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2 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories 'Guitar Player' book recalls the heady days of the '70s and '80s Ashland budget proposal says solar power could attract investment Ashland High School water polo club seeks yard sale donations Final Ashland Middle School band concert of the school year set for May 20 Nashville singer/songwriter with Ashland ties dies of cancer Education Ashland Middle School students put their Spanish-speaking skills to the test Grizzlies claim speech championship Levy backers eye final push Neal Simon: This is a test Grade-school philanthropist Environment Ashland publisher offers prize for environmental book Ashland water bills could go up to fund watershed protection Stopping fire in its tracks Some trails, roads remain closed due to controlled burn Earth Day: Hope for our 'pale blue dot' Business Ride & Drive: 2015 BMW 428i Gran Coupe Ashland Safeway closes Thursday, to reopen as Haggen on Sunday Cars We Remember: Car enthusiast wishes new model designs were ‘more different’ Ride & Drive: 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Silvio Calabi: Taxis and traffic in the olde worlde Politics and elections Ashland water bills could go up to fund watershed protection BREAKING: Baltimore prosecutor charges officers in Gray's death Arthur I. Cyr: Cuba’s enduring challenge to American foreign policy – and American politics Kent Bush: Clinton 2.0 is neither new nor improved State News Lack of snow nixes ski portion of popular Central Oregon race Bill under debate in Oregon would limit livestock antibiotics Oregon lawmakers begin minimum wage debate Runners to follow historic salmon migration path Nation - World There's a $10 million precious stone hidden in plain sight at Grand Central Obituaries Kenneth Lee Nichols R. Charles "Charlie" Snyder Death Notices Harry D. 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Cyr: Britain’s important election – in royal political context Editorial Our View: Forest work is a bargain Our View: What price history? Our View: Waging peace after war Our View: Rail car roulette Our View: Reading the tea leaves Letters Letters to the Editor, May 8 Letters to the Editor, May 6 Letters to the Editor, May 5 Letters to the Editor, May1 Letters to the Editor, April 30 Guest opinions Guest Opinion: Ambrose spins a conservative fantasy Guest Opinion: Restoring the Plaza's sense of place Guest Opinion: Making conservation a game Guest Opinion: A good day to act Guest Opinion: Allegations unfair to Dr. Tomashefsky Columns Guest Opinion: Ambrose spins a conservative fantasy Herb Rothschild Jr.: The courage to ask Arthur I. Cyr: Britain’s important election – in royal political context Matthew T. Mangino: Aging prisoners: An American crisis Jeffrey Gillespie: Is there a right to offend? Chris Honore Council Corner Editor's Notes Jeffrey Gillespie Herb Rothschild Revels Latest Stories Peter Rowan, Big Sandy & His Fly-Rite Boys at Rootsfest Movie listings: May 8-14 Dancing People Company presents 'Salon Series' 5 picks for live entertainment Prepare for lots of dialogue in 'Clouds of Sils Maria' Theater Ticket availability Ticket Availability Ticket Availability 'Arsenic and Old Lace' has killer charm Some OSF crew members seek to unionize Music The Farr Side: Mumford & Sons’ latest is full-on rock Interview: Country singer Suzy Bogguss enjoying life on the road The Farr Side: CMAs do it right, in many ways Interview: Offspring plays hits new and old on tour The Farr Side: Slow disappearance of physical music Visual Art Movies Movie review: ‘Hot Pursuit’ is a hot mess George Miller returns to his ‘Mad Max’ roots Tom Hardy adapts to life as Mad Max Movie listings: May 8-14 Prepare for lots of dialogue in 'Clouds of Sils Maria' Food and Drink Taqueria Picaro takes over Tabu space Owner of Mix and Amuse to bring Flip burger joint to Ashland Cruelest Month: Poetry Blog Lifestyle Latest Stories Community Blog: Inspiration is the Oxygen of our Survival Inner Peace: Satyam, shivam, sundram (truth, consciousness, joy/beauty) Looking Up: Once in a while a star blows up Health Watch: Easy tips to drink more water throughout the day Orthodox Church raising funds to build new home Aging Happens Inner Peace Column Inner Peace Blog Mocha Musings Rogues: Tales from the Valley Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obituaries Photos Videos Blogs Business Business Services NEWS NOW Ashland Calendar, Saturday, May 9 ... Guest Opinion: Ambrose spins a conservative fantasy ... Herb Rothschild Jr.: The courage to ask ... Ashland Calendar, Saturday, May 9 ... Guest Opinion: Ambrose spins a conservative fantasy ... Herb Rothschild Jr.: The courage to ask ... COMMENTARY Chris Honoré: A wider context rarely discussed Comment By Chris Honoré DailyTidings.com By Chris Honoré Posted May. 4, 2015 at 12:01 AM By Chris Honoré Posted May. 4, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Social News After watching the response to the tragic death of Freddie Gray unfold in Baltimore, specifically the looting of a mall and the burning of a pharmacy, all in the neighborhood in which the looters live, I heard in my head a familiar tape. “Who does this to the mom-and-pop businesses that are locally owned and employ people who live down the street and work at much-needed jobs? This is not a protest, it’s criminal.” The tape goes on. “Wait. Many of the looters are young people, just out of school for the day? And where are the parents? Didn’t anyone tell these kids that it was wrong to steal just because you can?” And so on. It is difficult to stop and examine the wider context. What is really going on? In a recent article in the New York Times, the paper printed a remarkable piece (with editorial follow up) that should give pause. It is revelatory and the implications profoundly important if we are to begin to change what has been a long-trending reality for the black community, more specifically black men, in America. The article I’m referring to, titled “1.5 Million Black Men Missing From Daily Life,” frames the context mentioned above. What does the word “missing” mean? One in every six black men ages 24 to 54 has disappeared from our civic life. Think of it: 1.5 million. Where are they? They have either died prematurely or they are locked away in prison. That means that there are 83 black men living outside of prison for every 100 black women. For white men and women, the numbers are about equal. What is the impact of such a reality? The Times reports: lower marriage rates, more out-of-wedlock births, greater risk of poverty for families and less stable communities, constructing an unrelenting cycle. The data represent the hollowing out of a group of people and define a perfect storm of events that can be traced back to the 1970s (or, more likely, back to slavery and Jim Crow). It began in earnest with the collapse of manufacturing and deindustrialization and the attrition of jobs, followed by tough-on-crime ("three strikes") and war-on-drugs legislation passed by Congress, policies supported by Democrats, resulting in the mass incarceration of black men and driving up the prison population seven-fold. The labor market has continued to shrink, compounded by a deep and unforgiving recession, one that has shut out countless low-skilled workers. Millions of black men are, according to a New York Times editorial, “functionally missing.” The paper quotes sociologist William Julius Wilson, who describes this phenomenon as “the disappearance of work which devastated formerly coherent neighborhoods.” To be a black man in America today is to be stigmatized. Many are viewed through a prism of criminality and violence and suspicion and fear. These stereotypes penetrate deeply into our collective consciousness and are made manifest in encounters with the police, in job interviews, and just general everyday interactions. If a black man has been incarcerated for a nonviolent offense — the possession of a small amount of marijuana — and goes to jail, he is marked forever. And despite all best efforts, his future will be irreparably damaged. Wilson wrote a book, “When Work Disappears,” in which he states that for the first time in the 20th century, joblessness became the norm for many in the poor neighborhoods, resulting in the crippling of millions of lives marked by despair, hopelessness and anger (to include de facto segregation). That is the context. What is the solution? Wilson suggests a massive effort by the government akin to the Works Progress Administration created to help Americans recover during the Depression. Let’s spend a decade rebuilding our infrastructure, including our schools. Put people (black, brown and white) to work at living wages. Train and retrain them. Let’s level the playing field. We have spent trillions on futile, hubristic, cul-de-sac wars dating back to Vietnam. How can we not say that this crisis threatens our national security? We could do this. If we had the will. Chris Honoré lives in Ashland. By Chris Honoré DailyTidings.com By Chris Honoré Posted May. 4, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with DailyTidings.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Alerts Email alerts RSS feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2015 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 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