Shootings (Pittsburgh: rental car, rental, universities)

[dugdogmaster]

Originally Posted by jinxd_13

Don't want that either...then they will come. Best just let evryone think its still hell with the lid off!

I actually love that nickname

[jinxd_13]

Me too...its so evocative. I use it at any given opportunity!

Originally Posted by dugdogmaster

I actually love that nickname

[aveojohn]

Originally Posted by ExPit

An infant was killed in a drive-by in L.A. yesterday. This type of incident used to be a more common occurrence, but it still happens too much. Heard a statistic recently that there are more registered gun owners in PA than in any other state, and though I agree up front that alot of street killings are carried out with UN-registered, illegal firearms, those illegal firearms were most of them legal at one time, before they were stolen and sold on the black market.

There are too many guns on the street. It only stands to reason that there will be too many shootings. Used to be someone had a beef and settled it with their hands or talked it out; either way, it was over once the sweat dried. Now lives are ended or changed forever, both victim and shooter alike.

I know alotta people these days don't feel safe without a gun, and I've even heard it argued by some pretty bright people that if everybody were armed we'd all be better off; one giant stand-off, I guess is the ideal situation.

What's everybody think?

The reason gun ownership is so high in Pa is because Pa has more hunters than any other state.Most of the guns are hunting rifles.The guns on the street could be from anywhere and are mostly hand guns.I own 1 pistol,A 357 magnum and am very proficient with it.I very rarely carry it any more because I just don't feel the need.Since most of the shootings are drug related and I stay away from those areas.

[Pitts10yrs]

Amazingly there are many guns, poverty and such in rural areas, but as I said that does not mean there has to be crime. And again, CRIME DOES NOT HAPPEN EVERYWHERE!!!! AGAIN, what a very wrong generalization. CRIME IS A PRODUCT OF POOR PARENTING. Kids are taught, or lack of being taught otherwise, to commit crimes. Yes, murder is included in this.

[aveojohn]

Originally Posted by subdivisions

This is such a hard topic for me - I can see both sides and I feel conflicted about it.

As a social scientist, I am well aware of the ways in which poverty and racism perpetuate themselves, and of the myriad of subtle ways in which majority society makes it difficult for minority society to "pull themselves up by their own bootstraps". On a wider level, it's just not as easy as the conservative talk show hosts and those who have had nothing but priviledge would like us all to believe. It just isn't. People suck, and the world sucks. Racism and classism are alive and well in America today and anyone who thinks otherwise is in denial.

On the other hand, I live in the inner city, in a transitional neighborhood which is majority African-American in ethnicity, and parts of which are lower income (all races). Every day I watch the ways in which some of my neighbors conduct their lives, and I just want to shake them and tell them to wake the **** up about what they're doing to themselves. I'm not talking about drugs or prostitution or anything that blatant. I'm talking about smaller stuff that nevertheless can have a big impact on someone's life - dress, demeanor, life choices. Like: what the hell ever happened to using birth control? Having 3 kids before the age of 20 with a HS diploma isn't going to lead to a good life for anyone, regardless of what race you are. And it's hard to blame racism and "the man" for not hiring you when you refuse to look people in the eye, you look sullen and angry, and you can't speak standard English. These are the kinds of behaviors the Rush Limbaughs of the world see in the black community, and it's what they (the *******s) use to absolve themselves of all responsibility for the evil the rest of society perpetuates in ethnic minority communities. And frankly, they're not completely wrong, in my opinion (although they always fail to acknowlege that there are PLENTY of white people who act like this too).

Everybody needs to address this issue from whatever side of the issue they find themselves on before race and class will stop being a problem in this country. White/priviledged/majority people need to acknowledge their own knee-jerk negative responses to anybody who's different and work on those behaviors, and black/lower class/minority people need to take responsibility for the things they CAN change about the position they find themselves in before blaming all of their problems on the *******s in the world.

Now, a couple of personal stories: my mother was the 12th child in an alcoholic immigrant family in an inner city neighborhood. Her parents were lower class, didn't speak good English, and spent most of the family's money on booze. Also, there was a lot of physical and emotional abuse between the parents and the children. Her father didn't believe that women should be educated. In his eyes, women were only good for popping out babies and cooking and cleaning. So he wouldn't let her take academic classes in high school, forcing her to take typing and home ec and so forth. And it was the early 60s, a time when attitudes like his were not uncommon, and women got married right out of high school or were only supposed to be secretaries.

Despite this, my mother had ambition. She graduated valedictorian of her high school. She refused to get married like all her friends because she wanted to see the world, and in her mid-twenties, she joined the Peace Corps. They sent her to Vietnam, by herself, in the middle of the war. And she went, even though she was scared. She didn't marry until she was 30 (totally on the shelf in those days), and then proceeded to put herself through a BA and an MA while taking care of a young child (me). She worked hard her whole life after getting her degrees and invested their income responsibly, and my parents are now retired with many millions in the bank. If you met her and spoke to her, you would NEVER in a million years guess that she came from the background that she did.

My point? If my mother could do it, so can other people. It's an unusual story, but it's not the only one out there like it. People do stuff like that every day. And crappy home lives aren't limited to black people.

I also wanted to address the "you people did this to my people" thing. My ancestors came over from England in the 1600's, at least the side I can trace (my dad's side), and immediately converted to Quakerism and became fiercely anti-slavery. Literally every single generation of my family were abolitionists since the first generation set foot on American soil. Members of my family were beaten and arrested for protesting slavery. My great-grandfather 4 times removed and his wife hosted a stop on the Underground Railroad in Ohio. So in my case, "my people" really didn't do that to "your people". "My people" risked everything, including their very lives, to stop this country from enslaving and oppressing "your people". So don't assume my skin color = worthless asshat, and I won't do the same to you, ok?

One thing black people need to realize,is that most white people (98%?)did not own slaves.This was reserved for the wealthy plantation owners.How do ya think they got so rich?

[namelessinpitt]

Originally Posted by creepsinc

Problem solved! Thanks, kenyaa. The giant chip on your shoulder has grown into City-Data Forum's newest thread:



http://www.city-data.com/forum/pitts...on-thread.html

I don't think kenyaa has a chip on her shoulders, it's the truth. Pittsburgh is one of the most racist cities I've ever been to. Even my own family agrees! It is a fact - blacks and whites in Pittsburgh do not get along. end of story, no big deal.

[namelessinpitt]

Originally Posted by TrayyBall

I know this is off topic, but damn, I just found out that pittsburgh already has about 42-43 murders, someone posted a chart on here, and it said that pittsburgh only had 28, the 43rd murder happened this morning in broad daylight on the north side

Man dies in North Side shooting

pittsburgh's total each year is usually between 55-60, it isn't even august yet, and it's only about 12 murders from the total of last year.

well, it is pittsburgh. carry a gun and you'll feel safer. most likey you won;'t get shot, unless you like to deal in drugs. LOLOL

[namelessinpitt]

Originally Posted by dugdogmaster

I do not want to see Pittsburgh become a Portland, OR. Have you heard or seen anything concerning the teen drug and homeless problem there?

LOLOL you don't know too many teens here to ya?! LOLOL

[Agbor]

Its funny when black crime happens..Americans fall into debates about slavery and
victimization,psychology,social issues etc..when white crime happens=silence...

Crime happens because some individuals have a dysfunctional method of conflict resolving and some see it as the easy way out to get fast money...this relates to
the shooting cases at the Waterfront..

[creepsinc]

Originally Posted by namelessinpitt

I don't think kenyaa has a chip on her shoulders, it's the truth. Pittsburgh is one of the most racist cities I've ever been to. Even my own family agrees! It is a fact - blacks and whites in Pittsburgh do not get along. end of story, no big deal.

Having lived all over the country, I don't see it in Pittsburgh. If you want racial tension, check out Atlanta. I live in a predominantly black neighborhood (Perry Hilltop bordering Observatory Hill) and we all get along here just fine.