I agree with Hellbird. People need to take responsibility for their actions. You have a black mayor, black leaders in the city, a black police chief, and the state attorney who is now handling this is also black.

 

Let the process work itself out and let's see what happens. Let's say that the officers did not do anything wrong and are cleared, many won't be happy no matter who clears them. Now let's say the officers are found to have done wrong, many people will use that as n excuse as well to go out and cause trouble by rioting, looting, and causing harm and property damage. Many people will not be happy either way, and a number of them will cause trouble, and the latter should be dealt with swiftly and with strong force.

Hellbird, this is the dumbest statement that has been made in this entire thread so far. Slavery ended over 150 years ago. That is not centuries. Also, racial discrimination didn't just end after slavery ended. There were many forms of racial discrimination, including red lining which plays a huge part of why cities are segregated the way they are today. It is true that this shouldn't be an excuse, but if you think that the racial discrimination that black people have faced doesn't play a significant factor, then it is incredibly clear that you have zero clue about what are talking about.

Point is quit blaming something that not one person alive was born into or experienced. Quit blaming white man for everything simy because you don't want to be held accountable for your own actions.

 

Mr Gray dying has nothing to do with slavery but everything to do with the police officers involved as well as Mr Grays actions. Nothing else period. Hold those involved responsible, not something that has nothing to do with the incident and most of all

dont you dare blame me for being white.

Where are you getting this from? I'm honestly curious about that. Especially when the CDC came out with a study that shows that black fathers spend more time with their kids. Statistics can be tricky. Just because one study shows that many black kids are living with only their mom doesn't mean their fathers are not involved with in their lives.

 

5 Lies We Should Stop Telling About Black Fatherhood

 

CDC numbers from 2010 - actually out of wed lock births (73% - missed by 2%). In comparison, whites are at 30%. My guess is that inner-city black out of wedlock births would even be a little higher.

Point is quit blaming something that not one person alive was born into or experienced. Quit blaming white man for everything simy because you don't want to be held accountable for your own actions.

 

Mr Gray dying has nothing to do with slavery but everything to do with the police officers involved as well as Mr Grays actions. Nothing else period. Hold those involved responsible, not something that has nothing to do with the incident and most of all

dont you dare blame me for being white.

 

You're the one that mentioned the racist acts that happened "centuries" ago. Just thought I point out the stupidity of that statement.

Dear white Facebook friends: I need you to respect what Black America is feeling right now - Salon.com

 

Saw a post on Twitter that was pretty accurate yesterday. It said there was a new app that could instantly identify which of your white friends was racist on the market and below had a picture of the Facebook logo...

CDC numbers from 2010 - actually out of wed lock births (73% - missed by 2%). In comparison, whites are at 30%. My guess is that inner-city black out of wedlock births would even be a little higher.

 

Alright thanks for the heads up GGC. I just think that even though there are a lot of out of wedlock births, that particular statistic doesn't show how involved the fathers are in the lives of their kids. Luckily, the CDC came out with that study last year.

You're the one that mentioned the racist acts that happened "centuries" ago. Just thought I point out the stupidity of that statement.

What is stupid about it? I've heard from more than one person that still point to slavery as the reason that the black society can blame white society. that has absolutely nothing to do with what happened in Baltimore.

 

Be be held accountable and take responsibility. People may be surprised how much things can improve. The mother of the year IMO is the mother

fhat caught her son and beat him in the street to knock sense into him. That sends a much bigger msg than anything else

that has taken place in Baltimore.

What is stupid about it? I've heard from more than one person that still point to slavery as the reason that the black society can blame white society. that has absolutely nothing to do with what happened in Baltimore.

 

Be be held accountable and take responsibility. People may be surprised how much things can improve. The mother of the year IMO is the mother

fhat caught her son and beat him in the street to knock sense into him. That sends a much bigger msg than anything else

that has taken place in Baltimore.

 

Gee, I don't know hellbird? Maybe because slavery didn't happen as far back as you try to make it out be. I know this is hard to understand, but the people that discriminated against blacks during and after slavery were white. Now, once again, the many forms of discrimination that black have faced throughout time in America plays a significant factor. Everything leads up to something. To think that something that happens in the past doesn't affect the future is silly. How about this, instead asking one group of people taking responsibility, how about everyone takes responsibility like rockmom said. Prisons being a big business in America play a big part in racial disparity and discrimination as well. There is still systematic discrimination against blacks that people don't want to address. Also, you didn't consider the fact that the baltimore has a history of brutality problems with the police. That too needs to be addressed.

What is stupid about it? I've heard from more than one person that still point to slavery as the reason that the black society can blame white society. that has absolutely nothing to do with what happened in Baltimore.

 

Be be held accountable and take responsibility. People may be surprised how much things can improve. The mother of the year IMO is the mother

fhat caught her son and beat him in the street to knock sense into him. That sends a much bigger msg than anything else

that has taken place in Baltimore.

 

Ah yes. White people love the black mom beating her kid in the street. Ever consider it wasn't because he was looting, but more because he was giving white cops a reason to shoot him and she would prefer him alive???

Stuff starting to get heated in Philly

As Riots Follow Freddie Gray's Death in Baltimore, Calls for Calm Ring Hollow - The Atlantic

WE own this problem. All of us, no matter what gender, race, religion, anything. Empathy is the place to start. There has to be recognition from all quarters that we do NOT have a one size fits all society. What works for one may not be what works for others. Middle-class Americans need to realize their lives are nothing like poor citizens. White people need to realize they don't know what it's like to be black in America. All people need to realize that inclusion HAS to be a part of the solution. Middle and upper class people need to stop generalizing the poor. Black people need to stop believing that whites are holding them back. Whites need to stop making arm chair quarterback comments about what black people should do.

 

This is a complex problem. There is no single solution, rather a journey to progress. I don't think Black America wants to riot and protest. But when voices aren't heard, the frustration erupts. I am tired of hearing that blacks need to fix the problem. It is all of our roles to participate. It HAS to start with a genuine effort to drop perceptions, open our eyes and ears and LISTEN to each other.

 

We need to stop burying our heads and being so dispassionate about what happens in our communities. I see that attitude in how people react to incidents in certain areas of Louisville. For instance, the friend I mentioned above has a home she purchased land for and had built in the West End. Some people hear where she lives and automatically assume she lives in a bad part of town, and she must be on food stamps and welfare. They hear she has 3 kids and isn't married. But they don't know that she's been with the kids' father for over 20 years, and he lives with and until a crazy incident took away his ability to walk, he worked and helped support his family.

 

And while most cops we may know are not like those who have come to our attention recently, we cannot give more credence to them than to the people in the communities they police.

 

We sit and watch the riots from afar, criticizing reactions and making assumptions about whole communities by what we see on TV and read on the internet. But we have no idea of all the years of things that led to these days.

 

We need to examine our own communities critically and honestly and make sure that we are all doing what we can to ensure that citizens in our community are not marginalized and feel thrust aside.

 

I like where your heart is on this issue MOM and agree with some of what you say but not all. I can only speak for myself but I am much more compassionate when it comes to the plight of blacks now than I used to be. However, how I feel (good or bad) will not help inner-city black people at all. This sounds harsh but if poor blacks (and whites for that matter) want to improve their position in life, nobody else can or will help them but themselves. NO politicians can or will (D's or R's). Many well intended social programs have been initiated in the past 50 years and what has it gotten us? It sounds terrible to say this, but if anyone wants to improve their situation, they better do it themselves (through education and responsibility). The government has proven totally incapable in this area.

 

And protest is fine. But what happened in Baltimore was not protest. It was serious criminal activity that hurt a lot of innocent people. How many people woke up the other day - who are poor to begin with - who now no longer have a job because the business they owned or worked at was looted or burned down? That is what bothers me when people make excuses for serious criminal activity. There is no excuse IMO for that. At the same time, I don't think those responsible for the looting/burning represent the entire black community in Baltimore at all. But I do think they are thugs, plain and simple...not because of their color but by their actions.

Hellbird, the Cincy event is going on right now. You can watch it live on WCPO.com

 

From looking at it, and their FB, it's be same old group of people, the former Cincy Occupy. That group will be the ones who will disrupt things and will attempt to walk onto the interstate yet again. The police chief messed up last time. I hope the prevent anyone from disrupting traffics Nd especially the interstate.

I like where your heart is on this issue MOM and agree with some of what you say but not all. I can only speak for myself but I am much more compassionate when it comes to the plight of blacks now than I used to be. However, how I feel (good or bad) will not help inner-city black people at all. This sounds harsh but if poor blacks (and whites for that matter) want to improve their position in life, nobody else can or will help them but themselves. NO politicians can or will (D's or R's). Many well intended social programs have been initiated in the past 50 years and what has it gotten us? It sounds terrible to say this, but if anyone wants to improve their situation, they better do it themselves (through education and responsibility). The government has proven totally incapable in this area.

 

And protest is fine. But what happened in Baltimore was not protest. It was serious criminal activity that hurt a lot of innocent people. How many people woke up the other day - who are poor to begin with - who now no longer have a job because the business they owned or worked at was looted or burned down? That is what bothers me when people make excuses for serious criminal activity. There is no excuse IMO for that. At the same time, I don't think those responsible for the looting/burning represent the entire black community in Baltimore at all. But I do think they are thugs, plain and simple...not because of their color but by their actions.

 

Read the article I posted later in the thread. The solution is grass roots, hands on involvement. You DO have the wherewithal to be a part of the solution. We all do. I see this issue as no different than the solution for abortion. We can all sit here, judge, call for legiative change, etc. Or we can be a part of the solution by engaging and changing lives and minds.

Now the mayor won't answer questions about the stand down order, she never said a word today. And why is Al Sharpton with the mayor and appearing to speak for her when she didn't say a thing?

 

She knows that she messed up with the stand down order.

 

Al Sharpton was with her? What the heck...