Shit was posted on Reddit as soon as it happened. The fucking news outlets had their story then if they were decent at their job. Why are they saying it was reported halfway around the world first?

For what it’s worth, this thing is not really a big deal. Sister city status is purely ceremonial.

I remember seeing it on the sub, going "damn that's crazy", and then forgetting about it.

Someone "close to the situation" said that this was Ras's idea, but idk.

Regardless, it was a good intention by him. I think he wants a more unified & diverse Newark but is having a hard time getting there // surrounding himself with people that want the same.

Many people in his administration suck.

Anyways, he's moderating the panel tomorrow on black and brown relations since lots of Spanish people feel like it's their time to level up and become big bro, and that's dividing the city.

I'm sure there's foolishness on our side too, but I'm only hearing about Spanish kids bullying // being racist towards black kids since I'm on this side of the aisle.

It's still really bizarre that the city was tricked by a sex cult.

Ultimately ras is the one to blame if he keeps surrounding himself with these types.

Wym by Spanish people wanna level up ? As in have a bigger role in the city’s name / culture ? They already have entire wards essentially catered to them. No shade cause I live in one anyway but yeah.

Nothing bizarre. City of Newark is den of nepotism. Most likely one of Baraka’s not so bright minions though it would be a good way to impress the boss. Turned out to be a bad move. Doesn’t matter though, it’s not like accountability is a thing at city hall😂

Also, like I pointed out earlier, no big loss; it’s a minor PR blunder that will blow over soon enough.

That's because Ras fired all the people that would have checked or opposed this. City hall is filled with his family & yes men smh.

Spanish people have been little bro to black people since the civil rights movement.

They were given the same dirt as us and treated in a very similar way.

In some cases, you'd see Spanish people get promoted over black people that had more experience than them, simply because of racism, but for the most part, they've struggled with us.

Nowadays, after years of living in the ghetto besides us, there's a growing sentiment that Spanish people don't need black people // don't want to be little bro // second fiddle anymore.

There's a belief that the dysfunction we see In the black community, is mostly limited to the black community, and Spanish people can and will do better than us, and as a result, deserve to be separated from us and treated in a higher regard.

There's truth to this, insofar as the ironbound being dope, but as I'm not from there, a better example I can give is my home city of Plainfield.

30 years ago, Plainfield was filled with niggas. Now it's pretty much 60% Spanish and rising.

The thing about Plainfield today, is that the rising Spanish population is low-key revitalizing the city.

Downtown sucks ass, but they don't care. They cherish it and do business down there. The downtown area has been sort of merged with North Plainfields downtown area, and even though the architecture is outdated and shit is ass, it's low-key jumping.

It's vibrant and there's people making moves. The Spanish people in Plainfield are really good at taking care of what they inherit.

As opposed to back when we were running things, Downtown sucked, and stayed barren + there was no unity between Plainfield and North Plainfield.

That's the long and short of it. The situation isn't black and white, and black people are still traumatized after 400 years of targeted, systemic oppression, however, an outsider looking in, would wager that black people suck and that Spanish people are excellent enough to run their own shit and be fully in charge of their own communities.

The thing about this sentiment is that it assumes that Ras has a choice // that it's easy to replace people.

Loyalty is a huge thing in his circle + in the black community generally.

Him replacing 1 person could be a bad look, and on the flip side, the replacement could be bad for business because they don't have any loyalty towards him.

This is a problem in and of itself because politics shouldn't be structured via loyalty but I digress.

There's also a possibility that this is just one of his flaws. It's rare to be awesome in all regards

Very interesting take. Appreciate you spelling that out

Embarrassing. This is what happens when you surround yourself with the low-IQ ghetto class who panders to the ghetto class, not the working class, of the city. The city is making Philthy look competent.

It's all political . If Newar's Mayor was GOP, US MSM & late night would've savaged him & Newark. The jokes would never end.

Newark Reddit is definitely who broke this story!

You give Ras too much credit. And by dividing the city, you mean daring to oppose King Ras and his minions? This city needs to get out of its own way.

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