BTW, try a Grape Ice Cream Slush with popping candy. You will get looked at funny, but it IS totally delish) while dropping 20 lbs., because heat + humidity + me means I won't be eating much (because that combination means if I do, I toss cookies like out of the Apocalypse).
The news coming out of Austin of a series of random bombings all over the city (four so far in the past month and a half), targeting minorities, is especially scary to me.
Austin, unfortunately, is still very segregated. Blacks and Hispanics live mostly east of I-35, and those areas are more crime addled than others in the city. And if you're a 'Northerner' like me (born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, didn't move south of the Mason-Dixon until I was 19) chances are you're going to be looked at by everyone a little differently. This is changing as tech companies flood the city (Northeastern Austin, into Wilco and Georgetown)
It is probably the most racist city I've lived in (although Tulsa would be very close there and may surpass Austin). When I lived in Tulsa for a couple of semesters at age 19, I had mainly African American friends. NO, THIS IS NOT a "AND SOME OF MY FRIENDS ARE..." story. Many of the white students (I need to make a distinction-- this was NOT at the U of Tulsa or ORU, both of whom TCC's Baptist Student Union had meetings with and also gatherings like on Super Bowl Sunday at-- that party was at UT that year). Nor was it the case in the "college towns"-- Stillwater and Norman. There are exceptions; I did not experience them) all thought I sounded like I was from the "North" like that was a bad thing. Apparently I retain a lot of my "native accent" (Pacific Northwest, yo!) even down below the Mason-Dixon line when I can effect a more Southern accent than normal. One Tuesday evening after a BSU meeting at the East campus (which was a predominantly African American area), a group of us were standing around outside, chatting. I just happened to be the only white person there. Before very long, a Tulsa cop pulled up. He pulled me aside, asking if I was "being harassed." Um, no, officer, THEY ARE MY FRIENDS. Apparently someone driving by, some racist SOB, had seen a white woman in a group of black people and called it in as something to be alarmed by. I guess they must have seen one of my male friends embrace me in a friendly, brotherly hug where I was literally picked up (at the time, I was 105 lbs soaking wet after the hot Tulsa summer... I am now considerably a bit more than that, LOL).
YES, this was in the fall of 2000. But no, things haven't changed there. It didn't surprise me when an unarmed black man, a pastor, was shot by police in Tulsa a few years back. Yes, he did fail to follow directions. But no, it was NOT at a level that required the level of force the (white female) officer used. They have non-lethal rounds. The female officer's male partner deployed a Taser. She CHOSE to use lethal force at the same time. The recordings of the officer's husband and another officer (who were in a helicopter overhead while the events were unfolding), were disgusting in their blatant racism.
I was not surprised that the officer was acquitted of all charges (see Tulsa Police Shooting Trial). The police in some areas (Southern California is another) can get away with literal murder of minorities without suffering any legal consequences.
Back to Austin. Racial groups do not mix as freely as they do in other "Southern" cities, outside of the U of Texas (and the BBQ joints... you want good Texas barbecue, you find one in the east part of the city!), that is. And even then, there isn't the comraderie I had with my friends at TCC, the U of Tulsa, and Oral Roberts U. You will see people openly wearing t-shirts and ball caps with "14:88" on them (mainly outside of Austin, in the outlying suburbs like Lakeway, Bee Cave, and Dripping Springs, but I have seen this near the Texas State Capitol building at the end of Congress Avenue).
If you don't know what "14:88" is, look it up. Google is an amazing resource and some people should use it far more often than they do (and DO NOT go to InfoWars' website when it pops up in the search. It's the biggest load of tripe outside of a slaughterhouse one could come across). I won't sully this blog by giving that " any more attention. As someone personally touched (familial) by the violence of the Holocaust, I can't stomach the pervasive racism that's going on in this country right now.
And now this, to further destroy race relations in the city: a series of bombings, targeting minorities (mainly black, though one victim was an elderly Hispanic female). The bombings have been all over the city, though mostly on the east side (east of I-35, which runs through the heart of Austin, and makes traffic in Los Angeles look downright anemic)... east, northeast, southeast, and southwest, now. The city is being flooded with federal law enforcement, because God knows, the Austin PD and Travis County Sheriff's Department, the latter of which I have immense respect for, and the former of which, well, I have less respect for, are extremely overwhelmed.
Austin is a dot of blue in a sea of red. While the city is somewhat self-segregated, this IS NOT the Austin I remember. Austinites are a diverse, fun lovin' group of people, and Austin is the "Live Music Capital of the World." With South by Southwest now ended, but with other music festivals on its heels, the bombings are especially scary. Who will they target next?
I pray there's an end to the violence. I pray we come together. I just don't like this division, this fear, this complete opposite to a certain campaign slogan. THIS IS NOT MY AMERICA. This isn't "Making America Great Again." We already WERE great. This IS "Making America Hate Again." I don't remember this happening ON THIS LEVEL at any other point of my adult life (which was, mostly, the Bush years, and then the Obama years). But yeah... we're winning.
Winning fear. Winning hatred. Going against the values we've all always held dear.
Just pray, y'all. Our prayers, no matter what religion the person praying belongs to, makes it to the Almighty God we all worship in the end (there is no "Christian God" or "Muslim God." There is one, all-powerful, magnificent, and so on, GOD). He doesn't discriminate, so why do we? My Catholic faith calls on me to be more God-like. Love your neighbor. Help your neighbor. UNDERSTAND your neighbor. And THAT will "Make America Great." Not this racist tripe. Not this sort of violence.
Stay safe, y'all. This too shall pass.
EDIT: The bomber, a 23 year oldwhite male terrorist, has been identified and is deceased following a short chase and his subsequent detonation of a device, which could have murdered several more people (e.g., law enforcement officers from several jurisdictions, local, state, and federal, and anyone in the hotel or nearby), but thankfully, it only killed the murderer himself. May God forgive him. And all of us.
The news coming out of Austin of a series of random bombings all over the city (four so far in the past month and a half), targeting minorities, is especially scary to me.
Austin, unfortunately, is still very segregated. Blacks and Hispanics live mostly east of I-35, and those areas are more crime addled than others in the city. And if you're a 'Northerner' like me (born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, didn't move south of the Mason-Dixon until I was 19) chances are you're going to be looked at by everyone a little differently. This is changing as tech companies flood the city (Northeastern Austin, into Wilco and Georgetown)
It is probably the most racist city I've lived in (although Tulsa would be very close there and may surpass Austin). When I lived in Tulsa for a couple of semesters at age 19, I had mainly African American friends. NO, THIS IS NOT a "AND SOME OF MY FRIENDS ARE..." story. Many of the white students (I need to make a distinction-- this was NOT at the U of Tulsa or ORU, both of whom TCC's Baptist Student Union had meetings with and also gatherings like on Super Bowl Sunday at-- that party was at UT that year). Nor was it the case in the "college towns"-- Stillwater and Norman. There are exceptions; I did not experience them) all thought I sounded like I was from the "North" like that was a bad thing. Apparently I retain a lot of my "native accent" (Pacific Northwest, yo!) even down below the Mason-Dixon line when I can effect a more Southern accent than normal. One Tuesday evening after a BSU meeting at the East campus (which was a predominantly African American area), a group of us were standing around outside, chatting. I just happened to be the only white person there. Before very long, a Tulsa cop pulled up. He pulled me aside, asking if I was "being harassed." Um, no, officer, THEY ARE MY FRIENDS. Apparently someone driving by, some racist SOB, had seen a white woman in a group of black people and called it in as something to be alarmed by. I guess they must have seen one of my male friends embrace me in a friendly, brotherly hug where I was literally picked up (at the time, I was 105 lbs soaking wet after the hot Tulsa summer... I am now considerably a bit more than that, LOL).
YES, this was in the fall of 2000. But no, things haven't changed there. It didn't surprise me when an unarmed black man, a pastor, was shot by police in Tulsa a few years back. Yes, he did fail to follow directions. But no, it was NOT at a level that required the level of force the (white female) officer used. They have non-lethal rounds. The female officer's male partner deployed a Taser. She CHOSE to use lethal force at the same time. The recordings of the officer's husband and another officer (who were in a helicopter overhead while the events were unfolding), were disgusting in their blatant racism.
I was not surprised that the officer was acquitted of all charges (see Tulsa Police Shooting Trial). The police in some areas (Southern California is another) can get away with literal murder of minorities without suffering any legal consequences.
Back to Austin. Racial groups do not mix as freely as they do in other "Southern" cities, outside of the U of Texas (and the BBQ joints... you want good Texas barbecue, you find one in the east part of the city!), that is. And even then, there isn't the comraderie I had with my friends at TCC, the U of Tulsa, and Oral Roberts U. You will see people openly wearing t-shirts and ball caps with "14:88" on them (mainly outside of Austin, in the outlying suburbs like Lakeway, Bee Cave, and Dripping Springs, but I have seen this near the Texas State Capitol building at the end of Congress Avenue).
If you don't know what "14:88" is, look it up. Google is an amazing resource and some people should use it far more often than they do (and DO NOT go to InfoWars' website when it pops up in the search. It's the biggest load of tripe outside of a slaughterhouse one could come across). I won't sully this blog by giving that " any more attention. As someone personally touched (familial) by the violence of the Holocaust, I can't stomach the pervasive racism that's going on in this country right now.
And now this, to further destroy race relations in the city: a series of bombings, targeting minorities (mainly black, though one victim was an elderly Hispanic female). The bombings have been all over the city, though mostly on the east side (east of I-35, which runs through the heart of Austin, and makes traffic in Los Angeles look downright anemic)... east, northeast, southeast, and southwest, now. The city is being flooded with federal law enforcement, because God knows, the Austin PD and Travis County Sheriff's Department, the latter of which I have immense respect for, and the former of which, well, I have less respect for, are extremely overwhelmed.
Austin is a dot of blue in a sea of red. While the city is somewhat self-segregated, this IS NOT the Austin I remember. Austinites are a diverse, fun lovin' group of people, and Austin is the "Live Music Capital of the World." With South by Southwest now ended, but with other music festivals on its heels, the bombings are especially scary. Who will they target next?
I pray there's an end to the violence. I pray we come together. I just don't like this division, this fear, this complete opposite to a certain campaign slogan. THIS IS NOT MY AMERICA. This isn't "Making America Great Again." We already WERE great. This IS "Making America Hate Again." I don't remember this happening ON THIS LEVEL at any other point of my adult life (which was, mostly, the Bush years, and then the Obama years). But yeah... we're winning.
Winning fear. Winning hatred. Going against the values we've all always held dear.
Just pray, y'all. Our prayers, no matter what religion the person praying belongs to, makes it to the Almighty God we all worship in the end (there is no "Christian God" or "Muslim God." There is one, all-powerful, magnificent, and so on, GOD). He doesn't discriminate, so why do we? My Catholic faith calls on me to be more God-like. Love your neighbor. Help your neighbor. UNDERSTAND your neighbor. And THAT will "Make America Great." Not this racist tripe. Not this sort of violence.
Stay safe, y'all. This too shall pass.
EDIT: The bomber, a 23 year old
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