Comments on: Gray, Lanier and Thomas Tour North Capitol After Murders http://dcentric.wamu.org/2011/02/gray-lanier-and-thomas-tour-north-capitol-after-murders/ Race, Class, The District. Mon, 16 Jul 2012 03:01:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Molly W. http://dcentric.wamu.org/2011/02/gray-lanier-and-thomas-tour-north-capitol-after-murders/#comment-280 Molly W. Tue, 01 Feb 2011 19:16:00 +0000 http://dcentric.wamu.org/?p=3854#comment-280 Without knowing the neighborhood or the circumstances, I'm inclined to agree with Parker. In my own neighborhood (east of Capitol Hill), crime against white residents consistently seem to provoke an outcry that we just don't hear when there are crimes against black residents. However, it often comes across poorly to imply people are overreacting to a crime against a white person -- it seems like an attempt to dismiss the white victim. Ideally, instead of making less fuss about white victims, we'd make just as much fuss about black victims. Sadly, I don't see that happening any time soon. I think a small part of it is access -- I hear about many of these crimes on the neighborhood e-mail list, which seems to be whiter than the community at large (though that's just my guess, I can't say for sure). More than that, I think it's a lot easier for white residents to imagine that black victims of crime are somehow complicit -- attacked b/c they're in the drug trade or dating criminals or whatever. When a white person (or even someone who isn't white, as long as s/he isn't black) is attacked, there seems to be a much stronger, visceral sense of "that could've been *me*" among white neighbors. (I'm white myself, don't know if that makes a difference.) Without knowing the neighborhood or the circumstances, I’m inclined to agree with Parker. In my own neighborhood (east of Capitol Hill), crime against white residents consistently seem to provoke an outcry that we just don’t hear when there are crimes against black residents.

However, it often comes across poorly to imply people are overreacting to a crime against a white person — it seems like an attempt to dismiss the white victim. Ideally, instead of making less fuss about white victims, we’d make just as much fuss about black victims. Sadly, I don’t see that happening any time soon.

I think a small part of it is access — I hear about many of these crimes on the neighborhood e-mail list, which seems to be whiter than the community at large (though that’s just my guess, I can’t say for sure).

More than that, I think it’s a lot easier for white residents to imagine that black victims of crime are somehow complicit — attacked b/c they’re in the drug trade or dating criminals or whatever. When a white person (or even someone who isn’t white, as long as s/he isn’t black) is attacked, there seems to be a much stronger, visceral sense of “that could’ve been *me*” among white neighbors.

(I’m white myself, don’t know if that makes a difference.)

]]> By: JP http://dcentric.wamu.org/2011/02/gray-lanier-and-thomas-tour-north-capitol-after-murders/#comment-279 JP Tue, 01 Feb 2011 18:29:00 +0000 http://dcentric.wamu.org/?p=3854#comment-279 I grew up in a rural, southern county that was mostly black. Most of the white and black folks got along just fine. However, there were minorities of both that were supremely and willfully ignorant, jobless, lazy, entitled, and viciously and unapologetically violent. Let's not forget racist too. The whites like this we referred to as "white trash." They would occasionally raise a child who, by a fluke of luck, was smart and motivated enough to get the hell away from the horrific culture that their family was a part of. The "black trash" is no different. Take both groups of people, change their skin color to green, and they are identical in their counterproductive habits and culture. It just so happens that particular neighborhoods of DC have huge swaths of "black trash" living there. Culturally, it might as well be a giant, meth filled trailer park in Ohio or Kentucky. Decent, hard working, productive people are happy when wealthier people move into their neighborhoods, but racist trash of both colors just look at the newcomers with scorn and contempt. Its not white people killing people in DC. It's trash that happens to be black. I'm tired of hearing these trashy, racist jerks complain about DC becoming less black. When white people complain about their neighborhoods becoming less white, we call them what they are: racists. This is no different. I grew up in a rural, southern county that was mostly black. Most of the white and black folks got along just fine. However, there were minorities of both that were supremely and willfully ignorant, jobless, lazy, entitled, and viciously and unapologetically violent. Let’s not forget racist too. The whites like this we referred to as “white trash.” They would occasionally raise a child who, by a fluke of luck, was smart and motivated enough to get the hell away from the horrific culture that their family was a part of.
The “black trash” is no different. Take both groups of people, change their skin color to green, and they are identical in their counterproductive habits and culture.
It just so happens that particular neighborhoods of DC have huge swaths of “black trash” living there. Culturally, it might as well be a giant, meth filled trailer park in Ohio or Kentucky.
Decent, hard working, productive people are happy when wealthier people move into their neighborhoods, but racist trash of both colors just look at the newcomers with scorn and contempt.
Its not white people killing people in DC. It’s trash that happens to be black. I’m tired of hearing these trashy, racist jerks complain about DC becoming less black. When white people complain about their neighborhoods becoming less white, we call them what they are: racists. This is no different.

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