Yes, the fact that it was centered in the suburbs was startling and out-of-pattern. But it was happening to whites, blacks and Hispanics. The suburban element was more startling, I think, than the racial diversity.
The police focus on white perpetrators came solely from the FBI and its profilers at Quantico. It is more a reflection on the quality of their methodology than any racial bias. Their profiling techniques depend primarily of historical instances of similar crimes, and the apparent patterns that pertain to those who committed them. A similar 'blindness' occurred in the growing fixation on the 'white van' -- initial cautious inquiries about a white van grew into certainty that such was involved. Of course, this turned out to be false. It does show how people can, by force of repetition and lack of critical assessment, become completely convinced of something. The police were often cautioning against jumping to conclusions, and yet they themselves did so. I think this would make a good case study of memetic creation and dissemination. To quibble: the suspects did not go through a police 'line'; they were stopped in their car and queried by police several times prior to the shootings. For parking illegally, for loitering -- minor things. The suspects would then say they are from out of town, lost, etc, and go on their way. These interactions with police do not get recorded and cross-tabulated, and in any case suggested no wrong-doing. So while it seems bizarre that they were in the 'hands' of the police so often, there is no reason to think that the police should have done anything differently. Nor do I think the FBI profile blinded the police to look equally at black or other suspects. The Baltimore police, who bumped in to them several times, specifically indicated this. Arthur, I hadn't thought of you as a 'liberal', or that you were overly concerned with anti-black sentiment that you would embrace an unfair condemnation of a white person. Maybe 'liberal' means something different in Canada from the US, as it does in Europe? Cheers, Lawry > -----Original Message----- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]On Behalf Of > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Sent: Tuesday, January 21, 2003 12:43 PM > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]; [EMAIL PROTECTED]; > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subject: RE: [Futurework] The District of Colour Bar > > > > Lawry, > > I was here also during the sniper attacks. It held the area hypnotized for > many days. One of the highlights was the outpouring of sympathy for the > victims and their families, the lack of racial speculation over > the identity > of the perpetrators, and the immense outpouring of support for and indeed > deep admiration for our lead police officer, Moose, a black. Racial > consciousness was essentially absent during this ordeal, and IMO, this is > what true 'tolerance' is all about. The notion of race becomes irrelevant, > and consciousness of it as a factor in human affairs fades. > > > > arthur, > > Partially true Just looking at the media coverage what stands out for me > is: > > 1. It was happening in the suburbs. OK for people to kill each other > downtown (ie. untermenschen) But we are seeing whites being > killed. Here. > Where its not supposed to happen. Whats going on? Are the laws > of gravity > being reversed? > > 2. All the profilers and prognosticators on TV and elsewhere were looking > for the angry disaffected white male who a. had lost his job, b. > has lost > his wife c. or both. > > The real killers went through police lines a number of times, because the > police were looking for a white man or for white men. > > A case of bigotry, perhaps? Racial consciousness was front and center all > during the ordeal. As a liberal you were worried about > anti-black sentiment > but completely overlooked the rush to judgement of the angry white > man---who, it turns out, didn't exist. > > -----Original Message----- > From: Lawrence DeBivort [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] > Sent: Tuesday, January 21, 2003 12:33 PM > To: Brian McAndrews; [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subject: RE: [Futurework] The District of Colour Bar > > > Hi, Brian, > > The article, I assume, is correct on the number of murders, so I guess the > rate may have increased last year. The US, generally, has a high murder > rate (too many guns out there) and Washington does not have the highest > murder rate in the US, I don't think. > > Crime IS one of the areas that breaks down along racial lines: murders are > overwhelmingly black on black and related to drugs(as I suggested, a > consequence of the prevalence of drug addiction among the black > community). > Callously, a prevalent attitude in DC is that druggies killing > druggies over > deals gone bad and drug turf wars is 'ok.' Occasionally, an innocent > bystander is gunned down, and the city rises in indignation, but > as long as > it is internal to the world of drugs, people tend to turn a blind > eye, IMO. > If one excluded drug-related killings from the murder numbers, the crime > rate would be, I would guess, pretty low. > > Drug-related murders are largely confined to small areas of the > city. People > generally know where these areas are, and avoid them, except for > the unlucky > inhabitants of those areas. Subjectively, I think the areas have been > getting smaller, though I could be wrong; it may be that they are just > shifting from area to area, and to the poorest areas. Drug users from > outside those areas drive to them to purchase their drugs, but the > shootings, between drug dealers, take place in those areas. > > I was here also during the sniper attacks. It held the area hypnotized for > many days. One of the highlights was the outpouring of sympathy for the > victims and their families, the lack of racial speculation over > the identity > of the perpetrators, and the immense outpouring of support for and indeed > deep admiration for our lead police officer, Moose, a black. Racial > consciousness was essentially absent during this ordeal, and IMO, this is > what true 'tolerance' is all about. The notion of race becomes irrelevant, > and consciousness of it as a factor in human affairs fades. > > So, back to your question: yes, DC has a high crime rate, by international > standards, but not unusually high by US standards. The social impact of > crime in DC is mitigated (for better or worse) by its localization among > drug dealers and in the locales they operate out of. > > I hope your dean was not too freaked out by what she was told, and had a > chance to enjoy a city that has many extraordinary offerings for the > visitor. > > Cheers, > Lawry > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: Brian McAndrews [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] > > Sent: Tuesday, January 21, 2003 12:02 PM > > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]; [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > Subject: RE: [Futurework] The District of Colour Bar > > > > > > Hi Lawry, > > My dean was at a conference in DC recently (during the sniper scare) > > and she was told that DC has a very high violent crime rate. Any > > truth to that? > > > > Take care, > > Brian > > > > > > >Greetings, everyone, > > > > > >This is one of those articles written by someone who knows just > > enough to be > > >profoundly wrong -- or worse, to miss the point entirely. > > > > > >To point to some of the more egregious areas: > > >1. Washington is as segregated as Johannesburg. Fact: any person > > of any race > > >can be in any part of Washington (or its suburbs), any of its > > institutions, > > >any of its public accommodations, without being insulted, > > relegated to the > > >back of the line, or sent away. Fact: At any restaurant, at > any time, you > > >will see a mix of races taking their meals. Same for: parties, > classes at > > >any of the District's five universities, public > transportation, museums, > > >theaters, etc.. Fact: Washington's neighborhoods do break down into > > >well-segregated ones (e.g. Adams Morgan, Dupont Circle, Gold Coast, > > >Cleveland Park, etc.) and those that are predominantly one race > > or another > > >(e.g. Anacostia, Upper Northeast, Spring Valley, etc.) But (a > > vital point > > >the writer only dismisses in passing) the reason is financial, and not > > >racial segregation. Yes, there are big gaps in income in > Washington, and > > >generally whites and Asians earn more than blacks and Hispanics, > > especially > > >recently immigrated Hispanics. This has a lot to do with the way the > > >District was constituted (lots of blacks found refuge in the > > District during > > >and following the civil war, and then, more recently, the Marion Barry > > >administration made the District into the employer of last resort for > > >blacks, attracting many to relatively low-paying clerical and > manual city > > >jobs. > > > > > >2. Some brief history: The District was created as a Federal government > > >enclave. It was designed for Federal workers, and the idea was > that these > > >should be impartial when it came to state-level politics. > Voting, as the > > >writer correctly suggests, and representation have now become > big issues. > > >The District has non-voting representatives in the Senate and in > > the House, > > >who are remarkably effective, as they attend all functions > except actual > > >voting, and effective due to their personal qualities. Ellen > > Holmes Norton > > >is outstanding, but this is idiosyncratic, and the issue will > > continue to be > > >pursued. > > > > > >3. One of the major though usually unspoken aspects of the > representation > > >issue is the matter of the state of the black community. Under Barry (a > > >convicted cocaine user), the black community developed a set > of profound > > >problems: a. drugs and the consequent breakdown of the black family (as > > >measured by out-of-wedlock marriages, single-parent families, teenage > > >pregnancies, school truancy, dependency on welfare, children > > born to secure > > >additional welfare payments); b. a sense of entitlement to City > > jobs (which > > >led to the creation of massive bureaucracies, a lack of > > performance-goals, > > >fundamental breakdowns in city services [schools, > transportation, welfare > > >administration, sanitation, parks and recreation, etc.],and massive > > >corruption at senior levels of the bureaucracies. These > > breakdowns brought > > >to a halt the progress toward representation that had been > achieved under > > >Mayor Washington (Barry's predecessor and first elected mayor of the > > >District). Mayor Williams, our current mayor, has begun to turn this > > >situation around, but it has been slow slogging due to the > > pervasiveness of > > >these problems and their de facto acceptance by many black leaders, > > >including church ministers, neighborhood leaders, etc. The > courts had to > > >move in and place in receivership several of the District's > more critical > > >and woeful bureaucracies (schools, medical, judiciary, etc), some have > > >emerged and some are still in receivership. Mayor Williams has broad > > >support from all parts of the city (and all races) and is doing, > > IMO a very > > >good job. This has not yet arrested the flight of people of all > > races from > > >the District, but here and there within the District, you can > > see some areas > > >reviving (e.g. Shaw, U-street corridor, 15th & R, etc.) with > > participation > > >by all races. > > > > > >4. The author of the article makes a bizarre statement about > > Democrats and > > >Republicans, and their relationship to race. I would say that almost > > >universally, Democrats are viewed as the party favoring racial > > justice and > > >opportunity (reinforced even more by Republican behavior over > > the last 2-3 > > >years). Not surprisingly, Washington DC is overwhelmingly > > Democratic, a bias > > >of all races in the District. > > > > > >5. I'm not sure what meaning the author was imputing to his (accurate) > > >description of Washington's grid street numbering system. It > > makes it very > > >easy even for strangers to find one's way around the city. > Washington was > > >laid out from scratch by architect Pierre L'Enfant, and he created an > > >orderly, elegant and simple design which has been much admired > ever since > > >the city was built. The author is quite wrong to describe whites as > > >inhabiting a 'sliver' of the city: whites live and work in all the > > >quadrants. > > > > > >I hope this corrects some of the elements of the rather odd > > portrayal of the > > >District offered in the article. But where would a journalist > be left if > > >his instant and superficial sensationalisms were taken away? > > > > > >Best regards, > > >Lawry > > > > > >> -----Original Message----- > > >> From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > >> [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]On Behalf Of > > Karen Watters > > >> Cole > > >> Sent: Tuesday, January 21, 2003 8:52 AM > > >> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > >> Cc: Tanya Campbell > > >> Subject: RE: [Futurework] The District of Colour Bar > > >> > > >> > > >> Yes, Tanya this was a good read, part humor part dirty facts. If > > >> it weren't > > >> for the fact that the seat of government takes up so much > of it's real > > >> estate, Washington DC would be just another urban renewal > > project in some > > >> ways. But hey, they've got great real estate and the > > Smithsonian, too. > > >> > > >> Guess it should be noted that the lost margin keeps getting > smaller on > > >> legislation to give DC residents their own reps in Congress. > > As soon as > > >> there is a change in majorityship, this effort might just succeed > > >> after many > > >> attempts, another example of dogged democracy, if not fluid > democracy. > > >> > > >> I would at least hope that DC gets official recognition > > before we annex > > >> Canada and incorporate Israel. > > >> > > >> Karen Watters Cole > > >> East of Portland, West of Mt Hood > > >> Outgoing mail scanned by NAV 2002 > > >> > > >> A great piece in the Guardian this morning on Washington DC's > > racism and > > >> contradictions/hipocracy surrounding it as the center of democracy. > > >> > > >> It also touches on something that is often missed when talking > > >> about the US > > >> and that is the state capitals, centres of where democracy is to be > > >> practiced are not often much more than manmade suburbs at their > > >> best (DC is > > >> an extreme example of this). And from this structure, the vocal > > >> minority in those capitals and surrounding often have more > > >> ability to drown > > >> out the voice of those in cities. > > >> > > >> (I humbly await pro-suburb criticism.) > > >> > > >> Regards, > > >> Tanya Campbell > > >> > > >> --------------------------------------------------------- > > >> The District of Colour Bar > > >> > > >> Engel in America > > >> > > >> Matthew Engel > > >> Tuesday January 21, 2003 > > >> The Guardian > > >> > > >> It is commonplace in the media to use the names of capital cities as > > >> shorthand for the opinions of a country: "Washington thinks this"; > > >> "London agrees"; "Paris doesn't". And so on. It is an odd > > formulation in > > >> any case, especially when you're talking about Washington. What is > > >> Washington? Even the leading citizens have some trouble > grasping that. > > >> It is possible to read books with Washington in the title > > that make you > > >> imagine the entire city is given over to cocktail parties > > with senators > > >> dropping confidentialities under the chandeliers. Indeed, it > > is possible > > >> to live here for years and believe that. > > >> > > >> For this could be the most racially segregated city in the > > world. It is > > >> certainly the most segregated I have seen since Johannesburg > > circa 1976. > > >> Of course, all cities are economically stratified in a manner that > > >> produces de facto segregation. But in Washington this takes > on extreme > > >> form. The whites live in the north-western sliver of the > > city: a wealthy > > > > corridor stretching down to the city centre. The rest of the > > place, with > > >> small (though, it is true, growing) exceptions, is > > overwhelmingly black. > > >> > > >> > > >> Guidebooks always warn first-time visitors about the quirks of > > >> Washington's grid system. The city is divided into four > quadrants, and > > >> every address is repeated four times. So if you have to go to > > the corner > > >> of, say, 21st and K Streets, it is necessary to specify > > whether you mean > > >> the NW, NE, SW or SE quadrant. But if a white visitor gets > > into a taxi, > > >> the driver just drives straight to the north-western > version. Why the > > >> hell would you be going anywhere else? > > >> > > >> The second oddity is that this is the least democratic city in any > > >> allegedly free country. The District of Columbia was never given the > > >> same rights as the states: in the early days of the republic, the > > >> federal government, uncertain of its status, wanted a small patch to > > >> call its own, which at the time was probably fair enough. > > >> > > >> As the city grew, it became absurd, indeed outrageous. The > population > > >> grew to 800,000 (it is under 600,000 now), but since they > were mainly > > >> black people or white liberals and thus staunchly Democratic > > rather than > > >> Republican, logic and justice went out of the window. In > > 1961, when the > > >> US was a mere 185 years old, the city finally gained the > right to vote > > >> for president. A form of home rule followed, though > Congress still has > > >> unique rights in bossing the place about. Since for many > years DC was > > >> run by the ridiculous Mayor Marion Barry, there was a case for > > >> maintaining those rights. > > >> > > >> Barry has gone; the city is now quite well-run. But in fact > DC voters > > >> have been losing rights. They are not allowed any senators (if they > > >> were, the Republicans would lose their majority) and the > "delegate" to > > >> Congress had her limited voting rights taken away when the > Republicans > > >> gained control there in 1995. Bill Clinton, in a Clintonian > > gesture, put > > >> the city's campaigning licence plate, "Taxation without > > Representation", > > >> on the presidential limousine; George W Bush took it off again. > > >> > > >> The third point about Washington is its status as reputed > > murder capital > > >> of the world. There were 482 murders in 1991, which was one way of > > >> maintaining population decline. Over the past decade, that > figure has > > >> halved - more cops, fewer young males thanks to demographic > > trends, less > > >> crack cocaine, more prosperity. But in 2002, it rose again > to 262, the > > >> worst figure since 1997. > > >> > > >> It is expected to keep going up, due to another population > spike (the > > >> grandchildren of the post-war baby boomers) and the > scheduled release > > >> from prison of some old-time baddies. Cities as big as Boston have a > > >> tiny fraction of those rates. There are seven police > > districts in DC: in > > >> a typical year, two or three of the murders take place in the second > > >> district, which covers the north-west. > > >> > > >> Yet it is only a short drive from supermarkets selling Roquefort and > > >> organic granola to those selling plantains and yams, and from banks > > >> willing to throw cheap money at home-owners to the Check 'n > Go, which > > >> will loan you $50 for 14 days at an annualised rate of > 547.5%. Some of > > >> these areas are pleasant, laughing neighbourhoods; some are flat-out > > >> murderous. > > >> > > >> Some are now getting very mixed, like U Street, where white gays, > > >> dinkies and singles are taking over. Part of the attraction is Ben's > > >> Chili Bowl, an institution whose "chili half-smokes" knock > > the pants off > > >> the canapés at the more fashionable salons. Nizam Ali, the original > > >> Ben's son, helps run a group called NoMurdersDC - not fewer murders, > > >> note, but none at all. > > >> > > >> It is a splendidly ambitious idea: making the point that > these are not > > >> faceless statistics being killed, worth their two paragraphs in the > > >> Post, but real people who matter. At one of their meetings a > > 17-year-old > > >> girl got up and said 12 of her friends had been killed. > "I've been to > > >> more funerals than birthday parties," she said. A few > months ago, the > > >> world became obsessed by the sniper. These are daily > snipes, happening > > >> all the time, about three miles from the White House. > > > > > > >> But Washington's votes don't count, and its people are largely > > >> invisible. > > >> > > >> Now where were we? Democracy in Iraq, was it? > > >> > > >> Tanya Campbell > > >> [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > >> +44 (0)7810 562209 > > >> > > >> > > >> > > >> _______________________________________________ > > >> Futurework mailing list > > >> [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > >> http://scribe.uwaterloo.ca/mailman/listinfo/futurework > > >> > > >> > > >> _______________________________________________ > > >> Futurework mailing list > > >> [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > >> http://scribe.uwaterloo.ca/mailman/listinfo/futurework > > >> > > > > > >_______________________________________________ > > >Futurework mailing list > > >[EMAIL PROTECTED] > > >http://scribe.uwaterloo.ca/mailman/listinfo/futurework > > > > > > -- > > ************************************************** > > * Brian McAndrews, Practicum Coordinator * > > * Faculty of Education, Queen's University * > > * Kingston, Ontario K7L 3N6 * > > * FAX:(613) 533-6596 Phone (613) 533-6000x74937* > > * e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] * > > * "Education is not the filling of a pail, * > > * but the lighting of a fire. * > > * W.B.Yeats * > > * * > > ************************************************** > > > > _______________________________________________ > Futurework mailing list > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > http://scribe.uwaterloo.ca/mailman/listinfo/futurework > _______________________________________________ > Futurework mailing list > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > http://scribe.uwaterloo.ca/mailman/listinfo/futurework > _______________________________________________ Futurework mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://scribe.uwaterloo.ca/mailman/listinfo/futurework
