The more people tear up their own city the more they have to complain about little being done for the city.  Some people have no clue the damage they are responbile for yet they are out there marching and demonstrating for change. It makes no sense.

Maybe I have the old fashioned idea that police, and elected officials should be held to a higher standard.

If I'm upset that a petty criminal gets somehow killed while in police custody, I have every right to be upset by that independent of anything else.

I DO think that lives matter in all contexts, and I would be anxious to see all violence in cities and elsewhere decreased. I support the police in actions to apprehend violent criminals. I support social problems aimed at decreasing violence in cities.

Maybe I'm overly cynical, but I see a lot of conservative pundits who oppose any government initiatives to improve the plight of minorities in cities. And I've seen them riddle efforts like Obama's My Brothers Keeper. 
And then, suddenly, just when people are upset by episodes of excessive force by police around the country, they discover the issue of black on black crime, and emand that people care about that first.
"Hey, don't look at this problem. Look at that problem."
I smell something fishy.
Like I said, Maybe I'm overly cynica about this.
 

Last edited by Goose (5/27/2015 12:25 pm)

You don't think people care about it?
What about My Brother's Keeper and other such initiatives?

Perhaps the protests are due to the incongruence made apparent when those who are employed to protect and serve don't always do that?

Last edited by Goose (5/27/2015 12:34 pm)

Goose wrote:

You've asked an interesting question, Tennyson and Tarnation, and I have given it much thought.


As I think of it, I cannot think of very many protests in any city about murder rates. Maybe people expect criminals to act badly, and don't see any point in demonstrations. They expect the police to protect them. And while they do not accept murders, they understand that there will always be some crime. Also, thru 2012 the number of murders in Baltmore has been pretty constant. 
http://www.city-data.com/crime/crime-Baltimore-Maryland.html

Maybe people just get numb to it.

When it comes to excessive force by the police force, and race dependent treatment of suspects, well, there is an entirely different set of expectations. And I would argue that there should be. After all, the police are the good guys.
When they do wrong it threatens the entire premise of equal protection under the law.

So, I see the problems as real, yet not the same.
People do care, and do try to decrease crime in their communities.
The fact that they get really upset when the police let them down is IMO a separate issue.

Ayway, not being flippant, not trying to ruffle feathers. It's just what I think.

I guess I look to some local examples here. Not all neighborhoods react the same even here, but there are some city neighborhoods that organize neighborhood watches and actively take part in caring about their neighbors and the activities in what they consider to be their neighborhood. Somehow a lot of this has to be with caring about your neighbors and neighborhood. 

Baltimore has had (as many major urban areas) a problem with drugs, gangs, and guns. Police in the area many times I am sure get jaded in their treatment of the people of the community and start looking on all as the same element whether they are or not. That has to change, but just as much the local communities themselves have to start caring about what is happening and organizing to effect chage within as well. 



 

Just Fred wrote:

I believe in getting to the root of things like this, and in my opinion, alot of it begins with economics.  At one time, cities like Baltimore and Cleveland were hubs for industrial and manufacturing activity .............. they made stuff for us.  Over the last few decades those jobs began disappearing as more and more manufacturing was outsourced leaving many people behind in urban areas.  You can take it from there, but we have lost over 50,000 factories since the 80's and the ripple effect of that has to have had an impact.

I am sure that has played a large role, but in regards to this specific item, just what then is the solution. We have discussed this numerous times. Most of those jobs IMHO are not coming back (even when the manufacturing is returning) because many of the good paying jobs are now being done by automation. So let's say you have a magic wand --- what is the solution ? 

And when and IF we have the solution, will people then care about their neighborhoods ?  There might be some reasons to believe that. What do you all think ? 








 

Last edited by tennyson (5/27/2015 3:27 pm)