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Luckily it is just an ordinary shooting

There was someone else shot in Lozells last night. "Luckily" it was an "ordinary shooting" and not related to the racial disorder that happened on Saturday night.

It is really sad, however, that we are now in a situation in which there are "ordinary shootings".

The situation in Lozells/Handsworth/Perry Barr is from one perspective simple, but from a more detailed perspective quite complex. Although it is not directly faith related the council has been working on supporting multi-faith activity recently.

Sadly this has been undermined partially by the bureaucracy creating unnecessary hurdles, but hopefully I knocked over the hurdles this morning and we should make more progress.

Comments

TonyF said…
Sorry John, I haven't seen any paper or TV news report that classifies this as an ordinary shooting.
The only person I've seen using such a callous comment is you
6:50 pm
john said…
Actually if you read the whole blog entry in context it is not callous.

The problem is that we have far too many shootings. What happened on Saturday night, however, was in a different league.

My view, which is clear from the blog, is that we need to get rid of all killings whether riots or one of the categories of gun crimes.
7:05 pm
John said…
Erm... Lozells Road is the shooting, looting heart of Birmingham. Or am I the only person who remembers the 80s?

As for the 'racial tension' angle - - please. Blacks/Asians have co-existed world-wide without that crapola. It is not relevant to what occured on Saturday. Unemployment and anomie are closer to the mark.

The looting and shooting had nowt to do with the peaceful protest regarding the alleged rape of a minor.

How absurd that the putative criminal should claim that the rioting was about envy! Hello. Criminals don't need envy to motivate them.

And in all of this the key issue becomes undermine, so let me restate it. Is there a pedophile network in our midst?
8:49 pm
TonyF said…
Yes, there are too many shootings in this city but 'we' don't see them as ordinary. Go and live in Lozells and Handsworth. You'll find the people don't say,'oh,another 'ordinary' shooting'. They see it as it is. A tragedy.
9:41 pm
john said…
Ordinary means "commonly encountered". Sadly shootings have become ordinary. That does not prevent them being tragedies. What we need to achieve is to stop them being "ordinary".
1:04 am
shaz said…
>>The situation in >>Lozells/Handsworth/Perry Barr is >>from one perspective simple, but >>from a more detailed perspective >>quite complex. Although it is >>not directly faith related the >>council has been working on >>supporting multi-faith activity >>recently.

The situation is neither directly or indirectly faith related. Some of the analysis of this situation has been completely flawed with some papers commenting on this as 'A clash of culture'.

If the so-called experts were to find out what has been going on in the area of lozells and handsworth over the last year or so, the attempts to complexify the situation would diminish.

What has contributed to the situation is the 'Black Power Movement', who, over the year stepped up a campaign about inequality between blacks and asians with regards to funding from the city council.

Although the figures do not bear this out, there is feeling amongst many blacks, that, as there are more asian councillors and an Asian MP (in that very area), as a result, asians, receive preferential treatment with regards to funding and leniency in opening businesses in that area.

Perhaps we can blame the 'free market economy'!
9:39 am
Anonymous said…
An innocent asian man was shot down in his neck at his shop on Villa road lozells, for no reason, how is that anything to do with unemployment?? it wasn't a robbery! i've been unemployed in the past and killing someone didn't cross my mind, its all over tension between blacks and asians and they fighting over whose better or in there mentality whose 'most feared' I think police need to do something about it, get rid of gang culture. lock them up and throw away the key!!
5:26 pm
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