Are Jews To Blame For The Knockout Game?

 

Sections of the internet are pretty much up in arms over the comment by one Laurie Cumbo the black Democrat councilwoman-elect of the district in Crown Heights where a number of Orthodox Jews have been targeted by black mobs as part of the 'knock out game', where the idea is simply to target and then beat the crap out of an unsuspecting white person  at random.

Here's the Daily Caller:

A local New York City politician and ally of mayor-elect Bill de Blasio says the recent spate of “knockout” attacks in Brooklyn may stem from “a genuine concern” about Jewish influence.

Laurie Cumbo, the councilwoman-elect for the Brooklyn neighborhood of Crown Heights, made the comments in an open letter posted to her Facebook page. In the letter, Cumbo reports that many of her African-American constituents are alarmed by the growth of the local Jewish community.

The resulting tension, she says, could have lead to a number of attacks on Jewish residents that bear the hallmarks of a “game” in which teens attempt to knock someone unconscious with one punch.

“Many African American/Caribbean residents expressed a genuine concern that as the Jewish community continues to grow, they would be pushed out by their Jewish landlords or by Jewish families looking to purchase homes,” Cumbo wrote. ”I respect and appreciate the Jewish community’s family values and unity that has led to strong political, economic and cultural gains… While I personally regard this level of tenacity, I also recognize that for others, the accomplishments of the Jewish community triggers feelings of resentment, and a sense that Jewish success is not also their success.”

Bob Parks over at Black And Right saw this as blatant anti-semitsm, and he was by no means alone: "In other words, it’s the Jews’ fault and they possibly have it coming."

Greg over at Rhymes With Right likewise saw this as justifying black anti-semitism:

So it is somehow understandable for blacks to assault random Jews in a neighborhood because there are too many Jews in the neighborhood and they are afraid they will act too "Jewy".

And from Hube, at The Colossus of Rhodey:

Need I ask it? As in, what if a white councilperson said this about the "encroachment" of the "growing" black community? That the "knock out" game thus is a legitimate response to this? And aren't you happy that this idiot Cumbo "recognizes" that the Jewish community is flush with accomplishments and success? So, WHY CAN'T I HAVE SOME OF THAT SUCCESS, DAMMIT??? Sounds like Cumbo is an acolyte of one Louis Farrakhan, to say the least. Ugh.

Y'know, I saw her original statement yesterday and I have to be fair, I don't see what she said in quite the same light. Nor do I think she's particularly anti-semitic. At least not consciously.

What she said was that she blames the attacks on 'tension' between the Orthodox Jewish community and the black community in Crown Heights. She also made a point of saying in no uncertain terms that this was no excuse for violence.

And yeah, those tensions do exist and have flared up before. See my comment in last week's Forum for details.

Now that remark about 'tensions' denotes an equivalence, which of course is ridiculous (after all, gangs of Jews aren't targeting random black folks) but given that she's a black politician who owes her position to a race-based vote, it's understandable that she would say something like that. Because the tension she speaks of does undeniably exist.

And yeah, she's correct that blacks in Crown Heights and elsewhere do see Jews living more successful lives generally, and in this case it's right in the neighborhood where they're face to face with it. Part of it is that the Orthodox Jewish culture is built around stable, nuclear families and encourages the birth of children. It idolizes education and learning. Imagine how that plays out in the typical black community, with its high dropout rate and a 75% and rising out-of-wedlock birthrate!

The problem is that instead of looking at why that might be and learning and internalizing a few lessons, it's much easier to simply indulge in anti-semitism and envy. The same thing happened in Los Angeles and still happens with blacks towards Koreans and other Asians. Although not so much anymore, since Koreans learned the same lessons after the Rodney King riots that Jews did after the '65 Watts riots and either didn't rebuild or simply moved their small businesses out the area..which of course has led to complaints from the same residents who looted and burned the Koreans out about 'racism' and having to travel miles to buy goods and obtain services 'just because we're black'!

Move the Orthodox Jews out of Crown Heights and it would simply become another combat zone. And any area the Jews move into would in turn see a lowering of crime rates, a lot more stability and humanity and yes, probably higher rents as it became a more desirable place to live.

In Crown Heights of course, the Orthodox Jews have simply decided not to give in to the usual white flight and have said this is their neighborhood too and they're staying. That's the 'tenacity', Ms. Cumbo speaks of and says she admires, although one has to wonder given whom her constituency is. And this too is yet another cause of 'tensions' for a lot of blacks.

Is the day coming when we finally get sick and tired of dealing with black raced based 'grievances' and 'tensions' by rationalizing them? Would young Jews beating up black thugs in the neighborhood in reaction to innocent Jewish men, women and children being beaten on the streets get similar understanding from Ms. Cumbo? If a Jew responds by shooting one of his attackers to avoid serious injury, will she be similarly understanding? We'll have to see.

One thing she did say that I felt was a lot more anti-semitic than her other remarks (although I think it might simply have been unconscious on her part) is that black anger at what she termed 'landlords and high rents' was a factor in the tensions among blacks. That image automatically calls up in many minds the cartoon character of the Greedy Yid Landlord, preying on da poor black folks. Never mind that rents are high in NYC even with rent control, and that Jewish renters in Crown Heights likewise have to deal with the same landlords and rents. Or that nothing stopped black folks from investing in property as an income source and investment. Ask Rep. Charlie Rangel about that one!

I honestly don't think this woman intended to be anti-semitic. She was merely tying to make as non-judgmental a statement as possible for political reasons, without really delving into anything real.
Or actually suggesting a serious solution, which is typical of an ultra-Left wing Democrat.

Of course, given whom just got elected mayor, a serious solution is highly unlikely, even if Ms. Cumbo was willing to risk her political career by suggesting it.

Since the perpetrators have gotten away with what they're doing up to now, the most likely solution is that the local Jewish community will deal with it themselves, by forming neighborhood patrols. When that happens, and the inevitable clashes occur, we'll find out a lot more about how understanding and fair Ms. Cumbo is, and how much she really admires that Jewish tenacity.