Bronxville Servant of Christ Award Winner Strikes Again

[Steven W Bohler]

https://www.yahoo.com/news/black-lives-matter-activists-threaten-030000354.html

[Dan Fienen]

At one point in his life he was awarded the Servant of Christ Award on the basis of service that he did. That was no guarantee that everything that he would subsequently would be good. Bronxville College is now no more. What do you expect the now defunct college to do about this?

[Dave Benke]

The thread title accomplishes nothing.  At all. 

The article, directed to us locally in New York, speaks clearly about the priorities of our incoming mayor, who is Black, who is a former NYPD officer, and who was indeed "on the ground" in Brooklyn as our borough president.  Public safety, on the streets and on public transportation, goes along with affordable housing as two top issues in our city.

Dave Benke

[Steven W Bohler]

At one point in his life he was awarded the Servant of Christ Award on the basis of service that he did. That was no guarantee that everything that he would subsequently would be good. Bronxville College is now no more. What do you expect the now defunct college to do about this?

What do I expect the now-defunct college to do about this?  Nothing.  It would be nice, though, to hear those responsible for selecting him for the award (such as Dr. Nunes, whom we have just learned here is now involved with a new college) to express disagreement with (if not repudiation of) his words and actions.

[peter_speckhard]

From the article: "I don't know if it was misogyny or ageism, but as the only woman in the room, as the co-founder of Black Lives Matter of Greater New York, Mayor-elect Adams thought it was best to correct me, and he wants to know how he can hold me accountable."  Chivona Newsome

I think that gets at the heart of the cultural divide. She can't call him a racist because he is black, but she also can't grasp that anyone could possibly think she was wrong apart from mere animus against some aspect of her intersectional identity. It must have been misogyny or ageism that made him think he could correct the only woman in the room, because she is by definition not wrong. Again, one side is simply trying to reason using the facts to arrive at a conclusion that deal with the truth of the matter, and the other side is trying to satisfy emotion and rectify identity group power imbalances regardless of what the truth actually is.

[Rob Morris]

The thread title accomplishes nothing.  At all. 

The article, directed to us locally in New York, speaks clearly about the priorities of our incoming mayor, who is Black, who is a former NYPD officer, and who was indeed "on the ground" in Brooklyn as our borough president.  Public safety, on the streets and on public transportation, goes along with affordable housing as two top issues in our city.

Dave Benke

Ignoring the Bronxville award embarrassment aspect (which, if the institution still existed, would warrant address in my view)...

I am curious: in your estimation, how much sway does this particular wing of BLM actually hold at ground level? Are they just the loudmouths that grab the headlines, or are they truly representative of a continuing movement that will shape plans and policies?

[Charles Austin]

Amazing, just amazing. Instant rush to judgement by people with no sneaker soles on the streets and many miles from the place.
And using the troubles of those streets to prick a petty intra-denominational quarrel.

[peter_speckhard]

Amazing, just amazing. Instant rush to judgement by people with no sneaker soles on the streets and many miles from the place.
And using the troubles of those streets to prick a petty intra-denominational quarrel.

Nobody has rushed to judgment. People have responded to aspects of a linked article and asked questions, because that's what forums do. If you don't have anything to add, fine. But your amazement that other people have comments and questions is not an addition to the discussion.

[Donald_Kirchner]

Amazing, just amazing. Instant rush to judgement by people with no sneaker soles on the streets and many miles from the place.

"There will be riots, there will be fire and there will be bloodshed..."

This is what it's come to. Threats of extreme violence is rationalized away. But then, actual riots, fire, and bloodshed was rationalized away in Mpls, Portland, etc.

Kyrie eleison!

[Dave Benke]

The thread title accomplishes nothing.  At all. 

The article, directed to us locally in New York, speaks clearly about the priorities of our incoming mayor, who is Black, who is a former NYPD officer, and who was indeed "on the ground" in Brooklyn as our borough president.  Public safety, on the streets and on public transportation, goes along with affordable housing as two top issues in our city.

Dave Benke

Ignoring the Bronxville award embarrassment aspect (which, if the institution still existed, would warrant address in my view)...

I am curious: in your estimation, how much sway does this particular wing of BLM actually hold at ground level? Are they just the loudmouths that grab the headlines, or are they truly representative of a continuing movement that will shape plans and policies?

a) the institution doesn't exist

b) There are dissatisfied folks at the election of a mayor who's more of a centrist, and was a cop, than the "defund the police" candidates they supported.  Given that the electorate here gave Curtis Sliwa 3 in 10 votes, if you put a percentage of the Democratic votes on the progressive side of the aisle, maybe 30-35% of the overall electorate would be progressive.  What that means is that people in BLM would be roughly aligned with them.  To the degree that riots are called for, that percentage would shrink to maybe 10-15%.  So 85-90% of the people of the city would be against violence in the streets as an acceptable means of protest.  What is supported is continued police reform.  My hope is that the choice for Commissioner is a former 75th Precinct inspector, Madrie, African American, no nonsense, understands the communities he would serve.

Dave Benke

[Donald_Kirchner]

Well, Dave, 10-15% of the population can cause a lot of "riots, fire, and bloodshed." Denunciation of such threats of violence? Nope, just "Nothing to see here" and "Who are you to judge?"

[Jim Butler]

Amazing, just amazing. Instant rush to judgement by people with no sneaker soles on the streets and many miles from the place.
And using the troubles of those streets to prick a petty intra-denominational quarrel.

Your Humbleness, when Mr. Newsome was awarded the Servant of Christ award,  I, among others, questioned the wisdom of this award. Given what many BLM leaders across the country had said and done, we did not think this man was a model "Servant of Christ." (FWIW, I also questioned the wisdom of our Fort Wayne seminary granting an honorary doctorate to Mollie Ziegler Hemingway. I'm an equal opportunity questioner.)

Now we have evidence of that lack of wisdom. Or do you think threats of "riots..fire and...bloodshed" are marks of those who serve Christ? So I don't begrudge Pr. Bohler or others who thought it was a bad idea to now say, "We thought it was a bad idea and we were proven right." Something tells me that if the opposite were true, if you found evidence that someone given an honor by an LCMS institution made threats like that, you'd be all over it.

Speaking of evidence, have you found any citations to prove that people don't want topics such as slavery, Jim Crow, etc., taught in public schools? Have you found any citations of laws that say the same?

[Rob Morris]

...There are dissatisfied folks at the election of a mayor who's more of a centrist, and was a cop, than the "defund the police" candidates they supported.  Given that the electorate here gave Curtis Sliwa 3 in 10 votes, if you put a percentage of the Democratic votes on the progressive side of the aisle, maybe 30-35% of the overall electorate would be progressive.  What that means is that people in BLM would be roughly aligned with them.  To the degree that riots are called for, that percentage would shrink to maybe 10-15%.  So 85-90% of the people of the city would be against violence in the streets as an acceptable means of protest.  What is supported is continued police reform.  My hope is that the choice for Commissioner is a former 75th Precinct inspector, Madrie, African American, no nonsense, understands the communities he would serve.

Dave Benke

So, to be clear, your belief is that 10-15% of New Yorkers would be in support of riots, fire, and bloodshed? That's rather jarring, from where I sit, but helpful to know.

What, in your estimation, do they believe that these riots, fire, and bloodshed would accomplish? What do you think they are hoping will occur in order to stop them from carrying out their threats?

Not trying to pin this on you, but you're at a much closer range than I.

[Dave Benke]

...There are dissatisfied folks at the election of a mayor who's more of a centrist, and was a cop, than the "defund the police" candidates they supported.  Given that the electorate here gave Curtis Sliwa 3 in 10 votes, if you put a percentage of the Democratic votes on the progressive side of the aisle, maybe 30-35% of the overall electorate would be progressive.  What that means is that people in BLM would be roughly aligned with them.  To the degree that riots are called for, that percentage would shrink to maybe 10-15%.  So 85-90% of the people of the city would be against violence in the streets as an acceptable means of protest.  What is supported is continued police reform.  My hope is that the choice for Commissioner is a former 75th Precinct inspector, Madrie, African American, no nonsense, understands the communities he would serve.

Dave Benke

So, to be clear, your belief is that 10-15% of New Yorkers would be in support of riots, fire, and bloodshed? That's rather jarring, from where I sit, but helpful to know.

What, in your estimation, do they believe that these riots, fire, and bloodshed would accomplish? What do you think they are hoping will occur in order to stop them from carrying out their threats?

Not trying to pin this on you, but you're at a much closer range than I.

The incendiary words are used to polarize the whole situation and promote what Adams wants to remove, which is fear and violence.  My own belief is that this is more strategic and useful to these folks for getting attention.  I don't believe, for instance, that Al Sharpton or Ms. Wiley or Calvin Butts or other black leadership in NY is in favor of any of that stuff.  But - it's not wise to underestimate how people who have nothing and see themselves as having nothing to lose will act if led toward direct action. 

Ergo - in life the percentage would be way less than 10-15% who would do anything, but positionally some might want the incoming mayor to be "held accountable" for whatever reforms they think they want to accomplish.  I'm interested in seeing the responses from the actual black leadership - I think they're going to basically band behind Adams.

Dave Benke

[Donald_Kirchner]

I'm interested in seeing the responses from the actual black leadership - I think they're going to basically band behind Adams.

Band behind advocating "riots, fire, and bloodshed" in order to remove "fear and violence"? Good grief! MLK is spinning in his grave!