Talk:James F. Blake

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This page was a November 21, 2005 Gannett News Service web recommendation.

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[edit] Bash bash

He lived entirely too long.

That's a pretty terrible thing to say about anyone. -Silence 21:01, 11 November 2005 (UTC)
That's not very nice, but he was probably pretty disgraced by the 1970s when society in general looked down on his actions. Imagine forever being known as the guy who tried to make Rosa Parks stand.

66.75.49.213 04:56, 16 November 2005 (UTC)

What would have happened if he followed orders? He'd have suffered a complaint from one of the white passengers, and would have lost his job. It's not as if it was state sanctioned murder. - Reapermage1990 11:18 7th Dec 2007 —Preceding unsigned comment added by Reapermage1990 (talk • contribs) 11:19, 7 December 2007 (UTC)

But he didn't need to leave her in the rain, especially after she paid the fare. That's more or less stealing her money.-Babylon pride (talk) 01:34, 29 December 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Parks voluntarily leaves?

One day in 1943, Parks boarded his bus and paid the fare. She then moved to her seat but Blake asked her to follow his rules and enter the bus again from the back door. Parks walked off but did not board again

Currently the implication is that Parks refused to take the bus ride she had already paid for.
However, one of the other sources for this article (The Guardian) implies Parks was left behind intentionally by Blake in an apparent petty action
This wording is clearly inaccurate. It whitewashes James' actions, and vioates the NPOV of Wikipedia. Contrast it with the description of the same incident from the entry on Rosa Parks: As she began to exit by the front door, she dropped her purse. Parks sat down for a moment in a seat for white passengers, apparently to pick up her purse. The bus driver was enraged and barely let her step off the bus before speeding off. Rosa walked more than five miles home in the rain.

I changed this wording to be more accurate. T-bonham 09:44, 4 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Parks was immoral

Even in doing his "job", he was violating the responsible thing to do. "It is immoral not to break unjust laws."

I wouldn't say that he was wrong in not breaking the law - he was wrong in the way he enforced the optional rules.
He was wrong. He was a racist.
Maybe so but the guy was a product of the time and place he lived in. We'd all like to think we'd do the right thing in his place, but who knows? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.204.92.202 (talk) 01:53, 25 March 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Parks wasn't "asked"!

Mr. Blake did not "ask" or "request" that Parks leave and reënter through the back, or that Parks and the others relinquish their seats. By all reliable accounts in specific and known historic attitudes in general, he *told* them; he *ordered* them. Verbs changed to reflect fact.

[edit] Earlier Parks - Blake run in

The info on the earlier Parks - Blake run in is somewhat unclear and contradictory. According to this article which is supported by the Guardian article she paid, tried to go to her seat but was ordered to get off and reboard at the back which she did at which point he drove off before she could reboard at the back. According to the Rosa Parks article, she dropped her purse and sat on a 'white-only' seat while picking it up. This infruated him so much that he drove off without her when she got off to reboard at the back. Of course perhaps both of these happen but it would be best if this could be clarified with further sourcing. Nil Einne 14:17, 1 December 2007 (UTC)