4 Oakland Officers Killed (section 8, homes, buying)

[City Boy]

Originally Posted by nmnita

of course they may be discriminated against and that is sad, but guess what? First of all, anyone can still make it in life if they have the desire and 2, many of us have been discriminated against and still be able to pull ourselves up and survive the discrimination: I am an example:

Quickly: started a new career at 51; I am diyslectic, and didn't hardly know what a computer looked like, but I was given a chance. In our 4 week class of 35 new employees, three of us were past 50 and probably the oldest in the company. The other 2 didn't make it out of training, I was bound and determined and did. Later I started moving up, from hourly to finally management, but when a cut back came, I was demoted or offered a good package to leave. Why was I one of the chosen ones? I can guarantee it was because of my age, any because I was white: yep, so some of us do know how it feels. I choose to take the demotion. Within a couple of years I have fought the odds and moved back up..Did I go as far as I had hoped? NO, was I still fighting discrimination? Yes, but I never gave up...If I had given up I wouldn't even have the small pension I receive from the company.

Nita

Are you really trying to compare a disability to hundreds of years of enforced racism that is heavily woven into American society? Something to which we still see the affects today. Yes in today's times we as Blacks and people of color have much better opportunities but the damage has already been done, we are digging our way out of a hole. The educational system has not rebounded and is not equal. Education equality is key.

[City Boy]

Originally Posted by LizzyNola

Unfortunately, East Oakland has been a terrible place to live for many decades.

I lived in the Bay area (North Oakland, Berkeley & SFO) while attending Berkeley, and I can tell you that even back in the day East Oakland was not a place you wanted to be.

For whatever reason you want to call it, East Oakland has residents that are simply ignorant, uneducated, ghetto people. These types of people are those that I had never seen before in my life. I feel sorry for the good folks who are stuck living there!

They tried to bring community development/improvements/programs to that area but nothing you do will ever make the area any better.

I feel sorrow for those officers and their families. The thug (yes, thug) that murdered those officers are one of many with his mind set and low life mentality. There is NO excuse for what he did. Being poor with limited opportunities is no excuse. This dummie was not going back to prison. How right was he trying to be having a gun in his possession while on parole?

Ignorance, pure & simple~

That scumbag who killed those cops is not one of many. Those types make up less than 1% but manage to terrorize it with their ignorance.

[MrSykes]

Originally Posted by nmnita

nope but we were or we assume we were, the best action would have been to pull all 3 cars over, he didn't. My point we all do profile, have predjudices or whatever. As I have said before this is human nature. If someone breaks the law, it doesn't make any difference why they are sighted they broke the the law..

Nita

Certainly, but too often profiling extends to those who are clearly not in violation of any law.

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by City Boy

Are you really trying to compare a disability to hundreds of years of enforced racism that is heavily woven into American society? Something to which we still see the affects today. Yes in today's times we as Blacks and people of color have much better opportunities but the damage has already been done, we are digging our way out of a hole. The educational system has not rebounded and is not equal. Education equality is key.

I really don't think I said anything like that, I simply pointed out many of us have been discriminated against and anyone who wants to better themselves can. Education is not equal? How do you figure that? We all have the opportunity to attend public school up through 12th grade, we all can go to college if we want and have the grades..Inter city schools do suffer, everyone knows that, but not everyone attending inter city schools is black. No one is claiming it is easy, no one ever said some kids do not have 2 strikes against them when they enter the world.. The point is, which by the way, I think we are way off the subject of the crime that was committed over the weekend, too many give the excuse I have been picked on..You can take piked on to mean many things.

Nita

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by MrSykes

Certainly, but too often profiling extends to those who are clearly not in violation of any law.

and I agree with you on that..These should never happen, but back to reality, we are human and humans are not perfect (except for me of course)!!!

[City Boy]

Originally Posted by nmnita

I really don't think I said anything like that, I simply pointed out many of us have been discriminated against and anyone who wants to better themselves can. Education is not equal? How do you figure that? We all have the opportunity to attend public school up through 12th grade, we all can go to college if we want and have the grades..Inter city schools do suffer, everyone knows that, but not everyone attending inter city schools is black. No one is claiming it is easy, no one ever said some kids do not have 2 strikes against them when they enter the world.. The point is, which by the way, I think we are way off the subject of the crime that was committed over the weekend, too many give the excuse I have been picked on..You can take piked on to mean many things.

Nita

The majority of those in inner city schools are people of color. It's not a coincidence. We do NOT all have access to equal education. How can everybody go to college if you have terrible conditions in the schools and students from college prep High schools in Piedmont are competing with those at McClymonds? Racial discrimination over time kept Many Blacks and other non whites out of high paying upward mobile jobs. White flight combined with other factors is the reason you see who you see in the inner city today. This is deeper than "Being Picked on". There has been a psychological break down of non whites through out history.

[MrSykes]

Originally Posted by iTsLiKeAnEgG

Aside from lacking the financial means, nothing prevents anyone from moving to where they like. Your statement could just as easily apply to anyone. Acquiring the monetary resources to make such a move is a realistic option for many people.

Given the rampant amount of housing discrimination that still takes place against black folks here, I'm not sure that's entirely accurate.

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by City Boy

The majority of those in inner city schools are people of color. It's not a coincidence. We do NOT all have access to equal education. How can everybody go to college if you have terrible conditions in the schools and students from college prep High schools in Piedmont are competing with those at McClymonds? Racial discrimination over time kept Many Blacks and other non whites out of high paying upward mobile jobs. White flight combined with other factors is the reason you see who you see in the inner city today. This is deeper than "Being Picked on". There has been a psychological break down of non whites through out history.

Last I heard most public universities in Calif considered sat scores, grades and other things when accepting kids for the fall semester..With all the state universities don't tell me a kid from the ghetto with a b plus or better GPA and decent sat scores can't get into college. I am not talking Stanford, UCLA< or Ivy league, I am talking basic 4 year universities.. In Texas, any kid in the top 10% of his graduating class is accepted to all schools like Texas A&M. Actually that is an advantage for the inter city kids who want a better education as it is easier for them to be in the top 10%. I certainly am not argueing about racial discrimination over time, I am talking about today. As for white flight, I believe middle class blacks are also moving to the burbs, Good for them...

The only way to move forward is to get over what was and consintrate on what is and hopefully will be...

Nita

[footballer0607]

Well, I'm going to respond on the topic. Even before this happened (or the incidents with Chauncey Bailey and Oscar Grant, for that matter) Oakland was by all means a dangerous place to be a police officer. I mean, the city had 148 homicides in 2006. Of those, only 56, or 39%, were solved, and that's including the ones that were ruled justifiable homicide. This shows that California's parole system needs to be fixed badly and we can't just dump these guys in Oakland. I feel somewhat sorry for Lavelle Mixon's family, but certainly not Mixon himself. If they had taken him alive, I think he definitely should've got the death penalty, and I'm usually not even pro-capital punishment. To shoot 2 wounded cops in the head, that's a straight-up coward. The guy was scum; he's since been implicated in the rape of a 12-year old, and might have killed somebody else in 2007.

[City Boy]

Originally Posted by nmnita

Last I heard most public universities in Calif considered sat scores, grades and other things when accepting kids for the fall semester..With all the state universities don't tell me a kid from the ghetto with a b plus or better GPA and decent sat scores can't get into college. I am not talking Stanford, UCLA< or Ivy league, I am talking basic 4 year universities.. In Texas, any kid in the top 10% of his graduating class is accepted to all schools like Texas A&M. Actually that is an advantage for the inter city kids who want a better education as it is easier for them to be in the top 10%. I certainly am not argueing about racial discrimination over time, I am talking about today. As for white flight, I believe middle class blacks are also moving to the burbs, Good for them...

The only way to move forward is to get over what was and consintrate on what is and hopefully will be...

Nita

The ones who can get decent grades and who do get to go to college are few and far in between. Not everybody can learn when you have numerous obstacles. Not everybody in the ghetto comes from 1 parent house holds either. I'm willing to bet the ones who do succeed are the exception to their environment. Blacks moving to the suburbs today is nothing like white flight. It's easy to say get over it and pull yourself up by your boot straps when you're not in that situation.