AmeriCorps Volunteer Shot Down on New Orleans Street

nola.com ^ | 4/3/2013 | Mesarthim

[ClearBlueSky]

A recent high school graduate from the Midwest who moved to New Orleans in hopes of making a difference in the lives of others, was gunned down on a New Orleans street corner Monday night. Joseph Massenburg, 18, had been eager to embark on his first project in New Orleans as an AmeriCorps member, friends and family said.

[ClearBlueSky]

He didn't last a month in New Orleans! This post is for all who have churchgroups/organizations who-trying to do 'good works'- send their bright-eyed,wonderful, naive teens to New Orleans to 'help the downtrodden'. PLEASE STOP. If you love your children, keep them home. They are being used here, they are NOT valued. The 'downtrodden' sit and watch as they slave fixing and cleaning things. They are TARGETS- like this young man was. He was an intelligent, valuable, young black man from a small town in Illinois sent here to bring LIGHT BULBS to the 'underpriveleged'. He was walking down a street, on his telephone, at night, when he was shot down like a wild animal would be on a safari. He was killed FOR FUN. The streets of New Orleans are a hunting ground. No sane local walks them at night; but these naive out-of- towners think this is like the polite Midwest. They are stolen from-and sometimes they die. If you love your children, send your idealistic church groups to places that will appreciat them and not kill them. 7 years after Katrina they are being USED and they are prey. I'm tired of seeing the valuable attacked by the worthless. Stay out of New Orleans-help those who will be grateful and not homicidal.

[cripplecreek]

This is Obama’s army that so many are worried about.

[CaptainAmiigaf]

With respect and concern may I suggest..
GET THE HELL OUT OF THAT CESSPOOL!!
Many worthwhile places will welcome with open arms, not closed fists.

[SkyDancer]

Katrina didn’t finish the job.

[ClearBlueSky]

working on permanent evacuation. Although I’m in Jefferson Parish and never set foot in New Orleans, it’s bleeding over. I’m just sick of seeing all these young, bright eyed, do-gooders STILL down here trying to help fix a ghetto that can never be fixed. I have a nephew who is an EMT for the city and I hear 1000% more of what goes on than the news ever reports.
Tell everyone you know who values their lives STAY OUT OF NEW ORLEANS.

[Joe 6-pack]

As I've noted before on FR, New Orleans was built by pirates, smugglers, cutthroats, slave traders and fugitives.

It is perhaps the only American city that has remained true to the principles and values of its founders.

[Carriage Hill]

Saying it once is enough for me; thx.

[max americana]

Oh you mean those yellow jacket clowns? They’re all over L.A. Had one incident back in January where I was really having a bad day and just told him “obama is the biggest idiot in American history”. He was darn shocked thinking we’re all a bunch of Kool Aid drinkers here in L.A.

[Venturer]

My best wishes to your nephew. He should remember that he is also in danger.

Yes: There are places where the animals roam that should be avoided at all costs.Detroit, Chicago, Philadelphia,Washington DC, and New Orleans have places that are worse that Afghanistan.Places that sane people avoid.

[Red Badger]

We used to go over to NOLA every now and then, but never since Katrina. And even then, we wouldn’t stay past sundown.......

[Red Badger]

Same deal for San Fransicko.......

[driftdiver]

A LONG time ago (20 yrs) I went TDY to Keesler AFB in MS. Some friends and I decided to go to New Orleans for the weekend.

So we got a cheap hotel and walked down to Bourbon street and then a football game on Sunday.

We almost didnt survive the walk. If one of my friends hadn’t been black I’m sure we wouldnt have. haven’t been back.

[ClearBlueSky]

You are exactly right. The mentality is in the DNA of this city. It’s like the Barbary Coast-90% of the citizenry and ALL the politicians out to scam everyone at all times. The mentality is never going to change. The 10% of the population that is decent has as much chance of changing things as two fat missionaries would in a tribe full of cannibals. I call it ‘dancing on the Titanic’. As long as they have their little enclaves, their ‘galas’ and society pages they can pretend they ARE New Orleans. Au contraire! The criminals who elect the judges, supply the police, run the jail and rule the streets are New Orleans.
My ancestors founded N.O. They are in the history books and I can tell you New Orleans is a hole that will soon be reclaimed by the Gulf of Mexico-soon. And I won’t be here when that happens.

[Jack Hammer]

Theory, meet practice.

[ArcadeQuarters]

Anyone see that reality show a few years ago called “Architecture School”? Some architecture students were filmed designing and building a house in New Orleans. During filming someone shot out one of their car windows.

[Revel]

“Katrina didn’t finish the job.”

Nope Katrina just scattered them to places like Texas.

[pepsionice]

There are areas downtown where the cops roam and protect the tourists. Other than that....you don’t walk anywhere after dark outside of that protected zone. Sadly, none of the locals took this kid under their wing to explain life in N O.

[blackdog]

"in hopes of making a difference" - A commonly used phrase among the soft hearted and soft headed stockpile of good citizens put to bad use by society's progressive engineers.

Kumbayah.......................

[cripplecreek]

The only way to make a difference in the inner cities is to run the race baiting social justice preachers out of town, stop getting pregnant without fathers, and start sitting down for dinner as families.

[GeronL]

AmeriCorps, nother fed program to shut down