Things get nutter in Ferguson - Berkeley with Arson arrest

It's almost as if the statement is 'if I can't take it, I burn it.' I do not understand how these people do not see that this type of action hurts the cause they are trying to promote. It certainly does not make them look reasonable in most people's eye.

a reply to: Shamrock6

Some people set fires to cover the thievery. Like the tire store, for instance. No forensics there.

You want to treat these people like Micahel Brown was "treated", thats the problem, not the cure.

Being an officer of the law yourself, you should at least recognize that part of the problem. Instead of just clamping down.

a reply to: roadgravel

I do not understand how these people do not see that this type of action hurts the cause

"These people" are not the whole. Maybe thats part of the problem, calling them all thieves and "gangsta thugs".

a reply to: intrptr

How you can claim to know how I want to treat people from my response to YOUR comments is beyond me.

My response to YOUR suggestion that "hey, what else can they do" isn't indicative of anything other than my opinion of your statement.

I think you're doing "them" a disservice by having the attitude of "meh, what do you expect them to do" when it comes to this type of thing. So if anybody wants to treat "them" a certain way, it's you, bub.

a reply to: Shamrock6

How you can claim to know how I want to treat people from my response to YOUR comments is beyond me.

I know.

a reply to: intrptr

People act like theres some choice for those living in poor conditions to just "change" their behavior. They should just rise above it somehow and become better citizens.

They do have a choice, it's called "free" public education. I teach at a public technical high school that has over 45 percent of its students living in poverty. Yet these same students don't care about educating themselves so they can pull themselves out of poverty. Most of them grew up on the welfare system and believe it's a way of life!

They're given free hands-on training learning a highly paid technical skill, yet the majority of them could care less! Most of them are lazy, unmotivated, apathetic and care more about their cell phones and sneakers than trying to better themselves! Some of them actually believe they'll become rap stars! Our school has local businesses lining up ready to hire competent skilled kids, but we have to turn them away because we have very few students that show any kind of motivation to learn their skill or lack the proper work ethics to retain a job.

If parents don't get involved in their kids education and become positive role models, and if schools don't crack down on giving real consequences to students who disrupt classrooms or ignore their education, we will have a generation of incompetent workers and a huge population of families on the welfare roles. Creativity and innovation will no longer be the backbone of this country. Incompetency will be the demise of the U.S..

a reply to: WeRpeons

They do have a choice, it's called "free" public education. I teach at a public technical high school that has over 45 percent of its students living in poverty. Yet these same students don't care about educating themselves so they can pull themselves out of poverty. Most of them grew up on the welfare system and believe it's a way of life!

Thats by design. Gotta keep the black man down.

a reply to: intrptr

Ahh, the tried and true "I'm smarter than you" response. Well done sir, well done. Contributed a lot

Guess the idea that you do people a disservice when you don't expect better of them wasn't worthy of any sort of actual response, so you went with the ego serving response instead.

a reply to: intrptr

Thats by design. Gotta keep the black man down.

The only thing keeping them down is themselves. They have the same opportunities as whites. In fact they have more, since they're living in poverty, they receive grant money for colleges as compared to "0" when it comes to middle class families. We can also get into affirmative action and meeting quotas to diversify the work force no matter whether they're competent enough to do the job.

There's a lot of immigrants who came to this country with only the shirt on their backs and some pocket change who were discriminated against and were refused jobs based upon their language and culture. They rose above that. They educated themselves, worked hard and pulled themselves out of poverty. Parents stressed the importance of hard work to their offspring and the importance of educating themselves and learning the English language.

One of my brightest and best students out of my 23 years of teaching was a Mexican girl. (I've also have had a few African Americans who were also great students). What made these students stand out and become successful were their parents. All these students were raised in poverty, but their parents were hard workers and refused to accept poor performance in their son's and daughter's school work. They made sure their kids had consequences for poor behavior and kept in contact with me. The Mexican girl's parents didn't even speak English!

So saying it's by design to keep the black man down is really creating excuses for them. We can say the same thing for white kids that grow up in poverty or abusive homes. Blame their poor school performance because their poor, or they come from a dysfunctional family. I and many in my generation grew up poor, many came from abusive or dysfunctional families. Nobody made excuses for us. I'm tired of the whining and blame game used today to justify why kids are the way they are.

You choose your own destiny. If you really want to change your life for the better, it's in your hands. Nobody is going to do it for you. It's definitely not by design when there's living proof that we do have successful African Americans.

a reply to: WeRpeons

The only thing keeping them down is themselves.

Tell that to them, not me. We're white.

We have expensive computers and time to sit around and disrespect others that we have no clue about.

I rarely comment on these kinds of threads but feel the need to comment to your post.

WeRpeons is right. Children are nurtured into the people they become. No one is born a racist or bigot, they are made that way. I can testify to this because at one point in my life, I was given the privilege of nurturing a 13 year old boy, who was fighting in school and out, failing in his grades, cursing, even using racial epitaphs. His mother was not in the position to care and nurture her son, to help him rise above and get the education needed to better himself. The mother and father of this boy were young when she became pregnant with him. They of course didn't stay together and the father moved on. He paid his child support, kept his visitation up and tried twice to get custody of him. The courts didn't rule in his favor either time. The father went on to become a surgical tech at a local VA hospital and the mother became addicted to crack.

Anyway, I was engaged to the father, which I want to add was a great father. Once we moved in together he took her back to court and won. As I mentioned above the child was a mess. He was malnourished, head full of lice, didn't go to school half of the time, among the other things I have already mentioned. We worked hard with this boy, giving him the attention he so craved, helped with his homework, participated in school with him, met with his teachers on a regular basis, put him in therapy and most of all loved him like he deserved. He flourished! The next year he was a straight A student, no fighting, wanting to go to school, no cursing, and was respectful to everyone. He even joined the football team of the local school and won a scholarship to college. It was a complete 180.

He is a surgical tech like his father was and has a family that he beams with pride about. I am so proud of him and all he has accomplished. His father died of prostate cancer some time back but I am certain he is beaming with pride also. Life isn't always peaches and cream, so we just have to adjust. For me, I believe it all starts in the home. You have to be involved with your children, instead of throwing money/iphones/computers/shoes/ps4's at them and telling them to get out of your hair. They certainly can't raise themselves. Trust, open line of communication and being a positive role model goes a long way when it comes to parenting children.

When hatred in ingrained into us we fall by the wayside. Instead of making excuses, prove them wrong! Prove that you can't be kept down. Prove that you can rise above the hand you were dealt. If a door closes, open another and keep doing that until you find the door that's right for you. Nothing will be perfect and that is just life, but the blame game doesn't do anything except keep you distracted from that door that is right for you.

a reply to: ReAdY2AsCeNd

Children are nurtured into the people they become.

Tptally agree with that. The ghetto is one hella nurturing environment.

a reply to: ReAdY2AsCeNd

What a great example of the positive affects of good parenting. I'm sorry to hear about the passing of his father. To nurture a kid back from a neglected family life is quite an accomplishment and deserves a lot of respect. It's proof that kids want a positive parental role model to follow. If they don't have one at home, they'll look elsewhere. Most of the time it's poor celebrity role models, gang members or their peers who have their own set of family related problems. It's really a sad state of affairs, and it's rampant in many families across this country.

originally posted by: WeRpeons
a reply to: ReAdY2AsCeNd

What a great example of the positive affects of good parenting. I'm sorry to hear about the passing of his father. To nurture a kid back from a neglected family life is quite an accomplishment and deserves a lot of respect. It's proof that kids want a positive parental role model to follow. If they don't have one at home, they'll look elsewhere. Most of the time it's poor celebrity role models, gang members or their peers who have their own set of family related problems. It's really a sad state of affairs, and it's rampant in many families across this country.

Thank you. I feel blessed that he came into my life and I into his. It was a hard time for all of us but life must go on. I am thankful for the time I had with him and the family I gained because of him

Thank you for choosing the field you did, I am certain that lives will be changed because of it!

originally posted by: intrptr
a reply to: roadgravel

I do not understand how these people do not see that this type of action hurts the cause

"These people" are not the whole. Maybe thats part of the problem, calling them all thieves and "gangsta thugs".

I am talking about those setting fires, but I would also include the looters. That group IS ALL criminals.

Maybe you feel a person should get a few free major crimes before he is considered criminal.

originally posted by: roadgravel

originally posted by: intrptr
a reply to: roadgravel

I do not understand how these people do not see that this type of action hurts the cause

"These people" are not the whole. Maybe thats part of the problem, calling them all thieves and "gangsta thugs".

I am talking about those setting fires, but I would also include the looters. That group IS ALL criminals.

Maybe you feel a person should get a few free major crimes before he is considered criminal.

The thread is about one person trying to set one store a light. Not "these people" in your reply. Thats what I was addressing…

' I do not understand how these people do not see that this type of action hurts the cause they are trying to promote.

The "guy" is not "these people".

There have also been numerous fires set over these recent shootings by police. Normally discussion isn't limited to the exact person in the OP. It also covers other persons and events which may be related.

The "guy" is not "these people".

You assumed I said that.