Montgomery County debates merits of teen curfew

The article opened with relating the story of 15 young men in Montgomery County that were walking around late a night that appeared suspicious to county police and were tracked for the remainder of the evening. This came after an incident that had happened a few days earlier when a gang of 50 young men began a series of late night brawls that ended in the stabbing a young woman. That incident prompted County Executive Isiah Legett to lobby for a county wide curfew, dictating that teenagers 17 and younger are required to be in doors by 11 on weekdays, midnight on weekends. There's recently been an increase in juvenile crime and Montgomery's neighboring PG County and District have imposted teen curfews of their own, resulting in a "funneling" of teenagers and delinquent behavior. Some resident's feel that the proposed curfew would prove to be ineffective, is an overreaction and could lead to racial profiling. But most crimes don't occur late night anyhow, with 92% of assaults and 83% of robberies taking place outside of the parameters of the curfew.

At least their aren't forcing the parents of children found to be out after the curfew hours to take parenting classes which i do believe is insulting and beyond imposing. While a curfew ideally would curb teen crime, it doesn't appear, statistically, that it would make suck an impacting difference, and may cause more trouble trying to enforce the new regulation than generate noticeably reduced teen delinquency. Racial profiling is already prevalent, adding age prejudice might only worsen societal conflicts, black young men being the target of police discrimination as is. I do think though, that if the county feels DC and PG teens are fleeing their jurisdiction and negatively impacting Montgomery citizens, a curfew utilized as a deterrent for those teens may be a legitimate reason for implementation.

Living at Home When You're 30 is Okay!!!

I was reading an article in the Washington Post that was looking at a recent trend occurring in the D.C. area; this new trend is the rise of extended families living under one roof. An extended family is one that is made up of members outside of the normal father, mother, and child scenario; it can consist of a family with grandparents living in the home or aunts or uncles.  In the article the author focused mainly on three males (presumably white) all these men had returned to their family homes to live. In describing them the author was sure to point out their completion of higher learning, their work ethic, and their resilience in the recession.

This made me wonder how this article would have been shaped if it had been written focusing on the rise in Black extended families, and had focused on three Black men. Would the author have been as understanding of the situation the young men had fallen into as a result of the recession? Would she have attempted to point out the educational accomplishments of the young men, and mentioned the numerous resumes that they had sent in attempting to get a job? I can sadly say that most likely this wouldn’t have occurred. Instead of portraying the men as resilient despite their circumstance I feel as though, despite the author’s attempts, these men would be dancing to the tune of victimhood.

Black Stereotypes in Media

In Unit 3, we have been studying how or if the media affects the perception of Blacks amongst society. A key issue we have been looking at is in crime. In "Representation and Reality in the portrayal of Blacks on Network Television News", Entman looks at how the media fosters negative stereotypes of Blacks. The article which the Washington Post has covered on the actions of DC Council Chairman Kwame Brown, is a prime example of the discussion Entman provided. Apparently the Office of Campaign Finance found a discrepancy within Chairman Brown's campaign. "An audit released in April by the Office of Campaign Finance found that Brown's campaign failed to report contributions and expenditures totaling more than $270,000." (Debonis) This is quite similar to a finding Entman relates in his article, "By granting higher priority to dramatic controversy among the powerful and lower priority to ordinary processes of policy-making....any leader who receives concentrated attention is quite likely in some kind of trouble". (Entman) Not only does the media portray young black males excessively in crime stories, they also highlight those black leaders surrounded in controversial issues. This agenda setting reinforces the idea that African Americans are helpless and must be controlled by society (or whites). I was surprise to see that this kind of reporting is still going on in 2011. Hopefully soon, we will be able to see a variety of reporting on blacks which uplifts the race.

SlutWalk

The SlutWalk is organization that sends the message to stop sexual violence aganist violence. This organization was founded in Canada and made its way all around Washington D.C. Participants of the straights, gays, lesbians, feminist, and transgendered are all active in this organization. Just because someone is dressed very revealing does mean she is a slut or want the attention of a man to rape her. But media gives us the image that if she dresses of a certain way, that she is a hoe or a slut. Which is not always true.

D.C. summer jobs program finishes $6 million under budget

If the District of Columbia chief financial officer Natwar M. Ghandi agrees with officials of the District’s summer jobs program, that the program finished six million dollars under budget. Then the D.C. summer jobs program, created by Marion Barry, is continuing to fulfill its intended purpose: to create summer jobs for low-income kids while allowing them to earn money over the summer. It appears that the District’s summer program, run by the Department of Employment Services spent only $10.8 million of its $16.8 million budget. It seems of the 14,000 participants between the ages of 14 to 21, only just over 11,000 young people completed the program working in businesses and for the district government. Officials may have over-represented the amount left unspent, but even if a fraction of that amount was left unused, and every penny was accounted for, it would be a marked difference from the days of the previous mayor Marion Barry whose government was known for its alleged corruption. D.C. Council member Michael A. Brown, chairman of the oversight committee, suggested that the surplus, given the problems faced by the program in the past, would be a major achievement for a program that had run as much as $30 million over budget.

Obama....Is it the platform or just the man himself

I have been watching this recent budget situation with Congress and the many Nay Sayers for some time now and have come to the conclusion that the overly outspoken opponents of President Obama, is not against him so much for the way he runs this country or his ideologies on social reform, health care, economics or even gay marriage, this is just pure and outright racism. Now if you listen to some individuals regardless of political affiliation, you will hear them speak on the way they feel on the various topics, and some have never changed the way they feel regardless of Clinton, Bush or whoever. But it seems to me, that this newly found “Tea-Party” seems to be a driving force behind these blatted attacks that to me are out and outright racist. Today, we are hearing stories like we haven’t heard in years regarding leaders and media referring to our President as a porch monkey or using other racial empathies. These Tea-Party goes seem to even have issues with fellow Republicans feeling they are not conservative enough for them, now to me, that is saying something. These individuals want to go back to how it used to be, and I have a question for the non-Whites Tea-Party goers that have joined this contingency. How far back to you want to go? It hasn’t been 50 years since we had Civil Rights of the 1960’s. Not long ago as Blacks, we were part of segregated school, public transportation, restaurants and hotels. Actors were only seen cleaning homes and not owning them, until we were “Movin’ On Up”. With all this in mind I just feel that, yea some people dislike our President because of his policies as do many people when it comes to whoever is President but when it comes to Obama...I ask…Is it the platform or just the man himself.

Missing/Exploited Children

Let me start by saying I think that the abuse of children is one of the most heinous crimes in the world and those found guilty of this crime needs to be punished to the fullest extent of the law. But in regard to this issue, what really bothers me is the inconsistent or should I say lack of coverage toward the abuse of our non-White children. The news recently covered the trial of Casey Antony and the death of her child Caylee. No matter where you were in the United States, newspapers, radio or TV news, the public was fully aware of what was going on with the situation at hand. Now as news worthy as this was, I think the media owes it to everyone to report stories involving missing, abused and exploited children of all races. Why do we not hear about Julio, Jada or Raheem? What about Maria or Jorge? These children have loved ones and people concerned about them just like the Caylee’s and JonBenet’s of the world. It’s sad but for many of the parents of these non-publicized cases, they have to turn to the web and post on site like http://www.omega7.com/html/MissingKids.html, to get any form of help with their cause. I feel there is a major problem when over 30% of the total amount of the children missing is African American when this demography of the total population accounts for slightly less than 13%. It’s important that all individuals regardless of race or economic background take a stand and demand that we get these men and women off the street that is harming our youth. Aren’t the children of today, our future of tomorrow? As such we owe it to all children to protect them since they are not able to protect themselves. We must not forget that these same individuals that are harming non-White children have the same capability to do this to White children so let’s make it a priority to assist all our children regardless of race.

Blacks in Charge

Today, DC Mayor Vincent Gray made an announcement about the upcoming dedication of the Martin Luther King Jr. memorial. The $120 million memorial and a 30 ft. 8 inch granite sculpture will open Aug. 22 to the public. President Barak Obama is scheduled to speak on August 26 on the official dedication day where many famous African American artists are scheduled to perform. If MLK were alive today to see the advancements he spearheaded, he would be amazed. A black mayor and black President in office in a country that not so long ago suffered from severe racial issues would be unimaginable back in MLK's days. Due to his persistent belief in doing what was right, he was able to jump start the progress we have today.

Gray petitions against media matters

The article discussed how C. Boyden Gray, formerly on the white house counsel for president bush's first administration and a contributor to fox news in 2005 , wrote a petition to the IRS professing that the Media Matters conservative media "watchdog" has taken on partisan views and should no longer be exempt of taxation. He feels, that they have targeted fox news and are disrupting the commercial interest of news corp, fox's parent network. I suppose because i have liberal views, i kinda feel like i'd so appreciate it if this dude stopped whining. but i've noticed that since Obama has been in office/it's been a democratic majority rule, even my republican friends have shared how "it sucks to feel singled out" or how they feel "like everyone is ganging up on them" or "how they're in the minority and it's not fair, but whatever." i really want to shake my head, right then, to let them know how obnoxious i think it is, because it's like please pity me, i'm a conservative. but if i look at this objectively, i'm certain their are liberals that felt that way during the administration prior and were saying things along these lines; i was in middle school and didn't really care about politics at the time, so i wouldn't know for sure. i don't feel that way, so i can't say i agree. another thing i observed, is that in defense of negative comments directed at President Obama, conservatives will assert how the whole world is wrongfully against their blameless former President Bush, that he tried his best, and no one was complaining when we went into the war. you are so right. because somehow, we were so masterfully duped into thinking we were playing war with a country when really, we were kinda part of showing daddy bush that bush jr. could carry out his plans he didn't quite get to finish. There are policies that i don't agree with that President Obama has put into place. Spending a ghastly amount of money that was intended for immediate and short lived recovery...yikes. Our debt is now uber astronomical and that's undeniable. Both liberals and conservatives have mega opinions on their leaders and by the looks of it, genuine bi-partisan chillness is hard to imagine. I suppose with the big issues, like our economic recovery, is the place to start though. Survival of our country should certainly be a topic we can all agree on.

Son of Marion Barry

Marion Barry's son pleads guilty for drug possession. Christopher Barry will stay up to six months in prison. When Chris was caught in the act at his apartment, he jumped out his window and ran away from the police leaving behind sandwich bags of Marijuana and PCP. Years ago Christopher's father, Marion Barry, was arrested for possesion of coke while in his third term as mayor of D.C. He also served up to six months in prison. Now that Marion Barry's son is charged with drugs the media may now think that all along the Barry family was just drug addicts from father to son. Being arrested now adds to the family's bad reputation no matter what Marion Barry did for the lower class in D.C.

Will the Future Lead to Black Washington Remembered?

In Unit 2, we have been studying the influence African Americans had on the founding of Georgetown and their significance to the city of Washington. In "Number of Black DC Plummets as Majority Status slips Away" Carol Morello and Dan Keating discuss a new phenomenon occuring in the District. According to the two, the number of African Americans has fallen drastically in the recent decade while the number of Whites has soared. This is a shocking idea due to African Americans have held large numbers in the city since the ending of the Civil War. Jaqueline Moore notes in "The Washington Black Elite", "The nation's capital attracted many race leaders .... Blacks and whites rightly recognized the city as the center of Black culture long before New York's Harlem ..."(Moore, 9). From the city's beginnings African Americans have been a dominant group whether enslaved or free. Washington was the original epic center of social life for prominent African Americans and the guinea pig for race relations in the nation. Keating and Morello also point out that the cause could be due to the drastic differences in income and education. Due to Whites moving in to the area because of cheaper housing, life became harder for working class Blacks. Those with higher levels of education were able to obtain higher income. This is not new to Washington, Moore highlights the Black elite's desire to separate themselves from the masses (or working class Blacks) in her article. Unfortunately, this has led to the working-class being pushed out of a city they helped create, a city of which they could trace their families back for generations. This phenomenon is not that unique after all. This story contains a striking similarity to the outcome of the community of Georgetown.

MAn confesses...lol

i dont even know if this is a "bloggable topic" but i find this conversation or article quite funny. But the guy left his wife on a business trip and while hhe was gone cheated on her. 2 years later after he gets back ..he wants to tell his wife because they have a child and he wants to teach his kid honesty so he needs to tell his wife.. LMAO i would never tell on my self... I think he breakin the man rule ,... hahaha ... hope this constitutes as a blog

Teen Murder

17 year old Derrell Mason was charged with murder after a fight erupted in Hyattsville. It is amazing to me that a 17 year old kid could get aggravated enough to take another person's life. I understand how anger can take over but to not understand the long term consequences is beyond me. Not having the self control to keep yourself from murdering someone is something I cannot comprehend. It is unfortunate that someone so young can pretty much ruin the rest of their life with one poor decision.

Donavan I am glad your gone, you deserve much better than you EVER would have gotten from the Washington Redskins

As a sports fan I am very happy that the NFL lockout is over with. But as an African American male, I am very upset at how the Washington Redskins handled their discomfort with Donavan McNabb. Now I must agree that he did not have what one would consider Pro-Bowl worth, but let’s be honest, who on the Redskins did? As far as McNabb is concern, for a quarterback to be effective you need to be able to protect him or at least have some healthy receivers to throw to. During his time in Philly he constantly made the impossible work with very little to no name support (remember Freddie Mitchell or Todd Pinkerton...probably not outside of Philly fans), but he at least had some help from an offensive line. This past year this coach that up I had some admiration for, wanted to put the blame on him and instead of doing the mature thing and admitting that he had a lot of work to do and it would not be done in one year, decided to make it look like it was all his fault. Then to add insult to injury, when they played the Detroit Lions, put in a no name to run a two minute offense and when the quarterback tanked, state he didn’t think Donavan was in football shape to do it. Give me a break. But now, this season you want the fans to get a warm and fuzzy feeling about a quarterback that when he went to report to Redskin Park, the security could not even recognize his, and would not let him on the property. Redskin fans can you say “Houston, We have a Problem”. I am not a Redskin fan but must say I have plenty of friends that are and hate to see the misery that they go through year and year out. This coach and owner are a cancer that the Redskin fans need to voice “their discomfort with” and stop going to the games and hit them in their pockets. McNabb is one of the classiest dudes in the NFL and did not deserve to be treated the way Shanahan has treated him. I do wish McNabb would have spoken up a little more, but that is not how this man operates and if you look at him through the years, history supports my sediments (remember the Pittsburgh game when T.O was screaming in his ear). I just hope that when he gets to Minnesota, whether he wins a ring or not, that he can enjoy the last years of his NFL career, cause he has done nothing but brought class and dignity to the sport that millions of fans year for every year look forward to. When you look at great players like Doug Williams and their former racist owner George Marshall, does it surprise one to see this subtle racial undertone? McNabb deserves to be treated a helluva lot better than any dog off the street would be, but when you think about it, this behavior seems to be the norm, when you are a part of Washington Redskin organization.

Danger Lurks so Be Alert

Northern Virginia is generally considered a safe area, especially when compared to the District of Columbia which is relatively close in proximity. However, this past Valentine's Day Fair Oaks Mall in Fairfax County was host to the first of several slashing and robberies. A young lady had her hands full of shopping bags ready to leave Fair Oaks Mall when she was attacked. The 20 year-old victim did not realize she was cut, only initially noticing that the 5-foot-6 heavy set Latino had ripped her leggings."'I didn’t even know I was cut, so I just yelled at him,' the woman said" (Q. Wu Washington Post). Apparently, this slash and steal strategy was used by the attacker several times in order to distract victims, and soon afterwards would escape with their belongings. The Post states "In most incidents, the man distracted the victim before slashing her, police spokeswoman Lucy Caldwell said. The women were attacked in the afternoon or evening, when stores are likely to be busy, she said" (Q. Wu Washington Post). Another incident occurred on July 25th as an 18 year-old was shopping at Forever 21. The report states "In the most recent attack, on July 25, an 18-year-old was browsing at XXI Forever about 5:30 p.m. when she noticed that a man behind her was bending down to pick up clothes that had fallen off a rack. She then felt a sudden pain and noticed she was bleeding. The suspect had cut through her denim shorts and underwear" (Q. Wu Washington Post). Two more attacks had occurred in June and another in May. Fairfax County is said to have one of the lower crime rates. However, being as though crime may occur anywhere, it is up to us the citizens to do our part and stay alert.

Fake Id's are becoming easier to get nowadays. At some places 21 and up if you know the bouncer or whatever then you dont even need a fake id. College students love to party and drink and at alcohol stores some dont even scan the id they just look and make sure the face resembles you. The overseas Chinese store that is selling these Id's to younger kids needs to be shut down but even if so, people underage will still be drinking because they will find a way.

Summer Jobs

Its been in recent time that its been harder to find summer jobs especially because of the recession. Many people are holding on to there jobs and not letting them go in the summer which is making it harder for college and high school students to find jobs in the summer let alone during the year. Understanding how the economy is it would go to show the strain in the summer jobs and that there is a high demand for workers during the time and its all booked up. Washington Dc is one of the biggest cities in the country and it is even hard finding a job here.

Fake IDS

Its amazing how many people have and use fake IDs. The good ones are supposedly coming from China and they must be making a fortune on the US population who can't wait till there 21 to get a real ID. Most people I know started drinking before they turned 21. This is a problem in the US but in other countries they are allowed to drink at much younger ages and I wonder why that is different here.

Summer Learning Program Seeks to Close Opportunity Gap

At the end of the school year, summer vacation can be an exciting time for many upper and middle class kids in the Washington DC area. They look forward to vacations and summer camps that would engage, excite, and reinforce their educational needs. However, the same cannot be said for poor kids living in Washington D.C. While the D.C. government funds summer programs through the public school system, the majority of poor kids spend summer vacations without access to many educational activities. Emma Brown of the Washington Post, quoted Matthew Boulay, the interim chief executive of the Baltimore-based National Summer Learning Association as saying that “There’s a real disconnect between how much we know about the negative impact of summer learning loss and what is actually being done in terms of policy and programming.” He suggests that the school system spends nine months educating the nation’s children, but that in the summer months a great deal of what they have learned is lost. While many of the upper and middle class kids spend their summer vacation bolstering their education and other skills, the poor kids forget much of what they have learned in the previous school year. Emma Brown explains that the D.C. public school system provided 10,720 slots in their summer program for children last year; however, this year only 5,100 slots were offered due to shrinking budgets which forced the school system to “curtail summer offerings.” Many private organizations like the Horizons Greater Washington, the Wallace and Bill and Melinda Gates foundations, and the Wal-Mart Foundation are providing funding so that children from low-income families would attend camps like the one held at the Maret School in Woodley Park. The goal is to provide an educational program alongside all the fun-filled activities of summer.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/summer-learning-program-seeks-to-close-opportunity-gap/2011/07/22/gIQA1JvObI_story.html