Black outrage: All elite, all liberal, all white, all the time? I believe this story reveals the real legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King and the civil-rights movement — violence and hostility.
In the early '60s, when the movement ascended to national prominence, I was living in the 131st and Miles area, just blocks away from predominantly black neighborhoods. I witnessed a direct relationship between the power of the movement and neighborhood blacks becoming increasingly hostile toward whites. It became more and more dangerous for whites to pass through these black areas. Nurtured by elite white liberals and black opportunists, the incarnation of the angry black man had taken place.
"Radical Chic" best explains the liberal mind-set of the era — rich white liberals celebrating the exploits of Black Panther thugs, ingraining a sense of anger and entitlement into the black psyche. That's led to "You Talk, You Die," and violence that liberal white elites have exploited.
Take crosstown busing in Cleveland. It would have been much simpler to bus children to Shaker Heights, Cleveland Heights, and Beachwood, rather than the far West Side. But those are suburbs populated by large numbers of white liberal elites with the power to block such negative intrusions into the lives of their precious children.
And white liberals continue to this day, nurturing the angry black man by wanting him to be ignorant and violent. After all, who has been more critical of President Bush's "No Child Left Behind" initiative — which has led to an increase in the test scores of black children — than white liberals?
Bob Gross
Garfield Heights
Sour Gripes
Reviewer's vinegar hard to swallow: I couldn't disagree more with your review of Wine Bar of Rocky River. I regularly dine and drink at this establishment and simply love all it has to offer. I find chef Jill Vedaa's food creative and delicious. I love the variety of smaller plates and the price points. I also find the wine offering to be a wonderful change from the stuffy, overpriced lists of some downtown establishments.
Whenever I go there, I see so many of the same people over and over. If the food is so bland and the wine list is so ho-hum, then why so many repeat customers?
Barrie Spang
Rocky River
"Forgotten Forefathers," January 16
Offending Team
NFL should make like the AFL . . . CIO, that is: Dear Scene, I am shocked and very disturbed after reading about former NFL players who are struggling and disabled. Gene Upshaw and company should be held accountable for what has and is happening to players from the past.
I hope the pension and medical situation is changed for the better. And thanks to Scene for such a great job of reporting.
Robert L. Wuorinen Jr.
Superior, Wisconsin
C-Notes: "Maybe That Wasn't the Best Time to Taunt Ohio State Fans"
Fanning the Flames
Writer's slant leaves her burning: I am extremely curious about where you got your information in regard to the stabbings at Buffalo Wild Wings in Streetsboro. Whoever wrote the article made it seem like Howard Staton was an innocent victim.
In reality, no one was really paying that much attention to him. Mr. Staton was a hassle the moment he walked in the doors — he and his friend shoving past employees and customers to get to the bar, harassing the girls, and just giving off a bad vibe. No one was speaking to him or about him when he decided to pull a knife on two innocent people. If you have a knife in a bar on a huge drinking night — where tensions will be high — you are looking for trouble.
I used to enjoy looking at your magazine, but was furious when I saw this article.
Rebecca Schaffer
Ravenna
"The King of Spin," December 5, 2007
Hit Parade
Article goes ahead and makes his day: As a former Kucinich supporter, I found your article interesting and unnerving. Some in the comments section called it a hit piece. However, hit pieces are full of non sequiturs and straw men. This article was not.
The article has definitely confirmed for me that I made the right decision when I decided to defect from his campaign a few months ago.
Justin A. Martell
Rindge, NH
Flush With Talent
Gifted young musicians wow this family: I have to strongly disagree with your "courtesy flush" of The Naked Brothers Band. I don't know if you have children, but I do, and this is a show I actually enjoy watching with my kids.
My husband and I manage a metal band in the area, so our kids are constantly around playing music. I am impressed that these kids on this show actually play their instruments. The lead kid writes the songs himself and has from the age of three! I bought the CD for my kids and my husband, and I find ourselves listening to it when they're not around. I could list 10 other kids' shows that you could bash for not having any talent at all!
Lynn Campian
Uniontown
Her City Was Gone
A, O, way to go, Scene: Chrissie Hynde is a graduate of Firestone High School, class of 1969. She grew up in Fairlawn, an inner-ring suburb west of Akron (and right across the street from the Fairlawn Country Club). Cuyahoga Falls is an inner-ring suburb north of Akron. Therefore she is not a "Cuyahoga Falls native."
Kathleen Davis Pierce
Portage Lakes
