as a touristic business manager, as a parisian, as a citizen of a democracy, i m even more sad when i watch cnn and other medias than when i watch cars burning in the suburbs.. here in the historical center despite some fears, life is safe and peaceful..nothing has changed… just a visit to our web site will make you understand what is le marais and specialy paris district 3… http://www.parismarais.com/index.htm it s true we do have poors in France ( 7% of the population )and we should start to consider them, it s true the gap is growing in France between the rich and the poors, but it s not true we are at civil war… let me remind you statistics about murders… 250 deads per year in France by gun shots for 60 millions french. over 12 000 in the USA for 300 millions americans… the violence is very much focused by the medias because it’s very unusual… and new to a globaly peacuful society. even today, Paris is safer than any big american city…

here s the point of view of a great friend : Adrian Leeds, an american writer living in Paris, in the 3rd next street to mine…

welcome to Paris…anyway

pascal fonquernie

parismarais.com manager

An american point of view…

To ignore the Paris riots would be irresponsible on my part, but I must tell you, that if it weren’t for my CNN news alerts, I wouldn’t know they were happening. That’s not to say that my head is “in the sand,” but living in central Paris, there has been no sign of the angered destruction taking place in the “banlieue” (suburbs) or in other parts of France

I caution all those watching and reading American media so as not to overexaggerate the true situation. Remember that the American media is run by entertainment organizations that tend to sensationalize the news to build ratings. Remember that they usually take the same 20-second “sound bite” and run it every hour on the hour or more often leading you to believe the event is happening in continuous motion, rather than done and past. Remember that in Paris, the rich live in the center and the poor live in the suburbs — the opposite of the U.S. condition of the inner cities vs the wealthy “burbs.”

There is no question of the seriousness of the situation. For a very long time the poorly treated immigrant pot has been simmering and predictions of it coming to a boiling point have been whispered about. Now the time has come for France to pay for its mistakes vis a vis its poor and suffering immigrant population, mostly of North African and West African origin, who are jobless and grossly discriminated against. I remind myself that I, too, am an immigrant in France, but my white face and western background don’t threaten the French middle class.

Craig S. Smith of the New York Times reminds us that “Just two months ago, the French watched in horrified fascination at the anarchy of New Orleans, where members of America’s underclass were seen looting stores and defying the police in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.”

In his article “France Has an Underclass, but Its Roots Are Still Shallow” published November 6, 2005, he continues, “The corrosive gap between America’s whites and its racial minorities, especially African-Americans, is the product of centuries: slavery, followed by cycles of poverty and racial exclusion that denied generation after generation the best the United States could offer. France, on the other hand, is only beginning to struggle with a much newer variant of the same problem: the fury of Muslims of North African descent who have found themselves caught for three generations in a trap of ethnic and religious discrimination.”

Now both sides of the Atlantic are getting a taste for their just rewards. While the rioting is destructive, just like Katrina was, it sheds new light on problems that need to be addressed NOW, not tomorrow, and for our pain and suffering will come renewed enlightenment. Just like my cast will help heal my torn ligaments, so shall the uncorralled and violent expression strengthen the cause.

Call me the ultimate optimist as one of France’s more welcome immigrants, but I see a brighter future for an ailing community from a more tolerant government.

Paris is still Paris. Paris will always be Paris and this, too, shall pass.

The problem with declarative statements of fact in any situation other than ‘historical’ is that they tend to be WRONG.

Death #1 from the actions of the ‘unfortunate’, has been reported this AM.

The State has an absolute duty to impose ORDER and protect its AVERAGE citizen.

Less regular police; more special police. More Zarkozy; less DeVillepin

Jamie Irons has some good advice for you on civility (scroll up).

best,

thibaud

If you read the preceeding post to the one she provided a link to, you will see that I contacted Mr. Cruce after reading his email on this blog (to which I gave proper credit). I was curious at that time what the CATALYST was – I first read in the Atlantic Monthly about the Muslim slums around Paris quite a while ago. So why now? I wondered if it was the new laws banning headscarves, etc.

Mr. Cruce very kindly responded directly to me, and that was the basis of the post, Is Paris Burning? We have been emailing each other back and forth since.

Many people contacted me after that first post, and that inspired the subsequent post that Ms. Silver provided a link to (I would link, but don’t quite know how in the format). I did receive another email from Paul Cruce, and much of it is similar to the one he sent to Mr. Simon, but then again, he is describing the same events and feelings. His emails to me are quite a bit longer than what I used.

However, this is not some Nigerian-bank-president-type scam, as her post implies. I know I have had direct and requested contact with him, and I assume Mr. Simon has had the same. I am sorry if anybody disbelieves him because he wrote to more than one person.

“I have always enjoyed Roger’s blog for the host’s wit and humanity, for its wide-ranging and erudite discussions, and for the fact that everyone (well, almost everyone) adopts a civil and respectful tone even with those with whom she disagrees.”

I feel the same way; this is far from the only bbs where I post but here I watch my p’s & q’s a lot more than elsewhere. Many are the potential posts that’ve been nixed because, on further reflection while previewing, they weren’t up to perceived snuff. Other sites (no names!!) I’ll just let fly with a wtf attitude.

We have ways of dealing with the other. Consider yourself warned

I stopped reading your posts. Really. You are just being too patronizing. Just because people disagree with you does not make them stupid.

I don’t think this is the end of the world or France for that matter.

I remember when the anti war demonstrations were going on here. Communists really encouraged them and communists really did benefit from them. I know, I was there.

But that did not mean everyone in the anti war movement was a communist. I was just a dumb teenager myself.

I know France’s history with countries like Algiers has been long and bloody and I know that there is more to the rioting in Paris now than some European intifada. I knew a man who lived in France in the 60’s who could remember fighting in the streets.

But it would be naive to look at London and who blew up those buses and the Netherlands and who killed Van Gogh and the growing numbers of honor killings in Germany and not wonder if there is not some destructive element at play in these communities.

All over the world radical Islam is killing people, Jews, Christians, Buddhists, Hindu and even other Muslims.

I doubt very seriously if it would leave France alone. It is parasitic.

I had that happen too. You can sign in and go back and then hit post.

It is annoying, but that way you don’t have to go through it again.