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Friday, December 12, 2014

This is what #WhitePrivilege looks like in one picture

Dale Jackson 
Mad because Oakwood University students organized a peaceful demonstration because they want to be treated like human beings, local radio host Dale Jackson (pictured above taking a selfie), decided to mock the absurdity of die- protest orchestrated by America’s grievance industry, with a one man protest, enabled by the City of Huntsville, the Huntsville Police Department, the media, and indirectly, Huntsville/Madison County taxpayers.

“There is a right way to protest and a wrong way to protest. Laying down in the middle of the road is the wrong way and shame on the politicians who are afraid to stand up and tell them ‘no.'”
That is the point Huntsville conservative talk radio personality Dale Jackson says he wanted to get across on Monday when he staged a one-man protest, lying down in the middle of the street blocking traffic on one of Huntsville’s busiest thoroughfares as local residents tried to make their way home from work.
The genesis of Jackson’s idea came when word started to spread on social media that several Huntsville residents were planning a demonstration they had dubbed “Shut it Down Huntsville.” Their plan to was to start in the parking lot of the Oakwood University Church and march up University Drive, “blocking all traffic in protest.”
The protest mirrored many others taking place around the country in the wake of the Michael Brown and Eric Garner deaths and subsequent grand jury decisions.
Let's backup. Their plan was to start in the parking lot of the Oakwood University Church and march up University Drive, “blocking all traffic in protest.” When Dale Jackson got wind of this, he and his posse cranked up a  they don't have a permit whine on social media.



The social media whine was picked up by the mainstream media, which resulted in Oakwood students being urged to not break traffic laws by the University President, and the city councilman who represents the district.
Huntsville City Councilman Will Culver said Huntsville police hope to prevent a planned Friday afternoon protest march from spilling into busy University Drive.
Culver, whose council district includes University Drive as well as Oakwood University where the 4:30 p.m. march is starting, said Huntsville Police Chief Lewis Morris has identified "a few areas where people can stand alongside University Drive and peacefully protest."
Did you get that last sentence?  An area was identified where people can stand alongside (not to be confused with in the middle of) University Drive.
 The police had hoped the protestors would be satisfied staging their "die in" - four and a half minutes laying in the road to simulate the four and a half hours Michael Brown's body lay in the street in Ferguson, Mo. - on less busy Wynn Drive.
There's just one hitch, no one could see the die-in  on "less busy Wynn Drive" which kind of defeats the purpose of the protest.
But when protestors asked if they could have four and a half minutes to lie down on University, Police Chief Lewis Morris said yes. Police had the people and equipment in place to stop traffic, it would only take a few minutes, and it would avoid unnecessary confrontation.
Some have made an issue of the protestors not having a permit to do what they did. Morris pointed out that he signs the permits, he was on the scene, and he decided to grant the protestors' request. It wasn't on paper, but it was within his authority to make a spot decision.
Morris could have refused. He could have been indignant and stuck to the letter of the law.
Instead, he was smart, thoughtful and tolerant.
Which goes to show no good deed goes unpunished.  Under the guise of concern for law enforcement,  Dale Jackson forced HPD to provide him with a seven police car escort and block off busy streets during rush hour for a tax payer funded PR stunt.

Oh well, at least he didn't use the official Alabama State Seal on a memo telling democrats to vote the day after the election again.

Note to future protestors, the next time you want to protest, go to city hall and request a permit. They will be more than happy to oblige you.  If not, remind them of the Dale Jackson precedent pictured above.

Snertly sums it up:
While #ShutItDownHSV was performed to draw attention to Ferguson and similar issues, Dale Jackson's stunt is just to draw attention to Dale Jackson.
I'm glad Mr Jackson got his 120 seconds in the lime light, but it's absurd for him to equate laying alone on a public road stroking his ego with a social protest and demonstration involving over a hundred people..

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

It was only fair for them to do it for him as well. If they did not then there would have been a big double standard! He is entitled to his beliefs just as the Oakwood students are entitled to theirs! I am curious if the Police, Culver and others would do the same for and groups that woulD advocate for white lives matter or if the kkk marched from Wynn to University and laid in the road for four minutes etc I am not if it is true but I heard the Tea Party was not allowed to come here? If so then the city allowed this then I say it is absolutely WRONG!

Brian said...

That's not #whiteprivilege. That is an example of #protestprivilege. If the police did not let the shut it down hsv protesters do their die-in on university the friday before, then it would be #whiteprivilege.

But they did. And Dale made it clear what he was going to do all day on his show Monday. He basically dared the Huntsville Police to stop him. He expected them to stop him. And they called his bluff and let him do it.

Redeye said...

I guess it depends on what your definition of a double standard IS.
"While #ShutItDownHSV was performed to draw attention to Ferguson and similar issues, Dale Jackson's stunt is just to draw attention to Dale Jackson.
I'm glad Mr Jackson got his 120 seconds in the lime light, but it's absurd for him to equate laying alone on a public road stroking his ego with a social protest and demonstration involving over a hundred people.."

HPD didn't call Dale's bluff, they enabled him to mock, marginalize and minimize the legitimate concerns of the protestors.

No one, I repeat, no one is saying white lives don't matter, nor is anyone saying police lives don't matter. What we are saying is #BlackLivesDontMatter. We are marching for #JusticeForAll not some.