It Can Be Done

     Since my last blog post, I've continued to study possible ways and means by which I can lead the way in formulating and carrying out a comprehensive plan to improve the quality of life for residents of Our Ward. At the same time, I've met some young Men and Women who had marginally compensated employment, and asked them what careers they would choose if "anything was possible".

     In a capitalist society, as the name implies, capital rules the day. Those who have the financial means have tended to set policy, shape legislation, structure their educational system to their benefit, direct the investment and expenditure of public funds, and overall, live prosperous and fulfilling lives, over multiple generations. An ironic paradox to this societal model, is that even though the 6th Ward has one of the previously mentioned assets, financial means, it lacks the sense of being an effectively cohesive community, and as a result, has tended to be buffeted about like a ship in a storm whose steering apparatus has ceased to function. Although I'm aware that the majority of 6th Ward residents have achieved a high degree of educational and career achievements, there are still thousands of our neighbors who are either struggling on a daily basis, or who have not been able to pass along the sense of purpose and work ethic that made this community a place that one can be proud to live in. We in the 6th Ward do command a respectable degree of financial wherewithal, but I feel that we have not been as successful in sustaining our successes, by close coordination of our efforts as a way to truly maximize and multiply our accomplishments over multiple generations. I conducted a review of African American owned banks, and found that there were 54 in 1994, but in 2014 only 21 still exist in the entire United States of America. A strategy must be formulated, supported, and carried through that fully supports these critical institutions, while still holding them accountable for the long term  maintenance of prosperity for 6th Ward residents, which will make it possible for these banks to stay in business, and continue to expand and diversify their investments in our community.
     As consumers, we rightfully expect to get the best possible value in the products and services that we pay for. To that end, it would be wonderful to see local retailers successfully compete with similar businesses outside of the 6th Ward, but to do so would take imagination, innovation, daring, and a commitment to solicit and respond to feedback from local consumers. Retailers who are not 6th Ward residents, and have no intention of supporting positive initiatives in the Ward, really need to take their business elsewhere. Local institutions will need to somewhat subdue their inherent need to be proudly independent, in order to make it possible for us to multiply our assets, and not be satisfied with islands of relative prosperity surrounded by a sea of apathy and benign neglect.
     When 100 6th Ward Residents live in relative poverty and turn to crime, drug abuse, and violence out of sheer frustration, it causes 1000 residents to watch their backs at all times, not let their children play outside, stop casually enjoying each others company outdoors, and just hunker down and bemoan the fact that "things aren't the way they used to be". No, things are not the way they used to be, but with a spirit of community and a commitment to one another, things can turn around, and be better than they ever were.
     When I've asked young adults of various ethnicities what they'd choose for a career if anything they desired was possible, some chose working with youth, others wanted to become photographers, physical therapists, entertainers, police officers, and entrepreneurs, but the saddest and most soul destroying thing a young woman did when I asked her that question, was to look up at me with the most blank, "I don't have a clue" look that I've ever seen. She literally had no dreams for herself whatsoever. She aspired to nothing, and as long as that attitude is held firm, that's exactly what she will get out of life. We have to collectively and individually touch base in some sort of way with each and every child that is born into the 6th Ward, and make sure that they understand that the only way to have some sort of meaningful life, is to find something that is self rewarding, and share that gift with everyone around them. If so many of us continue to exist largely as someone else's worker, someone else's sports fan, someone else's liquor, clothing, food, and music consumer, far too many of us will wake up one day in the ruins of what used to be an educated and prosperous community, angry and frustrated, knowing only separation from others, and self hatred. We cannot allow this current trend of societal breakdown and chaos to continue.
     When I entered the Army at 19 years old, I was placed in charge of my platoon, partly because I had prepared myself for the military by attaining the rank of Major in high school ROTC, but mostly because I exhibited the type of leadership skills necessary to get the job done well. One night, a guy approached me and said, "I heard that you know karate, is that true"? I told him yes, that I had some experience in martial arts. He proceeded to ask me to shatter one of his kneecaps for him while he was asleep, so that he could get out of the Army. I agreed to do that for him, but had no intention of carrying it out. When he later asked me why I hadn't broken his kneecap, I told him that it wasn't necessary for him to carry out such an extreme act upon himself. I told him that thousands of young guys like us go through this kind of abuse every day, that the rest of us were not better or stronger than him, and that if we could survive the ordeal, so could he. Upon graduation, he was recognized as being the most improved trainee of our cycle, and I was recognized as the highest achieving trainee of the cycle.
     When we believe in ourselves, no accomplishment of true value can be withheld from us, and nothing of true value can be taken from us. As long as we believe.
              
  
    

Perspicacity

     I recently visited Oakwoods cemetery, in an effort to clear my thoughts so that I could refocus my efforts to accurately inform the voters of the 6th Ward as to the type of person I am, and what my core priorities will be as an Alderman in the City of Chicago.
     I visited my Mothers' gravesite, and after awhile, I walked away with an understanding that I didn't have before. I understood that, in order to effectively represent the residents of the 6th Ward, it would be necessary for me to do three things.
     I would have to stay focused on solving the important problems and issues that have negatively effected our lives, and actively pursue solutions to those problems.
     I would have to maintain an open heart, in order to avoid becoming calloused and insensitive to the needs of my constituents.
      And I would have to Never Give Up, in my efforts to effect some worthwhile positive changes in the lives of the residents of the 6th Ward.

     Before I left Oakwoods, I stopped for awhile at the resting place of the man who'd inspired me to step forward and lend my energy and efforts to the service and betterment of others. I walked away with a term in my mind that I had heard him use once, "Perspicacity". The definition I found for this term described it as, "The ability of having a ready insight into things. Shrewdness."
      There have been occasions in my professional life, in which I've been able to understand the fundamental core issue which had precipitated an incident which needed to be resolved efficiently, and equitably. In order to bring about solutions to sometimes complex and seemingly insurmountable barriers to understanding and problem solving, "Perspicacity" is essential.
     Whether my campaign receives many thousands of dollars and scores of volunteers, or I find it necessary to struggle on a daily basis to get onto the ballot and attain at least 7,650 of your votes, I will be your next Alderman. That's my magic number. It's the goal I've set for myself, and it's mine for the taking. Yes, my statements here do appear to be somewhat brash and overconfident, but who among you is willing to be represented by someone who is less than confident in their own abilities?

        

Forgive Barbarism?

   
     This blog post will focus on Police brutality and corruption, a manifestation of both evil incarnate and human weakness, which consistently undermines the values that form the foundation of a free and just society. First and foremost, I'll preface this post with my sincerely heartfelt commitment to all of the men and women who took their oaths to serve and protect the public seriously, and who begin each shift determined to make the lives of all citizens less fraught with fear, uncertainty, and a mistrust of authority.
     A recent event in the St. Louis suburb of Ferguson Missouri, and current events here in Chicago have once again brought to the forefront one of the most heinous and frustrating symptoms of a dysfunctional society. As reported in the media, a Ferguson Officer, after ordering several young men to get off of the street, (which is in and of itself a violation of their constitutional rights), subsequently caused the death of a young man who had not been engaged in criminal activity of any kind. The civil unrest and wanton property damage that followed this act are closely being followed and reported by the media, but the core issue that caused this unfolding social tragedy will most likely continue to plague us, until fundamental reforms are put into place, and stringently enforced.
     At the heart of police brutality incidents there is an underlying cancer that no one in authority is prepared to excise from their Department. I'll call it the "Us versus them" mentality. Before they became Officers of The Law, these people were just like the rest of us, human beings with the potential to either uplift this society, or contribute to its' collapse. The vast majority of Officers entered this career with an understanding that it takes a special kind of commitment to place oneself in harms way on a daily basis, in order to protect those members of society who are unable or unwilling to protect themselves. The core of this problem arises when Officers and their Leadership buy into the concept that their own personal human failings, which often result in the immoral and illegal beating and killing of others, are to be forgiven, while the failings of citizens are to be so stringently punished, that individual Department members who know that they will not be punished for brutality, assign themselves as Judge, Jury, and Executioner, without facing personal or professional consequences.
     Following the recent killing of this unarmed citizen in Missouri, I conceived a brilliantly simple solution to this problem. Any sworn Officer who is convicted of having taken the life of an unarmed citizen, (who was not in the act of committing a violent crime at the time they were killed), would upon conviction for this crime, serve a mandatory sentence of 30 years in prison. If such legislation were to be passed, police brutality would be a thing of the past. The same holds true for Officers who, by virtue of their authority, have allowed their personal judgment to become so warped that they can no longer discern right from wrong. Just today, the media reported that a Department member with many years of experience made improper physical contact with a co-workers pre-teen daughter. What has this world come to, when persons who are entrusted to serve and protect us are allowed to murder and degrade us, without consistently facing serious consequences. Another leader within the Chicago Police Department is being mentioned in the media in relation to an incident whereby this "leader", placed his pistol in the mouth of a suspect who was already in custody, in order to accomplish what? In order to perpetuate the same type of superiority complex that was exercised by a small minority of whites during slavery, when all African Americans were deemed to be less than human in the eyes of this society, and were therefore subjected to wanton brutality and degradation without consequence.
     We no longer have an option to simply sit back and watch this beautiful Democracy of ours spiral into chaos. We must, both individually and collectively, hold our representatives accountable for their actions. Until we wake up and demand the necessary changes that need to be made, things will only get worse.      
  

    

Supporting One Another

One of the most difficult concepts to accurately articulate and execute, is the idea of an overwhelming majority of the voters in the 6th Ward coming together as a unified voice, to Elect the absolute best candidate to the office of Alderman.
      How does one gauge the effectiveness of the (approximate) $400,000.00 we've paid to 6th Ward Alderman Rod Sawyer, in terms of evaluating whether or not to expend another precious vote in 2015, in return for more of what we've received thus far?
     I'll start by looking at what's occurred within my realm of experience since the last election. My (then) 14 year old had to be rushed back into his school one day, due to a sudden surge of gang activity near his school during football practice. A masked robber was shot by Chicago Police near the Shell station and Maxwell Street restaurant at 74th and State Street. There are several more vacant lots on 75th Street, where a bowling alley once stood, and where businesses caught fire under undetermined circumstances on January 17th, and March 3rd of this year. On June 10th of this year, two people were shot less than 100 yards from my home, apparently for no good reason whatsoever. It probably involved someone either having insulted, or financially taken advantage of someone else, who felt that their only recourse was to shoot someone to make their point.
     In an overall sense, the two biggest groups of persons in the 6th Ward involved in things that are counter productive to our collective well being and prosperity are: 1. Those who have something to gain by taking advantage of us for financial reasons, and 2. Those who have nothing to lose when they embark on ultra violent shooting binges for reasons of street credibility, or their financial interests from illegal activities. When business owners, (who are usually not members of our community), can no longer profit financially from us, they've often turned to arson for a quick cash payout, and we're usually left with a pile of rubble, and then vacant lots, which tend to multiply like the cells of a virus, until vested groups with substantial cash move in to rebuild the area, once enough of us have given up and moved elsewhere.
    To counteract these types of behaviors, as Alderman, I'm strongly considering a long term coordinated effort to ask the community as a whole to stringently avoid pouring our dollars into the businesses of persons who have no vested interest in the long-term prosperity of the 6th Ward. When non-ward residents who own businesses get the message that we're no longer just a revenue source to be taken advantage of, they will of necessity re-think their strategy, and either leave this ward, or change the way they do business here. A 6th ward business that makes a financial commitment to either a 6th ward school, or a 6th ward student, will have my support. As to the recent Whole Foods movement, to try to bring this retailer into our community, I personally find it unnecessary. We as a people, don't really need Whole Foods to set up shop here. All we need is to put aside our perceived differences from one another, and open our own market as a co-op. Hire our own residents so that we can feed and employ ourselves, and stop looking elsewhere for  solutions to our problems.
    Semi-organized groups who engage in an endless cycle of illegal activity and wanton violence have no place in my 6th ward. Somehow, this activity must cease, permanently. The solution to this problem lies in first attaining a comprehensive understanding of who's making these decisions to send out, or motivate others, to grab weapons and shoot someone every time something occurs that they don't like. Secondly, the goal is to consistently make it impossible for the perpetrators of this self-genocide to maintain this type of activity. It will most likely take a fully coordinated effort by residents, educators, the Clergy, and Law Enforcement at the City, County, and Federal levels, to comprehensively coordinate a long term action plan to stop this killing once and for all.
     As a financial anchor for the 6th ward, I'd love to spearhead the establishment of a Community Credit Union. In the 1980's, I met a group of persons who were involved in doing just that, but  the regulatory agency that approved certification of this credit union kept changing the petition requirements, until the group gave up on trying. This kind of organized targeting of African American financial institutions can also be overcome, but it requires commitment, planning, and efficient execution.
     One thing that people will come to realize about me over time, is that I'm a very determined individual. When I commit myself to an ideal, I stay the course until I succeed. For me, failure is not an option. Allow me to serve as your Alderman, and I will make an effort to somehow, some way, make a positive difference in the life of at least one Ward Resident, every day, for four years.