Originally Posted by manaboutown (Post 1773856)

He plays the race card every chance he gets, even to evade taxes. Why is he "untouchable"?

Al Sharpton gets $1M in pay from his own charity, tax filings show | Fox News

People Jailed for Owing Less Taxes Than Al Sharpton | Fox Business

Originally Posted by Dust Bunny (Post 1773794)

This is just an excuse to loot stores. I remember Watts, in LA what a mess. Nothing has changed !

Originally Posted by davem4616 (Post 1773636)

I posted earlier in this thread that until the systemic underlying causes are addressed nothing will change....someone else also called out the need to address the 'root causes'...another individual jumped on that post asking for clarity on what the 'root causes' are.

this is not my area of study, nor profession, but IMHO... here's my shot at what some of the systemic issues just may be:

- these folks live with an absence of hope, folks in these communities have no expectation that their lives will ever change for the better

- education is totally under valued, it is not openly encouraged by parents nor the leaders in the community, yet openly discouraged by peer pressure, as a result there is no real learning...and it has little to do with the condition of the school building, teachers aren't able to teach

- the family unit has broken down

- drugs are rampant and gangs control the streets...the inner city deaths due to gang gun violence is horrific

- living off welfare has become a generational dependency, rather than being the helping hand to get up on your feet that was originally intended

- thugs like Al Sharpton that prop themselves up as leaders are merely in the game to line their own pockets....just like Adam Clayton Powell did for years in NYC

- the British couldn't handle a rioting mob back in Concord...some officer feared for their lives and shots were fired...nothings changed...our police are human beings, emotions are going to flare and things are going to happen that shouldn't

....not a very pretty picture is it....and these are just a few things

It's no wonder that these communities 'explode'...and destroy the very neighborhoods that they live in

each one of the above represent a huge, huge challenge

and what has our society been doing about it?

well, we keep on addressing the symptoms vs. the underlying systemic causes....yeah build a new school, yet do nothing about fostering respect for the teachers and for the value that an education brings by parents, grandparents, community leaders, elected officials...let's put the responsibility where it belongs and where it will do the most good

ya, start a war on drugs....all that does is push it further underground

continue to 'feel good' that we're listening to the likes of an Al Sharpton and giving him a voice (that crook should have been thrown in jail for tax evasion just like Al Capone was)

Bermuda also has a welfare system....it works because it doesn't create a dependency upon it like ours does....In Bermuda if you are unable to live a comfortable lifestyle because the job you have doesn't pay enough, the State will subsidize you so that you can. The only catch is that you have to have a full time job

If we continue to only address the symptoms nothing changes...it's just like "eating an English Breakfast" (it keeps coming back on you)

Hopefully greater minds than mine with the resources will focus on how to address the systemic underlying issues and put all the puzzle pieces together....

Originally Posted by mneumann02 (Post 1773913)

Agree with so much of what you said, especially "the family unit has broken down," which is the root cause of so much of the pain so many minorities suffer. And the suffering will continue until we change this. Too many fatherless families cause child discipline problems. Too many young girls, yes girls, having babies with no husband around condemns her to a life of poverty. Too many young people are taught to resist rather than comply- that racism is the root of all their problems when it is not. Lack of education is. If we can fix the family unit, we can fix the high school dropout rate. If we improve one's education, we improve job opportunities. Someone making $75,000/year is probably not rioting nor committing crimes. Here are two programs I never hear about- how about giving single mothers free child support and free tuition to go back to school and then a hard hitting program to better educate young girls that there is such a better life than having babies when you are barely old enough to drive?

Originally Posted by Stuart Zaikov (Post 1772916)

If the officers are guilty lock them up.

When the neighborhood uses this as an excuse to steal and destroy neighborhood business they are nothing but criminals and should be arrested. Why stand back and let the looting happen?

Originally Posted by anothersteve (Post 1773333)

I always wonder about the "outspoken" on any particular "cause" actually. Do they practice what they preach? Oh..... to be a fly on some walls!
Steve

Originally Posted by fdpaq0580 (Post 1773893)

I was living in LA at that time. It was ugly, terrifying and totally counterproductive as far as helping to unify people. The efforts of various groups trying to bridge the gap in understanding and compassion for our fellow man was thwarted. It was replaced with distrust, fear, anger and suspicion. I was in a school with students from all parts of LA and had friends from many backgrounds. After those riots a lot of friends were not friends anymore, they were just someone you used to know. It was incredibly sad.
The only ones who got anything out of it were the hate groups on all sides, pointing fingers at all the others saying, "see, you can't trust anyone." So, so incredibly sad.
Now a man is dead. His life cannot be restored to him. There will be no justice for him. And for the officers in question, it remains to be seen just what will happen, what will be determined. Our efforts, great or small, have been delivered a terrible blow as we continue to try and become a nation and a people truly United. May God help us.

Originally Posted by Tennisbum (Post 1772824)

Most are not protesting, just getting their hands on free things and destroying others property.
I saw that one was shot by a shop owner. Need a few more of those to slow them down. 10 people were murdered in Chicago over the weekend and nobody raised an eyebrow, go figure!

Originally Posted by carhirsch (Post 1773935)

I live half time in Minneapolis, the other half in The Villages. There are definitely outside agitators here with advanced skills In incitement and destruction.

Originally Posted by Paper1 (Post 1774001)

The line being promoted now is the looting and rioting is being done by out of state agitators and white supremacists are also involved. I watched a news clip this morning showing shoppers at a Minneapolis store with five flat screen taken out of a burning building and I can very confidently tell you they were not white supremacists although they could have been Canadians.

Originally Posted by ColdNoMore (Post 1773802)

Originally Posted by Ramone (Post 1773902)

I lived just south of twin cities for 60 years. Moved here to TV 3 years ago. I kept up with Minn politics since. The Mpls mayors office has been run by one rink a dink after another for over 20 years, opposing police and law and order. That is how they got voted in. Whites like the kid pretending to be mayor now, or the black, and females before him. All anti law and order mayors. Now last year an old liberal school teacher who again does not support law and order voted in as governor. Now, they can't put the genie back in the can. Other police agencies don't want to chip in and help because of this attitude that the perpetrators rights come first.