..first, I was very serious about Newark having traditional families. There sincerely are many tradtitional families that live in the city in very nice town houses and the like and they also live in the communities surrounding the city and work there. I like most every person I met while I worked there. And the work there was rewarding. At the end of every day I felt I accomplished something and earned my pay. I could honestly say that I never pulled any punches with people and told them as I saw it and they listened. They were interested in living and working and being important. I did always make sure everyone I came in contact with knew they were important, if to no one else, to me and I'd validate that with reasons. Their responsibility to themselves and their influence no matter how small it seemed at the time.
Oh, there are plenty of those with images of the inner city cast in stone that will say, "Die Hard Liberal." Not so. Definately not so. I wasn't a hand holder. At all. I didn't have a soft spot to be exploited.
But, when I reflect on what I read in the article, which uses multi-media really well, there is a difference. I got the impression that a major part of the homicides; not all but more often than not; was related to enforcing 'the code' within the violence that has a residence in Los Angeles. That wasn't the case in Newark, now New York may be different, but, most of the violence in Newark is more or less associated with 'acts' of crime.
It seems to me, LA have gangs/people, that use fear in order to control their crime territory. Hence the family killings. They were examples to the community in general. Those murders made an impression and it is my guess they could even be random as well as 'within the crime community' to keep everyone on their toes. In other words, even if a family was able to keep their son or daughter from participating in the organized crime within their or near their neighborhoods they could still be a victim to the violence to keep everything stirred up.
In some ways Newark was a bedroom community to New York crime. I do know of one instance where a man worked for the Chinese mafia as a gunman and lived in Livingston. I know that for a fact and I do know some of the crime that occurs in New York is like a 'commuter crime' in that the people committing the crime are crossing the river to enjoy their power and return home at the end of a hard night's work. Seriously. As a rule that does not mean they only commit crimes in New York or only in Newark, but, the criminals have their preference.
That may be one of the real dividing lines for Newark. There are no real organized crimes in the city because those that care to and have the talent to engage in crime that pays have wealthier pursuits in New York City. There is no reason to organize a gang, as a matter of fact, if the gang members are using New Jersey for a covert life away from the crime it is more realistic to believe there won't be the "LA influence." That 'idea' may also contribute to some of the more peripheral murders to the two major homicide hubs in Los Angeles.
About the men involved in this and the occassional women, can they be 'turned' from it? Yes and no, but, mostly no. Not because it is a perferred way of life, but, because they believe it is the only life available to them.
When the young men I became familiar with had a job, they rather earn their way than commit crime. They don't want to commit crime. They want to believe they have a worthy talent that will provide them a comfortable life.. But, when faced with the reality that their earnings will never be enough to enjoy a life without hardship they SUBMIT to that reality and at that point PLEDGE to it even if that pledge is within their own soul. Some of that SUBMISSION is from long time racism. Lack of opportunity. Having a 'mind map' of familiarity and not reaching beyond that mind map to seek a life elsewhere. Within the reluctance to 'try' find a life elsewhere is a self image no one should have. A self image that says "I am doing the best I can do here and I need to get over myself." Then. The criminal behavior 'got em.'
They have really lousy 'self talk.' None of them saw themselves hitting a home run for a team, that sort of thing. There was no reward in life that was abstract or culminated in non-material rewards such as volunteering for a charitable activity or giving a donation to even the blood bank to help have enough emergency supply of blood for people coming into the hospital. They never saw themselves involved in anything except activity that can 'get them something.' Always the 'buck' no matter how it was going to come, yet the work they did kept them involved LESS in street crime. I know that for a fact as well. The work provided connections to experiences they would not normally have and it did effect their lives. They were never criminals in the work environment. But, they were aging and realizing there was not a big change in life coming for them. That is why the Twenty Year Olds go on in smaller numbers to become Thrity Year Olds and smaller number of Forty Year Olds, etc. And then when they get to their fifties and sixties and seventies they become victims to those they would see as allies at one time in their life.
That is my take on it.
Four hundred millimeters is nearly 16 inches of rainfall in three days. To put that into perspective, about a year ago Oklahoma received between 12 to 16 inches of rain depending on where you were in elevation. Hurricane Flyod delivered anywhere from 12 to 20 inches of rain killing twenty people. Anthropogenic carbon dioxide at high levels in the troposphere is a dangerous and toxic gas to human life.
