Letter to the Editor

Your view: It's about behavior

Monday, December 17, 2007

My wife and I have been discussing the lack of respect of people towards people in our city. Every evening there seems to be an article on the TV News involving violence. This is my response to a question raised on Bill Cosby's Website. How would you break the "cycle of violence?" Is it a black thing, a white thing, a class thing, a hip-hop thing?

I think it is a combination of all those things, and none of those things. As. Dr. Cosby said in an article I just read, "It's never been about color, it's about behavior."

In the last month, two black athletes were shot to death. One was in southern Illinois, a college student who played football; the other was a professional football player. Both were slain by black youth. I have read several articles about these tragic incidents, and one in particular out of Kansas City reiterated what WHC said in his article about taking back the communities. My wife and I are pastors (she is full time, and I am part time) and we think that the time has come to stop playing the race card every time something goes against what we want.

The time has come to gather together and address the problems in our own communities. We are trying to get the Ministerial Alliance here to help each other and the social organizations to address some of these problems.

We spent 10 years as Officers in the Salvation Army. Need has no season. We need people to volunteer to work in soup kitchens and food banks and shelters and any place we are needed. Isaiah 1:4. . . "They will beat there swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore." That can only happen when we put education and self respect in the forefront.

One last quote from Dr. Crosby referring to the things that happened when I was growing up. Think about Little Rock, Ark. "People marched and were hit in the face with rocks to get an education, and now we've got these knuckleheads walking around."

It is up to us to change all of this. I remember nine kids walking up the steps to register for class in Little Rock, with National Guardsmen on each side of the stairway. They wanted to better themselves. Now we have a bunch of kids that look up to a drug dealer with a cool car and fancy clothes. What kind of Idol is that?

Until we take back our neighborhoods and people regain self respect there will be no respect for others.

Just my humble opinion.

David L. Dee

Sikeston, Mo.