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Here here, now this is a leader that would have advanced the cause of Blacks in America.. and instead they hitch their fortunes to opportunists like Sharpton and Jackson.

Just today my wife and I, who recently purchased a rental property in a predominantly black and rental area of town, realized, the sheer lack of fundamental services local to these people... and how they get into cars and drive to other neighborhoods for many just basic services. Now I know it is a higher crime area than neighboring communities, but its not a war zone, or completely drug den, in fact this neighborhood in many cities across america would be considered relatively safe, and frankly it it largely is.

The opportunities are huge, in fact there are neighborhoods in this town, significant ones that don't even have a grocery store.... And what do these people do? Complain that the large chain in town won't open a store there and they have to trek miles away to get food... All of them in the community recognize the need, but not one among them is willing to open a store to serve the community... what is wrong with this picture?

In the 1950s and 1960s, the whites would bring services to these communities, and go home to live... now many of these communities have gotten so bad, many whites will not invest at all in these communities... and even still no one in these communities will invest in themselves... they will get into a car or hop on a bus to go to another community for basic services, rather than offer the service to their own community... and then they wonder why there is no economic activity in their communities etc.... Its truly sad.

you know what you can find in that neighborhood though? Three basement recording studios for local rappers to make albumns... but not one gas station, and if I am not mistaken there isn't even a laundrymat left in the neighborhood either..... go figure.

The opportunities are huge, in fact there are neighborhoods in this town, significant ones that don't even have a grocery store.... And what do these people do? Complain that the large chain in town won't open a store there and they have to trek miles away to get food... All of them in the community recognize the need, but not one among them is willing to open a store to serve the community... what is wrong with this picture?

The big chains won't open a store in a ghetto area for several reasons. The biggest is that it is much more expensive to do business there due to the increased need for security and the shoplifting losses. This means that they lose money if they charge the same prices as in the suburbs -- but if they charge more, they risk discrimination lawsuits and bad PR. So they stay away.

If it were possible to make a living running a retail place there, people would have done it. It generally isn't. It's not like there's a need for a huge capital outlay, either. Somebody could start a small operation out of their home for just their friends in the neighborhood -- get basics from a wholesaler in your pickup, sell at a moderate markup, operate as a sideline. But you don't hear about it.

All of them in the community recognize the need, but not one among them is willing to open a store to serve the community... what is wrong with this picture?

Because the ones who work hard, get ahead and save up enough money to open a store are going to move out and open a store in a middle class neighborhood just like everyone else.