Comments on: Four Reasons There Aren’t Riots In The US Like Those In The UK http://jazzgunsapplepie.com/2011/08/11/four-reasons-there-arent-riots-in-the-us-like-those-in-the-uk/ Sex and Race Through Politics and Pop Culture Sun, 26 Feb 2012 03:08:36 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3 By: Naz http://jazzgunsapplepie.com/2011/08/11/four-reasons-there-arent-riots-in-the-us-like-those-in-the-uk/comment-page-1/#comment-3448 Naz Sat, 13 Aug 2011 16:06:42 +0000 http://jazzgunsapplepie.com/?p=1897#comment-3448 Kameko, Can you become an anchorwoman already? I could build a station around you and leave the BBC and Al-Jazeera in the dust! In all seriousness, your commentary provided truth and common sense in spades. Great job. Kameko,

Can you become an anchorwoman already? I could build a station around you and leave the BBC and Al-Jazeera in the dust! In all seriousness, your commentary provided truth and common sense in spades. Great job.

]]> By: Horace Gascott http://jazzgunsapplepie.com/2011/08/11/four-reasons-there-arent-riots-in-the-us-like-those-in-the-uk/comment-page-1/#comment-3442 Horace Gascott Sat, 13 Aug 2011 03:26:08 +0000 http://jazzgunsapplepie.com/?p=1897#comment-3442 Kameko, I learned a lot from your well written article. The destructive riots in Nottinghill many decades ago should have taught the Brits that critical issues cannot be ignored. But whatever their impact in Britain, civil rights and other social movements here in the U.S. have indeed sharpened our focus in working toward a better society. Although there is still work to be done, who could argue that we are making solid strides? Britain can take a page out of our book. On the other hand, I feel that thugs who use the umbrella of injustice to loot and pillage should mete the swift hand of the law. A few reasons that come to mind are: Seniors and neighbors of modest means will be forced to travel farther to shop for essential services; stores that reopen will no doubt raise the price of merchandise so as to recoup some losses; owners especially those who live the same neighborhood may not be sympathetic to the cause. A bombed out neighborhood is not a pretty sight. An unsettling fact and catalyst in the British incident, however, has become far too common globally. It is this: some police officers overreact in interaction with the Mark Duggan's of the world. Although poor training is the most commonly stated factor, it is not the most compelling because not all officers overreact. One solution that worked well in NY and espoused by ex NY Police Commissioner William Bratton was neighborhood policing - walking the beat. Solving the problem of overreaction is urgent to the long-term success of law enforcement in Britain, the U.S. and elsewhere. Reasonable people will agree that police work is extremely challenging and dealing with "bad" guys every day can easily jade an individual. Nevertheless, a professional force garners respect and fosters cooperation when citizens are in sync with its methodology. Kameko,

I learned a lot from your well written article. The destructive riots in Nottinghill many decades ago should have taught the Brits that critical issues cannot be ignored. But whatever their impact in Britain, civil rights and other social movements here in the U.S. have indeed sharpened our focus in working toward a better society. Although there is still work to be done, who could argue that we are making solid strides? Britain can take a page out of our book.

On the other hand, I feel that thugs who use the umbrella of injustice to loot and pillage should mete the swift hand of the law. A few reasons that come to mind are: Seniors and neighbors of modest means will be forced to travel farther to shop for essential services; stores that reopen will no doubt raise the price of merchandise so as to recoup some losses; owners especially those who live the same neighborhood may not be sympathetic to the cause. A bombed out neighborhood is not a pretty sight.

An unsettling fact and catalyst in the British incident, however, has become far too common globally. It is this: some police officers overreact in interaction with the Mark Duggan’s of the world. Although poor training is the most commonly stated factor, it is not the most compelling because not all officers overreact. One solution that worked well in NY and espoused by ex NY Police Commissioner William Bratton was neighborhood policing – walking the beat. Solving the problem of overreaction is urgent to the long-term success of law enforcement in Britain, the U.S. and elsewhere. Reasonable people will agree that police work is extremely challenging and dealing with “bad” guys every day can easily jade an individual. Nevertheless, a professional force garners respect and fosters cooperation when citizens are in sync with its methodology.

]]> By: Alan R. Takeall http://jazzgunsapplepie.com/2011/08/11/four-reasons-there-arent-riots-in-the-us-like-those-in-the-uk/comment-page-1/#comment-3435 Alan R. Takeall Fri, 12 Aug 2011 19:04:33 +0000 http://jazzgunsapplepie.com/?p=1897#comment-3435 What about the LA riots in the aftermath of the Rodney King acquittals? (That was post civil rights and the LAPD definitely had guns...) LA officials took a similar "law and order" stance toward those rioters as David Cameron did yesterday. And of course, they also attacked and looted businesses in their own community... An important thing to understand, I believe, is that the official accounts of most urban riots have always cast the rioters as "hooligans", "troublemakers", and "anarchists." It's only in retrospect that the 1960s riots are viewed as purposeful- even by many blacks. Just because the rioters organized themselves via Twitter doesn't mean they were being "planned." Of course, many officials blamed the 1960s riots on "communists"- suggesting that they had been premeditated and instigated by outside forces... That's why the Kerner Commission report on the 1960s urban riots was largely ignored by officials-- although the study was commissioned by the federal government, it concluded that the riots were caused by racism, poverty, and social alienation. Such an honest indictment of US social and economic policy proved too much for a nation that, by 1967, had supposedly solved its race problem with the passing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Today, the US is still operating under that same frame- that its problems are being caused by outsiders: "terrorists", "China", immigrants and Negroes. Our continued unwillingness to soberly confront our problems is the major reason why similar riots in the US are imminent. "Riots are the voices of the unheard." ~Martin Luther King Jr. What about the LA riots in the aftermath of the Rodney King acquittals? (That was post civil rights and the LAPD definitely had guns…) LA officials took a similar “law and order” stance toward those rioters as David Cameron did yesterday. And of course, they also attacked and looted businesses in their own community…
An important thing to understand, I believe, is that the official accounts of most urban riots have always cast the rioters as “hooligans”, “troublemakers”, and “anarchists.” It’s only in retrospect that the 1960s riots are viewed as purposeful- even by many blacks. Just because the rioters organized themselves via Twitter doesn’t mean they were being “planned.” Of course, many officials blamed the 1960s riots on “communists”- suggesting that they had been premeditated and instigated by outside forces…
That’s why the Kerner Commission report on the 1960s urban riots was largely ignored by officials– although the study was commissioned by the federal government, it concluded that the riots were caused by racism, poverty, and social alienation. Such an honest indictment of US social and economic policy proved too much for a nation that, by 1967, had supposedly solved its race problem with the passing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Today, the US is still operating under that same frame- that its problems are being caused by outsiders: “terrorists”, “China”, immigrants and Negroes. Our continued unwillingness to soberly confront our problems is the major reason why similar riots in the US are imminent.
“Riots are the voices of the unheard.” ~Martin Luther King Jr.

]]> By: vitra http://jazzgunsapplepie.com/2011/08/11/four-reasons-there-arent-riots-in-the-us-like-those-in-the-uk/comment-page-1/#comment-3433 vitra Fri, 12 Aug 2011 15:36:11 +0000 http://jazzgunsapplepie.com/?p=1897#comment-3433 Kameko, I think this piece is extremely insightful--it's easy to turn on the news and just say "ugh another uprising in another country", but you break it down very clearly proposing specific reasons why the U.S. is different. You're someone who's lived and worked in the UK, studied global affairs, and work in news, so I definitely value your analysis! Kameko,

I think this piece is extremely insightful–it’s easy to turn on the news and just say “ugh another uprising in another country”, but you break it down very clearly proposing specific reasons why the U.S. is different.
You’re someone who’s lived and worked in the UK, studied global affairs, and work in news, so I definitely value your analysis!

]]> By: Aleeka Kay Edwards http://jazzgunsapplepie.com/2011/08/11/four-reasons-there-arent-riots-in-the-us-like-those-in-the-uk/comment-page-1/#comment-3431 Aleeka Kay Edwards Fri, 12 Aug 2011 15:10:58 +0000 http://jazzgunsapplepie.com/?p=1897#comment-3431 The original spark has been forgotten....but the fire still radiates. Good write up Kameko. Well done. The original spark has been forgotten….but the fire still radiates. Good write up Kameko. Well done.

]]> By: Rashid H. http://jazzgunsapplepie.com/2011/08/11/four-reasons-there-arent-riots-in-the-us-like-those-in-the-uk/comment-page-1/#comment-3423 Rashid H. Fri, 12 Aug 2011 05:35:10 +0000 http://jazzgunsapplepie.com/?p=1897#comment-3423 Completely true. The riots accomplished ZILCH and the original message was lost. He riots hurt the very people the looters thought they were fighting for. Anti establishment is to be focused on the state, not the people who walk hand in hand with you. Great article. Completely true. The riots accomplished ZILCH and the original message was lost. He riots hurt the very people the looters thought they were fighting for. Anti establishment is to be focused on the state, not the people who walk hand in hand with you. Great article.

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