Serious question about shootings:

brooklyngal

This is serious, and I am troubled about it: Many people around me are starting to voice things along the lines of "If all black males between 17 and 55 were exiled to an island somewhere, our neighborhood would be 95 percent safer." What do we do? (Of course, the female rapper/shooting in Manhattan yesterday, and the shooting last night/this morning on Classon, only add to the the fear.)

limestonekid

Subject: Re: Serious question about shootings:

BrooklynGal wrote: This is serious, and I am troubled about it: Many people around me are starting to voice things along the lines of "If all black males between 17 and 55 were exiled to an island somewhere, our neighborhood would be 95 percent safer." What do we do? (Of course, the female rapper/shooting in Manhattan yesterday, and the shooting last night/this morning on Classon, only add to the the fear.)

Shooting on Classon? What intersection?

anonymous

Whats the question?

brooklyngal

The question I asked was "What do we do?"

frugalandhep

Umm... like, "What do we do about all black males 17 to 55?"

or "What do we do about people making comments like the one you mentioned?

If the former is the question you are asking, I would suggest that you live in the wrong neighborhood.

anonymous

Being a male between 17 and 55 who lives in this neighborhood and is a father, husband, employed tax-paying homeowner I am extremely offended that someone could even make a comment like that and even more offended that you "folks" are having these discussions over your tea and whole grain muffins..... this is scarier than the brothers on the street to me...

homeowner

First of all you might start by pointing out that there are a lot of black men in this neighorhood who are upstanding citizens. These are the same men that they see every day and, whom, (if the people around you paid any attention to) they would recognize as not very different than any other people they know.

You might continue by saying that instead of taking the easy way out, it might be more productive to figure out why 1) kids think its okay to solve all of their problems with a weapon; and 2) parents and guardians seem to turn a blind eye toward behavior by their kids that is at best anti-social and at worst criminal.

You might ask them why they chose to equate black men with criminal behavior when black men are not a monolith and remind them that saying that "all black men" are anything is as dumb as suggesting that Steve-o and Michael Bloomberg are alike because they are both white.

You might suggest that Crown Heights is the wrong neighborhood for them to be living in if they indeed do view all black men (and therefore a majority of the neighborhood) as criminals.

You might ask them whether they are afraid to live around white men between the age of 17 and 55. After all they commit crimes too (just not in this neighborhood).

Finally, you might suggest that they engage in a little self-examination because thinking that the solution to the problems of a neighborhood is to exile all of the occupants has historically been followed by some pretty ugly things (see Hitler, Adolf).

carnivore

Hey, Mods aren't supposed to Godwin threads! Although I agree that this one was headed in that direction from the beginning.

ashlee spears

bm17to55, please don't think we (white people) are all saying things like that. i think prejudice does exist in this neighborhood, as we can all see from the different postings on the board, but anyone who lives here and actually pays attention to the people in the neighborhood would never make a statement like that. violent people come in all colors, just like decent, hardworking people do. as a white girl who occasionally drinks tea and eats whole grain muffins, i can say that i have NEVER had a conversation in which statements like that were made, and i would think that most of the other white people here can say the same. i would also hope that should go without saying.

anyone who does say things like that needs to open their eyes.

young snitch

isn't that the mentality of brooklynian.com as an entity? between reporting gunshots, complaining about kids sitting on stoops, bitching about loud parties, and whining about drug dealers on the corner, this site actively propagates the idea that young black males are violent, dangerous criminals. shit, i've never even read a single word about black males (or thinly-cloaked inference towards the demographic) on this site that wasn't negative. all the talk about "cleaning up" the neighborhood is coded language for residential ethnic cleansing.

^^^ real talk.

anonymous

violent people come in all colors..

true but unfortunately many people get mugged by black people and therefore the stereotype is being promulgated.

If you want to get rid of that stereotype : well there isist much you can do other then report the muggers and drug sellers to the police... actually that is being done.

On the other side black folks who are regular citizens who work hard (the majority in Crown Heights) are very good people to have as neighbors.

On the other had - dont get upset about stereotypes: my fiend was mugged in broad daylight just two days ago ... by a black man.

I have conflicted feelings what should I tell you?

brooksignal

Young Snitch, I don't often agree with your posted opinions. You got me this time though. However, reporting gunshots and drug dealing or illegal activity of any kind is the duty of all citizens. People do it on this site more like local gossip than anything else.

Some of the other stuff does, at times, seem a little petty, but hey, I wasn't the guy with the baby crying all night.

Some white people, I'm white by the way, mean exactly what you said. My pastor is a black male. He is a retired police officer and one of the finest human beings I have had the pleasure to meet.

Well that's one positive remark about one black male.

breatheeasy

young snitch wrote: shit, i've never even read a single word about black males on this site that wasn't negative. all the talk about "cleaning up" the neighborhood is coded language for residential ethnic cleansing.

so, i've been traveling around south america and i really miss brooklyn, i miss crown heights... so hence i just was skimming the forums, and just to add to the record, i love all the black males between ages of 17 and 55 in my neighborhood. Everyone always has nothing but smiles for me and i have never had an ounce of trouble with anyone, nor felt threatened ever or anything. i agree the talk about cleaning up the neighborhood by people just moving in is kinda silly... not that crown heights can't use some real help, like all neighborhoods, but why would you move to a neighborhood that you would only feel comfortable in after its "cleaned up"? i love crown heights the way it is, i love the people, yes including black males 17-55. Just for the record.

daver

Subject: Re: Serious question about shootings:

BrooklynGal wrote: This is serious, and I am troubled about it: Many people around me are starting to voice things along the lines of "If all black males between 17 and 55 were exiled to an island somewhere, our neighborhood would be 95 percent safer." What do we do?

I haven't seen anyone say that. Please provide a link for your quote, as I would like to verify and see it in context. Although in any context I can't imagine I would be able to find it anything other than retarded and asinine.

alex

Subject: Re: Serious question about shootings:

BrooklynGal wrote: Many people around me are starting to voice things along the lines of "If all black males between 17 and 55 were exiled to an island somewhere, our neighborhood would be 95 percent safer." What do we do?

Find some new friends

anonymous

"they" can stay, sure you will get mugged once or twice, but for what? some loose change? They still save you tons of money by living there and keeping the property value low. hell, isn't that why you moved here in the first place? They may rob you directly, but in the end its costing you less then the developers robbing you indirectly. Besides, once you start making friends with them they might invite you to go out and rob people as a group.

filmlover44

I smell Troll.

ilikesausage

How this post with it's racist overtones stayed on this long is amazing. As ardent as a crime-fighter as I am, this is a dumb idea.

Look, Black Males are not criminals becuase they're black. A Black child loves, cries, snuggles and tugs at your heartstrings just as much as a Blonde one. Where shit goes wrong is when you have a community that is stuck in a spiral of hopelessness, anger and misdirection.

Wanna stop crime? stop blaming everyone but yourselves and put the guns away. Realize that is your brother/neighbor/someone's child you're killing. Stay in school. And fight for what's yours.

I'm not ignorant, shits hard for Black people. I get it. But in this day and age, shits hard for everyone. But how does pulling a .44 and killing another black person.....killing anyone period solve the problem?


Hopefully, as gentrification spreads, the interaction of cultures will help to spark real discussion among the black community about who they are and what's the real issues. Maybe seeing race, class and the American dream up close can open eyes and get some heads thinking.

young snitch

Ilikesausage wrote: Hopefully, as gentrification spreads, the interaction of cultures will help to spark real discussion among the black community about who they are and what's the real issues. Maybe seeing race, class and the American dream up close can open eyes and get some heads thinking.

well said, Ilikesausage. just like those kindly pioneers did with the noble red-skinned savages.

newbeginnings

filmlover44 wrote: I smell Troll.

You smell a Troll. The original poster is a TROLL and a racist.

young snitch

hopefully BrooklynGal feels safer with the knowledge that remy ma is in custody.

limestonekid

Subject: Re: Serious question about shootings:

Alex wrote: [quote=BrooklynGal]Many people around me are starting to voice things along the lines of "If all black males between 17 and 55 were exiled to an island somewhere, our neighborhood would be 95 percent safer." What do we do?

Find some new friends

I think this is the best response. Find some new friends BrooklynGal. The chuckleheads you're hanging with right now don't seem to have a very good understanding and/or view of the world in which we live.

daver

I agree, your friends need fixing. Either bring them up to speed, or find someone else to be around.

erikka

[quote=young snitch]hopefully BrooklynGal feels safer with the knowledge that remy ma is in custody.



Only if they take Foxy Brown too. That bitch is straight-up evil.

ilikesausage

/This is exactly what I'm talking about. Anyone says anything bad about the situation with crime, and it's always linked to white people or "being persceuted" or discrimination or some random bullshit.

alafairnadia

Ilikesausage wrote: /This is exactly what I'm talking about. Anyone says anything bad about the situation with crime, and it's always linked to white people or "being persceuted" or discrimination or some random bullshit.

huh?

santa

what if brooklyngirl is black?

daver

Santa wrote: what if brooklyngirl is black?

Doesn't change the fact that her friends are close-minded.

ilikesausage

I was referring to YoungSnitch's post.


Frankly, I don't know what the point of this discussion is. I'm not Black, so lecturing young Black males on how to behave is not going to go over well. As young snitch pointed out, they think we're all killers anyway.

All we can do is go about our buisness and live our lives. Lead by example...

young snitch

*watches the crown heights version of dangerous minds, cheers on Ilikesausage in the michelle pfeiffer role*

anonymous

MARTY MARKOWITZ for MAYOR!