The murder of Derrion Albert

Four teenagers have been charged in the beating death of Albert, a 16-year-old who was beaten with railroad ties and stomped to death when he had the misfortune of walking into a street fight between two gangs of youths. It happened outside a Chicago community center, and police were able to identify suspects thanks to an amateur video of the fight.

(AP Photo/WFLD Fox Chicago)

Comments

[Searching]

Wow......wow.....remind me to never move to Chicago...

[Searching]

It reminded me of some of the footage from the late 60's and early 70's.

[Pat, Sues boy]

Search-There are neighborhoods in Chi-town where you can get the crap beat out of you in broad daylight for being in the wrong gang.

[Michele]

Yeah it isnt just chicago unfortunately this is happening ALL over its a dang shame just really truely sad

[Brooklyn]

Bunch of jackasses

[D-man]

This is where Obama wants to host the olympics in 2016(I think). It Should be interesting.

[Jo Jo]

F-ing worthless maggot sacks. Burn them alive, please. F your own worthless lives up if you must, but leave the innocent out of it.

[Greg]

I shed a tear on that one. How much of an animal do you have to be, to continue to deliver blows to a motionless body?

[lexy]

this stuff is not rite and he was a good friend...and i kno he is in a good place and obviously god wanted him home...and no good will come to any one who was involved

[BDP]

This kid did not deserve to be killed, but he was far from the innocent bystander the media is portraying him to be. The video clearly shows him walk up and throw a punch at a kid that is moving away from him. He then gets hit from behind with the board, and then gets punched. He was an active participant in the fight.

[FredZeppelin]

No matter how hard you try, some people simply can't be helped. Nothing more than wild animals.

[Eddie]

Doctor Africa, thanks for the kind words. Very insightful of you to paint all African Americans (a term that I'm not fond of btw) with such a broad brush.

I'd be willing to bet money that most if not all of the arrested teens' fathers are not around. That makes all the difference in the world. Statistics prove it.

[AJ]

But who is the blame for that Eddie???? That was EXACTLY DR's point!!!

[Searching]

Eddie! How you been?
If you can get around all the racists crap and broad generalization he just put in the post, he basically said the same thing. Neglect of the women and children by Black men are a huge contributor to this problem.

I am often reminded of the stories in the bible that tell of what happens with men, with no laws, and often, they resemble far too well, what I just saw on that video.

Kids with no sense of law, morals, or reason. Something you used to learn in church and your family unit. Just doesn't exist in their version of society.

[D-man]

Thanks James.... You know what you did.

[msskt]

It takes a very brave guy to hit someone with a 2x4 from behind, then hit someone who is clearly hurt, but what really takes a lot of bravery is to kick and hit someone on the ground, especially with 5 on 1. As life goes on I continue to find there is something to all those sayings we heard as kids, like two on one is N's fun.

[Eddie B]

AJ - Who's to blame? THE MAN is to blame! This racist American society that has opprossed the black man for 400 years is to blame! Who else?!? Ha! Not even!

Obviously, black men are to blame. There's no denying that. Don't have time to get into a long debate about my theory but there are IMHO several self-inflicted contributing factors that go back generations. I was mostly responding to DA's unfair generalization and alluding to the fact that fatherlessness is the biggest problem in the black community that somehow gets ignored by most so-called black "leaders".

Searching - Hello there! Doing great. Too busy to comment much these days. Mostly just lurking.

[AJ]

LOL Eddie B!

[sly]

Eddie B--C'mon you can't say most black leaders don't complain about fatherlessness. Obama made it the centerpiece of his MLK speech, and spoke about it frequently on the campaign trail & even at MLK's church when he was there. And, then, of course there's Bill Cosby. I don't know a black person or pundit who didn't agree with Cosby. Even Jesse talks about fatherlessness.

I think what black leaders object to are the comments--like some on this board--that suggest that black people are nothing but animals...which you yourself object to.

[Drasil]

When I watched this, my first thought was, Thank God no one had guns or there would have been a lot more than one person killed.

[Eddie B]

Jesse talks about fatherlessness? Hm.. that's news to me. I usually only see him pop up when there's a case of police brutality or a heinous crime committed against a black person that gets lots of media attention. Ditto for Rev. Sharpton. And who made these dudes black "leaders" anyway? I'm black and I don't remember voting for them as my "leader".

True, some catz like Cosby and a handful of others speak up about it - even Obama, but not enough for me. And of course I too object to the ignorant comments. You'll alwayss have those with that mindset no matter what. Let's look inward though instead of blaming everybody else for OUR problems. That's all I'm saying.

[Searching]

Sly, Bill Cosby got death threats for saying it out loud on Oprah.

[sly]

Searching--People get death threats for littering...Fact is, I've yet to see a black person or pundit--including Sharpton & Jesse both--disagree w/ Cosby. From what I can tell the ppl who disagreed w/ Cosby were mostly white liberals.

Eddie B--Honestly I can't go to church--or a barbershop--without hearing about fatherlessness...I'm sure if you want to put in the sweat equity that Sharpton & Jesse have over decades then you too can speak for the black community :-) Not you, but a lot of black people have forgotten the sacrifices made by the Civil Rights generation. Even now Sharpton & Jackson speak out for many in our community when pols like Obama can't or won't. And to your point about looking inward, I would only say its both inward & outward. The NAACP can do a lot more about job discrimination than they can about fatherlessness. Frankly, the black church should own the fatherlessness issue, but too many of our churches preach Prosperity Doctrine w/out talking salvation...or talk salvation but don't do the missionary work in the community...And, btw, the issues are related, when predominantly black schools get fewer resources than their white counterparts, better believe that impacts graduation rates, joblessness, etc as much as fatherlessness does.

[D-man]

Cosby is a decent man who spoke his mind. Sometimes the truth can be a tough pill to swallow, but everyone needs to look in the mirror before pointing fingers. I'm guilty of racist thoughts. What I'm not guilty of is acting on them in a hateful way or treating others differently because of that. Everyone has predetermined conceptions about someone or something that is different from them, it's how you act from there that determines your character.

[redqueen]

Yes object to the racists generalizations but meanwhile another black child dies at the hand of one of his peers. Why not go back to teaching our black children to rise above their situations (whoever caused them) and make something of themselves. Past generations of black people had more reason to be angry, turn inward and inflict violence on one another. But instead most of them worked hard, upheld the morals of the strove for educations in fields they knew, not thought, they would be barred from due to their race. But they believed that the one thing someone can't take from you is your knowledge and that the most valuable thing you have is your reputation.

So whether you believe the problems we face are totally our own, caused by racism or a combination of the two (which I believe) the answer is to overcome them.

I understand wanting to make someone pay for the wrongs but meanwhile our children are dying. I also think it is valuable to know why we hate ourselves to the point of violence but we only need to identify the root of the problem to overcome it not get hung up in it and say we can't help ourselves. I also think we should highlight the achievements of blacks and Africans in history to give our kids someone to model when they usually see only negative images of people who look liek them. However they have to know that they are responsible for their own actions and acheivements.

And if some idiot wants to say all blacks are animals you can point to to more good than bad to prove him the fool that he is.

[Drasil]

redqueen said: " I also think we should highlight the achievements of blacks and Africans in history to give our kids someone to model when they usually see only negative images of people who look liek them."

I believe that it is called "Black History Month." But, unless you can get certain students to attend school and study, what good does it do you?

The real question is how do you change street attitude?

[Searching]

From what I can tell the ppl who disagreed w/ Cosby were mostly white liberals.-sly

Sly are you trying to tell me that a bunch of white liberals disagree with the need to have more black men supporting their woman and children, and not turning their backs on them. No..

The death threats were from black people that refuse to face the fact that he told the truth and it blamed them for their problems.

as for black schools having less than white?
Have you seen the budget per kid in the KCMO school district, they dont need more money and things.. they need parental guidance. It is not the schools job to raise your kids for you.

It is the schools job to offer an education to the kids, it is the parents job to insure they take it and use it..

[James Hart]

Guys: This is a post about a young man's murder. Please confine your comments to the topic at hand.

[redqueen]

Answer Drasil, with all of those other things I mentioned and more. And Black History Month should not be the only time a black child sees positive black people. They do exists outside of history books as well. Parents can take kids to libraries, rent tapes, turn off Flavor of Love, not allow certain music in their homes (yes they may sneak and listen but at least you have set a standard). They also need to keep negative people out of their personal lives. If uncle Ray is a drug dealer, he can't come over. If the kids down the street lack parental supervision, you can't go play at their house.

It takes work. It takes getting out of your comfort zone. It takes setting some moral standards for yourself and living by them in front of your children. It takes being a parent.

It takes a community saying we don't stand for this and we expect more out of you and that we know you can be more because you come from us, you represent us and I know God instill that type of foolishness in me and many others who are like you but not living out of control. When I grew up older black folks used to say things like "God didn't make no junk" and "You aren't going out of this house looking like that representing me." Sounds old fashioned but it worked.

[Searching]

I thought this was the subject at hand James. How these kids have gone so wrong.

[Searching]

red queen.. sounds like family pride to me.. we need more of it, in all races.

[parkay]

Charge every gang member with reckless endangerment, because gang activities endanger everyone around.
We've had enough of women and children being shot or beaten to death by violent gang members, most of them drug gangs.
This must stop.

[Marvin]

Eddie,

Who elected Sharpton and Jackson "Voices of Black America"? You did. Those two are a joke in my family. But, heaven forbid there be a racial incident and everyone in the country is clamoring for an interview with one of them to find out "how Black people feel about it."

Stop treating them like token spokesmen, and they'll stop being token spokesmen.

[Searching]

I cant stand Jackson and Sharpton. But Eddie has a point. They were among the Blacks that stood up and did something for the Black race back before it was "fashionable". To completely discount their contribution because their ideas and actions are outdated.. is to dismiss a large part of the history of blacks in this country.

[General]

looking at the footage they all blacks too....what a shame man....thought these things only happen in Africa......jackasses!!..burn in hell fools!!!

[Naughty Girl]

what happened to the video?