Talk:James F. Blake

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

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)

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)

I thought that after he asked her to move and reenter through the back door, he drove off before she could get to the back..98.203.244.121 (talk) 17:27, 24 May 2009 (UTC)chrty

Parks was immoral

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

He wasn't necessarily doing an irresponisble thing, just an immoral one.99.40.251.176 (talk) 22:50, 1 December 2010 (UTC)

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)

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.

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 hi im willie . Nil Einne 14:17, 1 December 2007 (UTC)

Klan

I heard he was in the KKK —Preceding unsigned comment added by 202.20.3.133 (talk) 19:44, 18 November 2008 (UTC)

Name?

What was his middle name?? I dont know why but it bothers me when it puts just a letter for a middle name and never once explains or tells what the name is. I cannot find it anywhere and it would actually be of great help for something I am writing for a class at school. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 98.203.244.121 (talk) 17:14, 24 May 2009 (UTC)

Probably too late for your book report, but I managed to resolve the mystery. The middle name was Fred. gidonb (talk) 12:30, 27 July 2009 (UTC)

Blake's race?

What ethnicity was Blake? This seems pertinent to the segregation issue. (I'm not American, I have little knowledge of American history) Andrew Oakley (talk) 15:01, 29 March 2010 (UTC) —Preceding unsigned comment added by Ftbnubs123 (talk • contribs) 19:29, 9 May 2010 (UTC)

False information? (Possibly)

If blake was in the Army during WWII, how could he have kicked Parks off of a bus in 1943? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Ftbnubs123 (talk • contribs) 19:31, 9 May 2010 (UTC)

1943 event date

Is it possible the 1943 Parks/Blake encounter was actually from 1953? DulcetTone (talk) 16:39, 1 December 2010 (UTC) Sheesh, I missed that someone had already brought this up. That'll teach me to actually read the whole darn page ; Per this, I'm gonna agree -- is it possible this was in 1953, instead of 1943? 12 years seems way too long. Plus, the 1943 date seems to conflict with the WW2 service mentioned.

Year of first encounter?

Nothing inherently wrong, but I'm somewhat amazed that there was a 12-year span between the "James Blake drove away leaving Rosa Parks standing there" incident, and the famous 1955 incident. Also, the article notes that James Blake served in the European theatre of WW2; is the 1943 date verifiably correct? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.235.56.24 (talk) 09:33, 8 December 2010 (UTC)