THIS is what should be "protested"

Don M.

Don M.

SF VIP
Location
central Missouri
We've all been inundated, in the past couple of weeks, with news about that Stupid cop suffocating a handcuffed suspect, and the protests taking place...and I think everyone pretty much agrees that this cop, and any others who abuse their authority, should be punished appropriately.

However, IF Black Lives REALLY Matter, there is a far larger problem facing our Black population....and THAT is the daily murders of Blacks in many of our cities, mostly by other Blacks.

Chicago, for example, just had its most violent weekend in decades, with 18 murders and numerous other shootings, just this past weekend. While Chicago has an ongoing problem, many other cities....Baltimore, Detroit, etc., are not far behind. Here's a breakdown of the 245 killings in Chicago, so far, just this year.

https://graphics.suntimes.com/homicides/

If people are Really concerned about the safety of our Blacks, and feel the need to Protest....This is where they should be concentrating their concerns....IMO.
 

Don M. I'm interested in learning more about why Chicago sees so many murders. What constitutes all of the carnage? Myself, I would have thought that a city such as Chicago would be one of the better cities in which to live, because it seems wealthy and all.
 
Aunt Marg said:
Don M. I'm interested in learning more about why Chicago sees so many murders. What constitutes all of the carnage? Myself, I would have thought that a city such as Chicago would be one of the better cities in which to live, because it seems wealthy and all.
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Most of the Carnage that takes place in our cities is located and related to the Drug and Street Gang activity. These thugs are constantly competing with each other for "territory", and quite often, innocent people get caught in the "crossfire" of their actions. Anywhere in the core inner cities, where most of this gang activity is centered, poses major risks to the lives of those living there.

I spent a few weeks in Chicago, right in the heart of downtown, while attending company functions....and it was not unusual to hear gunfire, especially at night. Locally, there are places in Kansas City and St. Louis....where I would Not want to venture into...especially after dark.
 

The killings in Chicago have been the focal point of many conversations in Washington. A friend and I were just discussing this subject on Sunday evening. It's no secret that poverty, lack of education, lack of higher paying jobs for blacks, drugs (of course) and random acts of shooting have brought Chicago to their knees with crime.

Only about 1/3 of all of Chicago's murders are solved and those involved brought to justice. Part of the reason Chicago broke it's own all time record for murders last weekend was because the Mayor of Chicago, Lori Lightfoot, ordered the cops to stand down and were seldom seen on the streets. They lined up their cars on a few of the main streets and turned on their lights and flashers, but then did nothing. Once the word got out that the cops weren't intervening in any illegal activities, it became open season on crime. This is what we will have to contend with "if" police forces are dismantled.

Chicago has also been hit hard with the Covid-19 virus, which has mainly stricken the blacks. I think I was told that 70% of COVID-19 deaths in Chicago were black people. One hospital administrator made the comment that many of their ICU's at different hospitals were filled with gunshot victims forcing those hospitals to not have the capacity to be able to admit the COVID-19 patients. It was a "damned if you do or a damned if you don't action" according to the Administrator.

If I learn more, I will post what I can.
 
@DonM. & @RR:

Agree with you both. An additional factor: regardless of the size of a city, when groups segregate themselves according to race or ethnicity, it's a recipe for disaster.
While I'd be tempted to say there's not enough money on this planet that anyone could pay me to set foot in Chicago again, the location I've been in for many years is exactly the same, although on a much much smaller scale.
 
That was a point Wall Street Journal contributor Jason Riley was making on one of the Sunday morning news programs.

He is concerned that even if all police-related violence and death are eliminated it will do nothing to resolve the remaining 97% of Black on Black deaths in communities around the nation.

It's difficult to understand how best to deal with all the different parts of this very complicated issue.
 
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Don M. said:
Most of the Carnage that takes place in our cities is located and related to the Drug and Street Gang activity. These thugs are constantly competing with each other for "territory", and quite often, innocent people get caught in the "crossfire" of their actions. Anywhere in the core inner cities, where most of this gang activity is centered, poses major risks to the lives of those living there.

I spent a few weeks in Chicago, right in the heart of downtown, while attending company functions....and it was not unusual to hear gunfire, especially at night. Locally, there are places in Kansas City and St. Louis....where I would Not want to venture into...especially after dark.
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Is not enough being done on the part of Chicago and it's policing to combat the (what seems like) out of control nature and vast numbers of murders?
 
Don M. said:
Most of the Carnage that takes place in our cities is located and related to the Drug and Street Gang activity. These thugs are constantly competing with each other for "territory", and quite often, innocent people get caught in the "crossfire" of their actions. Anywhere in the core inner cities, where most of this gang activity is centered, poses major risks to the lives of those living there.

I spent a few weeks in Chicago, right in the heart of downtown, while attending company functions....and it was not unusual to hear gunfire, especially at night. Locally, there are places in Kansas City and St. Louis....where I would Not want to venture into...especially after dark.
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I wasn't aware Kansas City and St. Louis were also bad, too.
 
Been There said:
The killings in Chicago have been the focal point of many conversations in Washington. A friend and I were just discussing this subject on Sunday evening. It's no secret that poverty, lack of education, lack of higher paying jobs for blacks, drugs (of course) and random acts of shooting have brought Chicago to their knees with crime.

Only about 1/3 of all of Chicago's murders are solved and those involved brought to justice. Part of the reason Chicago broke it's own all time record for murders last weekend was because the Mayor of Chicago, Lori Lightfoot, ordered the cops to stand down and were seldom seen on the streets. They lined up their cars on a few of the main streets and turned on their lights and flashers, but then did nothing. Once the word got out that the cops weren't intervening in any illegal activities, it became open season on crime. This is what we will have to contend with "if" police forces are dismantled.

Chicago has also been hit hard with the Covid-19 virus, which has mainly stricken the blacks. I think I was told that 70% of COVID-19 deaths in Chicago were black people. One hospital administrator made the comment that many of their ICU's at different hospitals were filled with gunshot victims forcing those hospitals to not have the capacity to be able to admit the COVID-19 patients. It was a "damned if you do or a damned if you don't action" according to the Administrator.

If I learn more, I will post what I can.
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Maybe this is why the crime rate is so much more acute in Chicago, because Chicago lacks proper leadership?
 
Where I live we have had 11 shooting that resulted in two deaths and several hospitalizations in the last four days.

In all cases when the police respond no one is willing or able to provide any information concerning descriptions of the shooter, the vehicles, the cause of the incident, etc...

There is a deeply rooted distrust of the police and an almost universal lack of cooperation yet people demand that the police do something to stop the violence.

People on both sides of every issue need to make changes and work together in an effort to improve things and make lasting change.

IMO the first big step is to drop the baggage and concentrate on improving things going forward.
 
Aunt Bea said:
Where I live we have had 11 shooting that resulted in two deaths and several hospitalizations in the last four days.

In all cases when the police respond no one is willing or able to provide any information concerning descriptions of the shooter, the vehicles, the cause of the incident, etc...

There is a deeply rooted distrust of the police and an almost universal lack of cooperation yet people demand that the police do something to stop the violence.

People on both sides of every issue need to make changes and work together in an effort to improve things and make lasting change.

IMO the first big step is to drop the baggage and concentrate on improving things going forward.
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Do you live in Chicago, Aunt Bea?
 
Aunt Bea said:
Where I live we have had 11 shooting that resulted in two deaths and several hospitalizations in the last four days.

In all cases when the police respond no one is willing or able to provide any information concerning descriptions of the shooter, the vehicles, the cause of the incident, etc...

There is a deeply rooted distrust of the police and an almost universal lack of cooperation yet people demand that the police do something to stop the violence.

People on both sides of every issue need to make changes and work together in an effort to improve things and make lasting change.

IMO the first big step is to drop the baggage and concentrate on improving things going forward.
Click to expand...
I have always heard that people won't talk because they don't want to be called a snitch and also because if the shooter gets caught, and the person who told on him may have to testify and that could then lead to his demise.
 
Been There said:
I have always heard that people won't talk because they don't want to be called a snitch and also because if the shooter gets caught, and the person who told on him may have to testify and that could then lead to his demise.
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There's a lot of that going on here, too. It certainly makes law enforcement's job harder when 'nobody saw anything, nobody heard anything.'
 
Memorial Day weekend there were 46 shootings with eleven fatal in Chicago. The biggest problem is gangs. Decades ago there used to be a huge gang problem in a housing community called Cabrini Green (sp?). It was so murderous the Chicago police declared they would not respond to calls about shootings there. I don't know if that project is still standing. The history of police corruption in Chicago may be the worst in American history from the 1920's on up. Police corruption, organized unions corruption and political corruption are synonymous with Chicago.
 
I have been giving this some thought like most everyone else. I believe that if those in charge would make some changes, it would be a good start in the right direction. After all, how's that saying go? "If you don't have a solution, you may be part of the problem?" We can't or shouldn't just complain if we aren't willing to get involved and have something to offer. So here are my offerings:

1. Depending on the degree of the charge, only allow a cop to carry two demerits on his record. The third demerit and he's gone. Each year that the cop does not have any incidents reported, one demerit can come off his record.
2. Absolutely better training, including some psychotherapy training.
3. Better vetting. If the cop was discharged from his last job, or he left his last job with 'x' number of demerits on his record, don't hire him.
4. Set up a disciplinary panel made up of former attorneys, judges and at least one person from the private sector. There should not be more than three people on any panel.
5. Anytime a cop draws his weapon, he must fill out a report as to why he did so. If he used his weapon, he needs to rite out a complete explanation as to why and what happened.
6. All cops answering a call or handling a situation "must" turn on his body or dash camera and leave it on until arrival back at the station or if another cop takes in the perp, then he may turn his camera off.

The very last thing that I want to address is police unions. Over the years, Mayors and City Councils have given into the demands of the unions much too easy. I'm OK with them having a union, but there must be some language in their contracts about "accountability." I'm not sure how it should be written, but it needs to address what happens if a suspect is taken to the hospital or worse and the cop should be able to show on video what led up to his having to do harm to the person in custody. Having witness reports to jive with the cop's statements would carry a lot of weight.

You may want to add or alter some of my statements.
 
Every city has its criminals. Some have more than others.
We expect criminals to do what criminals do - rob, rape & murder.
We don't expect police officers to be criminals. We hold them to a higher standard, and we should.
And when police officers are criminals, we expect something to be done about it - the first time. That's not what's happening.
 
JaniceM said:
Because we were taught about something called "the Melting Pot." People came to the U.S. to become and be Americans, regardless of where they were from.
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The 'Melting Pot' city in the US is Houston... It is the fourth largest city in the country, right after Chicago. It doesn't make national news headlines all that much with the rioting, etc.
There are plenty of gangs, drugs in the area, but people in general get along well for a city of this size. .. It's the most diverse city in the country.


HOUSTON, TX — Houston has surpassed New York City and Los Angeles as the nation's most diverse metro area — a highly prized distinction among cities trying to lure jobs and workers to fill them to their communities. While other cities charge boards and commissions with developing plans to promote and implement a culture of diversity on their own, diversity just simply happened in Houston when no one was really looking.
Houston wears its diversity as a badge of honor. It's estimated that more than 140 different languages are spoken in the metropolitan area, with Spanish and Vietnamese among the most prominent dialects.

According to thecitywithnolimits.com, which used data from the Kinder Institute and Rice University, Houston is more diverse than the U.S., and actually is a city that has no ethnic majority, enjoying a racial diversity that's 37 percent anglo, 37 percent Hispanic, 17 percent black, and 8 percent Asian.

https://patch.com/texas/houston/houston-s-melting-pot-how-diversity-unites-bayou-city
 
Bonnie said:
The 'Melting Pot' city in the US is Houston... It is the fourth largest city in the country, right after Chicago. It doesn't make national news headlines all that much with the rioting, etc.
There are plenty of gangs, drugs in the area, but people in general get along well for a city of this size. .. It's the most diverse city in the country.


HOUSTON, TX — Houston has surpassed New York City and Los Angeles as the nation's most diverse metro area — a highly prized distinction among cities trying to lure jobs and workers to fill them to their communities. While other cities charge boards and commissions with developing plans to promote and implement a culture of diversity on their own, diversity just simply happened in Houston when no one was really looking.
Houston wears its diversity as a badge of honor. It's estimated that more than 140 different languages are spoken in the metropolitan area, with Spanish and Vietnamese among the most prominent dialects.

According to thecitywithnolimits.com, which used data from the Kinder Institute and Rice University, Houston is more diverse than the U.S., and actually is a city that has no ethnic majority, enjoying a racial diversity that's 37 percent anglo, 37 percent Hispanic, 17 percent black, and 8 percent Asian.

https://patch.com/texas/houston/houston-s-melting-pot-how-diversity-unites-bayou-city
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Right on!!!! It sounds like an ideal place to live!!!!
 

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