Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Wpipkins, believe what you wish, but NEITHER story was fabricated. The boycott wasn't organized locally. It was organized by a national group via two rabble-rousers with too much time in their hands and was spread locally, also on Facebook, by blacks and whites alike locally who were sympathetic with the Ferguson movement and who thought Michael Brown was a martyr. I'm sure "aw_now_what" can fill you in since s(he) made a snarky comment to me about the boycott on here in the past. This happened in December, just before the Holiday season, and it finally ebbed when my employer, also via social media, distanced themselves from the issue, and when I issued an apology that I still to this day am irked about. I read some of the e-mails about me that were sent to our partner businesses, and I also read some very nasty things written about me on various social media sites. It was extremely stressful and ruined my Christmas all because these Ferguson sympathizers couldn't attack an individual's statements instead of the individual.
The phone conversation in our office also happened. I can see if it was recorded if you'd like and then send it to you via DM so you can disseminate it. Due to crime issues---not racism---our business doesn't serve the Middle Hill, Homewood, or Larimer (besides Bakery Square). Our competitors don't service these areas either due to the greater propensity for drivers to be subjected to robbery. The woman really did keep saying "I know the REAL reason why you won't come here..." so I fail to see how I was the aggressor.
Sparrowmint, care to elaborate? I'd love to hear your insight into the above and how it is that I'm racist for being on the receiving end of either issue. I fail to see how complaining about road closures affecting our business is racist. I also fail to see how refusing to deliver to crime-prone neighborhoods is racist. Diversity in our workforce has only increased since I took over HR, and it will only continue to increase.
The Ferguson, #BLACKLIVESMATTER, Hands up dont shoot movement was not caused specifically by the Michael Brown shooting death. The movement was caused by systematic racism and double standards within government and police agencies throughout this nation. Michael Browns shooting death was the straw that broke the camels back. The DOJ report gave specific details on how black citizens of Ferguson MO were consistantly targeted by the largely white police department. Prior to the report, the city and some white people did not understand or believe what was happening in that city. This plays out across this nation on a daily basis.
There's a lot of resentment from the socioeconomically-underprivileged and academically-underachieving subset of the African-American community in Pittsburgh towards whites, attributing their ailments to race instead of poor life choices, so I wouldn't necessarily say race relations here are that great. With that being said there are also socioeconomically-underprivileged and academically-underachieving whites in this country who blame "dem der illegals" (a.k.a. "all brown people") for their ailments instead of looking in the mirror.
I've had African-Americans launch a boycott against our business last year because I disagreed with them closing local streets to protest the Michael Brown slaying in Ferguson because, apparently, if you disagree with street closures while you're in the business of getting things from Point A to Point B in the most efficient manner, then you're an adherent to #BlackLivesDon'tMatter. I later learned the leaders of that boycott were proponents of boycotts against other white-owned businesses in general, which irked me even more.
A few weeks ago a woman from the Homewood area became nasty on the phone with me because she was told she was outside of our delivery radius (due to crime-related reasons---not race-related reasons). Nevertheless she pulled the race card in a diatribe until I finally politely told her to have a nice evening and hung up because I was done being verbally harangued.
I've actually, sadly, become more racist---not more tolerant---since moving here because I'm tiring of this subset blaming me, a struggling white guy, for their problems that are mostly NOT attributed to race. Homewood being the way it is today with weekly shootings, carjackings, etc. isn't my fault. It's also not the fault of white people at-large, either, despite what the upper-middle-class educated East End whites on this sub-forum like to perpetuate due to their "white guilt". I refuse to keep apologizing because prior generations of my race were hostile, aggressive, or downright racist towards members of other races. How can you be held accountable for problems that occurred decades before you were even conceived?
One last thing I'd like to add is that I'm tired of being told "blacks can't be racist", usually by upper-middle-class white-guilt-perpetuating apologists I've learned to resent. ANY individual is capable of believing their race is superior to another race. Asians can think they're better than blacks. Blacks can think they're better than whites. Whites can think they're better than Hispanics. Hispanics can think they're better than Asians. I guess East Enders never learned that at Harvard or Yale.
Ok, I am knowingly taking the bait...
I understand why you wouldn't want to deliver in areas with high crime. But when you post things about your becoming more racist since moving here, do you think some of that may come across when you are explaining why you can't deliver to Homewood? How do any Black people that you've hired feel about the opinions you espouse? Do you understand that it may alienate them? That even if they aren't "those people" you don't like, that some of their relatives may be?
Ps, I live and have many friends in the east end and none of them went to Harvard or Yale or any other ivy.
The Ferguson, #BLACKLIVESMATTER, Hands up dont shoot movement was not caused specifically by the Michael Brown shooting death. The movement was caused by systematic racism and double standards within government and police agencies throughout this nation. Michael Browns shooting death was the straw that broke the camels back. The DOJ report gave specific details on how black citizens of Ferguson MO were consistantly targeted by the largely white police department. Prior to the report, the city and some white people did not understand or believe what was happening in that city. This plays out across this nation on a daily basis.
Four African-American police officers were slain nationally in the line of duty over the course of the past month by fellow African-Americans, including one in Philadelphia. If we're going to have a discussion about #BlackLivesMatter, then where is the outrage over those black lives, or it acceptable in society to kill cops now as payback for the small subset of racist and/or "dirty" cops who exist?
JimboPGH, I never said anything about how our "black clients suck". That was your paraphrasing---not mine. We have many black clients that I've befriended over the years, and I treasure those relationships. What I didn't appreciate was subtly being called a racist repeatedly over the phone because we won't deliver to crime-prone neighborhoods that coincidentally happen to be of an African-American majority. I don't understand how it's not racist of someone to pull the race card unprovoked.
Sparrowmint, half of the OP was pertaining to race relations in Pittsburgh, so I don't see how having an intelligent discussion about race relations in Pittsburgh is in any way off-topic as long as we're respectful of each other's divergent perspectives. I don't conform to the upper-crust white liberal white guilt "group think" mentality in the East End. Sorry.
Jews were persecuted and have risen.
Asians were persecuted and have risen.
Gays were persecuted and have risen.
You never hear someone blaming being Jewish, Asian, or gay as reasons why they can't find work or obtain admission to an institution of higher learning.
The Ferguson, #BLACKLIVESMATTER, Hands up dont shoot movement was not caused specifically by the Michael Brown shooting death. The movement was caused by systematic racism and double standards within government and police agencies throughout this nation. Michael Browns shooting death was the straw that broke the camels back. The DOJ report gave specific details on how black citizens of Ferguson MO were consistantly targeted by the largely white police department. Prior to the report, the city and some white people did not understand or believe what was happening in that city. This plays out across this nation on a daily basis.
People who haven't been paying attention don't realize that. Even in St. Louis County, it's not just Ferguson. Ferguson isn't even the worst.
Here's a Pittsburgh connection: St. Louis County is a lot like Allegheny County in that it's divided into dozens upon dozens of tiny communities that really should not exist as independent municipalities. Except while here in Allegheny County, all these tiny, sometimes impoverished local municipalities make their money from local income taxes and too high property taxes... in St. Louis County, they make a HUGE portion of their municipal budget from fines upon fines upon fines. Fines that they disproportionately take from black citizens (though not exclusively), fines that can average in the hundreds of dollars annually per resident. And:
Quote:
There are many towns in St. Louis County where the number of outstanding arrest warrants can exceed the number of residents, sometimes several times over.
Four African-American police officers were slain nationally in the line of duty over the course of the past month by fellow African-Americans, including one in Philadelphia. If we're going to have a discussion about #BlackLivesMatter, then where is the outrage over those black lives, or it acceptable in society to kill cops now as payback for the small subset of racist and/or "dirty" cops who exist?
JimboPGH, I never said anything about how our "black clients suck". That was your paraphrasing---not mine. We have many black clients that I've befriended over the years, and I treasure those relationships. What I didn't appreciate was subtly being called a racist repeatedly over the phone because we won't deliver to crime-prone neighborhoods that coincidentally happen to be of an African-American majority. I don't understand how it's not racist of someone to pull the race card unprovoked.
Sparrowmint, half of the OP was pertaining to race relations in Pittsburgh, so I don't see how having an intelligent discussion about race relations in Pittsburgh is in any way off-topic as long as we're respectful of each other's divergent perspectives. I don't conform to the upper-crust white liberal white guilt "group think" mentality in the East End. Sorry.
Jews were persecuted and have risen.
Asians were persecuted and have risen.
Gays were persecuted and have risen.
You never hear someone blaming being Jewish, Asian, or gay as reasons why they can't find work or obtain admission to an institution of higher learning.
Yeah, the moderator never locks these threads. Great point. Also true, that gay people have "never" claimed discrimination in employment.
I appreciate that you are willing to express your feelings honestly when most folks daintily walk on eggshells anytime anything even remotely racial is discussed, but with all due respect, you're acting like a petulant martyr.
Discussing the conditions of poor black neighborhoods without taking into account the economic and judicial factors behind those conditions is going to be unproductive. If you want to vent about how lousy poor black people are as customers do that in private with your co-workers. When discussing race relations on the internet, try to put a little more thought and context into your screeds. It may save you a boycott or two.
It's kind of fascinating how much he puts out there for public consumption, but then seems consistently surprised when there are offline consequences for it. Someone needs to hook himself up with a PR expert for his future business plans, and maybe that person can talk some sense into him about all the elements of running a business.
Or a quote from one of my favourite tv shows, though it loses its fun with this board's filter.
Quote:
"You run into an a****** in the morning, you ran into an a******. You run into a******s all day, you're the a******." - Raylan Givens
I fail to see why people with divergent perspectives can't debate one another with civility. It's 2015. I thought we were beyond juvenile scare tactics like targeting an individual's friends, relatives, and/or employers because we don't agree with an ideal that they espouse or choose not to espouse.
I used to be pro-life. I'm now pro-choice. I was persuaded.
I used to be pro-death penalty. I'm now anti-death penalty. I was persuaded.
Initially I was even against my own self-interest in that I opposed same-sex marriage but supported same-sex civil unions. I was persuaded.
I used to shop at Walmart. I haven't now since 2005. I was persuaded.
I'm in need of persuasion to ally myselves with those who think Michael Brown's death by his own doing in reaching for an officer's gun was a catalyst to highlight what's wrong with white America these days. I'm not saying I'm not open-minded, but so far the "persuasion" has been calling me names, boycotting my employer, and causing me such severe anxiety I became physically ill. None of that has helped to champion any hope of me joining their cause. All it's done is made me extremely angry and unsympathetic. Instead of helping to persuade me on this cause, too, I'm continuing to bear a "racist" moniker like I'm late for my Klan rally.
Educate me, folks. I thought liberals were good at telling everyone else why they're wrong? Are they also not good, then, at persuasion?
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
