Chattanooga Is Not Like Chicago - And Response (4)

  • Sunday, February 19, 2017
I have a relative who lived in Chicago during the 1970s. Chattanooga is not Chicago, and it's irresponsible, dangerous and reckless to claim otherwise. Chattanooga issues and problems are unique to Chattanooga, as Chicago's issues and problems are unique to Chicago.

Chattanooga's rise in violence can pretty much be traced back to 40 and more years ago with the plans to uproot, destabilize and displace primarily poor, minority families from the inner-cities in  order to make way for higher taxpaying property owners to move in.
It's the downside to gentrification. All, or most all, those poor inner-city dwellers were suppose to be gone by now. 

Chicago, as similar cities of its kind, has a history of violent and corrupt policing dating back to well over half a century and more. It shouldn't be at all surprising a city or town with such a violent history against its citizens would come to equally produce violent citizens. 

Brenda Washington

* * *

Thugs, robbers, and killers are the same in Chicago or Chattanooga. Most all have excuses or someone to make excuses for them. Whether you're killed by a bullet in Chicago or Chattanooga, you're still dead.
 
Casting your wide net of excuses that the poor and minorities are unable to act according to a basic moral code of right from wrong is a trite and certainly invalid conclusion, but seems to be the only song the apologists can sing. Isn't it time to stop singing "Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen?" Life has troubles and problems for everyone yet is that an excuse for robbery and murder?
 
It used to be the goal to work yourself out of being poor. Apologists have turned professional poorness and criminal activities into a social badge-of-honor.
 
This is a poverty, but not a poverty as in lacking material goods. None of these thugs look underfed, ill-clothed, walking everywhere with newspaper-wrapped feet, and using Dixie cups and string to communicate. This is a "poverty of the mind" by those whose constant re-enforcement of phony victimization accepts and encourages inhumanity, then seeks to blame everyone else for the consequences.
 
It's time to get a new song 'cause you've worn the old one out as those old verses only lead to continued death and destruction.

Stephen Greenfield 

* * * 

I guess it's easy to blame violence on being poor.  If that is true then the majority of us seniors on Social Security need to form our own gang and trust me, it'll be huge. 

Jokes aside, the blame needs to be placed at the right place, the home.  I heard recently that over 60 percent of incoming kindergartners, that's those around...oh say five-years-old, have no social skills and the transition into the school room is made difficult for the entire class.  A five-year-old learns those skills at home, from mom and dad or from mom or dad.  I had two parents and Mom stayed home while Dad earned the living, but Mom could be harder on us six than Dad ever hoped of being.  We learned respect from the cradle and it's lasted all six of us, some to the grave.  Some of the first words we learned were yes sir, no ma'am and once we were old enough to try our individual wings we learned swiftly that regardless of age, height or weight, respect was number one.  None of us ever grew wiser than Mom and Dad, none of us would think of disrespecting them even today.  Some call it fear but as you grow older you learn it's actually respect. 

As we grew up the one thing we all had in common was the "fear" of letting our folks down.  None of us grew up to be doctors or lawyers but as individuals, as men and women, we can proudly say we didn't give our parents an opportunity to be ashamed of us.  That's something that the youth of today apparently have missed.  They carry protest signs that as a parent I wouldn't allow my children to see.  They disrespect their parents, their family, their government and probably their God.  They walk the streets stealing from hard working people that have done nothing to them.  They destroy property that took others months if not years to pay for.  They kill their fellow citizens over a patch of ground that they didn't pay for, didn't work for and probably could care less about except they call it theirs. 

You cannot possibly blame this behavior on the police department, the President, the job market, slave owners who's bones are surely dust by now, the military, another race, the time of day or the day of the month.  The fault lies in the upbringing (or the lack thereof) of boys and girls who simply have no touch stones in their lives.  There is no one that cares about them, no one to hug them when they are frightened or encourage them when they're trying.  I don't want to hear about how mom has to work or how the government won't allow dad to live with them, that's an excuse.  You don't love your children for eight hours a day, you love them forever and always.  

Respect begins at home, if a child knows the meaning of respect he/she is going to do their level best to do right.  There are specific things you can't get a do-over on, raising a child is one of them. 

Sue White 

* * * 

Ms. White, well said. I totally agree. Lack of parental presence, interest and or involvement is the root cause of the problem.

In the last couple of weeks the HCDE held a meeting at Brainerd to discuss education – news reported and pictures published clearly showed a lack of attendance to that meeting. One lady interviewed on T.V. stated that children see no value in an education. I have no idea of her foundation for making that statement but the graduation rate and apparent lack of parental participation in the education process surely support her statement. Education starts at “home”. 

Tom Wheatley
Soddy Daisy 

* * * 

Chicago's problems have very little to do with its police department, except that officers aren't allowed do actually do their jobs and enforce the law.  Eighty-plus years of corrupt democratic politicians are largely responsible for Chicago's current problems.  Just look at the numbers to date in 2017: currently, 497 shot, 94 shot and killed, 403 shot and wounded, 99 total homicides.  And what party has been in control of Chicago for decades?  Democrats of course. 

And yes, Chattanooga is becoming much like Chicago - young black gang members killing other young black gang members with more and more frequency with no end in sight (and yes, white people are sick of the carnage and the waste of life).  Chattanooga just doesn't have the numbers Chicago has, but don't worry - on our present course, we'll get there eventually.  And you will still be blaming "gentrification", police officers, white politicians, or whoever else you can think of to blame.  Or will you finally start ranting against the real problem? 

William Parker


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