About that.....

[IM2]

It is all about skin color.

All some whites here want to do is talk about how slavery ended. But slavery was not the only situation where white racism was effectively used against black people. After slavery ended there was 100 more years of oppression. This must be talked about and not continually avoided. We blacks have been citizens here with full rights for 52 years. We have had equal rights to housing and jobs by written decree for less than 50. Yet we get people here talking about how some people came here and could not speak ad made it so why couldn't blacks. That's a simple question to ask when you have decided to ignore the real history of this nation. Those people who came and could not speak did not face laws blacks faced.

It's easy for someone white to tell people how skin color doesn't matter. It doesn't matter -for you. But there are others here who say different and out experiences are just as real and valid. THE WHITE OPINION IS NOT THE ONLY ONE.

 

[Disir]

But honestly, when folks at the bottom of the ladder are constantly stepped on by those moving up the ladder, I think it’s easy to see how folks just give up on life and give in to desperation and desperate acts.

Do you have some for examples?
The very fact that black people have had to fight for the right to vote means that they were considered low man on the totem pole whose opinions were not wanted, thus leaving them to be governed by those they had no say in electing. The saying goes that blacks are "last to be hired and first to be fired." Again low man on the totem pole.

How are the ones up top held accountable? How are they punished for their crimes against decency and humanity? How many of them go to prison and for how long?

I'm going to need some actual laws that are broken. It's usually helpful when those same people aren't writing the law.
Ah, that's the thing. Because laws are written with certain people in mind, things certain people do are not considered against the law. If a drug dealer gets caught selling drugs he goes to jail. If a pharmaceutical company sells drugs that cause death, they get taken to court and pay a large fine. I've heard DEA whistle blowers say that the drug companies know for a fact that some of the drugs they produce will cause people to die, but the DEA approves it because before any deaths actually happen, they will have already made their millions. Cigarettes, while legal, are known to cause cancer, which kills people. Yet, cigarette makers do not go to jail, because it happens slowly over time, not immediately. A less dramatic death, less able to be sensationalized by the media and condemned.

Many of our individual bad decisions affect us in a negative way, but many corporate decisions affect millions of lives in a negative way. How about we get on THEIR case?

Any time your ready.
My church has just joined a group called POWER, a Philly organization which is fighting for economic justice, equal education and justice in the legal system.
Here is a thought though.........do you mind if those folks that act out of desperation and break a law get to go to jail? Many of those crimes are against people that are also in precarious financial situations yet manage not to break laws out of desperation.

Sometimes the folks that "act out of desperation" and break the law, are taken to prison immediately and kept there while awaiting trial because they can't afford bail. Then, when tried, they are often given longer sentences for similar crimes committed by folks in wealthy, white areas. That's what I mind. I remember when a young white couple killed their infant, they were sent home to await trial. I had a feeling that a black couple accused of doing the same thing would not have been sent home. And yes,crimes are often committed close to home and effect immediate neighbors. I've seen a pot of boiling water with a lid on it. It can eventually blow. That's why I believe more community services, drug rehabs and educational centers are needed, not more prisons. My husband just told me that someone has been checking stats for inner city schools to see how many drop-outs there are likely to be in the near future so they know how many private prisons to build. I think that's scary.

No. When someone is arrested they are taken to jail. After they are sentenced they are sent to the Department of Corrections (prison) if they are sentenced to more than a year. The criminal justice system is left by and large to the States indicating each state can be different. The vast majority of inmates do not serve their full sentences.

Auto theft. Property crime as it can be anything from "joyriding" to a "carjacking" but lets look at it as a "non violent" property crime. If you have a family that is living pay check to pay check and they lose their car, they usually lose the job, then are evicted. The family is destroyed. This is no quick recovery. They will find it difficult to get another place once they begin to get back on their feet some 6 months down the road due to the eviction. Who wants to hire you if you cannot manage to make it to work?

So, it is more than a simple "effects immediate neighbors". Areas with gangs don't just effect immediate neighbors, it severely impacts schools. I remember many things very clearly. I remember the three year old shot in the head going to the store. I remember 3 young men that tortured an elderly couple, forced them to crawl to their bedroom and hand over what little jewelry they owned and were tied up and shot to death. I remember the 7 year old that was brutally raped and thrown into a dumpster and lived. I remember the mother that sold her 10 year old over 50 times for drugs. I first met her at age 11. I remember the father that shot his own kid up with heroin. I remember the 80 year old woman whose home had been broken into while she was at a doctor's appointment. When nothing of value was found, everything in the house was broken. So this woman that had been living independently went to a nursing home.

The difference between wealthy white neighborhoods and areas that are lower working class and/or areas of poverty is that in wealthy white neighborhoods---the above is not going down because they don't put up with that.

Simply because someone is poor does not make them a criminal. That is ridiculous. There are multiple reasons that people are poor. People that are low functioning live in poverty. People that are mentally ill most often live in poverty. Sometimes there are people that bought a house 30 years ago and then watched manufacturing jobs leave followed by everything else. The property value drops and they can't sell and make enough to move to a better area. So they are stuck. People on a fixed income live in poverty. People that are working their way through college live in poverty. Sex offenders live in poverty.

If we are going to discuss equality then we need to create an additional standard. If an area is not safe enough for your grandmother to walk down the street at 11:30 at night after a night of bingo or walking home from her own job than it isn't safe enough for anybody's grandma. I think it's fair.

 

[Toddsterpatriot]

It is all about skin color.

All some whites here want to do is talk about how slavery ended. But slavery was not the only situation where white racism was effectively used against black people. After slavery ended there was 100 more years of oppression. This must be talked about and not continually avoided. We blacks have been citizens here with full rights for 52 years. We have had equal rights to housing and jobs by written decree for less than 50. Yet we get people here talking about how some people came here and could not speak ad made it so why couldn't blacks. That's a simple question to ask when you have decided to ignore the real history of this nation. Those people who came and could not speak did not face laws blacks faced.

It's easy for someone white to tell people how skin color doesn't matter. It doesn't matter -for you. But there are others here who say different and out experiences are just as real and valid. THE WHITE OPINION IS NOT THE ONLY ONE.

You're right.
America is still awful for you black folk.
There must be hundreds of countries that would appreciate your wonderfulness.
Perhaps you should explore your options?
Whitey is just gonna keep pointing out your idiocy if you stay here.

 

[IM2]

But honestly, when folks at the bottom of the ladder are constantly stepped on by those moving up the ladder, I think it’s easy to see how folks just give up on life and give in to desperation and desperate acts.

Do you have some for examples?
The very fact that black people have had to fight for the right to vote means that they were considered low man on the totem pole whose opinions were not wanted, thus leaving them to be governed by those they had no say in electing. The saying goes that blacks are "last to be hired and first to be fired." Again low man on the totem pole.

How are the ones up top held accountable? How are they punished for their crimes against decency and humanity? How many of them go to prison and for how long?

I'm going to need some actual laws that are broken. It's usually helpful when those same people aren't writing the law.
Ah, that's the thing. Because laws are written with certain people in mind, things certain people do are not considered against the law. If a drug dealer gets caught selling drugs he goes to jail. If a pharmaceutical company sells drugs that cause death, they get taken to court and pay a large fine. I've heard DEA whistle blowers say that the drug companies know for a fact that some of the drugs they produce will cause people to die, but the DEA approves it because before any deaths actually happen, they will have already made their millions. Cigarettes, while legal, are known to cause cancer, which kills people. Yet, cigarette makers do not go to jail, because it happens slowly over time, not immediately. A less dramatic death, less able to be sensationalized by the media and condemned.

Many of our individual bad decisions affect us in a negative way, but many corporate decisions affect millions of lives in a negative way. How about we get on THEIR case?

Any time your ready.
My church has just joined a group called POWER, a Philly organization which is fighting for economic justice, equal education and justice in the legal system.
Here is a thought though.........do you mind if those folks that act out of desperation and break a law get to go to jail? Many of those crimes are against people that are also in precarious financial situations yet manage not to break laws out of desperation.

Sometimes the folks that "act out of desperation" and break the law, are taken to prison immediately and kept there while awaiting trial because they can't afford bail. Then, when tried, they are often given longer sentences for similar crimes committed by folks in wealthy, white areas. That's what I mind. I remember when a young white couple killed their infant, they were sent home to await trial. I had a feeling that a black couple accused of doing the same thing would not have been sent home. And yes,crimes are often committed close to home and effect immediate neighbors. I've seen a pot of boiling water with a lid on it. It can eventually blow. That's why I believe more community services, drug rehabs and educational centers are needed, not more prisons. My husband just told me that someone has been checking stats for inner city schools to see how many drop-outs there are likely to be in the near future so they know how many private prisons to build. I think that's scary.

No. When someone is arrested they are taken to jail. After they are sentenced they are sent to the Department of Corrections (prison) if they are sentenced to more than a year. The criminal justice system is left by and large to the States indicating each state can be different. The vast majority of inmates do not serve their full sentences.

Auto theft. Property crime as it can be anything from "joyriding" to a "carjacking" but lets look at it as a "non violent" property crime. If you have a family that is living pay check to pay check and they lose their car, they usually lose the job, then are evicted. The family is destroyed. This is no quick recovery. They will find it difficult to get another place once they begin to get back on their feet some 6 months down the road due to the eviction. Who wants to hire you if you cannot manage to make it to work?

So, it is more than a simple "effects immediate neighbors". Areas with gangs don't just effect immediate neighbors, it severely impacts schools. I remember many things very clearly. I remember the three year old shot in the head going to the store. I remember 3 young men that tortured an elderly couple, forced them to crawl to their bedroom and hand over what little jewelry they owned and were tied up and shot to death. I remember the 7 year old that was brutally raped and thrown into a dumpster and lived. I remember the mother that sold her 10 year old over 50 times for drugs. I first met her at age 11. I remember the father that shot his own kid up with heroin. I remember the 80 year old woman whose home had been broken into while she was at a doctor's appointment. When nothing of value was found, everything in the house was broken. So this woman that had been living independently went to a nursing home.

The difference between wealthy white neighborhoods and areas that are lower working class and/or areas of poverty is that in wealthy white neighborhoods---the above is not going down because they don't put up with that.

Simply because someone is poor does not make them a criminal. That is ridiculous. There are multiple reasons that people are poor. People that are low functioning live in poverty. People that are mentally ill most often live in poverty. Sometimes there are people that bought a house 30 years ago and then watched manufacturing jobs leave followed by everything else. The property value drops and they can't sell and make enough to move to a better area. So they are stuck.

If we are going to discuss equality then we need to create an additional standard. If an area is not safe enough for your grandmother to walk down the street at 11:30 at night after a night of bingo or walking home from her own job than it isn't safe enough for anybody's grandma. I think it's fair.

White communities have the most crime. Understand that before you try setting standards based on you biases.

 

[IM2]

It is all about skin color.

All some whites here want to do is talk about how slavery ended. But slavery was not the only situation where white racism was effectively used against black people. After slavery ended there was 100 more years of oppression. This must be talked about and not continually avoided. We blacks have been citizens here with full rights for 52 years. We have had equal rights to housing and jobs by written decree for less than 50. Yet we get people here talking about how some people came here and could not speak ad made it so why couldn't blacks. That's a simple question to ask when you have decided to ignore the real history of this nation. Those people who came and could not speak did not face laws blacks faced.

It's easy for someone white to tell people how skin color doesn't matter. It doesn't matter -for you. But there are others here who say different and out experiences are just as real and valid. THE WHITE OPINION IS NOT THE ONLY ONE.

You're right.
America is still awful for you black folk.
There must be hundreds of countries that would appreciate your wonderfulness.
Perhaps you should explore your options?
Whitey is just gonna keep pointing out your idiocy if you stay here.

Yawn! It is the idiots among whites that hold your beliefs.

 

[Toddsterpatriot]

It is all about skin color.

All some whites here want to do is talk about how slavery ended. But slavery was not the only situation where white racism was effectively used against black people. After slavery ended there was 100 more years of oppression. This must be talked about and not continually avoided. We blacks have been citizens here with full rights for 52 years. We have had equal rights to housing and jobs by written decree for less than 50. Yet we get people here talking about how some people came here and could not speak ad made it so why couldn't blacks. That's a simple question to ask when you have decided to ignore the real history of this nation. Those people who came and could not speak did not face laws blacks faced.

It's easy for someone white to tell people how skin color doesn't matter. It doesn't matter -for you. But there are others here who say different and out experiences are just as real and valid. THE WHITE OPINION IS NOT THE ONLY ONE.

You're right.
America is still awful for you black folk.
There must be hundreds of countries that would appreciate your wonderfulness.
Perhaps you should explore your options?
Whitey is just gonna keep pointing out your idiocy if you stay here.

Yawn! It is the idiots among whites that hold your beliefs.

Some whites hold the same idiotic beliefs as you?
That must be awful for you.

 

[Disir]

But honestly, when folks at the bottom of the ladder are constantly stepped on by those moving up the ladder, I think it’s easy to see how folks just give up on life and give in to desperation and desperate acts.

Do you have some for examples?
The very fact that black people have had to fight for the right to vote means that they were considered low man on the totem pole whose opinions were not wanted, thus leaving them to be governed by those they had no say in electing. The saying goes that blacks are "last to be hired and first to be fired." Again low man on the totem pole.

How are the ones up top held accountable? How are they punished for their crimes against decency and humanity? How many of them go to prison and for how long?

I'm going to need some actual laws that are broken. It's usually helpful when those same people aren't writing the law.
Ah, that's the thing. Because laws are written with certain people in mind, things certain people do are not considered against the law. If a drug dealer gets caught selling drugs he goes to jail. If a pharmaceutical company sells drugs that cause death, they get taken to court and pay a large fine. I've heard DEA whistle blowers say that the drug companies know for a fact that some of the drugs they produce will cause people to die, but the DEA approves it because before any deaths actually happen, they will have already made their millions. Cigarettes, while legal, are known to cause cancer, which kills people. Yet, cigarette makers do not go to jail, because it happens slowly over time, not immediately. A less dramatic death, less able to be sensationalized by the media and condemned.

Many of our individual bad decisions affect us in a negative way, but many corporate decisions affect millions of lives in a negative way. How about we get on THEIR case?

Any time your ready.
My church has just joined a group called POWER, a Philly organization which is fighting for economic justice, equal education and justice in the legal system.
Here is a thought though.........do you mind if those folks that act out of desperation and break a law get to go to jail? Many of those crimes are against people that are also in precarious financial situations yet manage not to break laws out of desperation.

Sometimes the folks that "act out of desperation" and break the law, are taken to prison immediately and kept there while awaiting trial because they can't afford bail. Then, when tried, they are often given longer sentences for similar crimes committed by folks in wealthy, white areas. That's what I mind. I remember when a young white couple killed their infant, they were sent home to await trial. I had a feeling that a black couple accused of doing the same thing would not have been sent home. And yes,crimes are often committed close to home and effect immediate neighbors. I've seen a pot of boiling water with a lid on it. It can eventually blow. That's why I believe more community services, drug rehabs and educational centers are needed, not more prisons. My husband just told me that someone has been checking stats for inner city schools to see how many drop-outs there are likely to be in the near future so they know how many private prisons to build. I think that's scary.

No. When someone is arrested they are taken to jail. After they are sentenced they are sent to the Department of Corrections (prison) if they are sentenced to more than a year. The criminal justice system is left by and large to the States indicating each state can be different. The vast majority of inmates do not serve their full sentences.

Auto theft. Property crime as it can be anything from "joyriding" to a "carjacking" but lets look at it as a "non violent" property crime. If you have a family that is living pay check to pay check and they lose their car, they usually lose the job, then are evicted. The family is destroyed. This is no quick recovery. They will find it difficult to get another place once they begin to get back on their feet some 6 months down the road due to the eviction. Who wants to hire you if you cannot manage to make it to work?

So, it is more than a simple "effects immediate neighbors". Areas with gangs don't just effect immediate neighbors, it severely impacts schools. I remember many things very clearly. I remember the three year old shot in the head going to the store. I remember 3 young men that tortured an elderly couple, forced them to crawl to their bedroom and hand over what little jewelry they owned and were tied up and shot to death. I remember the 7 year old that was brutally raped and thrown into a dumpster and lived. I remember the mother that sold her 10 year old over 50 times for drugs. I first met her at age 11. I remember the father that shot his own kid up with heroin. I remember the 80 year old woman whose home had been broken into while she was at a doctor's appointment. When nothing of value was found, everything in the house was broken. So this woman that had been living independently went to a nursing home.

The difference between wealthy white neighborhoods and areas that are lower working class and/or areas of poverty is that in wealthy white neighborhoods---the above is not going down because they don't put up with that.

Simply because someone is poor does not make them a criminal. That is ridiculous. There are multiple reasons that people are poor. People that are low functioning live in poverty. People that are mentally ill most often live in poverty. Sometimes there are people that bought a house 30 years ago and then watched manufacturing jobs leave followed by everything else. The property value drops and they can't sell and make enough to move to a better area. So they are stuck.

If we are going to discuss equality then we need to create an additional standard. If an area is not safe enough for your grandmother to walk down the street at 11:30 at night after a night of bingo or walking home from her own job than it isn't safe enough for anybody's grandma. I think it's fair.

White communities have the most crime. Understand that before you try setting standards based on you biases.

You are not in any position to tell me what biases I do or do not have. Try again.

 

[Toddsterpatriot]

But honestly, when folks at the bottom of the ladder are constantly stepped on by those moving up the ladder, I think it’s easy to see how folks just give up on life and give in to desperation and desperate acts.

Do you have some for examples?
The very fact that black people have had to fight for the right to vote means that they were considered low man on the totem pole whose opinions were not wanted, thus leaving them to be governed by those they had no say in electing. The saying goes that blacks are "last to be hired and first to be fired." Again low man on the totem pole.

How are the ones up top held accountable? How are they punished for their crimes against decency and humanity? How many of them go to prison and for how long?

I'm going to need some actual laws that are broken. It's usually helpful when those same people aren't writing the law.
Ah, that's the thing. Because laws are written with certain people in mind, things certain people do are not considered against the law. If a drug dealer gets caught selling drugs he goes to jail. If a pharmaceutical company sells drugs that cause death, they get taken to court and pay a large fine. I've heard DEA whistle blowers say that the drug companies know for a fact that some of the drugs they produce will cause people to die, but the DEA approves it because before any deaths actually happen, they will have already made their millions. Cigarettes, while legal, are known to cause cancer, which kills people. Yet, cigarette makers do not go to jail, because it happens slowly over time, not immediately. A less dramatic death, less able to be sensationalized by the media and condemned.

Many of our individual bad decisions affect us in a negative way, but many corporate decisions affect millions of lives in a negative way. How about we get on THEIR case?

Any time your ready.
My church has just joined a group called POWER, a Philly organization which is fighting for economic justice, equal education and justice in the legal system.
Here is a thought though.........do you mind if those folks that act out of desperation and break a law get to go to jail? Many of those crimes are against people that are also in precarious financial situations yet manage not to break laws out of desperation.

Sometimes the folks that "act out of desperation" and break the law, are taken to prison immediately and kept there while awaiting trial because they can't afford bail. Then, when tried, they are often given longer sentences for similar crimes committed by folks in wealthy, white areas. That's what I mind. I remember when a young white couple killed their infant, they were sent home to await trial. I had a feeling that a black couple accused of doing the same thing would not have been sent home. And yes,crimes are often committed close to home and effect immediate neighbors. I've seen a pot of boiling water with a lid on it. It can eventually blow. That's why I believe more community services, drug rehabs and educational centers are needed, not more prisons. My husband just told me that someone has been checking stats for inner city schools to see how many drop-outs there are likely to be in the near future so they know how many private prisons to build. I think that's scary.

No. When someone is arrested they are taken to jail. After they are sentenced they are sent to the Department of Corrections (prison) if they are sentenced to more than a year. The criminal justice system is left by and large to the States indicating each state can be different. The vast majority of inmates do not serve their full sentences.

Auto theft. Property crime as it can be anything from "joyriding" to a "carjacking" but lets look at it as a "non violent" property crime. If you have a family that is living pay check to pay check and they lose their car, they usually lose the job, then are evicted. The family is destroyed. This is no quick recovery. They will find it difficult to get another place once they begin to get back on their feet some 6 months down the road due to the eviction. Who wants to hire you if you cannot manage to make it to work?

So, it is more than a simple "effects immediate neighbors". Areas with gangs don't just effect immediate neighbors, it severely impacts schools. I remember many things very clearly. I remember the three year old shot in the head going to the store. I remember 3 young men that tortured an elderly couple, forced them to crawl to their bedroom and hand over what little jewelry they owned and were tied up and shot to death. I remember the 7 year old that was brutally raped and thrown into a dumpster and lived. I remember the mother that sold her 10 year old over 50 times for drugs. I first met her at age 11. I remember the father that shot his own kid up with heroin. I remember the 80 year old woman whose home had been broken into while she was at a doctor's appointment. When nothing of value was found, everything in the house was broken. So this woman that had been living independently went to a nursing home.

The difference between wealthy white neighborhoods and areas that are lower working class and/or areas of poverty is that in wealthy white neighborhoods---the above is not going down because they don't put up with that.

Simply because someone is poor does not make them a criminal. That is ridiculous. There are multiple reasons that people are poor. People that are low functioning live in poverty. People that are mentally ill most often live in poverty. Sometimes there are people that bought a house 30 years ago and then watched manufacturing jobs leave followed by everything else. The property value drops and they can't sell and make enough to move to a better area. So they are stuck.

If we are going to discuss equality then we need to create an additional standard. If an area is not safe enough for your grandmother to walk down the street at 11:30 at night after a night of bingo or walking home from her own job than it isn't safe enough for anybody's grandma. I think it's fair.

White communities have the most crime. Understand that before you try setting standards based on you biases.

White communities have the most crime.

Wow, more proof of your weak math skills.

 

[MizMolly]

Some posters harp on individual responsibility, making good choices, being accountable for them and always obeying the law. All things that I’ve heard before. So let’s consider:

Individuals with wealth in our country made the choice to sell mortgages to individuals they knew did not qualify for them, bundled them all, sold them and made millions while American families (many of them minority), lost their homes.

Individuals with wealth in our country made the choice to close up their factories and make their products overseas, thus putting thousands of Americans out of work (including many minority folks in inner cities).

Individuals with wealth in our country made the choice to hire part-time workers in their retail stores at minimum wage, thus ensuring that they don’t have to pay holiday or vacation pay or provide health insurance, so that many Americans who work for them depend on food stamps and Medicaid for their survival.

Individuals with wealth in our country jump through tax loopholes and end paying less of a percentage than many working Americans who struggle to put food on their table.

Individuals with wealth in our country hide much of their money in off-shore accounts to avoid paying taxes while many Americans end up in debt to the IRS.

Individuals with wealth in our country can pay for private doctors and private rooms in prestigious hospitals, while many Americans can’t afford basic healthcare and often declare bankruptcy because of massive medical bills.

I think it’s easy to tell folks in desperate situations and difficult circumstances just what they should or should not do. (especially white folks telling black folks what they should or should not do.) But honestly, when folks at the bottom of the ladder are constantly stepped on by those moving up the ladder, I think it’s easy to see how folks just give up on life and give in to desperation and desperate acts. How are the ones up top held accountable? How are they punished for their crimes against decency and humanity? How many of them go to prison and for how long?

Many of our individual bad decisions affect us in a negative way, but many corporate decisions affect millions of lives in a negative way. How about we get on THEIR case?

Your post is not about race. It is about the wealthy and the poor.