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Torontonians, especially ones who live in crappy areas, like to talk up Toronto as it's some kind of hood central. That's just more of the rotten thug mentality creeping in from the US, which isn't aligned with reality.
"Rappers get jacked when they go to Chalkfarm"
No they don't. My grandma doesn't even get jacked there.
God forbid the suburbanites read about a gang-related or drug-related murder and attribute it to the city as a whole. There's like 10% of the city where violence and crime is reality, compared to 75% or 80% in cities like Baltimore or Detroit, and our 10% is a walk in a park, comparatively. The rest of it is Disneyfied, NYC Pollyanna and you're not fooling anybody by calling it a hellhole with rising crime and blah blah blah. Get out of your house and travel to NE American cities if you really want to see urban hell. Toronto is one of the safest cities in North America, there's no widespread gang problem, there's no urban blight or prairies, etc. The police are absolutely right when they claim things like this.
Do you honestly think if you walk through most neighborhoods in Baltimore or Detroit, you are going to get shot out of the blue? 75-80%? You have never been to Baltimore have you? Not saying there are not some terrible neighborhoods, but if you did travel there did you ever really feel unsafe? Do abandoned buildings and black people really make you feel that uneasy?
So with that point aside, no one is saying that Toronto is some war zone, its far from it actually. The point is that people who get involved with this lifestyle are targets for violence like anywhere else and at times this violence spills over into the remainder of the community which is to the detriment of the innocent hard working folks that populate neighborhoods like that. I know they live in the "projects" so they don't deserve our attention, but some of us here do not have such a disgusting view of people that live below the poverty line.
Baltimore is a majority black city, therefore your experience and safety level will be different from mine. As a white guy, I have to be invited into a majority of neighbourhoods in Baltimore... I stick out in mostly black, blighted neighbourhoods, while you're just another face.
Downtown, Fell's Point are fine, just like the tourist/core areas of every major city. You and I both know that when Asians aren't available, white boys are the next favoured target, because we all have money and we all enslaved their ancestors. Why would I make it easy for them, first off, and secondly, why would I be in mostly residential neighbourhoods? I don't hang out in residential neighbourhoods in safe places because they're boring. I certainly won't go into one while wearing a target, which happens to be my skin colour.
Black people don't make me uneasy, but if that fits your narrative, sure, I'm a big ol' racist. You're an educated guy, I wish you'd try harder. I will say this without irony-- you want racism? Ask a black person what they think about anyone who is different, even other marginalized groups. I've experienced more racism first hand from black people than I'll ever be able to dish back in thirty lifetimes. And US inner cities are the culmination of this-- I have a target on my wallet because of my skin colour. I call that racism. You call that redistribution of wealth.
Statistically speaking illcosby, you as a white male are more likely to be robbed or murdered by someone of your own race than a Black man. So I am not sure where this paranoia is coming from. Again statistically speaking me as a black man should be more concerned than you in these neighborhoods, since the number 1 killers of black people are fellow Blacks.
Ask a black person? No need, I've conversed with many. Some are racist some are not, just like every single other race on this planet. It is a shame you have no experience with the successful side of our community. Your opinions on Blacks and Jamaicans are warped to say the least. I am not calling you a racist but I am definitely calling you naive and unversed on the topic of race relations. Next visit to a large American City, please do yourself a favor and seek out a predominantly black neighborhood, especially one that has undergone its fair share of revitalization. Walk around, go out for dinner or a drink and expose yourself to another side of the black community many ignore.
I'm definitely not naive about race relations, in fact, I'd say I'm a heckuva lot more realistic about them than most. BTW, I grew up mostly in Lawrence Heights, just like you. Tons of experience with successful black people and not so successful black people. Sorry to disappoint.
Sure, I'll get right on puttering around in East St. Louis, which I'm sure you can do, but since you cannot change your skin colour, you can't see that it's absurd for me to do so. Just like it would have been absurd for you to putter around in Bensonhurst in the 1960s. It is what it is. They don't want me in those neighbourhoods-- and I sure as hell don't want to be there either. I'm not going to learn anything, except that I should have taken advice to not go there. I don't have this attitude because I have a problem being there, other people have the problem with me being there.
Sure, I'll get right on puttering around in East St. Louis, which I'm sure you can do, but since you cannot change your skin colour, you can't see that it's absurd for me to do so. Just like it would have been absurd for you to putter around in Bensonhurst in the 1960s. It is what it is. They don't want me in those neighbourhoods-- and I sure as hell don't want to be there either. I'm not going to learn anything, except that I should have taken advice to not go there. I don't have this attitude because I have a problem being there, other people have the problem with me being there.
This is exactly the issue. Why do you associate predominantly black with places like East St. Louis? or other extremely high crime areas? Black people don't go out of there way to spend time in those neighborhoods, because there is nothing really to see. Its actually just depressing for the most part.
What you need to do is visit an affluent or at least middle class predominantly black neighborhood and maybe your knee jerk reaction to associate predominantly black with slums will slowly subside. When I hear Black, I think of those down and out places, but I also think of Harlem, Cascade, Baldwin Height, etc...
One of the mistakes I feel we have made in the states and one Canadians should avoid is the pampering and enabling of the dregs and losers of society.
The vermin have absolutely no concepts of work and responsibility. Many of them see incarceration as a badge of honor and pride.
I think if we shifted the cost of their imprisonment off the taxpayer's back and unto the perps and their parents, we'd see a major cultural shift in what is cool & acceptable.
This is exactly the issue. Why do you associate predominantly black with places like East St. Louis? or other extremely high crime areas? Black people don't go out of there way to spend time in those neighborhoods, because there is nothing really to see. Its actually just depressing for the most part.
What you need to do is visit an affluent or at least middle class predominantly black neighborhood and maybe your knee jerk reaction to associate predominantly black with slums will slowly subside. When I hear Black, I think of those down and out places, but I also think of Harlem, Cascade, Baldwin Height, etc...
I didn't associate black with slum-- you did and abscribed it to me. Hyde Park is a great neighbourhood and I have been there. But I also know that there's a significant criminal element present there and in the surrounding neighbourhoods that's mostly kept in place because of the police presense on a few blocks in HP, guarding homes. I also know that I got eye f'd when I veered off the major thoroughfares. I did not feel welcome, in the least. I also know that troublemakers from the blighted, terrible neighbourhoods surrounding it go there precisely because it's a black neighbourhood with better amenities. From this personal experience, and knowing just how many black people entrenched in "the life" still view white people as the enemy, I'd probably pass on visiting in the future. I'm not welcome to certain parts of HP and I don't want to be there. Hell, when I was trying to get to Hyde Park on transit, I was warned by a black guy at my hotel to avoid using the red line and just take a cab. Would a black person be encouraged to take a cab to Hyde Park? Nope. Now, I'm sure I'd be fine visiting in the daytime, even passing through some crap hoods to get there, but I'm not going to take special precautions to visit certain neighbourhoods if I can't on a whim. I'd rather avoid them all together.
Look, people are tribal in nature. They're skeptical of those who are different and prefer to co-exist with people as similar to them as possible. Don't forget that it works both ways too and I'm not going to upset that balance to prove a point.
There were some arrests today- Goofy 19 year old snagged while riding a bus..and some other guy "reckless discharging of a fire arm" Silly- If you are caught with a gun - you intent to kill- It's a matter of time.- No one should make bail after being caught with a restricted weapon....The one kid on the bus was carrying a 22 caliber revolver...What a little fool..You would have to put a lot of holes in someone to kill them with such a small caliber pistol...Just goes to show you these urban kids- don't even know their guns....
As a rural kid we had all kinds of guns- as twelve year olds we would be blasting away in the back yard..They were toys and the neighbors would not bother calling police...It was normal- and we were normal- We never thought once that a gun was a symbol of power and intimidation...we would not dream of pointing on at a person...All of my kids were taught to sho0t- None of them have a sick fascination with guns..
What they should have done in stupid liberal Toronto...Is set up gun ranges in these problem hoods- and taught these young men what a gun was- rather than let them learn from the god damned movies....Any twit who needs a gun or thinks they need a gun is an immature little coward....MEN- don't need a knife or a gun. Warped twisted and suck ass boys need guns..
One of the mistakes I feel we have made in the states and one Canadians should avoid is the pampering and enabling of the dregs and losers of society.
The vermin have absolutely no concepts of work and responsibility. Many of them see incarceration as a badge of honor and pride.
I think if we shifted the cost of their imprisonment off the taxpayer's back and unto the perps and their parents, we'd see a major cultural shift in what is cool & acceptable.
As stated above a lot of the reasons this behavior continues and escalates is because their is a lack of accountability.
Though at least if the perps are not Canadian citizens, there may be a way to exorcise them from the community.
"Sweeping immigration changes to give new power to minister
Measures crack down on 'foreign criminals' serving 6 months or more of jail time"
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