[green_mariner]

Originally Posted by Gunluvver2

I would be willing to wager that 50% of the crime in Omaha can be traced to a core group of single Mothers that have been in the area and reproduced since the 1950's. If you doubt me just go to this D.O.C website and do a bit of research on various genealogical websites from names on the D.O.C list.

GL2

Or it could be more complicated than that. One thing to think about is this. Omaha had more meatpacking plants in the 1950's than now. When some of the meatpacking jobs went away, African-Americans were disproportionally affected more than most. Another thing to think about is this. Omaha also has a high proportion of low-income African-Americans. There is more than meets the eye.
Another thing to consider is CRACK!! The crack epidemic spurred alot of violence in the 1980's and introduced a new culture of violence.

[green_mariner]

Originally Posted by Omaha Rocks

I just returned from a meeting where we addressed these very issues. And guess what? We didn't come up with any perfect answers. Imagine that!

Again, it's multi-faceted, and the real issues are very difficult to actually do something about. It has everything to do with fractured families, absentee fathers, poverty, hopelessness, gangs, etc. So take your pick, regarding which one you want to try to address first!


Anywhoo, regarding Omaha North High School... My daughter is a graduate of that school. Too many people think it's a ghetto school in the middle of the ghetto, but it really isn't. She had absolutely no problems, no fears, no trouble with black kids, no violence, nothing... Nothing but good. It is an excellent school. To the best of my knowledge, kids in that district have the first shot at being students there. Then, based on the number of openings, students from other areas of Omaha can apply to be students. So in that way, Omaha North serves - first and foremost - kids from North Omaha.

We both agree it is multi-faceted. When you have fractured families, no father in the home, hopelessness, and gangs, not to mention other problems, the crime rate will go up very high. Detroit is a very good example of this. I say all of those issues need to be addressed.

The Omaha newspaper portrayed Omaha North High as violence-ridden and full of crime. To this day, ONH is looking for an apology. I probably would have done well at Omaha North High. Omaha North High is a magnet school, so it has spots for people to get in. The school can concentrate on educating the children and creating an environment of safety and good things to happen. In many public high schools, the concern is mainly about how to deal with overcrowding and crime, rather than to educate.

[Gunluvver2]

pirate_lafitte,
If you want to read a good book about an Omaha native that grew up in North Omaha pick up Preston Love's book A THOUSAND HONEY CREEKS LATER. At least I think that is the title. Mr. Love was a very talented musician (he died just recently) that played with Count Bassie (sic?) and some of the finest musicians in the World from before WW2 up until a few years before his death. Anyone interested in what life was like in Omaha during that time period would enjoy the book, Black or White.

GL2

[Omahahonors]

Few things to address in this thread:
A)Journalists need to apologize, not a newspaper.
B)Third highest crime rate for a race doesn't necessarily that they are experiencing much more racism. Come on guys, I hope that you are much more logical than this.
C)The city and the minority communities have been working together for 15 years now to help establish: Identity, opportunities in the less-opportune areas, continued integration througout the city, working together to deter crime etc..
D)Crime is a symptom of a larger problem: Desperation. Desperation is a neurological response to a hypertensive moment an individual experiences very little ration thought and less control. The things that spur these types of moments are: Drugs, oppression (Omaha is considered as a very non-oppressive city by comparison), poor economics, family problems, job issues and heat (The hot states in the south experience a much higher rate of senseless crime, and Omaha does too during heat waves).

For the Omaha black community we have a few elements that continue this cycle. First we have the segragated north part of the city (we are now helping pull opportunities towards) that are full of poor economics, high amounts of substants abuse. Those elements are deadly, and kids raised in these elements 'grow' to think these conditions are acceptable and rely on high-impact instincts.

The city realizes and is working together. It takes a village to raise a child.

[laserdisque]

I think that reopening 16th street and having very reliable transit options on that street could help out a lot. When the hotel opened it severed the whole community from the area of town with the most jobs.

[Senrab+Omaha=MissingChica]

I'm glad to see some great discussions on the issues that Omaha is facing. I am not going to say North Omaha, as they are still a part of the city and need the same if not more help and attention that the rebuilding efforts of downtown and midtown are receiving now.

The point made about the 80's and crack, and it's long term issues is valid. If you have a generation of fathers who were selling drugs to support their family or people becoming addicted, then it will directly affect the younger generation (back to the broken family thing). I do wish that the drug czar then would have invested as much money into the crack cocaine issue, as the last drug czar invested into the meth epidemic here a few years ago.

The past few years the city has been progressive in the city, but we need to realize that this is something that will take years to show OVERALL change. We need to come together and continue to move in the right direction with this.

[pheaton]

I think Omaha can really make the whole city better. Especially with the taxes that we pay. Bad neighborhoods need investment to become good again. It goes back to the same song and dance being sung all over the country, reduce government waste. Stop paying for bogus stuff and invest they money in the city. Create jobs by putting boots on the ground and raising the bad areas up. It's a win/win situation..

[green_mariner]

Originally Posted by Senrab+Omaha=MissingChica

I'm glad to see some great discussions on the issues that Omaha is facing. I am not going to say North Omaha, as they are still a part of the city and need the same if not more help and attention that the rebuilding efforts of downtown and midtown are receiving now.

The point made about the 80's and crack, and it's long term issues is valid. If you have a generation of fathers who were selling drugs to support their family or people becoming addicted, then it will directly affect the younger generation (back to the broken family thing). I do wish that the drug czar then would have invested as much money into the crack cocaine issue, as the last drug czar invested into the meth epidemic here a few years ago.

The past few years the city has been progressive in the city, but we need to realize that this is something that will take years to show OVERALL change. We need to come together and continue to move in the right direction with this.

These issues need to be discussed.

It isn't just the generational issues to be dealt with. Surely addiction is a given and that cycle continues through the families. On that note, alot of people have killed one another over crack, over the money from crack. Not only that, the "war" on drugs wasn't much better at curbing the drug problem either. It was just extremely expensive, alot of people ended up in jail, not for dealing, not for killing, but for simply using it or having it. The drug war did alot worse than it did good. Thing is, you can get drugs in prison, so prison really doesn't work.

I'll be honest. You shouldn't use crack or other stuff like that. That stuff will mess with your brain. With that said, I do not believe incarcerating people to solve this problem is a good idea. It doesn't work, and to me, it wastes time and resources on real criminals, such as child molesters and rapists. Crack users will actually do more time than someone who is convicted of manslaughter. Alot of lives getting destroyed, not just by bad choices, but by unfair sentencing, killing, and other stupid stuff.

Something else to think about. Some of these men sent to prison for drug offenses, well, life on the outside will be very hard. Sending them to prison in the first place won't solve their drug issue. Once that person gets out of prison, no job, hard time finding a place to stay, basically, prison for some people becomes like a revolving door.

It took many years for these problems to get like this. In some cases, these problems were like this for a long time. It is going to take a long time for these problems to be ameliorated.

[Senrab+Omaha=MissingChica]

Originally Posted by pirate_lafitte

These issues need to be discussed.

It isn't just the generational issues to be dealt with. Surely addiction is a given and that cycle continues through the families. On that note, alot of people have killed one another over crack, over the money from crack. Not only that, the "war" on drugs wasn't much better at curbing the drug problem either. It was just extremely expensive, alot of people ended up in jail, not for dealing, not for killing, but for simply using it or having it. The drug war did alot worse than it did good. Thing is, you can get drugs in prison, so prison really doesn't work.

I'll be honest. You shouldn't use crack or other stuff like that. That stuff will mess with your brain. With that said, I do not believe incarcerating people to solve this problem is a good idea. It doesn't work, and to me, it wastes time and resources on real criminals, such as child molesters and rapists. Crack users will actually do more time than someone who is convicted of manslaughter. Alot of lives getting destroyed, not just by bad choices, but by unfair sentencing, killing, and other stupid stuff.

Something else to think about. Some of these men sent to prison for drug offenses, well, life on the outside will be very hard. Sending them to prison in the first place won't solve their drug issue. Once that person gets out of prison, no job, hard time finding a place to stay, basically, prison for some people becomes like a revolving door.

It took many years for these problems to get like this. In some cases, these problems were like this for a long time. It is going to take a long time for these problems to be ameliorated.

Agreed, agreed, agreed! I do not see an issue with arresting people for drug posession. Especially if the amounts are large, and they know the offender has intent to distribute. But when addition is a disease for most abusers, then it needs to be treated, not solely punished.

As you say, it is HARD for felons to get jobs after being in prison. So not only do we have people in prison for YEARS (as you said compared to ACTUAL criminals) and when they get out they have ZERO good choices for employment, what are they going to get into to make money? It's a cycle perpetuated. Our former and current president both have used cocaine, but if a young black male uses, or get's caught posessing, then he cannot make a decent living by being employed by a decent paying corporation or business.

I will not even begin on the war on drugs, especially marijuana, as I do not currently have the time or patience to bring up all the points, nor link all the articles on how BIG of a waste of money this has been on tax payers for DECADES. And it does not work. We all know the biggest killers, drug wise, are cigarettes and alcohol (directly, and after years of abuse), yet they demonize the most versitle plant known to man. But I digress...

Also, as we can see on our nations border, by having such strict regulations, and chance of prison or risk of gang violence, the current system actually makes it WORE by creating a market that makes the sale and distribution of drugs more lucrative.

[star_gazer]

Legalize drugs... tax them... heavily penalize those who harm others while under the influence.