tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6436782247272162797.post2629746925362156735..comments2024-03-28T22:00:08.221-04:00Comments on Strangely Blogged: Killing in the Name of...Vixen Strangelyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01976594951225450413noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6436782247272162797.post-65737511208422296632014-08-12T13:28:06.110-04:002014-08-12T13:28:06.110-04:00Hi Vixen, you certainly assembled a collection of...Hi Vixen, you certainly assembled a collection of outrages. <br /><br />I was a juror on a high profile murder case once. What I learned was that very few people outside of the jury room have as thorough an understanding of the situation as the jurors. In my case, it was 3 days of debate and sifting of evidence. a couple of jurors had to go into the bathroom to be sick and to cry. I was interviewed by the paper after the jury had finished deliberating.<br /><br />It taught me that most of the time you can count on the jury to do everything possible to understand where the culpability lies. Today in our media culture crime has become a fabric of pop culture entertainment just as have wars and important matters of state. What do they call it -- infotainment? At any rate, it distorts all reporting.<br /><br />Speaking more broadly, as you know I was very involved in the civil rights movement and have black friends to this day (mostly conservative black church members). One of the problems that we never anticipated in the civil rights struggle was that after a new level of equality had been secured, a significant portion of the population would turn to crime. We were very idealistic, and if we had it to do over again we would use a different strategy.<br /><br />The Bloods, the Crips, the Gangster Disciples, and too many others to name have really tainted a lot of our effort and good work. <br /><br />You cannot really blame average Americans today for being concerned when so many minority youth have secured a reputation for extreme violence. Even in the president's old neighborhood, black kids are killing other black kids in territorial fights over the drug trade.<br /><br />The rise of drug-fueled economies in the inner city enforced by murder and other violence has really turned the ship that we civil rights workers made such a diligent effort to change.<br /><br />And, of course, in the same period somebody randomly killed a rabbi on his way to shul, and people are still playing the knockout game.<br /><br />We'll just have to see what the jury determines.Formerly Amherstnoreply@blogger.com