NardDogNation wrote:

meloshouldgo wrote:The world is slowly going to hell in front if our eyes. Too much hatred, mistrust, conspiracy and violence. We need action but it's hard to define what action. Feels like more and more people are becoming less and less reasonable everyday. The media is just playing along, our leadership is broken, they have no political capital or goodwill left. There is also a lot more stress on people in their day to day lives than ever before, so everyone is already on edge all the time. People's faith in things that used to work is eroding fast. If there is a solution it will come from people coming together and declaring war on anything and everything that divides us. Good to see Melo's speech.

...the world's been going to hell for a long time. At this point, the only thing that seriously poses a threat to ending it all is global warming/climate change. That aside, what we're seeing happen socially is nothing new....we are just more conscious of the world around us because of technological advancements and the fact that a select few no longer have the ability to whitewash events and control narratives.

So now you're able to see that Black people haven't been lying for centuries about police brutality and the widespread influence of systemic racist. Now you're able to understand the scope of the military industrial complex and see how it leads us into bogus wars. Etc.

newyorknewyork wrote:Great job by Melo.

These athletes though need to pool money together and find ways to put some things in place to create and fund the needed change. My suggestion would be creating businesses like supermarkets, housing, medical practices, mechanics etc.. in highly populated urban areas. Use there fame and visibility to promote the support of these specific businesses from the population. With the purpose of doing so not to make certain people rich. But to use profits to reinvest in the community and develop and fund low cost or free (if possible) private schools and after school programs. Developing children from day care to 6th grade. The police force should be highly involved with the private schools to gain familiarity with the children and families. The hope would be the the children would become that when they reach middle school level there test scores would excel and force a raise in funding for public schools. If possible though to generate enough money where private schooling could be through high school level even better. Then the hope would be to generate more educated and college ready children who can become the leaders of urban communities like mayors and police commish, judges, governors etc.. among other things.

In America we have

A majority white police force
majority white judicial demographic
majority white government
majority white Tv and news networks
Basically all real decision makers, positions of power, are majority white

Can we really expect this layout to have the best interest of blacks in America who they don't relate to over favoring who they do relate to? The results are what they are. African American children being tried as adults more then any other race for the same crimes. The African American image and history inaccurately portrayed.

Sure with enough constant fighting and some band aids will be put in place. But the truth of the matter is African Americans need to use the freedom we do have to establish our own.

You mentioned more young blacks are tried as adults, and you touched on the biggest problem that perpetuates this cycle of poverty and poor family structure (in my opinion). Jail is a death sentence. NOBODY comes out of jail rehabilitated. They come out worse. Young men go into jail and come out career criminals. There is no bigger negative force than drugs+white justice system = jails full of minorities. Those drug laws need to change also plain and simple. They are nothing but an attack on the poor and the colored. Whites go to rehab. Blacks go to jail (only a LOT of money changes this). Blacks leave jail 10x worse than when they went in. Whites leave rehab to open arms like they have actually phucking accomplished something. The best part about that is now it doesnt matter if a white cop shoots that black man, because after all he's a convicted felon.

You pick a scab long enough its gonna bleed. That is what we are seeing now. It may get worse, and sometimes things have to. Sometimes the message needs to be as ugly as it has been, with innocent law enforcement being killed... good men and women with families who actually believe in protecting the community. That is a horrible horrible thing, but that is the level of the anger, of the mistreatment. This is real and it is happening. There is nothing right about it, but honestly... there is shock but who is surprised? I have seen this coming for years.

What I thought made Melo's message special was that EVERYONE needs to change. Its not as simple as changing some laws or funneling money into community centers or political bull**** that lets white politicians waive their flags and demonstrate how much they are helping the communities. Its everyone. Everyone must open their eyes to this world and what they are doing to make it better or worse.

newyorknewyork wrote:Great job by Melo.

These athletes though need to pool money together and find ways to put some things in place to create and fund the needed change. My suggestion would be creating businesses like supermarkets, housing, medical practices, mechanics etc.. in highly populated urban areas. Use there fame and visibility to promote the support of these specific businesses from the population. With the purpose of doing so not to make certain people rich. But to use profits to reinvest in the community and develop and fund low cost or free (if possible) private schools and after school programs. Developing children from day care to 6th grade. The police force should be highly involved with the private schools to gain familiarity with the children and families. The hope would be the the children would become that when they reach middle school level there test scores would excel and force a raise in funding for public schools. If possible though to generate enough money where private schooling could be through high school level even better. Then the hope would be to generate more educated and college ready children who can become the leaders of urban communities like mayors and police commish, judges, governors etc.. among other things.

In America we have

A majority white police force
majority white judicial demographic
majority white government
majority white Tv and news networks
Basically all real decision makers, positions of power, are majority white

Can we really expect this layout to have the best interest of blacks in America who they don't relate to over favoring who they do relate to? The results are what they are. African American children being tried as adults more then any other race for the same crimes. The African American image and history inaccurately portrayed.

Sure with enough constant fighting and some band aids will be put in place. But the truth of the matter is African Americans need to use the freedom we do have to establish our own.

Great post....100% agreed...

fishmike wrote:

NardDogNation wrote:

meloshouldgo wrote:The world is slowly going to hell in front if our eyes. Too much hatred, mistrust, conspiracy and violence. We need action but it's hard to define what action. Feels like more and more people are becoming less and less reasonable everyday. The media is just playing along, our leadership is broken, they have no political capital or goodwill left. There is also a lot more stress on people in their day to day lives than ever before, so everyone is already on edge all the time. People's faith in things that used to work is eroding fast. If there is a solution it will come from people coming together and declaring war on anything and everything that divides us. Good to see Melo's speech.

...the world's been going to hell for a long time. At this point, the only thing that seriously poses a threat to ending it all is global warming/climate change. That aside, what we're seeing happen socially is nothing new....we are just more conscious of the world around us because of technological advancements and the fact that a select few no longer have the ability to whitewash events and control narratives.

So now you're able to see that Black people haven't been lying for centuries about police brutality and the widespread influence of systemic racist. Now you're able to understand the scope of the military industrial complex and see how it leads us into bogus wars. Etc.

Nard I agree.... the only REAL chance has been that now everyone, even if your below poverty level, walks around with a camera and video recorder. It can no longer be buried or pretended to not exist. Details cant be muddled with rhetoric. We live in an age of transparency. Everything is out there for all to see. What has changed is we are all closer. NYC is no longer a different world from the deep south. We see their lives and they see ours. Now the melting pot is glass, and everyone can see through the walls, and there is some ugly stuff. Its not ALL ugly, there is a ton of good, but the ugly cant be ignored and depth of it is out there for all to see.

It's now contingent on us to protect the old with the new because while we have the means to uncover truths, the ability to do so is being attacked. While morons are ranting and raving about an assault on the 2nd amendment (right to bare arms AS A WELL ORGANIZED MILITIA), no one particularly gives a **** about the coordinated attacks on the 1st (our right to free speech and expression) and 4th (the right to privacy/improper search and seizure). I've been hearing too many cases reaching Federal Courts that are disavowing these basic rights, the most recent and egregious of which has made it illegal to record cops, even if they are doing illegal things themselves.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/volokh-conspiracy/wp/2016/02/23/no-first-amendment-right-to-videorecord-police-unless-you-are-challenging-the-police-at-the-time/

Let's also not forget the steps that are also being taken to criminalize being a whistle blower, which also is undermining public interests and helps to further this status quo. That being said, the next step of this fight has to be legal because all these technological advancements will be for naught if they can't be utilized to identify the bad agents of the state.

CashMoney wrote:

newyorknewyork wrote:Great job by Melo.

These athletes though need to pool money together and find ways to put some things in place to create and fund the needed change. My suggestion would be creating businesses like supermarkets, housing, medical practices, mechanics etc.. in highly populated urban areas. Use there fame and visibility to promote the support of these specific businesses from the population. With the purpose of doing so not to make certain people rich. But to use profits to reinvest in the community and develop and fund low cost or free (if possible) private schools and after school programs. Developing children from day care to 6th grade. The police force should be highly involved with the private schools to gain familiarity with the children and families. The hope would be the the children would become that when they reach middle school level there test scores would excel and force a raise in funding for public schools. If possible though to generate enough money where private schooling could be through high school level even better. Then the hope would be to generate more educated and college ready children who can become the leaders of urban communities like mayors and police commish, judges, governors etc.. among other things.

In America we have

A majority white police force
majority white judicial demographic
majority white government
majority white Tv and news networks
Basically all real decision makers, positions of power, are majority white

Can we really expect this layout to have the best interest of blacks in America who they don't relate to over favoring who they do relate to? The results are what they are. African American children being tried as adults more then any other race for the same crimes. The African American image and history inaccurately portrayed.

Sure with enough constant fighting and some band aids will be put in place. But the truth of the matter is African Americans need to use the freedom we do have to establish our own.

Makes sense when you consider that the US population is 77.35% white wouldn't you say?

63% and declining*. But I agree with the premise of your post. And as I said, I find far more solidarity with certain white men (e.g. Bernie Sanders, Ralph Nader, Bobby Kennedy, etc.) than I do with certain black men (e.g. anyone of them that is found on Fox News) as a Black man.

newyorknewyork wrote:

fishmike wrote:

newyorknewyork wrote:Great job by Melo.

These athletes though need to pool money together and find ways to put some things in place to create and fund the needed change. My suggestion would be creating businesses like supermarkets, housing, medical practices, mechanics etc.. in highly populated urban areas. Use there fame and visibility to promote the support of these specific businesses from the population. With the purpose of doing so not to make certain people rich. But to use profits to reinvest in the community and develop and fund low cost or free (if possible) private schools and after school programs. Developing children from day care to 6th grade. The police force should be highly involved with the private schools to gain familiarity with the children and families. The hope would be the the children would become that when they reach middle school level there test scores would excel and force a raise in funding for public schools. If possible though to generate enough money where private schooling could be through high school level even better. Then the hope would be to generate more educated and college ready children who can become the leaders of urban communities like mayors and police commish, judges, governors etc.. among other things.

In America we have

A majority white police force
majority white judicial demographic
majority white government
majority white Tv and news networks
Basically all real decision makers, positions of power, are majority white

Can we really expect this layout to have the best interest of blacks in America who they don't relate to over favoring who they do relate to? The results are what they are. African American children being tried as adults more then any other race for the same crimes. The African American image and history inaccurately portrayed.

Sure with enough constant fighting and some band aids will be put in place. But the truth of the matter is African Americans need to use the freedom we do have to establish our own.

I agree... and much of the white majority is waiting for the black community to lift themselves by the bootstraps off the ground. Something that no matter what the effort is impossible, and its not a level playing field.

You mentioned more young blacks are tried as adults, and you touched on the biggest problem that perpetuates this cycle of poverty and poor family structure (in my opinion). Jail is a death sentence. NOBODY comes out of jail rehabilitated. They come out worse. Young men go into jail and come out career criminals. There is no bigger negative force than drugs+white justice system = jails full of minorities. Those drug laws need to change also plain and simple. They are nothing but an attack on the poor and the colored. Whites go to rehab. Blacks go to jail (only a LOT of money changes this). Blacks leave jail 10x worse than when they went in. Whites leave rehab to open arms like they have actually phucking accomplished something. The best part about that is now it doesnt matter if a white cop shoots that black man, because after all he's a convicted felon.

You pick a scab long enough its gonna bleed. That is what we are seeing now. It may get worse, and sometimes things have to. Sometimes the message needs to be as ugly as it has been, with innocent law enforcement being killed... good men and women with families who actually believe in protecting the community. That is a horrible horrible thing, but that is the level of the anger, of the mistreatment. This is real and it is happening. There is nothing right about it, but honestly... there is shock but who is surprised? I have seen this coming for years.

What I thought made Melo's message special was that EVERYONE needs to change. Its not as simple as changing some laws or funneling money into community centers or political bull**** that lets white politicians waive their flags and demonstrate how much they are helping the communities. Its everyone. Everyone must open their eyes to this world and what they are doing to make it better or worse.

There was a time when blacks did in fact invest deeply in there community and created black wall street. The dollar would circulate 36-100 times within the community and a single dollar could circulate within the community for up to a whole yr. Money circulating like that within a community is key. It was bombed with an air strike and burned to the ground. Today money leaves the black community every 6 hours. While it maintains in Asian communities for a month, Jewish every 20 days, White every 17 days.

The destruction of one of the most successful black communities(communities in general) and huge disparity later on demonstrates that it has been systematically planned out to be so within the black community. And I'm not even getting into the drugs and guns that flooded the communities. But at the same time we allow a lot of this to happen. And a lot of that has to do with buying into the image and history of blacks that we have been sold.

Throwing African Americans in jail starting at a young age with a horrible rehabilitation system generating career criminals. Taking away rights to vote, reducing there ability to land quality and earn higher salaries, ruining family structure. (Rant: People often rebuttal that they should just not do crime as if blacks are not human and prone to make mistakes just like every other human. Yet blacks have to pay the penalty for it more then others). Whites are steered away from jail for these same exact reasons. Its waaaaay to systematically structured in order to eliminate the African American threat. And African Americans are viewed as a threat because we are the only ones who can actually challenge and change how government runs. And we aren't even looking for power like that. We just don't want to be thrown in jail while other races get off or murdered while other races are apprehended. To be treated as equals. So that we aren't passed over for jobs even with college degrees because our names sound black.

I agree with everything you said but how much of this has to do with a crisis of identity? I ask because there seems to be so little that links us beyond the color of our skin. The only time there feels like there is any unity IS when there is some event that threatens our own individual interests e.g. police randomly killing black men or Republicans doing something republican-y. It feels that the "community" is reactionary instead of being proactive and if that is really the case, I don't see how anything positive can be done. Because that attitude/mentality prevents broader based intiatives that require a great deal of energy and coordination.

CashMoney wrote:

newyorknewyork wrote:Great job by Melo.

These athletes though need to pool money together and find ways to put some things in place to create and fund the needed change. My suggestion would be creating businesses like supermarkets, housing, medical practices, mechanics etc.. in highly populated urban areas. Use there fame and visibility to promote the support of these specific businesses from the population. With the purpose of doing so not to make certain people rich. But to use profits to reinvest in the community and develop and fund low cost or free (if possible) private schools and after school programs. Developing children from day care to 6th grade. The police force should be highly involved with the private schools to gain familiarity with the children and families. The hope would be the the children would become that when they reach middle school level there test scores would excel and force a raise in funding for public schools. If possible though to generate enough money where private schooling could be through high school level even better. Then the hope would be to generate more educated and college ready children who can become the leaders of urban communities like mayors and police commish, judges, governors etc.. among other things.

In America we have

A majority white police force
majority white judicial demographic
majority white government
majority white Tv and news networks
Basically all real decision makers, positions of power, are majority white

Can we really expect this layout to have the best interest of blacks in America who they don't relate to over favoring who they do relate to? The results are what they are. African American children being tried as adults more then any other race for the same crimes. The African American image and history inaccurately portrayed.

Sure with enough constant fighting and some band aids will be put in place. But the truth of the matter is African Americans need to use the freedom we do have to establish our own.

Makes sense when you consider that the US population is 77.35% white wouldn't you say?

That wasn't necessarily the point. I wasn't saying they are unfairly in position of power. I'm saying can anyone really expect this layout to have the best interest of blacks in America. I don't think we can, protesting and asking majority whites in position of power to create or change a few rules here and there isn't going to fix the root of our problems. We need to start depending on ourselves.

Most help needed schools which are majority Urban don't get the necessary funding. We have to come to the realization that we cannot depend on anyone to help African Americans but African Americans and start building and funding our own private schools. That is the reality. We can't even trust donating to public schools just ask Zuckerberg.

NardDogNation wrote:

newyorknewyork wrote:

fishmike wrote:

newyorknewyork wrote:Great job by Melo.

These athletes though need to pool money together and find ways to put some things in place to create and fund the needed change. My suggestion would be creating businesses like supermarkets, housing, medical practices, mechanics etc.. in highly populated urban areas. Use there fame and visibility to promote the support of these specific businesses from the population. With the purpose of doing so not to make certain people rich. But to use profits to reinvest in the community and develop and fund low cost or free (if possible) private schools and after school programs. Developing children from day care to 6th grade. The police force should be highly involved with the private schools to gain familiarity with the children and families. The hope would be the the children would become that when they reach middle school level there test scores would excel and force a raise in funding for public schools. If possible though to generate enough money where private schooling could be through high school level even better. Then the hope would be to generate more educated and college ready children who can become the leaders of urban communities like mayors and police commish, judges, governors etc.. among other things.

In America we have

A majority white police force
majority white judicial demographic
majority white government
majority white Tv and news networks
Basically all real decision makers, positions of power, are majority white

Can we really expect this layout to have the best interest of blacks in America who they don't relate to over favoring who they do relate to? The results are what they are. African American children being tried as adults more then any other race for the same crimes. The African American image and history inaccurately portrayed.

Sure with enough constant fighting and some band aids will be put in place. But the truth of the matter is African Americans need to use the freedom we do have to establish our own.

I agree... and much of the white majority is waiting for the black community to lift themselves by the bootstraps off the ground. Something that no matter what the effort is impossible, and its not a level playing field.

You mentioned more young blacks are tried as adults, and you touched on the biggest problem that perpetuates this cycle of poverty and poor family structure (in my opinion). Jail is a death sentence. NOBODY comes out of jail rehabilitated. They come out worse. Young men go into jail and come out career criminals. There is no bigger negative force than drugs+white justice system = jails full of minorities. Those drug laws need to change also plain and simple. They are nothing but an attack on the poor and the colored. Whites go to rehab. Blacks go to jail (only a LOT of money changes this). Blacks leave jail 10x worse than when they went in. Whites leave rehab to open arms like they have actually phucking accomplished something. The best part about that is now it doesnt matter if a white cop shoots that black man, because after all he's a convicted felon.

You pick a scab long enough its gonna bleed. That is what we are seeing now. It may get worse, and sometimes things have to. Sometimes the message needs to be as ugly as it has been, with innocent law enforcement being killed... good men and women with families who actually believe in protecting the community. That is a horrible horrible thing, but that is the level of the anger, of the mistreatment. This is real and it is happening. There is nothing right about it, but honestly... there is shock but who is surprised? I have seen this coming for years.

What I thought made Melo's message special was that EVERYONE needs to change. Its not as simple as changing some laws or funneling money into community centers or political bull**** that lets white politicians waive their flags and demonstrate how much they are helping the communities. Its everyone. Everyone must open their eyes to this world and what they are doing to make it better or worse.

There was a time when blacks did in fact invest deeply in there community and created black wall street. The dollar would circulate 36-100 times within the community and a single dollar could circulate within the community for up to a whole yr. Money circulating like that within a community is key. It was bombed with an air strike and burned to the ground. Today money leaves the black community every 6 hours. While it maintains in Asian communities for a month, Jewish every 20 days, White every 17 days.

The destruction of one of the most successful black communities(communities in general) and huge disparity later on demonstrates that it has been systematically planned out to be so within the black community. And I'm not even getting into the drugs and guns that flooded the communities. But at the same time we allow a lot of this to happen. And a lot of that has to do with buying into the image and history of blacks that we have been sold.

Throwing African Americans in jail starting at a young age with a horrible rehabilitation system generating career criminals. Taking away rights to vote, reducing there ability to land quality and earn higher salaries, ruining family structure. (Rant: People often rebuttal that they should just not do crime as if blacks are not human and prone to make mistakes just like every other human. Yet blacks have to pay the penalty for it more then others). Whites are steered away from jail for these same exact reasons. Its waaaaay to systematically structured in order to eliminate the African American threat. And African Americans are viewed as a threat because we are the only ones who can actually challenge and change how government runs. And we aren't even looking for power like that. We just don't want to be thrown in jail while other races get off or murdered while other races are apprehended. To be treated as equals. So that we aren't passed over for jobs even with college degrees because our names sound black.

I agree with everything you said but how much of this has to do with a crisis of identity? I ask because there seems to be so little that links us beyond the color of our skin. The only time there feels like there is any unity IS when there is some event that threatens our own individual interests e.g. police randomly killing black men or Republicans doing something republican-y. It feels that the "community" is reactionary instead of being proactive and if that is really the case, I don't see how anything positive can be done. Because that attitude/mentality prevents broader based intiatives that require a great deal of energy and coordination.

You are 100% correct. And it all starts with first gaining knowledge of our accurate history as a people. We have been conditioned to believe that we have always been poor, helpless, mindless, savages. And we have allowed our culture to be manipulated into believing and promoting such.

CashMoney wrote:

NardDogNation wrote:

nykshaknbake wrote:What's sad now is that all the stereotyping and biased are being made to be true. Black people killing police because they are police will cause police to be more trigger happy with black people in general, So both sides will be right. Blacks will be more dangerous to police officers on the job and police officers will be more dangerous to black people. This will be fed and encouraged by our politicians and media. No way out of this one.

Police were already trigger-happy with Black people. That's why we've reached this boiling point. Even my Bryant Gumbel-sounding ass has had a police officer threaten to draw on him because I reached for my ID....which the idiot instructed me to do. I guess speeding 15mph over the limit (on a ****ing parkway) makes me a dangerous criminal.

Statistically speaking whites are killed more often by police than black people. Non whites (blacks, Hispanics, Asians, etc.) commit 90% of all violent crime in the USA. Since white people commit less violent crime yet are killed more often by police one could argue that being white is more likely to get you killed by police.

I find it interesting that the main stream media is all over the MN and LA shooting but little attention is being given to the black off duty officer that shot and killed an unarmed black man in Brooklyn or the Fresno shooting where police shot and killed Dylan Noble, an unarmed white teenager.

I could get more into this as well as media bias and BS but have to leave for work but I'll be happy to discuss further manana if I have any takers. BTW, not trying to stir anything up but as a minority and a member of law enforcement I'm finding it harder and harder to hold my tongue.

And since it seems you're unaware of the context for the outrage being felt across the country, this video will help clarify...

WaltLongmire wrote:Seems that most political activism from "celebrities," and a guy like Melo is a celebrity, has come out of the arts.

I know that Jimmy Brown always used to get on guys like Jordan and OJ for taking no stands politically while they were active. Jabbar was outspoken politically in his day, but you rarely see athletes doing anything these days.

Anthony touched on it when he talked about how there should be no concern over losing endorsements- that might have been directed toward a guy like Jordan, who spoke about the fact that both Democrats and Republicans bought his sneakers.

Despite what Barkley said years ago, athletes are role models for younger people, and what they say and how they carry themselves can influence people- especially young people. Was also happy to hear Noah comment on what is happening.

Have to feel a little proud that this is coming from a local NYC pro athlete, and you hope that a number of prominent stars, both black and white, get involved.

Anthony's letter hit the right notes, I think...I just feel that there needs to be a concerted effort to organize a movement, or he's just going to be spitting into the wind.

Political action and economic actions such as boycotts must be considered, and athletes might have to sacrifice time and even money for the cause.

I still find the moment below to be one of the most stirring that I ever witnessed. I was only 13 when it happened, and being a white boy living in a white town in Long Island, I don't think I fully understood the meaning of the gesture, but the image still sticks into my head, and as an adult, I more fully understand what it took for Carlos and Smith to do what they did.

Will be interested to see if Anthony has set off an "Athletes Summer" that leads to some positive and enduring change.

Well said