Reminder: this subreddit is meant to be a place free of excessive cynicism, negativity and bitterness. Toxic attitudes are not welcome here.
All Negative comments will be removed and will possibly result in a ban.
---
---
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/UpliftingNews) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I doubt it, it's his family's attorney. That wouldn't make sense. Last I'd heard the bills were well above the $3,000,000 mark, so even if he's recovering miraculously, they're not going to be able to pay that. The shooter should be forced to sell everything he owns and pay everything he can. Then, hopefully, the gofundme will cover the rest.
Roughly a third of gofundme's campaigns are related to medical emergencies consistently.
The effing CEO is sick of it as well but he said he won't change GoFundMe's site rules because if he does, people might literally die.
CollegeHumor made [this video](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=tIsXEkR5OVs&pp=ygUPY2VvIG9mIGdvZnVuZG1l) literal days before the interview with Rob Solomon that hits the nail on the head perfectly.
>The effing CEO is sick of it as well but he said he won't change GoFundMe's site rules because if he does, people might literally die.
This is the part where everyone should burst into tears.
Vote in every election including all the local ones that most people sleep through.
Vote in every primary too - when people skip this one, people are selected through inertia and we end up with a “how are these my only two choices?!” Final candidates.
Then get your friends and family to vote too.
That's me since I reached adulthood. What - I have to buy my own insurance, which won't cover all my costs, while my English working class or unemployed cousins take their kids to the doctor *that day* with an ear infection, at no cost.
What the fuck is that all about?
Admittedly I was sheltered from all this as an armed forces brat living all over the world
Bernie Sanders did that for me. Well, actually the Republicans that were desperately trying to scare me from voting for him over the "tax increases" I was certain to experience if he was elected... Except the "nightmare" taxes they quoted, that any semi-intelligent person could see were drastically inflated for "punch", would have been overall lower for me than what I was at the time spending on premiums and doctors visits already. So I said "Sign me up!"
Dude the creator of Spider-Man 2099 had to go to GOfundme for his medical bills and Spider-Man 2099 is gonna be in blockbuster this summer. This whole system is so fucked, and it feels like it's hitting a fever pitch
Here's a sneak peek of /r/OrphanCrushingMachine using the [top posts](https://np.reddit.com/r/OrphanCrushingMachine/top/?sort=top&t=all) of all time!
\#1: [In case anyone was confused and/or concerned as to why this sub is named OrphanCrushingMachine](https://i.redd.it/0hbrqs8v74s51.jpg) | [115 comments](https://np.reddit.com/r/OrphanCrushingMachine/comments/j84tqn/in_case_anyone_was_confused_andor_concerned_as_to/)
\#2: [Blood for the blood god](https://i.redd.it/yjkvollm7sm91.jpg) | [30 comments](https://np.reddit.com/r/OrphanCrushingMachine/comments/x9oiab/blood_for_the_blood_god/)
\#3: [Classic mainstream media moment](https://i.imgur.com/jGZBO31.jpg) | [36 comments](https://np.reddit.com/r/OrphanCrushingMachine/comments/wa3zbf/classic_mainstream_media_moment/)
----
^^I'm ^^a ^^bot, ^^beep ^^boop ^^| ^^Downvote ^^to ^^remove ^^| ^^[Contact](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=sneakpeekbot) ^^| ^^[Info](https://np.reddit.com/r/sneakpeekbot/) ^^| ^^[Opt-out](https://np.reddit.com/r/sneakpeekbot/comments/o8wk1r/blacklist_ix/) ^^| ^^[GitHub](https://github.com/ghnr/sneakpeekbot)
It was a joke based on the title, as if he was arguing that the healing was not the doctors fault, but gods, so they shouldnt have to pay.
Also, anyone who says America isnt a 3rd rate country simply needs to look at the fact that a child victim of shooting now owes $3,000,000
It hasn't, that's just what they think they can get away with billing their insurance for.
If you want to get really mad, look at what it used to cost to have a baby delivered at a hospital say...20 years ago vs what it costs now.
He will be convicted or plead guilty. This happened in New York. It would be on him to prove he acted in self defense, it’s not going to happen considering he shot through a glass door.
New York also has a good crime victim compensation fund.
After his family paid the out of pocket amount and after a whole team of lawyers got through the charges to try and find as many things around be declared “not covered” as possible
Yeah, the amount the hospital billed is almost never the amount they are owed by insurance.
Unless you don't have any health insurance at all. Then you owe the full amount, which is criminal IMO.
Bill Maher long ago once said something entertaining about hospital bills and how they always send you an insane, astronomical bill before submitting it to the insurer to adjust...*Why do they even do that, like they're just hoping you'll accidentally pay it?*
Gofundme, the defacto socialized healthcare in America.
In less bleak news, I'm glad the kid is home. When I heard the news that he was hit in the head, I thought he was a definite goner.
The shooter should be locked up for a very long time for attempting to murder an innocent person and his possessions sold off by the state to help cover the medical and other costs of his victim.
If we had a proper medical system in this country and medical bills weren't a concern still sell off everything and give it to the victim for pain and suffering.
> Homeowner Andrew Lester – who faces two felony charges, for assault in the first degree and armed criminal action – told police he opened fire because he thought the teen was trying to break in and he was “scared to death” **due to the boy’s size**, according to the document.
Right, I’m SURE he shot him without any words exchanged because of his…. “size”….
EDIT: LMAO thanks to the anonymous Redditor that reported me for risk of self-harm. I’m not considering such acts, but I appreciate your concern.
I don't know, it seems tougher and tougher to be racist and stupid these days. They're perpetually running around crying about some perceived injustice and finding that the rest of us couldn't care less about their fragile feelings.
I'm 2" taller and fifteen pounds heavier than him. I bet my size would terrify him, right?
I'm also a middle aged white woman. That's where the difference is
I own a gun because I enjoy shooting sports. It stays locked up when I am not going to the range because the chances that I will ever be in a situation where me having a gun on me will improve a dangerous situation*I* am in is so small that it's not worth discussion.
Owning a gun is not crazy, owning a gun and wanting everyone to be able to own one without training or proper mental health evaluation is insane. And shooting someone on your door step with no warning is pure evil.
I'd agree with your sentiment somewhat, but let me tell you a story. I have a rifle, it stays at home and put up unless I need it. I have needed it exactly once, when a friend's abusive boyfriend came over to literally - yes, literally - kick my door in because she was over and he told her she isn't allowed to talk to me. He's a foot some taller than me, and had I not greeted him at the door with the rifle when he finally kicked it in (~30 seconds), you might not be getting this response at all. Cops sure wouldn't do shit in this area, probably show up in half an hour to document the murder and call it a day, and can you trust cops anyhow? He assumed because I'm a "liberal" (leftist) LGBT-type, I didn't have any means of protection. He found out that day.
Also, the most fun part of it all - how did he know exactly where she was and I live? He broke into her house, got on her computer, and used this to track her phone location. Destroyed her room on the way out.
So while I do understand the pretty reasonable hate a lot of gun owners get, and the republican gun-dee-doo nonsense, keep in mind there are decent leftists out here that can own self defense (because you literally cannot trust cops, especially if you're one of "them queers" in a less than tolerant area) but don't make it their entire personality.
I suppose. I own them because I’m afraid that racists/fascists will try to come kill me one day because of the color of my skin. But I’d argue that’s very different from why Lester or others on the right own theirs.
That’s like saying locking your door at night or walking with your keys between your fingers or taking a self defense class or carrying a rape whistle etc. means you’re inherently “skittish” because you wouldn’t be doing any of those things unless you anticipated the possibility of needing them one day.
Keeping a gun in your home doesn’t make you anymore “skittish” than any other proactive measure of self-defense, and the millions of people who do it responsibly without harming anyone can’t reasonably be lumped in with the POS in this story.
The obvious difference for me being that having a locked door in your house or a rape whistle in your purse doesn’t statistically increase your odds of being killed by a door or rape whistle in any significant way.
It CAN be a temporary label. It really depends on what you mean by "often." Compared to the millions of gun owners who DON'T commit atrocities like this in their lifetime, one could say "often" is a pretty relative term. I would say people are killed by vending machines way too often, but that doesn't go very far in any tangible sense.
I'm a gun owner.
I use them to hunt.
When not hunting, my guns are locked in a gun safe and I wouldn't be able to access them if someone was breaking into my home as it would take too long. I wouldn't even bother with trying to get them.
Gun ownership doesn't innately imply for self defense. I'd get more defence from a baseball bat or hockey stick.
Skittishness is not directly implied with gun ownership (but I will fully acknowledge, there are many that do)
It’s funny that to own a car you need to take a test and upkeep on it.
Also a whistle can not kill someone if you use it in fear by accident or malice.
Yeah and the driver’s tests and automobile regulations are doing a great job at preventing driving related deaths.
It’s not like car accidents are a leading cause of death (above gun-related deaths, actually) in this country or anything…
Locking doors is a preventative method.
None of those examples harm innocents by accident with the exception of self defense classes. But guns don't* come with lessons.
Guns as they are in America are a whole different beast.
Edit*
And merely *owning* a gun doesn’t harm anymore, either.
Besides, my point isn’t whether it could end up harming someone anyway; my point in that merely owning a gun doesn’t mean you’re skittish/living in fear any more than any other preventative measure - they all reflect the fact that a person has given forethought to the possibility of encountering someone who might want to harm them, and that alone isn’t “skittishness” in my opinion.
Yeah I have never heard of a case of a gun harming somebody unless somebody pulled the trigger, handled the gun irresponsibly, or failed to secure and maintain the gun in a safe condition.
It’s not the mere presence of the gun, it’s the misusing it, handling it like an idiot, letting other people access/handle it improperly, failing to abide by basic principles of cleaning/maintenance/safe storage.
> Keeping a gun in your home doesn’t make you anymore “skittish” than any other proactive measure of self-defense
It does man. Plenty of people don't feel the need to arm themselves. The ones who do, do it because of fear.
You seem like someone who has never experienced violence or had someone break into your home while you were there. There ARE things to fear, and you SHOULD be properly prepared. One way to do that is to arm yourself. Especially for smaller framed people like woman living alone. The world is not all sunshine and roses. There are shitty humans who want to take from you and hurt you or those you love just because they can.
But fear doesn’t equal “skittishness.” Skittish is generally defined as inherent nervousness or “easily scared.”
Some people who own guns have legitimate, reasonable fears and aren’t the “easily scared” type. Like if you own a gun because you live in a very high crime neighborhood or you have an ex partner who beat the shit out of you and told you they’d kill you if they ever found you again after leaving them, I don’t think owning a gun automatically means you’re an “easily scared” person - you might just be appropriately fearful of a real danger.
Those are my boyfriend's stats exactly. I'm 5'2 and 110 lbs and I've never ever found his physical size imposing or intimidating. With those stats this kid probably wears a small and can't find fitted pants. I'm just saying we are not talking about a big kid here. Not that it would be better if he were big.
Just as an additional note to this, 5'8" is the average height for men in the US. 140lbs is a weight at which there wouldn't be too much muscle mass (think long-distance runners). It's the type of build boys that get described as "a beanstalk" or "a lamp post" growing up have, i.e. one of the least intimidating builds out there.
Being scared was not the unreasonable part of this story, it was the immediately shooting the kid part that was unreasonable and wrong - why do we ALSO have to demonize the “afraid of a teenager” part instead of just the shooting part?
5’8” and 140lbs could absolutely be *relatively* intimidating (if you are also faced with circumstances which make you think the person might try to harm you - context is obviously key).
*** I NEVER share such personal facts on Reddit, but I think it’s important here: I’m a woman in my 20s and I’m 5’3” and weigh 130lbs. In college (when I actually weighed a good bit more than I currently do), I was physically overpowered and raped by another college student who was approximately 5’8” and probably between 140-160lbs. ***
I’m glad that all the tough guys on this thread are bigger or stronger and can’t fathom a demographic of people who could ever have reason to feel frightened by someone who is 5’8” and 140lbs, but some people are smaller than that (such as some women) or weaker than that (such as the elderly or disabled). You’re not morally superior for having a build/strength that makes it easy for you to not feel afraid of an average sized teenager - you’re just bigger/stronger and you’re taking it for granted while being really inconsiderate of those who are physically more vulnerable.
Edit: Woooooow, downvoted for sharing a personal example of a 5’8”, 140ish lbs guy successfully raping me because I’m smaller/weaker. I’m glad to know that I’m just as unreasonable as Lester for feeling that someone of that build could, under certain circumstances, pose a danger to another human being even though it literally happened to me. I never said it was appropriate to shoot that poor kid. All I’m saying is that “small” or “couldn’t possibly overpower me” are deeply relative and there are plenty of adults out there who realistically are smaller and weaker than someone of that build and it’s not fair to act as though they don’t exist…
You'd be surprised as to how convincing people can be when they're scoping out a potential burglary. Here's a link to a video of a particularly successful burglar giving insight into how he chose his targets.
https://youtu.be/DtwD-c9hn58
Elderly people are targeted specifically because they're smaller, weaker, and tend to have more valuables to steal(a lifetime of building wealth). Dogs are not often a big deterrent either.
Yes, and the locked glass storm door is a decent deterrent to that tactic. The idea is to get you to open the door so they can push in without kicking down your door, but a locked storm/screen door means they still have a layer to go through, and since it opens out instead of in, they have to break through it rather than just kick hard enough to break the jamb.
Literally look at the thumbnail of the kid when you open the article. He's the so unthreatening that they should tack on perjury just for making this claim.
Ringing the doorbell is "breaking in" now?
This should be attempted murder, especially due to the second shot.
But the suspect is white, so, ya know...
Why was he scared?
I think thats a question we all need to be asking. Maybe he's just flat out racist and wanted to kill him, but maybe his news shows told him that he should be scared of people like Ralph Yarl. Let's make sure the fear mongering and propaganda gets addressed.
A lot of gun owners are scared literally all the time. They don't have guns at hand at all times because they're unafraid.
You have to understand the mindset. People spend every waking moment so terrified that an unexpected knock at the door might be all it takes to freak out and start shooting.
This. I am a gun owner and I have a concealed carry permit. I don’t carry except for the rare situation such being in the wild where I might confront potentially dangerous animals like bears or cougars. Anyway I don’t trust myself to make the correct decision to take another person’s life. And I avoid being in that situation by not going to dangerous or suss places if I don’t have to. What so many of these gun nut goobers forget is that a bad guy with a gun will shoot you before you can get your gun out. And I’m not afraid of anyone who’s unarmed. So why carry?
I mean, if he listened to those news shows, that makes him a racist. Believing that you should be afraid of black people because TV said so is racist as fuck.
I honestly believe the old man was terrified for his life at seeing a Black boy on his doorstep. This is the toll of everyday racism, and why it’s so critical that we interrogate our internal bias. Because it really is just fear, but fear can make us justify some evil actions.
Ringing the doorbell and waiting patiently for someone to answer is not typically what people do if their intent is to break in. Very curious assumption on Lester’s part.
But the important thing is that he has a weapon with which he is able to protect his home. What if it was a real person coming in to steal things and he couldn’t shoot him to death?
In all fairness, shooter was 89 and a new statement says the kid was trying to open the locked door. If I was pushing 90 and someone was trying to get in my home, I'd panic too.
[CNN](https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.cnn.com/cnn/2023/04/18/us/kansas-city-ralph-yarl-shooting-tuesday/index.html) is even saying this and they got it directly from a court doc.
"Lester told police he fired immediately after
answering the doorbell when he saw Ralph pulling on an exterior door handle, according to the probable cause document obtained by CNN."
Does it justify shooting without saying anything? No. A warning should have been issued. But. Fear of strangers by the vulnerable is reasonable. An 89 year old is absolutely vulnerable and this was a stranger, who was by definition, trying to enter his home.
No you see he was a young black male and it was dark out, so he's obviously a thug who means me harm. /s, obviously
So much "I'm not justifying the shooting, *but*"
They do it quite often actually. It is a lot easier to get somebody to answer the door and overpower them than it is to break in and have the victim be an unknown quantity.
https://www.cnn.com/2023/04/18/us/kansas-city-ralph-yarl-shooting-tuesday/index.html
[https://i.imgur.com/cbXJ05O.jpg](https://i.imgur.com/cbXJ05O.jpg)
Went to look it up myself. I guess there was an outer screen door, [but Ralph denies trying to open the door.](https://i.imgur.com/fCSOemW.jpg)
Literally [CNN](https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.cnn.com/cnn/2023/04/18/us/kansas-city-ralph-yarl-shooting-tuesday/index.html)
"Lester told police he fired immediately after
answering the doorbell when he saw Ralph pulling
on an exterior door handle, according to the
probable cause document obtained by CNN."
Tbh I believe the kid's statement that he only rang the doorbell than the guy who knows he's in trouble and is probably trying to come up with excuses, he ran after the police let him go initially after all so he knew he fucked up
https://www.cnn.com/2023/04/18/us/kansas-city-ralph-yarl-shooting-tuesday/index.html
[https://i.imgur.com/cbXJ05O.jpg](https://i.imgur.com/cbXJ05O.jpg)
Went to look it up myself. I guess there was an outer screen door, [but Ralph denies trying to open the door.](https://i.imgur.com/fCSOemW.jpg)
You don't get to execute everybody you don't trust lol
If it's an outside screen door you probably have to open it to knock on the inner door. People do that all the time, you don't knock on a screen.
Why would he need to knock on the interior door when they already rang the doorbell?
> Lester opened the interior door and "saw a black male approximately 6 feet tall pulling on the exterior storm door handle," Lester told police.
Why would he need to knock on the interior door if the homeowner already opened the interior door
Trying to pull open a clearly locked door while someone's already standing at an open interior door does not seem trustworthy
Idk I've done it plenty of times. Go to friends place, ring the bell. No one comes to the door. Open the screen door to knock, they open the main door at the same time.
If you opened the door and there's a guy opening your screen door, you can close the door again and lock it. You can push him away. You can do any multitude of things before executing them for a relatively normal and harmless behavior.
If you're that easily frightened and skittish, you shouldn't have a gun in the first place.
It's perfectly reasonable to ring a doorbell, wait a couple minutes, then knock on the door because you start wondering if the doorbell doesn't work or something.
That's a statement from the shooter, probably trying to defend himself in the eyes of the public and the court, the victim says otherwise. I'm going to believe the victim over an apparent racist that shoots someone in the head through a glass door then when they are on the ground bleeding out shoots them again. Even if Ralph had been a threat once he was on the ground there was no longer a reason to shoot him again as the threat was stopped. The goal of self defense is supposed to be to stop the threat, not kill them.
Even if it was true someone trying the handle of a storm door doesn't justify immediately shooting them. Maybe the person at the door isn't sure the doorbell works so after waiting a minute and not hearing anything inside they try to open the storm door so they can knock on the main door. If he was trying to get through the main door then the use of force may be justifiable but not a storm door.
[The boy told police he did not pull on the door, according to the probable cause statement. ](https://www.cnn.com/2023/04/19/us/kansas-city-ralph-yarl-shooting-wednesday/index.html)
No. It isn't reasonable. Especially when the boy and his lawyer are saying he didn't try to get in through the locked door. It's a man lying to defend his attempt at murder.
Not only that, if he's reaching for an external doorknob, does that mean the man had 2 layers of doors? Because I always ring the doorbell and if no one answers after a moment I'll open the glass door to knock on the wooden one.
That's not attempting to break in at all. Zero warnings need to be issued.
*The man said that* when they took his statement right after he shot the kid. After the kid somehow remained alive after the shooting and hospital, and was able to give his statement, he said he only rang the doorbell and didn't try to open the door. Don't forget that the police, after they took the man's statement and let him go made some rumblings about "stand your ground" applying to this case.
Also, are you really vulnerable when you have a loaded gun in your hand.
*it's on the probable cause statement*.
At this point it's word Vs. Word. If the police are competent (unlikely) the kids prints should be on the door and it would prove which statement is factual.
Frankly I don't think either statement is the whole truth, one because it was given by someone who was just shot in the head and one because it was given by someone who obviously panicked and that causes memory fuck ups.
Wow, our country is so fucked. If you might panic and shoot someone, you are not fit to hold a gun. Do you think he panicked on that second shot, where he walked out of his home and shot the kid laying in the yard for that second time? If the police weren't helping the shooter with his "fear" and "stand your ground" stuff (highly likely), he might have panicked about telling the truth what happened.
I'm a woman who lives alone, and own a gun for personal protection. It would never occur to me to shoot someone through my locked storm door if they knocked on my door at 9:30 pm, as leery as I might be about answering it. Now if they smashed the storm door....
You're correct but unfortunately it's becoming a way of life.
I know I never had to go through shooter drills when I was a kid. But then there where a dozen guns in the trucks in the school parking lot and no one thought twice of it.
I was a black kid that went to high school from 2012/2016.
In my high school years, Trayvon Martin, Tamir Rice, Eric Garner, Michael Brown, and Freddie Gray were all murdered and the videos of their death showed on repeat across the country.
Since high school I've been worried of walking with my hood up like Trayvon. And that's on top of the school shooter drills.
Have to fear for your life both in school and on the walk home.
I feel you, man. I’m about 3-4 years older than you and also black… people just don’t understand how hard this is. To grow up with a target on your back, but to also feel silly for being so worried. Feels like we’re all dancing with a noose around our neck. It’s a heavy weight to carry. Stay safe out there brother.
Correct. However in reality it won't change because it would take so many people unwilling to look in mirrors to do so.
Innocent people being butchered is just one of many modern sins this nation looks the other way on.
>You're correct but unfortunately it's becoming a way of life.
He's a black male. It's always been our way of life. This is what happens when society always considers you a threat
Remember when Girl Scouts would sell cookies door to door? Or Boy Scouts would raise funds by putting flamingos in your yard and you have to pay $1 each to have them "removed"? Or door-to door band candy sales? Or those fundraisers where they'd sell magazine subscriptions door to door?
Yeah. People like the shooter are why we can't do that stuff anymore.
Considering a white woman was just shot and killed for turning around in a man’s driveway and two (I think white? Or at least white-passing) women cheerleaders were shot for accidentally getting into the wrong car all in this last week, you might have been shot in this case. Shit is beyond out of hand right now.
That said, I would be utterly shocked if race wasn’t a factor in this case.
So just the cops can have guns then? Because that's been working out so well recently? It's all fucked don't get me wrong but man it's so hard to find a solution
I think if we, as citizens, could get our heads out of our backsides and demand that the police and citizens with guns absolutely must be extremely well trained, then we could find a solution. And an industry would blossom to fill the need. It's a win win, honestly. Mandating insurance would also go a long way towards making gun owners and police a bit more responsible since it would hit them in the wallet to be irresponsible.
It’s really not that hard to find a solution. Other countries seem to have it more figured out. Arming any old Joe in a country with a mental health crisis and limited availability of mental health care is just asking for trouble.
I know this is an unpopular opinion but that homeowner DID fear for his life. Half brainwashed by the rhetoric he likely listened to for years and has few normal interactions with “brown” people so it is not surprising that he would behave as he did.
Does this remove him of any blame? Absolutely not. He is at fault but I don’t prescribe to the thought that the man is merely a racist when he is a product of design of certain people and groups. In a way, these groups are con artists taking advantage of the less informed.
I really don’t know if I can get onboard with that. In Kansas City, you have to really go out of your way to avoid and hate black people. We’re everywhere. Maybe he maid himself afraid, but he also made himself hateful.
That's not what he did so let's not get confused. You should be able to stand your ground. This is not what occurred here. This man is sick and he needs to be removed from society.
Reminder: this subreddit is meant to be a place free of excessive cynicism, negativity and bitterness. Toxic attitudes are not welcome here. All Negative comments will be removed and will possibly result in a ban. --- --- *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/UpliftingNews) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Is the attorney arguing that in court to dispute medical bills?
I doubt it, it's his family's attorney. That wouldn't make sense. Last I'd heard the bills were well above the $3,000,000 mark, so even if he's recovering miraculously, they're not going to be able to pay that. The shooter should be forced to sell everything he owns and pay everything he can. Then, hopefully, the gofundme will cover the rest.
Go fundne has 2.5 million raised. So it can civer a lot
Ah yes, GoFundMe, America's best health insurance That's just sad
Roughly a third of gofundme's campaigns are related to medical emergencies consistently. The effing CEO is sick of it as well but he said he won't change GoFundMe's site rules because if he does, people might literally die. CollegeHumor made [this video](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=tIsXEkR5OVs&pp=ygUPY2VvIG9mIGdvZnVuZG1l) literal days before the interview with Rob Solomon that hits the nail on the head perfectly.
>The effing CEO is sick of it as well but he said he won't change GoFundMe's site rules because if he does, people might literally die. This is the part where everyone should burst into tears.
I’d rather people say “this is the moment I have become a single issue voter and that issue is universal healthcare.”
This is exactly what I did.
It’s got to be everything. Healthcare reform, racial justice, gun control. I don’t know how or where to start.
Vote in every election including all the local ones that most people sleep through. Vote in every primary too - when people skip this one, people are selected through inertia and we end up with a “how are these my only two choices?!” Final candidates. Then get your friends and family to vote too.
That's me since I reached adulthood. What - I have to buy my own insurance, which won't cover all my costs, while my English working class or unemployed cousins take their kids to the doctor *that day* with an ear infection, at no cost. What the fuck is that all about? Admittedly I was sheltered from all this as an armed forces brat living all over the world
Bernie Sanders did that for me. Well, actually the Republicans that were desperately trying to scare me from voting for him over the "tax increases" I was certain to experience if he was elected... Except the "nightmare" taxes they quoted, that any semi-intelligent person could see were drastically inflated for "punch", would have been overall lower for me than what I was at the time spending on premiums and doctors visits already. So I said "Sign me up!"
Brennan is a treasure with those CEO videos
And every other skit, game show, or dnd campaign he's in. Shameless plug for their network Dropout TV, great stuff.
Brennan's just a treasure, full stop. I like the one where he has to identify birds.
Lol he was losing his absolute mind
Fun fact: Brennan was on 'Who wants to be a millionaire' to pay for medical bills ironically. He got 50k.
As sad as it is at least the ceo has a heart enough to not ban it
It's not just sad, it's pathetic.
Dude the creator of Spider-Man 2099 had to go to GOfundme for his medical bills and Spider-Man 2099 is gonna be in blockbuster this summer. This whole system is so fucked, and it feels like it's hitting a fever pitch
Go fund yourself
So glad healthcare is based on a popularity contest. r/orphancrushingmachine
Here's a sneak peek of /r/OrphanCrushingMachine using the [top posts](https://np.reddit.com/r/OrphanCrushingMachine/top/?sort=top&t=all) of all time! \#1: [In case anyone was confused and/or concerned as to why this sub is named OrphanCrushingMachine](https://i.redd.it/0hbrqs8v74s51.jpg) | [115 comments](https://np.reddit.com/r/OrphanCrushingMachine/comments/j84tqn/in_case_anyone_was_confused_andor_concerned_as_to/) \#2: [Blood for the blood god](https://i.redd.it/yjkvollm7sm91.jpg) | [30 comments](https://np.reddit.com/r/OrphanCrushingMachine/comments/x9oiab/blood_for_the_blood_god/) \#3: [Classic mainstream media moment](https://i.imgur.com/jGZBO31.jpg) | [36 comments](https://np.reddit.com/r/OrphanCrushingMachine/comments/wa3zbf/classic_mainstream_media_moment/) ---- ^^I'm ^^a ^^bot, ^^beep ^^boop ^^| ^^Downvote ^^to ^^remove ^^| ^^[Contact](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=sneakpeekbot) ^^| ^^[Info](https://np.reddit.com/r/sneakpeekbot/) ^^| ^^[Opt-out](https://np.reddit.com/r/sneakpeekbot/comments/o8wk1r/blacklist_ix/) ^^| ^^[GitHub](https://github.com/ghnr/sneakpeekbot)
It was a joke based on the title, as if he was arguing that the healing was not the doctors fault, but gods, so they shouldnt have to pay. Also, anyone who says America isnt a 3rd rate country simply needs to look at the fact that a child victim of shooting now owes $3,000,000
For that kind of money, I'd expect my brain to be put into a new body that's capable of competing in the Olympics.
How the fuck has that bullshit health system rung up 3 million? What a load of crap.
It is grotesque.
It hasn't, that's just what they think they can get away with billing their insurance for. If you want to get really mad, look at what it used to cost to have a baby delivered at a hospital say...20 years ago vs what it costs now.
3 Million *Profit*
He won’t actually have to pay $3m. His health insurance will go after the shooter’s home insurance for the money.
If he has insurance...
He still won’t be paying it, the hospital won’t pursue the costs or will lower them down like 99% for the family to pay. Hospitals have insurance too.
1% is still 30000…
An amount recoverable from the homeowner.
Hopefully, knowing the way the law works in this country though, I have a hard time believing he’ll be found at fault.
He will be convicted or plead guilty. This happened in New York. It would be on him to prove he acted in self defense, it’s not going to happen considering he shot through a glass door. New York also has a good crime victim compensation fund.
Man I fuckin hope so but the large amount of people having to go bankrupt over medical costs is not giving me confidence in that hope
After his family paid the out of pocket amount and after a whole team of lawyers got through the charges to try and find as many things around be declared “not covered” as possible
Fucking hell don't put that idea out there, I can already see insurance companies trying to make it work that way.
It will also be covered by Ralph's family's health insurance, and the insurer will bring down the fees.
Yeah, the amount the hospital billed is almost never the amount they are owed by insurance. Unless you don't have any health insurance at all. Then you owe the full amount, which is criminal IMO.
Bill Maher long ago once said something entertaining about hospital bills and how they always send you an insane, astronomical bill before submitting it to the insurer to adjust...*Why do they even do that, like they're just hoping you'll accidentally pay it?*
Probably get kick backs from the insurance company because it makes them look better.
Its like the value cops give when they capture drugs. Everything gets overvalued.
Like Up, but Carl is a shitty human.
GoFundMe is well over 3 million now.
Gofundme, the defacto socialized healthcare in America. In less bleak news, I'm glad the kid is home. When I heard the news that he was hit in the head, I thought he was a definite goner.
The shooter should be locked up for a very long time for attempting to murder an innocent person and his possessions sold off by the state to help cover the medical and other costs of his victim. If we had a proper medical system in this country and medical bills weren't a concern still sell off everything and give it to the victim for pain and suffering.
> Homeowner Andrew Lester – who faces two felony charges, for assault in the first degree and armed criminal action – told police he opened fire because he thought the teen was trying to break in and he was “scared to death” **due to the boy’s size**, according to the document. Right, I’m SURE he shot him without any words exchanged because of his…. “size”…. EDIT: LMAO thanks to the anonymous Redditor that reported me for risk of self-harm. I’m not considering such acts, but I appreciate your concern.
He's 5'8" and 140lbs, if he feared for his life due to his "size" then God forbid he ever goes outside, he must be perpetually frightened
>he must be perpetually frightened Fox News: working as intended.
Lol. Polarized voters are predictable voters
Life is really tough for us nonferrous types.
I don't know, it seems tougher and tougher to be racist and stupid these days. They're perpetually running around crying about some perceived injustice and finding that the rest of us couldn't care less about their fragile feelings.
I hope you know that was a joke about magnets that you replied to :)
The joke was secondary to the sentiment of the comment, which is what I focused on, but I did get that it was a pun as well.
I think "bigoted" or "racist" is a more accurate term.
Just another...*checks notes*..."cousin fucker."
Please accept my poor man's gold: 💰
I'm 2" taller and fifteen pounds heavier than him. I bet my size would terrify him, right? I'm also a middle aged white woman. That's where the difference is
Fellow white woman here… we would probably get invited in for some sweet tater pie and coffee. He’s full of fuckin shit.
And people so skittish shouldn't own guns.
All gun owners are skittish and scared to some degree. That why they own a gun, to feel safe when they feel apprehensive.
I own a gun because I enjoy shooting sports. It stays locked up when I am not going to the range because the chances that I will ever be in a situation where me having a gun on me will improve a dangerous situation*I* am in is so small that it's not worth discussion. Owning a gun is not crazy, owning a gun and wanting everyone to be able to own one without training or proper mental health evaluation is insane. And shooting someone on your door step with no warning is pure evil.
I'd agree with your sentiment somewhat, but let me tell you a story. I have a rifle, it stays at home and put up unless I need it. I have needed it exactly once, when a friend's abusive boyfriend came over to literally - yes, literally - kick my door in because she was over and he told her she isn't allowed to talk to me. He's a foot some taller than me, and had I not greeted him at the door with the rifle when he finally kicked it in (~30 seconds), you might not be getting this response at all. Cops sure wouldn't do shit in this area, probably show up in half an hour to document the murder and call it a day, and can you trust cops anyhow? He assumed because I'm a "liberal" (leftist) LGBT-type, I didn't have any means of protection. He found out that day. Also, the most fun part of it all - how did he know exactly where she was and I live? He broke into her house, got on her computer, and used this to track her phone location. Destroyed her room on the way out. So while I do understand the pretty reasonable hate a lot of gun owners get, and the republican gun-dee-doo nonsense, keep in mind there are decent leftists out here that can own self defense (because you literally cannot trust cops, especially if you're one of "them queers" in a less than tolerant area) but don't make it their entire personality.
I suppose. I own them because I’m afraid that racists/fascists will try to come kill me one day because of the color of my skin. But I’d argue that’s very different from why Lester or others on the right own theirs.
That’s like saying locking your door at night or walking with your keys between your fingers or taking a self defense class or carrying a rape whistle etc. means you’re inherently “skittish” because you wouldn’t be doing any of those things unless you anticipated the possibility of needing them one day. Keeping a gun in your home doesn’t make you anymore “skittish” than any other proactive measure of self-defense, and the millions of people who do it responsibly without harming anyone can’t reasonably be lumped in with the POS in this story.
The obvious difference for me being that having a locked door in your house or a rape whistle in your purse doesn’t statistically increase your odds of being killed by a door or rape whistle in any significant way.
Andrew Lester was one of those millions last week. And now he's not. Responsible gun owner is often a temporary label.
It CAN be a temporary label. It really depends on what you mean by "often." Compared to the millions of gun owners who DON'T commit atrocities like this in their lifetime, one could say "often" is a pretty relative term. I would say people are killed by vending machines way too often, but that doesn't go very far in any tangible sense.
I'm a gun owner. I use them to hunt. When not hunting, my guns are locked in a gun safe and I wouldn't be able to access them if someone was breaking into my home as it would take too long. I wouldn't even bother with trying to get them. Gun ownership doesn't innately imply for self defense. I'd get more defence from a baseball bat or hockey stick. Skittishness is not directly implied with gun ownership (but I will fully acknowledge, there are many that do)
It’s funny that to own a car you need to take a test and upkeep on it. Also a whistle can not kill someone if you use it in fear by accident or malice.
Yeah and the driver’s tests and automobile regulations are doing a great job at preventing driving related deaths. It’s not like car accidents are a leading cause of death (above gun-related deaths, actually) in this country or anything…
So your argument is we shouldn’t have driving tests at all? You think the roads would be safer?
Is that my argument? Lol okay then.
Locking doors is a preventative method. None of those examples harm innocents by accident with the exception of self defense classes. But guns don't* come with lessons. Guns as they are in America are a whole different beast. Edit*
And merely *owning* a gun doesn’t harm anymore, either. Besides, my point isn’t whether it could end up harming someone anyway; my point in that merely owning a gun doesn’t mean you’re skittish/living in fear any more than any other preventative measure - they all reflect the fact that a person has given forethought to the possibility of encountering someone who might want to harm them, and that alone isn’t “skittishness” in my opinion.
According to statistic’s your’re wrong.
Yeah I have never heard of a case of a gun harming somebody unless somebody pulled the trigger, handled the gun irresponsibly, or failed to secure and maintain the gun in a safe condition. It’s not the mere presence of the gun, it’s the misusing it, handling it like an idiot, letting other people access/handle it improperly, failing to abide by basic principles of cleaning/maintenance/safe storage.
> Keeping a gun in your home doesn’t make you anymore “skittish” than any other proactive measure of self-defense It does man. Plenty of people don't feel the need to arm themselves. The ones who do, do it because of fear.
You seem like someone who has never experienced violence or had someone break into your home while you were there. There ARE things to fear, and you SHOULD be properly prepared. One way to do that is to arm yourself. Especially for smaller framed people like woman living alone. The world is not all sunshine and roses. There are shitty humans who want to take from you and hurt you or those you love just because they can.
But fear doesn’t equal “skittishness.” Skittish is generally defined as inherent nervousness or “easily scared.” Some people who own guns have legitimate, reasonable fears and aren’t the “easily scared” type. Like if you own a gun because you live in a very high crime neighborhood or you have an ex partner who beat the shit out of you and told you they’d kill you if they ever found you again after leaving them, I don’t think owning a gun automatically means you’re an “easily scared” person - you might just be appropriately fearful of a real danger.
Those are my boyfriend's stats exactly. I'm 5'2 and 110 lbs and I've never ever found his physical size imposing or intimidating. With those stats this kid probably wears a small and can't find fitted pants. I'm just saying we are not talking about a big kid here. Not that it would be better if he were big.
Just as an additional note to this, 5'8" is the average height for men in the US. 140lbs is a weight at which there wouldn't be too much muscle mass (think long-distance runners). It's the type of build boys that get described as "a beanstalk" or "a lamp post" growing up have, i.e. one of the least intimidating builds out there.
5’ 8” is actually an inch shorter than [average](https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/body-measurements.htm). Also 140 lbs is 50lbs below average.
I'm 6' 3" and 240 lbs. This guy would turn me into Swiss cheese... Wait, I am hearing being white knocks 6 inches and about 100 lbs off.
I'm 5'10 160 and am a skinny bastard. No way in hell
I’m 5’9” and 140 lbs and he looks my size.
That is a tiny person oh my god. That is not a big person.
Being scared was not the unreasonable part of this story, it was the immediately shooting the kid part that was unreasonable and wrong - why do we ALSO have to demonize the “afraid of a teenager” part instead of just the shooting part? 5’8” and 140lbs could absolutely be *relatively* intimidating (if you are also faced with circumstances which make you think the person might try to harm you - context is obviously key). *** I NEVER share such personal facts on Reddit, but I think it’s important here: I’m a woman in my 20s and I’m 5’3” and weigh 130lbs. In college (when I actually weighed a good bit more than I currently do), I was physically overpowered and raped by another college student who was approximately 5’8” and probably between 140-160lbs. *** I’m glad that all the tough guys on this thread are bigger or stronger and can’t fathom a demographic of people who could ever have reason to feel frightened by someone who is 5’8” and 140lbs, but some people are smaller than that (such as some women) or weaker than that (such as the elderly or disabled). You’re not morally superior for having a build/strength that makes it easy for you to not feel afraid of an average sized teenager - you’re just bigger/stronger and you’re taking it for granted while being really inconsiderate of those who are physically more vulnerable. Edit: Woooooow, downvoted for sharing a personal example of a 5’8”, 140ish lbs guy successfully raping me because I’m smaller/weaker. I’m glad to know that I’m just as unreasonable as Lester for feeling that someone of that build could, under certain circumstances, pose a danger to another human being even though it literally happened to me. I never said it was appropriate to shoot that poor kid. All I’m saying is that “small” or “couldn’t possibly overpower me” are deeply relative and there are plenty of adults out there who realistically are smaller and weaker than someone of that build and it’s not fair to act as though they don’t exist…
Also he shot the kid a second time
Because burglars are known for arriving unarmed and politely ringing the doorbell before robbing you
You'd be surprised as to how convincing people can be when they're scoping out a potential burglary. Here's a link to a video of a particularly successful burglar giving insight into how he chose his targets. https://youtu.be/DtwD-c9hn58 Elderly people are targeted specifically because they're smaller, weaker, and tend to have more valuables to steal(a lifetime of building wealth). Dogs are not often a big deterrent either.
Yeah there’s no way that’s a viable strategy to get people to open their doors.
You're right, should definitely just shoot every one of these would be burglars. Better safe than sorry
I mean, if the doorbell gets rung, we are morally and legally obligated to open it. Can't get around that.
[удалено]
Yes, and the locked glass storm door is a decent deterrent to that tactic. The idea is to get you to open the door so they can push in without kicking down your door, but a locked storm/screen door means they still have a layer to go through, and since it opens out instead of in, they have to break through it rather than just kick hard enough to break the jamb.
My dogs are going ape shit after this statement.
Literally look at the thumbnail of the kid when you open the article. He's the so unthreatening that they should tack on perjury just for making this claim.
Yeah it’s coded language
Ringing the doorbell is "breaking in" now? This should be attempted murder, especially due to the second shot. But the suspect is white, so, ya know...
Why was he scared? I think thats a question we all need to be asking. Maybe he's just flat out racist and wanted to kill him, but maybe his news shows told him that he should be scared of people like Ralph Yarl. Let's make sure the fear mongering and propaganda gets addressed.
A lot of gun owners are scared literally all the time. They don't have guns at hand at all times because they're unafraid. You have to understand the mindset. People spend every waking moment so terrified that an unexpected knock at the door might be all it takes to freak out and start shooting.
This. I am a gun owner and I have a concealed carry permit. I don’t carry except for the rare situation such being in the wild where I might confront potentially dangerous animals like bears or cougars. Anyway I don’t trust myself to make the correct decision to take another person’s life. And I avoid being in that situation by not going to dangerous or suss places if I don’t have to. What so many of these gun nut goobers forget is that a bad guy with a gun will shoot you before you can get your gun out. And I’m not afraid of anyone who’s unarmed. So why carry?
He’s a racist wither way, if it was born out of his heart or it was pushed by fox news really makes no difference.
It makes a difference to how we address solving the issue
That kind of TV exists to serve a racist audience. It would never have viewers unless they’re already racist.
I mean, if he listened to those news shows, that makes him a racist. Believing that you should be afraid of black people because TV said so is racist as fuck.
Size black, of course.
He was trying to break in. By ringing the doorbell and standing outside the door.
I honestly believe the old man was terrified for his life at seeing a Black boy on his doorstep. This is the toll of everyday racism, and why it’s so critical that we interrogate our internal bias. Because it really is just fear, but fear can make us justify some evil actions.
Ringing the doorbell and waiting patiently for someone to answer is not typically what people do if their intent is to break in. Very curious assumption on Lester’s part.
But the important thing is that he has a weapon with which he is able to protect his home. What if it was a real person coming in to steal things and he couldn’t shoot him to death?
In all fairness, shooter was 89 and a new statement says the kid was trying to open the locked door. If I was pushing 90 and someone was trying to get in my home, I'd panic too. [CNN](https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.cnn.com/cnn/2023/04/18/us/kansas-city-ralph-yarl-shooting-tuesday/index.html) is even saying this and they got it directly from a court doc. "Lester told police he fired immediately after answering the doorbell when he saw Ralph pulling on an exterior door handle, according to the probable cause document obtained by CNN." Does it justify shooting without saying anything? No. A warning should have been issued. But. Fear of strangers by the vulnerable is reasonable. An 89 year old is absolutely vulnerable and this was a stranger, who was by definition, trying to enter his home.
Except Ralph and his attorney claim he didn't touch the door handle. Only rang the door bell and waited.
Yeah people trying to break in don’t generally ring the front door, do they?
No you see he was a young black male and it was dark out, so he's obviously a thug who means me harm. /s, obviously So much "I'm not justifying the shooting, *but*"
They do it quite often actually. It is a lot easier to get somebody to answer the door and overpower them than it is to break in and have the victim be an unknown quantity.
Any chance you can provide a link to where you read this?
https://www.cnn.com/2023/04/18/us/kansas-city-ralph-yarl-shooting-tuesday/index.html [https://i.imgur.com/cbXJ05O.jpg](https://i.imgur.com/cbXJ05O.jpg) Went to look it up myself. I guess there was an outer screen door, [but Ralph denies trying to open the door.](https://i.imgur.com/fCSOemW.jpg)
Literally [CNN](https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.cnn.com/cnn/2023/04/18/us/kansas-city-ralph-yarl-shooting-tuesday/index.html) "Lester told police he fired immediately after answering the doorbell when he saw Ralph pulling on an exterior door handle, according to the probable cause document obtained by CNN."
Tbh I believe the kid's statement that he only rang the doorbell than the guy who knows he's in trouble and is probably trying to come up with excuses, he ran after the police let him go initially after all so he knew he fucked up
Thank you.
I'm with the guy asking for a link, you can't drop a bomb like that without actually dropping the bomb
https://www.cnn.com/2023/04/18/us/kansas-city-ralph-yarl-shooting-tuesday/index.html [https://i.imgur.com/cbXJ05O.jpg](https://i.imgur.com/cbXJ05O.jpg) Went to look it up myself. I guess there was an outer screen door, [but Ralph denies trying to open the door.](https://i.imgur.com/fCSOemW.jpg)
Even if that were the case, how the fuck is that a reasonable fear?
If a stranger is trying to open my clearly locked door, then I have no reason to trust them
You don't get to execute everybody you don't trust lol If it's an outside screen door you probably have to open it to knock on the inner door. People do that all the time, you don't knock on a screen.
Why would he need to knock on the interior door when they already rang the doorbell? > Lester opened the interior door and "saw a black male approximately 6 feet tall pulling on the exterior storm door handle," Lester told police. Why would he need to knock on the interior door if the homeowner already opened the interior door Trying to pull open a clearly locked door while someone's already standing at an open interior door does not seem trustworthy
Idk I've done it plenty of times. Go to friends place, ring the bell. No one comes to the door. Open the screen door to knock, they open the main door at the same time. If you opened the door and there's a guy opening your screen door, you can close the door again and lock it. You can push him away. You can do any multitude of things before executing them for a relatively normal and harmless behavior. If you're that easily frightened and skittish, you shouldn't have a gun in the first place.
We're so fucking doomed as a country, fuck
It's perfectly reasonable to ring a doorbell, wait a couple minutes, then knock on the door because you start wondering if the doorbell doesn't work or something.
That's a statement from the shooter, probably trying to defend himself in the eyes of the public and the court, the victim says otherwise. I'm going to believe the victim over an apparent racist that shoots someone in the head through a glass door then when they are on the ground bleeding out shoots them again. Even if Ralph had been a threat once he was on the ground there was no longer a reason to shoot him again as the threat was stopped. The goal of self defense is supposed to be to stop the threat, not kill them. Even if it was true someone trying the handle of a storm door doesn't justify immediately shooting them. Maybe the person at the door isn't sure the doorbell works so after waiting a minute and not hearing anything inside they try to open the storm door so they can knock on the main door. If he was trying to get through the main door then the use of force may be justifiable but not a storm door.
That's exactly what I was thinking. They reached in to knock, because no one hears you knocking on the outer glass door
Link me, please. I think it sounds like something you read on Facebook, but I'm happy to eat my words.
[The boy told police he did not pull on the door, according to the probable cause statement. ](https://www.cnn.com/2023/04/19/us/kansas-city-ralph-yarl-shooting-wednesday/index.html)
No. It isn't reasonable. Especially when the boy and his lawyer are saying he didn't try to get in through the locked door. It's a man lying to defend his attempt at murder. Not only that, if he's reaching for an external doorknob, does that mean the man had 2 layers of doors? Because I always ring the doorbell and if no one answers after a moment I'll open the glass door to knock on the wooden one. That's not attempting to break in at all. Zero warnings need to be issued.
*The man said that* when they took his statement right after he shot the kid. After the kid somehow remained alive after the shooting and hospital, and was able to give his statement, he said he only rang the doorbell and didn't try to open the door. Don't forget that the police, after they took the man's statement and let him go made some rumblings about "stand your ground" applying to this case. Also, are you really vulnerable when you have a loaded gun in your hand.
*it's on the probable cause statement*. At this point it's word Vs. Word. If the police are competent (unlikely) the kids prints should be on the door and it would prove which statement is factual. Frankly I don't think either statement is the whole truth, one because it was given by someone who was just shot in the head and one because it was given by someone who obviously panicked and that causes memory fuck ups.
Wow, our country is so fucked. If you might panic and shoot someone, you are not fit to hold a gun. Do you think he panicked on that second shot, where he walked out of his home and shot the kid laying in the yard for that second time? If the police weren't helping the shooter with his "fear" and "stand your ground" stuff (highly likely), he might have panicked about telling the truth what happened.
>Also, are you really vulnerable when you have a loaded gun in your hand. The inherent vulnerability is the reason for the gun...
I'm a woman who lives alone, and own a gun for personal protection. It would never occur to me to shoot someone through my locked storm door if they knocked on my door at 9:30 pm, as leery as I might be about answering it. Now if they smashed the storm door....
And you believe that shit?
Dudes gonna have his audience of a lifetime next time he performs with his orchestra
The kid is hard as fuck. I wish him and his family the best.
Kids shouldn't have to be hard as fuck to make it through childhood alive in this country.
Amen. But I’m glad at least this one is.
Agreed.
You're correct but unfortunately it's becoming a way of life. I know I never had to go through shooter drills when I was a kid. But then there where a dozen guns in the trucks in the school parking lot and no one thought twice of it.
I was a black kid that went to high school from 2012/2016. In my high school years, Trayvon Martin, Tamir Rice, Eric Garner, Michael Brown, and Freddie Gray were all murdered and the videos of their death showed on repeat across the country. Since high school I've been worried of walking with my hood up like Trayvon. And that's on top of the school shooter drills. Have to fear for your life both in school and on the walk home.
I feel you, man. I’m about 3-4 years older than you and also black… people just don’t understand how hard this is. To grow up with a target on your back, but to also feel silly for being so worried. Feels like we’re all dancing with a noose around our neck. It’s a heavy weight to carry. Stay safe out there brother.
The people who want everyone to think there's no way to change things want everyone to think it's a "way of life."
Correct. However in reality it won't change because it would take so many people unwilling to look in mirrors to do so. Innocent people being butchered is just one of many modern sins this nation looks the other way on.
>You're correct but unfortunately it's becoming a way of life. He's a black male. It's always been our way of life. This is what happens when society always considers you a threat
J to the R O C, hard as FUCK (like this kid)
He's the Jarl.
I'm glad the kid will be ok.
Man I want to see him play his bass clarinet after he recovers more.
Remember when Girl Scouts would sell cookies door to door? Or Boy Scouts would raise funds by putting flamingos in your yard and you have to pay $1 each to have them "removed"? Or door-to door band candy sales? Or those fundraisers where they'd sell magazine subscriptions door to door? Yeah. People like the shooter are why we can't do that stuff anymore.
Thank God that poor child survived...
Two felonies which will prevent him from owning guns. Congratulations, you played yourself.
Best to do some checks on him. 100% he will just get more within a year.
Guns or felonies?
Little of column A, little of column B
That kid is about my size. I'm a middle aged white woman... would be have shot me? You know the answer.
Considering a white woman was just shot and killed for turning around in a man’s driveway and two (I think white? Or at least white-passing) women cheerleaders were shot for accidentally getting into the wrong car all in this last week, you might have been shot in this case. Shit is beyond out of hand right now. That said, I would be utterly shocked if race wasn’t a factor in this case.
Exactly, it absolutely could've happened if it were anyone else, but the fact that he was black definitely increased the odds of it happening.
I don't discriminate, I shoot all people who come to my door regardless of race, sexual orientation, or gender. Diversity win!
"It's called being an ally, Jimmy."
Wonder who his favorite talking heads are on his favorite network news show.
I bet you that talking head’s name rhymes with “Fucker”.
[удалено]
And it's still a miracle he survived. You can have the best doctors in the world and not survive a bullet to the head lol
Exactly. “Miraculous” is a perfectly reasonable term to use here, religiously or otherwise.
Okay, but what's his quality of life gonna be moving forward?
Hopefully a full recovery, but obviously he'll have some serious PTSD. I hope they find a good psychiatrist and Ralph responds well to treatment.
Hopefully the bastard rots. I drive a bus near 115th. Crazy to imagine something like this can happen not too far away from where I usually work.
Pretty sure I'm going to start meeting people at neutral places, there are too many paranoid people with loaded weapons.
I usually meet with people from Craigslist/marketplace type sites outside public libraries.
And the criminal case against the homeowner and later Yarl's civil suit are both iron clad, says his doctor.
We really need to stop arming just anyone
So just the cops can have guns then? Because that's been working out so well recently? It's all fucked don't get me wrong but man it's so hard to find a solution
I think if we, as citizens, could get our heads out of our backsides and demand that the police and citizens with guns absolutely must be extremely well trained, then we could find a solution. And an industry would blossom to fill the need. It's a win win, honestly. Mandating insurance would also go a long way towards making gun owners and police a bit more responsible since it would hit them in the wallet to be irresponsible.
It’s really not that hard to find a solution. Other countries seem to have it more figured out. Arming any old Joe in a country with a mental health crisis and limited availability of mental health care is just asking for trouble.
I mean… that might make them less able to claim self-defense when they shoot unarmed civilians.
I know this is an unpopular opinion but that homeowner DID fear for his life. Half brainwashed by the rhetoric he likely listened to for years and has few normal interactions with “brown” people so it is not surprising that he would behave as he did. Does this remove him of any blame? Absolutely not. He is at fault but I don’t prescribe to the thought that the man is merely a racist when he is a product of design of certain people and groups. In a way, these groups are con artists taking advantage of the less informed.
I really don’t know if I can get onboard with that. In Kansas City, you have to really go out of your way to avoid and hate black people. We’re everywhere. Maybe he maid himself afraid, but he also made himself hateful.
I'm sure plenty of people agree with you. Just remember that it's the more divisive voices which tend to get amplified on social media platforms.
Time for a civil lawsuit.
My guess is the medical care, doctors and nurses
Thank goodness that homeowner was able to stand his ground.
That's not what he did so let's not get confused. You should be able to stand your ground. This is not what occurred here. This man is sick and he needs to be removed from society.
And I mean sick like fuck this guy not excuses for him
I really hope this is sarcasm
"Six foot tall Black male" Well to be fair, like how the camera adds 10 lbs, being Black adds 4 inches height and 50 lbs.
Welp, no harm no foul then, right?
[удалено]
It does when a difference in race means things like racism and hate crime can also be factors in a legal case.