September 24, 2008
More on All the Sunday Night Harlem Shootings
After a two-day delay, the mainstream dailies are finally reporting on Harlem's violent Sunday night, which saw police helicopters, plainclothes cops and myriad squad cars flooding the neighborhood in response to shootings that left six hospitalized. The incidents occurred after the African American Day Parade. According to Cop in the Hood, "The parade ended in the afternoon. The tough kids come out at night. Between 11 p.m. and 2 a.m., people were walking around with guns, shooting them in the air. And this right by uniformed officers. Plain-clothed officers would tackle the kids."
The Daily News reports that police arrested over 16 people for criminal possession of a weapon and seized 14 illegal firearms, but none of those arrested were believed to be involved in the shootings, which mostly took place near the end of the parade route. Seven others were charged with assaulting police officers. In the past two years, shootings in the area that resulted in injuries or death are up 86%, and this summer was particularly bullet-ridden. Luther Smith, a Harlem-based political consultant, tells the News "there is a crisis going on in terms of young people having access to weapons. I don't think it reflects on Harlem per se as much as the state of young people."
But why the lag in mainstream coverage? Cop in the Hood notes that "some feel the media (and most white folk) simply doesn't care about black-on-black crime and what goes on in Harlem." NYC the Blog points us to another perspective on the media's initial indifference: "Because of all the gentrification going on. Can't scare all the white people..." (Heh, who's scared?) Below, a shaky video of the gunplay and police action shot from a Harlem roof Sunday night. Warning: NSFWhite Gentrifiers!
Photo of Lexington Avenue courtesy Digiart2001.
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I be a gangsta!!! Bang bang!!! BFD!!!
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Absolutely no pattern at all.
For example, lots of people shoot guns in the air after the St. Patrick's Day parade.
And ever hear the RPGs go off after Gay Pride?
No pattern at all.
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Blame whitey in 3..2..1...
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You can scare some of the white people all of the time, and all of the white people some of the time but you can't scare all of the white people all of the time.
"I don't think it reflects on Harlem per se..." No not at all, this happens in all the neighborhoods that have young people.
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This is like the Fin who went shooting yesterday.
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Luther Smith, a Harlem-based political consultant, tells the News "there is a crisis going on in terms of young people having access to weapons. I don't think it reflects on Harlem per se as much as the state of young people.
Stop pussyfooting around the facts already! There is terror generated by young dickhead gangbangers with weapons in Harlem.
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99% of the time the "black community" wants whitey to pretend that Harlem doesn't exist and to leave it alone...until the fit hits the shan.
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These shootings took place in the same location as the Memorial Day weekend shootings. Those first few blocks of Lenox north of 125th appear to be disputed gang territory. The shootings are a real shame as 99.9 percent of the people that come out for the parade are there to just have a good time and not bother anybody.
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"some feel the media (and most white folk) simply doesn't care about black-on-black crime and what goes on in Harlem."
reminds me of the final scene of BOYZ N THE HOOD
when Doughby (Ice Cube) says:
I ain't been up this early in a long time. Turned on the TV this morning. Had this shit on about... ...how we're living in a violent world. Showed all these foreign places. How foreigners live and all. I started thinking, man. Either they don't know... ...don't show... ...or don't care about what's going on in the 'hood. They had all this foreign shit. They didn't have shit on my brother, man. I ain't got no brother. Got no mother, neither. She loved that fool more than she love me.
yeah all this nonsense with gun violence in our city has to do with white people...stfu
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If NYPD had cracked down on this, (yes, I'll say it) like in Rudy's term, the cries of racism would be heard in Kalifornia.
If this was dealt with properly, you'd get quite a few gangbangers properly aerated by SWAT along with the occasional wrong-place-wrong-time shooting of a guy pulling out his wallet.
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Wow. Those tough gun laws in NYC really work!
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YO YO YO
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I was up there that night but live in chelsea. Went clothes shopping am half blk half white could care less for race parades.
I have never experienced what i did that night. People about 300 stampeding and laughing at the same time. I honestly thought with my luck the jig was up and i would be the unlucky crossfire victim. Just for some damn clothes? Thankfully no one fired a shot guess it was just flashed.
It was just a really scary and menacing sound with some laughing some sceaming and everyone running. Like hienas in a way. Sad that people thought it was funny. And about 30 percent went with the intention to have a good time the rest were just out yelling and causing trouble. I seen it wit my own eyes.
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but then when the cops shoot back the community cries racism! instead of crying for unification among the citizens who live there, they blame the police.
the problem here is, that for over 40 years, no one in these low income neighborhoods gives a flying fuck. most of them expect handouts while they sit on their asses.
"WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN DOING FOR 40 YEARS????" —Charlie Rose
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keepin' it real son, don't snitch.
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This is what happens where there is no education involved. Most of the parents of these young kids have no parenting skills.
They keep popping out more babies to get more money from the goverment.
The middle class people now support the poor AND rich.
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THE POLICE ARE TO BLAME--HOW DARE THEY GO TO HARLEM!
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Leave them alone, they are going back to their roots. No education, just hanging around waiting and blaming whitey for their woes.
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Where's Al?
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The first few comments on here point to what I think is the real reason for the media blackout -- the mainstream press is deathly afraid of any perceived racial bias in their coverage.
If they went balls-to-the-wall with coverage of a raft of shootings following the *African American Day Parade* (as they would anywhere else in Manhattan), it would look bad. That, and they just don't know what the hell is going on and don't really care to find out.
The NYPD needs to come down on this, hard. Clear block by block as if it were Iraq. I mean, we've got the factions, we've got the celebratory gunfire on "good days" -- it might as well be Iraq.
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The mainstream media that hasn't reported on this should be absolutely ashamed of themselves. I'm pissed that I haven't heard more than two peeps about this.
Also, more of these people need to be sent to jail for life. It's not like someone with the nerve to shoot someone or fire shots above a crowd is ever going to be a productive citizen or not be criminal.
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Dam shame...especially after the parade.
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#5
That was one Finn, who was crazy. Here we have 16 persons. Big difference.
And does anyone take Luther Smith seriously?
He lived off the city payroll for 8 years as Boro Pres Virginia Fields chief-of-staff and brought cronyism and corruption to that office. He'd sell seats on community boards for $100 contributions to Fields' mayoral campaign.