"Pick 'em up, fuck 'em -let-em-lay Where I'm from we see'a fuckin dead body er'yday.."
~~Lil Wayne~~
I hate to do a post like this right now, but I wouldn't be me if I didn't. So fuck it, I am thinking it, so I might as well go ahead and say it.
Sean Taylor was star safety for the Washington Redskins, and he tragically lost his life this morning after being shot in his South Florida home. I won't get into the story, I think everyone reading this is quite familiar with it by now.
It's sad, and if you turn on the news and all the usual media outlets everyone is being respectful by saying all the right things and offering all the proper condolences. But sorry, I just can't go there right now. I am pissed because yet another young black man has lost his life to tragic senseless violence. I am pissed because two little children will be fatherless, a mother has lost her son, and a woman has lost her future husband. Make no mistake, all those white folks who live in Northern Virginia who happen to be a part of "Redskin Nation" could really give a fuck about Sean Taylor and his family. They are losing a great safety for their Skins, and that's the reason for their sorrows. Period.
But for me his death is personal, because Sean Taylor could be one of a couple of hundred young black men who have been slaughtered on the streets of Killadelphia this year alone. Sorry, the only difference between any one of these young men and Sean Taylor is that Sean Taylor could play some serious football, and they could not. They were stuck here on these mean ass streets and thought they couldn't get out. Taylor could, and by all accounts, he fucked that up. Taylor refused to leave the mean streets of Miami behind, and if the reports of him taking a plea after beating down some dude with a gun butt is true, he was embracing that life a lot more than he should have. I heard Michael Wilbon's lament on T.V. tonight (and I am paraphrasing here) that If Jason Campbell (The Skins QB) was shot to death he would have been saddened and surprised. With Taylor, Wilbon said, he was saddened to hear of his death by shooting, but not surprised. There is a reason for that, Sean Taylor was no angel, and by all accounts, quite a few people were telling him to leave his old neighbored and his old running buddies behind. Hey, like my man Robert Lester Marley says; the wages if sin is death (Or was that someone else?), and sometimes you just can't escape your past.
So another dead young black man, killed by another black man. "Oh field how do you know the killer is black, they haven't even caught Taylor's killer yet". Yeah right! This is an open bet to anyone reading this. If you want to take the field up on a bet as to the race of the shooter, send me an e-mail. My favorite charity against yours.
We are all so caught up in the tragic death of a famous football player, that unfortunately the real story will be lost again. We will be talking about all of Taylor's athletic attributes, what his loss will mean for the Redskins, and possibly the actual details of the shooting. But we won't be talking about the way society and a race of people have abandoned an entire generation of young black men. Young men who are killing each other in record numbers without remorse. Whether their chosen victim happens to be an NFL star, or just another rival on a North Philly street corner.
In addition, this is even more unfortunate because according to some of his teammates (namely Clinton Portis), Sean had begun to leave his life of old behind since the ATV incident last year and the birth of his second child.
ReplyDeleteMake no mistake, all those white folks who live in Northern Virginia who happen to be a part of "Redskin Nation" could really give a fuck about Sean Taylor and his family. They are losing a great safety for their Skins, and that's the reason for their sorrows.
With any tragedy like this there are bound to be people disappointed solely for this reason, but it is irresponsible to paint so many people with such a broad brush, because of their skin color. I will bet you any sum of money that there are black people saddened because of the loss of talent and that alone as well.
My man Kevin Blackistone from Around the Horn really made a fabulous comment just like yours on ATH this afternoon about Sean Taylor. He basically said that Sean is now a statistic, even after having the means to escape that trouble. He's another reminder to the American public of just how devastating the conditions are for the young Black male demographic. Even someone who was ready to turn his whole life around wasn't able to do so.
ReplyDeleteWhat's more, Michael Wilbon, who I respect a lot, said (paraphrased), that he's been in trouble with the law before, and that's the sad part. He really wanted to turn his life around, but sometimes when you're involved with a dangerous lifestyle, that lifestyle's not going to go away on your own timetable, and he suspects some people weren't ready for him to change his life without some getting something in return.
This should play out interestingly.
There's something I don't like in the post that I can't put my finger on. I think I don't like this idea that blacks can and should "escape a lifestyle and/or the old neighborhood" upon wealth. I think that this trivializes or over-generalizes the dysfunctionalism that results in the disparate numbers of the unfortunate and premature deaths of black men.
ReplyDeleteIs the mere association with poor blacks--all blacks in "black neighborhoods" condemning? Is black poverty the cause of increasing violence in Black neighborhoods?
Should successful blacks stay or return back to the old neighborhood?
Isn't all of this external instruction about returning to, giving back, staying away, escaping all ultimately about fining away to localize blame blacks--either inside or outside--for the apparent violence in the black community?
I also don't like the ressurection of distant past bad acts whenever young black men suffer--or even when they don't. (Some of this is to dismiss a black man's murder as deserved.) This just doesn't happen with happen with white men.
Reagan can die without ever hum about the many missteps he took. Consdier the movie, A Beautiful Mind, and how the famed mathematicians anti-semitism and prosmicuity were never mentioned in the biopic of his life.
Indeed, it seems to me that only if a white man dies of a drug overdose is his life combed, and then mostly as to well-known drug use. Otherwise, it is hushed--for the most part.
In addition, this is even more unfortunate because according to some of his teammates (namely Clinton Portis), Sean had begun to leave his life of old behind since the ATV incident last year and the birth of his second child.
ReplyDeleteI had heard that too, but the truth of the matter is that maybe this is where the old addage comes in: - too little, too late.
There's something I don't like in the post that I can't put my finger on. I think I don't like this idea that blacks can and should "escape a lifestyle and/or the old neighborhood" upon wealth. I think that this trivializes or over-generalizes the dysfunctionalism that results in the disparate numbers of the unfortunate and premature deaths of black men.
ravenravings,
if the old neighborhood that you belonged to is full of knuckleheads and troublemakers, shouldn't you be leaving those folks behind? The folks that can't seem to escape trouble with the law, and drag it with them whereever they go?
You have story upon story about those players who wanted to ' keep it real', and it landed them nothing but trouble, because the folks they 'kept it real' with were doing nothing but foolishness.
Guilty as charged wooozie; that was a broad brush. But I think you get my point. Of course there are white (and black) folks who are really sorry about the tragic loss of another human life. But can you honestly tell me that a large part of "Redskin Nation" won't be mourning for the reasons that I gave you?
ReplyDeleteraven, I understand your conflict. I go through it as well. But this was not so much a post about Sean Taylor and well to do blacks leaving the hood. My position on that is pretty clear, black folks should always reach back. But that doesn't they you should run with the same group of guys they ran with when they didn'y have a pot to piss in. There are much more meaningful ways to give back. Like investing your money in the neighborhood to start a small business. A business, by the way, that could hire some of the very old friends I talked about. Taylor might have been doing that, and if he was, good for him. But again, this post was more about the hypocrisy of those of us in society when a tragedy like this happens, than about Taylor himself.
BTW, if you don't think I get on bad white men when they die, you haven't been reading this blog.
Lil Wayne is not exaggerating. I was almost caught in the crossfire early one Saturday afternoon at a gas station a few months ago. Even with so many (approximately half or less, I think) still gone because of Katrina we have 193 murders as of today. I don't think it's strictly because of economics. These young men have no guidance. The breakdown of the family is the main cause of this. New Orleans is a monster and it's eating young black men for lunch. This country has given up on them. They are disposable in the eyes of many. Black men are the only thing that can save the black man. The only question is when?
ReplyDeleteX
The killings aren't just happening on corners in North Philly FN. It's pretty bad here in St. Louis too.Hence, the reason why we are the second most dangerous city in America.
ReplyDeleteAnother tragedy of entire Sean Taylor's murder is that soon (and very soon), after the newness of this dies a slow death, we will move on, forget that it happened until another senseless act of violence happens again to (perhaps) another prominent young black man, discuss/blog/comment/react, etc., be quiet, move on, etc. Senseless deaths have now become drama. Part-time-drama, at that. I'm waiting for the talking heads to start up again in a couple days. Watch the news and see if it doesn't happen. We've become a nation of "reactionary predictables."
ReplyDeleteNegroes in Saint Louis are posers.
ReplyDelete`
Thanks for the reply, FN, and the challenge, Rikyrah.
ReplyDeleteI've just returned from my native Detroit--THE most dangerous city in America--according to the popular press. I love Detroit--and will always be a Detroiter in my heart (although I have not resided there for 20 years.)
It always sadden me to realize that were I to be killed in Detroit that some would find my death predictable and even less mournful because of my perceived stupid decision to return to my hometown and revel in the company of my friends and relatives living there--as now a so-called successful black.
Even poor Black neighborhoods can be vibrant places still worthy of commitment--and regularly visits.
It is hard to encourage better choices at a distance--or where the successful leave the impression that their past neighborhoods are too despiscable to revisit.
It may be that Sean Taylor received his comeuppance. I am not God. I cannot know.
But another possibilty occurs to me. Taylor probably knew his assailant. He probably had a good guess as to who the prior knife-leaving intruder was. He probaby didn't turn this individual in, hoping the person would reform. Unfortunately, Taylor's hope was only partly justified. It seems that Taylor's assailant didn't intend to kill him. Just injure him. He shot Taylor in the thigh, with Taylor's girlfriend unharmed and on premises. The assailant perhaps nevery realized that he had hit a major artery that would make an emergency crew of whatever speed much too late to save Taylor.
Of course, in a court of law, this distinction probably won't mean much to most jurors trying a black man (if FN is right about the race of the assailant) but in our court of self-judgment this factual distinction is a little something to hopefully mute the condemnation of Taylor--and the exhortation of greater social distance between the haves and the have nots in the black community.
"if the old neighborhood that you belonged to is full of knuckleheads and troublemakers, shouldn't you be leaving those folks behind?"
ReplyDeleteI'm writing to say two things: First, our neighborhoods are filled more with good kids trying to survive just like the adults. Second: I'm very sad for the loss of Sean Taylolr but even more saddened that some of us won't cut a brother some slack, even in death. Yes, I heard that Taylor got into some trouble earlier in his young life. Then I heard the other things from the people who knew him best: How he tried to give back to the U of Miami by helping out the coach who was having trouble with black football players; How he tried to give back to his community but sometimes got into arguments with brothers who refused to accept that he had changed or resented him for it; How he became a different person once he became a father, a leader both off and on the field.
What i'm trying to say is that all of us make mistakes. But most us learn from them and move on to become loving partners, nurturing fathers and positive contributors to our community. But regardless of the good we do, the white media will focus on the negative. The negative sells. Besides, they're not going to spend much time going behind the scenes to give a complete story about a rich, black athlete. Who knows-- They may find something positive and might be forced to give him some props.
We had a Sean Taylor here in Minnesota. He played for the Minnesota Vikings. He did stupid things: He yelled and screamed on the sidelines and just said the first thing that came to his mind, especially when the Vikings lost, which was often. The white media ate it up, because they were jealous of a black man with a lot of money who basically told them "Fuck you. I say what I want to say and there's nothing you can do about it."
Then with the help of Cris Carter, another Viking player, he started to grow up. He began to be more respectful to the press, to be more of a team leader. He loved kids and would go to the St. Joseph School for Boys every Tuesday and play basketball with them. And he did specific things for those boys and other boys and their families, even giving money out of his own pocket. He grew up, but nobody cut him any slack-- nobody noticed but Cris Carter, the kids and few counselors who asked him to help. So he left and went to a crappy football team (Oakland) for peanuts, happy to leave a town that refused to let him grow up, or acknowledge the fact that he was trying to do so.
His name was Randy Moss. Now, he's being a responsible man in New England and may turn out to be the most valuable football player in the National Football League.
Like Moss, Sean Taylor changed. Like the white media here in Minneapolis, the national meda refuse to acknowledge it-- even though that's exactly what the people who knew him the best are saying.
As the number of homicides on the field's sidebar suggest, what happened to Taylor could happen to any of us. If it did, would you want the stuped things you did in your younger years to overshadow the many good things you did later?
"Even poor Black neighborhoods can be vibrant places still worthy of commitment--and regularly visits."
ReplyDeleteI'm feeling this all over.
too bad about this kid. i think some of the comments are pretty spot on. i would bet a finger that his killer is also a young black man. more importantly, it sucks that this guy's death won't serve to improve things for black men all around. he's not the kind of guy who'd be a poster boy for a "this shit can happen to any one of us any day" campaign. i didn't even knwo who the hell he was until yesterday. i just saw frank mccourt (angela's ashes) read from his new book in sunny sunny so-cal. he talked about how when he was a teacher, this young african american kid would only read if mccourt let him speak the way he wanted to, which mccourt did. you knwo what he said next? "i only wish it hadn't taken me 50 more years to discover what that 16 year old boy knew then; the only true voice is the authentic one." i think sean taylor lived his own authentic life, and suffered soem very authentic consequences for that. please re-read that. i'm not saying that this kid should have died, but i AM saying that we've all made it past 24 without geting shot in our own homes (most likely by people we know) because of the choices we made. choices which, for most of us, were made while holding down low-paying jobs, rather than choices made in the luxury of owning million dollar homes. authenticity also demands SOME measure of responsibility, no?
ReplyDeleteif the old neighborhood that you belonged to is full of knuckleheads and troublemakers, shouldn't you be leaving those folks behind?"
ReplyDeleteI'm writing to say two things: First, our neighborhoods are filled more with good kids trying to survive just like the adults.
You know, I agree with you.
I have a close Sistafriend who grew up in such a neighborhood. She goes back and volunteers, and works with the church and rec center that helped her. But, SHE didn't associate with said knuckleheads. So, her going back there, she's not associated with those that just 'bring trouble'. Her going back makes sense to me.
Mr. Taylor seemed to have been friends with the knuckleheads, and though he had begun his transition and realizing that he could want something different, I think that past caught up with him, which is very sad.
"Mr. Taylor seemed to have been friends with the knuckleheads, and though he had begun his transition and realizing that he could want something different, I think that past caught up with him, which is very sad."
ReplyDeleterikyrah: You could be right. But I hope we all leave room for the possibility that the break-in could have been done by someone who didn't know him personally, but knew he was a rich black athlete.
House break-ins have really increased substantially. The more you have, the greater the chances of being hit. They don't have to know you at all.
Why, Mac, did you go and mention Randy Moss? You touched on my pet peeve, so relevant here--not just to demonstrate the possibility of reform and redemption after initial mistakes--but to show that emphasizing past bad acts is often racial.
ReplyDeleteI believe Randy Moss's story when juxtaposed with the media's treatment of Randy's pal, white NBA-stand out Jason Williams, and his criminal behavior tell everything about the racialization of the media's emphasis on past acts.
The media never missed an opportunity to resurrect--and define Moss--by his past. Commentators rarely mentioned--if ever--white Jason Williams' criminal past during the course of his NBA career.
Moss had one marijuana infraction as a college student. Jason Williams had at least three, and was permanently suspended from schoool Jason celebrated his suspension, identifying it as the best thing to happen to him in college.
Moss was a four-sport all-star college athlete --basketball,football, baseball and track. Jason was a good, colorful passer with marginal prospects for an NBA career.
Moss was drafted 21st, and only by a black coach who was repeated identified as having taken a great risk on a troubled player.
Williams was drafted 8th, even though he didn't even attend the draft.
Moss is still considred a bad actor--and again--his past was regularly emphasized--especially when he was in Minnesota although Moss has never tested positive for marijuana as a pro athelete.
Williams did test positive for marijuana, and probably repeatedly and soon after arriving in the NBA for at least two years afterwards.
Two years into his NBA career, Williams was suspended for 15 games for failing to comply with the treatment program (regular drug testing) set up to monitor him for drug use.
Still, the media emphasized Williams street baller passing skills, and not his apparent continued drug use (Holla, Ricky Williams,) failure to comply with treatment, his notorious fan hostility (Holla, Barry Bonds,) anti-gay comments--towards fans (Holla, Hardaway!), and even race obsessions. (He has "white boy" tattooed on his knuckles. (Holla, Sheflield!))
Raven,
ReplyDeleteNor was Williams' West Virginia neighborhood disparaged for his bad acts.
Rikyrah,
About 85% of murder victims know their murderers. Take care against blaming victims.
"Why, Mac, did you go and mention Randy Moss?"
ReplyDeleteSorry, bro. But Damn, you kickin serious knowledge in the field!
For the record, we black folk still love Randy in Minnesota.
But back to Taylor, I'm guessing he was not hanging out with thugs or involved in the thug life. If he had been, I think he would have had a Clint-Eastwood piece under his pillow, not a stupid machete by his bed.
Why do people not believe it was a botched robbery attempt? If somebody were trying to kill him then why would they shoot him in the leg? That to me sounds like a robber trying to immobolize somebody without trying to kill them.
ReplyDeleteI rarely choose to comment outside the norm. especially on this issue. But this talk of black on black crime is just fucking stupid. There is a thing called crime period.... Ignore the fucking race for a minute and open your eyes. There a 100's of murders everyday in America alone. There are 1000's a day in other countries. Why so many in other countries, we all say its because they have nothing to look forward to most of the time which makes them hungury. Hungury for money, power, respect. Now you look at America. We are in a depression people. Right Now!!!!! We AMERICANS are hungry! We see this dude flossin, What do we want? What he gots! How we gonna get it? Any means neccessary! This is where we need to change. American society should not suffer the way other countries do. This is just further proof that we as a country need to take better care of us as a whole. Fuck this race card shit throw it out the window. Blame it on the rich! They are the ones getting richer while the poor are getting poorer. They are simply getting hungary.
ReplyDeleteA reporter for CNN said last night that police are reporting Sean Taylor's estate is surrounded by a 6 foot wall with an "elaborate, electronic security system."
ReplyDeleteThe security system wasn't turned on.
If Taylor just spaced out and forgot to turn the security system on, it may've cost him his life.
Either way, this country is fucked up.
"rarely choose to comment outside the norm. especially on this issue. But this talk of black on black crime is just fucking stupid. There is a thing called crime period.... Ignore the fucking race for a minute and open your eyes."
ReplyDeleteSorry anon 4:57AM, we can't.
Hey. what you are saying is true, it's a f****d up world, and people are killing people in droves regardless of their race. (Welcome to the apocalypse). But as a black man here in A-merry-ca,the shit is more serious. The numbers don't lie, and we are damn near on the brink of extinction. That shit is serious to me.
Mac mentioned Chris Carter taking Randy Moss under his wings. And it's true. But guess what? Carter had to turn his life around too. People forget that Buddy Ryan ran him out of Philly because of an alleged cocaine problem. And now look at the guy.
I fell you 100%, bruh. I was real, real close to going into his troubled past when I posted about it on my site. Then I figured I wouldn't speak ill of the dead so I let it go.
ReplyDeleteStill, all I kept thinking is we reap what we sow. It's painfully obvious this wasn't just a random burlgarly. He was targeted and I would even bet that the person who did it knew him personally.
field, I forgot about what happened to Cris Carter in Philly. It's interesting that Dennis Green, a brotha and coach of the Vikings at the time, didn't buy that bad-black-male stuff and gave both Carter and Moss a chance.
ReplyDeleteGood post.
It's funny how the white sports media jumped on the story, too....
ReplyDeletehttp://weblogs.newsday.com/sports/watchdog/blog/2007/11/oh_my_goodness_gracious_this.html
Hi FN,
ReplyDeleteWhat kind of pathology does it suggest that even when success is achieved a person holds on so desperately to failure?
Thanks
Every Monday morning in my office, we Skins fans talk about our home team and the game's results from the day before. All day yesterday, we would acknowledge the tragic news with a head shake or a "yeah man." The funny thing is not a single white coworker has mentioned Sean's death to me. They're the first to approach me after a big win though... Just my observation.
ReplyDeleteWe are fooling ourselves if we think that Sean Taylor's buddies sat around all day and played spades and helped the elderly folk cross the street. C,mon now, these dudes were into something seriuos and I speculate that it eventually cost him his life. If you start making paper I'm not saying pack up your shit and bounce but dudes stay for the wrong reason. They feel by grasping on to a better life they will be labeled as sell-outs and want their boys to know they are still viable on the streets. But once you catch that hot metal your ass will be labeled DOA. You decide.
ReplyDeleteI was just recalling the popular HBO television show, "Entourage." It is about a rising white Hollywood leading man and his down-home Boston crew. His crew are a bunch of knuckleheads that regularly mishandles various things. The lead character even had a friend who swiped expensive memorabilia from a producers house. Yet, the show celebrates the bond between them--and presents their unity as lofty.
ReplyDeleteIt also is presented as representative of many circumstances of singly successful white folks--and even healthy and necessary because of the comfort offered by and likely candor of those who knew-you-when.
I think this is right. So, I wonder why young black folks are encouraged to jettison their friend set and cling to . . . their white managers/agents/ coaches perhaps?
Yes, it is probable that their old friends will have less money and eventually less refinement, and need money to maintain their availability to the rising star. But like in Entourage, so be it.
Unless you live here in DC, you might want to save the speculation, Field.
ReplyDeleteThe brotha got shot in the groin; that's how he lost so much blood. Women in DC, especially sistas, think another female did the shooting. Men don't normally shoot other men in the groin, but a woman scorned - men, what is the first thing a woman you have pissed off threatens to do to you? Shoot, kick or cut off your nuts (((ducks))).
His child's mother and his fiancee are not necessarily one and the same person - if it were, the media, especially the local rag (Washington Post) would have reported it.
There's some suspicion that the fiancee did the shooting herself...
But it is all too much of a sad commentary to automatically assume that when a young brotha gets shot and killed, that another brotha did the shooting and murdering, because it has usually been the case.
One thing I will say for certain - Taylor's father knows who did the shooting, or who has a good idea of who shot his son. The man is a big honcho in the Miami PD - someone's going to fry for shooting a cop's son...Book it.
I live in the DC metro area and I did not know this young bro b/c I'm not a Redskin fan but honestly I don't feel anything. I must admit that I've been disconnected from random black males killing random black males for a long time
ReplyDelete[of course in this instance all the details have not come out].
There is a white woman who keeps a blog on all the murders and other criminal activities in Baltimore (aka Bodymore). Her reason; to humanize and dignify the dead. I read it everyday. I still don't feel anything. I just wonder who they belong to...mother, father, grandmother, uncles, aunts....
I have two handsome young brothers; 29 year old twins. One has been to prison. Did a year for assault on a PO. My mother would take his two boys to see him every weekend. She would put money on his book and send him reading materials and such to keep him occupied. I refused to go and see him. He wrote me a letter and I wrote him back telling him that he broke my heart. I told him he was not his own man...he belonged to the family. He wrote back and made a promise to get hisself together. I decided to go see him and again I was sick. Here was my little bro locked up and just for being stupid. I scolded him, told him that no matter where we came from or how we grew up, we were above anything foolish or petty. Too many sacrifices were made for us and I was not going to allow him to screw his life up. His only choice was to fall in line...period [or I might take him out myself].
Thankfully he's been out and crime free for two years. He has a job [doesn't make alot of dough] and his own apartment [with furniture LOL]. My bottom line is the family has to take these boys and young men back. We have to remove the idea that they belong to themselves and can do what they want to do. Obviously doing what they want has not gotten most of them anywhere. White people, the media, and nobody else can do this...it must be done by black people for black people...period.
Thanks, Christian Progressive.
ReplyDeleteMy first thought was a woman too--and that's when I just thought Taylor had been shot in the thigh.
The knife-leaving thing struck me as a feminine gesture. Was it left on the bed? (I interpreted as meaning to convey, "I'm hurt and I'm close.") Also, I found telling that Taylor ultimately did not seem bothered or frightened by this gesture--as if the intruder was someone he thought he could either subdue or persuade otherwise.
Hmmmm, christ prog. are you taking me up on my bet? if you are, I might have to pay out to your favorite charity down there in D.C.
ReplyDeleteredlipstick, that was deep, thanks!
Sadly, you speak for far too many people in this country, people who are becoming immune to all this violence and madness.
dark & stormy, I hope woozie saw your comments.
Damm, it's a shame another black man like him has to die and leave behind the people he cares about the most. Another white female or three are without their special partner! Their going to have to find another one toi replace him. Can't you see how dangerous this is for poor white women and their children?? Life is so unfair.
ReplyDeletedoes sean has a white girlfriend? not that i am saying anything.
ReplyDeleteField, I am trying to put it down in the field the way I always do. If I'm correct, you can treat me to one of those cheesesteak sammiches Philly's famous for (in addition to donating to my favorite charity, LOL).
ReplyDeleteRavens, you are spot on about Taylor not being too concerned when his house was just broken into two weeks ago. That knife on the pillow said "I'm close and I can get you whenever I want".
For those of you who are wondering why Taylor had a machete in his house and not a gun is that part of the trouble with the law he has had was for illegal gun possession. He was on probation and could not be in any possession of firearms, otherwise he violates his probation. So, he had the machete there for similar protection. Looks like he had no time to swing before he caught that bullet.
I'm thinking the person who shot him also knew dude would be coming for any intruder with a machete. What's surprising me more is how bold the intruder was - as if he/she meant to kill Taylor; which continues to fuel speculation that the shooter is a woman, folks.
And a scorned woman at that.
About Taylor's girlfriend being white, the girl associate in his house at the time of the killing is the daughter of actor Andy Garcia. Garcia is a light-skinned offspring of white Cuban exiles. So, Taylor's in-house jump off is black and/or white, depending on how you label white Cuban blood--but anyway just the way black ballers prefer their women--white often but racially ambiguous if that doesn't fly.
ReplyDeleteThat is niece of actor Andy Garcia.
ReplyDeleteRegardless of the circumstances it saddens me that a young man with so much life ahead is gone. If he indeed was turning his life around, then its a bigger tradegy. Some guys take longer to mature than others, but I have the feeling that being around mature men in the locker room would've, if already hadn't, straightened him out and helped him prioritize. All communities can benefit from success stories and examples of kids who straitened their lives out after rough starts. The fact that we'll never see his potential is the biggest loss.
ReplyDeleteI hope that Brandon Meriweather, the former Miami Saftey, now NE Patriots Safety, who idolized Taylor and also had weapons incidents while at U M , as well as all young men in the NFL learn from this fucked up situation.
Nobody on Entourage is carrying weapons and committing violent crime. It's not a fair comparison.
ReplyDeleteBlack people have what I call survivor's guilt. If we come from the 'hood, we feel we need to show everyone, including the folks we SHOULD leave behind, that we are still "down" and not acting like we are better than anyone else.
There is also a wide swath of jealousy that exists in our community against those who succeed. In this area, a couple of well publicized murders occurred involving black youth who were on their way to making new and hopefully better lives for themselves. Know what the kids said about the murders? They were committed out of jealousy.
The fact is, if you have built something for yourself, there are people you should not be associating with. Period. Black people can't stand the thought of turning their backs on anyone black, no matter who. I think this is a much bigger problem for black men than for women. It ignores the differences in values that might exist among people with different backgrounds. There are some great people in the 'hood who are generous and honest and wouldn't hurt a fly. These are the great people who you turn to when you are "giving something back" to the community and who you maintain relationships with. Then there are those in the 'hood who are looking for their next "oppportunity" and who carry enough serious baggage that anyone with common sense would stay away from. Some of us don't have the good sense to leave the latter folks alone.
I don't know anything about this athlete or whether any of this is relevant to him. It is certainly heartbreaking to hear of another young black man dead who was on his way to building something good for himself and his family. It's like a broken record.
West Coast, your post is weird.
ReplyDeleteI can only believe that self-hate has some blacks attribute to pity and guilt--and not to genuine affection--the decision of "successful blacks" to continue to associate with their less-accomplished friends and relatives. I just hang out with people I like regardless of their resume or bank account. What superficial person does not.
Also, this oft-repeated conclusion that blacks typically hate-on successful blacks is myth. Maybe, some successful blacks don't receive the parades they expect upon their achievement of touted standards but that doesn't mean other blacks are "hating on them."
At most, it couold mean that they just don't care--or that they pity the so-called successfuly black for thinking to much of his relatively meager performance.
About Entourage, I don't know what show you've been watching. On every show, the crew is involved in some illegal activity--mostly scoring drugs but too regularly getting into brawls--that is, acting violently--and jeopardizing the main character's career.
Maybe, this didn't stand out for you, WCS, because--as in life--on TV--bar room brawls involving whites are mostly resolved by the barkeep (by throwing the boys-will-be-boys out on their cans,) without police intervention.
(Finally, for a little more controversy--carrying weapons alone is not necessarily a bad act. In my state of mostly white residents, we have a conceal and carry law. Whites believe in their gun ownership. The restrictions on gun ownership are for us.)
I still don't see the comparison with Entourage. They aren't killing anyone, they aren't robbing anyone, they aren't lying in wait to assault anyone, they aren't breaking into anyone's homes, they aren't standing on corners selling drugs and running down anyone's neighborhood. I'd love for the criminals in my neighborhood to be like Entourage. Not to mention the bottom line that Entourage is fiction.
ReplyDeleteMy point is not all or nothing. We all hang out with who we want to. My point is that there is a big fat guilt streak for SOME black folks who are loathe to cut ties with people they should't hang out with. This seems to be a male issue and maybe tied into some macho stuff. Like not showing fear when you visit your buddy (who you have no business visiting) who sells drugs, has a lot of thuggish people in and out of his house, and who loves to show off his guns to you. To be blunt, I know folks who are into all kinds of bad activity. I don't associate with them because I don't want to end up being in the wrong place at the wrong time. For some people, they aren't wililng to let go of childhood friends or even relatives who are into some sketchy activity.
You know after reading all the different thoughts by all your avid readers Field, I don't know what to say. It is a damn shame that another brother has become a statistic. It is a damn shame that another black child has to grow up without a father.It is a damn shame that all the media and damn near everyone (but not everyone) that posted thoughts here are all concentrating on the young man's negative past. Why can't people let the past be the past? The past is exactly were it should be... behind us. Although I hope that this man's past didn't come back to kill him. I think we all should be more concerned about this man's future... i.e the future of his family and his children, because a piece of him will always be here until there is no here. As long as his seed lives, he lives. So let the past alone. Remmeber it, learn from it, but try not to dwell on it. And PlEASE try not to repeat it.
ReplyDeleteWashington Post columnist Courtland Milloy said sometihng similar in todays column, only he used DC as an example, not Philly.
ReplyDeleteL
I like Wilbon but fuckem on this. Somebody comes into Taylor's crib and he get's shot defending his family and it's because of his past? WTF?!? What past are we talking about here? Please let me know. Broken home? No father figure? I'm for real because I don't know what the cat did in his "past" to warrant anything other than my sympathy for his family. Y'know, like Chris Benoit got when he offed himself and his family after a "past" filled with steroids and painkillers.
ReplyDeleteI was gonna comment on the Randy Moss thing but Ravenravings said it beautifully.
ReplyDeleteMake no mistake, all those white folks who live in Northern Virginia who happen to be a part of "Redskin Nation" could really give a fuck about Sean Taylor and his family. They are losing a great safety for their Skins, and that's the reason for their sorrows.
ReplyDelete==================================
I see what you're saying and in one regard you are correct but this is too broad a statement. This is assuming that we as black folks will mourn the guy for his character, spirit, etc. Most of us here don't know the guy. So we, in essence, are mourning the same way the "white fans" are mourning. Will we still feel the sting afterwards though? Some of us will, like yourself, never forget Sean Taylor was another brother who as most likely killed by another brother. That cuts to the bone.
*sigh* I am sad when anyone goes out like this but I really hurt for his children.
Jason Whitlock should get House Negro of the century for his article about this. I can't even post the link. It made me too angry.
ReplyDeleteSomeone asked if Taylor called 911.
ReplyDeleteHe did, but like Flava Flav said, "911 is a joke."
Sean probably did call 911 but he forgot to sound white. You forget how to play the game when you're bleeding out.
I think its time for you to move Mr. Whitlock out the house for a minute or two, Field.
ReplyDeleteI don't know how this young man lived, but there is a rush, as Eugene Robinson said, to take an off-the-rack narrative and apply it to this case. Here's a kid who is the son of a police chief and went to the same prep school as the children of the governor of Florida (not to mention the President's niece and nephew), the guy who invented the Firefox browser, and Julio Iglesias' sons. What "hood" was he raised in? Who actually makes up his "entourage"? Did he actually ever live the "thug lifestyle", or was he a young man who like to frequent clubs at which "thugs" are also patrons. Did he befriend them, or antagonize them just by being rich and successful? Are there clubs that are both attractive to black 24 year olds AND thug-free? Do they exist? If so, where?
ReplyDeleteWilborn, Whitlock, et al are quick to mention his troubles with the law, but the only one they specifically mention is his brandishing a gun at someone he suspected of stealing his vehicle. Of course, this is cited as proof of his thug status by the same people who (for instance) defend the guy in Houston who called 911 about his neighbor's house being burgled, then went and shot the alleged burglar.
We. Don't. Know. What. Happened. Here.
Ddgee, thanks!
ReplyDeleteBrandishing a gun is not an inherently bad act. Indeed, one lesson urged by Taylor's murder is that MORE --NOT FEWER--BALLERS should have guns to brandish. We cannot be the only unarmed people in this country.
I read the Jason Whitlock article. Isnt that the guy who writes for the paper in Kansas? I thought he was on point.
ReplyDelete"Jason Whitlock should get House Negro of the century for his article about this. I can't even post the link. It made me too angry." Kriss
ReplyDeleteKriss: I'm with you on Whitlock and Wilbon, whom I usually like. But that Whitlock is a house Negro Fox. He's probably chomping on a pork chop and hatin on rich black athletes as we speak.
I just finished an article for the black newspaper here in Minneapoliss. If you send your e-mail to me at culturaldynamics@msn.com, i'll e-mail the article to you. I call Whitlock out.
mac, I would love to read it.
ReplyDeleteMy e-mail address:
fnblg@yahoo.com
Thanks.
http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/7499442
ReplyDeleteThat's Jason Fatlock's article and grumble all you want, he's on friggin' point. I wear it's whiners and enablers who do almost as much harm as Mr. Charlie. mac et al sound like the Fox News pundits, etc. sometimes!
It's not "on point". It's no different from the scapegoating white people do when they try to blame GTA III for why little Johnny shot up his school. Hip Hop isn't the cause, its the effect. That's problem #1. Problem #2 is that last time I checked...there was no suspect in the case. How does whitlock know it's black on black? Problem #3 Human nature is to be jealous and steal and commit crimes against people. Ken Lay robbed thousands. He just didn't use a gun. Nobody's screaming white on white crime though. Problem #4 and my biggest. This assumption that hip hop and black on black crime is such a problem because of the N-word, rap music, fatherless homes and all this other bullshit is ridiculous. Black on black crime happens because blacks typically live among blacks. Just like whites live among whites. I watch Cops. I know that there are just as many violent white criminals as black. The idea that stats show 'we are in trouble' is ridiculous because it doesn't take into account the racist (it's actually 'classist') justice system that puts so many of our people in these desperate situations. I get caught with crack and I go to jail for 10 years. Some white boy gets caught with cocaine and drunk driving and he's home in time to catch the 10:00 news. My life is ruined...he goes on with his life. Maybe even becomes President. WTF.
ReplyDeleteI can't understand this consistent inconsistency here. In FN's earlier post, there is another post indicating extreme bias in the criminal justice system. Yet, there are so many so-called black folks who refused to ever analyze the problems of the black community through this prism. This would be whinning. They rather blame black folks as if racism doesn't define lives. I can't see how one can have such a unwillingness to apply a comprehensive race analysis and not be house, Christopher.
ReplyDeleteI'm not a person that likes Jason Whitlock very much, in the past he has upset me so much my blood pressure peaked to new levels. But this time he was on point. His particular article was almost in step with the Field. Some people don't want to face the fact that black on black crime is real Jason just put it out there for the world to read. Need I remind you what Field said:
ReplyDelete"So another dead young black man, killed by another black man. "Oh field how do you know the killer is black, they haven't even caught Taylor's killer yet". Yeah right! This is an open bet to anyone reading this. If you want to take the field up on a bet as to the race of the shooter, send me an e-mail. My favorite charity against yours."
But when Jason says almost exactly the same thing we put him in the house, come on Black Peopl
"I wear it's whiners and enablers who do almost as much harm as Mr. Charlie. mac et al sound like the Fox News pundits, etc. sometimes!"
ReplyDeleteJason Whitlock's article was stupid and based purely on speculation. The only thing "bad" he had to say was that Taylor "allegedly" threatened someone with a loaded gun. Yet, like white guys in the corporate media, he chose to ignore all the good things this young kid did and emphasized negative hearsay. Shame on him and on any of us who ape the white man and not cut a brother any slack whatsover, especially in death.
With nor real foundation or evidence, Whitlock basically said that Taylor got what he deserved for hanging around poor black communities and black thugs in his early life. But as someone said on this blog, some poor black neighborhoods are good and worthy of us to stay in them, or at least visit.
I suggest you re-read Whitlock's piece. You just may find that he chose to put speculation over fact: That Taylor, based upon what the cops found out from interviews, was a responsible citizen. His coach (Gibbs) said he was a role model for the other players. His father said he turned his life around, especially after he became a father, and he was proud of him. His friends from college said they loved him not only because he was a good player, but a good friend and a good father. So the question becomes: What does a black man have to do to get some props, especially from HNs like Whitlock-- go feed the kids on the streets of Calcutta like Mother Theresa?
Chris, I think that you, White America and that pork-chop eating Whitlock don't want to deal with the real implications of Taylor's death: That America is in decline; that the middle class is losing its jobs, its homes and its hope; that the lower classes have become so desperate that they will break into a strong black man's walled-off home with security...that, in this new, hopeless, desperate America, any one of us could get killed, anywhere, any time-- that we're all Sean Taylors now.
Props to Taylor, his girlfriend, child and father.
Did I miss something? Has Taylor's killer been found? If not, why is everyone assuming that this was a black on black crime?
ReplyDeleteIs the girlfriend a suspect?
I think I may have lost my bet to you, Field. It's being reported that three guys have been picked up in relation to the shooting:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.espn.com
And the girlfriend (Andy Garcia's niece, is also the baby's momma); they're both named Jackie.
However, I haven't quite given up the theory that a woman did the shooting, because he got hit near the groin and bled out - and it's also being reported that Sean didn't go downstairs because he heard a noise; the shooter kicked in the bedroom door and started shooting...
If it's proven that three brothas shot this young man...aw, hell...it just justifies what the House Negroes wrote in their newspaper columns.
But Jason Fatlock still belongs on that lawn...I'm suprised Screaming A. Smith hasn't joined him there yet.
Then why didn't they shoot her? Why did she not give a description of the shooters to the police? Was Taylor walking around in a dark house after he heard noises? Why weren't the police called until after the man had been shot?
ReplyDeleteThis makes not sense to me.
ok there are a few things I don't understand here. Didn't Sean grow up middle class? Wasn't his home in a nice suburb? Where is all the talk about running around with thugs in his old neighbourhood coming from. Too many speculations here.
ReplyDeleteThe speculation was on Whitlock's part.
ReplyDeleteYes, he grew up in a middle class neighborhood and went to a good middle class school. But, according to his father, a police officer, he hung out in poor black neighborhood with a bad crowd. But he said his son changed after he became a father; and he was very proud of him. The three guys who played on the Washington Redskins' team and with him at the U of Miami's football team with him (The only one's name I can remember is Clinton Portis, the halfback) said essentially the same thing.
Field, if you had a multi-million dollar home in a gated community, and someone broke into your home in the presence of your girl a/nd baby daughter, would you: a) Hire a security guard; b) install an alarm system?; c) Both a and b?
ReplyDeleteThis is a horrible tragedy. And, as one of my grad school profs was want to say, "There are seventeen sides to every story." I don't think we've heard the last.
White Supremacy is to blame for this tragedy.
ReplyDeleteThe hopelessness that racism makes non-whites feel leaves them believing that violence is the only answer.
We must promote diversity and interracial marriage/relations in order to remove this inherent evil that all whites have whether they will admit it or not.
This tragic story saddens me.
In Commemoration of Sean Taylor: The Hearts of Black Folk
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