Facebook's Complicity in the silencing of black women...

[WOT?*]

The title itself should be a TRIGGER. This was a post from a local woman that some in my local "Indivisible" group follow and shared.

This is a blogger from the Seattle area who is a WOC and active in the community. She was on a road trip and stopped in a Cracker Barrel restaurant. While there, she noted the sea of Americana and white faces surrounding her. So she went to Twitter and made a joke about her discomfort.
And then Facebook caught hold of it.

I'll start with the opening paragraphs, and am not linking the tweets. They're horrible.

Let me tell you a little story about something I like to call #crackerbarrelgate.

I’m on a road trip with my kids across the western half of this country. Travelling while black can be…..nervewracking. Not just the little micro-agressions, but the fears for safety. We still live in a country where black people are shot in the face for asking for help after car accidents. When I said I was going on this trip, a lot of people reached out to me concerned. Did I have an emergency plan? Did I know the places I was going was safe?

The truth is, there is no real “safe” place for black people in America. Cops in Seattle are just as likely to shoot me as cops in St. Louis. But I used to travel the West for work, and have long since did my “how racist is this town” google searches. I was cautious, but optimistic.

ETA: because OMG I forgot the link! medium.com/@ijeomaoluo/facebooks-complicity-in-the-silencing-of-black-women-e60c34434181 

[bitsandpieces]

I saw this article on Facebook. I am appalled that Facebook's reporting policy basically allows further harassment of the people who report. I have a friend who was receiving homophobic hatred and harassment on Facebook. He chronicalled his attempts at recourse through Facebook reporting, but everything just seemed to perpetuate the harassment.

This poor woman. I'm glad Twitter did better.

[One Girl In All The World]

I read (and shared) this. Those tweets and messages are horrific.

[mishy]

Facebook's response to the racist hate-filled threatening messages: 

They (Facebook) suspended me for three days for posting screenshots of the abuse they have refused to do anything about.

[mishy]

Here's a link to the article: medium.com/@ijeomaoluo/facebooks-complicity-in-the-silencing-of-black-women-e60c34434181

[WOT?*]

Aug 2, 2017 17:36:14 GMT -5 mishy said:

Facebook's response to the racist hate-filled threatening messages: 

They suspended me for three days for posting screenshots of the abuse they have refused to do anything about.

Quoting because that's the message I wanted to make sure was read and received.
and I FORGOT TO INCLUDE THE LINK! Thanks mishy 

[seeyalater52]

I have had this article up in a window on my browser for a couple of hours and I just now made it all the way through.

Wow. What the fuck.

I knew Facebook responses to complaints really suck and that they let a lot of hate speech and harassment slide while banning people based on other stupid shit (like trans people who don't go by their birth name on Facebook) but this is just beyond the pale.

[mishy]

WOT?*, I was wondering haha. I felt like I was missing something so I just went to search on my own.

[auroraloo]

I messaged FB on their page asking for a response. I suggest others do something similar, hold them accountable.

[seeyalater52]

Aug 2, 2017 17:50:19 GMT -5 auroraloo said:

I messaged FB on their page asking for a response. I suggest others do something similar, hold them accountable.

I just did this! I am really wondering at this point if I just need to give up Facebook. I do a lot of online organizing for work and issues I care about in my local community that is connected through Facebook so I really hesitate to step away from it but I don't know how I can justify using a platform that is this blatantly racist and awful.

[meshaliuknits]

I watched this unfold on twitter. I'm glad twitter is finally getting it's act together.

[mrhanky]

Shared on my fb page. I know it's my privilege showing, but my jaw was agape at some of the responses from people.

[mrsukyankee]

I follow the woman on twitter and saw it unfold. FB is shit about this stuff.

[mbcdefg]

JFC.

[anastasia517]

Humanity never fails to disappoint. The vitriol and anger towards somebody they have never met and Facebook's response... awful.

[W.T.Faulkner]

Do better, straight white bros. You won't, probably ever, but you should.

[meganew]

Aug 3, 2017 6:33:34 GMT -5 W.T.Faulkner said:

Do better, straight white bros. You won't, probably ever, but you should.

Currently in a fight with a straight white boy who fancies himself a liberal over this. It's just causing more division! Why be so negative? What's that helping???

[Jalapeñomel]

I don't really a have much to say about this except I'm not surprised. And I can't imagine how exhausted this woman must be for fighting for her family and friends.

[JLV]

Wow. I'm glad Twitter did something but seriously, shame on Facebook.

[W.T.Faulkner]

Aug 3, 2017 6:46:41 GMT -5 meganew said:

Aug 3, 2017 6:33:34 GMT -5 W.T.Faulkner said:

Do better, straight white bros. You won't, probably ever, but you should.

Currently in a fight with a straight white boy who fancies himself a liberal over this. It's just causing more division! Why be so negative? What's that helping???

Yooooooo. I meant to tell you, I saw the argument about feminism you got in on FB in the comments on that Tomi Lahren wannabe's video. WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE!?!?!?!?

[wambam]

Goddamnit, FB, if this is not abuse then what the actual fuck is?

[meganew]

Aug 3, 2017 7:04:53 GMT -5 W.T.Faulkner said:

Aug 3, 2017 6:46:41 GMT -5 meganew said:

Currently in a fight with a straight white boy who fancies himself a liberal over this. It's just causing more division! Why be so negative? What's that helping???

Yooooooo. I meant to tell you, I saw the argument about feminism you got in on FB in the comments on that Tomi Lahren wannabe's video. WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE!?!?!?!?

Original dude is a guy I was on the dance team with in college (lol), but he's Facebook friends with literally anyone and everyone- so anytime he posts anything it's always crawling with crazy douchebags.

[jeaniebueller]

I report things I see in public comments all the time and it usually takes FB at least 24-36 hours to give me a notification that they 'received my report,' let alone whether or not they have reviewed it. They are terrible at handling hate speech.

[CrazyLucky]

Oh my God. The John Deere meme... No words