why are you people talking about black on black crimes , and black and white people, i attend washington irving h.s , and the problem is between DOMINICANS AND BLACKS!!!! i dont know for some reason they just hate eachother .....i admit i do get kind of scared in irving ,the blacks and the dominicans just dont get along, and me being dominican i get alot of dirty looks alot times, and if you actually walk in the hall way of washington irving you will see that races separates themselves from eachother, the latinos have thei won crew, the blacks, even the asians only hang out with asians.. i just find it stupid and i just cant wait to get out of that school!!! im only a junior and im praying for 2008 to come so i can leave that school.. people say that high school years are you best years, but high school for me is hell!!!!like some lady said i will not have kids until i get enough money to get them into private school, hell no!!!!

this blog is gross because the jerkoffs who read it grow a pair of balls when theyre behind their computers and decide to write whatever meaningless crap they can come up with.

#23- That is exactly what the problem is..Not all white people HATE black people. BUT, there are many innocent white people who suffer for what white people did many years ago. Remember that many "white" people were poor immigrants from Europe who lived in slums as well. Many were opressed in thier own way. We aren't all the enemy as not all black people are thugs. So EVERYONE just needs to get over it.

Reality is there will always be ingorance amongt whites and blacks.

#103- I am sorry for what you witnessed. And I agree, this blog is gross.

This blog makes sick.

I work at Union Square, and what I saw was a lot of kids, full of emotion and passion and a sixteen year old boy lying on the ground, slowly bleeding to death.

My heart is broken.

You opened the door on the issue of different experiences when you began comparing blacks to other ethnic groups. You can't compare one ethnic group to another, because they are not all similarly situated.

It is not the entire black community that is engaged in violent behavior. It is a subset within the black community. Furthermore, it is a cycle of violence, much like domestic violence, which gets picked up from generation to generation. You are right, if the violence stops, we would all be better off. But like poster [100] said, this is a violent world and black people are not the only people who are violent. GWB, for example, has created another cycle of violence and destruction in Iraq. And in that case, wouldn't it be nice if they all stopped fighting now? Of course it would.

"IF YALL KNEW ANYTHING U WOULD KNOW THAT THE BOY WHO DIED (SISTER GOT JUMPED BY A GANG CALLED DDP) SO HER BROTHER CAME TO FIGHT WITH HIS OWN DAMN WEAPON N ENDED DYING='(. "

ignorance is bliss.

Taishawn doesn't have a sister, you are going by what you heard obviously, and he didn't die with his own "damn weapon"

well obviously alot of shit has been said in these comments, none of the stories i have read say the true story on what has happened, and i also realize that everyone swears that they are intellectually superior to one another and it get's really annoying, but anyways, did tai deserve to die, nope, was this gang related, nope, will shit like this stop happening, nope, it's the world we have created and the world we will continue to inhabit.

who's arguing different experiences? short, bald, ugly, fat, black or brown... we all have different experiences. indeed if the black community stopped the violence, they wouldn't require so much policing and would not be the target of police mistakes. it really is that simple but sharpton won't even acknowledge it. that is the undeniable truth and i fail to see how someone can be a good leader who hides from the truth (ahem, gwb). however, i never insinuated that the reason for the violence was simple. it's ironic that you'd call me oversimplifying when i'm the one unwilling to settle on 'reverberations of slavery' as the lone reason this demographic is disproportionately violent. later.

Crime is one component of the overall "problem" affecting many blacks and hispanics in high poverty areas. And the totality of ALL of these circumstances, not just crime, is a result of past discrimination. This is acknowledged in Brown v. Bd. of Ed. And the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s, which was initiated by black people such as Malcolm X AND Martin Luther King, Jr., led to the rights that other minorities, women, and white people enjoy today. The Civil Rights Movement of 1964 is not limited to protecting the civil rights of black people. Indeed, the parents in the Seattle school district case are claiming that a white child was denied admission solely because of his race. And you can't say for sure, which type of activism (MLK's or Malcom X's) was the most effective in bringing about those changes. Although you are indeed free to subscribe to one school of thought or the other, a combination of both or neither.

I don't think that I am the one who is oversimplifying the situation by saying that if blacks would just stop committing crimes, we wouldn't have all these problems. My conclusion is that it is much more complicated than that, and that we have to see the big picture, if we are to analyze these issues in an appropriate context.

Zeroing in on whether Jewish people or blacks will have an easier time in the music business is minutiae. The Bruce Springsteen example is simply some evidence of the differences in experiences that some groups have when compared to others. Let's not lose sight of the forest for the trees.

i never put all the blame on sharpton. i do argue, however the you are dead wrong in claiming that black criminality is "undeniably a result of slavery". slavery and poverty are factors but they are not unique. sharpton's us-against-them attitude that has been so predominate in the black community is particularly unique. farakhan, sharpton, jackson, malcolm x, black panthers and on it goes. a long line of people pointing fingers. why can't you follow your own notion that racism is far more complex than singling out one factor.

do you honestly believe that a black musician today has it more difficult than a jew? yes, jews can pretend to be 'white'. the japanese could not do that during the 40s. and the presumption of criminality exists for a very obvious reason. erase that reason and the problem disappears. do you really think that sharpton's attitude (along with a resurgence of black panthers) works to solve that problem?

Link to the U Delaware Article: http://www.udel.edu/PR/UDaily/2006/dec/racism120605.html

The predominantly black, low-income communities were around before Sharpton. Sharpton did not create poverty/crime/attitudes in black, low-income communities. At best, he plays into them. So you have to ask, "When and how did these communities come into being?" And this question inevitably leads to, "Why?" Which is when we reach the undeniable and pervasive effects of slavery and past discrimination, including Jim Crow laws, which persisted into the 1960s. And even today, schools are re-segregating.

If we are going to have a fully functioning democracy, then we need to have divergent perspectives. We need Sharpton/Jackson as much as we need any other leader.

Race issues in this country are extremely complex and cannot be broken down to simply blaming a single person (Sharpton) for creating divisiveness. Unfortunately, the United States has a long and painful history of racial animosity.

Additionally, you cannot always compare the experience of different ethnic groups to others. Some argue that a major reason why Jewish people have been better able to assimilate is because of "white skin privilege." For example, Bruce Springsteen simply changed the spelling of his name and few perceived that he was Jewish. If Bruce Springsteen had been black, I am not sure that he would have been as successful as a rock n roller, even with the exact same notes, dance moves, etc.

In studies such as Harvard's Implicit Association Test, which can be taken for free at https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/, research has been conducted about the way people respond to black faces versus white faces. This article summarizes the results of the test: http://www.udel.edu/PR/UDaily/2006/dec/racism120605.html.

Similarly you can't compare the different races. Each one of them is presented with different challenges. And each one is starting from a very different presumptioin that needs to be overcome. For example, it is more difficult to overcome a presumption of criminality, than it is to overcome a presumption of being good at math.

not that it matters, but i grew up in poverty as well and also know first hand that low income does not cause violence. i'm not here to argue the reason for income disparity... although, regardless of percentage of income paid, you've surely seen the percentage of this country's total tax revenue paid by the wealthy... and beyond that, philanthropy. or are soros and gates racist too? please explain how tax shelters are racist. more straw men. the point is that the absurd levels of violence that infect black communities are not the same in every community as you claim. it is not simply because they are poor. nor is it simply because of skin color. i'm saying the sharpton and co blame-everyone-but-yourself mentality is a primary reason.

LMAO PROPER ENGLISH OR NOT YOU UNDERSTOOD WHAT THEY WROTE, YOU'RE A VERY FUNNY PERSON. AND THEY WRITE IN CAPS IF THEY PLEASEEEEEEE. IT'S OKAY YOU TRIED=)

Chill with the caps and use a spell check for Christ's sake!

If you go to Irving, they seem to have neglected teaching you proper grammar.

HOLD UP I GO TO IRVING AND I BET NONE OF YALL WAS THURR SO NUMBER 6 LOL U A CORNBALL. I'D LIKE TO C U MAKE IT TO OUR SCHOOL. ANYWAY THAT BOY IS MY FRIEND THAT THEY ACCUSSING AND HE WONT SNITCH ON WHO DID IT. IF YALL KNEW ANYTHING U WOULD KNOW THAT THE BOY WHO DIED (SISTER GOT JUMPED BY A GANG CALLED DDP) SO HER BROTHER CAME TO FIGHT WITH HIS OWN DAMN WEAPON N ENDED DYING='(. SO IF IT'S ON WASHINGTON IRVING BECAUSE IT'S OUR TURF WELL THEN HEY I DONT KNOW WHAT TO TELL YALL BUT GET YOUR STORIES RIGHT, IF YOU WASN'T THERE. I'M NOT ONE OF THESE DISRESPECTFUL KIDS, WRITING THINGS BUT DON'T CALL US SAVAGES AND THINGS. ALSO WHOEVER SAID THAT COPS SHOULD HAVE SHOT US, LOL DID YOU SEE WHAT HAPPENED TO SEAN BELL I KNOW YALL DON'T HAVE NOTHING TO SAY NOW!!! COPS DON'T DO ANYTHING BUT GET DRUNK AND SHOOT AT PEOPLE!!! WELL JUST WANTED TO BE KNOWN. OH AND YOU DON'T HAVE TO SEND YOUR KIDS TO OUR SCHOOL, TAKE THEY ASS TO PRIVATE SCHOOL THEN (like that's going to help) YOU'RE ATLEAST GOING TO HAVE ONE FIGHT IN YOUR LIFE (don't expect it to be pretty.) THE WROLD IS NOT PRETYY!!!

The previous post was directed at post #84 (Dug), and not post #94.

This is to post #94. You obviously don't know anything about tax law. There are many "tax shelters" that favor the affluent. We are based on "progessive" tax rate, which means that the amount we are taxed is based on your income minuse deductions and exceptions. For example, Some people are taxed at 0% while others at 25% and still others at 35%.

Futhermore, I grew up living in poverty, in the South. I know first hand what problems plague the poor in other places. So where are the stats you are refering to? I've completed a thesis on this issue, so please, rest your case.

mr flav is no more of a community leader than madonna. you have no point.

emmit hill?! wtf. do you realize how many blacks were lynched in the south compared to how many violent crimes are commited against whites by blacks? the ratio is absurd. you're talking about one event while i get harassed for my race several times a year. who's walking around like a zombie ignoring the true reality? you tell me why the black community can't take responsibility like every other ethnic group does? i gave examples, you ignore them. how is slavery more insurmountable than a holocaust? you tell me why hate-breeders like sharpton are the one's most loved by the black community and cosby is shunned for talking about responsibility? this has nothing to do with your politics, health care or what ever other strawman ideologies you want to hide behind. this has nothing to do with media or news sources (i only listen to npr, bbc, and read the nytimes, so you can stop being such a presumptuous twit). just because i don't agree with your pathetic bleeding heart ignorance at the expense of true solutions does not make me a conservative. this is about why one demographic is absurdly out of control and people like you prefer to ignore any root cause in favor of a no-win, racist blame-game. like i say, a compassionate person looks for a sustainable solution. you look to put your white guilt at ease.

and thanks for the FU and wishes for my children, #85. i hope i can someday live up to your laudable standards.

He was my cousin