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fdtappan's Blog

by fdtappan from Eureka TrueVine Baptist Church

Last Post 2 days, 23 hours Ago


Raveging Evacuees
Sep 3, 2008 | 1:22 PM
Category: News
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Come on people. Are we really surprised by the specious actions of the criminal element in the City of Memphis. Outraged, incensed, and indignant, yes. We should be. These characterless individuals, that are preying on the innocent victims of Hurricane Gustav, have taken advantage of a fellow humans tragedy. It is similar to the morally bankrupt foreclosure assistance companies that are emerging all over the nation, scamming desperate individuals into signing their homes over to them. Some say they are even embarrassed. But should we be embarrassed? Embarrassment connotes extemporaneousness. We knew about Memphis criminals before the Gustav evacuees arrived. We knew what atrocities they were capable of perpetrating. We knew about the criminal element that resides beneath the underbelly of our city.

This situation reminds me of something I see fairly often while shopping with my wife. I call it the "Scream and Gesture in the Store" syndrome. There is a parent screaming and grabbing at their child because he is terrorizing and vandalizing the store. These are the words most often used, "Don't you embarrass me in this store". May I give you a dose of analgesic reality? That child did not just begin his vandalistic and terroristic behavior in the store; it started at home. Why, because of a lack of discipline. The parents only became embarrassed because they perpetrated those acts around other people. Don't simply be embarrassed because other people, our guests, have experienced the norm and not the exception in our city.

My advice is to be outraged enough to demand change! Change in the way we fight and prosecute crime. Change in the way our prison system warehouses and not rehabilitate through work and punishment. We need new paradigms and modalities of law enforcement. Clearly what we are doing is not working. We need the system to be a deterrent, not referred to as three squares and a sheet. How embarrassed are we? Newton's first law of motion states that an object tends to stay in motion, in one direction until another force acts upon it. What will be the force that causes us to act; that causes us to rethink our law enforcement ideology? I don't know, but I hope and pray it happens soon.
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Member Comments Total Comments: 5
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mskaytenn read my blog
Sep 3, 2008 | 1:34 PM

This is far too common in this city, sad but true. The people who are doing this should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. I will add that all of the evacues are not innocent. Did you see the story were the young lady lied about being carjacked? She had dropped her children off at a hotel and met up with some guys, got high and went on Beale. They left in her car. She decided not to prosecute the men. She wasted resources and manpower. She should have been prosecuted, if this had been a local person, they would have been.
fdtappan read my blog
Sep 3, 2008 | 2:37 PM

You are right mskaytenn on all points. I had already submitted the column when I heard about the truth of the matter. However, it still does not excuse our abhorrent behavior.
mskaytenn read my blog
Sep 3, 2008 | 4:17 PM

No, it doesn't.
srppa read my blog view my photos
Sep 4, 2008 | 11:08 PM

fdtappan, I agree with you 100% It first starts at home, and unfourtnaly it is tough in single parent households, which are extremely prevalent in memphis. The second point of behavior modification is the justice system. A lot of individuals do not mind going to jail, alot don't care about the light consequence's they could face. You murder a person you were robbing, they plead it down to manslaughter and the criminal gets 15 years. The lack of follow though is why the criminals keep doing it. Correct me if I'm wrong, was corporal punishment taken out of the MSC system? It may not seem like much, but it probably is a little of the problem.
irishoaks read my blog view my photos
Sep 7, 2008 | 9:32 PM

There is no respect of authority and it starts at home.
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fdtappan

I am the Senior Pastor of the Eureka TrueVine Baptist Church. In my ten year tenure, the church has grown from 10 to approximately 300. My personal mantra is to,”Meet the needs of the people, right where they are”. The Church Motto is “Real Ministry, with a Real Message, for Real People”. Family, social service and youth ministries are the foundational ministries of the church. I completed my undergraduate work in Psychology from Christian Brothers University and Jacksonville Theological Seminary and my graduate work from Jacksonville Theological Seminary in Theology and the Harvard University, School of Divinity. I was the first Director of Academic and Vocational Training for The Memphis Job Corps Center, and held the position of Facility Manager and instructor with Memphis City Schools Adult Basic Education Program at Tri-State Training Center and with the Title-One Program at Tall Trees Juvenile Detention Center. I served as the Chaplain of the Shelby County Detention Center and also at the Jail East “Women’s Jail”. Along with my pastoral duties, I am currently an administrator with the Shelby County Department of Corrections with the Fatherhood/Healthy Relationships Program. My wife of 19 years, Regina and I have 2 children, Frederick 13 and Alexis 11. Together we head the Memphis Area Youth Association, which is a youth athletic and educational support program with an abstinence base.

Member Since: 6/20/2007


 

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