I hear all of this talk about statistics, I hear all of this talk about reality, the truth is, the statisitcs can be manipulated to say whatever we want them to say. Yes there are more black people incarcerated in our country than white, Myabe that has something to do with the fact that white people in general can afford better lawyers, so they are less likely to go to jail, there are more black people who live in abject poverty, thus have more motivation to commit certain crimes. The truth is that the Black population in this country is far poorer than the white populatioin, and any where you go there will be more crime amongst the poor than amongst the wealthy. You say that they should get a job and they won't be poor, well with so many racist assholes like you guys out there who is going to hire them, as soon as you guys see a black face you put on a big fake smile and claim that you treat them no different, as you throw the drug dealing thiefs application into the circular file, but that isn't racism is it? That wouldn't make it harder for them to get out of poverty.

ETA: Some of you guys need to reevaluate your self image, you consider yourself to be an informed person who chooses to see the enemy based on skin color, when the fact is you are using stereotypes and a complete lack of knowlege to justify your own biggotry.

Quoted: What about White towns that look like haunted houses? Its just because they are immoral broke lazy ugly unmotivated people. When I went to North Carolina on a Outward Bound wilderness survival course. The towns out there are creepy.  They are in the middle of nowhere,  a bunch of white drunks with guns out in the middle of nowhere who look at me the rhode islander and think im the devil or something.    them cooking steaks and drinking cheap beer.   Then you see most of their town is like abandoned condemed places.  And you goto the gas station and you see some hicks with dirty clothes and a sports car hitting on ugly chicks and smoking tobacco with a 6 pack in his back seat. And then you see the two local police officers who are in their 20's and are no doubt criminals themselves,  getting the hoots and giggles that they are the only law in town.  And them knowing they can get away with so much out there. Ill never go back to North Carolina again.  Place is hell.   And we only have a 5% unemployment in this country?  Yeah right. I must have met every single one of them then if there are so few of them.

Actually what you don't get is that you just don't understand those people, you have no idea what thier lives have been like, you don't know if they are criminals, or hardworking farmers. What you consider poor may actually be quite wealthy to others. I have spent time all over the south, I have seen true poverty, people who are so poor that they have never seen a hundred dollar bill in thier whole lives, it doesn't make them bad people, uneducated maybe, and ignorant probably. Of coure did you give them any reason to not look at you like you were a uppity outsider who has come into thier community and judged them based solely on appearance? Did you ever stop to think that maybe thier social enviorment is drastically different than it is on your little part of RI? That maybe that crappy little filling station is the only place around to go and hang out and see people you are not realated to, because in small southern farming communities that is exactly what they do, they gather at the local filling station and socialize, because they don't have a mall, or movie theater, or in many cases even a post office.

how can pictures of a criminal paradise/war zone be racist?

To blame it on "white-flight" like this website does is what makes it racist.

ok. to 'what' do you attribute the condition?

the obviously wealth folks that built those once fine houses left en masse.

care to explain 'why'?

This "White Flight" took place over a long period of time. Why did that happen?

read below. you answered your own question and mine.

Black or White; it doesn't matter. I've seen what white trash can do to a neighborhood.

yup. i agree.

They did it to mine.

the key word in your answer is "they"...i.e. those that are not like 'us'.

And now I'm going back into debt to move away from it.

those that can, do. no one wants to live near 'them'.

move as far away as you can.