I’m pretty sure you and I are on the same page about whether the bike is stolen or not has no effect on the fact that it’s being ridden illegally and dangerously. It doesn’t.

The sugar on top part, I’ll explain.

OP is making a suggestion to try and make some positive moves in this city with regards to this particular issue.

The poster you’re referring to entered the discussion, implied that this topic and this particular solution has been discussed before, and listed two things that always come up.

One of those things was over exaggerated.

You or someone else pulled some statistics and proved that rather than “a large majority,” only 20% of these dirt bikes are stolen.

Congratulations to whoever that was. Seriously.

However, that does absolutely nothing to change the fact that this topic and this particular solution has been discussed before and two specific things always come up.

To simplify, no one is investing in a bike park (OP’s suggestion) if there’s a possibility 20% of the bikes in there are stolen. That’s like throwing money away.

I don’t understand the race baiting.

What two things do not have anything to do with each other?

Who is them?

I hear you, and I agree. Throwing incorrect numbers around to back up your claims is wrong.

You have been successful in demonstrating to readers that possibly 20% of the dirt bikes are stolen, rather than “a large majority.”

Personally, I don’t think whether or not the bike was stolen is “the” problem. “The” problem is kids riding dirt bikes illegally in the city and endangering the public.

I feel like those who’ve taken it upon themselves to prove to the world that only a few of the dirt bikes are stolen got lost down a go-nowhere alleyway (motorcycle theft).

Isn’t the real issue the fact that the dirt bikes are ridden illegally?

That plus 20% stolen makes the OP’s venture one absolutely no one is putting any money into, ever.

The 20% stolen is just sugar on top of why no one wants to invest in something like this.

Would it make you feel better if whoever upset you edited their post from “large majority” to “roughly 20%”?

Is that your real issue here?

I must have missed that part

Who did that?

Race-baiting is so gross

Fixed. My apologies.

Just out of interest, what do “right wing gun fanatics” have to do with OP having a gun pulled on her while she’s driving to work?

“I wanna have a conversation about racism” …lol

You stated that you are upset because the article doesn’t feature any black people.

You claim you want to have a conversation about systemic racism.

These are two very different things.

The fact that a media outlet published an article about issues with the transit system without publishing any interviews with black people is not racism. It is also not systemic racism.

The article is about how shitty the transit system is.

Again, the article is about how shitty the bus system is.

It’s not an article exploring how poverty and systemic racism plague this city, etc. etc.

You have become a white person who is now dictating the skin color of people local media outlets are allowed to interview.

This ^ is racism. This is dictatorship. Google “Hitler.”

Take a step back.

If the crappy transit system disproportionately affects black people, isn’t it a good thing the news article published a piece on it?

Racism is a real issue. When everything is “racist,” no one is gonna care anymore.

Answer the question. Edit: please

I hear what you’re saying, and like I told the OP, I believe you’re coming from a good place.

I just feeling like this is overshooting, and continuing to do so will just delegitimize any real issues this city has with poverty.

Right, but the question is why does the article have to feature a bus rider with black skin for you to not be offended?

>How difficult can it be to find a Black person who rides the bus by necessity and not by choice to talk to? Or a Black transit advocate?

What exactly is it that upsets you about this article?

Why does the article have to feature “a black person who rides the bus by necessity and not by choice” for you to understand that the issues described in the article regarding the transit system apply to everyone and anyone who uses the transit system?

Look, I understand you are coming from a good place. As a white person, you don’t want black people to get shit on and all that. We all feel that way.

However, this article isn’t it.

If anything this article is bringing real issues to light that affect “black people that have to ride the bus through necessity,” which is good.

The reason why more “black people ride the bus through necessity” than white people is definitely not an article highlighting very real issues bus riders face…

Right?

I’m still missing the “argument” here.

Please would you spell it out for me?

The OP’s question is what is called a suggestive question.

What was the OP suggesting?

The reason why you cannot you describe the systemic racism you see in this particular article… is because there isn’t any.

And, no. Saying that black people were slaves does not describe systemic racism in this article about the Baltimore transit system.

What is it you are upset about?

>easier to defeat than an opponent’s argument

Can you please clarify the OP’s “argument.”

>if you want to inform the public of any given issue, it’s best practice to interview people it affects the most

Given issue: Baltimore busses suck

People it affects most: People who ride the bus

What color is your skin?

Edited as I totally misquoted you.

Can you describe the systemic racism you see in this article about the Baltimore transit system?

I can see that you’re upset about this, and I believe you are coming from a good place, seriously.

There are problems with the transit system.

The article discusses these problems.

The article isn’t talking about “white people problems” if the problems they’re talking about “disproportionately affect black people.”

But this article isn’t your issue. Your issue is with the way this media outlet generally caters to a white audience, and this article was used as an example to demonstrate this gripe you have with this particular media outlet.

My advice, take a step back and look at the big picture (I’m not trying to patronize you). Whatever the Baltimore Banner is, their goal isn’t white supremacy. Their goal is to make money.

I mean, in this one article alone there are like 8 commercials. They’re in the money making business.

And… we all just read an article talking about a problem in this city that “disproportionately affects black people.” Good thing.

Maybe Hallie Miller decided that just focusing on the problems with the transit system itself was the way to go rather than publishing an article that paints black people as poor, bus-riding victims without cars?

Maybe her goal was to also point out that white people ride the bus, too. Unity. We’re all in this together. Who knows?

OP, what exactly are you upset about?

Is it the problems with the transit system outlined in the article you shared, or is it the fact that the article used a white person’s interview to publish and tell the story of how the transit system needs help?

If your answer is the latter, I would google the term “divide and conquer,” because that is how a ruling class achieves what is called redirection.

In even more simple terms, who’s your real enemy?

The people collecting taxes from you and putting it in their pocket while the infrastructure decays out of their sight, or is it the white person sat next to you on the bus on their way to work?

And to answer my earlier (rhetorical) question about your skin color, OP… the answer is “why would it matter what color your skin is?”

The article discussed very real problems with the transit system. If you’re unable to process that without posting on Reddit about skin color, you have been divided and conquered.

Hey OP, what color is your skin?

If you’ve lived in Seattle, Mount Vernon is fine. There’s the odd homeless person, etc.

You can walk to restaurants/bars on Charles, the harbor, Fells Point, Federal Hill, Druid Hill park (which is beautiful) just fine.

You can walk to Eddie’s, an appropriately priced grocery store

If you’re out at night, just be sensible, people do get robbed.

And yeah, I agree with the other posters… people here are super friendly.

One should always have hot tea in the house.