Gothamist: Violent Night Worries Harlem Residents

lanciano

Thu, 29 May 2008 17:28:58 -0500

anna merkin. HARR!! good one!

sonyactivision

Wed, 28 May 2008 23:21:24 -0500

Robert Moses never quite got to these miscreants. But there's still hope for a relief route with a truck plaza that can scrape away most of these dreadful scenes and replant them in Newark where they belong.

GOP

Wed, 28 May 2008 19:49:36 -0500

Those opposed to development of Harlem say it will kill the essence and history and culture of Harlem. I'm sure gunshots will kill that "essence and history and culture" as well. Unless, of course, gunshots and crime is the "essence and history and culture."

Anna_Merkin

Wed, 28 May 2008 19:35:46 -0500

*curtsies* ahem, *bows* thanks :-)

midtown

Wed, 28 May 2008 16:44:39 -0500

ah, i get it...as in proud to be Anna Merkin where at least ah know ah'm free well done!

Anna_Merkin

Wed, 28 May 2008 16:08:50 -0500

midtown, no I didn't. The handle was intended to be a play on words, not to represent my gender. In fact, you'll notice that my avatar is male. Look up the word "merkin" and then say "Anna Merkin" and imagine that you're say, George Bush. lanciano, I totally agree with you on both points: the one about violence being marketed and the ridiculous figure that is Al Sharpton.

lanciano

Wed, 28 May 2008 15:00:29 -0500

Anna Merkin, my point in bringing up smif n wesson was NOT: "Land sakes! Look at these new fangled black music acts." My point was more the placement of the billboard (right outside a NYCHA project) and to say that kids in the projects (read: poor, at-risk youngsters) are having violence deliberately marketed to them. These kids are force-fed this stuff and absent any other more positive forces, they're eating it up. The only thing that can offset any of that crap is proper parenting from the start. Schools can only do so much, and, in fact, without the cooperation of the parents, schools can do nothing. I sincerely hope the mothers who lost kids the other night are able to mobilize others because there is a need for a serious movement here. And I find it DISGUSTING that big-mouth, opportunistic, egomaniacal Sharpton will make a lot of noise for high profile instances like sean bell, but when there is an epidemic like the one we have here with 15-year-olds running around with .380s he's no where to be found. I guess it's not glitzy enough for him. I hate him.

midtown

Wed, 28 May 2008 14:15:53 -0500

Anna Merkin - did you forget that you are pretending to be a woman? (Mr. "well-dressed black man")

aveB4life

Wed, 28 May 2008 12:17:11 -0500

harlem stand up!

twakum

Wed, 28 May 2008 11:45:18 -0500

I'm sure all those big money chain stores like Staples, etc. that have planted themselves on Lenox...are just THRILLED to have all these crime scene photos in front of their stores. It's all about the parents.

Anna_Merkin

Wed, 28 May 2008 11:34:13 -0500

"No snitching" happens because people fear retribution from a few violent offenders or gangs. Make no mistake, testifying or being seen giving information to police about a violent crime brings violence to the individual's door, in the case of gang or group-related violence. In this case, it sounds like some stupid "kids" who have access to guns and think they are in fact living in the world of Grand Theft Auto. Lanciano, Smif-n-Wesson has been around for over 15 years as a rap act. Your point is an important one, certainly. The fact that two mothers who lost their sons (worth reading about them on the Harlem SAVE site) organized a group to address this issue through things such as teaching alternative ways to resolve conflict does suggest that there are a number of people who are invested in ending the violence that exists in communities such as these. To indict the entire community for the failings of a certain class of "parents" is a bit like justifying a condemnation of a country because a class of individuals acts like idiots. I agree that there should be more parenting and better parenting. Not sure why/how the many law-abiding residents of Harlem have to/can bear this burden that they did not create. The easy answer is to suggest locking up everyone who is violent or potentially violent. Prisons are already overcrowded, and these individuals often return to the communities from whence they came upon finishing their terms. Another answer to poor parenting is to make birth control and abortion more widely available and suggested for those who are unwilling to raise their children. Good luck with that one. Still another option is State care or adoption. Well, we see how well that's working out too. Besides, adoption rates for black orphans tend to be far lower than other ethnicities, despite the recent NYT article about multi-racial adoption. Another answer might be a community patrol, but what good is that when something like a shooting happens so quickly? Should mandatory curfews be placed on teenagers after 9:30 p.m. (when the first incidents seems to have occurred)? I don't know. I'm at a loss for thoughtful, workable solutions. Just throwing out something for possible discussion since gun violence seems to be on the rise in the city overall, but specifically in neighborhoods like this. It matters to me. I lived in Harlem for a time, with the vague intention to be a good "role model" for the kids there. You know, they could see an educated, well-dressed black man going to work and being connected to the community. I got to know a few kids but realistically, living there probably did nothing but assuage my conscience for a short period of time. I care about this country and the fate of the worst communities, as these ultimately will define whether America works, in my opinion.

lanciano

Wed, 28 May 2008 10:51:38 -0500

instead of saying off-handedly "get the guns off the streets" i would like to see the parents taking control of their kids. there is not enough parenting and that is what is required to battle the kinds of messages they're getting from pop-culture. Just today when riding past the projects, I saw a billboard advertising a rapper named "Smif N Wesson" (yes, SMIF.) With guns n violence being promoted like this and blatantly targeting already at-risk kids, the ONLY thing that can help is a strong family that teaches principles and better ways of resolving conflict. That is SORELY lacking in these communities.

rtd2101

Wed, 28 May 2008 10:08:50 -0500

15 year olds with guns...it could be a long summer.

Snoopy

Wed, 28 May 2008 09:39:19 -0500

It's time they take back their community. How about a community patrol? But remember "No snitching."

edEx

Wed, 28 May 2008 09:27:30 -0500

I wonder if Al Sharpton will have a "peace" march across 125th to condemn these crimes?

zodak

Wed, 28 May 2008 09:16:48 -0500

maybe they could try, i don't know, raising their children?

Anna_Merkin

Wed, 28 May 2008 09:16:41 -0500

Clearly, this community doesn't care about itself and is filled with nothing but shiftless, good-for-nothing, poor blacks who only know how to blame whites for their problems. *rolls eyes* I'm glad that Gothamist picked up on some positive/encouraging quotes from the community rather than the usual dross that media outlets grab. You know, Tee-Tee, Jacquan, and Shaniqua uttering some nonsense.