Critical Discourse - Kelly v. Black Community v. Crime

Has it really come to this?  

On Tuesday, NYPD Commissioner Raymond Kelly asked why [black] community leaders, who were so adamant against his Stop-and-Frisk policies, have been relatively silent in light of the approximately 70 people killed or injured by gunfire, including 3-year old Isaiah Gonzalez. This includes the 3 black men last week! And I should note that in a weekend in Chicago, some 40 people were shot, 8 killed.

Members of the black leadership elite responded with outrage, State Senator Adams, suggested that Kelly’s comments reflected his frustration with failed policies” of Stop-and-Frisk. Council members Letisha James and Jumaane Williams also weighed in, but to her credit, the Councilwoman did attend a rally of support for young Isaiah.

What this does bring to the table is the very contentious and bitter reality of the impact of crime in our communities, and more importantly, how to effectively combat it. Obviously, there are many factors which must be considered.

Some of the most noted are the lack of economic and social opportunities for black people, the ever pervasive culture and cycle of the breakdown of the black family, and according to some, a lack of effective law enforcement, which is interesting, given the recent criticisms of Stop-and-Search, which some argue, can and do help.

Doesn’t it seem rather eerily strange that the only time there is mass anger, protests and outage when black people are maimed or murdered, is if the perpetrator is white or a member of law enforcement? Is this even a fair assessment?

We will review all of this on Critical Discourse, and try to make sense of on a specific level, the verbal battles between Commissioner Kelly and some black leadership, and more globally, the phenomenon of crime and blight which simply is unacceptable and must be changed.

Keep in mind that we will only be on for 1 ½ hours.