Ration Reality

hyperbolic excellence

10,000 black men walk into Philly…

with 60 comments

  

…and reduce crime.

That’s the punchline Philadelphia Police Commissioner Sylvester Johnson is hoping for.

It’s time for African-American men to stand up,” Johnson told PhillyDailyNews. “We have an obligation to protect our women, our children and our elderly. We’re going to put men on the street.”

A key architect of the strategy is Dennis Muhammad, chief of security for Nation of Islam Minister Louis Farrakhan, because everyone feels safer around muslim activists.

We plan to deploy these men and distinguish them with a colored shirt or something, and our very physical presence will become a deterrent,” Muhammad said.  I feel safer already. 

It would be hard to commit a crime on a corner with 200 men.” Which is exactly why April 29, 1992 will be remembered as a peaceful sunny day in Los Angeles.

The men who join Johnson’s program will not carry weapons. I suppose this plan has some merit afterall. Disarming 10k angry black men will surely have an affect on the crime rate.

Ok, so maybe it isn’t such a bad idea. Truth is, it’s a very good idea, except that they’re making it about race. Can a white woman not help? Would I not even be counted towards the 10k headcount goal?

I’m from an all-white town, went to an all-white school. We had more than our share of violence, per capita. If I organized a 10,000 Caucasian Patrol, what would the news say about me? Let’s have another look at the Philly.com article, with a few key words changed, shall we?

“It’s time for Whites to stand up”

Blogger The Bagel of Everything is joining with civic leaders in an effort to recruit 10,000 white men to fight crime in YourCity’s toughest neighborhoods.
Dubbed “A Call to Action: 10,000 men - It’s a New Day,” the effort will begin Oct. 21 with a rally and recruitment drive at the Liacouras Center, followed days afterward by the training of the volunteers to act as community “peacekeepers.”

“It’s time for Caucasian men to stand up,” Bagel said in an interview. “We have an obligation to protect our women, our children and our elderly. We’re going to put men on the street. We’re going to train them in conflict resolution.”

Bagel said volunteers will be asked to patrol in high-crime areas for two to three hours a day for “a minimum of 90 days.”

She said that the effort wasn’t a city program, though many police commanders will be involved in training volunteers and supporting the patrolling peacekeepers, and training will take place at city recreation centers.

Community and religious leaders will be closely involved, Bagel said.

Sounds a little too much like the White Power losers for my comfort. The ACLU wouldn’t be pleased, that’s certain

Sources: Philly.com - 10000menphilly.com - PhilaMMM.com(they have a song!) - MyWay.com

 

Related posts:

Written by The Bagel of Everything

September 14, 2007 at 11:27 am

60 Responses to '10,000 black men walk into Philly…'

Subscribe to comments with RSS or TrackBack to '10,000 black men walk into Philly…'.

  1. Philadelphia of all places. You could disarm 20,000 men there and still not reduce the crime rate. The women and children carry guns.

    keywork

    14 Sep 07 at 11:40 am

  2. Yeah
    Everything is pissing me off today. I need to find the funny.

  3. The funny will find you. Or some shit like that.

    keywork

    14 Sep 07 at 11:49 am

  4. If you’re looking for racial humor, click keywork. I found this site last week. It’s interesting. White Motherfuckery.

    keywork

    14 Sep 07 at 11:51 am

  5. Nice find, KW. Tho the in-text ads, coupled with darkgreen links on black background make it barely readable.
    I don’t normally dig on racial humor, but sometimes the hypocrites are black.

  6. Yeah the ads pissed me off too. Not really my thing either, but I enjoy the slang.

    keywork

    14 Sep 07 at 11:59 am

  7. “Disarming 10k angry black men will surely have an affect on the crime rate…”

    And the crowd just went, “ooooooh!” on that one. Low but but so sadly true. But I’m with Keywork. Even here in the South my fears have come from all races…and ages. You can’t even trust the old lady at the diner these days.

    Racial jokes can be fun within reason. I allow about two a week.

    And by the way…YET ANOTHER MOVEMENT. More like a publicity stunt. I get so tired of this.

    Arm Jerker J.

    14 Sep 07 at 5:40 pm

  8. I’m still working on those signs, AJJ. Our “no more movements movement” shall be underway soon.

    May I ask, as an intelligent black woman, how do you feel about the so-called “reverse racism” ?
    It truly pisses me off when people kick and scream for equality, but gladly segregate themselves with these movements.
    I think, if you can’t substitute “white” for “black”, “Caucasian” for “African-american” and still be socially acceptable, then maybe the whole thing is inappropriate.

  9. jessecuster

    14 Sep 07 at 6:20 pm

  10. Oh! I forgot about that one, Jesse! I edited it into the “related posts”

  11. Spoken like a true redneck!

    I totally came of age during the race riots of LA, fun times!

    Kevin

    14 Sep 07 at 7:07 pm

  12. You came of age when you were 10? Must be that hot latin blood.

  13. On the rag, Bagel?

    Let me tell you - I don’t fear driving through an all black neighborhood (if at all) as much as I fear getting lost on some West VA back road.

    Stiletto

    15 Sep 07 at 10:17 am

  14. I’m from the back roads of WV, and lemme tell you, I’ll choose Martin Luther King JR BLVD anyday!

  15. Reverse racism. This is a tricky subject.

    I’m not a supporter of affirmative action. But my father got his job with the phone company years ago because of it. That very job put me through college. And to this day, I’m not entirely certain the pub I work for didn’t do the same thing. I will never know. But as I’ve stated in my blog about, I want to be hired for what I have to offer. Not what I have to offer by my skin.

    Same is said for special treatment. I don’t need to be handled with kid gloves because I’m a black chick. And I don’t dig the outcry for black folk “positive” face time from movements like this one. But I’m dodging your initial question…

    I don’t recognize reverse racism as completely legit. Being black I will admit that it is just innate in me to want white folks to truly get what it’s like being a black person in a racist society. Therefore I just can’t see reverse racism as a valid trend unless you go to Atlanta seeking a job in business or the fashion and music industry and they said you can’t because you are a white chick. Then that’s racism. Period. Especially if they top it off with a “get your narrow behind out of here” statement as they close the door on you.

    It just seems like white people are quick to call movements like this one (and you know I hate movements anyway) racism when really it’s just a result of a sect in society who is just trying to even things up. They wouldn’t bother if the world was basking in the glow of equality. Which is isn’t.

    That said. I’m not asking for white folks to give me candy. A job. A better life. That is up to me.

    Arm Jerker J.

    15 Sep 07 at 12:24 pm

  16. Thank you, AJJ. That’s very well said, and either I agree with you totally or you’re damn good at rhetoric. I’m a pushover for a well-stated argument.

    “my father got his job with the phone company years ago because of it.”

    I have little doubt that there was a time when affirmative action was needed. After so many generations of actively and openly trying to keep the black race in poverty and ignorance, we likely needed the push to set things right in a timely manner. When there were hardly any black business owners or upper level employees, our country needed to slap the rich old white men and make them open the doors. It would have taken several generations to undo what our ignorant ancestors did. (I don’t know why I’m saying ‘our’. The only ancestors I had in this nation at the time were Iroquois. The rest were starving in Ireland).

    We are much closer to equality, and I feel these movements are keeping us from achieving true equality. Many whites are angered and confused by them.

    I have similar feelings about feminism, and the gay-pride movement is getting darn close to diminishing returns.

  17. I can’t speak from any perspective other than that of a chubby, white middle aged woman.

    I’ll be the first to admit there’s prejudice in the world..as a chubby, white middle aged woman, I’ve experienced it myself.

    But even so, I know the proverbial playing field is more even than it ever has been. I respect Arm Jerker very much…I visit her blog regularly and think she’s an intelligent and gifted scribe, but I don’t think there are any movements out there who are really trying to “even things up”. The amount of melanin in one’s skin be damned, there are so many people out there simply for the task of advancing themselves.

    You’re right Bages, there was a time when affirmative action was needed..when it was vital. There was a time when the scales of justice–both in the courts and in society–were tipped heavily in the white man’s favor.

    But that’s not the so much the case anymore. Does racial prejudice still exist? In certain segments of society and it’s not just White hating blacks. It’s now blacks hating whites and yes, that is inarguably racist.

    I also feel as AJ does that African American as a race, must do more to promote itself. Take more..much more responsibility.

    Ill take prejudice one step further.

    I’m not a raging feminist by any means, but women have been subjegated for centuries and while things are better, it’s hardly perfect.

    Shirley Chisolm, the first black female to run for president once said that as a “Negro” (her words) she experienced prejudice as an adult. But as a woman, she experienced prejudice all her life.
    Gender prejudice exists in all cultures.

    And the late, great Rosa Parks once said as an African American, she refused to give up her bus seat to a White person….she also didn’t think that as a woman, she should have to give up her seat to a man.

    lauriekendrick

    15 Sep 07 at 2:04 pm

  18. LK: I don’t share your views on feminism. Like many things, it evolved from necessity. We are all aware that just a few generations ago, American women were merely chattel.

    There are still glaring iniquities, but on both sides.
    Some of these are necessary. Unlike the African Americans and homosexuals, we women are truly different from our counterparts.

    We carry the babies. That’s nature, go protest in the forest. There are some activities a woman in her third-trimester cannot engage in safely/comfortably. On average, we are not as physically strong as men. There are exceptions, of course.

    Right now, we can work any job we want, or choose to be a homemaker.
    We can join the military, but cannot be drafted and are unlikely to be sent to the front. I’m good with that. I’m very good with that!

    As for the “glass ceiling”, I’ve never experienced it. When I’ve chosen to work, I’ve earned more than my men, even when we were in the same field (computer science).

    We are, at times, still treated as sexual objects. That’s because we’re fucking sexy!
    Feminists: It’s time to chill. Keep a watch on the world, make sure chauvinism doesn’t fight its way back to the top. But stop fucking shit up! You’re just pissing off the men! Now they want to stay at home while we work!

  19. Bagel, you’re a brilliant woman…that is obvious. You’re also younger and I don’t what anyone says that means your thought processes are cut from a different cloth.

    Twenty years ago, as I was climbing up the ladder as a news anchor, a 50 year old woman, who’d been where I was trying to go, told me the exact same thing I’m going to tell you. It IS different for women. I never thought that until I reached a certain age. As much as I hate to admit it there is. In fact, I’ve had that reality shoved up my ass in the past nine months.

    Perhaps the point we should be debating is ageism.

    I’ve never been a raging feminist–I find them pesky, meddlesome and overtly butch…BUT I’ve always wanted fair play and fair pay for both genders. And that’s rarely been exercised in my ridiculous line of work….broadcasting which is still a man’s world. Yes there is a glass ceiling for women and not just in broadcasting. I swear I’m not pissing and moaning, it’s true. If you’ve been spared this, if you’ve always had the option to choose to work or not, more power to you, but the fact is, it’s not like that everywhere. Maybe I’m bitter and after 24 years of battling mediocrity, perhaps I’m also tired.

    But I remember when I used to be idealistic. I miss that invincible optimism I used to bathe in. Somewhere, that got lost.

    Maybe in a wrinkle.

    As for women being “fucking sexy”? As a species, I suppose we are. I sit here and pray to gods I don’t believe in that Ruebenesque woman will come back into vogue as they were in the Middle Ages. In the meantime, with my current state of age and physical degradation, I’d commit heinous crimes for someone to walk up to me and say “My God, you’re beautiful!” as opposed to, “My God, you’re drooling”.

    lauriekendrick

    15 Sep 07 at 5:23 pm

  20. Thanks for the kind words, Laurie. You better know that I have the same respect for you, as well as for Arm Jerker J.

    We are shaped by our raisings. At the same age when you were likely watching June Cleaver be a dainty little trophy, I was watching Claire Huxtable pussy-whip Heathcliff. You had Jackie Kennedy cow-towing to John, I had Nancy and Babs kicking ass.

    I suppose the traditional gender roles would be more problematic in your field than in mine. A broadcaster’s voice and vocabulary are their brand, and the gender differences are strong in both. Our minds are different from the minds of men. We think differently and speak differently.

    In the computer field, the old boys club has less prominence.

    As for your mentor, I’m sure it was very different in her day. Also in your early career. Of course it’s different for women. We are different.

    Must we define equality as sameness? 2+2 is equal to 2×2, but it isn’t the same.

    I’ll accept somewhat lower pay should I choose a “masculine” job, so long as I’m not expected to lift the same heavy boxes, urinate standing, and work up til the very day my child is born.

    I read once than in female dominated fields, men are paid significantly less. I’ll have to look up some figures to back that up.

  21. Laurie, there’s a reason that women shouldn’t be news anchors, and that reason is BEARS. I’m sorry, but that’s just the way it is. Women at the anchor desk attract bears. It’s a fact.

    jessecuster

    15 Sep 07 at 9:11 pm

  22. Funny, I never heard of Ditka or the Refrigerator mauling an anchorwoman before . . . .

  23. I’m finding it quite impossible to even get hired as an office admin/manager. I’m pretty sure it’s because I’m male. Employers don’t come right out and say that, but they try pretty hard to talk you out of wanting the job or say stuff like, “You do know this is the office secretary position, right?”

    It’s kind of bizarre and I’m rather enjoying the ignorance and adversity.

    I guess they wouldn’t feel comfortable asking me to make coffee nor should they - I’ll come back naked with a gun duct taped to my balls.

    Anyone hiring?

    Jim

    15 Sep 07 at 9:18 pm

  24. Do we get to rip the ducttape off? Cuz RR could totally use a stenographer

  25. Well, while my typing skills don’t quite reach stenographer level I suppose - if you hide well enough you could do just about whatever you wanted to my corpse before emergency services arrived.

    But, that’s all hypothetical, I’d be sure to shoot the smart ones first.

    Did I mention that a I’m very reliable “self starter”?

    Jim

    15 Sep 07 at 9:59 pm

  26. Sorry, but the position of Homicidal Maniac is filled. We’ll keep your application on file. Goodbye.

    Also: LOL @ FFE!

  27. Let me say something - (and forgive me cuz I’m fucking hammered) but -

    I think people get sick of this whole special treatment Aff Action blah blah blah because - you look at Asians, for example, who don’t bitch or speak up yet they work TWO jobs GO to school, POOl their money together and they end up owning homes and cars and getting degrees and kicking ass on their SATs and they’re not even from this country nor do they have the IMMEDIATE opportunity or access to welfare, etc etc etc. And it does cast a low eye on those who are already IN THIS country and they bitch, moan, and whine about that “certain” race keeping them “down.”

    I’m sorry but in my opinion it’s pretty fucking mental. One door closed you move on to another.

    Stiletto

    15 Sep 07 at 10:16 pm

  28. Well said, Stiletto.
    When you sober up and want me to delete your comment, gimme a yell :)

  29. And there lies the problem -special treatment because of the color of your skin.

    Personally, being hired on the color of your skin is akin to being hired based on your big tits or looks.

    Stiletto

    15 Sep 07 at 10:27 pm

  30. Uh, I was offering you special treatment cuz we love you. Truth is, I agree with /most/ of what you said previously, and wish I’d had the labia to say it as boldly as you did.

  31. No. I stand by my comment.

    I’m sick of people not taking responbility for their fucking actions.

    My family came to this country back in ‘99. They didn’t speak any English yet they worked two to three frickin’ jobs at places like 7/11 and gas stations in the worst part of town - the only place they could get hired.

    A few of my uncles were robbed, spit on, called “commies,” and “gooks,” kicked, yelled at, blah blah blah -

    Tell me, how much worse can it get?

    Stiletto

    15 Sep 07 at 10:31 pm

  32. Now they own huge homes, have fast cars, wear designer clothes, sport bling…and they all speak English! Not saying that’s important but they are living the “American Dream.”

    Hey, they’re ideally doing better than me. I’m still renting out an apartment, I’m freakin’ jobless…ok so I’m better looking but…well, ok, my life is pretty good lol

    Stiletto

    15 Sep 07 at 10:34 pm

  33. But don’t get me wrong - I do empathize with black people in certain ways - I grew up in Mississippi and Alabama (before I moved on to Europe) and I saw and felt the hate and you know what? I can’t necessarily blame black people or people of color for being “down with whitey.” Interestingly enough though, back in Mississippi, blacks were much more accepted than “gooks.” The Vietnamese were the fiercest competition to the natives when it came to shrimpin’ the waters of the Gulf Coast. They had certain methods that proved much more lucrative…

    Ok Jesus. I am DRUNK!

    Oh, so back to my point. I can’t blame blacks for having suspicious minds…trust me, black people, WHITE people get on my fucking nerves too.

    Stiletto

    15 Sep 07 at 10:39 pm

  34. And Stiletto, you’ve neatly summed up race and ethnic relations in this country since 1607 - every group of immigrants has borne the brunt of hatred from previous groups, and there’s always the residual hatred brewing along with the latest fashion in anti-immigrant, anti-cultural or racist sentiment.

    It never gets better, just focused differently.

  35. Where is your family from Stiletto?

    My last boyfriend was a Vietnamese immigrant. He came over when he was a little boy. His parents (born in China) still had trouble with English, but they worked HARD. They were hardly rich, but they were more well-to-do than many people I know who’ve had every opportunity handed to them. All 3 of their children are well assimilated and well educated, ready to take on the world.

  36. Now let’s get to the Jews.

    Oh never mind.

    Stiletto

    15 Sep 07 at 10:41 pm

  37. No let’s go there. First let me sip more French wine so I can blame it on the froggies.

    Stiletto

    15 Sep 07 at 10:42 pm

  38. Well, here’s my take on it -

    Ok, so Jew and Asians are very similar in the sense that they are nationalistic and education oriented. Well, that’s just my perception. Anyway, that I can respect, or, why would not one respect that? At least the latter.

    But let’s put that aside for a moment. Personally, I think (btw my English teacher taught that you should never say “Personally, I think,” or, “Personally, I feel,” because he says it is redundant.”) Israelis treat the Palis like we did the blacks back in the day like slaves!

    Let’s get real… It is THEIR land. They should have not just some say, but much say, and even more rights.

    Stiletto

    15 Sep 07 at 10:48 pm

  39. Bagel, my mother is French/Viet (or as it reads on her birth certificate, French Indochine), and my father is English and German (hence my genetics for some decent bodybuilding muhahahaha).

    Stiletto

    15 Sep 07 at 10:50 pm

  40. Hey, Bagel, did your ex have a small dick? LMAO

    Stiletto

    15 Sep 07 at 10:51 pm

  41. I choose not to answer as we are still friends and he reads RR.

    (Wait, I think that /is/ an answer, isn’t it?)

  42. Ok - so let me just sum it all up.

    Tos of black men marching the streets of a major city.

    You know…well, I tend to see both sides of things. But why not let the blacks carve out a niche for themselves - because of their own free will - and not because of bondage and slavery?

    Stiletto

    15 Sep 07 at 10:54 pm

  43. I just thought I’d be inappropriate. After all, that is the beauty of your blog lol

    WOW. I am drunk. I’m raggin’. And I’m eating bison ribs and chocolate. Ain’t life beautiful?

    Oh I love you Bagel

    xoxoxoxoxo SMOOOOOOOOOOOOOOCHes

    Stiletto

    15 Sep 07 at 10:56 pm

  44. [...] you Stiletto, and with subtitles so all our non-English speaking friends can learn the official language of the [...]

  45. Stiletto: Do the people behind these movements want a niche or do they want to be an equal part of the culture at large? I don’t think you can have it both ways.

    As for the “bondage and slavery”, that’s bullshit and you know it. Slavery was abolished in 1862. I’m Iroquois and Irish. My people were slaves and indentured servants (respectively) before that and for some time afterward. We were treated horribly. My white ancestors hadn’t came here yet (I’m second generation American born) but I imagine some of my Native side picked some cotton. Ever heard of NINA? No Irish/Italians/Injuns Need Apply (for work/housing). The Chinese were slaves and indentured servants for a long time in the USA. You never hear them bitching about it.
    It’s over now. If we are ever to make progress, we need to move on.

    I love you too, dear. Almost as much as I love bison ribs. GIMME!

  46. Well, I just ate some chocolate and that’s my Kryptonite…in other words, it took the fight out of me. Let me think about it.

    So - are we talking about that Martin Scorcese movie with Leo DiCaprio?

    I understand where you are coming from. I’ll just say it like I think - and a direct quote from a black guy I know - “black people have low self esteem.”

    I truly believe it.

    They need to heal. And their efforts, while they’re heart is in the right place, is not the best solution.

    Stiletto

    15 Sep 07 at 11:12 pm

  47. I tried to watch Gangs of New York. It was horrible and I couldn’t finish it. I don’t like movies where people are all dirty.

    I’d love to hear your thoughts on Chrysler abusing the Darfur crisis

  48. Horrible? Really? I thought it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be…at the same time, I’m not running out to buy it on DVD.

    Stiletto

    15 Sep 07 at 11:16 pm

  49. BTW, did you know I was supposed to be dolling up half an hour ago to take sexy pics? It’s all your fault, Bagel! lol

    Stiletto

    15 Sep 07 at 11:17 pm

  50. I think we’re still waiting on the pics for the reading list!

    Also, are you really a dominatrix?

  51. You make those patterns with thousands of dominoes and make them fall in order? COOOLLLLL!!!!

  52. Hey, what’d I miss?

    Soylent Ape

    15 Sep 07 at 11:31 pm

  53. I think she passed out.
    Damn I love Stiletto.
    Anyone reading this who doesn’t read her blog is a fucking retard.

  54. Hey, as a fucking retard, I take offense and I do read her blog.

  55. @ Stiletto: The place where Bagel grew up makes Martinsburg and Charles Town look like Chicago and San Francisco.

    Jews and Asians (including Indians & Pakistanis) have an admirable work ethic. That’s one of the reasons why they’ve thrived in this country. Another reason is that they are insular and clannish. Asian/Kosher/Hilal markets are informal networking opportunities, while fraternal organizations like B’nai B’rith and Lambda Phi Epsilon are more formal and structured areas where lasting connections can be made. Professsional/entrepreneurial organizations like the Asian Chamber of Commerce and Jewish-American Chamber of Commerce have come into beig over the last few years. I know many instances where a contact at a bank, real estate agency or employer paid off for a Jew/Asian. I think that’s what Bagel was getting at: people should have the freedom to hire, fire, or loan money to whomever the choose and if that person turns out to be wrong, chalk it up to experience and, maybe, you’ll be more likely to make your decisions based solely on merit the next time.

    Soylent Ape

    16 Sep 07 at 8:57 am

  56. @ Stiletto: Also, With regard to Israel, the Arab can call 90% of the Middle East his homeland. The Jews merely ask to maintain an area smaller than New Jersey as their own. If you want to argue that the Palestinians are ethnically/culturally distinct and warrant their own homeland, fine. They have the Palestinian Territory. Israel has many restrictions on Palestinians, yes. However, that’s because of its own safety concerns. (Palestinians seem to have a habit of suicide-bombing civilians at shopping centers and bus depots.) Israel even gave the Gaza Strip back, which proved to be a stupid move, since it put Tel Aviv within shoulder-fired missile range of Palestine, resulting in nearly 1,500 Qassam rockets being fired toward Israeli population centers. Let’s not forget that Arafat was offered a Palestinian state at the Camp David Accord 7 years ago, but he declined. I believe it’s becuase he knew that such a state would take away his political power as a leader to an oppressed, disenfranchised group. (It would also mean they’d have to quit blowing up Israeli civilians, and that’s no fun!

    Finally, this world isn’t fair and not everyone gets a “homeland”. Some people just get ghetto-ized, semi-autonomous settlements–just ask the Native Americans.

    Soylent Ape

    16 Sep 07 at 10:35 am

  57. Holy smokes, what did I write?

    No, I am not a dominatrix but I have this amazing ability to make men throw money at me. I suppose it’s a gift. Mine, I mean. Not theirs.

    Soylent I’ll get back to you. It’s too early in the day. It’s - cripes - six p.m.

    Stiletto

    16 Sep 07 at 5:03 pm

  58. This is on the news right now. Apparently only 83 men shows up. HAHAHAHAHA

  59. why am I so not surprised?

    keywork.

    28 Nov 07 at 3:36 pm

  60. [...] posts: Illegal in Germany - 10,000 black men walk into Philly - Parliament Gets Well  Going Green: The UN Leads by Example — NOT! - You say ‘lemming’ [...]

Leave a Reply