Heritage Florida Jewish News - Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice

By Jim Shipley

Did it start with George Floyd? Back to Michael Brown? Has it been hidden in the police files of dozens of municipalities for years? Statistics are proving as they have for decades that, yes, we are still a racist society at heart. Decades of ignoring it, shoveling it under tons of paper work, claiming that we are better, all turns out is nonsense.

Black men, women and even children are being gunned down by uniformed policemen throughout the country. The police forces, specifically in major cities are under tremendous pressure. Their basic enemy: The Streets.

The “Streets” have a certain lure about them in cities where too many people live in too little space. Kids are kids. They love to roam, run and play in adequate space. If the schools or the municipalities do not provide them, the kids – and yeah, adults too — will find a way to relieve the pressure.

Are there “bad guys” out there? Of course. We hear about it when someone angry or “after” someone else shows up with a gun and starts shooting seemingly indiscriminately. That is a huge source of death to kids at play.

Here in NOLA — described from time to time as the “Murder Capitol of America with the stats to back it up — neighborhood shoot outs are almost a weekly occurrence. It’s a problem with deep roots and not to be solved easily.

If there is indeed an organized Jewish Community in our country today, is this something in which Jews should become involved? If there is chaos in any form in our society, Jews should be concerned and get involved. Eventually, somewhere when there is chaos people look for a scapegoat. Eventually, if not sooner, someone will blame the Jews.

Twenty-five years ago, when Rodney King was beaten by police in Los Angeles, cities all over America erupted in violence. In Black neighborhoods where Jewish-owned businesses had and have a dominating presence, their destruction was a focus of the anger.

Why? None of the cops were Jewish. Neither was Rodney King. The Jews were not part of this story – until they were. Any mob incentivized by any kind of injustice needs a focal point. Too often, it is too easy to point and have someone say: “It’s the Jews.”

We had a customer back in the 1960s at Main Line, my Dad’s wholesale TV distribution company, who owned a furniture and appliance business in a Black-dominated neighborhood in East Cleveland. In the riots following the Rodney King affair, his store was broken into, stripped of its inventory and then burned.

A few days later I moderated a discussion about race relations and looting for a local TV station. The owner of the burned business, Buddy Kohn, was a friend of mine. He called me first thing the morning after the broadcast.

“Why do you give those people a voice?” He wanted to know. He hit very close to the problem.

“Because they have none!” I replied.

Times change.

This past summer every TV network as well as a bunch of independent radio stations took up the cry, giving airtime to voices not often heard in mainstream media. There were interviews with activists of every stripe.

The movement called “Black Lives Matter” suddenly became important. Community leaders became activated. White people and people of other sects joined the marches and the voices.

I did not see or hear a single Jewish voice all through the summer. I still don’t. Have we forgotten? Any righteous cause about fairness and community and discrimination has a Jewish element to its cause and complaint.

Or could it be that the “Mainstream Media” takes our participation for granted?