Marion Barry has passed away

[Anonymous]

Correct, pp. This is not about Cosby, and neither was the post you are taking issue with.

Are you unfamiliar with the meaning of the word "contrast"?

Just to clarify: my post was a positive take on Barry, defending the right for folks to mourn a public servant who was overall a decent human being. Because many folks take issue with Barry's legacy, I posted my comment using a readily identifiable person to *contrast* why Barry's overall legacy is worthy of respect (as compared to those who should not be remembered in such a favorable light).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I always feel sorry for the family and friends of the deceased, regardless of how the deceased conducted himself while alive.

But, I also recognize that most folks tend to focus on the positive aspects of a person's life and invariably exclude or gloss over (often sugarcoating or justifying) the negative actions. Sometimes that's okay...especially if the negative actions were merely alleged rather than proven. Other times, it's absurd...particularly when the media romanticizes the actions and rewrites history to honor a persona that never really existed.

I think it's probably okay to remember the good aspects of Marion Barry. As a comparison: I don't think it will be appropriate to honor the good aspects of Cosby once his criminal behavior has been proven.

This not about Cosby and to bring this up while the death of Barry is being discussed is petty and classless. Period.

+1. I really don't think there was any reason to bring up Bill Cosby's situation in any analogy with Marion Barry.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Those big buildings you see lining Pennsylvania Ave are attributable to Marion Barry. In many ways, there could not have been an Anthony Williams had there not first been a Marion Barry.

It has always been sad to me that the second half of his life will overshadow the first. A cautionary tale about the dangers of believing your own press and surrounding yourself with yes men.

Well said, pp. Regardless of my feelings about his behavior in recent years, it feels strange this morning to think of DC without Marion Barry. I'm much sadder than I expected to be. While it's more of a symbolic loss at this point, it's a loss nevertheless and a big one.

I know, it felt sad and odd to hear about his passing. Growing up in DC, I never had a positive view of him, and yet I feel his death as a loss. RIP Marion Barry.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Correct, pp. This is not about Cosby, and neither was the post you are taking issue with.

Are you unfamiliar with the meaning of the word "contrast"?

Just to clarify: my post was a positive take on Barry, defending the right for folks to mourn a public servant who was overall a decent human being. Because many folks take issue with Barry's legacy, I posted my comment using a readily identifiable person to *contrast* why Barry's overall legacy is worthy of respect (as compared to those who should not be remembered in such a favorable light).

While you use Cosby to contrast Barry, please note that there are those who will disagree with you on Cosby's legacy.

[Anonymous]

Not an analogy...a contrast.

Google "compare and contrast"...it's a skill taught to kindergarteners.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not an analogy...a contrast.

Google "compare and contrast"...it's a skill taught to kindergarteners.

And class is not something you learned.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Correct, pp. This is not about Cosby, and neither was the post you are taking issue with.

Are you unfamiliar with the meaning of the word "contrast"?

Just to clarify: my post was a positive take on Barry, defending the right for folks to mourn a public servant who was overall a decent human being. Because many folks take issue with Barry's legacy, I posted my comment using a readily identifiable person to *contrast* why Barry's overall legacy is worthy of respect (as compared to those who should not be remembered in such a favorable light).

While you use Cosby to contrast Barry, please note that there are those who will disagree with you on Cosby's legacy.

NP. I still don't see why the PP thought it necessary to use that particular contrast at this time, but hopefully there was truly no ill intent.

[Anonymous]

I really like his name

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I really like his name

I am a DC native who never realized that the marionberry was an actual thing until this year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I really like his name

I am a DC native who never realized that the marionberry was an actual thing until this year.

And it's also known as a marion blackberry. How cool is that? I love it!!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

jsteele wrote:Let me give a few of my own thoughts on the passing of Marion Barry. When I was a student at Georgetown University, Barry introduced Ronald Reagan who had come to the University to launch its bicentennial celebration. It was a beautiful day with lots of sun and a moderate temperature. Noting the weather, Barry asked, "will you give me credit for the sun? I know you all blame me for the snow." That was in reference to DC being buried under nearly 2 ft. of snow while Barry was in southern California attending the Super Bowl.

Barry was correct that his critics often focused on the negative while seeing the positive as natural or inevitable. He was quickly blamed for anything that went wrong, but credit for successes was frequently placed elsewhere. At the same time, to both Barry and his defenders, his successes were of such a magnitude that they excused any failures. Barry knew that those in the crowd at Georgetown did not blame him for the snow. We blamed him for his administration's failure to remove the snow. We saw Barry as a source of incompetence and corruption. Politics, especially local politics, is very much a situation of "what have you done for me lately?" and, lately, Barry hadn't done much good for us at all.

But, for others, Barry had done a lot. He had done life-changing things. However, there was no way that someone like me -- a young university student in only my second year of living in DC -- could understand the importance of those things. Frankly, I didn't even know about them. I would learn later that Barry had started a summer job program for youth. In the environment in which I grew up, youth had no problem finding summer employment. I couldn't understand why such a program was important. Then, I would start hearing a phrase that would become almost synonymous with "native Washingtonian" and that was "Marion Barry got me my first job". I think it is very important -- especially after decades of black people being associated with welfare -- that Barry was a proponent of work. He didn't ask for handouts, he asked for -- demanded, in fact -- jobs. Barry didn't create Washington, DC's middle class. But, he sure as hell helped create it and his efforts were -- as I said -- life-changing for many people. When someone has changed your life for the better, it is natural and understandable that you will forgive them their faults. Not surprisingly, therefore, there is another phrase I've heard frequently over the past few years, "That's our Barry". Warts and all, Barry made the kind of positive impact on others of which few can ever dream.

A lot more can be said about Barry, both good and bad. But, on this day, I am glad that I came to understand that a first job and a better lot in life is a much more important than a few days of snowed-in streets. So, on this day, Mr. Mayor, I am giving you credit for the sun.

Jeff - I think you are right to moderate here, and I appreciate your insight. But this is a hopelessly naive viewing of Barry's time in office. It sounds like you came here for college, but maybe didn't grow up in the city.

Barry got vilified for things that went wrong because more often than not he was to blame, either directly or because he had installed an unqualified friend or family member in a no show job. And when things went right, more often than not it was in spite of his governance. You are right - without his reckless spending and over employment Williams wouldn't have been brought in by congress to fix his mess.

His civil rights history is genuine, his desire to improve the life of his constituents is unquestioned, but even as we celebrate that we can remember that as an executive of the nations capital he was at best a dud.

Yes, as a life long resident of the area, this is spot on. Yes, he was well liked because he "helped" people but he was more of a hand that held people down than helped them up. I think he had good intentions just very poor execution.

Sad that he has passed, he was a fixture in DC for sure and will be long remembered.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The censorship is unfortunate but probably necessary.

It doesnt seem Barry operated for personal gain - he was basically bankrupt. Did he enrage others? Probanly. But his legacy is pretty amazing. Last of the biggest city bosses to go. Now we get hacks like Gray, diblasio, etc.

The city will move on, and maybe faster than it otherwise w/o have. But it may lose some of the unique character Barry nurtured.

Being from Chicago and home of one of the biggest, baddest late bosses, Richard J Daley (1955-1976), I can appreciate your statement.

Daley, like Barry, was never in it for personal gain and both had dubious moments. I remember my grandfather saying he never really liked or trusted Daley but always voted for him "because my trash gets picked up, the street lights are on, and the precinct captain always checks in to make sure everything is alright."

Sounds like bosses Daley and Barry had much in common.

Are you kidding me? Clearly you didn't live in ward three during the 90s. Our trash got picked up maybe twice a month and if you called with a service request like fixing a streetlight the city would retaliate against you by fining your house for a minor infraction.

Looks like you missed the point which is many benefited from the bosses and those who did, voted for them.

I just don't think it is appropriate to compare basic city services like trash pickup that Daley was good at in Chicago to the same services that barry provided. Daley is known for being very good at providing those services; barry is known for being bad at services like trash pickup and fixing lights. Not fair to Daley.
Yes, the summer jobs program was a good initiative, but you need more than that to be a good mayor.

You folks don't understand the definition of a 'boss' in politics. This isn't about trash pickup. It's about political control, effective or not. Never make a regional political comment where people really don't understand.

I was responding to his grandfather's quote. People in Chicago often used to say the city was corrupt, but stuff got done. The trash was picked up, basic services were provided. I seriously doubt you can find many people who grew up in DC during the Marion Barry years of the 1990s who would say that trash got picked up, etc. Maybe the services were better east of the park, but west of the park, I can assure you, no one would have said what his grandfather said of Daley. It is not an apt historical comparison.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The censorship is unfortunate but probably necessary.

It doesnt seem Barry operated for personal gain - he was basically bankrupt. Did he enrage others? Probanly. But his legacy is pretty amazing. Last of the biggest city bosses to go. Now we get hacks like Gray, diblasio, etc.

The city will move on, and maybe faster than it otherwise w/o have. But it may lose some of the unique character Barry nurtured.

Being from Chicago and home of one of the biggest, baddest late bosses, Richard J Daley (1955-1976), I can appreciate your statement.

Daley, like Barry, was never in it for personal gain and both had dubious moments. I remember my grandfather saying he never really liked or trusted Daley but always voted for him "because my trash gets picked up, the street lights are on, and the precinct captain always checks in to make sure everything is alright."

Sounds like bosses Daley and Barry had much in common.

Are you kidding me? Clearly you didn't live in ward three during the 90s. Our trash got picked up maybe twice a month and if you called with a service request like fixing a streetlight the city would retaliate against you by fining your house for a minor infraction.

Looks like you missed the point which is many benefited from the bosses and those who did, voted for them.

I just don't think it is appropriate to compare basic city services like trash pickup that Daley was good at in Chicago to the same services that barry provided. Daley is known for being very good at providing those services; barry is known for being bad at services like trash pickup and fixing lights. Not fair to Daley.
Yes, the summer jobs program was a good initiative, but you need more than that to be a good mayor.

You folks don't understand the definition of a 'boss' in politics. This isn't about trash pickup. It's about political control, effective or not. Never make a regional political comment where people really don't understand.

I was responding to his grandfather's quote. People in Chicago often used to say the city was corrupt, but stuff got done. The trash was picked up, basic services were provided. I seriously doubt you can find many people who grew up in DC during the Marion Barry years of the 1990s who would say that trash got picked up, etc. Maybe the services were better east of the park, but west of the park, I can assure you, no one would have said what his grandfather said of Daley. It is not an apt historical comparison.

If you take trash out of the picture (both cities are more than that), it's about the power that was wielded under the definition of 'boss.'

In that respect, there is a comparison, though limited for very obvious reasons, where you have the definition of boss mayor who answered to no one. Read 'Boss: Richard J Daley of Chicago' by Mike Royko. As you read, it's far, far more than trash. And obviously, you can't compare Chicago to DC but their is similar sentiment about power.

Again, try and not focus exclusively on the trash aspect. If you didn't live in Chicago during the time the Boss governed, you might get more insight from the book rather than a few lines on DCUM please.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Yes, as a life long resident of the area, this is spot on. Yes, he was well liked because he "helped" people but he was more of a hand that held people down than helped them up. I think he had good intentions just very poor execution.

Sad that he has passed, he was a fixture in DC for sure and will be long remembered.

I think this has to be put in context. He was the son of a sharecropper who earned two degrees in science, but took up the cause of desegregation. Then he took on the great social experiment that was DC home rule. In a very short time they had desegregation, home rule, and the postwar decline of inner city manufacturing all at the same time. There was no academic scholarship on how to handle those problems at the time. The country barely understood what worked and what failed from the Great Depression. So he put adults to work in government jobs, which were previously all white and middle class. He put the kids to work picking up trash and killing rats. That sounds straight up Newt Gingrich. The constituency he won in his first election were the white voters across town -- people pretty much like DCUM except in the 1970s.

He had a big job, and I think that calling it "very poor execution" belittles the magnitude of what he had to do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The censorship is unfortunate but probably necessary.

It doesnt seem Barry operated for personal gain - he was basically bankrupt. Did he enrage others? Probanly. But his legacy is pretty amazing. Last of the biggest city bosses to go. Now we get hacks like Gray, diblasio, etc.

The city will move on, and maybe faster than it otherwise w/o have. But it may lose some of the unique character Barry nurtured.

Being from Chicago and home of one of the biggest, baddest late bosses, Richard J Daley (1955-1976), I can appreciate your statement.

Daley, like Barry, was never in it for personal gain and both had dubious moments. I remember my grandfather saying he never really liked or trusted Daley but always voted for him "because my trash gets picked up, the street lights are on, and the precinct captain always checks in to make sure everything is alright."

Sounds like bosses Daley and Barry had much in common.

Are you kidding me? Clearly you didn't live in ward three during the 90s. Our trash got picked up maybe twice a month and if you called with a service request like fixing a streetlight the city would retaliate against you by fining your house for a minor infraction.

We bought our house when Barry was still in power, and the city missed the first two trash pickups. DH and I seriously thought we made a mistake buying in the city, with trash and boxes piled up in our basement.

I missed the glory days of Barry. For me he was a constant embarrassment for the city. Glad to learn that he was so much more. How did he fall like that?