“Rappers rally against gun violence,” the Toronto Sun reports.
With so many young black males being shot to death on our streets, local hip-hop artists have decided to join forces in the hopes of stopping the bloodshed.
The rappers, who are going to hold a press conference Friday, plan to stop using guns in their music and they’ll urge other artists from their genre to do the same in an effort to convince the youth who listen to their music to stay away from firearms.
Left unsaid is whether the artists will also caution their patrons against the choices and behaviors that practically guarantee perpetuating crime, violence, dependency and failure to future generations. Not to mention the seriously skewed priorities and horizons of anyone who relies on rap for life guidance...
This is dramatically illustrated in the Portland Tribune’s account of the racial divide on Mayor Sam Adams’ “gun plan”:
According to the presentation, African- Americans, who make up 6.5 percent of Portland’s population, account for 45.5 percent of those arrested for aggravated assault with a gun and attempted murder with a gun. Black Portlanders also account for 40.8 percent of the victims of such crimes.
These are uncomfortable truths, but we ignore them at our peril. We can't neglect looking at race--not as a cause of violent crime, but as an indicator of populations most directly affected by and responsive to a continuing history of Liberty-eroding government policies.
If we're afraid to even address this, we're never going to be able to make things right. And those hurt the most by this self-imposed blindness will continue to be the least prosperous and protected among us.
Not that this is recognized by the "community leaders":
The rappers involved are convinced kids will listen to them, [press conference organizer Kemi] Omololu-Olunloyo said. “And I think they’re right.”
Sorry, Kemi. I think they and you are wrong. Profoundly, terribly, childishly, ignorantly, foolishly, tragically and...uh...dead wrong…
Photo © Oleg Volk. Used with permission. Be sure and check out more of his fantastic work at OlegVolk.net.
Also see:
- Tre Crips say ‘Turn in those guns’
- Sharpton endorses NYPD community gun snitch program to promote 'civil rights'
- Portland Mayor Adams wants me to denounce gun group
- Gun control will not stop youth violence
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Comments
So now, after 20 years of advocating killing cops and each other they decide they may have been wrong? What a bunch. They should have been doing this years ago instead of telling how to beat down your 'hoe. Everyone (with a brain) knows about the disparity about crime perpetrators and victims. It's just that the politically correct refuse to admit it.
A bunch of these youths need to pull up their pants and go get a job. The jobs are out there for those that look. It's far better to work at McDonalds and have a paycheck then to be a recipient of welfare. We need to quit just giving. Turn welfare into workfare. If they have to work for their handout maybe some of them will decide it's time to better themselves. Years ago, I didn't start at the top. I worked plenty of minimum wage jobs. And every time I worked a job I didn't like, I looked for something better. They could do the same if they wanted to.
Robert... Type "The Tragedy of American Compassion" into any search engine. Truly an epic of truth.
They need to own themselves - and be totally responsible for themselves. As do we all.
Trying to get young people to be less violent by getting them to listen to non-violent rap music is a case of the tail trying to wag the dog. The music doesn't make them violent. Making the music less violent or non viloent will not affect their behavior other than to cause them to listen to something else.
DDS -- NRA Life Member
The typical bully tactics is what a number occult groups will use which involve posturing to proclaim how good they are, according to the standards of the World. That side of things hidden from the view of most people is the demand to conform to what is dictated by these artist. A dictator will demand obedience at all costs or some form of violence will be used, that culture will cause those tyrannical public figures to use any available form of violence, even heavy clubs known as bats.
Maybe if these rappers want to curb the violence they will donate a sizeable part of their profits to rebuilding teh families and family unit that gangs often replace in the social order of society. The majority of children without cohesive family units are black but this problem of gang killings stretches across racial lines in many cities so why aren't the rappers working and donating to organizations that will put 100% of the money to work towards helping families stay together and providing the cohesion that helps keep kids out of gangs? Why isn't the mayor pushing this. Guns and killings by guns are symptoms of a much deeper problem that needs to be attacked and solved. Solve the deeper problem and provide these kids with hope through hard work and they will come around and reject guns as a means of survival. Give them a reasonable alternative and they will lay down the guns and go back to chasing the ladies and making a decent life for themselves. Some are beyond hope but for each one we can save that means a productive citizen in the future. Obviously the current ways are not working and the Mayor is just advocating more of the same failure by failing to really understand the underlying cause. The fault lies with the politicians and not the kids.
David Codrea, you remember a few years ago when Abe Pollin, the late owner of the Washington Bullets, changed the team's name, because he didn't like the connotation with guns in the D.C. area. It didn't do any good, did it? Just feel-good symbolism.
Same thing with this situation.
On a sidebar, I'm not surprised one iota that blacks in Portland, OR make up the preponderance of gun criminals and victims, even though they make up 6.5% of the population. It's the case in every city, in the USA, practically.
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