ProfD

@richardmurray, white folks have differences among themselves but they are unified when it comes to maintaining the system of racism white supremacy. If Black folks from every continent got together and formed a Black United Nations working towards strategic alliances sharing knowledge and resources consolidating into real social and economic power, white folks would 1) destroy us or 2) blow up the planet. White folks do not have militaries and weapons to defend themselves from each other. They play war games. They pretend to disagree with each other. That's all a smoke screen to make folks believe they aren't unified. It's BS. White folks are prepared to go to war against non-white people if/when their power and way of life becomes threatened and/or is under attack.

@richardmurray, I was referring to law enforcement and police officers in general. I know the history of the NYPD and how it was created. Maybe you would have preferred that I start a separate broad-based thread and kept this one specific to the NYPD. The end result is still the same...the Blue brotherhood as a militarized, criminal gang is not localized to NY. They are everywhere.

AfroAmerican unity has been discouraged since chattel slavery. Among AfroAmericans, not even our 1) shared history nor 2) skin color seems to be a tie that solidly binds us. OTOH, other Black groups of people at the very least have a 1) homeland and 2) culture. That should be the tie that binds them regardless of whether or not they choose to create minority groups among themselves. Overall, the lack of leadership and unity among all Black groups of people and coming together in order to form strategic alliances is the only impediment to dismantling the system of white supremacy. White folks work overtime to keep Black folks segregated by any means necessary. Black unity is their biggest fear. We are too afraid to rise up.

@Rodney campbell, I'm totally aware and I'm in agreement. In that regard, I don't believe I'll see that type of revolution come to pass in my lifetime. The masses have been anesthetized and neutered by that social conditioning. Most of the folks who want to go to *heaven* are afraid to die.

Police officers are supposed to serve and protect citizens. At some point, they became militarized and turned into an overseer. Neither statistical assessments nor rules mean much when it comes to police officers holding themselves accountable for mistreating Black and Brown people especially here in America.

There shouldn't be a need for a Voting Rights Bill. The fact that our right to vote has to be legislated is the bigger problem. Neither AOC nor Bernie Sanders should be relied upon to help solve it. AfroAmericans in Congress and political positions all over the country should be making it their 1st, 2nd and 3rd priority to pass legislation favorable to us.

@Stefan,, China has been doing the same sh8t for hundreds of years. Their hands are no more dirty than any other powerful nation. The United States did not become the lone Super Power on the planet from being nice. The US is fully aware of every potential threat and prepared to destroy it. Every closed eye is not asleep. All powerful countries engage in espionage (spying) to varying degrees. The US does it too. Weaker countries allow themselves to be exploited. Most are complicit. Otherwise they would fight for their sovereignty or die trying to maintain it. In my eyes, human beings are either white or non-white (people of color). Chinese people are non-white. The US didn't need radar to see that balloon. They've been tracking balloons and spy activities forever. The citizens don't hear about most of what's really happening.

The Prince of Reggae lives forever through his music.

Absolutely. I was hoping you would come along and provide the blunt version of it.

Don't be too obsessed with a green comet that won't be back any time soon. It is a coincidence that earthquakes are erupting on the tail end of the comet. Unfortunately, natural disasters cause major losses of life. The Earth has a way of cleansing itself.

Yep. AOC is a media darling. I would not be surprised if she is propped up to run for POTUS in 2028 or 2032.

The US has the most powerful military on the planet. At their disposal is no shortage of ways of taking that balloon down without putting Americans in harms way. The US could have taken that balloon down a week ago well before it entered US airspace. China is not the world's bully. They are the most powerful nation consisting of people of color. Creating adversaries justifies reinforcing military strength. The US is making China a Boogeyman. At first, it was North Korea. Looks like a pattern. If China was a real threat to the US, they would not be allowed to manufacture a large percentage of US products. Also, Chinese people would not have such a huge presence within the United States. Geopolitics is a dirty game running the world. A relatively handful of people controlling how billions of people live. The media is used to spin all types of narratives in order to maintain the bottom line...system of racism white supremacy.

You're correct in that I do not live in New York City. However, I'm astutely aware of the 1) power of the media and 2) how governments and money works. Again, NYC is spending more $150k taking care of immigrants who were bussed there from Florida and Texas. It is not a lack of funding issue to NYC government. That community center and those other initiatives are not high priorities.

H8ll, we don't really know that it was a Chinese balloon. American citizens cannot fly or walk in restricted spaces without getting shot. I refuse to believe they let a foreign object take a stroll through our skies. They come up with all types of distractions. Divert folks attention from some other BS they're pulling elsewhere.

Human beings would have better luck in life if it was less random. We create patterns and rhythms to increase the probability of desired outcomes. Even with humans best laid plans, random sh8t makes it go sideways.

Just know that our position is a minority around here. Many folks line up on one side of the aisle or the other politically. A classic case of insanity.

Yeah, I knew this situation didn't meet the criteria for Blacks folks to go out and tear the club up. Black folks were in disbelief that it was a wild pack of n8gglets who got caught on video using excessive force.

The cavalier response to these Chinese balloons had me looking sideways: The US didn't want to shoot them down to avoid starting a war. Yeah right. These people play too many games.

Yeah bro, you're used to that brick weather and already know what to do when it drops down to frostbite.

Sista @Chevdove, accept that you saw the comet. Makes no sense to break your negro-noculars or beat yourself for the next 50k years waiting for a funky comet to come back.

Wind chill factor enough to produce temperatures that feel like -45F degrees. Exposure to sub-zero temperatures can result in frostbite within 5-10 minutes. Stay indoors as much as possible. Dress in layers. Leave a water line open to keep pipes from freezing. Bundle up and stay warm. This too shall pass in a couple days.

@richardmurray, action makes things happen. To whomever that community center is important, they need to organize and mobilize in order to get it funded. Ask for the money. Doesn't matter where the money comes from whether it's citizens or benefactors or the government. Make it happen. Sitting on the sidelines grumbling and complaining about what they won't do definitely isn't going to make it happen. Self-defeatism and excuses definitely insures that nothing gets done. Too often, people want pennies to fall from heaven or stand around and wait for somebody else to make it happen. While some folks do benefit from luck and good fortune, I personally don't like those odds. in the words of Soul Brother #1 James Brown, "I don't want nobody to give me nothing, open up the door, and I'll get it myself". Going a step further than that, in the words of the Notorious B.I.G., "kick in the door...". Organization, hustling, hard work, determination and perseverance goes a long way in getting to done. All that being written, it shouldn't be that hard for Mayor Eric Adams to find enough money in the budget to take care of that community center. It would be up to his paymasters allowing him to do it.

I had a chance to see a picture on TV of the comet in its green glory.

Protesting is lobbying without money. The collective populace of NYC is not financially flat broke. Plenty of money is being spent in NYC every day. Not just tourism. Instead of playing the lottery, If every working citizen of NYC gave $1 dollar, a new community center could be built. I'm sure the cost of housing the immigrants that were sent up on buses from Florida and Texas is costing NYC taxpayers more than $350k. There is no shortage of ways to raise money for that community center. My point is the NYC government could pay for it if they had a desire to do so. I don't know how you got the impression that I'm anti-violence. I take it you have not read my position on guns.

The majority in a homogenous society will support a dictator because 1) that individual is one of them and 2) benefits and 3) fear. The aforementioned dictators and throughout the course of history have similar traits. Despite their murderous ways, they were beloved by their subjects. There's no incentive to overthrow a corrupt leader or system if one is a) enjoying benefits under the illusion of freedom and/or b) afraid to die in order to change it.