A student shot to death in Chicago. A student shot in the neck in Atlanta. What is happening and can we stop it?
Hadiya Pendleton (From AP)
With the terrible news that a Price Middle School student was shot today in Atlanta by a classmate, I thought I would share Chicago Teachers Union President and National Board chemistry teacher Karen GJ Lewis’ statement about a shooting in Chicago Tuesday in which a high school student died.
King College Prep student Hadiya Pendleton was shot and killed Tuesday afternoon at 2:20 p.m. while walking through a Chicago park with a dozen classmates. The teens had been dismissed early from their high school classes after finishing their finals. The group had dashed under a canopy in the park when it began to rain. In an apparent case of mistaken identity, a gunman running through the park opened fire on the high school group, killing Hadiya and injuring two other students
A member of her school’s majorette team, Hadiya had just returned from Washington after performing at an inaugural event.
(The official statement from APS on the shooting here Thursday: Around 1:50 p.m. today, Atlanta Police responded to reports of a person shot at Price Middle School at 1670 Benjamin Weldon Bickers Drive in southeast Atlanta. On arrival, officers discovered a student had been shot outside of the building. The student was transported in stable condition to Grady Hospital with a gunshot wound to the back of his neck. He was alert, conscious and breathing on transport. Family members have told authorities he may be released as soon as tonight. A suspect, tentatively identified as a fellow student, was immediately apprehended by a school resource officer – an off-duty Atlanta Police officer – and taken into custody. A weapon, a small caliber handgun, was recovered at the scene. Charges against the shooter are pending. A school employee suffered minor injuries immediately following the shooting, though she was not wounded by gunfire. No other students were injured as a result of the incident. Identities of the victim and shooter will not be released due to their status as juveniles. The incident, including the motive, is under investigation by the Atlanta Police Department. Preliminarily, it appears the incident was the result of a previous disagreement between the juveniles involved.)
Here is Lewis’ statement on Hadiya’s murder:
“This has been a trying week for our brothers and sisters in Chicago schools and all of us at the Chicago Teachers Union. We had these same feelings after losing Heaven Sutton, Aliyah Shell, Tyquan Tyler, Nazia Banks and the other nearly 60 children under the age of 17 who were senselessly cut down by violence last year.
“We have much pain in our hearts, but the most sorrow comes in the fact that unless something is done right now by all of us who have some influence in these young lives, this is pain that we are sure to feel again.
“I spent much of yesterday morning visiting with students, teachers and administrators at King College Prep, the school Hadiya Pendleton attended before her young and innocent life was taken Tuesday afternoon. The King community is, to put it simply, devastated. Hadiya was 15 years old and a smart, bright girl—a drum majorette and a Latin student—with no limit to what she could have achieved in the future. To those who loved her, she was a daughter, a sister and a friend.
“As I spoke to teachers at King, each of them had their own way of reflecting and reacting to this tragedy, but they all viewed this incident through the lens of, “What can we do that’s best for the children? How can we protect our kids?” Hadiya wasn’t skipping school, nor was she in a gang. This is finals week at King, which is why she was out of school so early that day. She went to the park with some friends. That’s what kids do.
“The prevalence of violence on our streets is starting to reduce the wonderful qualities that kids like Hadiya possess—qualities we all want in our children—to homicide statistics. As an educator, I empathize with the teachers for whom the aftermaths of these incidents are grave daily realities. We’re living in a society that’s completely out of kilter. Our children feel disrespected and their outsized response is violence. They’re given no methodology for learning how to cope with their anger.
“Our city can no longer ignore its duty to protect our children. This is a refrain that echoes each time a child is shot down, but at some point, the status quo and the violence must end. I’m tired of hearing the narrative that says parents don’t care about their children. The combination of poverty and violence is a dual punishment for us all. But what about the working poor who have little time to watch over their children because they spend 12-16 hour days providing for their families? Some of their children are among those who feel unsafe and angry at society for not keeping them safe. So they lash out. Again, that’s what kids do.
“In our neighborhoods, we suffer from the scars of violence and not being able to ask people for help when we need it. This creates disconnect between communities and solutions. We must stop propagating a war on drugs. It’s been an abject failure and has created many ancillary and unintended consequences. Prosecuting ‘offenders’ in the war on drugs only has made the situation worse.
“We also need to stop adhering to the theory that if you go work hard and do for self then everything will be fine. This hasn’t proven to be true. We must establish a widespread concept of respect in our young people—ways to earn it, negotiate it and positively deal with and learn from its absence. We need a second war on poverty in our country, and job creators need to bring employment to our low-income, impoverished communities. Jobs give life meaning.
“Children need productivity, because productivity is what a mentally and physically healthy child will crave. I look at regions that have succeeded in reducing violence against children as models, such as Venezuela and its classical music education enterprise, El Sistema. We must guide our children in channeling all of their anger and hostility into something positive, train educators to help parents be successful at what they do and reclaim schools as the anchors of our communities.
“We all need to be part of these solutions. The union works with most—if not all—of the schoolchildren in Chicago every day, and we know that agencies of influence must honestly engage in dialogue with principals, teachers and paraprofessionals and school-related personnel members in their schools to gather an idea of what needs to be done to combat violence within building walls and on the street. We are not only experiencing the loss of young lives, but also widespread trauma among family, friends and communities. Clinicians, and in particular social workers, counselors, psychologists, and nurses, are often left out of discussions despite having the expertise on the aftermath of these tragedies. All too often, there is a one-day ‘grief counseling’ event when students and staff are at the height of shock, but the real need for wrap-around services and grief therapy occurs weeks and months after the event.
“Our members and members of the community are the eyes and ears these agencies should be depending on, in addition to engaging students to learn what their personal fears are regarding safety, bullying and gang recruitment and retaliation. This is the same concept applied to neighborhood watch—everyone’s fight, everyone’s victory.
“It is imperative that we continue to explore and work together to see how we might make a difference in our city, where there are an alleged 164,000 gang members infiltrating our neighborhoods and streets. We welcome a call from CPD Superintendent Garry McCarthy to solicit the input and assistance of our members, because Hadiya is more than a statistic to us. She is family, she is innocence lost, and while we are not foolish enough to think she will be the last member of our family to perish, we will continue our efforts to fight for the more than 400,000 students in CPS so they have the opportunity to learn and grow up as leaders—and protectors—of future generations.”
–From Maureen Downey, for the AJC Get Schooled blog
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133 comments Add your comment
Starik
January 31st, 2013
6:41 pm
Gangs. Gangsters. Wanna-be Gangsters.
A Teacher, 2
January 31st, 2013
6:44 pm
What is happening is that we have a generation of kids raising kids that have had little consequence to bad behavior. Someone has taken care of every need and most wants, and the kids have no conflict resolution skills. They turn to the police or weapons of some kind to solve every problem that comes up. …..And, we all put up with it. The answer is pretty simple. We, as a collective society, have to stop putting up with this unacceptable behavior. Call it what it is, and stop all the politically correct babble enabling and/or excusing unacceptable behavior. It is the only way our society can survive!!
agent
January 31st, 2013
6:45 pm
The only way to stop this is to make prison hell. Make prison so bad that people will be scared to go there. Right now, the reward for committing a crime greatly outweighs the punishment for getting caught. But, this will never happen bc of all the PC crap and how criminals have rights.
concernedmom30329
January 31st, 2013
6:50 pm
In Chicago, no one is being caught. The community isn’t helping the police with any regularity and so the Gangs rule.
No easy solution there until the culture changes.
Mountain Man
January 31st, 2013
6:51 pm
Take guns away from _ _ _ _ _ People and it wouldn,t happen.That would be the best gun control ever. Get them out of the woods.
MiltonMan
January 31st, 2013
6:58 pm
“This is finals week at King, which is why she was out of school so early that day. She went to the park with some friends. That’s what kids do.”
BS! My kids and their friends are studying their rear-ends off even after finals to be prepared for the next semester and/or reading a book of choice or the “required reading” that schools are given to the students.
“The combination of poverty and violence is a dual punishment for us all”
Good God. Being poor is a punishment??? How about bad life choices? If you are poor in this country it is your own damn fault. If you cannot “succeed” in this country, you will not succeed anywhere.
Meli
January 31st, 2013
6:58 pm
Stop the NIMBY. The ‘Not In My Back Yard’ refrain all jurisdictions hear whenever they suggest building a new jail. States and cities need to start using Eminent Domain to build as many jails as they need, and they need to tell the communities they don’t care what they think when building them.Then you take the criminals who use guns during their crime, and you put them in jail–whether it’s a bb gun, a water pistol, or a cannon, if a victim believes it’s a gun, it’s a gun–and you don’t give them bond. They stay in jail until their trial. And if they’re convicted they serve every single day of their sentence with no parole. That will drop the crime rate.
10:10 am
January 31st, 2013
7:07 pm
Fact: The death toll by murder in Chicago over the past decade is greater than the number of American forces who have died in Afghanistan since the beginning of Operation Enduring Freedom.
ref: http://tinyurl.com/be7ye6u
Last year alone that amounted to over 500 mostly young, mostly black victims. The mainstream media meanwhile largely ignores the bloodbath … because Chicago is a Democrat-run city and the adopted home of Barack Obama.
Jameson
January 31st, 2013
7:14 pm
I read an article where Miss Pendleton’s classmates said the after school program (cancelled) was the only safe place for students in the area. Now today we have a shooting inside the school.
So which is it? Are students safe inside the school or outside the school?
Nowhere is safe. Stuff happens.
indigo
January 31st, 2013
7:16 pm
As long as we have the best Congress money can buy, little or nothing will actually be done.
Lee
January 31st, 2013
7:18 pm
But wait, Chicago has some of the most restrictive gun control laws in the nation. It should be a cold, windy utopia, right?
Summary of Chicago gun laws:
• To possess or purchase firearms or ammunition, Illinois residents must have a Firearm Owner’s Identification (FOID) card, which is issued by the Illinois State Police
• An applicant is disqualified if he or she has been convicted of a felony or an act of domestic violence, is the subject of an order of protection, has been convicted of assault or battery or been a patient in a mental institution within the last five years, has been adjudicated as a mental defective, or is an illegal immigrant.
• When a firearm is sold or transferred, the buyer is required to present their FOID card. This applies to private sales between individuals as well as to sales by Federal Firearms License (FFL) holders.
• The buyer is also required to present their FOID card when purchasing ammunition.
• The city of Chicago requires registration of firearms. Residents must complete a firearm safety course, pass a background check including fingerprinting, and pay a $100 permit fee which is renewed every three years. Registration of any handgun assumes an additional one time fee of $15.
• Cook County and the city of Chicago have separately banned the possession of “assault weapons”, and of magazines that can hold more than 10 or 12 rounds of ammunition respectively.
• No concealed carry permits are issued and residents cannot openly carry.”
Basically, Chicago has disarmed the law abiding citizens and allowed the gang-bangers and criminal element to roam at will. They had what, over 500 homicides in 2012.
Lest ye forget, Morton Grove Illinois passed restrictive gun laws back in the 80’s which prompted Kennesaw, Ga’s famous law that mandated gun ownership. Morton Grove crime rate continued to climb while Kennesaw’s plummeted.
Melissa
January 31st, 2013
7:18 pm
MiltonMan – you truly have no idea about poverty. Your lack of empathy is telling (and also un-religious – if you choose to extend your self-righteousness to a day of worship).
The bottom line is that we do absolutely no good by marginalizing people that we have absolutely no idea about. You may think that shame is the way to change behavior but it simply excludes those on the outside even more. Accountability should be a focus but we have enough of those issues at all levels of society to pigeonhole one group.
I suggest you find some empathy.
Old timer
January 31st, 2013
7:19 pm
We have an under culture of violence…movies, games, music…until we acknowledge this we cannot fix it. It is not the guns. It is the gangster mentality. Thugs, bad boys, and so one are cool. Not families, church, scouts. I think the absence of families seems to be the biggest problem. I taught for a long time and I noticed the change in the family structure seemed to create the biggest problems in the schools.
Another issue is mental health. There is still a stigma asking for help when you know your child has mental health issues. And, whe you do finally ask…there really is little help. Finally the child turns 18 and you can do nothing to protect society or your child…even if you admit to the problem.
Old timer
January 31st, 2013
7:23 pm
Also, blind parents who think their own child can do now wrong…they are perfect. They do not want to hear anything and they have spent their life fixing the kid’s problems and everyone is against them. Tell that parent their child has mental health issue….they want your job.
Violence abounds
January 31st, 2013
7:27 pm
Chicago has one of the toughest gun control laws in the nation and also one of the highest rates of gun violence in the nation. Get it. Gun control doesn’t work.
Once
January 31st, 2013
7:27 pm
Enter your comments here
Once Again
January 31st, 2013
7:33 pm
The shooting in Chicago not withstanding (as it just happened to be a student), but seriously, when are you parents going to finally care enough about the health and well-being of your children to finally take them out of these government violence centers/prisons/schools? How many more shootings, rapes, molestations, drug arrests, cheating scandals, grade inflation stories, etc. are you going to need to read/hear about before you finally realize that they are happening at government schools for a reason – the general failure of government and the basis of its existence in violence itself. Government is not about voluntary cooperation. It is not about free choice. It is not about individual liberty or freedom. It hides itself behind the violence of democracy – or the victimization of the minority by the majority – and makes that concept sound appealing, but in the end, it is just about violence and conformity.
Get your kids out while you still have a chance to reverse the damage that has been done.
Mom of slain Chicago teen: ‘She was Hadiya. She was just special’ – MSNBC « Contacto Latino News
January 31st, 2013
7:38 pm
[...] violence hurting city’s image? ABC7Chicago.com A student shot to death in Chicago. A student shot in the head in Atlanta. What is … Atlanta Journal Constitution (blog) The Grio -WGNtv.com -Niagara Gazette all 248 news [...]
Old timer
January 31st, 2013
7:39 pm
Melissa…Poverty is a choice…..get your education or skill. Get married have children….there are choices. Many of us have made them…our children have made these choices…or not…..
A hand up is not the same as a handout…
Old timer
January 31st, 2013
7:43 pm
@once again….AMEN
South Georgia Retiree
January 31st, 2013
8:03 pm
This violence is the unfolding of many decades of escalating trouble, and it is pushed along everyday by all our social ills…(fill in the blank). While a culture of violence has been building, our country has added 280 million guns to the brew, and here we are, scratching our heads, asking questions, and trying to figure it out. The solutions will be painful to both sides in the current debate because to solve it will require all of us to sacrifice something. To do nothing is to admit that it’s unsolvable when really it’s not.
Amy Tripp
January 31st, 2013
8:07 pm
Everything can be done to stop this, but nothing will be.
RealityMom
January 31st, 2013
8:08 pm
If you have to spend 12-16 hours working to provide for your children, then you probably couldn’t afford to have them. Like Old timer said…..education, job, skill, marriage and then kids if you can afford them. We would have loved to have 3 or 4 but could only realistically afford to have one…..so we did.
bootney farnsworth
January 31st, 2013
8:09 pm
@ Melissa
are you saying that being poor stops people from being able to make solid moral decisions?
how every arrogant on your part.
Pompano
January 31st, 2013
8:12 pm
Gotta agree with @agent on this one. Also, the use of a gun to perpetuate any gang violence should result in the death penalty.
However, Illinois did away with the death penalty… a correlation perhaps?
Also interesting that the head of the Chicago teachers Union – which went on strike earlier this school year and left thousands of kids out on the streets to fend for themselves – would pretend to care about the safety of the students.
bradjohnson
January 31st, 2013
8:15 pm
CULTURE. The cause is easy the solution no one wants to touch.
indigo
January 31st, 2013
8:17 pm
Chicago’s gun control laws have one big flaw.
They don’t do anything to stop guns comming in from outside the City and State.
mountain man
January 31st, 2013
8:17 pm
The shooter in the Georgia case should be tried for attempted murder and aggravated asssault in adult court and hopefully will be sentenced to life in prison. However, it is more likely that he will be released at 21 to commit more crime.
How many times does a Fulton or Dekalb County prosecutor even ASK for the death penalty? In maybe 2% of cases, if that. In most of them, the death penalty is not given. There is no punishment given that is suitable for the crime. Couple that with kids who think they will most likely be dead before they turn 20 and they just don’t CARE. Kids whose parents don’t care (most likely don’t even know who their father is).
bradjohnson
January 31st, 2013
8:18 pm
I DARE ANYONE AT THE AJC TO LOOK INTO THE CULTURAL MAKEUP OF EVERY PERSON ARRESTED FOR MURDER IN ATLANTA. YOU WON’T DO IT WILL YOU? AS LONG AS WE ARE AFRAID TO DISCUSS SOMETHING YOU WILL NOT SOLVE IT. PC ANYONE?
mountain man
January 31st, 2013
8:22 pm
“In Chicago, no one is being caught. The community isn’t helping the police with any regularity and so the Gangs rule.”
It is call the “no Snitch” rule. They deserve what they get. Just keep it to yourselves. The rest of us will get really mad if you bring it to us. We don’t “no snitch” – we make sure you get what is coming to you.
bootney farnsworth
January 31st, 2013
8:31 pm
knowing I’ll be crucified for this, but doing it anyway….
here’s the basic issue. there is a subculture of violence which runs through certain elements of our society, and it manifests most brutally in the black inner city community.
why? simple. they want it to, and larger society enables it.
this black inner city subculture (obviously not all blacks, nor even all inner city blacks) decries education, hard work, and most everything civilized people consider normal or worthwhile.
the music is violent
the interpersonal relationships are violent
the entertainment is violent
personal validation comes from acts of violence, or projecting the ability to be violent
rappers who die violently are more revered than people like King, Mandella, or Lewis
Scarface is more popular fictional character than Marcus Chaplin
Michael Vick is a cult hero. so is Ray Lewis
anyone remember Little B? tween thug who killed a man in front of his family for “disrespecting” him by not turning his car lights off
its not that this subsection of society can’t integrate, they make a point to choose not to.
“keepin’ it real”
try to draw attention to the issues, and you earn the label of racist. even if you’re black. have the gall to suggest this subcommunity is dysfunctional and you are crucified.
irony of it all is, the people who work so hard to protect these animals are the people most often preyed on them. followed very closely by the part of society who works to perpetuate this hell. white guilt liberals.
why are there so many young blacks in prison? simple. they are disproportionally doing the stinking crimes. and usually on their own community.
until society allows us to call this issue what it is, and until the larger black community gets the testicles to actually do something about it, not slogan it, not protect it, not excuse it
the beats just gonna go on.
maybe when one of these animals kills someone liberal white guilt American cares about, then we might have movement. but I doubt it
bootney farnsworth
January 31st, 2013
8:36 pm
@ south Ga retiree
if you think I’m sacrificing my guns, guess again.
I have never fired them at another living thing, but for the very reasons you laid out, I’m keeping the option open.
bootney farnsworth
January 31st, 2013
8:39 pm
since someone somewhere here is gonna call for banning something, lets ban teenagers.
mountain man
January 31st, 2013
8:42 pm
Hey, I just noticed I got namejacked! That first one was not me!
bootney farnsworth
January 31st, 2013
8:44 pm
@ mountain
one of the reasons the community isn’t helping is because the moment Chi starts arresting this animals, some civil rights attorney is there claiming racism. it becomes catch and release.
even if the community was willing to help, the perp is gonna be back on the street faster than
the cops can tell the citizen.
BIg Hat
January 31st, 2013
8:44 pm
When we all have guns, we won’t need cops or school “resource officers”. Think of the cost savings! No cops, no judges, no courts, no prisons, no lawyers, no sheriffs, no justice delayed, no justice denied. And plenty of job creation in the mortuary industry, a win-win for all law-abiding citizens.
Maureen Downey
January 31st, 2013
8:46 pm
@Bootney, In the last three days, we have the old white guy in Gwinnett who shot the poor young man who turned up his driveway by mistake. We have the old white guy in California who killed a doctor he had never met before because he was unhappy with what another doctor did. We have the old white guy in Phoenix who killed an attorney and critically injured two other people and we have the old white guy in Alabama who killed the school bus driver and is now holding a 6-year-old hostage in his bunker. (This guy also beat a dog to death and shot at his neighbors, yet somehow was not in jail.)
How do you explain this culture of violence?
Maureen
bootney farnsworth
January 31st, 2013
8:54 pm
@ maureen
took you longer than I anticipated.
sorry, this deflection isn’t gonna wash, despite your best strawman. we were talking about school violence. I understand you need to move the goalposts to help defend your position, but that’s a big flat fail on your part.
however, if you actually read my comments before you started your rebuttal, you might have noticed I indicated at the beginning this subculture of violence runs though society, with a particularly bad manifestation in the inner city black community.
nowhere did I indicate it exists just there alone. I was sticking with the topic at hand.
boy-pwned in your own column. ouch
bootney farnsworth
January 31st, 2013
8:56 pm
and a great big thanks to Maureen for stepping up so quickly and illustrating the while liberal guilt deflection machine.
very well done indeed.
bootney farnsworth
January 31st, 2013
8:58 pm
since it was brought up, and will be whined to death…white people are evil, too. we discuss the evils of white people almost daily and somehow the white liberal guilt deflection machine doesn’t seem to mind.
but God help us if the topic turns toward a black person who fits a liberal guilt machine agenda
Family Guy
January 31st, 2013
8:59 pm
People need to accept the fact that in order to put an end to this violence the government, community, and society need to declare war on these worthless people. They have no purpose and should be treated according to how they act. Coming from poverty I can tell you first hand that it’s tough BUT the toughest thing about growing up in that situation is making the decision to want a better life and being smart enough to know that the only way to get it is by using your brain and not a gun.
bootney farnsworth
January 31st, 2013
9:01 pm
can anyone here tell me what OJ killed Nicole with?
bootney farnsworth
January 31st, 2013
9:03 pm
can anyone here tell me the weapon of choice in most violent crimes?
bradjohnson
January 31st, 2013
9:09 pm
Liberal Maureen attacks Bootney with anecdotal evidence and refuses to look at the statistics. Look who is committing the vast majority of the crimes- I dare you. Call APD and ask for their homicide statistics Maureen. You won’t because it does not fit your liberal agenda. Funny how you do no research and throw out anecdotal evidence. Pitiful. Kind of like back in the day when you defended APS and Beverly Hall before it imploded. The evidence was everywhere but you turned away. Thank goodness others at the paper looked under the hood.
bootney farnsworth
January 31st, 2013
9:09 pm
since the evil old white man was brought up, its a good time to remind everyone a vital part of bringing this issue in line is a more honest and matter of fact dealing with mental illnesses.
while some are just mean, most people who do things like the animal in Alabama (white useless troll that he is) is due to a mental issue which is untreated or diagnosed. mental illness still carries a strong social stigma, is expensive to treat, and is an insurance killer.
and with so many being easily treatable with a small amount of medication which isn’t even expensive.
white, black, brown, straight, gay, whatever. leaving out the subculture of violence, most people who do heinous things are ill before they are evil
bootney farnsworth
January 31st, 2013
9:13 pm
@ brad
I knew when I typed that I was gonna get called everything but a child of God (thanks, Neil Boortz, I stole that from you). but I’m willing to take the heat because it must be part of the discussion if anyone ever wants to seriously solve these problems.
yes, there are a whole hell of a lot of white people who fit the violent subculture. most of them are aryans or klansmen. they, however, are not usually shooting up schools, or their own communities.
bootney farnsworth
January 31st, 2013
9:20 pm
something to ponder….
its well known I worked at GPC for a lifetime until I was downsized due to the IMO criminally fiscal actions of white people. GPC is a defacto minority school. I have time and time and time and time and time again held these kids (mostly black and immigrant) up as examples of hardworking, dedicated students who are gonna be a welcome addition to US society.
and the crickets sing.
however, let me be frankly critical of a subsection of that community……
Interesting Observation
January 31st, 2013
9:20 pm
@bradjohnson
January 31st, 2013
8:18 pm
And that will make it all go away, or will it just feed your self fulfilling prophecy?
Truth in Moderation
January 31st, 2013
9:26 pm
Citizens, you are losing your “grip”….and the 2nd Amendment along with it!
CALL THE SENATORS! Expose the unlawful document!
http://www.wnd.com/2013/01/feinsteins-plan-bans-any-gun-with-a-grip/
mom3
January 31st, 2013
9:29 pm
Children will have access to guns until you prosecute the gun owner as though he himself pulled the trigger. Pitbulls will continue to maul innocent children until you prosecute the dog owner as though he himself attacked the child. If you cannot be responsible enough to own a dangerous weapon – DONT OWN THE WEAPON!
Interesting Observation
January 31st, 2013
9:30 pm
Milton Man, constantly being enraged at everyone who does not share your skin color or your politics will slowly devour your soul. Dude, you’re gulping poison.
bradjohnson
January 31st, 2013
9:31 pm
“Interesting”. I want to solve the problem not stick my head the sand like Maureen. I work and volunteer to solve the problem but I (we) need help. I go into these schools. I work with these kids who have no parenting. People like Maureen perpetuate the problem since you can’t solve a problem until you at first acknowledge it.
Stop the blather
January 31st, 2013
9:31 pm
Ms. Downey, Can you limit comments? Bootney F needs to give it a rest. Racist and rude.
USC
January 31st, 2013
9:33 pm
There is an atmosphere of acceptance that this level of violence is what comes with freedom. This is clearly not freedom, although our country has developed out of revolution, violence, revolt, and repeated involvement in wars. Now that we are mature, we need to revise are culture and it will be difficult. The Institute of Medicine and the National Research Council report that U.S. firearm homicides are 20 times higher and firearm suicides are 6 times higher than in other developed countries. What regulations do Canada, Japan, Australia, France, Germany, and Spain have that makes them so much safer and provide their young males, specifically, with markedly longer survivals. Maybe we can learn something. The Gun Culture completely blocked gun violence research which Dr. Arthur Kellerman was recruited from Seattle to Emory to study. President Obama has asked for Congress to appropriate funds and has re-ordered the CDC to begin to fund investigations leading to answers about gun violence. The Second Amendment states that the arms should be “WELL REGULATED”. Multiple regulations background checks, the registration of all arms, limitation on numbers, assault weapons ban, etc. seem like common sense to most of us but are screamed down by a violent minority which has frightened Congress into silence. We have to wake them up.
bootney farnsworth
January 31st, 2013
9:35 pm
@ mom 3
problem with your idea is that most thugs don’t get their guns at home? they get them, illegally, on the streets. so who do you wanna go after then?
and, a pitbull has a known behavioral issue (BTW: want to guess what part of society they are the most popular with. hint, Maureen won’t like it) a gun is an inanimate object. a gun in and of itself is no more dangerous than a kitchen knife or baseball bat or a car.
The Deal
January 31st, 2013
9:36 pm
Maureen, there will never be a rational discussion regarding guns in this state. The shooters at Columbine, Newtown, Gabby Gifford shooter, and VA Tech were white, but this is “definitely” a black problem. Right. Who is committing these crimes is largely dependent on where the crimes take place. In inner cities, it is most likely majority black; suburban and rural crimes are largely white. The common thread in all of these was easy access to firearms.
I’m just waiting to hear that if only those 5 and 6-year olds had been armed, that man wouldn’t have been able to take the boy hostage in AL.
Again, though, there will never be a rational discussion here in GA, so don’t even try, Maureen.
Victor
January 31st, 2013
9:38 pm
Look at the race of the shooters and the victims. You have your answer.
bootney farnsworth
January 31st, 2013
9:40 pm
@ stop
exactly where did I say one group of society was better than another based on their genetic makeup?
BAM~! pwned you, too.
you might wish to actually learn what you’re talking about before you attempt to silence someone.
another trick of the white guilt liberal crowd.
rude? if being willing to discuss a tough topic is rude, and not willing to back down when it becomes inconvenient for the white guilt liberal crowd is rude….I’ll own that
Truth in Moderation
January 31st, 2013
9:42 pm
The NRA’s recommendation of armed school guards isn’t so crazy after all. It’s already implemented at Price Middle. THIS POLICY PREVENTED ANOTHER SANDY HOOK.
“The shooter was disarmed and taken into custody minutes after the incident by an off-duty Atlanta police officer, Turner said. He said the off-duty police officer, who was armed, works at Price Middle School as a so-called resource officer, providing security.”
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/01/31/us-usa-shooting-atlanta-idUSBRE90U18Y20130131
A student shot to death in Chicago. A student shot in the neck in Atlanta. What is … – Atlanta Journal Constitution (blog) « Contacto Latino News
January 31st, 2013
9:50 pm
[...] A student shot to death in Chicago. A student shot in the neck in Atlanta. What is … – A…By GN | Published: 2013-02-01 02:00:09 UTC | Read more, click here | Read page Tweet   [...]
bootney farnsworth
January 31st, 2013
9:50 pm
“I’m just waiting to hear that if only those 5 and 6-year olds had been armed, that man wouldn’t have been able to take the boy hostage in AL.”
ahhhh yes. the liberal white guilt crowd version of rational discussion.
A student shot to death in Chicago. A student shot in the neck in Atlanta. What is … – Atlanta Journal Constitution (blog) « Current News « Direct Global Media
January 31st, 2013
9:51 pm
[...] original post here: A student shot to death in Chicago. A student shot in the neck in Atlanta. What is … – A… [...]
TonyB
January 31st, 2013
9:56 pm
@ Sandy Springs Parent
If you have knowingly allowed your child to be mentally and physically abused for over a year without taking any type of legal action, then you should be ashamed of yourself. As for your co-worker, the so-called Vietnam Vet, he’s an idiot. However, he was completely correct when he stated, “your baby doesn’t deserve to be treated like that”.
A student shot to death in Chicago. A student shot in the neck in Atlanta. What is … – Atlanta Journal Constitution (blog) | Shwe Newspaper
January 31st, 2013
9:57 pm
[...] (blog)A student shot to death in Chicago. A student shot in the neck in Atlanta. Source: Google News This entry was posted in Uncategorized on February 1, 2013 by [...]
donttakemygun
January 31st, 2013
9:57 pm
Black is THE PROBLEM. Black fathers have to SHOW UP. It cant be “my baby’s mama” anymore. These young gangbangers are looking for “a belonging”. They want to be appreciated, loved, LEAD. I lead a youth group of mid-schoolers at a local church and that is one of the reasons.
10:10 am
January 31st, 2013
9:58 pm
The blood of this young girl—and 500 more inner-city Chicago youths like her who will die violently over the next 12 months—is on the hands of white liberals defending the indefensible: a welfare system which destroys the black family.
gk
January 31st, 2013
10:03 pm
“Our city can no longer ignore its duty to protect our children….”
How bad does it have to get before we restore prayer “in the name of Jesus” in the classroom?
We ask God to get out. But, we need Him there for every blessing He provides.
bootney farnsworth
January 31st, 2013
10:05 pm
@ donttakemygun
disagree with your lead premise. “black” in and of itself isn’t the problem. in this instance the problem comes from a subculture within the black community. same one exists in every community. it;s just that in this issue in these circumstances it happens to be the a subculture within the black community which is the main problem
I will grant that until the larger black community et al stops condoning this, it will go on unabated.
A student shot to death in Chicago. A student shot in the neck in Atlanta. What is … – Atlanta Journal Constitution (blog)| Best of the best news websites| Top Klicker
January 31st, 2013
10:07 pm
[...] A student shot to death in Chicago. A student shot in the neck in Atlanta. What is … – Atlanta Journal Constitution (blog)Read more… [...]
bootney farnsworth
January 31st, 2013
10:08 pm
@ gk
how exactly will prayer in class fix this issue? will the kids be kept praying all day so they won’t have time to reload?
as has been well established, a LOT of praying was going on at Columbine.
bootney farnsworth
January 31st, 2013
10:10 pm
interesting how some of my stuff goes straight up (anything which in some way supports the white liberal guilt crowd) but pieces critical of them are still in moderation.
that takes it to either censorship or a form of prior restraint
bootney farnsworth
January 31st, 2013
10:12 pm
@ USC
Delta is so ready when you are.
don’t be a stranger, now
Feldman Hawkes
January 31st, 2013
10:14 pm
Old timer had the most sensible comments I’ve read lately. The non-Christian Right Wing preaches that “God helps those who help themselves” — ironically, the bible teaches us that God helps those who CANNOT help themselves, and that we should do the same.
Pompano
January 31st, 2013
10:19 pm
Go Bootney! – appreciate your courage in enduring the attacks this evening.
Latest News » Blog Archive » A student shot to death in Chicago. A student shot in the neck in Atlanta. What is … – Atlanta Journal Constitution (blog)
January 31st, 2013
10:19 pm
[...] Link: A tyro shot to genocide in Chicago. A tyro shot in a neck in Atlanta. What is … – Atlant… [...]
Ben J
January 31st, 2013
10:23 pm
What amazes me most about people on these websites is they have plenty of opinions but no answers! All of the rhetoric that most of they are trying to pass on as wisdom are rehashed and tired old arguments that carry little weight and substance and help very little! So instead of just talking to hear yourself spend some time researching, meditating, or whatever method you use to affect positive change! And then come to the table with the viable solutions that are helpful and relevant when it comes to solving a crisis!
The Kid
January 31st, 2013
10:27 pm
America is now, and has always been a violent country. What’s so hard about telling the truth? We have the highest military budget in the world. Don’t be naïve and mislead yourself into believing the fantasy that this money is just for defense. This country is violent from the top down.
Violence abounds
January 31st, 2013
10:39 pm
The Kid – Absolutely. Our entire government – well, every government in fact – is predicated on violence. No government is about voluntary choice. Even the most benign (which is certainly NOT the US) ultimately claims the right to hold the monopoly on legal violence in its territory. Government is not about freedom, it is not about being able to do with your property, your life, your income, or your body as you see fit so long as you don’t hurt anyone else. Yes, maybe that is exactly what government should be about, but it is currently not.
We lock up millions for the simple crime of putting into their bodies substances the government has decided are “illegal.” Not because they actually harmed someone or someone’s property. We attack, invade, occupy country after country as if the world was ours to run and these countries are not following OUR orders. Our president has assassinated 2 american citizens without due process and has condemned hundreds of others including innocent men, women, and children (collateral damage) to death without due process or even the permission of the country he is ordering the killing in. Yet neither he nor the other criminals in the government face any consequences for their actions.
Everyone in society sees the truth of these facts every day. Why should we expect that our children would think that violence against others to achieve your goals is wrong? That is exactly what nearly every president in the 20th century (and the 21st) has demonstrated.
jimiz_1
January 31st, 2013
10:43 pm
I get so sick of the games that people play with one another. I get even more tired of people that misrepresent the issue. There’s only the truth weather you want to believe it or not. Anyone out here with a little intelligence can distinguish the difference between right and made-up. I am a Native American i grew up in this country watching blacks discriminate and use race to smear the lines. They use the race card whenever they feel like it will benefit them. They use reverse racism when referring to white people as the devil ect. But at the same time they are responsible for most the violent crime in this country. Their mentality is one that they feel they are owed something and if they don’t get it they will turn on a dime and call you racist. This is a major problem in this society and until the black culture in America takes responsibility for their actions as a group we will continue the race to ruin. Its time for white people to wise up.. You guys will never be able to truly live in peace with these people. They don’t like you they teach their kids not to like you. Its that simple most the blacks in this country think they are better then everyone else because after segregation ended blacks have been put on a high chair because of white people wanted them to feel important and make them feel a sense of belonging we have celebrated their acheivements but few other races have the same treatment. The white guilt must stop and the truth must become the light of change.
Pompano
January 31st, 2013
10:47 pm
Curious why my postings – and not others – are being held-up?
adsf
January 31st, 2013
11:00 pm
jail isn’t a punishment because for many of these kids it’s considered a right of passage. jails, as they exist today, are for punishment and not rehabilitation. some studies have shown that as much as 60% criminals are returned to jail within 3 years of release. until jails serve to fix those in them, the cycle will continue. the kids that these convicts have will follow the paths of their parents.
jimiz_1
January 31st, 2013
11:01 pm
There use to be a thing called the fear of God. For he who sins without remorse and breaks the ten commandments. Will surely face the wrath of God in their time of judgement and be sentenced to an eternity of damnation in hell.
Whatever happen to that? Just because its in fashion to sin and break the commandments to turn away from our creator and act like we will face no consequences doesn’t mean that we won’t. Hell on earth can mean alot of things we maybe causeing the approach of revelations right now and not even know it. We are doomed if we cannot control ourselves and our actions.
RCB
January 31st, 2013
11:04 pm
“…Our children feel disrespected and their outsized response is violence.”
Puh-lease. Disrespected? Try showing some respect and you might get respect. Funny, as a child and teenager, the thought of being disrespected never crossed my mind. Respecting my parents did, but that’s what’s sorely lacking now. Why is it always society’s problem and not those who perpetrate these crimes? And needing a second War on Poverty? The first “war” has created most of the problems we see today. What in the world did civilization do before 1965?
adsf
January 31st, 2013
11:11 pm
since this is devolving into a gun issue for some reason…
the primary correlations to violence are population density and poverty level. inner cities have the highest levels of both and therefore have the highest crime rates (after per capita adjustments). this is mostly of why the most commonly used guns in crimes are the cheapest guns available.
while I can’t argue about the influence of firearm availability, the truth is that nothing can be done about it. drugs, which are enforced with absurdly long sentences are laughably available on many college campuses and party scenes. the only thing you can do to fix the problem is to try to fix the culture that glorifies poverty, prison, and poor decisions. I think it will be near impossible to fix while there still exists a black market that makes crimes and gangs profitable. think about the problems and laws that arose during prohibition.
Digger
January 31st, 2013
11:17 pm
Another picture of the elusive Loch Ness Monster, rumored to run rampant in a certain culture, but apologized and rationalized away by certain ‘journalists’ who do so if not out of real belief, then desire to keep one’s job.
Gerald
January 31st, 2013
11:25 pm
@jimiz_1:
“I am a Native American i grew up in this country watching blacks discriminate ”
Yeah, sure buddy. Give me examples of this black discrimination.
Of all the times that other races have been denied bank loans by blacks. (Impossible because blacks own virtually no banks.)
Of all the times that redlining decisions by blacks have kept jobs and businesses out of nonwhite neighborhoods. (Impossible because blacks own less than 10% of the businesses in this country, and none of them are Fortune 500 or 1000 companies with real economic power.)
Of all the times that government decisions by blacks have resulting in housing or school segregation. (Impossible because Congress is overwhelmingly white, there is only 1 black governor, and state legislatures are overwhelmingly white making it impossible for blacks to pass reverse Jim Crow type laws.)
That folks even say nonsense like this is laughable. Yes, it is possible for blacks to be racist, to personally dislike white people. (But if you have this evidence that most blacks hate whites and teach their kids to hate whites … provide it. It doesn’t exist because it isn’t true. And being that you are “Native American” and neither white or black, even if it was true, how could you have possibly seen it? How many black parents have you seen teaching their kids to hate whites, and how many whites have you seen receive hateful treatment from blacks? So even if this were true – and it isn’t – there is no practical way that you could have possibly, personally seen it. You are just lying.) But blacks lack the political and economic power as well as the sheer numbers to discriminate against anybody. The most that they can do is gain political control of a city like Atlanta and give contracts and jobs to their friends. While that behavior is regrettable, white politicians do the same thing. It is just that it isn’t considered racist when they do it. How many blacks received any contracts or jobs from Sonny Perdue or Nathan Deal? That’s what I thought, and nobody cares. But let Kasim Reed give some of his friends airport concessions contracts and it is a crime against humanity, right?
And by the way, I am 1/8th “Native American” (Lower Muscogee Creek Tribe), more than enough to claim Native American status and benefit from the many affirmative action and other programs based on it. But hey, I chose not to because I made very good grades in school and didn’t need it. You’d probably be a lot less bitter and therefore not have the need to invent outright fabrications had you done the same.
Rush
January 31st, 2013
11:30 pm
wow….looks like my comments were held up also
Gerald
January 31st, 2013
11:39 pm
Other than MiltonMan’s idiotic suggestion that this girl somehow brought about her own fate by not studying enough, people certainly are doing their level best to ignore the crime victim, by all accounts a law abiding, high achieving person with a bright future, here.
With that being said, liberals like Maureen Downey would rather blame the guns than the criminals as well as the social conditions that produce them. And the social conditions part is key. Black crime rates were much lower in this country 50 years ago when poverty, racism and discrimination were much bigger problems in the black community. So it isn’t race, it is culture, and this proves it, because if it were race, the crime rates would have been the same then as it is now. And it isn’t guns, because gun ownership rates were higher back then. And again, it isn’t poverty and racism because of what was already stated. Instead, it is that illegitimacy rates in the black community back then were lower than they are for the white community now. But since a good liberal feminist like Ms. Downey can’t challenge the “a woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle” philosophy, then it has to be guns, and not illegitimacy and family breakdown. The reality is that you could take away all the guns and Chicago would still be filled to the brim with criminals, and they would just find other ways to victimize people. And none of this putting all the blame on the men, calling them deadbeat dads and such. Women are just as responsible for choosing desirable men to enter into relationships with. So women – and girls – who choose to have children with gang bangers, drug dealers, guys who are in and out of jail, guys who have no interest in marrying them (and in most cases the girls have no interest in marriage either) and guys who have already fathered illegitimate children with other women are as responsible for this culture as the males are. But no, feminism will not allow conceding that.
But we have gotten so politically correct in this country that the CDC won’t even do a study correlating violent crime rates to illegitimacy. It would be very simple to do … simple regression statistical analysis that a college student intern could do. And the study would show that having a robust social safety net and high public education spending – like they do in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Detroit, Baltimore, D.C,, New Jersey, etc. – DOES NOT mitigate the correlation between violent crime and illegitimacy. Oh well …
justmelord
January 31st, 2013
11:48 pm
i have a child at pricemiddle school she wasn’t in school today because we got up late so i let her stay home,parent take time and see what your children are doing there are gangs iiiiiiiiforming in thaat school last year i went to the police,,shool officials ifyou don’t have a name nothing is done,i go to the school take and pick up my child,have been to meeting only few parent showed up,last year everyday the was fights student frrom carver high school would come and fight student at price and they fight among themselves 6 familie got evicted because of gang fight and parent get into the fight,paren we need to get invvoled see what you children are doing get out there and demand more involement from apd and school board but we must come together as a group taking your child out of price isn’t the problem its the children they disrespect the teachers i have seen this for myself it not anything someone told me llets get togeather as parent involed for our community.
Jungle Work
February 1st, 2013
12:02 am
I believe the Latest Stats for shooting in Chicago is 70 % Black, 15% Latino and 15% White, Asian and Indian.
My, Oh! My, does that show where the problem is.
Tap Out
February 1st, 2013
12:03 am
It ain’t a Black person killing 6 year old’s wholesale or holding a child hostage in an underground bunker after killing a bus driver. I don’t fear inner city murders because I don’t hang out in those neighborhoods, nor do I roam the streets at all hours of the night. The numbers show that the vast majority of inner city murders happen in areas which most of us will never enter. However I do fear random mass violence or crazed loner killings because those will seek you out anywhere. How about the poor kid shot in the driveway of the crazy frightened homeowner? Show me a White person killed in a Black housing project, and I’ll show you a drug deal gone bad.
TheGoldenRam
February 1st, 2013
12:09 am
I don’t think this problem can be solved, at least not in our lifetime. Years ago I bought into the concept that many of these young, poor, uneducated women were conceiving children as a way of attaining government assistance. There may be some that do, but overwhelmingly it’s something else. Ironically, if that were the problem, it would be much easier to solve. Sadly, I think the real problem is much more difficult than that. I think it’s love. I’ve read too much over the years about these young mothers and I’ve personally spoken to a number of them about their lives. I’ve heard the same explanation over & over. They say, “I had a child because I wanted someone to love me.” So if the young women look to a baby for the love they desire, to whom do the young men turn? To gangs and other angry young men in similar situations. They grow-up with a warped sense of normality and repeat the same mistakes over & over again. Fathers are abandoning mothers who are are poor, uneducated and woefully unprepared to successfully raise children. I’ve made the following comment before. I’m not religious, but I strongly believe that children need both of their parents. Government and society cannot replicate those roles. It sure isn’t for a lack of trying either. In many urban school districts, schools have more in common with social services centers than academic institutions. It’s proxy parenting and it will never be the same as having a mom & dad that love you.
The Memphis Commercial Appeal printed a great story a few weeks ago about how Poverty, Inc. is the largest growth industry in the city’s future. Some $5 BILLION a year is spent on poverty programs in just that city. They estimate that over the next 25 years, about 500,000 children will be born to poor, young, uneducated, single women. This in a city that currently has over 100,000 open child support cases, of which they haven’t established paternity for about 50% of the kids. As most people already know, Memphis is awash in juvenile crime and violence. The Washington Examiner stated in a story a few weeks ago about the Head Start study, that the elephant in the room is that only 14% of District kids have a father in the home. Look at the stats for Chicago, Detroit, Philly, Atlanta, Charlotte, Jacksonville, Houston, L.A., Miami, Newark, and on & on. These shootings aren’t your anomalies like Columbine and Newton. These very common shootings are a symptom of a greater social and cultural meltdown that is, and has for decades, been playing out within certain communities.
We need to be able to have a mature national discussion about what are, and what are not, proper values, morals and cultural norms. It needs to be a discussion premised on correcting historical injustices, as I firmly believe that American society created this problem. This is a legacy of slavery, Jim Crow, the convict lease programs, historical economic and political exclusion, discrimination & disenfranchisement, and a host of other injustices that our society visited upon certain peoples. We destroyed peoples’ hopes, dreams, opportunities and THEIR FAMILIES. For decades we have tried to replace those very human needs via the artificial intervention of the government. Trillions spent and it’s only getting worse. Money won’t solve these things. It’s not going to work and it’s going to continue to worsen. In a few more generations, the very ideas of marriage, a committed mom/dad and the benefits of the nuclear family will be completely lost to some communities. The ‘village’ will never compensate for those fundamental concepts. Who knows how you put those things back together from scratch. Especially when so few are willing to even acknowledge the basic realities of what is occurring around us.
Mai Bungitak
February 1st, 2013
12:13 am
Asking the US GOVERNMENT to enforcing a strongly law of selling any weapons in the US Countries. The US GOVERNMENT must tell all the Big Factories inside US Countries not do sell out their weapon products to all Big Business and all Small Business around the US Countries or stop selling out their weapon products and also stop import weapon products…..
Ken
February 1st, 2013
12:31 am
Ghetto culture has been ignored, excused and even popularized. It is a disease that is destroying communities and lives all over the country and will continue to do so. Prominent black people who don’t challenge the culture are culpable.
Lee
February 1st, 2013
12:46 am
{{{clap, clap, clap}}}
Bravo Bootney for telling the unvarnished, politically incorrect truth.
The best indicator of the violent crime rate of an area is the percentage of blacks and hispanics. The most graphic example of this is that blacks in Nebraska comprise a mere 4.7% of the population, but account for 80% of the murders.
As far as the “black attitude” about crime, I remember a news story back in the 80’s. The police were trying to arrest a black rapist who had raped a young black girl aged 12 or so. The police had to call for backup as the black citizens were attacking the police for arresting one of their “brothers”.
Simply amazing…
MikeinATL
February 1st, 2013
2:12 am
The problem is a lack of accountability in the minority community, specifically the black community. Since the government/media adopted a white guilt based stance in the 60’s things have only gotten worse. With every single mother who’s poor decisions are subsidized by gov’t handouts, the problem gets worse and worse. Gangs are a safe haven for the “lost boys” of the inner city who should find that support in their family unit which is unfortunately non-existent.
See video – http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=e06_1359380173
Tap Out – Here’s your example of a white person killed in a project which had nothing to do with drugs – http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2006-08-30/news/0608300125_1_mental-police-powers-officers
or another one where the victims were killed specifically b/c they’re white. – http://www.ajc.com/news/news/crime-law/thandiwe-admits-to-shooting-my-mind-was-blank/nWBB2/
The solution is to end the racism witch hunt that is common practice currently so we can address these inconvenient truths and do something about them.
MikeinATL
February 1st, 2013
2:17 am
Government is the problem.
MikeinATL
February 1st, 2013
2:19 am
I would also ask, if poverty and population density are the problem, why does Portland, OR have such low crime rates? How do you explain the history of Detroit?
Yudont Nomey
February 1st, 2013
2:29 am
I agree with Gerald and the Golden Ram and I’ll go one further. I believe the breakdown of society is because women are not homemakers anymore. Society never valued the monumental and unrecognized role of women in society. Woman wanted respect and appreciation like men so even they lost respect for what they did and wanted to earn money like men and do the things men do.
But nobody wants to do thing women traditionally did, like make a home and be the glue that holds the family together. Even women who stay at home with their kids don’t want to be known as home-makers. My mother’s generation (who mostly stayed at home and raised their kids) didn’t want to be called “house wife”. Mama said it sounded like all she did was get married and stay in a house. She demanded to be called a homemaker because she worked hard to make our house a home. Now the few women who stay home call themselves “stay-at-home-Mom”. What does that say? They gave birth and they stay at home. Peg Bundy did that. So, my question is, “who is being the woman in this society?” That’s what’s wrong with this society.
Iran ‘steps up Syria support’, Hillary Clinton warns – BBC News
February 1st, 2013
2:33 am
[...] School Shooting Update: Armed officer working at middle school …CBS NewsKSDK -Atlanta Journal Constitution (blog) -NBCNews.com (blog)all 180 news [...]
seabeau
February 1st, 2013
5:22 am
I don’t believe that in the State of Ga. that either I or my insurance conpany are liable if my car is stolen or otherwise used without my permission!
agent
February 1st, 2013
5:58 am
Maureen,
Nice of you to point out a few examples of an evil white man killing someone. If you look at all the homicides in this country, I’m willing to bet the ones committing them lean heavily toward one demographic and not the evil white man.
Typical Obama Voter
February 1st, 2013
6:08 am
Always blame the white man … it is always their fault.
Ignore the facts. Find a few cases of white males acting nuts and blame them for the downfall of society.
Beam
February 1st, 2013
6:20 am
It starts with the parents & ends with the parents. And if they don’t get it they should not be having kids in the first place.
catlady
February 1st, 2013
6:50 am
My suggestion: If you shoot someone, after you are found guilty, it is made impossible for you to enjoy intimate relations again. Men, especially, would not want to lose that. Jail most of them don’t care about. It is free food and lodging, and more “respect.” But you can’t get that respect if you are a eunuch, and everyone knows it!
HS Math Teacher
February 1st, 2013
7:00 am
If you look at our government, and how it has underwritten irresponsibility through the over-reaching social programs of the mid-sixties, permissive parents who just allow their kids to talk back to them, and roam the streets at night, parents who set a bad example every day of their lives, how we allow civil liberties and non-censureship of “art” to reign supreme, which allows the entertainment industry a free pass to produce all kinds of sick, perverted, manure that pollutes our kids’ minds….
Even the good, “helicopter parents” are producing kids who think that they’re superior to everyone else. A lot of them end up spoiled, hateful little sh_ts.
Oh well….the genie is out of the bottle, and we’ll never get him back in again.
DeborahinAthens
February 1st, 2013
7:05 am
We cut funding to every program that helps kids 0 to Kindergarten. Sometimes, and, I’m sorry but it is a fact, the only “normal” inculturation these kids get is in a pre-school program and school. This culture, and again, it is a fact, made up mostly of blacks, glorifies gangs, violence, and denigrates education, the arts, etc. To listen to these AH thugs makes you want to vomit! They kill for $300 sneakers! They beat to death one of their own, a smart, successful HS student, because one of the AHs tells his fellow thugs that he’s going to beat the h€££ out of the next person that comes by. No reason. He just says he’s going to do it and the little thug gang beats a boy to death. These people are beyond redemption. If we could keep the funding for the programs that will get the young children out of the house with the single mom, brood mare that has no respect for her body and pushes out child after child with absolutely no intention of raising those hopeless kids, this is never going to stop. Educate the young kids about how respect is earned and how to earn it, teach them–little girls and little boys– about birth control, show them that there is another way to live, and maybe in a generation or two we can fix this problem. But until the black leaders stop mouthing off about everything except what the real problem is, nothing will be fixed. These teen gang/thugs think that, because they are black, they are entitled to rape, steal, kill, maim, shoot, beat to death anyone they feel like. And for us to keep ignoring this issue because it is not politically correct is counter productive.
Private Citizen
February 1st, 2013
7:08 am
What makes a thug? Video showing conditioning little urban kids receive: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJ2M_noITms
SouthernGent
February 1st, 2013
7:26 am
Maureen, your liberalism nonsense non-logic does not fly. You start the conversation with an article about shootings in Chicago and Atlanta. A vast majority of those are at the hands of thugs. Why do we have thugs, because liberals like you supported LBJ’s great society, which through government hands out has single handedly destroyed the family unit among the poor. Dad can’t stay, because he can’t make as much money as our stupid government will give. The product of these non-family homes look to gangs for identity and encouragement. Gangs use violence to gain control, extort money and rob. This is where the vast majority of gun crimes from from. Old crazy men, while terrible, are a drop in the bucket.
I dare you to cite to anything that empirically shows that gun control leads to less violent crime. It is a stupid notion by stupid people who wish to spout stupid things to answer complex problems and who wish to deflect from the true issue. The destruction of a culture by insidious progressive who enslave people with other people’s money.
Private Citizen
February 1st, 2013
7:28 am
Hey Bootney, if I may return the favor of something you once pointed out, don’t react to being trolled. Good to see you say something about cause and effect of white liberal, projected “white guilt” and all of that. There is a whole industry called “identity politics” and people have careers and salaries based on it. I told myself if I ever saw a former university of mine again promote a conference about “white privilege” I would have it investigated as racism and do the followup and require it in writing. Yes, these are a lot of real comfortable whitey liberals who like to treat urban folk as “pet people.” Those of us who are urban know better and demand something a little more real, like examining real conditions and cause and effect, not abstract casting of bait net.
Private Citizen
February 1st, 2013
7:31 am
Hey Bootney, if I may return the favor of something you once pointed out, don’t react to being trolled.
(this is partially a re-post, as I am trying to figure some of the auto-moderating of this site software)
Michelle-Middle School
February 1st, 2013
7:31 am
Today’s youth have been lost. The sense of entitlement has driven a society of young people who do not know the value of working for what they want. They expect everything to be given to them. The result of this is that there are haves and have nots in the world today. Many of the have nots just decide to take what they want. They decide to do whatever they want, regardless of the consequences. Where is the problem? The problem lies in the parents and the society influencing, or not influencing them. I was taught from day one that I deserved nothing. I was taught the value of money. I was taught the value of life. I was taught that it was wrong to harm any human or living thing. These are some of my most basic values. Many parents today do not teach these values. Until they do, we are in trouble in America. We are headed to the point where the “Lost Generation” will take over. Heaven help us all. There are too many bad parents. There are too many single working mothers. There are too many absent parent, either one or both. There are too many missing fathers. The real result is too many youth with absolutely no values that respect life and personal property.
old teach
February 1st, 2013
8:27 am
It seems that we are talking about two different sides of the same coin here: the [may be gang related, mostly minority]inner-city type of murders, and the random mentally unstable [mostly white] murders. To address the first type, we need 1-more law enforcement (as New York has done and Chicago has not); 2-more police presence in the high-crime areas; 3-less access to guns; 4-more education in the areas of parenting roles/violence/sex/mandatory pre-k and k, and 5-a call to the communities and churches to stand up and speak out against the present culture. To address the second type, we need to 1-keep guns out of the hands of mentally unstable persons; 2-less access to guns by kids and unstable persons; and 3-more acceptance of and treatment for mental issues.
Certainly, the breakdown of the nuclear family has contributed mightily to the problems we face as a society today. I feel that this breakdown has made kids more susceptible to the effects of gangs and violence as we see in the media. The warp speed internet news coverage and social media make events go viral, which brings even more attention to violence. Our fascination with guns does not help, either.
Mountain Man
February 1st, 2013
8:48 am
Lest I appear to be a racist, Maureen – let me say I think if the guy surrenders in Alabama – he should be tried, convicted speedily, and put to death. The shooters of Gabby Giffords and the Dark Knight theatre (both white) should receive the death penalty. The Supreme court has done society a disservice by ruling that “mentally ill” persons cannot receive the death penalty. So what happens if they are judged competent and released from the hospital and commit another murder? What happens if they escape from prison and commit another murder?
It does bug me that the black community complains about violence in their neighborhoods, but then adopts a “no snitch” attitude and when blacks are accused of murder, works their tails off to get the least punishment for them as possible.
If murder rates in white communities ever approached the levels seen in South Atlanta, you would see a groundswell of indignation and support for higher police presence and stiffer penalties. Why do the blacks not care? Look at what happened in Savannah after the murder of a white debutante. Do blacks just not care about other blacks? Why are there not marches being organized to protest the lax treatment of black murderers who kill other blacks?
I Teach Writing
February 1st, 2013
9:54 am
@ TheGoldenRam — Thanks for posting a thoughtful, nuanced stance in the midst of a storm of reductive thinking.
bootney farnsworth
February 1st, 2013
10:24 am
its a funny thing: I’ve spend most of my life working in and with the black community. I’ve done trench work to earn the right to take a position which might be “offensive” because I actually give a damn about
blacks as individual people and want to see them succeed.
just like people of any other color.
my sin seems to be I care enough to speak bluntly.
if I only did like the white guilt liberal crowd and dealt in platitudes intended to keep blacks content in
“their place” I’d be a hero with them.
here’s a hint folks. its not news to the black community they have some major internal problems. they freaking KNOW already. denial and avoidance of tough issues helps nobody.
but the white liberal guilty crowd knows this, too.
mountain man
February 1st, 2013
11:41 am
“here’s a hint folks. its not news to the black community they have some major internal problems. they freaking KNOW already.”
So why do they work so hard to tear down the justice system that could render justice for THEM? Why argue for reduced sentences for burglars that rob THEM. Why argue against the death penalty for killers that are killing THEM. Why refuse to cooperate with black policemen who are trying to protect THEM. I just don’t understand it.
Joey
February 1st, 2013
1:24 pm
Man this is just awful, one thing the media is partially at fault for these copy cat incidents. Second yah sure some people want to guns and have the rule of law to back it up with but when you see things like this happen. my thinking is ban all the gun’s that can kill, however allow these other folks who want to defend them selves given a bad situation arises a weapon that can only STUN a HUMANBEING and not KILL THEM. I believe this is the only way to move away from all these tragic stories that have happened in the past.
MikeinATL
February 1st, 2013
2:17 pm
Joey, if you take the guns away, people will find another way. Ask yourself what would have happened in aurora or newtown if the killer had used a bomb instead. Incidentally the worst school killing in US history involved a bombing in Michigan in the 1920’s.
A person intent on doing harm will find a way to get it done.
Sigh
February 1st, 2013
4:34 pm
I’m an Obama voter who is generally liberal but this is totally on the people, not the the system or government. The first post is entirely correct: stupid kids raising stupid kids and people try to blame it on poverty. Give me a break. There are more than enough poor people who don’t turn their children into wannabe gangsters. This will continue forever unless these communities take responsibility for raising their kids. Everything else is a convenient excuse.
I WILL say that RE: Chicago’s strict guns law, I believe in pretty restrictive gun laws, but also respect that having a handgun or shotgun for protection is both a right and a smart way to deter criminals. The problem with Chicago’s rules is that people just bring in guns from states that have lax regulations so what you get is an enclave (Chicago) that disarms most legal residents but at the same time can’t restrict the flow of illegal weapons to criminals. In order for gun control to be effective (like in Britain, like in Australia) we need it to be a national effort. Universal background checks and limiting clip size to like 15 should be an easy thing to agree on: keep your assault rifles if you want.
Oh but that won’t fix Chicago.
Starik
February 1st, 2013
5:33 pm
According to the police the shooting – in Atlanta – was indeed gang related. The weapon was a Walther, a small, concealable semi-auto that shoots relatively low-powered ammunition. These things cost $600-800 new, so it;s likely the gun was stolen.
bootney farnsworth
February 1st, 2013
6:55 pm
may have been gang related…
imagine
bootney farnsworth
February 1st, 2013
7:43 pm
@ mountain man
this is an educated guess, based on discussions I’ve had with people over the years. to truly know, I suppose you’d have to ask one of the enablers.
basically, it seems to be three things with the common denominator of the enables being low information citizens
-1 they (inner city black folks who enable this behavior) don’t trust the larger society, including blacks who get out
-2 a learned response. like the grasshopper who doesn’t jump out of a glass because it doesn’t think it can
-3 nothing compelling them to change their behaviors
Private Citizen
February 1st, 2013
10:03 pm
If you want to fix urban crime, take the money out of illegal drug sales. It is really that simple. As long as a street market exists for drugs, there will be urban kids with hundreds of dollars in their pocket and shoot-em-up to go with it. Just like in Mexico. If they sold dope at the pharmacy, or government dispensary or whatever, someone needs to take responsibility to the problem that street drugs are only available via street merchants. There. I just fixed the problem.
donttakemygun
February 1st, 2013
10:10 pm
Student shot at Morehouse pickup basketball game – 2/1. I didnt know they let white folks go to Morehouse.
Man stabbed in Athens over a cigarette – 1/31. Man can only identify suspect by his street name. How many whiteys do you know with street names? We need to quickly convene Congress and the pathetic excuse for a President and outlaw knives and cigarettes.
bootney farnsworth
February 2nd, 2013
8:40 am
@ donttakemygun
if I had posted that, it would be in moderation from now until anyone cares about the Hawks
bootney farnsworth
February 2nd, 2013
9:32 am
@ maureen, and anyone else who might see this:
are you ever gonna let my posts which are even remotely out of your political line see the light of day? do us all the courtesey of letting me know, publically, so we can put an end to this foolishness.
just like I should able to confront my accuser- you- and demand proof of claims of racism, everyone else out there should know in so many words what happens if you dare cross the invisible alleged AJC line
while this is totally within our rights to censor this as you see fit, it is stunning to see how one sided and politically punitive this blog is becoming. this is an intellectual censorship mixed with a healthy dose of prior restraint. your perogative, but one you’d not stand for if imposed upon you.
this blog hovers on the edge of moving from discussion to bully pulpit/propaganda.
if you-the AJC- are not willing to have an honest, and occasionally contentious discussion on matters affected by race, you should either not go there at all or post very clearly what people can and can not say.
I will say yet again. if you will point out specifics on my alleged racist commentary, and do it in public forum, I will be glad to walk with you point by through them. if you can show where I have stated anything that all blacks are genetically and otherwise inferior due to their pigment, I will genuninely and openly apologise to this blogging community and withdraw from commentary.
note: I know the actual definition of racism, and do not acknowledge the political twisting of the term.
if, however, you can not meet this challenge, I would expect the same apology, agreeing to disagree, and an end to moderating or flat out deleting my posts.
if this helps, I think we’re both guilty of taunting each other, and for my part I apologise
I suppose it boils down to this: place for debate and discussion, or propaganda ministry.
Private Citizen
February 2nd, 2013
11:17 am
hey Bootney, that’s the new thing from big power, using testimony from an “anonymous expert” to discredit a person who is prohibited from questioning the “anonymous expert.” People are saying the USA is not a plutocracy, whatever that means. Seen this commentary several places. What does it mean?
“the rule or power of wealth or of the wealthy. 2. a government or state in which the wealthy class rules. 3. a class or group ruling, or exercising power or influence”
Private Citizen
February 2nd, 2013
11:18 am
typo correction: “People are saying the USA is now a plutocracy, whatever that means.”
Pride and Joy
February 3rd, 2013
8:24 pm
What is happening? Get Schooled asks.
People who have guns intend to use them. That’s what they are made to do — shoot people. That’s why people buy them — to shoot someone.
What can we do to stop it?
Outlaw guns.
Just Sayin
February 4th, 2013
1:05 pm
I have gotten to the point where I just don’t want to read the comments section anymore. I used to love to read how others think and feel about a tpoic. Now I can barely stomach them. They mostly devolve into a few people stating their opinions over and over again, a forum for people to put down another race, or a political soap box rant. It’s just sad. A lot of posters make good points, but they rant so much that they have lost credibility. That’s why people call them racist or judgmental. My god some of the posters on here go on like they have the best lives in the world and that if the world would only “listen to me” or “do as I do” things would be fine. Just because you are stating what you feel is the truth, doesn’t mean that is isn’t racist or hurtful. The fact that you bring it up constantly shows where you stand. Don’t lie to yourself.
Ole Guy
February 4th, 2013
5:25 pm
What’s changed in kids’ lives over the years? Absolutely nothing…well, almost nothing. Did kids have no other pure thoughts, back in the “old days”, than to inflict some flavor of harm upon others? You better damn well believe it! So just exactly what has changed? DISCIPLINE AND CONSEQUENCE FOR ONES’ BEHAVIOR.
We can all talk about the issues, but when it comes down to actually taking the medicine, we all shrivel in contempt toward the OLE FASHIONED WAYS OF CONTROLLING KIDS’ BEHAVIORS; as I have so-often implored, there simply ain’t no other way. You can read stories, play games, and pray all you want, kids will only react to the world about in favorable manner when the alternative will surely result in extremely undesirable outcome. For (probably) the vast majority of kids, this translates to what has become known as “tough love”, which may run the gambit from complete restriction, whereupon their lives are limited to home and school, with no toys, tv, computers, phones, bagpipes, or any semblence of fun…to…a good smack on the six/a healthy good ole fashioned paddling.
At some point, the kid, with full knowledge that inappropriate behavior will surely result in “woe”, will stop and THINK, “Do I really want to do this”…it’s called DISCIPLINE, something which, unfortunately, remains entirely foreign in much of the adult world.
Try it, people…you might just be surprised with the outcome; at the same time, your kid just may start developing a sense discipline and respect for both himself and the world about…with all its blemishes.
kevin
February 5th, 2013
7:45 am
What is gone wrong with our schools that shootings has been done one right after another. There is a saying that those of us who make comments needs to also have some solutions. The second amendment is at the forefront; but also, abuse of the amendment gives way to make some recommendations on how and what to do when children and adults are losing their lives; even some bystanders. No child should be carrying a gun, nor have one in their possession. Those who are being bully or those who are being forced to do things with others needs to be seriously investigated. I do know that America is sending the wrong message to our children…and adults as well. Have we got so evil and nasty that we think guns are the answers…it look’s like America is returning to the “wild-west” ALL WE NEED NOW IS OUR HORSES AND A SHOW DOWN RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF ALL OF OUR CITIES. MAY THE FASTEST MAN WIN. AND BY THE WAY, WE ALL CAN LINE THE STREET TO SEE THESE GUN FIGHTS; BECAUSE THAT IS WHAT IT IS COMING TOO!