Boston a big city of Racist ? (Holden, Russell: apartment, taxes, live in)

[JSizzle225]

Originally Posted by rapking of boston

Bill Maher ( HBO Real time with Bill Maher ) said that parts of Boston is racist toward Black people . Why can't Boston shake off its racist history ? I see alot of racist things happened in LA and New York but no one call those cities a racist city.

Can anyone fill me in on the history of why people say this? I won't go to Boston until this is cleared up. My family is going to Martha's Vineyard in September and they will spend a day in Boston. But I WILL NOT join them, I'm going to NY. Unless I hear that this is a rumor or the history behind it.

[1979]

Originally Posted by rapking of boston

Bill Maher ( HBO Real time with Bill Maher ) said that parts of Boston is racist toward Black people . Why can't Boston shake off its racist history ? I see alot of racist things happened in LA and New York but no one call those cities a racist city.

Why can't posters shake off these same old tired trolls??

Incidentally, Roxbury is far more deadly to a white person, than an other part of the city is to a black person.

[TheJickler]

Originally Posted by JSizzle225

Can anyone fill me in on the history of why people say this? I won't go to Boston until this is cleared up. My family is going to Martha's Vineyard in September and they will spend a day in Boston. But I WILL NOT join them, I'm going to NY. Unless I hear that this is a rumor or the history behind it.

Seriously? Unless an old, outdated stereotypye and a GIANT, baseless, sweeping generalization is "cleared up", you won't go to Boston?

[lrfox]

Originally Posted by JSizzle225

Can anyone fill me in on the history of why people say this? I won't go to Boston until this is cleared up. My family is going to Martha's Vineyard in September and they will spend a day in Boston. But I WILL NOT join them, I'm going to NY. Unless I hear that this is a rumor or the history behind it.

A bit extreme, no? Would you really believe that any city in the U.S. is "racist" enough to avoid visiting altogether? What on earth are you expecting that would keep you from setting foot in town?

Look up the busing crisis in the 1970s in Boston. I think that's the event that many people are referring to.

The fact of the matter is that that happened nearly 40 years ago. Furthermore, a LOT more went into the anger towards busing than race. One of the biggest issues in Boston was that in order to "desegregate" schools, white kids were also shipped across the city. Many of those kids had previously attended schools that were a block away that they could walk to. There was outrage that students were being uprooted from their local schools to be sent across town to a new school. Anyone is lying if they say there wasn't ANY racism involved, but the issues went a lot deeper than that. Unfortunately, the media and rumors surrounding it focused on racism.

Again, that was nearly half a century ago anyway. Boston is NOT a racist city. It really never was a racist city. There are no more ignorant and racist people in Boston than there are in any other city in the U.S. You should absolutely not feel uncomfortable in Boston, and if you let your fears keep you from visiting, you'd really be missing out.

[HenryAlan]

Re-posting from another thread, responding to a black woman's question about whether racism would affect her enjoyment visiting Boston.

Originally Posted by HenryAlan

As for the original question, Boston has a history with racism which is a hard thing to shake off. Lots of tension came to a head in the '70s when school desegregation was ordered by the courts, which meant busing, and an ensuing white flight from the public schools. It is a very shameful past, though not impossible to understand. My opinion is that much of the anger and angst has disappeared. The people who fought those battles don't live here anymore, and they've been replaced by a vibrant and very diverse group of newcomers. You may encounter racism, it certainly exists here, just as it does everywhere else. But I do not think it is endemic, and it certainly is not a noticeable element in the downtown areas frequented by tourists. You might have issues in some of the outlying residential neighborhoods, but they would likely be connected to your status as an "outsider" rather than your skin color.

I think Maher is full of it.

[eta]
And while it's not clear in my post from the other thread, I agree with lrfox, that there was much more to the busing crisis than racism alone. Some of the other critical elements were the sense that Boston was being handed a solution by a meddling outsider without any input from the people who actually had children attending the schools. The schools were not legally segregated in the way that they were in, say Little Rock. There was a de facto segregation caused by neighborhood segregation. Some of that was self-segregating, some was caused by bank red-lining, but the point is that urban families felt like they were being blamed for something they had not caused, and that the solution was an overwhelming burden.
[/edit]

[eevee]

it truly boggles my mind how freaking often this question comes up on this forum and how many times it's been answered in lengthy threads. yes, Boston will NEVER live down the bussing issue that occurred decades before and idiots who know nothing about the city will continue to use it as a reason to assume the entire city is full of racists and completely unsafe for and unwelcoming of minorities. Boston is far, far less racist than many cities in the US, but like every other city in America (and the world), it's far from perfect in terms of racial issues. so, ONCE AGAIN, Boston is not filled w/ racists and blacks need not fear stepping into the city and think a big bad gang of Irish mobsters right out of The Departed will kill them, but it isn't perfect (please find me a city that is)

[JSizzle225]

Originally Posted by eevee

it truly boggles my mind how freaking often this question comes up on this forum and how many times it's been answered in lengthy threads. yes, Boston will NEVER live down the bussing issue that occurred decades before and idiots who know nothing about the city will continue to use it as a reason to assume the entire city is full of racists and completely unsafe for and unwelcoming of minorities. Boston is far, far less racist than many cities in the US, but like every other city in America (and the world), it's far from perfect in terms of racial issues. so, ONCE AGAIN, Boston is not filled w/ racists and blacks need not fear stepping into the city and think a big bad gang of Irish mobsters right out of The Departed will kill them, but it isn't perfect (please find me a city that is)

Well, thank you for your well thought out answer, but I think THIS idiot would have a much better time in the 5 boroughs.

[holden125]

Originally Posted by JSizzle225

Can anyone fill me in on the history of why people say this? I won't go to Boston until this is cleared up. My family is going to Martha's Vineyard in September and they will spend a day in Boston. But I WILL NOT join them, I'm going to NY. Unless I hear that this is a rumor or the history behind it.

Originally Posted by JSizzle225

Well, thank you for your well thought out answer, but I think THIS idiot would have a much better time in the 5 boroughs.

Ah yes, the racial paradise known as New York City. Have fun.

Ever heard of Michael Griffith, Yusef Hawkins, the Family Red Apple grocery in Flatbush, Gavin Cato and Yankel Rosenbaum, Abner Louima, Patrick Dorismond, Amadou Diallo, Nicholas Minucci, Alie Kamara?

Back in the 90's, a lot more recently than the Boston busing issues, real estate offices were firebombed in Brooklyn for selling houses to black families in what had been a predominantly white neighborhood.

From two weeks ago: nine times more likely to be frisked by NYC police if you're not white:
New York Minorities Frisked 9 Times as Often, Data Find - NYTimes.com

And you probably don't work for the FDNY if you're black:
Judge Slams FDNY as Racist - Gothamist

[JSizzle225]

I like NYC. Nothing you say is going to change my opinion of that wonderful place.

[holden125]

Originally Posted by JSizzle225

I like NYC. Nothing you say is going to change my opinion of that wonderful place.

that's nice

good thing facts don't matter or anything

why don't you tell the family you're going to NYC because you feel like it, not some principled pseudo-protest against evil racist Boston