<p>Yeah, I actually didn’t miss that post, rip.</p>
<p>I think historically, there are a lot of reasons for the divided African American family. If you want to support the African American family, I think that’s great. But, historically, it’s racist policies and slavery which led to the breakdown of the African American family, if there was ever a family allowed here, to begin with.</p>
<p>I mean, are you talking about that ball? Or are you talking about the one where there were policies put into place that made it necessary for African American men to leave the homes of their wives and children?</p>
<p>or maybe the different policies we can see as simply as the different jail sentences for crack cocaine or powder cocaine use?</p>
<p>I understand if you want to become an advocate for getting rid of the policies which put African American men in prison in a way that makes the family absolutely impossible to create. What policies do you think would start to put the family back together?</p>
<p>Most of the black murder victims — 93 percent — were killed by other black people, the study found. About 85 percent of white victims were slain by other white people.</p>
<p>Good post poetgrl, and I need to say in my humble opinion, TM’s parents have demonstrated restraint and dignity throughout this terrible ordeal. I admire how they have handled themselves.</p>
<p>Sanford, Florida was completely segregated less then 50 years ago with separate schools for blacks and whites, separate water fountains, separate bathrooms, separate waiting rooms in doctors’ offices, poll taxes were still used into 1960’s, completely separated neighborhoods, bars and restaurants didn’t serve blacks. That’s all gone today…Sanford is completely different and way better today than in past. There are still lingering racial tensions in southern towns like Sanford, but things are way, way better than just a few decades ago. The city manager of Sanford is black, I saw on TV black bailiffs in Seminole county courtroom, saw woman bailiff in courtroom, there’s a woman judge presiding…things today are not like they used to be in Sanford. Used to be white men ran everything…not anymore in Sanford.</p>
<p>“I think historically, there are a lot of reasons for the divided African American family. If you want to support the African American family, I think that’s great. But, historically, it’s racist policies and slavery which led to the breakdown of the African American family, if there was ever a family allowed here, to begin with.”</p>
<p>During Reconstruction and up until the 1940s, 75% to 85% of black children lived in two-parent families. The welfare state killed the black family, not slavery and racist policies.</p>
<p>so even though these issues you are raising are irrelevant to this case, you seem to have a need to remind us about all the issues within the black community, without any sources to boot.</p>
<p>curious though, why the singular focus on the black victim?</p>
<p>It wasn’t the welfare state, but the depression that killed the African American family, just as we are seeing the current depression kill the caucaision American family.</p>
<p>But, honestly, it was because of the way welfare was used, not because of a failure on the part of the men. Poverty was rampant. Just as it is right now, the unemployment rate for African American’s was exponentially higher than for whites. Also, workfare and jobfare was offered to whites, due to racist hiring practices, and not offered in the same way or at the same rate to African americans.</p>
<p>So, welfare. But welfare was only available to mothers if the father was not in the house. This practice made it impossible to use welfare as a stepping stone or a stop gap measure until a new job could be found or job training found.</p>
<p>The policies drove the men from the home. These are racist policies to which I referred earlier. </p>
<p>At any rate, Lindz, I agree, Trayvon’s parents are conducting themselves with class and dignity in a brutally painful situation.</p>
<p>ETA: and just to be clear, the largest group of recipients of welfare these days are single white women with children.</p>
<p>The biggest government transfer payment program in the US is Social Security, which goes to older people (who happen to be more white than the general population, but more importantly are reliable voters).</p>
<p>I find it very distasteful where you have taken us riprorin. seems you want to blame not just the victim who was killed in this case, Trayvon Martin, but you want to blame the whole black community for any of the issues they face.</p>
<p>how bout this rip, you explain what your points really are without simply repeating your stats? explain why the focus on the breakdown of the black family, Obama, etc. when we are discussing this tragic case?</p>
<p>Actually, there were either 15 or 16 panics or depressions before the 1930.</p>
<p>For most of them, if not all of them, African Americans were not participating in an financial way in the economy.</p>
<p>Of course, neither were women or children, except nominally and at a rate and in a way we would now associate with perhaps a southeast Asian factory situation.</p>
<p>Look, whatever you are saying or thinking here, it’s not the truth of what happened to Trayvon Martin, a young man, whose father raised him, walking home from a convenience store with some skittles and iced tea in his pocket. I don’t care what his facebook said, he did nothing to provoke Zimmerman’s pursuit of him except walk home.</p>
<p>If you want to make that about race? It’s NOT about Trayvon or the president of the united states, but about you.</p>
<p>Rip is blaming the Martin killing on the breakdown of the African American family, which he puts at/or around the great depression. Well, he blames the Martin killing on the welfare state, though Trayvon does not appear to have been from a fatherless home OR on welfare. But, apparently, it’s still the cause.</p>