[The Professor]

I read that Mercedes have stepped in to defend Hamilton. Apparently that t-shirt isn't making a political statement it is making a human rights statement. Is there a difference?

Kind of saw this coming and I would agree this should have been kept off television. Saying that probably confirms the stunt hit the target as far as Lewis Hamilton is concerned.

Can't we get back to watching racing on F1 weekends instead of being forced to watch demonstrations?

[forzaferrari]

Here`s a hypothetical one for you lot.......if every single driver on the grid believed strongly in something.....I`ll go with Kvyat for example, with his home race coming up and the recent "poisoning" of a Russian subject, say Daniil wants to make a point of human rights abuse......are Sky going to allow him (and every other driver) to do their thing before each and every race?........could be a fecking long program!

[NeilP]

Okay guys I have a very different viewpoint based primarily on the fact I live and have lived in the USA for 20 years.

First you have to understand that Black people here are absolutely treated differently by the Police. Breona Taylor is one of many very high profile Police killing Black people for very little that has happened in recent years. For a long time that would never hit the British publics eye as a news worthy item. We have had no end of sad tails of excessive use of force. Nobody should lose their life for some of the extremely trivial things some Black people have been shot and killed for by police.

In many of these cases its only ever got out because of the use of social media and people using their phones to film things. Then you find out that many other incidents have been buried by respective police forces as happened recently in two high profile cases here. THEN, to add insult to injury the people concerned are placed on leave of absence. If you as a member of the public are suspected of killing someone your ass goes to jail why not in these cases.

There is much to love about living here but there are also things to hate. Gun availability is one of them. Its clear to me the Police as a job attracts power hungry and gun loving people and their training is wholly inadequate (they never shoot to disable always to kill regardless if others are armed or not).

It has got beyond the point of people being disgusted it needs high profile people to come out about this issue and for that I salute Hamilton. I do not think he is being unreasonable at all. I get some do not appreciate what he does but oh well get over it. It is a very important social injustice issue.

The FIA are ballsy saying Politics do not belong in sport. A) this is not political it is a social justice item and B) Pot let me introduce you to Kettle.

I could go on giving more validation and explanation but this is probably enough for you to have a better understanding. Me personally I am not against any race, colour or creed. Live and let live we all have far more in common that we have differences. Toleration and understanding need to be taught a lot more. I was in touch earlier this year with a High ranking Police Chief in St Louis and basically exchanged my views with him in which we both agreed that here in the USA we need more community involvement in Policing, we need more community oriented Police and we need to redefine the training of police officers and vet them a lot more than currently is being done.

Its a huge issue here guys.

[morini]

Its a huge issue here guys.

I buy what you say completely and I do support what Hamilton is trying to do, but I'll never be convinced bringing into sport is the right way to gain support. I've only got to read the comments on the clickbait F1 sites to see it polarises opinion. Like I said previously LH has a huge reach via his social media and there's nothing to stop him using that to put out the messages to support the causes he believes in.

I didn't know anything about the Breonna Taylor shooting until all of this, I had to go and google it. BTW Forza, I'm not sure what you said about her having a criminal record and being involved in crime are accurate? The report I was reading on NYTimes earlier this evening suggested she had a previous relationship with a drug dealer but was completely innocent of any crime. Perhaps I haven't got the full picture but it sounded in that article like she was the victim of very poor policing. None of the officers concerned can be changed because of some weird self defence law the have in that state. I could have that wrong, I skim read the article while I was having my evening meal.

[NeilP]

The point is Morini Black people have tried everything to get changes but nothing has worked so far. Its reached desperation time. Hence I think why people especially high profile Black people are going out of their way to keep it in the public eye.

Its an every day issue here in the USA. I often tell Black people I am just as offended as you are at some of the things that go on.

[forzaferrari]

I fully respect your opinion Neil and Im not for one moment trying to say there isnt racial discrimination or downplay what is going on but taking the Breona case as thats what Lewis has brought to our sport, firstly he incorrectly said in interviews "they were in the wrong house".....well they were in the right house Lewis as they had a bloody search warrant including her name, house number & street, secondly the male in the house started shooting first, not the police.....we cant ask guys to put their lives on the line but not respond in kind, if Breona was innocent why would the agencies have tracked her movements, put a pole cam up for surveillance and tapped phone calls into and out of her home for so many weeks? I am in no way saying mistakes were not made (imo swat should have made that entry knowing a firearm was present) but the warrant was changed last minute from `no knock` to `knock & and announce`) and Breona should still be alive to face her peers in a court for her alleged role in criminal wrongdoing!

Anyway Im getting away from my issue with the whole thing, I pay for a service to watch sport, specifically F1.....nothing else, if I wanted news or current affairs I would watch the appropriate channel/outlet.
Again Neil I very much respect your side of things especially living over there, so please dont take any offence to my opposing view.

[NeilP]

I fully respect your opinion Neil and Im not for one moment trying to say there isnt racial discrimination or downplay what is going on but taking the Breona case as thats what Lewis has brought to our sport, firstly he incorrectly said in interviews "they were in the wrong house".....well they were in the right house Lewis as they had a bloody search warrant including her name, house number & street, secondly the male in the house started shooting first, not the police.....we cant ask guys to put their lives on the line but not respond in kind, if Breona was innocent why would the agencies have tracked her movements, put a pole cam up for surveillance and tapped phone calls into and out of her home for so many weeks? I am in no way saying mistakes were not made (imo swat should have made that entry knowing a firearm was present) but the warrant was changed last minute from `no knock` to `knock & and announce`) and Breona should still be alive to face her peers in a court for her alleged role in criminal wrongdoing!

Anyway Im getting away from my issue with the whole thing, I pay for a service to watch sport, specifically F1.....nothing else, if I wanted news or current affairs I would watch the appropriate channel/outlet.
Again Neil I very much respect your side of things especially living over there, so please dont take any offence to my opposing view.

I totally respect your point of view Forza. Agreeing to disagree is Adult behaviour (I seem to have said that a lot lately!). If Hamilton was to do it differently he could have picked a better victim for sure.

EDIT: I would add that facts of this case are greatly disputed and that the police are guilty of breaking many laws and rules which include shooting Blind throw a curtained window

This is a more accurate version of events

https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/23/us/breonn...index.html

[forzaferrari]

 BTW Forza, I'm not sure what you said about her having a criminal record and being involved in crime are accurate? 

Where did I say she had a criminal record Morini?.....she didnt, but I know she was involved in the hiding & transport of money obtained from the sale of drugs, taking instruction from her ex boyfriend while in jail.......Ive seen the transcripts and read the reports...all out there for anyone to have a look themselves!

[morini]

if Breona was innocent why would the agencies have tracked her movements, put a pole cam up for surveillance and tapped phone calls into and out of her home for so many weeks? I am in no way saying mistakes were not made (imo swat should have made that entry knowing a firearm was present) but the warrant was changed last minute from `no knock` to `knock & and announce`) and Breona should still be alive to face her peers in a court for her alleged role in criminal wrongdoing!

You seem to know much more about this than I do, but I was reading this earlier https://www.nytimes.com/article/breonna-...olice.html it doesn't mention the police being after her at all. They were after her ex (who was a crim, but was already in custody).

Something doesn't add up.

[morini]

Where did I say she had a criminal record Morini?.....she didnt, but I know she was involved in the hiding & transport of money obtained from the sale of drugs, taking instruction from her ex boyfriend while in jail.......Ive seen the transcripts and read the reports...all out there for anyone to have a look themselves!

Like I say, I have not done a great deal of research. Just read the one article which doesn't paint her as a bad person. Like I say, I might not have the full facts, but the police handled that poorly whichever way you look at it.