"Start to Suspect" is the equivalent to "Assume they are looters based on race regardless of any evidence that can be put forward to the contrary"?
To be fair, he is correct.
While "Black crime" has always been a thing that resulted in stereotypes being applied to basically all Black Americans, in the past it was a social issue that was combated on multiple fronts...
and it was working. The last few generations had become the least racist in American history, despite American police and the justice system not exactly helping matters.
Sadly enough, I say "had" as in the past tense because of recent events.
I remember an episode of the Fresh Prince of Bel Air where Will's cousin was basically racially stereotyped by police and arrested, despite being a law-abiding citizen that did nothing wrong, followed the rules all his life, and
having a fucking judge for a father. Even
he questioned things. It was a great bit of social commentary in the 90's, and it helped people think and reflect.
However...
sigh.
The last twenty years, especially the last ten? Black crime has basically
exploded, no matter what you want to blame as being the cause (such as Black families being broken by the government/single mothers/financial scarcity, et cetera), the fact is that it's
happened at a time where racism
against Black people,
on the whole,
had been at an all time low in culture and history (yes, it still happened, but I'm looking at it compared to American history and culture/generations on the whole).
From the non-Black perspectives/White perspectives, and again this is on the whole and not the more racist die-hard types society will always have,
no one really cared if someone had a Black spouse or biracial kids. No one cared if their friends or colleagues were Black. No one cared about family members being Black e.g. In laws. They saw just
people.
Of course, looking into things more it seems as though a lot of racism in Black families towards Whites being part of it has always been there. shrug
But yeah: You had and still have Black idols, politicians, celebrities, et cetera, that people adored and
still adore (and, yes, that includes that snake Obama), even if rap music and culture is a fucking plague in my personal opinion.
Thing were basically gravy; not exactly perfect, but society and attitudes were basically the best they'd ever been.
And then all of sudden it's like Black people on the whole
went fucking insane, especially since they realized they could get freely away with being racist shitheels, especially against Whites, Latinos, and Asians. To everyone, it was exactly as if Black people had collectively stabbed the people embracing them as "just Americans" in the back
as soon as they could get away with it.
Subsequently, all the prior prejudices, suspicions, and racism against them, which had been fading away/dying inglorious deaths, have resurged with a vengeance
as a result of their own actions. Unfairly against
all Black people? Yeah. Do I blame it all for happening?
Not one bit, and I understand/agree with why.
To be blunt? Black Americans have recreated their own shitpit at a time when the shitpit was fading.
Acting like animals in Portland, supporting Burn Loot and Murder, and acting like racists towards Whites, Latinos, and Asians? Yeah, they've done this to themselves, exactly like how a hijacked MeToo and feminism have backfired on all women now.
So that picture of a Black family salvaging their belongings? I can absolutely understand and agree with why people in the '10's/20's would see them just being looters, while a lot of people in the 90's/00's would've seen a family salvaging belongings.
They've basically done it to themselves.