Charlottesville protest (Page 2)

But that doesn't mean they won't come back.  Everyone wants to be able to go home, even if they can't......and in speaking to those who have made it out, I know that most of them want to give something back to help others.  There IS a desire within these communities to help themselves, but they can't do it without outside support......they just don't have the means.  We can, of course, do nothing.....and it will cost us far more before it's over.

I spent 15 years living in Peoria, IL in a city neighborhood South of the 2 "boundaries" people said don't live South of (there was still 1 to go).  I've seen brand new playground equipment vandalized within weeks of installation.  Why?  because too many people in those neighborhoods didn't value what was being provided.  To them, it would be replaced again after it was destroyed.  This was during a period when one of the disadvantaged high schools (Manual) one 4 BB championships in a row and a year or two later, the other (Peoria) one two.  

Vandalism is never a reason not to do something IMO.  We built a $1,000,000 park in the middle of a public housing area.  The equipment and buildings were vandalized (graffiti, broken windows, torn down basketball nets, etc.. etc. ) nearly every weekend for about 6 months or so.  Every Monday we fixed it or painted over the graffiti....EVERY DAMN TIME.  After awhile, people in the neighborhood started calling us when they witnessed something.....it was mostly kids and our court made them help fix and paint when something got broken/vandalized.  Now, 6 years later, I can't remember the last time it was vandalized. 

I don't mind being told that there's a problem.  I won't be told there is not a solution.  We can help fix our poor, crime ridden, neighborhoods.....but it's going to take education, time, and money.  We're going to pay for those crime ridden neighborhoods one way or another.....believe it.....we just have to decide how we want to pay.

Obviously, I'm no bleeding heart.....but I know this without a doubt.....those neighborhoods are FILLED with people who are tired of living in fear and want to make a better life for themselves......fantastic, caring people.....like most people everywhere.  They need help figuring out how to do that.  We are now a couple of generations deep in people who never learned how.....nobody taught them or gave them a reason to believe they could have that. Blame failed liberal entitlements, uncaring conservatives....whatever.....what the hell difference does it make how we got here?  If we don't fix it, we'll eventually lose our society....cities first.

And if she hadn't worn that short skirt and low top she wouldn't have gotten raped. 

Except that she paraded around in a short skirt and low top all night Friday, carrying a torch, and nobody got raped. (I REALLY don't like your analogy BTW....the two are not connected in any way)

Look, I see what happened down there as a failure of Law Enforcement.  I was watching Antifa and BLM twitter accounts Friday night and from 1500 miles away I said, "tomorrow is going to be a problem for the cops down there" because the radicals had a call to arms to stop the Nazi march.....except the cops basically never showed up and the left radicals did.  This is really simple stuff.....if you let the KKK and Antifa come together it's going to explode.  To let that happen is a shame......to not intervene is something worse than a shame.  I'd like to know who stood the cops down and who is pulling all the strings for this crap, because, just like here on this board, rational people seem to have no problem talking about it and working through it......somebody, or some entity, REALLY enjoys and hopes to profit from all of this. (that pains me to say because I hate conspiracy theories)

OB - thanks for also denouncing the BLM chants during the last administration....fair enough.  I doubt we're very far apart on this but if we all, collectively, keep letting the fringe carry the narrative we risk having to choose sides apart from our shared humanity......and from there it's a spiral toward a very bad place.

Great post......spot on!

Take down Mt. Rushmore!!!!

The statues are a non-issue for me.  Tear them all down and put up new ones of other people if you want, or replace them with bathrooms, or trash cans, or whatever......I don't care.  I think statues of people are dumb.  BUT....I did think the video of the people kicking the statue they tore down in N. Carolina was one of the funniest things I'd seen in a while.  In fact, I recorded it so I can watch it some more when I need a genuine belly laugh.  I miss being young and stupid.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6koXCehHJdQ

bwaaaaaaaaahahahahahahaha!!!!  Maximum comedic value at 1:17.  LMAO

LOL - last night I watched that damn thing 20 or 30 times because every time I did I saw one of those goofballs doing something else that just broke me up laughing. 

I give them their props for passion.....but damn, I hope they watch themselves in 30 years.

P.S. - if you are young and reading this......here's some free advice from a former mailbox baseball professional in my younger days.......  I know it's cool to get on social media and show the world how you're a badazz statue tearer downer......you might want to consider the consequences of taking video of yourself committing felony property damage. LMAO

I believe the guitar player may be the Arlo Guthrie of his day......

"What are you in for?"...........Statue Kicking. 

You can get anything you want at Alice's Restaurant,