STATE OF A PEOPLE

I wanted to write a thought provoking post on racism, wanted to bring issues of discrimination and flat out injustice going on in the south to the fore front of my post. But being true to my philosophy on politics and self, I had to look within first. Had to take a step back and look at the greatest injustice in my community, look at the group of people destroying my people and keeping them down.

Over the weekend, an eight year old was shot in the head while in the car with his pregnant cousin and her boyfriend. None of the three people were gang members, drug dealers or armed, but on a street in Newark, NJ they were victims. Victims of a war on common-sense, common decency, respect, unity and community. A war that is being won by the soulless, hopeless residents of a city that is rebuilding around them. The young boy will survive, but these shootings are becoming more common place in Newark, while the city tries to rebuild and become more attractive to the suburbanites who commute to the city or New York for work. Mayor Cory Booker has said all the right things, but talk is cheap. Do not misread what I wrote, I think he is trying his best, but sometimes one man’s best is not enough. It will take parents, neighbors, cousins, uncles, aunts and friends to be accountable for those around them. It will take everyone. My views are sometimes extreme and this is one of those times. Like some law makers, I think its time for military action. Yes, I said it. Dare I re phrase it and say, Marshall Law? Why not? Is that not what we are doing in Iraq? Don’t we have military force there to keep the peace (not saying its working over there)? We are losing our streets and our children to ignorance, time for change. Impose a curfew (yes this will either cut some of our get togethers short or force all of us to spend the night at shawn’s), have armed National Guards strategically stationed throughout the city and install cameras throughout the city. Since the community refuses to “snitch,” or help, let big brother do it. I’m sure my republican readers don’t see too much wrong with this idea.

Before you blast me and say this may be too extreme. I challenge you to come up with a better idea, a workable one. Sure, education, better jobs and drug prevention are keys to the success of a people, but let me sum up the problem with the three. 1. All three will take time to become a staple in our community. What do we do while we try to promote education, develop jobs and teach our people to live without the illegal substances? Should we just continue to wash the blood off the streets and school buildings? 2. The problem is not with the lack of education, lack of jobs and lack of preventive drug education, the problem is us. We under value education, legal employment is more of a punishment as it does not yield immediate gratification. Drugs have become our primary source of income and expense. Blood is being shed over drug territory, drug money and the need for drugs. So as you get your thoughts together and ready yourself for a verbal assault on my opinion, please come with your own idea.