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Again the period of time I’m talking about is the 70s through the 90s in New York City When my mother said when she moved into the housing project it was beautiful. There were flowers growing on the lawns, and the whole property was well-maintained back then I believe it was only opened to married people, and someone had to have a job. I believe these rules changed, and as a result, the class of people changed. NYCHA also failed to maintain the properties very well. I read recently that the projects were in such a state of this repair that the city could no longer afford to maintain them, and are now looking at options to allow private ownership. many who lived in the projects, believe that this was always a plan to private the apartments kick the poor people out, the gentrifiers would love nothing more than the happen, or to have to build and completely torn down As an adult, I lived in Harlem for 17 years and it was far better than it was when I was a kid, so I’m not talking about Harlem in the after the turn of century. New York City in the late 20th century had more than 2,000 murders a year the city was about to default financially and crime and filth and graffiti was everywhere and all of this was worse in poor communities. By the time I was raising kids in Harlem, the crime rate was down significantly the murder rate was down by a By the time I was raising kids in Harlem, the crime rate was down significantly the murder rate was down by an order of magnitude the subways Were bar cleaner and safer When I was a kid, prostitution and drugs, Rained supreme in Times Square, the movie houses played triple X movies today. It is family friendly more like Disney. look, I don’t doubt that some people lived very well in New York City in the 1970s 80s and 90s but they had to have some serious paper. If you grew up in an impoverished neighborhood During that time, I do find it hard to believe that one would have no complaints unless they’re entirely delusional or in incomplete denial. To answer the main question of the post however, when I was a kid, the police were more harmful than helpful. Indeed, we didn’t even like the police. Giving them more money. Would not have made things better. I don’t think the police need more money. They just need to be better at their jobs. I also wonder how much of the budget for the police department go to paying into their very generous pensions, which allows them to retire in their early 40s.

MY THOUGHTS AS I LISTENED 1:17 the third black disney princess 1:22 Hans Christian Anderson version was so different than this. 2:17 mmessages to children and adults, remember christianity was originally taught through moral tales, not the bible, cause most couldn't read 3:45 good memory research, I never knew Queen latifah played ursula 4:17 why did you like Melissa mccarthy's ursula 4:41 based on inflation , the animated made more 4:58 school time: Cinderella with brandy side whitney : noni rose as tiani in princess and frog; princess of wakanda in the Black Panther series; Halley Bailey as Ariel is fourth 6:26 yeah, the creature in the film lady in the water is more like what anderson or europan historical fiction described mermaids are 8:23 that's right Merida, I will fight for my own hand! 9:05 a lot of urban usa, most of rural usa isn't mixed 9:28 I can see the despisal of the female characters whose only goal is to get a man being slowly murdered off inpsires you:) 10:50 your nice to disney, Disney over the last thirty years, is trying to make more money by placating the modern audience which has non white males with money. Disney would go bak to fantasia's black centaurs if the dollars went that way 11:49 Great point, philosophically having the casting untied to how characters are described is supposed to lead all in the audience to be aracial but it doesn't really work out that way 13:01 and they probably felt they wanted sebastian to be less "caribbean" 14:17 I remember telling people, this movie will make a ton of money. Disney knows how to make money. They comprehend how to be effective commercialist using art, I don't see them as culturally caring as many suggest but... 15:32 meow!:) leo season, have fun IN AMENDMENT Again, I was very fortunate as a black child, not merely to be raised by two black parents of the opposite gender, but also cause both of my parents were knowledgeable of and exposed me to the cultures of the many black tribes in the black village. The one biggest problem, many communities have is their miscomprehension to their internal variance. It isn't that humans in any community don't comprehend the internal variance exist. But I find most people growing up tend to be raised by parents or guardians who criminalize, a negative bias, to be honest, those in their community by one racial standard who don't share something about them on another racial standard. I am of the same phenotypical race as clarence thomas. But we are not of the same philosophical race. But what is the point? The point I don't mind Clarence Thomas being of a different tribe in the village than me. Most black people do. That is the problem. Can you accept that other black tribes to thrive will hinder your own tribe? But what does this have to do with the little mermaid. Two things, each tribe in the black village in the usa has its own heritage<what is carried> or culture < what is grown> , that has similarities, but also variances to the other tribes in the village. Part of that heritage is its fantasy or mythology. Some tribes in the black village embrace white fantasy brewed of the usa, like huckleberry finn or disney products as their own. Some don't. I don't see disney products as black, but that doesn't mean I think all other black people do or most importantly, all other black people should. The problem is, again, too many black people think other black people should be changed. That is the simple truth in the black community. The second is, whenever Black people are present in media, no matter who is financing it, black people have to ask themselves the simple question. Does this represent us? And there lies a huge problem for the black village in the usa, cause the black village in the usa has so many tribes with unjoinable cultures or heritages that dysfunctional argument is all that can come from Black discourse on our identity in media. IT doesn't anyone is wrong or right in the discourse, but the tribes have differences that can not be bridged. And no tribe is strong enough to sway the others, unlike to be fair, the white village in the usa, who has tribes strong enough to move the entire village even if many tribes don't want it . ala the civil rights act. You can see this with the global Chinese community and the commonly called mainland. And this is where Disney's the little mermaid comes front and center. A village that has no central identity, because it doesn't have a dominant tribe in itself, can't make clear delineations to what is acceptable or not, which some tribes in the black village in the usa want as well. But, this means black discourse becomes an automatic negative whenever identity comes into play. So, a white film depicting a black mermaid based on a tale from a white european man to the modern global ticketbuyer who ars a hyper multiracial blend creates... an autonegative discourse in the black community, where no one is wrong, or right, but concurrence of thought between the members of the village is nearly dead. And this discussion by @Pioneer1 in this forum is a prime example White People Who Can Pass For Black, Brown, and Yellow. - Culture, Race & Economy - African American Literature Book Club (aalbc.com) The commentors are literally repeating their points because how one views race doesn't have a bridge to another when it simple doesn't. It becomes either someone just gives in and says they change their position or they say nothing. But everything else is repetition unless a deeper issue is discussed. The deeper issue is black identity in the usa, but as i said, the only way discourse can come to an all agree is if all have the same position. But which black tribe's position will be used? Again, Frederick Douglass was booed by a crowd of all black people speaking his composite nation speech. Douglass is a man that most blacks of wealth, the black one percent, in the modern usa tout as a hero, what does it say that most blacks booed him at the end of his days and most blacks in modernity, the black ninety nine percent, boo the blacks of wealth today? The cohesion in history comes from the same problem. A position on blacks relationship to the usa isn't accepted between the tribes so you get argument and no actions. @Pioneer1 also asked the following Help A Brother Out......My Thinking Patterns and Perspectives of the World - Culture, Race & Economy - African American Literature Book Club (aalbc.com) But it is another prime example of different tribes. The reality is, every black home should had taught what should had been common knowledge. That the black community, a phenotypical race, in the usa began its existence in the usa unlike the whites, with a lack of cohesion that has never gone away. It is that simple. When black militants say: my forebears wanted to kill whites, they are correct, but not all black forebears in the usa wanted to do that or did do that.. When black voters say: my forebears fought to get the vote side whites as equals, they are correct, but not all black forebears in the usa wanted to do that or did do that. So you get people in the Black community as adults wondering why the Black community has such negative discourse, why blacks don't do like they do, when the answer should had been told to them by their parents who knew. And , just in case you may think this is an isolated issue in the black community in the usa, it isn't. I argue it is the usa's great problem. The entire issue with the entertainment industry is the culture of slavery in fiscal capitalism in the usa, which is purer to the usa than unions or individual rights or anything else. Hollywood KAput The only thing that survived the english colonial form of the usa into its independent self from the british empire to modernity is slavery. Yes, slavery still exist in the penal system in the usa today. And yet, while all in the usa know this, the lack of this truth in the homes of people growing up, which all adults know, leads to people's shock that the fiscally wealthy desire or manage fiscal capitalsm in the usa to always be a slavery based way. From Ronald Reagan cutting government programs to give money to the rich , like the taking of native american land to grow plantations. From failed banks being given a welfare check by Bush jr + Obama like when the southern agrarian economy couldn't return to its former profitable self in reconstruction and the government embraced jim crow to get black people into the southern prison systems to revitalize the southern agrarian economy, which happened to gilded wealth accumulation. From the automotive or entertainment industries failures while being supported by the usa government reflects how the enslavers who lost everything were given it all back by the usa government , through the usa's power curtaling the essence of fiscal capitalistic that the usa advertises. But the key is all in the usa know this, but few say it. And some want slavery in a stronger form to make a comeback , ala the robot. The point being the usa's 300 million make up a village with a quite large number of tribes who don't fit together, heritage-wise or culturally or philosophically, but raise their children and suggest in themselves that a unity exist or will exist which of course is a simple lie, but which creates the discourse battles leading to no where. Finally, and away from things, thanks to @harry brown for announcing the anniversary of AALBC. I still have goals I want to see in this ecommunity and hopefully they will happen.

richardmurray I have always opposed that positon. You want people to be happy, then you have to help them be happy. 1. You've always opposed WHICH position? The position that we should prevent crime from escalating? 2. I want DECENT AfroAmericans to be happy. I don't necessarily want thugs, criminals, and psychopaths to be happy. Part of their happiness involves living in peace and being able to walk the streets safely. Wealth is the key, money is the key. In some cases. In other cases SECURITY is the key to happiness. What good is having a lot of money but you're constantly worried about getting robbed or kidnapped for it? But of course, this goes back to another simple prolbem in the black populace in the usa. All black people know whites run things so black empowerment or improvement will not happen easily and moreover, black people haven't been able to have access to the financial betterment that genocide to natives or enslaving a people who don't look like us brings. We HAVE had access to SOME financial betterment but a lot of poor decision making has taken place over the decades. Like selling a lot of the land we had down South to move to larger cities or move up North. Also giving up much of the businesses that we owned during Segregation. The national urban league suggest 200 years to equity and I think of james baldwin, whenone of his last speeches he said, when will it happen, for my children or their grandchildren. The goal shouldn't be mere "equity" with Whites but generating as much wealth as our potential allows. Which would theoretically mean FAR MORE than Whites or any other group outside of ourselves. We should be trying to generate as much wealth as we can...not simple trying to be "equal" with people who aren't worthy of being equal to. That rate is slow but it makes sense to me as black wealth in the usa has never been through financially opportune scenarios, again, let black people in the usa have access to the financial wealth garnered from slavery + genocide and we will jump up quick. That is how white people did it. They were not working the land or working their own land. White people generated their wealth in a NUMBER of ways...Slavery was just one. well, in my experience the phenotypical association of latinos isn't a simple generaliztion witin the latin american popualce in the usa or outside of it. True. However based on my observations, unlike most of the United States...in New York City most Latinos that I've met and others that I've presumed were Latino were either Black or Mulatto. from my view, you want to discount my real life because my real life is different than yours. I don't want to discount it. However I do QUESTION it and find it someone odd that you were raised in a city where most others that I've talked to have observed and experienced high crime but somehow most of it has escaped YOUR radar and those you grew up around....lol. but you said you wanted 0% so the truth is, you know 0% is unachievable but you want to reach it, Let's be clear.... I said 0% is the only ACCEPTABLE percentage of people who are victims of violent crime for me not to CARE or feel that NYPD should be involved. In other words... If ANYONE is a victim of a violent crime, we should care and get the authorities involved in it's solution and future prevention. Maybe where you live or lived most illegal drug dealers want to hang out with children but not where I live. Where I lived....some of the drug pushers WERE children, lol. And, will i be ok with an illegal drug dealer trying to get a child? no. But if 99% of drug dealers are not trying to get children I can accept it. Again, 100% is impossible. And As the latino illegal drug dealing covers where children recently died in NYC showed, latinos didn't suggest the same as you to their populace when a child was found dead by their drug dealers negligence or uncaring. why? it isn't a common thing. Or perhaps among some Latinos, dead children in drug infested areas are TOO COMMON so they no longer care or see the need for restrictions and laws to combat it. this issue we have gone back and forth with proves media not actions matter. It doesnt matter who commits a crime it matters how media present it. True to a certain extent. So wouldn't that mean WE should be trying to control the media also? The real estate industry burned the bronx to the ground, a public secret all in harlem or the bornx knew, the law enforcement knew, the fire department knew, but the media said it was black people, black people who share your views said the wild criminal blacks, and that is that. Why didn't the BLACK MEDIA oppose that narrative with the truth? but why should most black people be happy in the usa, historically at the least? You may as well ask why should most people PERIOD be happy..lol. Human beings generally find ways to be happy and dance, sing, and have sex regardless as to what they're going through.

I really felt this post. All jokes aside, these experiences and being able to not only survive but come out and thrive is just ONE of the reasons I admire and rocks with you bro. You are living proof that some things....as you suggest in your other thread...may be PRE-DETERMINED and meant to be. BTW...... While both are from down South, my Father decided to come to Detroit while one of his brothers/my uncle decided to move to New York. Even back in the 80s he said the SAME THING about having money in several spots so that you can have SOMETHING to give to the muggers and junkies on the street if they accost you, lol.

ProfD I was referring to throwing the whole weight of the NOI into getting Black folks to stop making negative music and movies. Perhaps they are doing as YOU suggest by trying to clean up and prevent the conditions that INFLUENCE the negative music and movies to begin with. In fact, I remember Minister Farrakhan embracing and supporting rappers. Sure, and so do I....positive ones. Actor Hill Harper went to Harvard Law school with POTUS Obama. It appears that he's following in Obama's political footsteps by adopting a major city to call his own and launch his base from.

Got it. Dr. Wesley Muhammad is one man though. I was referring to throwing the whole weight of the NOI into getting Black folks to stop making negative music and movies. In fact, I remember Minister Farrakhan embracing and supporting rappers. AfroAmericans told C. Delores Tucker to shut up and go sat down somewhere. She was tool of the dominant society. That's the mental health issue I was referring to which certainly needs to be dealt with clinically before it becomes a menace to society. Actor Hill Harper went to Harvard Law school with POTUS Obama.

1:02 Thank you for saying the truth. I wonder what your thoughts are to non documentarian biopics influencing how people view identities in history? 1:53 The movie was written by Stefani Robinson < https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/atlanta-writer-stefani-robinson-talks-female-creator-label-1130971/ > I Quote her "Being a woman is not in the forefront of my mind every second of every day. I am a woman, I live as a woman, and my perspective is most definitely female, but there’s this implication that for me (or women) to create a piece of work ?or put myself into the shoes of others, I have to somehow filter it ?through this resolute female mental block. It’s a contradiction, because I’m proud to be a woman and want females to be celebrated. But on the other hand, the focus on that sometimes feels a little condescending and demeaning." The problem with all artists who suggest araciality is they forget no artist has the ability to create absent bias. Bias isn't always negative. In Chevalier, her desire to show this competitive mulatto artist in France is from her own view, but the film could had went another way that may have achieved greater reception. I quote her again "Representation absolutely matters. The fact that I didn’t have many female TV writers to look up to when I was young is a big reason why I felt compelled to pursue ?my career. But I reject the idea that you can only tell a story if you’ve lived it. How clinical and boring. Artists should have the freedom to explore anything that moves. But this also demands that everyone is allowed a seat at the table.?" The problem with many of my fellow artists is they confuse labels with restrictions. And they confuse the ability to tell a story with the ability to tell a story with a perspective that will reach out to all. I am black, male, hetero, anglo <the language i primarily speak is english>. Does this mean I can't write a story inspired by don quixote? of course not. Am I from spain? no. Do I speak spanish? no. But I can still write a story about don quixote. BUT, if I am free to wrtie what I want will my culture emit through my telling of don quixote? yes. And of course, what will the commercial quality of my work be? well, that is a complicated question but at the end of the day, do those who are interested in my work or variants of don quixote have a large enough quantity and, will my work be able to attract those who are not interested in my work or don quixote? I have been writing my entire life, I have no bounds, but just because I can create whatever I want doesn't mean commercially it is viable? And based on what she has written in the past, has she shown viability in the genre of biopics? And to the movie, after chevalier, would you pay for her to write another? This is the key between all artists creativity side commerciality. Edgar Allen Poe, a white man , died poor, and not financially grand. Mark Twain wasted fortunes made from books with various ventures, but earned a lot of money. But today, many more know more references of Poe over Twain. Does it make either artist bad creatively? no. Does it mean either artists has different qualities commercially ? yes Opportunity to make profit is rare for all artists but when given an opportunity if you fail to make money, you fail. And even if statistics are skewed or augmented to emphasize failures unfairly, it is up to the artists to keep creating. I paraphrase <I am typing one go , no checking> the preface of the play , The Escape by William Wells Brown "This play was written for my own amusement , and not with the remotest thought that it would ever be seen by the public eye. I read it privately, however to a circle of my friends, and through them was invited to read it to a Literary Society . Since then, the drama has been given in various parts of the country. By the earnest solicitation of some in whose judgement I have the greatest confidence, I now present it in a printed form to the public. As I never aspired to be a dramatist, I ask no favor for it, and have little or not solicitude for its fate. If it is not readable, no word of mine can make it so; if it is, to ask favor for it would be needless" And I paraphrase, same as before WEB Dubois, who isn't my favorite writer , but is true sometimes. "The Negro today fears any attempt of the artist to paint Negroes. He is not satisfied unless everything is perfect and proper and beautiful and joyful and hopeful. He is afraid to be painted as he is, lest his human foibles and shortcomings be seized by his enemies for the purposes of the ancient and hateful propoganda" My two points using the two paraphrases above < and I apologize for all this preaching, my own preaching does sicken me> is first, to emphasize an eternal truth, whether in the late 1800s or on MArs circa 2672, Black artists, like all other artists in humanity, are totally free to create whatever we want, but that doesn't mean we warrant or must be given opportunity to profit from it; and , second, that Black DOS artist, like all other artists in humanity, need to feel no shame in admitting thier culture , including all of its unique ways, like being the only people forced to immigrate to the american continent and enslaved in it. 3:33 That is a great artistic question from Nike. In films concerning characters in history, the film industry has common aspects. For example, anytime a white jewish character is in film at the time period commonly called world war II, significant time is always, always given to concentration camp life for jews,always. I have personally witnessed in many writing groups, black writers desire an end to the mentioning of enslavement to whites in the usa or the european colonies that preceded it. And I comprehend the source of this artistic movement. Black DOSers have a problem. We are the only group that was forced to immigrate and exist enslaved in the usa, the only one, so no oher group in the usa has our fiscal /governmental/cultural path in the usa, no other group. In the arts this is played out whenever slavery is displayed. So to be apart of the usa en large, if black people simply dismiss our enslavement in the arts, we are internally moving from it to join the other groups in the usa. Enslavement to whites will always be a historical fact, but the arts have the ability to create perceptions to the past, ala Bastille day in france or the october revolution in russia are prime examples. The french republic didn't start at bastille day , but those in power in france wanted to create a living myth that the french republic was started at the time marie antoinnette lost her head. But it isn't true, monarchism thrived long after the bastille was stormed ala Napolean and his descendents. And same to Russia, the February revolution is where the Czar really lost it, and he chose to step down willingly, the legislative body of russia , like in most governments with a highly multiracial populace was unable to finda center where non exist, which is perfectly human, and thus led to more chaos later that year in october. But, this is the power of modern myths, designed to make more complicated stories simple. It is easier to say, France rid itself of monarchy with the chopping of marie antoinette's head, it is easier to say the russian monarchy was blindsided by the power of the peasants, it is easier to say the usa is the land of the free and the home of the brave merely with the signing of a declaration of independence. Bullshit. 3:47 Joseph Bologne was lucky. The reality is, many Black artist like to use rare black examples and tout that as the story to emphasize in a time. Were all black people ensalved to whites in the european colonies that became the UA? no , but does that mean the story of land owning blacks needs to be emphasized over the over ninety percent of black people completely enslaved to whites? I say no. Robinson chose to do what I heard in black writing circles many black writers suggest, I quote :"why do we have to talk about slavery all the time". The majority in any community dictates most of their narrative, the black community in the usa his an anaomaly in that the minority in the black community in the usa tedns to try to dictate the larger narrative. Ala the talk about human equality , fighting for freedom, being statian <allegiance to the usa> , and many philosophies stem from the black minority in the black community in the usa, in opposition to the black majority in the usa which is historically or modernly, anti white, anti usa, pro segregation, yes seperate while equal. Note: Remember, the plantation is a form of integration. 6:10 yes, mullato is little mule. The Casta is something started by spain and this is where the terms, mestizo/mullatto/alvino/quadroon/octoroon come from. The problem with Casta is that it is a natural insulting system. Think of the Caste system in india. People like the Dalit are deemed less than by others in the more potent castes. It is an automatic insult. Saying Mulatto wasn't like saying Nigger. It is more like when someone is called black in the usa and they say, why do you have to call me black. It goes back to the writer and that philosophy or human equality. Don't call someone by a label, call someone by how they want to be referred to. So not the black dancer who made thriller but michael jackson who made thriller. The problem is not everyone is insulted when called mulatto. In South America, the simon bolivar side others were proud mestizoes, which is word kin to mulatto. For the record: mestizo is white parent side native american <regardless of native american phenotype> , Mulatto is white side black <regardless of geographic lineage, so native american or african or asian>, albino or quadroon is someone with morisco and white european <morisco parents are white and mulatto, mullatos paretns are white european and black> , octoroon is from a quadroon with another white european parent. Someone like rebecca hall, director of the film passing basedon the book by nella larson falls somewhere in that range of octorron and quadroon. ala https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Castas_07tornatras_max.jpg Is Casta or terms from it like Mulatto based on genetics , no. It is science, or knowledge, but it is based on lineage. And why does lineage matter historically? law plus inheritance. This is why the descendent of Gannibal <a statue of him is in russia today>, Alexander Pushkin <russians know this writer in russian literary circles> own descedents are all white. Gannibal < https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f3/Петровское._Бюст_А.П._Ганнибала.jpg > Ossip Abramovich Gannibal Nadezhda Ossipovna Gannibal < https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2b/N.O.Puskina.jpg > Alexander Pushkin < https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/56/Kiprensky_Pushkin.jpg > Natalia Alexandrovna Pushkina < https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e7/Pushkinana.jpg > Sofia Merenburg < https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Countess_Sophie_of_Merenberg#/media/File:Countess_Sophie_of_Merenberg,_Countess_de_Torby_(LOC_ggbain.00604).jpg > from Sofia Anastasia de Torby < https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/26/De_Torby_Anastasiya_Mikhailovna.jpg > Nadejda de Torby < https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a6/Nadejda_Mountbatten%2C_Marchioness_of_Milford_Haven_(LOC_ggbain.16855).jpg > You may scoff at my going through this but do the research on their lives and you will notice their background had influence on their rank or inheritance. It is that simple. What is the problem? In modernity in the USa, the aracial philosophy that many aspire to, suggest that any system that disallows individuals is by default an extremely negative system. The Casta/Lineages determining inheritances all are against individual rights, which is what the writer by her own words above champions and it appears in her screenplay. But it is misplaced in the context of France during Joseph Bologne's time. Said France isn't the USA 2023. White people in France duing said time did not freely intermarry with each other. The caste/rank/lineage mattered to those with money, rightyl or wrongly, so to suggest a modern sentiment is a falsehood historically. But, is artistically acceptable. But notice it is both and how that relates commercially. This movie didn't shake up the world. 7:43 yes, European countries in the 1700s , 1800s , had very small black populaces, so small the term negligible can be applied. And in Europe, the peasant, the descendant of the White statian was the lowest class. And to be blunt, while blacks could never be considered royals in europe at that time, i argue, from Gannibal to Thomas Alexandre, while they were never regals in europe, to suggest they lived liked white peasants in europe is a lie. And I argue, that modern Black people living in white countries: usa or in western europe, falsely attribute to them an equality goal when I think they merely did what all did in the regale system of europe which is social climb. 99% knew they will never be the crowned but the goal of all was to reach for it. And the playground in between the regale and the no name peasant is where the action was. 8:50 yes that was a funny modernity. BUt I will say this, if that conversation did happen, I would had loved to hear that back in the day. Pourquoi n'epouser pas un Africain ? 10:30 exactly or white peasants. 10:46 yes, the white father in marie antoinette's time gave the black father after ronald reagan in the usa time speech, very tropy:) of Robinson, I wish I knew if that was true. 12:46 To be fair, Europe had a long history of art destroying, ala bonfires, through religious movements or wars and the period commonly called the french revolution <remember bastille day is a lie> was chaotic to no end. 14:46 yes at the end of the day I see in chevalier, Robinson as a fellow artist who by her own admission is contained in a multiracial while unfair media environment <hollywood> or country <usa> stating how the strategy of non violent artistically endeavored growth is a tradition for black people in white countries and the friction that provides said black folk with their phenotypical peers <like his mother who questions his intents or desires> or the white people with whom he wants to be embrace <marie antoinette's court>. Now none of his life is easily confirmed. But, from what I comprehend from a distance, the real guimard, whom he spurned, had influence over the court and undermined him in getting the opera position. While, the real Marie Josephine was abandonned by her husband in real life. I wonder why Robinson chose the style of interpreting them. For someone so interested in universalism, why not admit the woman Chevalier snubbed, Guimard, the daughter of an out of wedlock relationship some call love child, was bitter and worked against him. Robinson makes her more of an after thought when I think a great lesson in their relationship of two people born into low classes where he rejects and in her bitterness as any woman may have, used her influence to go against him a little. While the woman he supposedly wanted, married to an Soldier engineer but a man whose financial fortunes went up and down, had a baby whose destiny is unknown. Robinson choses to caricature Marc Rene into a Simon Legree light. I could be totally wrong on the history of Bologne but if what I know from gossip is true, I think how she constructed the relationship between the Chevalier side Guimaud/Marie Josephine/MArie Antoinette is her free artistic choice but doesn't align to her publicized viewpoints. I do think the mugging of him side his friend which is actually on record, though the source is uncertain, would had been a great tool to the power of universalism. Bologne fenced more and had, to be blunt, more complicated affairs than Robinson lets on and denies Bologne's life, even in a fictional nondocumentarian interpretation, the seat at the table or the absence of a filter she says she warrants or can provide as an artist in her modern workplace.

Troy, it's funny how earlier this morning I was expressing my distrust of many online pay methods.....just a few minutes after I made my post THIS brutha (Rizza Islam) discussed a new Black owned online payment method that was getting ready to be launched. He briefly mentions it in this interview:

It's easy to protest against the promotion of violence and dysfunction in music and movies. I wonder why the Nation of Islam and other Black organizations aren't protesting against it. The wholistic approach means attacking the system responsible for the conditions. Mental health is a very real issue in America that isn't being addressed well enough. Sure. The criminal justice system strives to protect the citizens from the worst of us. That should not keep us from protecting ourselves too. That means dealing with dysfunctional sh8t before it becomes a problem. Those two areas get mentioned a lot but there are enclaves of successful Black folks in every major city in America. I would not be surprised. I'm sure Detroit is one of those cities that has an enclave of successful Black folks living in the suburbs of it. The reality is that only a handful of Black folks give a sh8t about the system of racism white supremacy and reparations. It makes FBA/ADOS look similar to those Black Hebrew Israelites standing around on corners yelling at, er, preaching to folks as they pass by.

From Movies That Move We Richard Murray's Corner Episode 1 The Blood of Jesus TRANSCRIPT 00:00:00 Good Morning, Good Afternoon, Good Evening, wherever you are listening. I am Richard Murray and this is the first episode in the series in Movies That Move We, I call Richard Murray's Corner. The goal of this series is to provide a talk on the oldest Black Cinema, cinema defined as film. I define , I define, you may concur or not, Black Cinema as films that have a majority of Black control or involvement in all aspects of creation. So , in this series, when I say Black Cinema I do not include things like video recordings of Porgy and Bess, a white written story. Or a film like the WIZ whose script was written by schumacher , based on a play whose stage script was written by William Brown , another white person, while both stage or film were primarily financed by twentieth century fox. And for the record I support the WIZ stageplay or film. The point is not to criminalize or oppose multiracial collaborations in film, but to focus on all or nearly all Black collaborations in film in the past. I have learned in my experience that White produced art involving Black people is usually different than Black produced art involving Black people. I use "Shuffle Along" in opposition to "Porgy and Bess". Here is the talk to the film, the WIZ ,on Movies That Move We < https://www.facebook.com/687782856/videos/10158170810782857/ > I end with, this irregular timed series will focus on said Black Cinema. Old as possible and as much Black involvement as possible. ... I begin, not with an Oscar Micheaux film but with a work entitled the "Blood Of Jesus" ; Written/Directed/Co Produced by Spencer Williams, the other producer was a white jew named Alfred N Sack who owned theaters and had distribution deals. Remember, all films outside of private made autodocumentarian films involving one subject made by produced or crafted by the same person are collaborative art projects, always. You need other people to work on the film or produce it / to get to theaters/ or to handle distribution , for ninety nine percent of films in all humanity, all the woods together, sequentially why you need so much money on average. Well, Now I will present the introduction to the film , The Blood Of Jesus . 00:02:55 Video segment 01 00:04:10 Ok, This movie I chose for various reasons, artistically. The theme of the presence of the Black Christian Community, which at one time was nearly synonomous to the entire Black community in the USA, in films involving Black people is clearly shown here. When you think about shows like Power from Fifty Cent or Sanford and Son or films like The Five Heartbeats or the Blues Brothers the film heritage of mentioning the Black Christian Community in the USA when a Black character is present is embedded in Black Cinema itself. It isn't a caraciture by White artist applied to Black people. If anything a telling thing is how lesser the quantity of Black Christian references are in modern film involving Black people. Alright, onto the next segment 00:05:01 Video segment 02 00:06:59 The link to the film in completion is at the bottom of the transcript, if you want to know why the Black man was running. All I will say is, jesting at the Black Christian culture isn't untold or unheard of in Black Cinema. So,whenever someone Black tells you what shouldn't be done, please refer to this film. Now, another thing, the showing of the shoulder, by Cathryn Caviness playing Sister Martha Ann Jackson, was deemed in 1941 risque. Yes in modern, 2023 , standards this is nothing. But, in 1941 for a woman to show shoulders was deemed by some indecent, or others tawdry. Alright, onto the next segment 00:07:44 Video segment 03 00:08:45 Yes, Juanita Riley playing Sister Jenkins knows Ras is lying. But what is most interesting is how muted the Black women treat the Black man who is a criminal. In the 2007 film Pride, the character played by Kimberly Elise reacts so vibrantly when she discovers the character portrayed by Terrence Howard was in an altercation with law enforcement and went to prison. Yes, Ras has stolen. He can't even keep the species of creature he killed the same in his storytelling. But the Black women don't act like the world has fallen, which is a very modern movie trope involving Black characters in cinema. Either we are not breaking the law to live better and overreact at the sight of the law being breaking or we are breaking the law to live better and we are unconcerned with anything... am I my brother's keeper. right? What movie is that from? Hint , Black Director, aided in financing by Clint Eastwood. Alright onto the next segment 00:09:52 Video segment 04 00:11:16 Remember in First Sunday when Tracy Morgan said, Jesus is looking at me. I couldn't resist. But love the honesty in the action. An old gun, not upkept well cause folk don't have even anything to eat can trigger like that. A pure accident but warranted. Alright , onto the next segment 00:11:54 Video segment 05 00:12:30 I have seen Christian Heaven depicted in many films, and I can not recall one that had spirits walking up to the gates of heaven from earth. If you pay attention, the spirits are not flying, they are walking... on the clouds, to the gates of christian heaven. I can not verify but this scene was supposedly made from scenes from the 1911 italian film L'iInferno. I watched the italian film, it was very augmented to create this scene. < https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L'Inferno > To the scene construction, don't take it negatively, if you are Black. I think the message is interesting. The message is, even if our spirits when dead do not have wings, we can walk on clouds to get to heaven, and that is alright. I think it is a message about what the afterlife means to many Black people then. The afterlife isn't a place of getting what you never had. The afterlife is a place of being free from enslavement, from restriction, from disability through human involvement. In parallel, the film L'inferno is about punishment. Alright, onto the next segment 00:13:49 Video segment 06 00:15:11 The acting by Cathryn Caviness slowly dying at peace is well done,take a look at the full film. But I hope you enjoyed the special effects. The angel is played by Rogenia Goldthwaite, thus she has wings. So, it wasn't that Black Angels didn't have wings, but when Black people go to christian heaven, it is interpreted differently. Alright onto the next segment 00:15:40 Video segment 07 00:17:23 I know the film is old but I will love if anyone can comprehend for sure the highway of light or life. It looks like a video of an urban city at night. I love how the angel left no nonsense. It is all up to you. Simple instructions. Right is good, Left is bad. Poor Judas. That name has been criminalized. Satan clearly. Judas Green, knowing both my parents mothers, he would had been in trouble the second he said that to them so they clearly evaded his machinations. Doesn't the angel sound like Phyliccia Rashad when she interviews people. Alright onto the next segment 00:18:07 Video segment 08 00:21:09 The funny thing about the bar scene, before this segment, outside the nice three individual acts: tap dance/acrobat/singing is not one criminal act is present. It is just Black people hanging out in a bar. Even Sister Jackson, who has been persuaded by Judas Green to join the character, Gambler, is wearing a cross. The second spot where the segment comes from, which is alluded to as farther down, is just that a spot. The heater in the center of the dance floor suggest this is almost a converted shack, not an a urban nightclub. Love the dancing. Notice no necklace with a cross on Sister Green now. On a musical note, it is clear Jazz side Blues were equally deemed temptation music unlike like Gospel in the black community. I think one of the unique cultural elements is how the road to temptation isn't an extremely cruel path. At the end of the day, she is in a spot where women get money to dance and give a little nooky to men. The funny thing is all of these people are spirits. Alright onto the next segment 00:22:44 Video segment 09 00:27:17 Interesting perspective how on the crossroads, you have spirits like the gambler, happily engaging in acts of theft and lying. The female thief spirit, just successfully suckered the male spirits. Again, if you think of High John the Conqueror or the Devil's Daughter, I argue, Black people, had created a secular mythology which treated tricking and the ability of devils to do good or be content , less sinful and more a part of life or acceptable. Against the religious fervor of Black Christianity. Alright onto the next segment 00:28:00 Video segment 10 00:30:09 Very much an interesting painting, the black woman lying at the base of the cross slightly on the right side. Look at the size of those stones used. Let he who is without sin cast the first boulder. We do not see hell in this film or heaven, it can argue purgatory is seen. Which meansthe spirits in the middle are in a limbo. Alright onto the next segment 00:31:01 Video segment 11 00:34:06 The Blood of Jesus has the ability to return someone from the crossroads of the spirit world, after proclaimed dead in the living world, but before a soul makes a choice at the crossroads. Like the film Body and Soul < https://archive.org/details/body-and-soul_202107 > , the first film for Paul Robeson, an Oscar Mischeux film, the theme of Black Women traversing between worlds is common. An interesting note, the body wasn't removed immediately after the sheet was put over the head. Which makes sense, people didn't move the proclaimed deceased immediately to the ground or the fire. Blood Of Jesus, free to view in completion < https://archive.org/details/blood_of_jesus > Happy Juneteenth 2023 A free screenplay for you to enjoy https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-nyotenda If you are interested in a collection of Black fables https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/sunset-children-stories #moviesthatmovewe #richardmurrayscorner #juneteenth #bloodofjesus #film #screenplay

ProfD I've heard that non-scientific trope. As as I musician, I know that it's patently false. I'm not a musician nor a scientist when it comes to these things so I'll refer you to the findings of Dr. Wesley Muhammad who talks about this a lot. That's an easy problem to solve. In fact, folks have been moving away from them for several decades now. They've been moving away but: 1. Most of them end up dragging the dead weight with them whether it's a lover or family member they're trying to "help" get out the hood. 2. Many of our people who move up and out end up taking on White lovers and mating with them instead of forming positive Black communities. What we need is intelligent positive Black people to circle their wagons and unite with eachother to form tight knit communities around the nation.

ProfD A very small number of well-adjusted AfroAmerican children will grow up and head to the hood to traffic in foolishness. Right, and "well adjusted" is the key term in your statement. Now how many AfroAmerican children ARE "well adjusted" in this nation? Whatever the number (large or small)...take them OUT of the picture, and to your point....the remainder ARE at risk for heading to the hood to engage in foolishness. Prior generations of Black folks believed the devil's music and movies would be detrimental to our well-being. It's call "Hollywood" for a reason. Sticks that magicians used to use were made from the wood of a Holly tree. Non-Black folks are the biggest consumers of Black music. Their communities aren't adversely affected by it. That's because the music isn't promoting White dysfunctionality...lol. Much of it is promoting Black dysfunction." When a rapper raps about grabbing his AK and riding down on some "niggas" on his block.....why should a White man in the suburbs listening to it be concerned???? Everyone listening to that song knows who he's talking about. Black music and movies aren't the *problem* in our communities. It's the lack of codification and leadership and pride and unity among Black folks. I would say it's not THEE problem, but it's A problem to a certain degree because it influences the people....especially the youth. On a deeper psychological level the hertz and frequencies that a lot of modern AfroAmerican music is recorded and played also has a strong effect of the emotions and psyche of the AfroAmerican youth who listen to it. White folks aren't coming against John Wick movies or Country music talking about drinking and driving fast and f8cking. They don't have to, for 2 major reasons: 1. There's enough POSITIVE White movies and music to offset the negative that may appeal to a dysfunctional minority. For ever Terminator movie, you have a Green Fried Tomatoes or When Harry Met Sally love stories where White men are seen as kind and caring. 2. White's control both the movies and music as well as the distribution in their community and so they don't have to worry about an outside enemy WEAPONIZING their movies and music against them like AfroAmericans. They have free range to make (or steal) whatever music they like and sit back in their recliner and enjoy it well up into old age. Sistas need a better selection of strong Black men with whom to build and breed I often wonder, do most American sistas actually WANT a strong Black man. Or do they want weak and broken men they can easily rule as they take on the role as "man" themselves. We know the *problems*. Just a matter of solving. Of course, it begins and ends with codification. A lot of our people THINK they know what the problems are, but in actually have no idea what the REAL problems are in our community. They are focusing more on the SYMPTOMS (minor problems) rather than the ROOT CAUSES (root problems). If the REAL problem is that we have too many bums and low IQ losers in the community....both male and female...acting as dead weight and holding the community back. Then the REAL solution would be to separate ourselves from them and the other minor problems would naturally and gradually solve themselves. But don't expect Zombies to "codify"....lol. "Ahhhrrr come on yall dead muthafuckaz! We need to UNITE and work together to eat some people..."

A very small number of well-adjusted AfroAmerican children will grow up and head to the hood to traffic in foolishness. Arts and entertainment has always been used to articulate pain and suffering or glorify fantasy. Prior generations of Black folks believed the devil's music and movies would be detrimental to our well-being. Black music and movies aren't destroying society any more or less than content produced by white folks. Non-Black folks are the biggest consumers of Black music. Their communities aren't adversely affected by it. Black music and movies aren't the *problem* in our communities. It's the lack of codification and leadership and pride and unity among Black folks. We should be able to enjoy music and movies in the same way as the dominant society. White folks aren't coming against John Wick movies or Country music talking about drinking and driving fast and f8cking. Sistas need a better selection of strong Black men with whom to build and breed. Give that Black man a better selection of Black women with whom to build and breed. We know the *problems*. Just a matter of solving. Of course, it begins and ends with codification.

Put a song of hers in the comments this one inspired a story

Too see some movies not present in the image https://aalbc.com/tc/profile/6477-richardmurray/?status=2492&type=status

Hey @Troy, For some reason I was thinking about @richardmurray earlier this week and how he posts threads about movies and music. Not sure how easy it is to program but maybe you should think about having a "Movie Night" forum where say....richardmurray or any poster can post a movie we can watch and have a little chat-room next to it so that members can watch it together and comment on it together in real time. Kind of like live videos on Youtube. For example, Somebody post the movie Three The Hard Way. When you first post it....you post it LIVE at a particular time for most of us regular members can log in and watch it together and comment on the side in the little chat-room. Ofcourse after the live you can watch it anytime and comment on it in the future. I'm not sure if there is any copyright obstacles to this but it's something to think about. Along that line, maybe you can come on and speak from time to time with a little chat-room next to the video where we can comment in real time. Just an idea.

Intellectually it is impressive that it only took five minutes. Which may also be why it doesn't move me. Three of my favourite artists committed suicides. So I prefer art that comes from effort and life experience.

It is finished but art has to move me or tell a story. It just leaves me with no feeling. I guess what I like about art is the distillation of life experience into a piece. This is a poem by Langston Hughes. Suicide’s Note The calm, Cool face of the river Asked me for a kiss. Here's a an artwork by Romare Bearden I am an intellectual romantic. I prefer to meet a partner randomly than online dating. I can se that online dating is efficient but it lacks a certain something. That happens when I met someone randomly amd there is an attraction.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/janicegassam/2024/01/02/claudine-gay-resigns-from-harvard-why-black-excellence-is-never-enough/ While Dr. Claudine Gay seemingly survived congressional inquiry into her handling of war protests on the campus of Harvard University, she ultimately resigned under intense scrutiny from the white court of public opinion. Unsatisfied that Dr. Gay wasn't fired after the congressional inquiry, white folks went after her academic record claiming plagiarism in her writings. I find it hard to believe Dr. Gay's credentials were not verified prior to white folks allowing her to become president of one of America's most prestigious universities. White supremacy usually breaks its tools when they no longer find them useful. Dr. Gay's resignation is a clear example of it. Dr. Gay will remain on the faculty of Harvard. Apparently, the plagiarism charges don't keep her from teaching. She'll just have to move to a smaller office on campus for now. I don't know how many AfroAmerican students Dr. Gay was able to get admitted into Harvard during her short tenure. However, I do believe Dr. Gay could use this situation as a stepping stone to leading an HBCU (Historically Black Colleges and Universities). An HBCU should be place that will welcome someone with Dr. Gay's credentials with open arms providing that she wants to be there. We'll have to wait and see how comfortable Dr. Gay is with being demoted over some sh8t that she had zero control.

MY THOUGHTS 0:20 Zenobia your shirt 4:44 People forget that in the 1970s in the north east, some schools had the last of governmentally funded activities. 7:27 And the USA has continually asked Cuba to let them take Assata Shakur from in Cuba. And Assata Shakur still has a warrant for her. 8:29 yes, Billy Holiday 10:18 Tupac is a real life example of a child growing up in an environment like :Night Catches Us Black kids growing up in Black Panther homes in Black communities in the 1970s is a huge dichotomy. The Black Panthers had great successes but were hammered all the time by white organizations , governmentally or private. In the 1970s at their first phases end, the black community in the majority is being abused and attacked , from drugs being put in black communities bu law enforcement agencies which are proxies for white communal wealth. All this creates a complex environment. 16:12 nice musical point on the changes of Tupac's music 18:37 frustration not anger 20:45 stress created the bald headedness, yes , artist knows 23:36 Tupac/Biggie many black entertainers have complex lives. 25:15 Did they ever find out who killed Tupac? 27:13 Selena was pregnant, I didn't know that. 28:25 Interesting that Tupac's family did trust someone who had a relatively negative relationship or distant relationship with Tupac. 30:39 Nike, I thought about what you said about the Aretha Franklin biopic.

2:30 it's funny how being a single parent like any adult comes in all forms. Zenobia, the question is do you think using an uncommon form of single parenting is unwarranted or just not your artistic cup of tea? 4:34 Claudine is old enough to be before women had the 2023 levels of freedom from male domination , yes I am a man. But Nike, women globally are still commonly in Claudine's situation. It's funny how in the usa, the rules in the usa are nonchalantly applied to the global humanity, when you said something similar too, this was when women couldn't have a bank account. 7:20 The question is, did the kids too easily or quickly accept James Earl Jones new parental figure? Nike or Zenobia. 10:30 haha! Too many Black women have heard a black man or black men say publicly, or in the black man cave, women are too much:) in the usa. 13:52 did the story before the movie, when Claudine met the new interest, did she trick him or not tell him about the kids? 23:22 great scenes, with the young daughter and James Earl Jones shock at what he is getting into. 30:35 Good question Zenobia, did the characterizations in Claudine give examples to how certain negative behaviors develop from child to adult. 32:14 yes, Pauline wasn't in the category of "Whitey Bad" films. The funny thing about Shaft and Foxy Brown is how they were written by whites. Foxy Brown was written by Jack Hill. Shaft was written by Ernest Tidyman. As a writer my biggest issue with many films in the 1970s that had nearly all black cast or definitely all black major cast, are the writers of the stories are white , sequentially, the viewpoints or narratives are from whites interpreting black people, or referring to their black connections. 36:02 Great point, Sweetback plus other films in the 1970s involving black musicians or actors, is why in the late 1970s <star wars> + 80s <back to the future , die hard, et cetera> films with mostly white thespians put such a huge emphasis on soundtracks, that is one of the elements that the 1970s films in the USA with majority black thespians brought into the complete USA film industry. Closing thoughts: what are my thoughts to welfare or single parenting relevancy. To relevancy, you have to break issues up. First welfare itself + single parenting. Where do I begin. Claudine is in Harlem, a city that is legally a district of a borough in a city. Remember, each district in New York City has more people in it that the average city in the USA. Think on that, cities in the USA with a third the populace of harlem have full representation or powers over their geography while harlem has none. Why does this matter? Welfare is a leg up system, like the projects also a NYC concept spread throughout the USA, that can be easily insufficient but on existence always acceptable or rejectable. To rephrase, people can always say a person shouldn't be on welfare, using the taxpayers money, or they can say it is a public good to aid a person who needs financial assistance, but the quality of assistance the person gets tends to be insufficient, regardless of people's opinion of it. The best example is another film, also based in NYC. The film is Sabrina. Sabrina's father and Roop are similar men. The maids of the lauraughby household are no different than Claudine. But, Roop + Claudine are not getting a wage anywhere near what the workers in the Laraughby household are getting. So Claudine + Roop need welfare, they need assistance to equal what the servants in Sabrina are getting doing the same work. But the government of Harlem , wait it doesn't exist. NYC's government which doesn't cater to the whole city doesn't provide a welfare system or a labor law adequate. As for single parenting, the reality is Black people have been single parents or being raised absent parents in far harder circumstances. I argue that black people in the usa today complain more about other black people in difficult scenarios than warranted. It was worse in the past in the USA. But that leads to the next point. The next point is perception, cause perception in the Black community in the usa is rarely functional. Welfare or single parenting is a prime example. Black individuals who will make speeches, give rants on Black people using welfare or being a single parent, will be silent amidst the presence of a non black person on welfare or being a single parent. Which means what? the problem most black people have isn't welfare or single parenting cause they would rant at non black instances the way they rant at black instances. The problem is , they want zero percent black people on welfare or zero percent black people as a single parent. Many a non black is a single parent in NYC today, many. But you never hear in the news from white asians, white latinos, white muslims avbout their own people still on welfare being lazy, or their own women need to close their legs. And not because it isn't happening, it is because they give their own the freedom to be that way without condemnation. Even though more white people are on welfare in the usa than black people, some black people want black people to have no one on welfare, while white people say that is the governments role to help their own. Even though more single mothers are non black in the usa than black single mothers, some black people want no black woman to be a single parent, while non blacks go on begging sprees for their own single mothers who are doing the same job like Claudine. I will end this part with a little truth that sometimes black people don't include in comprehending how we got here. In the late 1900s a number of movements, like the club women in the usa, supported the idea of black improvement regardless, meaning even though the scenario is unfair or unjust or negative to black people or a black person they are obliged to overcome all of that, regardless. And that culture back then has become today a heritage many black people adhere to. A false one. A government is meant to govern. But a government should not be treated as something to be proud of or a member of absent an ability to be in your favor, and sadly, that concept is what many black leaders accepted in the past. The idea isn't born from stupidity, it is born from a question black people were forced to ask themselves when the war between the states ended. If I am supposed to love this place, the USA, instead of leave it, and how can I love it, when my people or community or self is mistreated yearly, monthly, daily. The answer is simple. You have to love and not leave it, regardless. That is the source of the absolutism in the black community in the usa. Now a heritage that many black people adhere to in the usa, in my view, a dysfunctional heritage but nothing is completely bad. I will speak of its merits another time:) I want to end with one of the most important points in the film. Fiscally poor people don't have easy relationships because they are fiscally poor. And yes, Claudine has six kids, begs for welfare even though she works for a living, Roop is a garbage man who has to pay for kids not Claudine's he isn't as socially connected to and barely has any money to help Claudine with her kids. Yes, and you know what, they do love each other and they can smile and walk down that street in northern Harlem:) with all those kids, still broke but loving. As a note, Claudine was a rare film in the 1970s organized by a black production company. Third world cinema of Ozzie Davis. And that is the point.

My extended thoughts https://aalbc.com/tc/profile/6477-richardmurray/?status=2323&type=status

NYC to cut overtime pay for police despite being understaffed by 'thousands' (msn.com) New York City to Cut Overtime Pay for NYPD, Other Departments in Response to Migrant Crisis (msn.com) Cutting the overtime pay for your own POLICE FORCE in favor of illegal immigrants??? That's suicide....political suicide. Even if you DID have to make cuts, cutting the pay of your soldiers that you rely on to protect you and keep order under your authority is one of the LAST things you'd do . And Eric Adams was a cop HIMSELF. I'm no fan of the NYPD. What little I DID see of them when I was in New York didn't leave me with the best impression of them. However, if these reports are true, I'm going to have to say Mayor Eric Adams is being played for a COMPLETE FOOL. Whoever on his staff suggested these particular cuts and even fed the stories to the media is trying to UNDERMINE him. He's being turned into the FALL GUY and POSTER CHILD for all politicians guilty of selling out their own American citizens and constituents for illegal immigrants. White folks are doing it. Wealthy White folks of BOTH political parties are bringing illegals into the nation and shipping them all over the nation for the purpose of cheap labor and displacement of AfroAmericans. That's a fact. The US labor market and citizens’ views are shifting in favor of immigration (msn.com) "Citizen's views" my ass....lol. Nobody I know is in favor of immigration legal OR illegal....but the media is trying to JUSTIFY the plans that wealthy White men have enabled to help the LABOR MARKET. But THEY don't want to be the face of it; they want to make a Black man the face of it. So the poor, destitute, and angry Americans will blame HIM instead of THEM. ...and he's walking right into the trap. How foolish.