How Can Wilkes-Barre Be Fixed? (Allentown, Bethlehem: middle-class, apartment, crime)

[Magritte25]

Originally Posted by thecoalman

I'll put this into perspective with some rough numbers for 2013 which was deadliest year, they won;t be exact but pretty damn close. Rates are per 100K.

National murder rate : 5
Murder rate in Luzerne County when we exclude Wilkes Barre (population about 300K) : 2
Murder rate in Wilkes Barre (population 40K): Mid 30's
Murder rate of just the black community in Wilkes Barre (population 4K): Something like 200

This type of violence did not exist here 30 years ago. It has grown over that time with the influx of transplants from NYC and Philadelphia. Granted it's the whites causing the demand for drugs but it's not the whites shooting each other either on this scale. If you were a black person in Luzerne County in 2013 statistically you'd probably be safer in Baghdad.

2014 was fairly calm and the beginning of this year started well however there was 8 people shot in a two week period recently and two of them are dead.

Wilkes-Barre shooting suspect arrested in NYC - News - Citizens' Voice

It's very common for these shootings and other crminal activities to be related to people from NYC and Philly. Do you remenber that kid that got shot in the stroller in NYC? They found that guy here, unrelated but coincidentally the same housing project that two other young black kids were shot around the same time. They were lucky and survived.

Please spare us the comments like "astounding level of ignorance".

Again, I'll refer you to other crimes besides shootings, which are happening exclusively within the drug dealing community. Many of the crimes people complain about - robberies, destroying property, drug use, etc - are being committed by whites.

You talk about the black people committing crimes here. Where is your acknowledgment of the MANY MORE black people who do not commit crime here, who do not ruin the city and who are assets to our community? If you aren't willing to acknowledge that population, if you are zeroing in solely on the blacks who committed crimes you ARE displaying an astounding level of ignorance.

[thecoalman]

Originally Posted by Magritte25

Again, I'll refer you to other crimes besides shootings, which are happening exclusively within the drug dealing community. Many of the crimes people complain about - robberies, destroying property, drug use, etc - are being committed by whites.

I didn't say crimes were not being committed by whites but when you are going to compare populations that have vastly different population totals you need to use rates. You are just fooling yourself to do otherwise. In WB there is 10:1 ratio of whites:blacks, if there was parity for every 10 crimes or murders committed by whites you would only have one committed by blacks. It's a 30:1 ratio in Luzerne County.

To ignore a demographic that has such a high rate of violent crime/murder is an astounding level of ignorance.

[draketrutta]

Originally Posted by Magritte25

Again, I'll refer you to other crimes besides shootings, which are happening exclusively within the drug dealing community. Many of the crimes people complain about - robberies, destroying property, drug use, etc - are being committed by whites.

You talk about the black people committing crimes here. Where is your acknowledgment of the MANY MORE black people who do not commit crime here, who do not ruin the city and who are assets to our community? If you aren't willing to acknowledge that population, if you are zeroing in solely on the blacks who committed crimes you ARE displaying an astounding level of ignorance.

I was counting on Ron Feldman, former head of the W-B NAACP.

Unfortunately, he turned a blind eye and refrained comment about the black criminal element in W-B.
Instead, he grabbed headlines insisting that W-B city pay its workers a holiday for MLK day.
As if W-B taxes aren't high enough.

Another Al Sharpton wannabee.

[Wells5]

The halcyon days of old in the Wyoming Valley when people didn't lock their front doors, violent crime was rare, most children behaved themselves and you knew everyone on your block. But wait! In the pleasant borough of Kingston, there lived in a very modest house a genuine godfather: Russel Bufalino a/k/a "the quiet don." It is reported that he owned a good chunk of the Havana casinos, controlled the interstate dress trade and may have been involved in the Kennedy assasination. But he lived a peaceful life and no one bothered him. The face of crime then and now.

[Magritte25]

Originally Posted by thecoalman

I didn't say crimes were not being committed by whites but when you are going to compare populations that have vastly different population totals you need to use rates. You are just fooling yourself to do otherwise. In WB there is 10:1 ratio of whites:blacks, if there was parity for every 10 crimes or murders committed by whites you would only have one committed by blacks. It's a 30:1 ratio in Luzerne County.

To ignore a demographic that has such a high rate of violent crime/murder is an astounding level of ignorance.

Question: Why is it important to note the races in this manner?

[Magritte25]

Originally Posted by draketrutta

I was counting on Ron Feldman, former head of the W-B NAACP.

Unfortunately, he turned a blind eye and refrained comment about the black criminal element in W-B.
Instead, he grabbed headlines insisting that W-B city pay its workers a holiday for MLK day.
As if W-B taxes aren't high enough.

Another Al Sharpton wannabee.

Where is the white counterpart of Ron Felton? Why don't other whites have to answer for the crimes of their fellow whites?

[thecoalman]

Originally Posted by Magritte25

Question: Why is it important to note the races in this manner?

For 2013 WB made one of those top lists for the most deadliest in the nation. In contrast the rest of Luzerne County is well below the national average. That is direct result of the exorbitant amount of murders in the black community. If you want that to continue then ignore where these crimes are occurring. I'm not going to ignore it because I don't want to see it to continue to spread.

[thecoalman]

Originally Posted by Magritte25

Where is the white counterpart of Ron Felton?

I guess you didn't get the memo but if you advocate for white people you're automatically considered a racist and if you're advocating for anyone to get a job just because of their skin color then it's probably true. He'd have complaint if more qualified black applicants were overlooked but that's not his message is it?

[Magritte25]

Originally Posted by thecoalman

For 2013 WB made one of those top lists for the most deadliest in the nation. In contrast the rest of Luzerne County is well below the national average. That is direct result of the exorbitant amount of murders in the black community. If you want that to continue then ignore where these crimes are occurring. I'm not going to ignore it because I don't want to see it to continue to spread.

I'm not ignoring. I simply don't care what color the perpetrator's skin is...why is that a bad thing?

[Magritte25]

Originally Posted by thecoalman

I guess you didn't get the memo but if you advocate for white people you're automatically considered a racist and if you're advocating for anyone to get a job just because of their skin color then it's probably true. He'd have complaint if more qualified black applicants were overlooked but that's not his message is it?

I'm curious why you think Ron Felton should talk about black crime but no one has to talk about white crime. Double standard?