A word about the riots....

Hello all, in response to the many emails i have received concerning the rioting in Paris, i would like to say first of all, im in no danger whatsoever. My town is very far away from Paris and the other cities where violence has sprung up. So dont worry, im just fine......For those of you who want some info on the situation, i found an article on the ny times website 'France has an Underclass, but its roots are still shallow' which i can send to you. The gist of the article however states that Frances means of dealing with its growing population of immigrants primarily from north and west africa has been by extensive welfare programs. They have not handled the ethnic and religious discrimination experienced by these people especially in their search of work. As a result, a dangerous degree of isolation is being felt by the young immigrant population in particular who now dont feel the connection to their mother country like their parents, yet dont consider themselves french either. Affirmative action is taboo in France, and yet the article states that in America the conditions are much worse for the minority populations present. A association was set up in france only a few years ago (i think 2003) to act as a middle person between the immigrant population and the state, and the only main change that was made was students are no longer allowed to wear veils in school. In summary, France has been ignoring this group of people for far too long and im hopeful that with these acts of violence the state can figure out the best way to improve relations.