urbanSTL

^ i'm gonna let your comments speak for themselves. you're doing more than just "making statements about how class has worked in metro St. Louis", even if you don't realize it. your response to the suggestion that disinvestment is preferable to extortion is telling, for example, and i'm not the only one that noticed. maybe it's unintentional but either way it reveals something about your values. and again, i'm not basing this criticism just on your comments in this thread.

just out of curiosity are you a "sanctimonious outsider" as well (based on your own definition, of course) or do you own property and/or a business in Ferguson?

P.S. My previous comment (above) was actually my second-to-last comment on the matter. This is my final comment.

urban_dilettante wrote:^ i'm gonna let your comments speak for themselves. you're doing more than just "making statements about how class has worked in metro St. Louis", even if you don't realize it. your response to the suggestion that disinvestment is preferable to extortion is telling, for example, and i'm not the only one that noticed. maybe it's unintentional but either way it reveals something about your values. and again, i'm not basing this criticism just on your comments in this thread.

just out of curiosity are you a "sanctimonious outsider" as well (based on your own definition, of course) or do you own property and/or a business in Ferguson?

P.S. My previous comment (above) was actually my second-to-last comment on the matter. This is my final comment.

You're wrong. I am not arguing that "disinvestment is preferable to extortion." That is your projection. How do you imagine Ferguson might proceed in the future while avoiding both disinvestment and 'extortion' ? That is the question I'm identifying here. Don't get caught up in discerning my values or those of anyone else. Ideological purity is not the point. Offer an answer to the question of how Ferguson, and North County, have an economic future and you'll have made a positive contribution.

I recall a few years ago when they would list all the US casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan at the end of This Week With George Stephanopoulos - ABC News, there were usually at least 10 fatalities every week. They still report those deaths, but for at least the last 14 weeks, they said there have been none.

I found this web site that confirmed only one fatality in Iraq or Afghanistan in 2015, and that person was Canadian. Far cry from the days that it seemed we were in a never-ending conflict. Now we just use support air strikes and let the locals fight their own wars on the ground.

http://icasualties.org

So it would be nice to get St. Louis fatalities per year down to the levels of Americans dying in Afghanistan and Iraq now, but that would be zero.

Northside Neighbor wrote:leeharvey...nice, thoughtful post. thank you.

you suggest ferg is "big government" and should be disbanded. by any chance do you live in a STL county muni, and if so, do you think it should be disbanded, too?

I live in the city. It seems that Ferguson is large enough and legit enough to be an actual functioning suburb.

Have we all agreed at this point that the real problem in North County and the County in general (because this is a problem in South County and parts of West County too) is the 90 municipalities and the 60 police departments and not necessarily some widespread vicious form of "racism"? Not that particlaur events and situations shouldn't be looked at on an individual basis of course.

Once it becomes about "racism" then it seems we throw all other logic out the window. Here's an example of how talk of "racism" could potentially cloud an issue. Recently, half of the 14 restaurant/bars on the Landing closed in the last 18 months during the City Arch River construction phase. This news was met with a collective shrug. Imagine if the Landing were a predominantly African-American area. All of a sudden the entire City Arch River project is systemic racism designed to remove black people from Landing and we would have a huge discussion about it for 6 months. I'm dead serious, would that happen or not?

I think we need to cool it with the constant racism talk or at least save it for when you are grabbing a coffee at Starbucks. Oh wait, they canceled that....nevermind.

I used the term "big government" repeatedly mostly because it's annoys people. But what is 90 municipalities and 60 police departments if it's not "big government"?

I hope we tackle the root problem head on and make the appropriate changes.

I think we would ALL be a lot happier.

leeharveyawesome wrote:

Northside Neighbor wrote:leeharvey...nice, thoughtful post. thank you.

you suggest ferg is "big government" and should be disbanded. by any chance do you live in a STL county muni, and if so, do you think it should be disbanded, too?

I live in the city. It seems that Ferguson is large enough and legit enough to be an actual functioning suburb.

Have we all agreed at this point that the real problem in North County and the County in general (because this is a problem in South County and parts of West County too) is the 90 municipalities and the 60 police departments and not necessarily some widespread vicious form of "racism"? Not that particlaur events and situations shouldn't be looked at on an individual basis of course.

Once it becomes about "racism" then it seems we throw all other logic out the window. Here's an example of how talk of "racism" could potentially cloud an issue. Recently, half of the 14 restaurant/bars on the Landing closed in the last 18 months during the City Arch River construction phase. This news was met with a collective shrug. Imagine if the Landing were a predominantly African-American area. All of a sudden the entire City Arch River project is systemic racism designed to remove black people from Landing and we would have a huge discussion about it for 6 months. I'm dead serious, would that happen or not?

I think we need to cool it with the constant racism talk or at least save it for when you are grabbing a coffee at Starbucks. Oh wait, they canceled that....nevermind.

I used the term "big government" repeatedly mostly because it's annoys people. But what is 90 municipalities and 60 police departments if it's not "big government"?

I hope we tackle the root problem head on and make the appropriate changes.

I think we would ALL be a lot happier.

Yeah, the Racism in St. Louis is over blown................................................................................................


Man charged with punching ex-Cardinal after racial slurs

http://www.ksdk.com/story/news/crime/20 ... /70502030/

leeharveyawesome wrote:

Northside Neighbor wrote:leeharvey...nice, thoughtful post. thank you.

you suggest ferg is "big government" and should be disbanded. by any chance do you live in a STL county muni, and if so, do you think it should be disbanded, too?

I live in the city. It seems that Ferguson is large enough and legit enough to be an actual functioning suburb.

Have we all agreed at this point that the real problem in North County and the County in general (because this is a problem in South County and parts of West County too) is the 90 municipalities and the 60 police departments and not necessarily some widespread vicious form of "racism"? Not that particlaur events and situations shouldn't be looked at on an individual basis of course.

Once it becomes about "racism" then it seems we throw all other logic out the window. Here's an example of how talk of "racism" could potentially cloud an issue. Recently, half of the 14 restaurant/bars on the Landing closed in the last 18 months during the City Arch River construction phase. This news was met with a collective shrug. Imagine if the Landing were a predominantly African-American area. All of a sudden the entire City Arch River project is systemic racism designed to remove black people from Landing and we would have a huge discussion about it for 6 months. I'm dead serious, would that happen or not?

I think we need to cool it with the constant racism talk or at least save it for when you are grabbing a coffee at Starbucks. Oh wait, they canceled that....nevermind.

I used the term "big government" repeatedly mostly because it's annoys people. But what is 90 municipalities and 60 police departments if it's not "big government"?

I hope we tackle the root problem head on and make the appropriate changes.

I think we would ALL be a lot happier.

AMEN

St. Louis and the hits just keep on comin'! Now Curt Ford is attacked in Fenton by a man using racial slurs?

Time to bring back the stocks, if you ask me. Set 'em up in the Fenton town square, so all the people there can see what happens when you act out your racist ways.

Terrible. PSA- please hold you phone horizontally when recording.

Fox2 - Mike Brown question sparks MetroLink beating caught on video

ST. LOUIS, MO (KTVI) – A MetroLink beating captured on video is now lighting up social media in St. Louis. Viewers sent the video to FOX 2 on Twitter and Facebook pages looking for answers. Police say the beating happened on Monday evening at 9:54pm. The victim, a 43-year-old white male, tells investigators that a question about Mike Brown sparked the incident.

http://fox2now.com/2015/03/27/seated-ma ... ook-video/

Is it still not PC to say that criminals have been emboldened by the Ferguson situation or are we over that now?

Anglophile wrote:Is it still not PC to say that criminals have been emboldened by the Ferguson situation or are we over that now?

If criminals think that Ferguson made the police a less credible threat, then of course they are emboldened. Is there any evidence to suggest that criminals DON'T see the police as a less credible threat to them?

Stay classy, St. Louis! Stay classy! Wow. Just wow.



What a pathetic, backwash, hoosier, loser, disgusting display of humanity this community has put on for the last 6 or 7 months. On both sides.

We have a huge problem on our hands, and it's not getting better.

I do believe that Ferguson has emboldened criminal thugs in this town. I think law enforcement was embarrassed, disrespected and forced to allow criminal behavior during the unrest. I recall looting going on while cops stood back or drove right by, as they had bigger fish to fry. I am sure Metrolink crime is common. Besides the obvious answer (money), why are there not security officers on EVERY train??? I think there are officers at most stops, but not all or at least all stops at all hours. There seems to be a lot more violence, the later it is.. go figure... I have not felt unsafe riding, but that video of the beating does raise some eyebrows. I hope this prompts Metro to take action. This is PR they do not need.

Ride in the lead car near the driver. Fewer shenanigans there.

Shame that it goes

Man assaulted on Metrolink "Never riding it again"

Driver shot on I-70, drivers die in car wrecks at I-44 and Grand, etc "La. La. La"

We need to bring back the stocks. Are you a black guy who just committed a hate crime on the metrolink? Are you a racist ***** who just punch a formal cardinal player? 5 days in the stocks. Public shaming. Feel free to urinate, throw excrement, tomatoes, whatever you please. Then you go back to jail and every month you rotate through the stocks.

Why is no one calling the metrolink crime a racially motivated hate crime? Black on white isn't a hate crime?

Well, the video cameras got a pretty good shot of the guys who did it, so I'm doubting they are going to get away with it. Just shameful.

http://www.kmov.com/story/28643949/caho ... ts-arrests

The victim of the attack also started a GoFundMe page in order to raise money to buy a motorcycle so he doesn't have to ride the MetroLink anymore.

I know it's no comfort to this guy, but I'm gonna venture a guess that you're more likely to be injured or killed while riding a motorcycle than while riding Metrolink.

Every time there's another senseless shooting/killing in St. Louis (which is about every day), James Clark of Better Family Life posts a "We Must Stop Killing Each Other" Facebook status update.

In fact, if you scroll his Facebook feed, it's a steady diet of "We Must Stop Killing Each Other" status updates and t-shirt offerings with the same message. It's also a yard sign campaign. The whole thing basically a campaign. Clark and his volunteers are going door to door spreading the "We Must Stop Killing Each Other Message".

Does this sort of thing help? To me, it has a ring of religiosity. If you agree with the message, you're part of the choir. If you're committing the murders, you don't get the message.

What's the use? Well, maybe it's better than nothing. It's sort of desperate plea for help.

The crime is and has been ridiculous. Has Slay or Dotson spoken at all about it? Any aldermen besides French?

It seems like nothing is changing. There's been no statements on policy change. We need to seriously consider a stop and frisk policy, change our courts system to punish gun crimes more severely, ban or strongly punish those with handguns or unregistered firearms. Why isn't any of that happening?

I think the crime is the result of a lot of desperate people having no other way to resolve the problems/frustrations in their lives. Nothing more, nothing less.