Gothamist: Brooklyn Mother Killed at Slain Rapper's Memorial

ping

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 23:46:31 -0500

Pathetic.

Snoopy

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 21:43:18 -0500

I believe they can be called single mothers since none of the offspring have matching fathers. And that has nothing to do with growing in an impoverished family.

TSOL

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 21:16:51 -0500

I'm betting that the shooter was raised by a single mother, too. Thank you, Great Society!

Spiritof76

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 18:23:07 -0500

How in the hell does a single bullet (presumably fired from a moving vehicle) fell the rapper, and some drunken bum manage to steady himself and take dead aim in a crowd of people? Read the newspaper stories. Where are you getting this "dead aim" stuff? Or "drunken bum"? There was a guy spraying the crowd with an automatic weapon. He just made a lucky shot (well, unlucky for the mother).

Spear_Chucker

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 16:30:46 -0500

Where's Al Sharpton?

MFer

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 14:57:07 -0500

Sad day? Nah. Plenty of people die every day. This is nothing special--and nothing especially devastating. Just another day in the park for the Lord Almighty Jesus take it up in the ass. So, let see. Random shooting at the wake of a rap "artist". I heard this one before. Shoulda seen it coming. This is not even absurd. It is fairly predictable.

kells2

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 14:56:29 -0500

My question would be (and as I live in the area of both shootings, this is of more than passing interest): where do these people get their marksmanship training? Is there some sort of firing range deep within the hood that I haven't heard about? If any of you have ever taken target practice with a pistol, you know it's ridiculously difficult to hit a stationary object from close range, even with feet firmly planted on the ground, breathing normally, and stone cold sober. How in the hell does a single bullet (presumably fired from a moving vehicle) fell the rapper, and some drunken bum manage to steady himself and take dead aim in a crowd of people?

berniegoetz

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 14:50:40 -0500

"Hip-Hop" in its purest sense is not to blame. It's this corporatized version of it that is marketed to these kids that is more to blame in terms of musical influences leading to violence. I live within earshot of some projects and ALL I ever hear coming out of that building is "gangsta" shit with lyrics about killing people and being a badass. Attempts at cultural relativity don't really work because, outside of Black Metal and Nazi Hate Rock, I can't think of another genre of music that so prolifically concerns itself with themes of violence against other humans. Not even punk. What they need to do is pump John Coltrane into these buildings so people can indulge in music that they can culturally relate to and that instills pride.

Dave Hogarty

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 14:36:52 -0500

Dillinger, Bonnie & Clyde, Tony Soprano, Richard III. All are examples of iconic anti-heroes that hold some appeal specifically because of their villainy. Generic cultural attractions to the outlaw underdog or boss are not limited to specific racial groups. And it's certainly no excuse or explanation for total jackassery like firing a gun randomly in a crowded area.

jnguy

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 14:20:20 -0500

#3 is right. Music isn't the only blame, but the idea that certain communities and individuals, especially those that are looked up to as role models, priding themselves on how 'gangsta' they are can't help.

westernqueensland

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 14:19:52 -0500

U. S. A. U.S.A. U!S!A! U!S!A! 2nd Amendment at work!

DWM2008

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 14:06:33 -0500

Sad day, Natives of the Americas acknowledge the rain as a sign as of creator's sadness.... The most important being to 2 children....passed... Tragic yes, but every day this government empowered by you does the same damn thing to the umpteenth degree in iraq amoung other places... So ........ tell me what the Fu@k are you suppossed to do..

JenChungsBra

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 14:00:32 -0500

The music of course isn't totally to blame, but it sure is aggravating the situation. Let's not bury our heads in the sand here. But how you could even imply anything about blaming the victim here is absurd. Meanwhile, I think Irish people should sue the cop who spoke to the Post for unfairly disparaging Irish wakes.

JacqueMehoff

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 13:57:41 -0500

number 11 beat me to it. don't forget to pull yourself up by your bootstraps and if I can do it, so can you.

bxbrian

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 13:54:19 -0500

I think '76 was talking more about the hip hop/rap as a cultural identity. Unless I've misread it as well, what he/she was saying wasn't as glib as "music is the problem," rather it seems he/she was trying to say that the gangsta culture doesn't always hold non-violence as a virtue. At the risk of getting lambasted by all of you, i think it's impossible to listen to violent music glorifying violence, and not have violent results as a byproduct. Just for a stupid example of the logic i'm using, spend a day reading Shakespeare's sonnets, and tell me that you don't think in iambs, or at least in a style mirroring that used in the poems.

Snoopy

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 13:53:52 -0500

Where was her husband when all of this happened?

JRod5417

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 13:32:43 -0500

This is such a tragic story that to place the blame on a genre of music seems comical and very Bill O'Reillyesque. Spirit of 76 probably blamed Columbine on Marilyn Manson too.

disconnec

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 13:32:05 -0500

(please see July 17 entry in wikipedia for more information)

disconnec

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 13:29:13 -0500

Extremely sad story. When will the black community ever grow up and stop the violence? July 17 is the scheduled date. Neat!

rulebook

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 13:26:02 -0500

TT gets a golf clap.

TT

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 13:16:27 -0500

http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.wordpress.com/2008/02/10/62-knowing-whats-best-for-poor-people/

Steven

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 13:15:56 -0500

Extremely sad story. When will the black community ever grow up and stop the violence?

HowBoutDemCowboys

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 13:15:51 -0500

"Words of violence only beget more violence..." Really? So if I said that I was going to beat you down and put you in the ground (rhyming seems to work more effectively), by your definition, you would then hit me instead of coming up with a verbal jab to counter? How about instead of blaming a form of art that you, obviously, do not enjoy, you instead place the blame on the individual who fired the gun? Does that sound like a better idea? I know your comeback (if it can really be called that) for my solution: But, but, but the music is what's making these youths violent. Um, NO! What makes them violent comes from many, many, many more factors than music. And an individual needs to be held responsible for his own actions, so that he can't blame outside factors for his own incompetence in being a civilized human being. It's easy to blame something that you fear and don't understand. It's much more difficult to get to the true root of the problem.

Nick S

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 13:12:44 -0500

this will lead to some more wakes, probably a vigil or two..and nothing will change.

fortyver

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 13:08:43 -0500

What does a community have to do in order to get it through their heads that this shit has got to stop? They can do something about it. They can stop it. The neighborhood that I lived in Los Angeles, successfully got rid of the Bloods and Crips, of course they did not move to far away, but it was all about shunning them and not putting up with the crap. They had to do it in mass. But, it got the job done. Being poor is no excuse. Being ignorant is not an excuse. Get these shits out of the hood. Oh, and WTF, No Snitching? Why doesn't someone just kick the shit out of these dolts who spin that crap.

plk779

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 13:06:52 -0500

did number 3 really just blame music? ...

Snoopy

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 12:57:28 -0500

Remember hoodies, "NO SNITCHING!" Nothing right comes from snitching.

bclm

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 12:55:11 -0500

"I won't blame the victim, but this should be a lesson to the others at the wake. As long as you keep buying or admiring rap music that glorifies thug life in your hood, you will remain in danger. Words of violence only beget more violence and the cycle of retribution never ends." Huh?

Spiritof76

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 12:52:58 -0500

I won't blame the victim, but this should be a lesson to the others at the wake. As long as you keep buying or admiring rap music that glorifies thug life in your hood, you will remain in danger. Words of violence only beget more violence and the cycle of retribution never ends.

meowster

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 12:39:08 -0500

wow. is she the one that owned the Jag he was borrowing when he was killed? pretty crazy.

CR

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 12:35:19 -0500

This is the most depressingly meta thing I've read all day.