The Offenders

I received a press release this morning from a local (Richmond, VA) group calling themselves The Defenders for Freedom Justice and Equality. Man, how self-important must these folks be? I bet their biggest concern is exposure to Kryptonite. But, anyway, they were notifying me of a protest rally they're holding in town on behalf of the victims of Hurricane Katrina.
How comforting. I know that if I had lost everything, and were living in a baseball stadium, the first thing I'd need is someone to be protesting for me.
I think this group should, first of all, demand that hurricanes be outlawed. It's just not right that some storm, that started as a wave off the African coast, should hurt innocent Americans. I have a feeling, though, that these Defenders might not want to acknowledge the origins of most Atlantic hurricanes. I went to their website, and they're also up in arms about the idea of building a new stadium in Shockoe Bottom. Why? I'll quote from their site:
"This was once the site of one of the largest slave-trading areas in the United States. It was here that, in the decades before the end of the Civil War, thousands of enslaved Africans were sold into lives of brutal exploitation. This is Sacred Ground that must not be further desecrated for commercial profit."
Shockoe Bottom sacred ground? Just go down there on a Friday night around midnight and see how many drunken revelers, of all races, are littering, regurgitating, and otherwise "desecrating" that sacred ground. The Defenders want to build a museum down there...a museum that tells the history of slavery. That might draw a couple dozen tourists a year. I'm not being a racist, only a realist. A slavery museum, on its own, will do absolutely nothing to bring significant revenue into downtown Richmond. However, if there were a major sports venue, featuring the talents of professional athletes of all races, athletes, who are making a pretty good living (or should we say athletes that desecrate for commercial profit?), by the way, then you'd have an attraction that would draw tens of thousands into the area.
Some of these would, in all probability, take note of the fact that there's a museum nearby, and schedule a visit, perhaps before or after the game. They'd also spend money in restaurants and shops...money that would be used to provide decent jobs for many who lived in the area, as would the ballpark itself. That's not speculation. That's a fact. The problem is, producing entertainment for the masses and jobs for many of the inner city's blacks (and whites, and others) is not what people like The Defenders are really interested in.
They enjoy protesting. It makes them look important. It gets their picture in the paper. It creates a stink, letting everyone know how angry they are.
Hurricane Katrina produced a real stink, and thankfully, there are many Richmonders of all races who think it's more important to actually do something constructive, whether it be donating money or their time, to really help. These are the people who really make a difference, not those constantly-angry egomaniacs who think a protest in downtown Richmond is going to make one iota of a difference. Get real. Why let your anger cripple you? Why spend your entire life whining about your lot in life?
Take the time you are planning to protest and have a car wash or a bake sale or whatever to raise money for the victims of Katrina. You won't get the same publicity. But, you know what, you may find out you'll feel pretty good about yourself.
PS: When I received the email from The Defenders, I emailed them back and voiced my disdain for their approach. I just received a three-word replay from their spokesperson. It's not the sort of thing I can print. But, I will have to say that if I were to follow the suggestion given to me, that exercise in self-copulation would be about as meaningful as their protest demonstration. Thanks, Defenders, but I'm going to have to pass on this one.