Posted on 06/16/2015 3:21:43 AM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
This Memorial Day weekend marked a historic uptick in violence in many U.S. cities. Three cities seem to symbolize our national woes the most—Baltimore, Chicago and Ferguson. In Baltimore nine people were killed and 29 shot. Chicago marked 12 killed and 44 wounded. The police in Baltimore and the other cities seem to be moving with unprecedented caution. Further, self-initiated policing has slowed down significantly. The morale of law enforcement officers is at a decadal low. Therefore, both violent and petty crimes may flourish in several "hot spot" cities this summer. In Ferguson, sky rocketing crime rates continue despite greater civic involvement by citizens and a massive change in municipal personnel. Law enforcement seems to be becoming more difficult in key cities.
Does the violence in these cities mark the unofficial beginning of a new season of urban violence? Is this the beginning of the worst season of both rioting and lawlessness the US has seen since 1968 after the assassination of Dr. King? Last September I wrote that rioting in DC was possible after the Ferguson riots broke out in August 2014. I had no idea that there would be such a dramatic increase in both incendiary rhetoric and demonstrations. Our cities are still vulnerable to problems and riots. 175 metro areas supported the "hands up don't shoot" initiative and 50 cities protested the death of Eric Garner with "I can't breathe" demonstrations. A myriad of cell phone videos from South Carolina to Mckinney, Texas have started to erode public respect for our policemen. There is no reason why there will not be more riots and spontaneous violence this summer—except for the grace of God.
We can turn this bus around, though! But it must be done very decisively and strategically. Smoldering "urban anger" is still burning. This is not just a race problem. There is an interplay between class, poverty and race. When all three of these things converge, people feel disenfranchised and excluded from the American dream.
As I discuss urban tensions at the water cooler or with my friends around the country, I find that black friends sometimes blame whites and invisible social barriers. Whites often declare that everything goes back to family break down or a lack of respect for authority. The family structure declaration is a great analysis but offers no immediate steps of action to mitigate the problems before us.
Part of the answer to the problem has to do with healing the huge sense of outrage and injustice that is felt among impoverished urban dwellers. Much has been said in the news about the debate concerning criminal justice reform. Many people believe that we are simply addressing problems of policing when we use the term "Criminal Justice Reform." The truth of the matter is that there are a myriad of minor adjustments to our systems that could create a greater sense of justice and peace in urban America.
Part of our dilemma is that we live in a society that is quick to label and stigmatize. Similarly, we can be slow to extend the hand of restoration, acceptance and forgiveness. There are over 65 million Americans with a criminal record in the U.S. today. Over 70 percent of ex-offenders have committed nonviolent crimes.
Once these people have served their time, they need to have an opportunity for redemption and to restore their lives. They need a shot at achieving their God-given potential. Eric Garner of New York was an excellent example of someone who was just not going to submit to being arrested again. His experiences with the legal system and his dealings with police no doubt entered into his decision to "buck authority" in Staten Island on the fateful day of his death.
To avoid urban riots this summer we need three things urgently: 1.) Regional prayer gatherings that make an appeal to heaven for justice and divine intervention; 2.) summer jobs for urban youth; 3.) grass-roots leaders need to come together and create local strategies to make their communities safer.
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Harry R. Jackson Jr. is senior pastor of 3,000-member Hope Christian Church in the nation's capital. Jackson, who earned an MBA from Harvard, is a best-selling author and popular conference speaker. He leads the High-Impact Leadership Coalition.
Elect Commies!
Your idea of a new CCC program might work, as long as it is not voluntary. Everyone over 18 who is not in school or employed in a full-time job would have to be required to serve in the new CCC.
Liberals like to say people are not bad, it’s their environment (Remember those Cambodian re-education camps?). So get these unfortunate “youths,” of whatever race, ethnicity, or social class, and put them in a new environment.
Of course, with liberals in charge, it would just be daycare with bigger chairs and “nap” mats. So your first problem would be to have an actual work program.
Agree, but for my “list of three” I chose the theme of things government now does that directly block access to labor markets for those who need jobs the most. Wage mandates, union-friendly laws and licensing requirements do that directly. Welfare does that indirectly, by providing an inducement for choosing not to work.
If welfare was there just as a safety net for an amount small enough that people would still seek work even for very low pay, then I would support that. But yes, as it is now, scrap it.
Blacks have been killing each other by the dozens in the inner cities for months now. It isn't a portent of a summer of rioting.
They usually mean fake government jobs
probably spend their time working for leftist causes
The urban youth who are the cause of these problems are unemployable.
They live in a world of drugs and hos and have no sense of responsibility or hard work.
Many here say we should “train them” rather than having people come here on visas to do coding. Can you imagine trying to “train” a typical ghetto dweller to program a computer? How would that work? Is there an injection now that doubles the I.Q. of someone? Do we send them back through K-12 and this time they actually study and learn? Meanwhile, the employer has no one to do that coding.
But there is too much money to be made, to many college grants to get, to many political offices to win by feeding rather than healing this BS sense of outrage blah blah blah.
Yep. Their seething anger alone makes them unsuitable for being around civilized humans. And then there’s the problem of keeping them sober.
I've never seen a president so intent on fostering race riots and excusing criminal behavior.
Just trying to help his people.
Garbage leaches that they may be.
I see that with jobs in restaurants, car washes, etc.; unskilled jobs are being done by adult illegals. The regulations you mention play a part, but I believe they just moved the age up from 14 to 16 (or something along those lines). One problem that might tie in to that is the number of hours an employer needs versus the number a student is allowed to work.
Yes, companies are expected to make up for 12 years of not learning anything at all. I have co-workers like this; I teach them nothing beyond what is required to get the job done (and this is relatively simple clerical work). I have no time to, nor interest in, teaching people older than me how to speak English or solve rudimentary math problems. They may resent being in dead-end jobs, but in this economy they are lucky to have them; if those positions were open now we’d have much better candidates and these employees would never be selected.
One issue I’ve seen is where such people stay so long with a company that after decades they have accrued vacation time and pay far out of proportion to their position; many companies drop them first when things get tight. If money becomes available down the road, their replacement will be much cheaper.
Hard to do to union and government employees. When I left the state unemployment office I think I had almost 2 months a year of vacation per year plus oodles of sick leave & holidays. And my family medical/dental was a great plan and ridiculously low cost.
Sure; supposedly one of the reasons postal workers go over the edge is because supervisors, unable to fire them, simply ride them mercilessly. Nowadays a lot of those benefits (at least at the state and municipal level) are being rolled back because the taxpayers (who get the bill) are up in arms about them.
Once they were beginning to ride me for falling asleep at their boring staff meetings (turns out I had severe sleep apnea) and called me in to discipline me. I had recently purchased what was then called Pre-Paid Legal so I informed them who my attorney would be should they wish to pursue it. They all turned white as a sheet and I never heard another word about it as long as I was there.
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