[RP TownTalk] Parenting children to believe that #BlackLivesMatter

Mon Jul 11 13:09:02 UTC 2016

Oh, and someone just alerted me that I included the VERY WRONG link in my
original post!  I didn't remotely intend to include a link to an article
about Rudy Giuliani -- I meant to include this link:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/on-mothering-white-sons-to-know-blacklivesmatter_us_577e85bce4b03288ddc57d79

Apologies everyone!!

-Heather

On Mon, Jul 11, 2016 at 9:01 AM, Heather Cronk <heather.cronk at gmail.com>
wrote:

> Hi, Bruce -- I assumed it would probably just be a matter of time before
> you weighed in. Welcome.
>
> Since I've received numerous messages from folks off-list about creating a
> dialogue, I'll focus my energy on building rather than on tearing down.
>
> -Heather
>
> On Mon, Jul 11, 2016 at 7:44 AM, Bruce Wernek <bruce.wernek at verizon.net>
> wrote:
>
>> Honestly Heather, I'm sick of tired of the "race dialogue".  I'm old
>> enough to remember what racism is.  I lived through it.
>>
>> I don't care what color you are.  We are all in this together.  This
>> country doesn't belong to whites, blacks, etc.  It belongs to all of us
>> which means all of us are responsible for what happens in it.  The problem
>> is apathy.  No one wants to be bothered with minding their own affairs
>> anymore.  When there's a problem, we all turn to the government to solve
>> it.  They have to be involved in pretty much everything.
>>
>> All you hear from the media is an unending stream of hate.  The news (all
>> of it, not just what is the most inflammatory) is secondary and
>> incidental.  Take the Freddie Gray case as an example.  The media spins it
>> into a police brutality issue, yet 3 of the 6 officers have been
>> exonerated.  I'm certain the remaining three will be too.  Does this mean
>> anything to you?
>>
>> What will you do if the same is true for police officers responsible for
>> "the murders of Black men" after their trials?  Are we are going to
>> organize a lynch mob and string them up on the nearest tree.  That's what
>> the KKK was doing when I was a boy.  Judgements rendered by our legal
>> system be damned?  Clearly you must know something I don't.  I am unable to
>> make any assessment on the innocence or guilt of these officers since I
>> don't know all of the facts.  All I have to go on is the media's hate
>> rhetoric.  Is that what you are using to assess guilt or innocence?
>>
>> Our country is being torn apart.  What that psycho did to Texas' finest
>> was a declaration of war on America.  BLM has declared war on America too
>> and they are not the only "activist group" that has done so.  There's no
>> dialogue or resolution, just unending hate.  I've been all over the world
>> and observed many cultures.  I assure you America is the one of the most
>> diverse tolerant wealthy countries on earth.  Be thankful because if we
>> continue down this road, all that we take for granted is perilously close
>> to being lost.
>>
>> The bottom line is that the police are not the enemy.  They protect all
>> of from abject chaos.  In my opinion, the police should be held in the
>> highest regard.  They get cussed out, spit on, shot at, punched out,
>> insulted, threatened, beaten, stabbed, murdered, maimed, deal with the
>> dregs of society, etc. (abbreiviated list) in the execution of their duty
>> to protect us.  They fight a war that can never be won and they will never
>> get the recognition they deserve.  Yet they persevere.  Given this, don't
>> you think they should be given the benefit of the doubt, "innocent until
>> proven guilty"?
>>
>> I suggest you start reading something other than the Huffington Post.
>> Why don't you find out who's funding the BLM then you'll know their real
>> agenda (hint they aren't people like us).  I assure you, it will be
>> enlightening.
>>
>> God bless the Police now more than ever.
>>
>> Bruce
>>
>>
>> On 07/09/16, Heather Cronk<heather.cronk at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> After this week's brutal news about the murders of Black men by
>> police, the release of video of those murders, and the subsequent murders
>> of police officers at a rally in Dallas, I've been doing a lot of reading,
>> a lot of checking in on Black friends, and a lot of talking with fellow
>> white folks.
>>
>> Given that our community in Riverdale is racially diverse and growing
>> more so by the month, I felt that it was important to open up a
>> conversation here about ways that we -- as neighbors, friends, and folks
>> hugely influential on the lives of the kids in our town -- can respond. I
>> hope that these conversations are happening in our local schools, as well.
>>
>> One article has jumped out as particularly helpful among white friends of
>> mine who are parents:
>>
>> http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/10895690
>>
>> I realize that opening up a conversation about race over a listserv is
>> complicated -- and I'm very open to ideas that folks might have about ways
>> to continue this conversation offline if there is interest. Despite the
>> complexity of this conversation, I also wanted to make sure that a) folks
>> of color in this community hear that their lives and their family's
>> lives matter, b) white folks in this community hear an invitation to
>> dialogue and at least one very concrete tool in having this conversation
>> with their kids, and c) all of us take a few minutes to think intentionally
>> about what kind of community we want to take an active role in creating.
>>
>> If there are any white neighbors who are interested in getting together
>> offline to have a conversation about how we're actively working together to
>> ensure that this community is one of justice, dignity, and respect, I'd be
>> very happy to convene that discussion. Please feel free to respond either
>> on-list or off-list (heather.cronk at gmail.com) and I'd be happy to
>> organize a get-together...
>>
>> And to our neighbors of color -- especially our Black neighbors -- we see
>> you, we love you, and we will do everything we can to ensure that this
>> community is a safe haven for you and your children.
>>
>> -Heather
>>
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>>
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