Sharon,
"I don't know what the answer or solution, is."
I'm not letting you "off the hook" that easy - I'm going to push
back on you a bit. You are clearly an intelligent, passionate
person who clearly has strong views on many things in Asbury Park,
and have had lots to say about other people's ideas and
perspectives. Nobody "knows" what the solution is - if it was that
easy wouldn't the world be a great place. But with so much
conviction about things you must have some ideas, right? What do
you think can be done to make things around here better?
--- In AsburyPark@yahoogroups.com, "2fine4u" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>
> To Asburycouple:
>
> Not to be disingenuous, the posts related to hiring more police,
got
> my gall up, because SOME whites, think that all you have to do, is
> hire more Whites to CONTROL, "those people"! I have never read
where
> white police, reacting to perceived "black, violent people", who
> reacted wrongly, as in the Amadou Diallo case, of 41 shots, at an
> unarmed Black Man, standing outside HIS apartment in 1999, was any
> Justice served on his behalf. The case was taken to Albany, NY,
where
> they were acquitted. The case of Patrick Dorismond, another
unarmed
> Black Man, shot dead, for refusing to engage in a conversation
with an
> undercover cop, who was trying to "buy" drugs outside a bar, where
the
> man had just gotten off from work and was trying to leave, to
return
> home. No cops convicted. 4 young, Black youths, with a basketball
> and bibles in their van, pulled over on the NJ Turnpike, The Stare
> Police thinking they were drug runners, shot up the van, only to
find
> they were unarmed and on their way to North Carolina to apply for
> school. No cops convicted. Anthony Diaz, choleholded by a NY cop,
> for a football, bouncing off thier unmarked police car, while
playing
> touch football in front of their home, choked dead, by
asphysxiation,
> no cops convicted. A black youth, 15, shot dead in the back, when
> police were called because of a disturbance at a house party, shot
> dead, was unarmed on a roof-top, while these kids were trying to
get
> away from the disturbance. No convictions. 2 weeks ago, 4 Black
Men,
> leaving a bachelor party, 1 dead, 3 injured, after 50 shots fired,
> from undercover cops, who never identified themselves as police,
who
> had been drinking. These cops have had no breathalyzer tests,
haven't
> been interviewed and will probably have their case taken out of
> Queens, a mixed group of cops this time, white, black and hispanic
but
> one cop fired his firearm 30 times, which means he had to reload
his
> gun, twice, while no shots were being returned. If history is
> repeated, they will get off with a slap on the wrist, while a
family
> mourns their dead son and husband to be. Back in the early 90's, a
> videotape recorded a Black man being beaten, (Rodney King), in
> California, by cops with batons swinging. The verdict in the case
set
> off riots, in South Central Los Angeles, just as the Watts Riots
did,
> back in the 60's. Until policy changes are made by police
departments
> nationwide, the bloodshed of innocent Black people, will not be
> abated. The FBI conducted illegal eavesdropping on the Black
Panthers
> in Chicago, Martin Luther King, the NAACP and other Black
> organizations, that conducted the Civil Rights protests of the 60's
> for equal rights and equal justice under the constitution. While 2
> civil rights Acts were signed into law, in 1964 and 1965, not much
has
> changed. You might get hired, but you'll be the first fired! You
> might have more education than your competitors for promotion, but
if
> you are white, the promotion is yours, regardless of
qualifications, I
> don't care how much butt, you kiss! The neighborhood, I bought my
> home in, was formerly all-white, but it is rumored, that a code
> enforcement officer in the town I lived in, warned all the whites,
> that the Blacks were coming, so sell and get out! The one white
> neighbor I had, told me this! If I walk into a department store
and
> I'm standing patiently to be waited on, if a white person is
standing
> there, even though I was there first, no matter how well dressed I
am,
> the white person will be taken care of, first! Ask Oprah! So tell
> me, how many Blacks, Hispanics and Asians have you had in your home
> for tea? How many do you consider your friend, even though you've
> never invited them in to your home? How many Black people do you
> compliment on their clothes, rather than their intellect? We live
in
> a parallel world. Blacks work with all races, but at the end of
the
> day, we retreat to our homes. We even discuss how nice so and so
is,
> especially what Blacks wear and we Blacks tell our spouses or
> significant others, how many times, so and so wore the same
clothes to
> work, what kind of cheap car they drive, or that they smell! I am
> Roman Catholic, but I attend a Black Catholic Church, where I am
> comfortable and don't feel threatened, or unwanted. Malcolm X,
said
> that "the most segregated hour, was on Sunday". I was in St.
Rose's
> Parish, when I first moved here, had my daughter christened there
and
> children attended CCD classes, there. It was called "Catechism",
when
> I was a kid. I was enveloped in a cocoon, that my parents carved
out
> for me, even though I lived under blatent, segregation, until 1960,
> when the buses, lunch counters, water fountains, interstate travel,
> voting rights after 1965, were enacted. I was still cautious,
because
> there were still places; restaurants, bars, parks, we were not
> welcomed, to. I was never allowed in the French Quarter, as a
child,
> because it was considered a place for waiters, waitresses, maids,
> butlers and yes, prostitutes, so a "bourgie", light-skinned girl,
like
> me, COULDN'T go there, unless accompanied by her parents, or a Nun
to
> the Convent, on St. Ann Street, which I did travel to with Sister.
> There was also a compulsory Mass, held yearly, at The St. Louis
> Cathedral, served by the Archbishop, that we HAD to attend. The
> Cathedral is located on Decatur St., far enough away from "sinful"
> Bourbon, where all manner of "bad" things happened. Now that I am
an
> old "fart", with no parents to protect me, I have to use "mother-
wit"
> and the kindness of "good" white people, to protect me from bad
cops.
> What can I tell you? Heard enough? I hear the same stories from
> friends and relatives, alike. For those of you who are told
to "stay
> away from those people", be my guest! I don't give a rat's ass, if
> you like me or not! If you respect me, I will surely respect
you! So
> there's my story. A narrative, not unlike Frederick Douglass, who
> told his story, in a slave narrative, of a runaway slave boy, who
> escaped North, became self-educated, a writer, publisher and
orator of
> how it was to be a Slave in the South, separated from his Mother
and
> Father, sold and resold, until he escaped. We are seen
as "invisible"
> to many, of the majority, who don't feel like we matter or that we
> count and until society "SEES" us and please, don't mention Barack
> Obama to me. He is NOT my leader, nor is Jesse or Rev. Sharpton,
> Farrakhan or any person of color, making empty, worn out
statements,
> so-called on my behalf! I speak for ME, no-one else! I march and
I
> vote, so that the quality of MY life will change for me and for the
> many others, who don't have the means. I don't hate any Whites,
> Blacks or Asians. I respect ALL who respect me in kind and
couple, I
> know you mean well and I respect you for it. People of Color have
to
> set their OWN agenda, for the future and be ready to use the
boycott
> and to march, not riot, to be effective. You only need to look at
> Springwood Ave., to know that rioting solves nothing. 36 years
ago,
> the riot erupted on July 4, 1970. I arrived here, 2 months after
> seeing it on TV and a friend, insisted on taking me through the
area
> to view the destruction. I have never seen anything like it,
since.
> Whatever the reasons for it, remains a mystery. No one takes
blame,
> no one solved anything. Blacks are still living in bad conditions
on
> the West Side and when it gets cold, the vermin goes indoors and
> contaminate, everything, from slumlords, charging exorbitant rents,
> because the federal government, will PAY them, to keep us in these
> conditions. The government is a culpable accomplice in this
> malicious, racist, practice. The Democrats just elected, have to
> "show me", because they willingly "go along to get along", as bad
as
> the Republicans! I don't know what the answer or solution, is.
> Sharon
>
> --- In AsburyPark@yahoogroups.com, "asburycouple" <asburycouple@>
> wrote:
> >
> > Sharon,
> >
> > I don't see anything in the post below to generate your
response?
> >
> > Beyond the raw anger and bitterness below - the root cause of
which I
> > am not disptuing - what's your recommended solution to all of
this?
> > And since I'm white, does that essentially invalidate any ideas
I
> > have or any role I may chose to play in trying to make things
> > better? That's largely my key takeaway from your last few
posts,
> > although I hope that's not your intent.
> >
> > I bring this up because if we all continue to allow past
injustices
> > and negativity to prevent us from looking to the future, nothing
here
> > will change. We will continue to argue, bicker and accuse and
> > ultimately solve nothing. I for one would love nothing more
than to
> > be focused on a completely different set of issues five years
from
> > now but I fear without the ability to look beyond our
differences and
> > unite we'll just be sitting here with angry posts about the same
> > problems, having solved nothing at all. The only thing we'll
agree
> > on is that no progress has been made. That would be the
ultimate
> > tradgety, wouldn't it?
>
Yahoo! Groups Links
<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AsburyPark/
<*> Your email settings:
Individual Email | Traditional
<*> To change settings online go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AsburyPark/join
(Yahoo! ID required)
<*> To change settings via email:
mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
