Happy Birthday! Have some racism from Elmwood Cafe!

[MrScorpio]

You don’t know me. I know that for sure now. It’s not that I would expect you to know me, although many people in the Bay Area do, because of the work I’ve done as a stand-up comedian locally and on television. I’m known for something that The New Yorker called “intersectional progressivism.” That basically means I use jokes to fight for the people who don’t get a fair shake in the world. For the last several years, I have tried to learn as much as I can about oppression in all forms so that I can help make the world slightly more bearable with a few jokes. But that’s just my career.

In my life, I am a person who loves The Bay Area. LOVE IT! I lived in San Francisco for 13 years and in Oakland for two. And even though I lived in SF mostly, I spent A LOT of time in The East Bay. I have done my own headlining shows at The New Parish, La Pena, The East Bay JCC, and Marga Gomez’s comedy nights at The Marsh. I love these audiences. The Bay Area is a place where all sorts of different people live together, explore new ideas and strive to uphold the idea made famous by children singer Raffi, “The more we get together the happier we’ll be!”

To be honest though, my most fervent love is for Oakland. Which is why I was so excited recently when the people at Oaklandish gave me a hoodie. They just GAVE IT TO ME! I was walking past their pop-up shop at The Oakland Airport and one of their employees saw me, recognized me (I told you that people around here know me), and she awesomely and very generously gave me a hoodie. I love it. I wear it a lot. I was wearing it this past Monday, January 26, when I went to the Elmwood Cafe.

https://www.wkamaubell.com/blog/2015/01/happy-birthday-have-some-racism-from-elmwood-cafe

[ExciteBike66]

1. God the irony hurts my head!

They assumed he was a black bum selling a copy of a book about loving people of all races....

[Freedomofspeech]

2. How very sad.

[AJT]

3. He had a great late night show a couple of years back. This is so sad.

[11cents]

4. This happened three years ago.

[MrScorpio]

8. That is true. A point that Bell made on CNN just the other night about Philly

https://www.rawstory.com/2018/04/kamau-bell-don-lemon-drop-truth-bomb-starbucks-racism-black-people-treated/

‘This is how black people are treated’

[JustAnotherGen]

10. n/t

That’s why we have to talk about Starbucks,” he said. “It’s a much bigger company than this Elmwood Cafe. They are just going to wait for the heat to die down and go back to business as usual. This is about how black people are treated in this country. This issue is linked to the black teenage boy who was shot at when he was asking for directions.”

He noted that it happens everywhere and noted “you can’t get more liberal than Berkeley, California.” However, he urged people not to buy into the alt-right fantasy that Berkeley is some bastion of liberalism. It’s not as much as people think.

[heaven05]

23. SO!!! well you got your 2 cents worth in

of typical diversion/distraction from the main point here. Lots of excusers and perpetrators are keeping racism alive and VERY WELL in ameriKKKa. No, this happens EVERY DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[OneBro]

5. This occurred in 2015.

[MrScorpio]

7. Yes, it did...

And just the other night on Don Lemon's show, Bell referenced this incident in 2015 while making the point that incidents at the Philly Starbucks are ALWAYS happening and have always happened to black people in this country.

https://www.cnn.com/videos/us/2018/04/17/w-kamau-bell-philadelphia-starbucks-cnnt-sot.cnn

[JustAnotherGen]

11. So what?

That’s why we have to talk about Starbucks,” he said. “It’s a much bigger company than this Elmwood Cafe. They are just going to wait for the heat to die down and go back to business as usual. This is about how black people are treated in this country. This issue is linked to the black teenage boy who was shot at when he was asking for directions.”

He noted that it happens everywhere and noted “you can’t get more liberal than Berkeley, California.” However, he urged people not to buy into the alt-right fantasy that Berkeley is some bastion of liberalism. It’s not as much as people think.

[Crash2Parties]

6. More details, incl employee was fired...THREE YEARS AGO.

http://www.berkeleyside.com/2015/02/04/new-details-emerge-in-w-kamau-bellelmwood-cafe-storm

[MrScorpio]

9. And as Bell pointed out on Don Lemon a couple of nights ago...

His experience is relative to the incident in Philly.

This shit never ends and it's going to keep on happening.

[JustAnotherGen]

12. So what?

That’s why we have to talk about Starbucks,” he said. “It’s a much bigger company than this Elmwood Cafe. They are just going to wait for the heat to die down and go back to business as usual. This is about how black people are treated in this country. This issue is linked to the black teenage boy who was shot at when he was asking for directions.”

He noted that it happens everywhere and noted “you can’t get more liberal than Berkeley, California.” However, he urged people not to buy into the alt-right fantasy that Berkeley is some bastion of liberalism. It’s not as much as people think.

[LanternWaste]

16. The specific relevance of the additional details in regards to the OP being precisely what?

The specific relevance of the additional details (whether typed in all caps or not) in regards to sentiment expressed by the OP being precisely what?

[Crash2Parties]

20. The relevance is that it should have been mentioned in the original post

It gives context to the recent Starbucks incident not being just a one-off occurrence, nor due to a random employee of a multinational chain, etc. etc.

[LanternWaste]

24. That seems inaccurate, as the OP did not imply the Starbucks incident as being an isolated incident

That seems inaccurate, as the OP did not imply the Starbucks incident as being an isolated incident, nor was that part of the premise as given. I think you merely inferred it as such.

[JustAnotherGen]

13. Your group host - has your back

So fucking what if it happened three years ago? It's fucking relevant.

[MrScorpio]

14. Dope!

[JustAnotherGen]

18. One of them

Here since 2002.

Searched back 3 years - 2 posts (on this thread) that's it.

I don't know about you but I'm sick and tired of folks disrupting (not just at DU but in general) black folks discussions with nonsense.

BTW - you didn't call for a boycott but they are trying to say you did I guess? I dunno. I think things need to be 'aired out' - we are doing this locally in online groups as an enhancement to our activisim.

We will know them by their . . .

[geardaddy]

15. Jesus Christ.

[11cents]

17. Of course it's still relevant

And it's also useful information for DUers to know when it happened. You know, so maybe they don't waste time calling for a boycott of this Berkeley cafe, or whatever? A bit of context? A bit of factual knowledge?

I happen to live in Oakland, and this was major local news when it happened.

[JustAnotherGen]

19. Maybe if it was bigger news

Then shit like this wouldn't happen - right?


Can you point me to where mr scorpio suggested we boycott this place?

[MrScorpio]

21. The link in the date says that the post is from 2015

Anyone who takes the time to read the whole article will see as much.

I didn't suggest that the Berkeley Cafe should be boycotted.

Anyone who had seen Bell's recent interview on CNN will know the context right away.

[heaven05]

22. thank you

for my continuing education. Americans are really not able to shake this racism thing. A very dangerous thing. Trump has given these types the green light to disrespect ALL nonwhite minorities. 7 more years of this. Jeez.