Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Methodical Rant: Local NAACP...is there nothing else for which you can fight?

I came into the office today and my supervisor asked me if I had heard anything about the noise ordinance proposal for our city. I had heard some snippets on the news and it hadn't held my attention. Why? One, I am not one who needs to have my music blasting so loud that it will not only make the windows of my car shake, but the windows of your car, as well as your home, shake too. Two, while it is an annoying and frustrating occurrence, there are other things on my mind that I find more important. According to this SJR article, the new ordinance will tow your car on the FIRST offense. I'm silly so my first thought was that the tow truck would have to chase me down because you're definitely not towing my car with me in it and the key in the ignition. I agree with Ryne Goodrich, the current law should be better enforced and the fines imposed on the offenders should be collected more efficiently. Towing a person's vehicle the first time out is completely unfair.

Anyway, my supe goes on to say that our local NAACP is fighting against the proposal, claiming that racial profiling will be used to stop "certain" people (i.e. African Americans). She said that she doesn't think it's a white or black issue because in her neighborhood, there are plenty of "punk white boys" blasting their music and rattling windows in the neighborhood at all hours of the night. I couldn't disagree with her on that point; truth is, African Americans are not the only ones blasting music. So in theory, the ordinance would affect everyone guilty of this irritating habit. That said, after reading this another SJR article, I understand where the NAACP is coming from with the objection to the new ordinance. If the police target a particular area, it is way more likely that African Americans will be affected more than any other group. However, my question for the local NAACP is this: "Is there nothing else for which you can fight?"

My mom has been dealing with a lot of discrimination while working for the county and her phone calls have gone unanswered. She has left message after message after message, asking for help regarding the racial discrimination running rampant in the county. No response from our local branch. According to a family friend who works for an answering service in town, they get tons, TONS, of calls for our local NAACP branch. But all they can do it relay the messages, it is up to the local NAACP to acknowledge the phone calls. So while they are worried about a noise ordinance, folks are working in hostile environments that cause some to simply quit, retire from, or even lose their positions! I'm biased, I know this, it is affecting my mom and it has me pissed off, but even in my bias I know I'm not overreacting. Archie Lawrence, the president of our local NAACP chapter, needs to get the organization's priorities lined up. Some things are worth fighting for, and this noise ordinance isn't one of them.

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