Thoughts on This Jason Witlock Article

[erpowers]

I think some people will say I am racist for this, but I think Jason Witlock's piece about All-Star weekend in Las Vegas is a piece of crap. Witlock comes across as some scared white lady. Some of the things he said in describing his feeling about being in Vegas during All-Star weekend were just crazy. At one point he compared walking down the strip to being in the yard of a maximum security prison. I have not been to a maximum security prison and I did not go to All-Star weekend, but I have a major problem with Witlock describing walking down the strip as being in a maximun security prison. I doubt things were that bad. In addition, he blamed all the problems on the NBA and the hip-hop culture when there was no real proof that any problems were caused by anyone representing either. It is a fact that no NBA player was arrested during that week. Furthermore, according to Scoop Jackson most of the 400+ arrests were for prostitution and most of all the arrests were of people who lived in Las Vegas. Yes, Jason Witlock made a great deal of 350-400+ people being arrested during one week. The link to the article is below.



http://sports.aol.com/whitlock/_a/mayhem-main-event-at-nba-all-star/20070220103009990001

Below is an article discussing how Witlock wrote two different pieces with two different takes on All-Star weekend. In one piece Witlock wrote glowingly about All-Star weekend, but in the other he wrote the piece bashing the NBA and the hip-hop culture.

http://www.cjrdaily.org/behind_the_news/jason_whitlock_had_a_great_tim.php

[Awsi Dooger]

1. I've never seen anything like it in 20 years in Las Vegas

The Strip was wall-to-wall young blacks. Particularly the Friday and Saturday before the game. It was taking me five times as long to walk from casino to casino, particularly between Frontier and Treasure Island since the area in front of the Boulevard Mall was the major hangout.

It didn't bother me in the least, other than adjusting my schedule. On Saturday night I wanted to drive to the grocery store at 1 AM but couldn't because the auxiliary roads were bumper to bumper. I've never seen anything close to that at 5 PM, let alone post midnight. No one can exaggerate how different Las Vegas became for a few days.

It was indeed a hip-hop atmosphere. Loud music being played everywhere on the Strip. Young blacks cruising the Strip at 2 mph blaring rap music and bouncing up and down in their cars. I felt so out of place as a white guy that a couple of times the black guys kidded me about it.

They were mostly hanging out. Passing out tickets to the clubs, and performances by Diddy and others. Lots of activities like basketball shooting on temporary baskets. It was young black guys in the current ultra loose garb and young black females wearing clingy short skirts.

An atmosphere like that indeed promoted racism and fear. I heard many casino workers saying they wished they could have stayed home from work all weekend. Many of the sportsbook regulars used the N-word repeatedly.

The only problem I had was a few times when macho young black guys felt like they owned the space in front of them and wouldn't move a foot or so to the side to let me pass. We'd bump shoulders and a couple of times the guy stopped and said something confrontational and stupid. In my younger days I would have accelerated it but luckily I've wised up.

[Captain Hilts]

2. Michael Wilbon calls it "Black Thanksgiving." It's a BIG deal. He was surprised...

at how huge an event it was.

[1gobluedem]

3. Jason Whitlock is black

If he's the same guy I remember from his old days at the Ann Arbor News.

[Awsi Dooger]

5. Yes, he is black

A big black guy. I've seen him on ESPN many times. I meant to include that in yesterday's post but I forgot.

[trumad]

6. When I use to write my blog

I wrote many pieces about Whitlock and the stupid crap that he would write about. He's a junior Ann Coulter--- in MHO

[BOSSHOG]

4. New Orleans is already making plans for next year's

All-Star game. Some NBA guy said he didn't know if New Orleans could handle it. A town that does Mardi Gras and the Jazz Fest every year can't do the NBA all star game? Future NBA all star game sites should hang out in the Big Easy next year to see how its done.

[trumad]

7. They said Vegas almost couldn't handle it.

You only got the French Quarter...

BTW: It was TMAC who said it.

[BOSSHOG]

8. The Sports Arena where the game would be played

is not in the French Quarter. An NBA All-Star week is lightweight for New Orleans. Criminals at Mardi Gras in New Orleans are handled, and not with kid gloves.

[trumad]

9. Well of course it's in the arena....

but if Vegas had a hard time controlling the event because of the size of the turn out--- little old French Quarter will be out of control.

[BOSSHOG]

11. Lil ole French Quarter

has taken a million plus during Mardi Gras. Bring em on. However, criminals beware. The NOPD has portable jails they set up along side streets.

[Awsi Dooger]

10. It doesn't matter where the game is played

They weren't outside the Thomas and Mack here in Las Vegas. In fact, game day itself is not the problem.

The swarm of people get there days before the game and take over the logical city hangout areas. In our case it was the Strip. In New Orleans I assume it would be the French Quarter. But the more popular areas you have, the better. If it's merely the French Quarter you haven't seen anything like this. I've been to the French Quarter many times and if the same amount of people who were on the Strip all day and night for several days try to squeeze into that area you're in big trouble.

[BOSSHOG]

12. Mardi Gras

Jazz fest, Essence Fest, Southern Decadence, Super Bowl, Sugar Bowl, Halloween, Hurricane Katrina. Bring it on. But if you wanna be a criminal, you wil bring out the best(worst) in the NOPD.

[erpowers]

13. New Orleans Can Handle It

I have been in New Orleans for about three Madi Grases. The street of St. Charles was just packed. The groups marching in one parade had to keep pushing people back so they could pass through the street. I tell you it was tons of people. With all that I did not hear that there was a great amount of crime. I went to other parades during Madi Gras and it was the same way; people just packed the streets the whole way through the route of the parades. It is possible that in most cases people from Louisiana and those who visit it are just nicer people, but I tell you tons of people go to New Orleans many times during the year and New Orleans is always able to handle the people. In addition, the French Quarter is farely large. There is Canal Street and Bourbon Street. Those streets, especially Canal Street, may not be considered to be part of the French Quarter, but those are some major hangouts. It is possible that New Orleans has more space than Las Vegas in that there is more space to rome than just one strip. There are a number of streets for people to pack. In addition, there are a number of colleges close to the French Quarter so some people may just choose to hang out at the colleges instead of just hanging out in the French Quarter. In addition, New Orleans also handles the Bayou Classic every year and there seems to have not been any problems with that. I think some people just panicked concerning New Orleans and Las Vegas. I think New Orleans will do a great job with the All-Star game next year.

[1gobluedem]

14. I think so too

NOLA is used to being overrun by boisterous outsiders. Maybe Vegas isn't used to dealing with big crowds outside of the casinos? Big crowds, yes, but they are usually all inside losing lots of money.

[trumad]

15. Is that pre-Katrina NO or now?