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Is Birmingham [England] on the brink of a race war?
www.timesonine.co.uk ^ | October 25, 2005 | Steve Bird

Posted on 10/25/2005 5:48:08 AM PDT by reelfoot

FOR years rival black gangs have waged brutal battles in the maze of streets on the neighbouring estates in Lozells, Aston and Handsworth.

But there were growing fears last night that two of the most violent black gangs, the Burger Bar Boys and the Johnson Crew, may unite against Asian gangs involved in the weekend riots.

According to an internet report, the two gangs — which were involved in the New Year murders of Charlene Ellis and Letisha Shakespeare — have put their differences aside in the aftermath of the riots.

A black music website called Supatrax featured an anonymous message under the heading: “One black girl raped by 19 men, one black youth dead, one Asian man dead, one police officer shot, two girls stabbed, cars getting jacked, cars on fire.”

It reads: “Word outta street is that members from Johnson Crew and Burger Bar have met to call a truce to recent gang warfare and unite against any attacks from the Pakistani community.

“For too long black people have had to stand by . . . this is a time to unite and stand strong not only for the justice of the young girl but also for the black community as a whole.”

Four men, all members of the Burger Boys, were found guilty of the murder of the two girls who were shot outside a party in Aston in January. Marcus Ellis, 24, Charlene’s half-brother, was among those jailed.

A police spokesman refused to confirm or deny rumours that the rival gangs had joined forces.

The three days of violence have seen a policeman shot, more than 30 people injured and cars torched and shops looted.

Detectives were continuing to try to establish whether the shooting of the teenager in the Newtown area of the city yesterday was linked to the rioting.

The teenager, said to be mixed race, was shot in the head and arm in the street, just one mile from the scene of the riots. It is not known whether the gunman was black or Asian. Speaking at a press conference yesterday Detective Chief Inspector Keith Wilson said: “It’s too early to comment on whether these incidents are linked. There have been community tensions in the area. If there are links then hopefully we will make them at a very early stage.”

Armed police attended the scene at about 12.40am yesterday after receiving reports of a man brandishing a gun.

Officers gave the teenager first aid and called paramedics but they were unable to save him.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission was asked to investigate “as a matter of course” but insisted no shots were fired by officers.

Amerdeep Somal, commissioner for the complaints commission, said: “Police had received several reports including one from the fire service of an armed man on the street.

“They saw a man stumble and fall in the road and then approached to arrest him and saw he had injuries to his head and arm.” Mr Somal was among those who appealed for calm yesterday.


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; Foreign Affairs
KEYWORDS: england; gangs; immigration; racialstrife
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To: reelfoot

Better a Hindu doctor or Colombian banker than a fat, trailer dwelling hillbilly.


61 posted on 10/25/2005 8:46:00 AM PDT by Clemenza (Gentlemen, Behold!)
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To: maica

Not being British, I'm afraid I can't help you out here.

Perhaps someone else can.


62 posted on 10/25/2005 9:14:48 AM PDT by Restorer (Illegitimati non carborundum)
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To: Clemenza

"Better a Hindu doctor or Colombian banker than a fat, trailer dwelling hillbilly."

. . . or a fat, government sucking, Section 8 housing immigrant.


63 posted on 10/25/2005 9:21:41 AM PDT by reelfoot
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To: Mulch
Well, because it's so in some circles, doesn't mean it is so. Diversity and multi-culturalism are 2 dissimilar ideas. Diversity is much like the different kinds of candy you get in an assorted bag of candy. You always get something different, yet tasty. You have your chocolates, your butterscotches, your lemon drops, your sour apple candies and your licorice all in the same bag. Some of the taste of the butterscotch would meld into the licorice. Some of the lemon drops would infuse into the chocolates, and they all become somewhat different candies, but at the same time, they're all candy.

Multi-culturalism would be like the candy store owner putting a mint leaf, a rubarhb stalk and a crab apple in the assorted bag and asking it not to be sweetened in any way possible and making you accept it as candy. That bag is no longer assorted candy. It's now just a bag of just random food, and not candy anymore.

You can still make the mint leaf and the rubarhb stalk and a crab apple candified in the assorted bag and taste quite well, but the fact that they're being kept out makes the bag means that they will never become sweet and make for great candy.

Much like how in our country's history, you had your Itallians, your Jews and your Japanese intergrating themselves into American society, each bringing karate, bagels and pasta to the American mainstream, but at the same time, these people are Americanized in society. I believe there was a Republican Japanese American congressman from California at one time. They were the mint leaves that became part of that assorted candy bag.

64 posted on 10/25/2005 9:37:51 AM PDT by TypeZoNegative (Future Minnesota Refugee)
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To: TypeZoNegative
I remember being told in public school that America was not a melting pot but rather a kaleidescope. Conservatives reject the kaleidescope view, believing it simply creates division and conflict between groups in a society whereas the melting pot view creates unity around an "American" identity.
65 posted on 10/25/2005 10:14:41 AM PDT by Mulch (tm)
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To: Mulch

To liberals, anything is a kaleidescope. Look at all the acid they take.


66 posted on 10/25/2005 10:34:57 AM PDT by TypeZoNegative (Future Minnesota Refugee)
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To: TypeZoNegative

LOL


67 posted on 10/25/2005 10:45:43 AM PDT by Mulch (tm)
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To: reelfoot

AMEN!


68 posted on 10/25/2005 12:10:49 PM PDT by Clemenza (Gentlemen, Behold!)
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To: Clemenza
1. Germany and Scandanavia are overrun with Muslims and Multiculturalists. What gives you the idea that they "preserve their culture."
2. America does NOT have a "blood and soil" culture as they do in Japan. It never has.

1. I have very good, long time friends in Sweden. Sweden backed off allowing a lot of Mulsims quite a while ago. They learned their lesson. So, according to my friends (doctors, engineers, teachers, etc.) and their families, Sweden ISN'T overrun with Muslims. It never really was. When 500 Muslims were present it SEEMED like more because they (Turks, actually) were so very, very, very different from Swedes and stood out like sore (very sore) thumbs.

I was just in Germany. I was there for a month and visited about 10 cities and spoke with tons of people. I kept asking, "Where are all the Muslims? I had heard....."
Well, Germany, with its 82 million people, isn't overrun either. It's hype, all hype, probably media hype.

You view of Germany and Sweden is incorrect, but understandable, considering the huge volume of U.S. hate-filled anti-Arab/Muslim/Palestinian rhetoric that has been pouring out of the blogs, magazines and Internet for the past several years. I don't know about Norway and Denmark. Maybe THEY are "overrun."

They do preserve their culture because in those countries they still speak, read, write and post signs in THEIR language. They DON'T worship at the altar of diversity. They don't hate themselves, their history, culture, traditions or religion the way so many self-hating American leftists, multiculturalists, secularists and athiests do.

2. True. MOST countries of the world ARE NOT based on immigrants, like we are and MOST counties of the world ARE homogeneous and work hard at preserving what they believe to be their own, usually superior-to-others, culture. We are one of the few countries on the planet that IS immigrant based. We are, by nature, multi-ethnic, NOT homogeneous, and therefore prone to the problems of NOT being homogeneous. This WAS bound to happen to us when we got so many millions of non-European, non-Christian immigrants.

69 posted on 10/26/2005 6:24:13 AM PDT by starfish923
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To: Dionysius
Here is a nice definition of diversity spouted by a black St. Louis alderwomwn to her white colleagues: "Diversity doesn't mean I have to listen to you, it means you have to listen to me." This is diversity I could certainly live without.

Amen to that.
She sounds pretty much like an elitist herself. Elitism, which includes all the "isms" and bigotry, is almost always a two-way street. It's also based on one of those seven deadly sins -- "pride." And, we do know where pride goeth. Lol.

70 posted on 10/26/2005 6:29:31 AM PDT by starfish923
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