Arlene Jones - Featured Columnist Austin Weekly News

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2011-07-21T07:05:00.002-05:00

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Politicians still in support of illegal immigration

2011-05-10T01:15:00.000-05:00

Five years ago, on May 2, 2006, all the headlines across the country were basically the same. A powerful new movement had occurred the day before. Those who participated in the movement basked in their glory from all the attention they had garnered.

Many people like me sat back insulted that it had even happened. I was especially taken back when a local activist came on the radio, and when asked if he had reached out to the black community for support, basically said no because they were trying to do it themselves. In others words, the support of black folks wasn't needed as part of the initial strategy. However, like a good card player, they reserved the right to play us if they thought it would be necessary.

What is most interesting is that the movement that occurred on that day had used the civil rights movement as its blueprint. The strategy was simple. Just as blacks had marched in record numbers on Washington and Selma, Ala., their numbers all over this country would march in major and minor cities to show their strength. The only problem with that show of force is that far too many carried flags of other nations representing the countries of their origins while they protested in America.

By now I am sure you know what the issue is? Illegal immigration, to be precise. Those who came into this country and are now here illegally wanted to force this country to abandon the current immigration policy and give citizenship and all the rights that come with it to millions of foreign nationals simply because they are here.

Their PR campaign was as slick as anything Madison Avenue could have put out. We are brainwashed into believing that those here illegally are the backbone of the country. That without them, we as a country would fall to shreds. The campaign to defend those here illegally tells us they pick our food, watch our children, mow our lawns and pay taxes. Yet, seldom is much credence given to the fact that a lot of those tax payments are via someone else's social security number. Also, it is rare for anyone to mention that illegal immigrants are not the majority in any work field. Thus, no matter the job category, the majority of the work is still done by Americans and not illegal immigrants.

One of the underlying efforts of the illegal immigration movement is to forge the gains made by blacks onto their movement. It is no coincidence that Dr. King is constantly portrayed as limited to his "I Have a Dream" speech. So what word do they come up with to try and give American citizenship to the millions of young illegal immigrants? The Dream Act. Coincidence? No.

And speaking of the Dream Act, the Illinois Senate has been sent a bill to give students who are here illegally money for school and driver's licenses. That's right. The same folks who tell us that we need to up the age for licenses for American young people are quick to want to legitimatize hundreds of thousands of folks who are here illegally with a driver's license. They also want to open up the state's limited coffers so that college saving programs and prepaid tuition programs are for all Illinois residents.

One has to only sit back and marvel at how in less than 30 years, the gains which took one segment of this country centuries are being rewarded to folks who not only just showed up at the table, but showed up uninvited.

Show kids you care: Vote for Austin Town Hall

2011-05-10T01:14:00.000-05:00

I have been on a soap box lately when it comes to children, especially about how so many black adults seem to be in denial when it comes to what black children should and should not be exposed to. With both of my children now in their 20s and no grandchildren in sight (thank God!), I am seeing more clearly the kind of lifestyles that far too many children exist in today. Unfortunately from my vantage point, those children are subsisting in dysfunctional homes with corresponding dysfunctional adults.

Over the past couple of weeks, I have written about adults who seem to practice the "they'll be OK" method of childrearing. That method requires little or no involvement with their children. Rather those adults expect that children will learn via osmosis as opposed to the tutelage of a parent's guidance. It is very evident to me that far too many adults (and I am being kind in calling those grown folks "adults") don't have a clue as to what it takes to raise a child. They have no idea that there should be a clear-cut line on which adult behavior/discussions/actions should not take place in front of kids. Our children deserve a childhood, not a mini-adulthood. Yes, there are things that children will have to know when they grow up, but they aren't grown yet.

Why are so many adults in the black community willing to rob children of the innocence of childhood? Many of us grew up in an era where adults would spell and whisper code words so children would not be privy to adult conversations. But today, when audio pornography is disguised as current popular music, we have far too many adults buying into the hype and exposing children to it without realizing the real consequences of their actions.

After writing several columns lamenting the language in a lot of the music being played by deejays in front of children, I am not shocked that my mantra hasn't been taken up by others. Part of the reason we have ended up where we are is that far too many have accepted what is going on as par for the course. We don't have any "moral authorities" anymore. We lack individuals who stand on principle and morality. There is no outrage over lyrics that would make a sailor blush. In fact, it is standard fare to play in front of kids. That is both sad and sick and a reflection on those who speak God's name on one hand while serving the devil with the other.

I am not going to stop my tirade against those who should know better, yet choose not to do better.

I recently learned of an opportunity for us as a community to send a message to the children of Austin that we do support and care about them. Austin Town Hall is entered in a contest to win a $50,000 renovation from Maxwell House. All they have to do is get votes over the Internet. That's right. No stamps, no checking the box. Just a simple click of the mouse. Of the 10 organizations vying for the money, Austin Town Hall is 10th!

That is unacceptable. As the largest community in the city of Chicago, we can do better than that. We can show our children we are willing to do what all the other communities do for theirs.

Take the time to do "good in the 'hood." To vote for Austin Town Hall to get the money, just visit Facebook and "LIKE" the Maxwell House site. Then be a real Chicagoan and vote early and often. Let's see if we can get a million votes for our park and our children. Let us make the kind of news that is positive and puts us on the news showing that we care.

Maybe Licensing DJs Can Solve The Problem

2011-04-25T23:09:00.003-05:00

Working in a place where one gets to deal directly with the public is a real "eye-opener." Anecdotal stories about people's actions and behaviors are quickly replaced by firsthand knowledge. As such, I am now more firmly convinced than ever before that some black folks have lost their minds or are stuck in a Peter Pan tale of never growing up.

My ire? I was a worker at a wedding where I again was privy to the current generation of music played and danced to with no regard for young children being in the room. The lyrics? Well, let's just say that in just over 20 years, the music industry have managed to make pornographic lyrics a mainstay of popular music. Those lyrics, along with the current craze of booty poppin' and jukin', have put center stage on the dance floor what should be left in the bedroom.

I watched in disbelief as the adults shook their booties to the music. They even stood around and admired how clever and cute it was to see the young children do the same. My desire to speak out was tempered by my boss reminding me that these people had rented the place and it is not our job to be telling them the kind of music they can play. But shouldn't it be somebody's job to monitor the kind of music that is stereoed out to a room if children are present? Teachers would lose their job if they played this music in a classroom. I can't even quote the lyrics in this newspaper. Why is it any different if a deejay plays it?

The subconscious mind is a powerful organ, able to hear and see what the conscious mind overlooks. So those young children hearing those lyrics are being directed into that kind of behavior unconsciously. I know several songs I have heard over and over again are stuck in my mind. I have to purposely ignore the song. If I as an adult find myself battling the lyrics to certain songs, how are young children going to cope when such foul and filthy music is pumped at them over and over again? If we as a society don't permit young children to see pornographic movies, how can we defend those who put the pornography in a song? And if pornography is now the basis for dance music today, what will it be in 10-20 years?

In advance of writing this column, I put a question out on Facebook asking if the deejay should be held responsible. Many felt that it was the parent's job to give a thumb's down to certain songs. But how many parents really know the words to most of the popular songs? And just because a parent wants it to happen, doesn't mean it is OK. What about parents of children who don't want their children exposed to such language?

Perhaps it is time we started licensing deejays and putting more responsibility on what they can play and to whom. I remember being at a huge outdoor picnic and the deejay played a raunchy song. It seems to me that in their zeal to become a famous deejay, many are not concerned with the content of the music they play so long as they are given accolades for mixing the music well. At some point, our elected officials need to put the subject of X-rated lyrics and to whom they can be played on their legislative radar.

Too Many Topics Not Enough Space

2011-04-25T23:09:00.001-05:00

I normally don't have a problem writing this column. But tonight as I sit up past midnight, I have started and stopped writing so many times, I lost count. I am never at a loss for words. But this week I waivered and changed the subject so many times, if I were using a pen, I would have run out of paper and my pen would be empty of ink. I haven't ranted in a long time and since I can't seem to settle on a singular issue, I'll just let off steam on a variety of items.

I gotta start with the news that was late hitting the airwaves Tuesday night. The allegations, if true, should have every resident of the West Side up in arms and demanding a resignation. Fox Chicago News is alleging that newly appointed State Senator Annazette Collins doesn't live in the apartment she has used as an address to run for office. She owns a condo in Hyde Park, and it is there that she has claimed a homeowner's exemption. Say what? Here we have a prior state representative who gets appointed to fill the vacated seat of Rickey Hendon, and now we learn she doesn't even live in her district? Give me an expletive deleted break.

The West Side neighborhoods and residents suffer from a lack of so much, and now we hear that those who claim to have our best interests at heart don't live here? Well her immediate reward, if true, should be to lose her office, be stripped of her retirement fund and to be tried and incarcerated for having lied and stolen from the people of the 5th state senatorial district. There will never be any real improvement and changes on this side of town if we continue to tolerate those who want to be our elected representatives but don't want to live with us and therefore are not truly interested in changing the status quo.

Speaking of things involving this state, I have noticed that something strange is going on with the numbers on some license plates. At first, I thought people were doing something to their plates - like coating the numbers with reflective paint to throw off the red light cameras. But I looked at my own plates and they are rusting/corroding near where the numbers/letters were pressed and then painted onto the plate.

For the amount of money we have to pay for a renewal sticker and the cost of the plates, someone needs to investigate why the quality of this last set of plates seems to be deteriorating much faster than other plates. There is a tremendous danger if the plate can't be accurately read or if they can be easily altered.

And speaking of things that are easily altered, I swear there must only be about 10 of those temporary Illinois license plates, and they are being shared by everyone who gets a new/used car. I have never seen so many battered and old looking temporary plates as I am noticing mounted on vehicles driving around this city. I don't think those temporary plates are any better than the old "License Applied For" pieces of paper that used to dot the back windows of too many cars. It would seem to me that with current technology, we can have a better system of putting a plate on a new/used car. The abuses of the old system appear to still be occurring with this new one.

Lastly, we are not even into full-blown spring, and the shootings (especially the number of young children under 12 being shot) are an absolute disgrace. Our governor signed a bill to end the death penalty, but the criminals don't seem to have the same mindset, as murders occur like the rising and setting of the sun. Every day the number of people shot approaches double digits. Those killers/murderers walk among us and even when people know who did the killing, they are silent. It is time to write an anonymous note or buy a burner phone and use it to call the police and turn in the killers.

2011-04-10T13:38:00.001-05:00

When Luelicious Yarbrough parked his car late Thursday night on the vacant lot in his West Side neighborhood, the 89-year-old retiree never expected that by morning it would be towed - especially since he's parked in that lot near Jackson and Kolmar for the last 18 years.

Yarbrough's 1996 Ford Windstar van was towed Friday morning, along with seven other vehicles parked in the same lot belonging to neighbors on the 4600 block of West Jackson. The vehicle belonging to Sandra Rowe, a community volunteer beat facilitator in the neighborhood, was also towed by the private company.

Rowe said she asked the tow truck drivers why the cars were being removed and was told that a complaint was made. Police were also on the scene to prevent neighbors from moving or retrieving items from their cars, according to Rowe. She and other upset neighbors spoke to local media Friday afternoon about the incident.

Some neighbors on the block, however, are casting suspicion toward outgoing Ald. Sharon Dixon, alleging that Friday morning's incident was retaliation against some on the block for their vocal support for Dixon's campaign opponent, Michael Chandler. A former 24th Ward alderman himself, Chandler defeated Dixon in Tuesday's run-off election to win the seat he lost four years ago.

Austin Weekly News called Dixon's West Side office Friday evening to inform her of the charges and to seek a response, but her office was closed.

Rowe said she didn't know who made the complaint or why. Concerning the accusation that Ald. Dixon was somehow involved, Rowe said she could not say if that was the case because she has no evidence. But she and other neighbors did note that several Chandler signs that were on their block were pulled out of the ground or torn down. About a half block away from Rowe's home, several Chandler signs were sprawled out in the street.

Other neighbors, though, were emphatic that Dixon was behind it.

"She lost and this is how she gets back at the people who didn't support her," one neighbor said.

According to Rowe, when she later called police to ask about the complaint she was told that none was on file. Yarbrough, who is disabled, said his walking cane and groceries were among the items in his van. According to Rowe, the police would not allow her or other neighbors to retrieve Yarbrough's belongings. More than a dozen neighbors stood on Rowe's porch answering questions from the media this afternoon, and asked a few questions of their own.

"Who filed the complaint? And why were the cars in this lot the only ones that were towed," she asked, pointing to the now-vacant lot just across the street from her home.

Neighbors said no other cars on their block were towed, including cars parked in other lots and on the street that haven't been driven for months. Rowe and her neighbors also want to know what the process is for towing cars, and if it was followed this morning.

"I came outside to see what was going on," Rowe said. "I'm trying to get information from the tow truck drivers and they were really rude and obnoxious, and they basically said that they couldn't talk to me and they weren't going to talk to me, that I should take it up with the police.

Rowe recalled that when she talked to police at the scene, they informed her that they were there to prevent neighbors from stopping their cars from being towed. All of the vehicles were taken to a facility at 701 N. Sacramento , neighbors said. Some neighbors went to retrieve their vehicles, according to Rowe, but she and others, including Yarbrough, have not yet. Rowe said that'll cost about $150 per car, not including a storage fee if the vehicles are not picked up.

Yarbrough said he's on a fixed income and wasn't sure how he'll come up with the money. At Friday's press conference, several neighbors collected money in a hat for the elder.

Austin Weekly News will have additional coverage in next Thursday's paper.

Shades of gray can be welcome

2011-04-10T13:36:00.000-05:00

When I wrote last week's column, I admitted to finding myself in an unusual quandary. I found a situation where the "rightness" and "wrongness" of an issue wasn't as black or white as I wanted it to be. The issue of "statutory rape" in some instances is one where, depending on the circumstances, the "rapist" and the "victim" may not accurately describe the individuals involved in the act.

As an example, if an 18-year-old girl who is in love with a 15-year-old boy has sex with him, she has committed "statutory rape." In such a case, is the boy really the "victim" and is the girl a "rapist"? Legally, the response would be yes. But if she gets pregnant and subsequently gives birth, she and other parents like them are labeled "young mothers" and "fathers" and not "rapist" and "victim." Hospitals and law enforcement won't go after those mothers or fathers of the children born of such a relationship. And for the most part, when statutory rape is invoked, it is usually by the parent of the younger person who is upset that an 18-year-old (or older) had sex with their child. And rightly so.

Last week I also asked you all to put yourself in the shoes of the parents of a young man who has been charged with "statutory" rape. I created a phony background for that young man. I made him less than perfect, but still someone who tries to do the right thing. Some of you wrote some very eloquent responses (which can be viewed online) to my scenario. One person made an observation with which I must concur. The term "rape" may be the wrong verbiage to use to describe the encounter between two young people who are "dating." Just like there are degrees to murder, should we have a similar set of degrees in place for sexual encounters?

The law states that a child cannot agree to sex. But we do have young people engaging in sexual intercourse and one of the barometers by which we measure that act is the teen birthrate. How should we as a society address the sexual encounters that don't easily fit into the literal "rape" mode? Do we need degrees of accountability in judging the behavior of both individuals in the sex act or is the younger one automatically free from being held accountable?

As one commentator on my blog wrote: "There are certainly different degrees of culpability when men and older boys have sex with an underage child. Part of the difficulty in making distinctions is the use of the word rape to describe both non-consensual, forcible sex and consensual underage sex. Without making any excuses for those who have sex with an 11-year-old, however mature looking, willing, and whatever age they represent themselves to be, forcible rape is worse. Perhaps 'illegal sex with an underage person' rather than 'statutory rape' would be a better term for the sex where the illegality is solely based on the age of the younger participant, and force or threats are not used, would make the distinction clearer."

I thought that response was very insightful. It helps to ease the grayness of my dilemma. I could see supporting that fictitious child in his journey through the criminal justice system even though the charges against him were horrific. One of the reasons I wrote my last column in the method I did was because, over the Internet, so many people had vilified the parents, neighbors and relatives of those "accused" without even beginning to see it from their perspective. How can one seek justice when, at the core of the crime, there is a perceived injustice?

P.S.: Join me every Wednesday for the Blues at Chez Roue 5200 W. Chicago Ave.

A Gray Area

2011-03-31T10:51:00.000-05:00

Normally I see my social commentaries in terms of right or wrong, black or white, good or bad. Rarely do I ever see things in shades of gray until I had to read a number of articles involving a crime out of Cleveland, Texas.

The crime is one in which there shouldn't be a gray area. But I am finding it and I need the people who read this column to express their thoughts about that dilemma.

First off, I need to make you the parent of an 18-year-old male. He's not perfect. He may be in school or have dropped out. He may have sold drugs or smoked some reefer. He's been raised around younger relatives and you trust him implicitly with them, especially when his little 10-year-old cousin has a best friend who is crazy about him and he dismisses the girl because she is just a kid. He even blushes when you mention that the child has a crush on him. He dismisses even the potential of his interest in the girl, because it is not within his realm or reality.

One day your son and his friends pick up a girl they are acquainted with to go for a ride. In the world of bravado, all three boys and the girl end up having sex. Cellphone videos/pictures are taken, and the images of the activity are soon shared amongst their peers.

These are 1990s children and technology for them is like air. They live it and breathe it. Weeks later, the images of the encounter make their way around to all the other kids' phones.

Soon someone in the girl's class sees the pictures and turns it in to a teacher who calls the police. It turns out the girl is 11 years old and a student in middle school. Your son and his friends are arrested and charged with rape. The headlines in the paper call it a "gang rape."

You visit your son in jail to learn "what" happened. Your son admits to having sex, but says the girl didn't object and that they all thought she was 16 since she told them that. Worst, it wasn't the first time. Over a period of months he and others had had sex with the girl. You believe your son. So, now, do you support him as he fights the charges or do you abandon him?

Now, the scenario I just pointed out may or may not have been totally what happened in the Cleveland, Texas case. Statutory rape (meaning that the law makes the sex act a rape because a child under a certain age cannot give consent) for most people involves an "involuntary" aspect to it.

Yet what is a parent to do when all indicators point to a percentage of culpability on the part of the girl? Are we to do as some have suggested and shout from the rooftops that "it doesn't matter?" Do we say "it doesn't matter" that the girl lied about her age? Do we agree that "it doesn't matter" if the girl allowed the sex to happen by consenting personally, even though the law says she doesn't have the right to give consent? Do we totally disregard her Facebook pages where she brags about being able to "pull" older boys?

How do we honestly judge the "wrongness" when in the eyes of a loving parent we can see our son's side, that his actions were "poor judgment" and not that of a molester hitting someone over the head and dragging them into the bushes?

As parents, we will be labeled quite a few names for wanting to protect our son by finding fault with the girl. Are we wrong for worrying about our son's future if he is labeled a sexual predator and/or child molester?

Now a little girl jumping rope who is pulled off the street and molested is very clear-cut. But in our oversexed world, where young girls are being inundated day and night with sexually explicit content - where the music that is played at a young child's party includes phrases like "sex in the morning, sex at night," where Abercrombie and Fitch are offering a bikini for young girls with a push-up bra feature and the Maury Show loves to show young girls acting like they are grown - then when those children purposely engage in sex, how do we judge both the male and female participants in the act?

Is there a gray area or is it cut and dry? And what does this society need to do about it? Are the males, because they are 18 or older, always guilty when nothing in this society is preparing them for proper adulthood? There is not a standardized "right of passage" that each young person undergoes as they turn 18.

Is there any culpability on the part of a willing female, or is she always the innocent victim? As a society we confer "adultness" to certain criminal acts like murder. Can the same be said for sex acts?

When you respond, please do so as the imaginary parent of the boy. I am most interested in opinions from that side of the fence. It will be a refreshing read.

Why can't we do what they do?

2011-03-22T00:34:00.000-05:00

There is a saying in the black community, "You can't do what they do." It is usually applied when black folks attempt to do what others are doing and come to find out it doesn't work the same for us. No matter what the "what" is, as soon as black folks attempt to do it, the entire weight of the law comes to bear upon us.

As an example, take the case of Kelley Williams-Bolar. She is an Akron, Ohio, mom who lives in public housing and wanted better for her children. So she did what countless other folks have done. She used the address of the home where her father lives to enroll her children in a better school district.

The school district didn't believe Williams-Bolar and her girls were living within its boundaries. So the district hired a private investigator who followed her girls home to discover she didn't live in the district. The district tried to work out an agreement with Williams-Bolar, but she opted to fight back.

Now she's been found guilty, her children were removed from the school system, she's been sentenced to 10 days in jail (she served nine); she's got two years' worth of probation and is required to serve 80 hours of community service.

What was that old saying again? "You can't do what they do."

I found it quite interesting hearing and reading the commentaries regarding Williams-Bolar's situation. People posted about fairness to the taxpayers. People posted about her cheating the system. People posted about her wanting her children to have a better opportunity, so she did what she did. And through it all, I kept replacing Kelley's situation with the illegal immigration crowd and wondered why it is OK for Williams-Bolar to go to jail, but someone who is in this country illegally is supported, hand over heels.

I need someone to tell me the difference between young people protesting and asking for the Dream Act after being educated by taxpayers with no regards for whether their parents ever paid a dime in taxes, yet Williams-Bolar and her daughters are yearning for the same thing and they get jail time and expulsion. How and why is that?

Did I mention that Williams-Bolar now has a felony on her record? She was 12 hours away from getting her degree so that she could teach, and now she will have a felony that prevents her from teaching. I got a chance to hear the interview with Ms. Williams-Bolar. She stated that her children stayed with their grandfather quite a bit, and based on that information, she felt she could enroll the children in that school district. However in the end, that wasn't enough for the Ohio school system.

The Williams-Bolar case has brought up issues of race as the school district she enrolled her children in is predominantly white. Whatever the case, the old saying that we can't do what they do is ringing loud and clear.

Who is right?: Democracts or Republicans

2011-03-13T08:24:00.001-05:00

Currently there is an interesting "debate" going on in some Congressional hearings between the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) and the Republicans. As we all "know," the CBC are the "good guys" and the Republicans are "bad guys." So in an intensive debate between these two groups, the CBC, which represents the interests of black folks, and the Republicans, who represent the interests of other folks, which one do you think you would agree with without even knowing the subject? The CBC or the Republicans? Decide now.

I'll tell you the subject in a moment. It is a topic I have very strong opinions about. But rather than impose my beliefs and knowledge up front, I want you to form your own opinion based on your own observations, experiences and thoughts. Plus, I sure wish you folks would do more opinion writing on the Internet or pen a letter to the editor. That way my editors and I can get a better understanding of what the average person who reads this column is thinking. Anyway, I digress.

The subject causing a lot of consternation between the CBC and the Republicans? Illegal immigration and its impact on American minorities. One group's stance is that illegal immigration has had a devastating effect on the employment options of black folks (especially those who are unskilled, like teenagers, drop-outs and ex-offenders) while the others say there is no conclusive evidence that illegal immigrants are taking jobs away from African Americans. OK. Which side are you on? Pick now because try as I might to resist, I am going to give an opinion.

I still remember the 1996 election and Bill Clinton talking about McJobs with a black guy who was the head of a major fast food chain. I still remember those huge yellow HELP WANTED signs that would hang outside of McDonald's. I may be wrong, but it sure seems like the more folks we have in this country illegally, the more those signs no longer appear. And just how does a teenager trying to get his/her first job compete against grown men and women who are now the majority of the work force at many fast food restaurants? And if the restaurant is right in the middle of the black community and nobody black works there, well ...

Who remembers all the fights to get black folks on construction jobs? We were told we had to have union cards and journeymen training. There were groups like C-BUC and Workshop Coalition. Well, we're still not on the construction job sites. So how is it that those sites are now filled with people who cannot speak English yet are working while black folks stand on the sidelines?

If you haven't guessed it by now, the CBC is the one saying there is no proof that illegal immigration is hurting the black community. The Republicans, on the other hand, are stating that they want every U.S. citizen who wants a job to have one instead of pandering to foreign laborers.

I was listening to the radio the other night and they were talking about illegal immigration - why so many black politicians seem to be in a disconnect with their constituents on this issue. The man on the radio made an excellent point. Politicians in Washington get lobbied on issues all the time by both sides. When it comes to immigration, only those on the side of illegal immigration are lobbying. It will be up to the average citizen to tell their elected representatives how they feel. Plus, ask them if those same illegal aliens are paying state income taxes? Many who are here illegally will file a federal return to hedge their bets against the day that "reform" may become available, and they can prove they paid their federal taxes. But the state, which provides tons of services to them, isn't getting them to file because generally they will owe money.

Some of the CBC members accused the Republicans of trying to create black-brown tensions. But when the browns are working and the blacks aren't, there isn't much of a coalition to begin with. Even Cesar Chavez marched on the southern border because he understood better than most what uncontrolled illegal immigration will do to this country.

I don't think any of us are naïve enough to believe that Republicans are suddenly concerned about black folks and unemployment. But a broke clock can be right twice a day, and on this one I am standing with the Republicans. For me the issue is simple. Both the CBC and Republicans should place U.S. citizens and their needs, wants, desires and problems at the forefront before they concern themselves with foreign nationals.

Some Adults Don't Have A Clue When It Comes To Playing Music @ Children's Parties

2011-03-09T20:04:00.002-06:00

We only get one chance at childhood. That is a time when children's imagination can blossom and they can grow to become adults with vision. Their unencumbered minds could hold the secret to cures for anything if we as adults allow them a childhood and the creativity to be a kid.

When an adult steals a childhood, it messes up some people for life-the most famous example being Michael Jackson. I thought of him the other day when I had the misfortune to be at a children's birthday party. I wasn't a guest, but a worker. And the party was for three children ages 6, 7, and 8.

When I first arrived, the Toy Story jumping jack was in the middle of the room. There was a clown painting the children's faces; making hats and animals out of those long slinky balloons; and entertaining the children. The kids-ranging from around 5 to 10 years old-were screaming, running and having a good time. But what caught my attention was the music. The deejay appeared to be barely 18 years olds. But the music coming out of his speakers would make someone 80 years old blush.

One of the first songs had lyrics that talked about "Sex in the morning." At first I didn't think I heard what I heard. I have become so accustomed to hearing that song at night that I never paid much attention to the lyrics. But at a children's party with less noise, the lyrics were clear and disturbing to say the least.

I asked one of the men who was throwing the party about the music lineup. I asked did he approve of the lyrics to the songs that were being played. With a straight face the man told me "his kids knew better than to say those words." Yeah, right.

I then went and asked the deejay why he was playing so much filth. "The mom requested it," he told me. Even more amazing: she specifically asked for a song by Wacka Flocka called "No Hands." Now, I've heard, but not paid attention to, that song for weeks. It has always been a part of adult parties and I must admit that I can't understand many rap song's lyrics because they all sound the same to me. But every now and then I can pick up a chorus, and Flocka's song was one of them.

I had three adults-one man and two women-come and ask me to exchange large bills for singles. I didn't have a lot of money in the cash register, so I couldn't give up all my ones. Later, I learned why they wanted the change. The adults gathered in a circle while the young girls did "booty pop" dances. Each little girl danced with her legs gapped wide open and imitated what a lot of adults and strippers do.

They shook their behinds to the beat with one young girl holding her shirt in her mouth as she gyrated. Then the man threw dollars at the little girls to the Wacka Flocka song. I don't know where the fine line exists for kiddie porn, but a sexually-suggestive dance by young children is sick. We already have men over the age of 21 who father children by girls barely into their teens. So how easy is it for those types of predators to move to younger children when the parents are the ones encouraging that type of dancing?

Here are a few lyrics to "No Hands":

Girl the way you're movin'
Got me in a trance
DJ turn me up
Ladies dis yo jam
I'ma sip Moscato
And you 'gon lose dem pants
Then I'ma throw this money
While you do it with no hands
Girl drop it to the flo'
I love the way your booty go

And folks, that is the cleaner part of that song. Many of the records that were played talked about "pussy," "dick" and lots of "oral sex." When I mentioned the content to the grandmother, she said that wasn't supposed to be played. But it was; and it went on for more than four hours. When we asked the deejay if he had Willow Smith's "Whip My Hair"-a more appropriate record for children-the response was, "no." Heck the deejay didn't even play a Michael Jackson song.

I watched while one young boy looked confused by it all. He was at a party for his age group and yet the adults were the majority on the dance floor. There is something extremely sick when adults don't have core values-or a clue! If a teacher had played that song at school, the parents would be irate. But I guess because they gave the party, everything was OK. It's not.

There is no joy is seeing young girls behave like bar room strippers. It is not cute to throw money at children while they gyrate to that kind of music.

If parents can't grow up and recognize that there is a bold line between music for children and music for adults-they shouldn't be parents.

Grass Root Lies and Consensus Candidates

2011-02-25T08:09:00.000-06:00

Congratulations to Mayor-elect Rahm Emanuel. I don't have a problem congratulating him on his win, even though he wasn't my candidate of choice.

The 2011 Chicago mayoral election should be required study for everyone. If you want to know why our young black people are so disenchanted with black leadership, all one has to do is review the lies, deceit, backstabbing and sell-outs that occurred within both the established black political community and the activist community.

Most people who followed politics could read their tea leaves and know that losing the Olympics was the signal that it was time for Mayor Daley to go. The only one who initially planned to take on Daley was Bill "Dock" Walls, who didn't excite the imagination of the voting public. A lot of that had to do with his being labeled a "perennial" candidate - plus he didn't have the money to turn what was perceived to be a negative into a positive. Walls ran too much of his own campaign and thus made decisions that proved to be flawed. But this column isn't about him.

Years ago, Lu Palmer, known as the Godfather of Political Activism, coined the phrase, "It's enough to make a Negro turn Black." That phrase was, and continues to be, used to describe situations where descendants of enslaved Africans would get so angry or see such an injustice that they would start to see themselves as Black (willing to fight the powers that be) as opposed to being a Negro (going along to get along).

The recent elections had me thinking of Lu's signature signoff. And after watching what went on in the black community during this mayoral debacle, the phrase can be updated to: "It turned Blacks into Negroes." I was going to initially go into the entire history of what went on, but to review the entire escapade would create something I could name the "Consensus Black Candidate Comedy Show." To review it in its entirety is to see buffoonery, bamboozling and chicanery all in one. So I'll just do the "highlights."

It started with a "call" meeting, held at Bethel AMC Church on Oct. 16, 2010. When the meeting got started, Eddie Read a protégé of Lu Palmer, asked if there were any journalists in the room. When those folks raised their hands (I didn't), they were gathered together and led out of the room. For some reason, Read didn't want any reporters in the room. To top it off, he didn't want the meeting videotaped. A number of speakers spoke, and then two months later in December (yeah you can tell that they were finding a candidate on CPT Time), the committee announced a consensus candidate in Danny Davis. When a news story did emerge about that meeting, the story labeled them the "The Grass Root Guys." But as I see it, their actual name should have been "The Grass Root Lies."

Now Davis was supposed to be the consensus choice. But during a "historic" radio broadcast (now only historic in that none of them won), the question came up suggesting that two of the three black candidates should drop out of the race so that one could win. Meeks asked the question, Davis didn't have a problem with doing it, and Braun declared she was "in it to win it."

By the end of December 2010, both Meeks and Davis had dropped out the race and Braun was the "consensus" candidate. Thus began a campaign that claimed she had "experience" while acting like an "amateur." Most notably, there was the infamous "crackhead" video exchange. Rewatching the exchange as it was reported by Fox News, the report said TV coverage of the debate wasn't allowed. Yet they got the footage of the ugly exchange via Trinity UCC. Why?

One additional piece of footage I watched showed Braun trying to go to a forum at Rev. Hatch's church while grown men carrying Patricia Watkins signs blocked her entrance. Such poor behavior from people wearing coats that said, "Save Our Sons," while they acted like the very reason our sons need saving. Sad!

I got a number of requests to check out the Soul Slate when they announced their choices. Looking at the people who continue to be selected by that group, it has become obvious that the better terminology is "Sold Slate." If the purpose of that recommendation is to tell black folks who to vote for, why was the consensus candidate (Braun) not the recommendation for mayor? Rather they went with Patricia Watkins. How come? Is it really just money involved in that process?

But what had me almost drive my car off the road was listening to Eddie Read's commentary on WVON 1690-AM. The man who had stood in the pulpit at Bethel AME Church back in October 2010, the man who was hosting meetings all over town to get the community to settle on a single candidate, the man who was tutored in activism by Lu Palmer, announced that he was supporting not the consensus candidate Braun, but newcomer and amateur Patricia Watkins. WTF? After all their talk of Blackness, their Negro came out. I am sure Lu Palmer is reeling in his grave.

The Election is Nearing, Vote....Vote....Vote

2011-02-25T08:07:00.000-06:00

The countdown to Municipal Election Day is finally here. Much is being done to suppress the "black vote," for though we may not be the majority when it comes to residency, we are the majority when it comes to being registered voters.

Many people already believe Rahm Emanuel will win the election. He has the biggest war chest and has spent the most on ads. Money is always the defining factor in elections, they say. Yet if that is the truth, then Meg Whitman who spent $178.5 million in her attempt to become California's governor shouldn't have lost to Jerry Brown, who spent a paltry $36.5 million. But don't tell that to Rahm. Let him continue to spend and spend. In the end, it's voters that vote. Ads don't.

There are only four offices to vote for in this year's election. Mayor, City Clerk, City Treasurer and Alderman. Let's start with mayor.

I continue to support William "Dock" Walls. He may not have the money of the other candidates, but when it comes to addressing solutions to the issues, none have been able to hold a candle to him. His parking meter solution of paying for an "enhanced" city sticker would allow people to park at any meter for up to two hours without getting a ticket. Plus it would allow Chicago to again earn money from those meters. His promotion of "nanotechnology" as the next major industry for Chicago would again put us on the map for manufacturing. His idea to limit the amount of profits that large construction companies make off the city is admirable. And most of all, his idea to give a million dollars to 200 businesses all around the city would have them creating self-perpetuating jobs that would begin to cut into the unemployment rate. His election, as his campaign slogan states, would be: "A Clean Break from the Past." Visit his website at wallsformayor.com.

Since I am not one to believe all those phony poll results that have been making their way into the news, I would love to see a runoff election between Walls and anyone else. There are too many real issues going on in this city to allow the next mayor to just slide into office because he had so much money from outside interests that we bought into the hype. When people try to tell you that, just remind them of that California governor's race. It's not who spends the most money. It is who garners the most votes. And we can make it happen by getting everyone we know to come out and vote on Feb. 22. Punch 11. Punch eleven. Punch 11.

The next most important office to vote for is City Clerk. That is a no-brainer. Punch 21 and elect Patricia Horton. Since the City Treasurer doesn't have any opposition, all she has to do is have two people vote for her and she wins. Punch 31 to elect Stephanie Neely.

Lastly, there is that election for alderman. I've been to a number of candidate forums and have been impressed by some and disappointed by others. But I will say this about those running against the incumbents. If bringing business to the ward were as easy as your challengers make it sound, all the wards would have new business. If building a community center were as simplistic as you want to make it, every community would have them. Those are the kinds of things incumbents would do just to have notches on their belts. But when the city doesn't have money to keep the park district buildings open and functioning, it doesn't have money for additional centers that need to be funded. And if Jewel and Dominick's wanted to be anywhere in this city, they would be.

When candidates talk about empowering those already in business over trying to put their constituents into business, it shows who is worth voting for and who is worth ignoring. And any candidate not willing, front and center, to tell you who they are supporting for mayor doesn't deserve your vote either.

The elections will again be on the table this Sunday on WRLL 1450-AM from 10 until midnight. Tune in. Call in. 773-591-6777.

And on Tuesday Feb. 22, Vote ...Vote ...Vote!

ITS YOUR JOB TO LEARN ALL ABOUT THE MAYORAL CANDIDATES

2011-02-25T08:06:00.000-06:00

As much as I love discussing politics, I can't wait for the mayoral elections to be over. I am tired of learning of brainwash-after-brainwash commercials from Rahm Emanuel that insult anyone who thinks.

Yes, this city is an employment agency. It constantly taxes us to pay for employees, so in my mind, people should look to the city to not only hire but find jobs for those that don't have one. Yes, the city is an employment agency in that it controls the education of all the children in the Chicago Public Schools. Educate them well and they will have employers looking to hire them. Mis-educate them and you will continue the cycle of illiteracy that permeates too many individuals. And with a budget of over $12 billion annually for just the city and the schools, I don't want a mayor who is telling me what the city "ain't." I want a mayor who will tell me what the city "is."

I am not a big television watcher. So I have been spared the Rahm "assault of brainwash" commercials that have been playing on all the local stations morning, noon and night. But as I do love to be on Facebook, people have sent me links to people who have rebutted things that have been shown in Rahm's commercials. My favorite thus far is a short YouTube video done by a group of Sullivan High School students.

Those young people were following politics and saw the WGN debate that featured four of the six candidates for mayor. The fact that many in the media overlook the fact that there are six candidates is an additional reflection on the dumbing down of this city. But I digress. At the WGN forum, Rahm said: "When you take out Northside, and when you take out Walter Payton, the seven best performing high schools are all charters."

Well, those young people went and did their homework. The top seven schools beside Northside Prep and Walter Payton are; Lane Tech, Whitney Young, Jones College Prep, Gwendolyn Brooks and Lincoln Park High School. How could Rahm have made such an error regarding the Chicago Public Schools? Very simple. The man hasn't been living here. He has had no real interest in what has been going on here and if Daley hadn't decided to retire, Rahm wouldn't be anywhere near here.

What that short video clip did is highlight children who go to their neighborhood schools. They are just as bright, concerned and inventive as any child who is enrolled in a selective or charter school. Every time I see that video, I think of a young man named DeAndre Robinson from Douglas Academy here in the Austin community who has been basically saying the exact same thing. We can have all the "selective" enrollment and charter schools that the world will allow. But invest in neighborhood schools.

Maybe if Rahm came to the neighborhoods and attended forums where people talk about local issues, he would have known about those other schools. But when one has to be "schooled" on what has been going on in this city while he lived in Wash., D.C., then it comes as no shock that he's not familiar with those schools.

I remember a while back, Robinson came to the radio show and was talking about education. When the subject of a new high school for Austin came up, he made a very salient point. We as adults can run around planning on a new high school. But there are children like him who are trying to get the best education they can based on what they are working with. So, until that new school comes along, don't denigrate what he is dealing with as we make plans for a future high school.

There are barely two weeks left until Election Day. If the black community comes out and votes their best interest, we should have a run-off. And it is important to make sure that we have a run-off so that Rahm doesn't ease into office without answering all the fundamental questions he is so fond of spewing without giving us details as to what they are.

There are still a number of debates scheduled. If you miss them and have access to the internet, you can catch them online. On Feb. 16, there will be a forum at Westinghouse High School, 3223 W. Franklin from 6:30 - 8 p.m. As West Siders, we need to pack that auditorium to hear the plans those candidates have for our side of town.

More Snow Photos - Part Deux

2011-02-05T13:15:00.003-06:00

Snow Photos. It sure is pretty!

2011-02-05T13:09:00.002-06:00

Rahm's Requim was, sadly, premature

2011-02-05T13:07:00.000-06:00

I was just getting a handle on my euphoria over Rahm Emanuel getting kicked off the ballot for the upcoming mayoral election when I got hit by a ton of bricks. The Illinois Supreme court voted in favor of allowing Rahm Emanuel back on the ballot. "Oh %&#!" was my response. I could take the news that Rahm was back on the ballot. What I dreaded was having to listen to my friend in her smugness mouth the I-told-you-so happy dance.

When I finally got the chance to speak with her, I was surprised to learn she too had jumped ship. She had seen some things while working Rahm Emanuel's campaign and now was put off by him. We both have concluded that Rahm has "issues" when it comes to the black community.

Sure, he worked - or perhaps better to say "sabotaged" - at the White House. And if you've been paying attention to news reports, when Gery Chico attempted to hold a press conference at some local health clubs with the owners to speak out against Rahm's proposed luxury tax, those owners were intimidated. Already the Emanuel machine is at play and the results don't bode well for Chicago - or for those who feel the need to stand up to it.

As we chatted about the latest mayoral forum held at Trinity United Church of Christ, a forum which Rahm had politely turned down, it dawned on me. Is he avoiding those forums because they are in the black community or he is avoiding them because they are held in black churches? In an era when the average politician bites at the bit to get into black churches to speak with those parishioners/voters, Emanuel has shaken his head "no" to almost every invite. How come?

Even more interesting, how come the ministers, preachers, reverends and so forth in this city haven't stood up and said anything about it? The silence of the black church has been noteworthy, or perhaps better to say, "Bought and paid for."

Speaking of Trinity, I didn't have the pleasure of attending this past Sunday to witness firsthand the diatribe that went on between Carol Mosley Braun and Patricia Van Pelt Watkins. But having seen them interact at a number of forums without rancor, I found the sudden attack of one on the other to be a less-than-skillful, staged performance. Why? Because anyone looking at the numbers knows if blacks all go for one candidate, Rahm cannot win without a serious runoff. So scenarios must be manufactured to turn off black voters. Otherwise, just by our numbers alone we can control who gets into the mayoral seat.

Braun is a "seasoned" politician. She's been a state representative, the Cook County Recorder of Deeds, a U.S. senator and ambassador. How does a woman with over 20 years in elected offices allow herself to be upstaged by a rank amateur? Unless...
yeah, I'll say it, the entire debacle was staged!

Watkins acknowledged struggling with cocaine and marijuana use. So her bristling at being labeled a "crackhead" is interesting. Do we now have a social hierarchy so that those who snort cocaine are better than someone who smokes it?

Heck, at the time didn't we label all children born with drugs in their system as "crack" babies?

Emphasizing subjects that don't address the serious issues facing this city must be meant to distract. How come those same mayoral candidates aren't addressing issues like the Garda robbery that occurred on Chicago and Homan avenues? What level of desperation would motivate two middle-age fools to use some black pipes taped together to look like a sawed off shotgun in order to rob an armored truck? What is going on that those candidates who claim they want to be mayor aren't front and center, addressing the crime and lack of employment here on the West Side?

Brainwashed, Bamboozled, and the Okey-Doke - that's what we are being served. We don't have to swallow it, nor do we have to like it.

And we cannot afford to sit home on Feb. 22, 2011

A Taste of Justice Twice in One Week

2011-01-29T15:34:00.000-06:00

It's not often that the citizens of Chicago can see justice served up twice in a week. The first helping came with the sentencing of John Burge-Torturer on Friday Jan. 21. His sentence of 4 1/2 years in prison is miniscule in relation to the havoc he created, but after years of fighting to have some sort of justice meted out, most folks are just glad that he got something.

As I write this column on Monday night, I have been jumping for joy ever since learning that Rob'em Manually won't be on the ballot. If there ever was a case where it appeared that the law was going to be shaped and manipulated to accommodate someone, this was it. Yes, at one time Rahm did live here. But packing up all his stuff, renting out his house and filing an income tax form that stated that he considered himself a part-time resident all combined to turn a ruling that should have been a cakewalk into a huge debacle.

When people talk about "why" Rahm rented out his house, I can answer it with one simple word. Actually I have a couple of words. Cheapskate and greed. After looking at the salary ($172,000) he would be making as White House Chief of Staff, Rahm figured out a way to make even more money. Renting out the house ($60,000). Then to add insult to injury, rather than pay a few dollars to have valuables stored in a heat-controlled storage locker, Rahm had the stuff stored in a crawlspace in the family's basement. I told you, "cheap" should be Rahm's codename.

It is also interesting that in April, 2010, Rahm stated he wanted to run for mayor. The lease on his house was expiring at the end of August, 2010 and he could have claimed his house and not gone through the headaches he just went through. But no, even though a mayoral election was looming, Rahm went ahead and renewed the lease and then ... Daley announces his retirement. Now that sends Rahm into a tizzy as he tried to terminate the lease on his house and return to Chicago to become our anointed next mayor. But fate intervened and two judges of the Appellate Court have ruled that Rahm isn't eligible to be on the ballot.

Last week, I told how Rahm bypassed the NAACP Mayoral Candidate forum. It was held at Friendship Baptist, 5200 W. Jackson. That church was founded by Sheldon Hall and in a case of pure irony, one of the presiding judges making the decision regarding Rahm was Shelvin Louise Marie Hall - the founder's daughter. I was hoping that in the back of her mind, Rahm's insult to her father's church would play a role. Can't say that it did, but the irony is still pure "payback."

I also had gotten a call from several activists because, with the exception of Bill Dock Walls, all the candidates had ignored the forum put on by the Montford Point Marines Association. These are all men who have served this country while none of the candidates have any military service. Just another insult to a black organization by those who will do commercials claiming they want to serve you. But what we end up getting is a kick in the behind.

For the next couple of days, until the Illinois Supreme Court rules on the case, we can expect Rahm to be off the ballot. The Supreme Court ruling, I expect, will just reaffirm the lower court's decision. But what it all comes down to is each voter doing his or her homework about who will best represent their interests as this city moves forward.

And in the back of my mind, as always, is the future of the black West Side. Our land has been valuable for years and political games have kept those valuations low.

So pay attention, Westsiders, pay attention! And on Election Day, come out and vote like you did in November 2008.

Lastly, several of the candidates for alderman of the 28th Ward have been coming on Garfield's show on Sunday night as well as those from the 24th Ward. These are two of the hottest contests around. Tune in Sunday nights from 10 until midnight on WRLL 1450AM.

Why Their Happy Asses Were "No Show!"

2011-01-19T23:16:00.004-06:00

In last week's column, I inadvertently stated that Harold Washington ran against Bernard Stone. I should have said Bernard Epton. I do apologize to Alderman Stone for the error.

Now with that out of the way, you know I have to talk about the Westside NAACP's candidate forum. I see that we have a two-tiered mayoral race going on. If the event involves television and non-political black folks, then Gery Chico and Rahm Emanuel are front and center. But if the audience consists of politically astute black folks asking hard questions and wanting answers, then the two aren't to be found.

I had been forewarned that Rahm, although in town, didn't consider the NAACP forum to be worth his time. My friend, who is working his campaign, wasn't as enthusiastic as she had been as she made excuses for why he didn't feel the need to come before the audience at Friendship Baptist Church last week. So I'll say it for her and him: "Hell, we're just Westsiders. We don't count or matter. We get the last and worst of everything. We don't complain. And when we do, it is just amongst ourselves. As rumor has it, we don't even half vote. So there's no need for the so-called front-runners (Emanuel and Chico) to waste their gasoline on us unless they have a minister or two at their side."

That's just my opinion, but before I continue on my tirade, I need each and every one of you to understand exactly what is at stake in the quest to be the next mayor. Thanks to Dwayne Truss of the Westside NAACP, we started the forum off with a PowerPoint presentation as to what kind of funding the current mayor has under his belt.

The mayor controls, first and foremost, the city of Chicago's budget: $6.15B. Yup, that "B" is for billion. Add in the CPS budget of $6.6B; CTA, $2.6B; CHA, $1.6B; City Colleges, $582M, McPier, $480M; Park district, $398M; O'Hare expansion $6.6 to 15B; Tax Increment Financing (TIF), $1.2B; and as head of the Public Building Commission, the mayor controls contracts worth tens of millions, totaling billions, depending on the project. And folks, that is each year. So there is a lot at stake as to who gets their hands on that money in the next election and how it is spent in our community.

When Mayor Washington got into office, he issued an executive order that began to redistribute that money to black folks. But few politicians want black voters to be knowledgeable, so they don't talk about what is at stake. Rather, they offer us scare tactics of the monster "Republicans" and what will happen if they get in office. But the mayoral primary election is non-partisan. It's simple: Whoever gets 50 percent of the vote, plus one, wins.

So hell yeah, the so-called front-runners aren't willing to come to the West Side and tell you what they plan on doing with all that money. Instead, they view us as being so stupid that all they have to do is run a few commercials or appear with Pastor This, Bishop That or Reverend Whomever, and we'll rush to the polls and give them our vote.

Well, I know my people and we ain't falling for the okey-dokey this time. We saw thru Alexi Giannoulias when he campaigned and expected that the Obama effect would glide him into the U.S. Senate, and the same is true for Emanuel. Plus, he still has to survive the court challenge to his candidacy, which I hear isn't looking so good.

The four candidates who did come to the NAACP forum were Carol Mosley Braun, Patricia Van Pelt Watkins, Miguel Del Valle and William "Dock" Walls. They answered questions about their priorities when they become mayor, what they will do regarding the huge ex-offender population on the West Side, if they had ever attended a budget hearing, and questions regarding education.

To be fair, I won't write about any of their answers so that I won't be accused of favoring my candidate over the others. But if you visit my blog, I did tape a lot of the forum and you can see what they had to say.

The Feb. 22 primary election is more important that the 2008 one in which we elected President Obama. Why? Because whoever leads us through the next four years will have to be creative, resourceful, innovative and technologically savvy to put Chicago back in the running as a major player in the world economy. That is why the president of China, Hu Jintao, is making this city the only other place he visits besides Washington. He sees Chicago as a Chinese economic gateway to America, the same way my candidate sees Chicago becoming the nano-technology capital of the world.

We are still talking politics every Sunday night on WRLL 1450AM from 10 until midnight on the Garfield Major Show. Call-in number is 773-591-8000. Share this with everyone you know

Education

2011-01-19T23:16:00.001-06:00

Online Voters Registration Form

2011-01-18T21:06:00.001-06:00

VOTE!

WestSide NAACP - Candidate on Foreclosures

2011-01-18T20:46:00.001-06:00

I want someone who won't Quit!

2011-01-17T18:59:00.001-06:00

Top Three Priorities

2011-01-17T17:08:00.000-06:00

WESTSIDE NAACP - TAKE SALARY CUT AND ATTEND BUDGET HEARING

2011-01-17T16:06:00.001-06:00

Let's See If Rahm Brings His Happy Azz to the WestSide

2011-01-14T19:30:00.003-06:00

I voted for Mayor Harold Washington each time he ran. I was young - in my early 20s - and not really into politics during his first run. I got on the Harold Washington bandwagon because my boyfriend at the time was wearing Washington's button, so Harold became my candidate too.

Many of Mayor Washington's accomplishments didn't resonate immediately with me because politics wasn't my priority at the time. I was single, living on my own and in my view, I had the world at my door. Growing older, having children, and buying a house all contributed to my getting into politics.

My political views have always been jaded. I tend to see things in a very realistic vein. I don't believe any candidate will come along and "save us." But what I do subscribe to is that some candidates who get elected will do a better job of making sure the black community is treated fairly. That is what happened when Harold Washington won the election over Bernie Epton. For the first time in over 200 years, a black man was again at the helm of this city and being fair to all of its inhabitants was his number-one priority.

With Washington's death and the upheavals that came after it, many of the gains we had made as a people slowly eroded. City jobs, access to affordable housing, fairness in the allocation of resources to all of the residents of Chicago had been a trademark of the Washington administration. I can still remember when one of my friends with a vacant lot next door to her house finally got it cleaned up. It was only under a Washington administration that she was able to get the city to come address the issue. She could never get any type of response to her requests under any of the previous administrations. I can still remember her joy at feeling like she mattered for being a part of this city.

Remembering vividly such a small detail is a testament to just how well Mayor Washington delivered and distributed city services to everyone. There was a lot of hope in this city and many residents who never bought into the idea of a black mayor (and these were black people as well) soon found themselves believing because they were seeing it with their own eyes.

We now have the opportunity to again have the kind of city that offers fairness to all. I know some folks think a certain mayoral candidate was sent here by the White House to be anointed our new mayor. Many heard President Obama say that person could be a good mayor. But when I heard it, I heard a boss bidding an employee farewell and saying kind words just to get him out the door. I didn't hear a ringing endorsement. For what it's worth, I think the words the president said were spoken by someone glad to see an interloper leave rather than someone who was saddened and would truly miss that person upon departure.

I have been having wonderful debates with a friend who is a supporter of Emanuel. She knows that I support Bill "Dock" Walls. So as we banter back and forth with the politics, I had to ask her a question. Will her candidate, who has spent his time campaigning at el stops ever come into the actual community and talk with people who don't ride the CTA (like myself), who won't ever see his commercials on television because they don't watch it (like myself), but who, like myself, have lots of questions and want answers?

I go and listen at mayoral forums because I want to hear the issues being discussed. I want to know how the next mayor of the city of Chicago will solve our financial problems. I want to know how they will deal with the parking meters issue, in light of the fact that they are now $5 an hour downtown. I want to hear the next mayor's plan for Austin, for the West Side, for ex-offenders, for schools, for policing issues, for the ever expanding issue of guns and violence. I want the next mayor to not follow the pattern of the existing mayor who made this side of town a seldom-to-never visit.

So I challenged my friend. This Sunday Jan. 16, at Friendship Baptist, 5200 W. Jackson Street from 5 to 8 p.m., there will be a mayoral candidates forum, sponsored by the Westside NAACP. After my last column, the NAACP quickly reached out and invited Dock Walls to participate. All the other major candidates have been invited too. So let's see if her candidate has the "balls" to come out and answer questions from people who aren't in a hurry trying to get on and off a train.

Later that same night, we'll talk politics like we do each and every Sunday night on the Garfield Show. Tune in to WRLL 1450-AM from 10 until midnight.

The race for mayor has turned into a circus

2011-01-14T19:30:00.001-06:00

There is an old saying that "politics is theatre." And during the entire month of December 2010, we saw performances worthy of the Academy Awards by several candidates for mayor.

One of the first things to remember in looking at politicians is that their motto is thus; "we have no permanent enemies, just permanent interest." Those interests, for the most part, involve themselves and not what is good for the citizenry.

For weeks I had been hearing via the political grapevine that both State Sen. Meeks and Congressman Davis would be dropping out of the race. The stage for it to occur was during the so-called "historic" WVON 1690 AM radio show forum held on Dec. 15, with the three "leading" black candidates. During the course of the talk, Meeks conveniently asked if the others would be willing to dropout of the race to have a single consensus candidate. Carol Moseley Braun said she was "In it to win it," while Davis gave his usual conciliatory speech on unity.

Then just over a week later on Christmas Eve, Meeks announced he was dropping out. That left both Braun and Davis. Davis gave a good performance when he stood up to tell his "homeboy" Bill Clinton not to get involved in the political race here. It almost had me believing that Davis was going to be a serious candidate until I got a gander at his political campaign posters for mayor. They looked like the ones he had just used to run for congress.

On New Year's Eve, Davis dropped out of the race. What is very interesting is that as a seasoned politician, Davis knows full well that there are dates one needs to respect to withdraw from the race. Dropping out in a timely fashion means it keeps their name from appearing on the ballot. Davis missed that deadline. His name may still be on the ballot and any votes that go to him will not be counted. Thus the votes for him won't be looked at as part of the 50 percent plus one that a candidate needs to win to garner the office. I'll let you all judge whether that was a political oops or a calculated action.

What makes me sick of the political games I see being played is that it is done with no regards for the lives of the people who are affected by it. Politicians are cutting deals and conveniently dropping out of the race. Rumors are spreading like wildfire that Braun is going to dropout next. If her "I'm in it to win it" speech is repeatedly met with her other new retort, "Because I don't want to" we are in trouble. Gaffes like that shouldn't be done by a seasoned politician. Plus it makes me wonder the seriousness of a candidate who even before taking office is giving us the finger and expecting the voters of this city to take whatever mess they have to dole out.

My advice is for everyone to begin to seriously follow who is running for mayor and their position. The race for mayor needs to be about issues and not celebrity - especially when the so-called leading candidate spent Christmas not only outside this city but the country to boot. I guess we know where Rahm Emanuel's priorities lie and it isn't among the average citizenry.

We need to hear solutions and not excuses. How will the next mayor solve the huge unemployment rate here on the West Side amongst so many young black men? What are the plans for all the vacant land on the West Side? Can the Brach site become a Black Entertainment Complex to offer thousands of jobs to local residents if Chicago is to get a land based casino? The questions we need to ask are staggering.

I recently got a flyer about the West Side NAACP candidate forum and it didn't include either William "Dock" Walls or Patricia Van Pelt Watkins, both candidates for mayor. Both are West Siders and it is sickening to know that an organization that is representing this side of town doesn't include everyone in a debate that is so important to our future. The race for mayor is for an open seat just like your vote can be given to whomever you please. Demand to hear from all the candidates. Our future depends on knowing who has the plans and solutions for the future of this city, and who is just a figurehead likely to lead it down the same tired path.

Lastly, it is again time to focus on politics every Sunday night. Tune in to the Garfield Major Show on 1450 AM from 10 p.m. until midnight. There you will hear from many of the candidates for both mayor and alderman. Call 773-591-8000 and be heard.

Hanging on in '10, charging into '11

2011-01-14T19:28:00.000-06:00

Coming to an end is 2010, and I'm just glad I "made it." I'm still living and breathing. The struggle to hold on this past year has been immeasurable. But I did it by putting my pride to the side and taking on jobs that helped me keep my head above water. So I am grateful for what I have and optimistic about what will come in 2011.

As always, it is time for me to review my year of columns. No issue was of greater importance than the loss of my colleague Delores McCain. The stilling of her voice has had a major impact on this paper. Delores and I traveled in many of the same circles, and it is still strange to go places and not see her there. I do enjoy seeing the previously published Streetbeat columns. But with so many pressing issues out here for people to voice their opinions on, it leaves a huge void as to what people are currently thinking.

Politics as usual played a major role in many of my writings. From the race to become the new president of the Cook County Board to the governor's race, we saw the fall of Stroger while Quinn was able to hold onto his seat by the slimmest of margins. We even had Tavis Smiley show up with his symposium on the "Black Agenda." Yet months later, nothing has truly come of it as it was just another opportunity for people to posture without purpose.

One of the continuous themes of my columns was what is good about living on this side of town. Over the course of the year, I wrote about Douglas High School. The children there want a future and a good education and are seeking it in spite of it not being a proper high school. I got to meet DeAndre Robinson, a young man whose future is bright and who has already declared he will one day be mayor of this city. DeAndre represents the young people of Chicago who, rather than bemoan what they don't have, takes a look at what is available and sees how to make it work. That kind of ingenuity has always been at the forefront of the black experience in this country.

Two other hidden gems are hospitals. Loretto Hospital specializes in the treatment of addiction while Hartgrove Hospital does the same for mental illness. Both diseases are plagues that we don't often speak about within the black community. Thankfully, we have a place and specialists to help heal those problems.

We had several of what I call "stunt" events. State Rep. LaShawn Ford's call to bring out the National Guard garnered headlines, led him to host a huge meeting, but the issue fizzled after that. The shootings and mayhem continue. A study published by some "deep thinkers" claimed that the West Side Wal-Mart caused businesses as far away as Roosevelt and Western to Harlem and Irving to shut down. To believe that people would drive past the HIP shopping plaza to come to Wal-Mart on our side of town is farfetched to say the least. Plus, they could easily zip further north to go to the one in Niles.

Is there anyone who believes that Supt. Weis' decision to call in "gang leaders" and threaten to arrest them for the crimes of their members was anything more than a stunt? Months later, the killings are still occurring, and I'm not seeing headlines about those so-called leaders going to jail. If our society doesn't hold parents responsible for their children's actions, how are we going to hold their so-called gang leaders' feet to the fire?

I spent over a month letting everyone know about how Bethel New Life fired local workers who were doing a good job in exchange for hiring new workers. Then there was the flood that brought as much as 6 feet of water into some people's basements. Many of us are still recovering from that event. One local homeowner had a minor fire, then watched her entire house flattened by the authorities, which should make all of us leery because if it happened to her, it can happen to the rest of us.

The final quarter of the year has brought the news that will dominate the first quarter of 2011. That was the decision by Daley not to seek re-election. That brought candidates, whom we haven't seen or heard from in ages, out the woodwork, all wanting to be the next mayor of Chicago. The new year will have all of them going full force and I can't wait for it.

Two more community gems to honor

2011-01-14T19:27:00.000-06:00

If you've ever gotten an e-mail from me, I end it with an African Proverb: On the day of victory, no one will be tired. That proverb has served me well in terms of hoping for/expecting/wanting a victory so some of our social ills can be solved and have a definitive end.

Until that day comes, there are agencies that have committed themselves to the process of helping us one day arrive at that "victory." Last week Tuesday, I got a chance to attend the 10th annual meeting to hear a report on Sankofa Safe Child Initiative (SSCI). They are located at 1500 S. Keeler in the North Lawndale community. The meeting was held at the brand new Hartgrove Hospital, 5730 W. Roosevelt Road.

The partnership between those two agencies is a perfect fit. Sankofa, which means "looking back to go forward," has taken on several areas of social need. One of their biggest initiatives is focusing on grandparents/kinship caregivers raising children and youth who have aged out of foster care. To accommodate those families, they built Sankofa House, a five-story, 58-unit residential facility at 4041 W. Roosevelt Road. SSCI also offers services in job training, life skill, parenting classes, GED, expungement, child care and counseling/mentoring, just to name a few. They also offer a wonderful boutique, It's In The Bag, at 2413 W. Madison.

SSCI is the brainchild of Executive Director Annetta Wilson, who is barely 5 feet tall, but what she lacks in physical height she makes up for in energy put forth. She has given her best to SSCI and demands the same of her staff.

One of the questions I posed to Mrs. Wilson was how SSCI ended up partnering with Hartgrove Hospital. For years she had known Chuck Levy the Community Relations representative from the hospital. Because of their mutual concern about issues on the West Side, they developed a personal relationship which led to a business arrangement as well.

For years, I have driven by Hartgrove Hospital's site at 520 N. Ridgeway. I knew they dealt with mental health issues, but that issue wasn't on my immediate radar. About three years ago, the hospital moved to the new location on Roosevelt Road. Attending the annual report meeting was the first time I had been at the new facility, and I admit I didn't know it was there. I do remember when the land was vacant and plans had been announced for the new development that would occur on it. But I also have to admit the furthest I had ventured was into the new Aldi's on south Central Avenue.

Hartgrove Hospital's new building is beautiful and the staff was very pleasant. They offer services for all age groups who have behavioral issues. They are especially concerned about children and adolescents who display sexually problematic behavior. Other services include substance abuse, neuropsychiatric inpatient services, self-injury services, and corresponding services in Spanish.

I want to keep highlighting the little-known-but-positive forces at work here on the West Side. When places such as SSCI and Hartgrove Hospital are put on people's radar, then we know where we can go or send our love ones for treatment. And when those persons have been treated and are "cured," that is a victory we all can celebrate.

Merry Christmas and Celebrate Kwanzaa. I'll be at Malcolm X every day, beginning the day after Christmas, as part of the Chicago Black Author's Network. It goes on each day through New Year's Day, and there is plenty of free parking. Come out and join in the activities.

When Families Gather, Politics Should Be On The Table

2010-12-19T16:19:00.000-06:00

Over the next few weeks as we celebrate Christmas, Kwanzaa, and the New Year, we will be getting together with family and friends. We will see people whom we see all the time. We will see others whom we don't see as often. A lot of the conversation when people get together will be discussing their lives, the lives of their children and life in general. One subject that people don't bring up but should be at the forefront of any conversation is politics. Now, I know a lot of people like to proclaim that they don't deal in politics. Unfortunately, if you're "living and breathing," then politics is affecting you. In truth, it affects 100 percent of what we do.

Now, there is one subject that I would like everyone to discuss over Christmas dinner, while lighting the Kinara at Kwanzaa or during the commercials on all the football games on New Year's Day. That subject? Why it's one which should be on the mouths of anyone living or even visiting this city. Who will be the next mayor of Chicago?

The major media and many pundits have already anointed Rahm Emanuel as our next mayor even before the voting has begun. Heck ... truthfully, it's been even before we know who will officially be on the ballot and who will be kicked off. But I am not one to give Rahm that much credit. In truth, the very strategy of his campaign to overload the media with his face has backfired. It has done little more than draw attention to the fact that he is quickly becoming "the candidate whom we see but never hear." Rahm is becoming like Jackie Kennedy Onassis. A face we all recognize but a voice that we don't.

A lot of talk has been going on because Rahm has decided that he doesn't want to do many of the political forums. He wants to win the mayoral ship without addressing issues directly to the voters. He wants to win based on hearsay and not speech that is directed at us, the everyday man and woman walking the streets of the West Side.

If you're like me, any candidate wishing to become the next mayor of this city has a lot of questions to answer. This city is currently near bankrupt, directly related to having had a mayor who didn't feel he needed to talk to his populace. He did what he wanted to do and look at the fine mess we are now in.

So, as you gather together this holiday season, talk about the upcoming municipal election and whom you would like to see win. Encourage your family members if they aren't registered to vote, to get registered. If any member of your family will turn 18 on or before Feb. 22, they can register and vote. And, most importantly, on Election Day get out and vote.

Voting and for whom will be the subject of my columns for the next few weeks. I am a believer that politicians spend their entire time figuring out how to lord over us with politics. Therefore it is imperative that we do back to them what they have been doing to us for decades. And the easiest way to do it is to vote into office those who will serve our needs, and vote out of office those who don't.

XCan Rahm Pick and Choose When He Wants To Be A Resident?

2010-12-19T16:18:00.001-06:00

Anyone who reads this column on a consistent basis, or knows me, knows that the period between June 30, of any year and July 15, is one of both joy and dread. Joy because for 15 days, I can take the city sticker off of my car and not risk a ticket. That's because the prior year's sticker expires on June 30 and a new one doesn't have to be displayed until July 15. Now, buying a city sticker is one of those mandatory purchases that a resident of the city of Chicago has to make if they own a car. Unlike the state of Illinois' emission test-which can be postponed or pended because the car wasn't in the area-a city sticker ain't optional.

And paying that $75 dollar pisses me off every year because buying it doesn't guarantee me anything. Not a parking space or a street free of potholes. Not even the ability to be given priority parking privileges at any city-owned venue.

I searched this paper's website to see how many times I wrote about the city stickers. As expected, I found quite a few as far back as 2005. I seemed to always have something to say about that city sticker whenever I wrote about the budget hearings. I've written about the cost of the sticker being so high that for many of Chicago's poor living on minimum wages, the sticker's cost is literally a day's pay.

So imagine my delight in learning that the city sticker is playing a major role in the Chicago Board of Election's hearings concerning whether or not Rahm Emanuel can stay on the ballot to run for mayor.

At first I thought he might take a stance against the city sticker because it causes a major financial burden on a struggling populace. Or that he was going to declare his intentions to slash the cost for the sticker once he became mayor. But instead, a very interesting scenario is playing out. The man who claims to be a Chicago resident after leasing his house to go work in Washington has been exposed for not purchasing a June 2009-10 city sticker. Come again???

After repeatedly telling us how he kept his car registered here he, in fact, didn't pay the $75 bucks-a measly sum for him-for that piece of plastic that sometimes doesn't like to even stick. What gives?

His car is registered here and not in Washington, where the insurance rates are much higher. Nah...somebody who wanted to be mayor wouldn't be trying to pull a fast one over on his car insurance company. Now we are learning that even though the car is registered here at the address he leased out to his tenant, he can't buy a city sticker for it because the car is parked in Washington D.C. Wait a second. Does Rahm Emanuel really think that we are that stupid? Cause right about now, we know that he is a cheapskate.

Rahm is said to be a millionaire several times over. Yet, rather than leave his house empty or allow someone to room in it in exchange for house sitting, Rahm leases the house out while still professing to be a Chicago resident. According to the city clerk's website, this Q&A is the closest I could come to seeing how the issue of the sticker would be addressed:

"My vehicle is registered to another state and I live in the city only a portion of the year. Do I need a vehicle sticker from Chicago also?"

"Yes, you do need to purchase a vehicle sticker. Regardless of where your vehicle is registered, as long as you reside, or your vehicle is principally garaged, within the city limits, you are required to have a vehicle sticker."

Hmmm. The "as long as you reside" portion stuck out to me. The city clerk says that a resident must buy a city sticker. Rahm claims that he is a resident but, yet, didn't buy the sticker. It is quite clear that our mayoral wannabe is already skilled at asking everyone else to do what he feels he doesn't have to do. Is there a question in anyone's mind that he shouldn't have had to buy that city sticker? I mean this is the same city that will boot, tow and demolish your car for unpaid parking tickets and still have you owing for those tickets. I know there has to be people who have been forced to pay for prior years' city stickers when found guilty of having not purchased them.

The rules at the Board of Election are quite clear. A candidate cannot "owe" the city any money when they file to run for office. If we are to take Rahm at his word that he is a resident of the city, then he should have bought the city sticker regardless of the car being in Washington or not. I'm sure that the application for the sticker was sent to him. Seeing that Rahm didn't buy a sticker, he owes the city money, and, therefore, is in violation of the rules and should not be allowed to get on the ballot. At least, that's how I see it.

Let's see what the Board of Election does because there are a number of candidates who are being challenged for owing the city money.

Shop Locally This Christmas

2010-12-05T13:08:00.000-06:00

Recently I heard one of the mayoral candidates speak on his campaign platform. One of the things he mentioned was questioning how he could get manufacturers to return to Chicago.

Over the past 30 years, we have lost a number of jobs that were in the manufacturing arena. Jobs like Brach candy, Ecko, Stuart-Warner and a host of others. Many of those jobs went to China as business model after business model joined in the rush to manufacture in China to sell in America. This has led to the phenomena of ships coming into this country loaded with containers full of goods and returning to China empty. We as Americans have embraced those goods and have contributed to our own economic demise by purchasing those items without impunity. Our unwillingness to boycott items made in China has led to job losses and an American economy no longer based on manufacturing.

The current American economy of consuming without producing has already been the reality in the black community for the past 50 years. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that a people who don't produce are doomed. Many of the social problems plaguing the black community will soon be the problems facing the majority community as what goes on in the black community eventually becomes the reality for mainstream America.

What amazed me in listening to the politician speak was that he and his ilk are all responsible for the current state of the economy in this country. Rather than focus on saving jobs, creating new ones and being innovative, they have spent their time on frivolous measures that haven't brought about jobs or a growing economy.

But my column today isn't about critiquing those politicians. Rather as we focus on Christmas and purchasing gifts for that day, where we spend our money is as important as on what we spend our money. There are two types of gifts given for Christmas. One is purchasing items that an individual needs. The other is buying things that the person wants. But no matter the two, as we spend what truly is hard-earned money this Christmas season, trying to buy a Made in America product will be hard but not necessarily impossible.

Thanks to the advances in the internet, finding products that are still made in this country is just a few clicks away. I am grateful for companies like JC Penney catalog and Menards for always highlighting products made in this country. One of the things I am most leery of is food products made in China. Somehow a country with a population of a billion people isn't on my radar as one that can afford to over produce food to send abroad. Manufacturers have gotten wise to people like myself who look to see where items are produced. So they stamp their product with an innocuous label of Made in PRC. That's the People Republic of China for those that don't know.

Lastly, don't overlook doing your Christmas shopping by supporting local business owners and entrepreneurs. There is a new group in Austin that has been promoting that very idea. I attended their event last month and really like the concept. Basically they want to empower women by having us meet, get to know one another, share information, and in my case they supported me by purchasing my book. The name of the group is SOUL SISTA SOUL and they will meet this Saturday Dec. 4 at 4:30 pm at 1732 N. Meade, 2nd Floor. For more information, call Tammie at 773-981-8813.

Poets Wanted

2010-12-05T13:06:00.000-06:00

• CALL FOR POETRY: The American Dream: A Juxtaposition
Sunday, February 20, 2011 / 2-4 p.m.
A beautiful country with a history damning and redeeming in turns. A nation where all have opportunity but one percent of the population controls over a third of the wealth. A crucible of Enlightenment democracy that accepted slavery. We ask writers to consider any and all sides of the American dream, e.g. odes, persona pieces, rants, etc. and submit the results.

Selected poets have to be available to read in person. Please send five poems on the theme ALONG WITH a 50 to 75 word bio, IN THE BODY OF AN E-MAIL to gallery@womanmade.org by January 10. We will make every effort to inform those chosen of our decision by January 17 , 2011 .

Read more about poetry events at Woman Made Gallery here: http://womanmade.org/poetry.html

Beate C. Minkovski

Executive Director

Woman Made Gallery

685 N. Milwaukee Ave.

Chicago , IL 60642

www.womanmade.org

Group Exhibitions:
Nov. 5 - Dec. 23, 2010
Reception: Nov. 5 / 6-9pm
Mothers and Girl: Please!
Press Releases

CHICAGO BLACK AUTHOR'S NETWORK AT CHEZ ROUE

2010-11-26T20:23:00.001-06:00

Video Links

2010-11-25T18:16:00.001-06:00

WestSide2Day Videos

Three Heroes That I Am Thankful For

2010-11-25T18:14:00.002-06:00

Today's column is dedicated to my heroes.

My first hero I met several weeks ago. At an early morning breakfast following the elections, I met Eric Monte in person. If his name doesn't ring an immediate bell in your mind, Eric is the writer who created Good Times, The Jeffersons, and the movie that for hundreds of us who grew up in the Cabrini-Green housing projects, will always be our "coming of age" saga; Cooley High. I have been Facebook friends with Eric for awhile. I was originally under the impression that he was living in California, but in actuality Eric has been back here living in Chicago for a number of years. Eric's story is unfortunately like a lot of individuals who garnered fame and fortune only to lose the money it brought to drugs, and being cheated out of earnings by Hollywood moguls and bad financial decisions.

Eric's story of his rise to fame and subsequent fall should be a movie/novel or both. Hollywood is not kind and Eric made mistakes that allowed those in the business to take advantage of his naïveté. He did end up getting a $1 million settlement out of a lawsuit over Good Times, but that money was lost in his quest to put on a play he wrote. He ended up broke and living in a homeless shelter. Eric suffered a stroke, which left his speech impaired.

Fortunately, there are people who want to help Eric. After being introduced to him and hearing of his struggle, I immediately began to look into giving him a tribute that would put some money in his pocket. As I reached out to other former residents of Cabrini, I learned that a tribute was already in the works for him. Jackie Taylor, playwright and CEO of Black Ensemble Theatre, is honoring Eric and several other black playwrights on Monday, Dec. 6. The show starts at 6 p.m., the cost of the ticket is $20, and the theatre is located at 4520 N. Beacon. I'll be there and hope that you too will join me to honor the man who helped put a positive light on people who lived in public housing.

My second hero is someone I didn't know but I, along with the entire country, am grateful for what he did. Staff Sergeant Derrick Westmoreland spent 10 years in the Marines and the last 10 months doing a tour in Afghanistan. It is so interesting that we call it a "tour' seeing that going to Afghanistan is not on anyone's vacation radar.

Derrick is Johnny Westmoreland's brother. Johnny is another constant fixture on the Garfield Major Show that we do each Sunday night on WRLL 1450AM from 10 until midnight. Johnny's family, when learning that their brother was coming home, contacted the USO. Together the USO and the Westmoreland family put on a hero's welcome for Derrick. They arranged for television coverage of his return home, and a police escorted procession to his family's home in Oak Park. It was a magnificent sight to see. The response from people on the streets was fantastic, too. Thank you Derrick Westmoreland for a job well done.

My third hero is Terrence Davis, who recently held his retirement ceremony from the Navy. Davis was given the opportunity to make one final request for "permission to go ashore." I had never attended a ceremony celebrating a person's leaving of the service before. It was a wonderful event to see and the young sailors from Great Lakes Naval Base came out in force to put on a ceremony that was both informative and entertaining. "Anchors Away" Petty Officer Terrence Davis.

Visit my blog to see the links to the videos for both Derrick and Terrence.

Support A Local Author - Buy A Book For Christmas

2010-11-23T09:28:00.001-06:00

Just over a year ago, my novel Billion Dollar Winner was released. As with most authors, the next step in the process is to promote and sell the book. In order to accomplish that goal, I joined a writers group that a local store owner on the South Side was attempting to put together. The first couple of meetings went well. Then all hell let loose. The group disbanded because of bickering.

By chance, I happened to meet one of the authors from the group at another event. He was putting together the opportunity for authors to sell their work at the Thompson Center (State of Illinois building). I got excited and jumped at the opportunity to vend my book downtown. We had a good run at the Thompson Center and, as a group, we continued to meet so often that we established ourselves as the Chicago Black Author's Network (CBAN).

We are a talented group of black Chicago authors who have banded together to form a network to highlight our work. Our goal is to bring our novels and literary publications to the forefront for the reading public. We are dedicated to being a Chicago Renaissance for both urban literature and fiction/non-fiction in general. From romance to comedy, children's lit to fantasy, history and culture to inspirational and religious, we know we can fulfill whatever literary form your mind desires.

CBAN recently celebrated its one-year anniversary. As a group, we're proud we made it to this point, seeing that the previous group didn't make it one month. We haven't bickered and have all stepped up to the plate to work together to promote our books. We have encouraged friends who came to buy our works to purchase the books of others. We have given book-selling opportunities to others within the group when we learned of them. Trust me, it is very rare to find a group of people all trying to sell books, who are willing to share, but we have done it.

Earlier this year, we held a spring book fair at the Bronzeville Cultural Center. It was wonderful to meet the people who came out. Now we are coming to the West Side, and I hope everyone will come out and support this group. We will hold our winter book fair on Saturday, Dec. 4, at Chez Roué, 5200 W. Chicago Ave., from 11 a.m. to 5 pm. If you haven't seen the remodeling inside the landmark bank building on the corner of Chicago and Laramie, you are missing a jewel within our community.

The members of CBAN will not only be selling their books, but at 3 p.m., we will host a panel discussion on how to get your book published and marketed.

And we will have a really special treat starting at noon. Did you know that we have an African-American woman who makes wine? If you are a connoisseur, here is an opportunity to sample and support Simple Spirits. We'll also have an area resident who specializes in baking cakes, cookies and pies because nothing goes better with a good book than a glass of wine and a slice of cake.

Christmas is coming. A gift of a good book and a bottle of wine can be the perfect gift to give to those who are tough to buy for because they have everything. Our area has a number of individuals who are incarcerated. A novel is a great book to buy to send to a loved one who is away from Chicago, especially when the book is set here in Chicago and on the West Side - like my novel, Billion Dollar Winner.

For more information about the event, please give me a call at 773-330-6277. Or visit the website of CBAN at www.chicagoban.blogspot.com to learn more about our books

"NO WEDDING, NO WOMB" DOES HAVE ITS PLACE!

2010-11-13T20:32:00.001-06:00

There are a lot of groups of which I am proud to be a member. Then there is one that I made myself a member of because of choices I undertook. I am a member of the 72 percent of black women who gave birth to children without the benefit of marriage. Now, being a member of that group wasn't something that I undertook lightly or something of which I am most proud.

I was 28 years old when my daughter was born. I had been on my job for nine years, had a car that was almost paid for, had completed almost four years of college, and had money in the bank and excellent credit, and my own apartment. Looking back, my becoming pregnant was part of my natural attraction to my children's father. But in retrospect, as much as I love my children, becoming a single parent was the worst thing in the world that I could do to them.

There is a recent movement called No Marriage, No Womb started by blogger Christelyn Karazin. Her point was to call attention to the news about so many black women having children without the benefit of marriage. And ever since she began to blog about the phenomena, the backlash has been substantial. Being a single mother is considered an automatic "badge of honor" in the black community when more often that not, it is the underlying cause of many of the social ills that plague our community.

Before I became a single parent (my preferred term), I had the option of not continuing the pregnancy. I can still remember sitting in the playground at Sheridan and Ainslie and my friend Arnold offering to go to the abortion clinic with me and pretend to be the father. Having an abortion was never really on my radar, but I do recall being angry that I had lived my life for 27 years without becoming pregnant and the anger I felt at myself for "slipping up" birth control-wise and ending up being pregnant and unmarried. I was now becoming another statistic in the black community.

For seven years after giving birth to my daughter, her father and I participated in an "on again off again" relationship. When we were "on" the relationship was wonderful. When it was "off" the relationship was strained. When I found myself pregnant a second time, the only words out of my mouth as the doctor prepared to perform an emergency C-section after 32 weeks of pregnancy was "tubes tied." I tell you all this because I don't make a fairy tale out of raising two children alone. It was the hardest thing I ever did.

The sacrifices and strains of having to be both mother and father is an undertaking that I will tell anyone is something one shouldn't opt to do. One of my most painful memories was choosing to attend at an important meeting and missing helping my son participate in a project. And because their father chose to abandon his children when it came to participating in their lives, everything was left up to me. All decisions, all the rearing, all the successes and all the failures. Thank God the failures were few and far between. I now have two grown children, well-mannered, responsible and the kind of individuals that would make any parent proud. But getting them to that point came at a cost. Their father is a stranger to them because that is the decision he made to not participate in their lives.

I've written all this because I can see the pain and hurt my children suffered in not having an active father in their lives. I know that they had to fend for themselves often because I didn't have a spouse in the house to share in their rearing. I have neighbors and girlfriends who without them I couldn't have done it. I don't have family members on the West Side and while alive my mother was too disabled to be of much help.

So even though I raised children by myself, I am the first to see the disadvantages to having done so. Parenthood is far too important an undertaking for us to still have ill prepared individuals taking it on. Then to complicate it by having people as parents who are still more focused on "getting their own groove on" than raising children is the underlying reason why our community is becoming more dysfunctional day-by-day.

There is something very wrong when a man is good enough to father your children but not good enough to marry and build a life together.

Still No Anger, Still No Outrage

2010-11-04T12:00:00.002-05:00

I didn't know Donysha Stovall, 28, her daughter Clarisma Torrey, 9, her son Nate Davis, 4, or her boyfriend's son Shaquille Davis, 16. On the night of Oct. 26, just before 10 p.m., shots were fired in the 300 block of west 151st place. When police arrived, they found Shaquille already dead at the scene. Donysha and Clarisma were declared dead at the hospital and Nate, his body filled with six to seven bullets, somehow managed to survive and is said to be expected to recover.

Everyday since the shooting, I have diligently searched the internet for updated information about the case. Two days after the crime took place, the only news available was that three suspects had been arrested in connection to the crime. But to date, their names, ages, race, sex, relationship to the victims and any other pertinent information has not been disclosed.

Black Leadership (what an oxymoron!) has been missing in action. I haven't seen or heard from any of the usual suspects denouncing this crime. There is something so intrinsically wrong in a society when a 4-year-old can be shot six to seven times and not a peep of public outcry occurs! No Rev. Jesse Jackson at the scene. No Father Pfleger leading a prayer vigil. No community activists, no columns from the daily newspaper columnists, no inquiring stories from the downtown television media, no rally by black preachers.

Well the lack of response may be from Nate, the 4-year-old, surviving. As such, his being shot is just paltry news. But what about Clarisma? She was just 9 years old. A fourth grader, learning to do long math, enjoying riding her bike, and anticipating what she wanted to be for Halloween. What would cause someone to shoot that little girl in the face? What kind of animals are the three that have been arrested for the crime? Who are they, and their family members too? Don't we as a society need to know the kind of person who believes he or she can shoot children with impunity?

I got to learn a lot about Donysha Stovall after her death. I went to her Facebook page and read every single post she wrote. When she entered her bio she said, "I am a crazy, sexy, cool person easy to get along with. I am also a hard worker, loves life, and family." I am haunted by the image of her smiling profile picture. Her eyes are so alive and she emitted life in the glow from her smile.

I weep tears for a young mother who was doing her best to raise her children. One of Donysha's earliest posts lets everyone know the kind of mother she was. She wrote, "At home having family time me and my daughter cooked dinner together now we are baking cookies." Or there was the other post about her son that is too long to post verbatim, but it basically had him asking her not to pick him up from the daycare by blowing the horn but to come inside and look for him like the other mother does for her son.

I was only able to find scant information about Shaquille Davis. I heard over the radio that he was buried without fanfare last week. It is also interesting to read that Shaquille had recently been released from the Cook County Juvenile Detention Center. I wrote several columns about that facility earlier this year. The men who work there have been alleging that the violence occurring on the streets amongst our young people is being fueled by what is going on at that juvenile detention center. Is that the reason the major news media has dropped the reporting on these murders?

What I do know is that there was a time when we lamented about the weekly killings in the black community. Now the mayhem going on is at the point where we can say hourly shootings. And although Donysha, Clarisma, and Shaquille were murdered in Harvey, what goes on there also goes on within the city of Chicago's limits.

I know I cannot be the only one still angered and burdened by the ongoing violence in the black community. Talk is cheap and action speaks louder. I stand always ready to answer the call for action. What about you?

Brady may be Elitist, But you have to prove "racist"

2010-10-30T14:38:00.000-05:00

By now, the entire world knows and has heard State Senator Rickey Hendon's tirade against state Senator Bill Brady. If you are one of the few who missed it, here is what Hendon said in introducing Gov. Pat Quinn at a rally last Saturday.

"I've never served with such an idiotic, racist, sexist, homophobic person in my life. If you think that the minimum wage needs to be three dollars an hour, vote for Bill Brady. If you think that women have no rights whatsoever, except to have his children, vote for Bill Brady. If you think gay and lesbian people need to be locked up and shot in the head, vote for Bill Brady."

When I spoke about the issue on the radio show I co-host every Sunday night (Garfield Show, WRLL 1450-AM, 10 till midnight), I was taken to task because quite a few audience members were in agreement with the comment. Many verbally attacked me because they assumed that my calling for fair reporting and that "every coin has two sides" was an endorsement of support for Brady. Had they listened, they would have learned that my goal in taking an opposite position was to get them to think and to see the other side of the issue. For the most part, it didn't work.

The most common response I heard was that Hendon had the "right" to say what he did.

Now having the right doesn't automatically give one the license to so do - especially when the comments aren't accompanied by examples of what made Hendon call Brady a "racist." That is a very strong term to use. It labels someone and without substance to back it up, it then becomes mere conjecture and not reality.

Now had Hendon called Brady an "elitist," that is an adjective easier to prove and even easier to apply. Brady is a millionaire and his wealth alone is not in question. When one struggles to gain wealth, they know they've earned every dime and are reticent to buy into social programs that come off the taxes on their earnings. I've always said if you want to turn a black person into a Republican, let them come into a whole bunch of money. Suddenly the idea of giving 30-40 percent of your money to the government isn't an enticing idea, especially if you see the money wasted more than serving a true purpose. My favorite example occurred years ago when someone who was on welfare won the lottery and balked at the idea of paying back the money he had received from the state. The man felt he was "entitled" to that state money.

When politicians stand true to their convictions, they will be attacked. One of the things each of us must look into is the reason why politicians don't support a particular bill. For example, the Democrats in Congress added a provision to give citizenship to foreign nationals, here illegally but who came as children, onto a major spending bill for the military. The Dream Act is a very contentious issue and to add it to a bill about military spending guaranteed that the bill would fail. So when politicians who are opposed to granting citizenship to those here illegally stand by their convictions and voted down the bill, it would be very easy to label them "anti-military" when in reality the issue was the addition to the bill and not the bill itself.

I like to see people given all sides on a candidate and an issue. Then, based on what they learned, they make a decision to support or not support a candidate. What I don't want is for us to continue blindly supporting a party that gives us nothing until the next election, where promises are made and always broken.

This Sunday night, Gov. Pat Quinn has agreed to come on Garfield's show. I have not been a big supporter of him and have criticized some things he has done. If you're like me and haven't made up your mind about who to vote for, tune in Sunday night. Be prepared for hard questions and to hear if he has answers. Then base your vote on who will serve you best.

Here Today....Gone Tomorrow! What Gives?

2010-10-20T23:13:00.002-05:00

On Sunday, Sept. 26, 2010, Frances Funches got a phone call. Her two-flat frame building at 1132 N. Parkside had caught fire. She was in the process of having the building rehabbed and only had electrical service hooked up. The fire was put out and Frances began the process of having her insurance company begin to adjust for the fire and the damage to the property.

The property was secured and boarded up. The wrought-iron fencing in front would keep people off the property until the insurance company could fully appraise the damages. On Wednesday, Oct. 6, Frances stopped by the property to check on it and everything was in order. In fact, she was expecting the insurance adjuster to come by the next day. On Thursday Oct. 7, the adjuster did stop by the address. The adjuster then placed a call to Frances and asked her where the house was. Frances gave her the address but was shocked to learn that the house was no longer there. Somehow, an order had been signed within 11 days of the fire to have Frances' house totally demolished.

In the past, Chicago was known as the "city that works." But when that city works so fast to take down a building on a block with numerous boarded-up houses, one has to question why Frances' building was deemed such an imminent danger over all the others.

As I stood at the press conference held this past Monday evening in the empty lot where her house once stood, memories of Meigs Field came to mind. One night we all went to bed and had a wonderful little airport on the lake, and the next day it was destroyed. Frances had a house one day and a vacant piece of land the next. Even worse, the city wants Frances to pay $21,000 for the demolition.

As I looked at pictures of Frances' house taken before and after the fire, one thing struck me as very interesting. If the next door neighbor's house to the south was barely singed by the fire, and the garage of the neighbor to the north wasn't touched by the fire, why did the demolition company tear down Frances' garage too?

In the past, the city has torn down structures that were deemed too dangerous to remain standing after an incident. But if the fire were arson, wouldn't the building be considered a crime scene? I watched the television news report done later that night with interest. One reporter mentioned that the city response is that it has the right to take down dangerous structures. The Channel 2 news report also claimed that the city was unable to find the owner. But little ol' me did nothing more than put the address "1132 N. Parkside, Chicago" into Google and the first thing that popped up was BlockShopper. I clicked on it and scrolled down to the address for the property and the name F.W. Funches. But the city, with all its resources, ordered an immediate teardown of someone else's property and couldn't find the same information? Give me a break.

In speaking with the owner, I also learned that all the wrought-iron fencing that once surrounded the front of the property is now missing, making me wonder if someone is getting a kickback from metal scavengers because it takes a lot of nerve to remove fencing facing the street on private property.

What happened to Frances Funches should outrage every one of us living in this city. I didn't see a single elected official at the press conference and now must wonder what Ald. Deborah Graham, state Rep. Camille Lilly, state Senator Don Harmon, Cook County Commissioner Earlene Collins, and Congressman Danny K. Davis will do to sponsor a law to prevent such actions on the city's part against a private landowner.

And This One Pleads Guilty Just Like The OTHER ONE!

2010-10-20T00:31:00.003-05:00

Hmmm..."NOT MY CHILD" Pleads GUILTY to murder

2010-10-15T04:48:00.003-05:00

Gregory Brooks pleads guilty.

I wasn't polite about calling Gregory Brooks Jr a thug and hoodlum when this crime first occurred. I feel even stronger now in my words that the little fool has plead "guilty." A strategic move to save his butt from the Electric Chair. But hopefully he will become a "girlfriend" in jail and get what he deserves.

Judge Leo Holt talking about Howard Morgan

2010-10-15T03:29:00.000-05:00

PUNCH 297 AND PAYBACK A JUDGE WHO ABUSED SETTING BAIL

2010-10-14T05:39:00.001-05:00

Everyone knows that a defendant is "innocent until proven guilty." What goes hand-in-hand with that thought is the ability of a defendant to make bail. Bail is the great equalizer during the criminal justice process. Most of us are aware that the constitution gives us the right not to be subjected to "cruel and unusual punishment." An additional caveat of the 8th amendment to the constitution gives us the right to not have excessive bail or fines placed upon us.

The vagueness of that amendment gives judges a lot of leeway. A judge can set a reasonable bail based on the seriousness of the crime. The amount of the bail is not a measure of whether or not a person can afford it. Rather three major factors -- uncertainty, risk and overcrowded jails -- go into a judge's decision according to the book "Criminal Justice in Action" by Larry Gaines and Roger Miller. If there is a concern that a defendant will commit additional crimes, then bail can be set so high that the defendant cannot possibly afford it. There are even federal laws that allow judges to simply deny bail.

A defendant able to make bail can work, be with their family, and have access to sources to defend themselves. When determining the bail amount according to the Gaines-Miller book, a judge in Illinois is required to take 38 different factors into account. Fourteen of those factors involve the crime itself; two relate to the evidence gathered; four to the defendant's record, nine to the defendant's flight risk and immigration status, and nine to the defendant's general character.

An "incident" occurred on Feb. 5, 2005 involving four Chicago police officers and a man who would soon become known as the defendant. That man was a 54-year-old Chicagoan, married, property owner, former Chicago police officer. He has numerous plaques and accolades that line his walls and is currently a railroad police officer licensed to carry a weapon. During the course of the "incident" two Chicago police officers were wounded and the defendant was shot 28 times by the four police officers who he encountered.

Now that wasn't a typo you just read. Howard Morgan was shot 28 times and lived to tell about it. Lying in his hospital bed with 28 bullet wounds to his body, shackled to the hospital bed as if he could escape, Morgan was charged with four counts of first degree attempted murder of the police, three counts of aggravated battery and discharge of a firearm. With 28 bullet holes piercing his body and his stellar background, the judge who handled the Morgan case had the right to set a bail that would show fairness towards the defendant based on the "alleged" crime. Yet Judge Kathleen Mary Pantle set an outlandish bail of $2 million for Morgan.

When Morgan's attorney, retired Judge Leo Holt learned of the amount for bail, he immediately became incensed. Back then this is what Holt had to say, "In my years as a practicing attorney and the 18 years that I sat on the bench, I've never seen a bond like it. People charged with murder were out on less bond."

Morgan's wife was eventually able to secure $12,000 in donations for the bond. Morgan spent almost an entire year in Cook County jail unable to post the entire 10 percent of the bail amount until an anonymous donor gave the remaining $188,000 so that Morgan could be free. Remember people, this man had been shot 28 times. His flight risk if he could flee would be minimal.

It is not often that the black community can send a message to the legal system in a manner it can understand. But come Nov. 2, election day, we can send a strong message to the criminal justice system by voting 'No' on retaining Judge Pantle on the bench. Her decision to impose such a high bail on Howard Morgan is reflective of the basic unfairness of the criminal justice system when with the exception of race, all things were equal with him and the other police officers. It can only be the race of Howard Morgan that would have allowed him to be subjected to a bail higher than what a killer would have gotten. Punch 297 and tell everyone you know not to retain Judge Pantle on the bench. She deserves to pay a high price, the same as she asked of Morgan and his family. Only she'll pay by losing her role on the bench.

Vice President Joe Bidens Loves My Book!

2010-10-12T23:02:00.001-05:00

2010-10-08T01:48:00.001-05:00

I attend a lot of meetings all over the city. I do it not only to be able to report to those who read this column or follow me on Facebook, Twitter or my blog, but also because I enjoy following the political antics of this city. Following politics is a good way to see the world through a variety of spectrums. When I go to the polls to vote, I want to vote for the candidate who is offering to represent my best interests and not what some people say.

Part of the problem with listening to already elected officials who spout the party line is that good candidates who are on the ballot don't get any press. For example, most folks have only heard of the Democratic and Republican candidates for U.S. Senate. Very little press has been given to the Green Party candidate, LeAlan Jones. Why? Because we are being led to believe that Mark Kirk as a Republican or Alexi Giannoulias as a Democrat are the only options.

Who is LeAlan Jones? Well to start, he is a very intelligent, young, African-American man who has been slowly gaining more percentage points as voters have become disenchanted by the other two candidates. LeAlan Jones is a native Chicagoan, who came to the public's attention at the tender age of 13 when he, along with another young man, Lloyd Newman, and a radio producer, David Isay, made a NPR documentary "Ghetto Life 101." At age 16, he followed up that successful report with an in-depth investigation into the death of Eric Morse, the 5-year-old who was dropped from the 14th floor of the Ida B. Wells housing project where Jones was a resident.

Now if this is the first time you've heard about LeAlan Jones and his run for the "senate seat of Barack Obama," that is not surprising. Candidates who are not of the top two parties are relegated to the oblivion of "no news coverage." That's why small newspapers like this are so very important. We report on the news, people and events that the big papers don't consider worthy of their ink. Jones has been out campaigning and trying to get press, but the mainstream media has been blocking him. The U.S. Senate candidates are scheduled to do a Meet the Press debate on Oct. 10, but Jones hasn't been invited to participate. Why not? His numbers are growing and he is on the ballot. The media doesn't have a problem telling us daily about the Tea Party and its shenanigans. But a Green Party candidate who is also a young, highly qualified black man doesn't warrant a chance to speak on the issues.

Jones has taken some very interesting and astute stances on the issues. When asked to comment on the political process, he responded, "When people ask me if I am a spoiler candidate, I ask them: 'How do you spoil something that's already rotten?'" Now that's a refreshing answer. On fixing the economy, Jones says, "I want to finish what the New Deal started and create a sustainable economy with good, green jobs by moving our money out of big banks and Wall Street." On the state of education in Illinois: "If the economic meltdown taught us one thing, it is don't trust Wall Street. So why are we trusting for-profit companies with the education of our children and turning our public schools into corporate factories run by the mayor's hand-picked CEO?" His position on health care: "Nobody should make a profit when you get sick. We need a single-payer health care system that is accountable to patients, puts prevention first, and ends inequality."

LeAlan Jones is a young man who shouldn't be ignored in his quest to go to the senate. His website is www.lealanforsenate.org. Take the time to learn more about this young man and on Nov. 2, don't be scared of going Green. A fresh new voice and choice may be exactly what this state needs.

Rob'Em Manually Films his Announcement In Washington

2010-10-05T06:18:00.002-05:00

Wow. The man is truly showing his lack of knowledge about this city. First he announces his intentions via video and films it in...CHI...HELL NO NOT IN THE CITY HE WANTS TO REPRESENT......BUT IN WASHINGTON DC.

Then to top it off, he says he going to visit bowling alleys? How many bowling alleys does Chicago have? Less than 20. Yeah that's really going to give him a fanstastic insight into what is needed in this city.

So Rob'Em Manually Wants to be Mayor?

2010-10-05T06:12:00.002-05:00

First he tapes his annoucement in Washington DC.

Now he's getting into a car without a city sticker? A CAR WITHOUT A CITY STICKER IS political suicide! The man and his team don't have a clue?

A Tale of Three Grannys

2010-09-30T15:21:00.001-05:00

This is the tale of several grandmothers living on the same street less than a mile apart. It is also the story of two twelve-year-olds who are out of control. As I juxtapose their stories, I’ll let you be the judge.

Corliss Holland is a 50-year-old grandmother who I can tell comes from my school of being “no nonsense.” We don’t know the reason why she has her grandson under her tutelage. But like many black parents, her word is law and she runs a dictatorship and not a democracy.

At some point she told her 12-year-old grandson to not leave off the 8200 block of South Coles where they live. The stubborn and willful child who has decided that his decisions outweigh his grandmother’s warning opted to leave the block. Grandma Corliss on September 25, 2010 rewarded his decision with an introduction of her ironing cord to his hardheaded butt.

“I’m not messing around anymore and this is what he needed,” she allegedly told the police. Ms. Corliss’ reward; she was arrested, charged with aggravated battery of a child and has a bond amount of $50,000.

Now fast-forward to a different grandmother. Margaret Matthews is a woman in her 70’s who come home to the 7600 block of south Coles to find several 12-year-olds running away from her home and her windows broken by bricks. She goes inside only to have the hardheaded young thugs return with profanity laced mouths and additional bricks to threaten/scare her. She like the other grandmother is also a “no nonsense” woman. She doesn’t back down from the young punks and when they continue to threaten her, she pulls out her pistol and shoots one of them. Her aim is even good enough so that the one she shoots is wounded in the arm and not dead.

Of course we gotta’ have a third grandmother come into the fray. She is the grandmother of the alleged perpetrator. She has quickly appeared on television with the perennial “my grandbaby is a good boy” story as well as claiming the boy was just walking down the street when the woman with the broken windows came out of her house shooting at her “sweet, little, innocent choirboy.”

Of course Grandma Virges’ story carries very little weight when neighbors of Ms. Matthews are willing to go on camera and call Dion a “little monster.” The woman’s windows didn’t get broken by being so old that they fell apart. And Dion who is not the brightest star but more appropriately entitled the “baddest” star in the sky has no idea that his DNA is all over the bricks he picked up to toss. Or that climbing over a locked fence and standing on the woman’s shed as he tortures her with profanity and bricks are criminal behavior of the juvenile detention ilk.

We are living in a very rough time here in Chicago. A granny tries to keep her grandson from being another young thug and her reward is jail and bond. Another granny refuses to see the behavior of her grandson and he ends up with a bullet in his arm. The granny in the middle has to suffer because as a society we are sending the message to our children that they can do what they want to whom they want without consequences.

I gotta’ ask. Where’s the outrage?

Loretto Celebrates the Road to Recovery

2010-09-30T15:05:00.000-05:00

The word "recovery" has a variety of meanings, depending on which industry you're in. For me as a former data processing professional, the word means a computer system that has gone awry and now I need to recover data. To the hip-hop world, "Recovery" is the title of Eminem's latest CD. To an economist, "recovery" is what our economy needs for us to go on successfully.

So when I got an invitation to go to Loretto Hospital to be a guest at their sixth annual "recovery month" program celebration, my curiosity was piqued. Loretto Hospital is another gem in Austin that is often overlooked. Located at Congress and Central avenues, its status as a hospital is not often on people's radar in an emergency. It is not a Level One trauma center or a hospital that handles births.

But September is national Alcohol and Drug Addition Recovery Month, and Loretto Hospital has positioned itself to be at the forefront in that field, servicing adults 18 and older. The program I attended may have been the sixth annual celebration, but Loretto proper has been in the business of dealing with "recovery" for over 40 years, including the last 25 years during the "crack" epidemic.

What are the current top drugs of choice? Well, they're no longer cocaine or marijuana. The old standby, alcohol, still reigns supreme, followed closely by heroin, the current substance of choice. Those are the two main areas where Loretto has opted to put its focus.

Loretto has allocated 44 beds to its recovery program. It has succeeded as a program because of word of mouth, networking, and recommendations from various agencies. The patients coming to Loretto's Substance Abuse Services Program range from here on the West Side to as far away as Rockford.

Loretto Hospital has four levels of treatment available. They have an in-patient detox program that can last 3-5 days, depending on the severity of the dependency. They offer Residential Rehab, which involves partial hospitalization. That program can last from 17-28 days. The Intensive Outpatient service lasts five days, three hours a day and includes 75 hours of outpatient services. Lastly, Adult Aftercare is done on an outpatient basis for 25 hours.

Other services available include DUI Evaluation Services, Compulsive Gambling Assessment and Education, Family HIV Support Program, Comprehensive Family Education Program, Active Alumni Group and open self-help groups, (Alcohol Anonymous, Narcotic Anonymous and ALANON, as well as others). Many of the treatment services can be paid for by Medicaid, Medicare or private insurance. But lack of money shouldn't be an impetus to not seek help. If you or someone you know needs "recovery," call the hospital at 773-854-5445 to speak with a certified addiction counselor who can assess each individual's needs.

The 6th Annual National Recovery Month celebration that I attended on Sept. 21 had as its theme, "Join the Voices of Recovery: Now More Than Ever." And that is just what happened. It was a very inspirational program, and I was grateful to newly installed addiction service coordinator, Michael Applegate, for reaching out to invite me. The audience was packed with many of the graduates of the recovery program. We heard from Congressman Danny Davis who spoke on behalf of his annual Walk for Recovery event.

Also, we heard from Edith Ozark, clinical supervisor, who spoke on the subject of relapse. It was refreshingly honest to hear those in the recovery business admit that the road will be hard and lapses will occur, but the program and the people committed to it will be there to support those in the recovery movement if they stumble.

I got to hear several testimonials from alumni in the recovery community. Their passionate pride in contrasting where they came from to where they are now was evident in their voices. They were supplemented by the newly graduated recovery members who had gone down the same road.

The keynote speaker, "Kwesi" Ronald E. Harris, director of the African American Male Resource Center at Chicago State University, gave a motivational speech that had everyone on their feet clapping. It was a positive and inspirational message that one need not be in "recovery" to enjoy and absorb.

The Miracle of September 8, 2010

2010-09-23T04:36:00.000-05:00

A miracle occurred on Sept. 8, 2010 - a miracle that amazed me and a lot of others who follow local politics. A miracle so profound that historians will analyze it for decades to come. And even those who were the recipients of the miracle will forever ponder it in retrospect, amazed at what a difference less than 24 hours can make.

What was the miracle that engulfed our local politicians that has me so in awe? It was the sudden discovery of vocal chords in politicians who found themselves no longer suffering from 21 years of Daley-laryngitis. You know, the condition that afflicted almost 100 percent of our local politicos who until that day never raised their voice in any significant manner against anything the mayor did. They never had anything but kind words to say, even as he demolished Meigs Field, sold off the Skyway and parking meters, and basically anointed himself despot.

But the simple words that came out of Daley's mouth on Sept. 7, stating that he will not seek election for another term, sent a shockwave of words blubbering forth from politicians who want his job. Aldermen regained their critiquing voice and began pontificating that they, too, can and should be the next mayor of Chicago. The city clerk changed his re-election petitions to ones that indicate he now wants to be mayor. Congressmen, state senators and representatives were miraculous in their praise of the mayor on one hand while taking jabs at what he had been doing in order to make themselves appear more palatable to the voting public. Even retired politicians stumbled in front of television cameras to say that they, too, could be mayor even if they have hadn't been active in politics in decades.

The entire scenario of scrambling for the mayor's job would be hysterical if it weren't for the near bankrupt state this city is in. Yes, folks, it is that bad. Every boarded up and vacant home is money not being paid in property taxes. Every empty storefront is one not sending sales taxes downtown. Even the proposed WalMarts can't cut the deficit looming over the city budget. The next mayor of the city of Chicago will have to have plans that involve an influx of money from both inside and outside the city. That means people spending money within the city limits and outside meaning more than just city residents will need to do the spending.

As our local politicians jockey for position in the mayor's race, here's something to keep in mind. Alderman or city clerk, they will have to give up running for that position in order to run for mayor. So those are very serious candidates - willing to lose one job while seeking another.

If the person is a state senator, state representative or congressman, they still have a job. So we need to ask them to be serious in seeking the job of mayor. That seriousness should involve a willingness to give up their current position in order to seek the new position. I've already been told "that ain't gonna happen," but it is still a valid question to ask. I tire of politicians who get elected to one job and then seek another, all the while knowing they have the safety net of their current position to fall back on. They take no risks in running for a different office. How may employees in the private sector can spend time looking for another job on the company's dime without risking the wrath of their employer? Well, we taxpayers are the employer of all these politicians, and if they are so unhappy with their current position, then resign from it and let the voters know they are that serious about the new position. Otherwise we're being played.

Another question to ask these Johnnies-come-lately is why they had nothing to say on Sept. 6 and everything in the world to say on Sept. 8? Prior to that time, the only declared candidate for mayor was Bill Dock Walls, whom I have supported every time he has run. To those who call him the "perennial candidate," I counter that had Dock not run, there wouldn't have been a single voice against the mayor. I dismiss the candidacy of Dorothy Brown because as many of us know, she was just a shill for the mayor. Interestingly, hers is not one of the names being touted for mayor this time around.

Ask for detailed plans on what these candidates want to do and don't accept the generic fluff response, "I want to bring more jobs." When they do that, ask them, "How?" If their answers don't make sense, then they're offering nonsense, and it is not what's needed. Even if the responses make sense, ask for specifics. Make your vote one that is servicing your best interest.

Lastly, this Sunday, Sept. 26 from 4 to 7 p.m., the NAACP will host a candidate forum at Christ the King School, 5088 W. Jackson. It will involve those running for governor, lt. governor, U.S. senate and a few more. Everyone needs to come out and learn what is going on with those who want to make the laws that affect your life.

Delores left giant footsteps for us to follow

2010-09-18T08:26:00.001-05:00

When we lose people in our lives, we always want to ask the question: "Why?" Why did they die so soon? What about them made God want them now and not later? Why does God take some and not others? I can't answer those questions but I can ponder the responses. I have concluded that when God called Delores McCain home, it was because he had a big story and only she could report on it. Lord knows she knew how to lift every stone to get to the answers.

She was everywhere and on top of everything. She was an opinionated voice who brought many ideas to the table. And she loved this newspaper and reporting for it. One of my earliest memories of the Austin Weekly News was seeing my neighbor's brother-in-law in the Streetbeat section. I felt like he was a star getting his picture and comments in a newspaper. Over the years, that part of the paper has always been my favorite. Delores handled that feature and I loved being able to see the average Austinite's opinion regarding current issues.

The first time I ever met Delores, I was sitting at home in front of my computer and the phone rang. It was Dee. I will always remember that call because since I don't have an office at the Weekly, I was honored that she took the time to reach out to me. I was a new person writing for the paper and she had read what I had written and wanted to get to know me. I remember we talked about a number of things, but mostly about the paper and my writings.

Over the years, I would run into Dee at different events. It was always a pleasure to see her. Why will I miss her? Because she was a source of information and would freely pass on her knowledge. If an important event happened where she got the "inside" photos, she passed it on. I still have a number of emails in my inbox where she sent me things that no one else did. Delores and I both shared a passion for how black people are portrayed in the media. We both have been advocates in making sure this neighborhood paper does its best to put out real news and information. Her shoes will be hard to fill, but anyone walking down the path she forged will have giant footsteps to follow.

When you saw Delores McCain, 99 percent of the time she had Frank Pinc by her side. He was her photographer and Frank's "other wife." They traveled together so often as a team that I couldn't imagine Delores doing anything without him. Even after Frank announced his "retirement," I still saw the two of them together doing Streetbeat. Life will go on after Delores' passing, but what she added while here is immeasurable.

She will be missed.

Delores McCain Funeral Information

2010-09-12T20:25:00.002-05:00

Delores McCain lost her battle with life on Saturday, September 11, 2010. Her funeral will be held on Wednesday, September 15, 2010, at Greater St. John Bible Church, 1256 N. Waller. Visitation is at 10:00, with the funeral to follow at 11:00 AM. Unique Funeral Home, 3425 W. Chicago, Chicago, Il ...is in charge

We Survived the first one, we'll survive the second one too

2010-09-10T09:34:00.002-05:00

For months now, I have been getting emails from potential candidates in the 37th ward asking me if I was going to again run for alderman. Every time my response was the same: an emphatic "NO!" I even told Ald. Mitts that I wasn't going to run because my current focus is on spending the last half of my life as an author. So when I heard the announcement that Mayor Daley wouldn't be seeking reelection, I wasn't surprised.

As I've told anyone who asked me why I didn't want to run, my response is simple: the city is broke, almost bankrupt. Fixing the problem is gonna be the hardest part. It is going to take a savvy, smart, and creative person to fix all that is broken. And it will be a major headache to undo a lot of the negative decisions perpetrated by Daley.

Now, the writing has been on the wall for weeks that something was up. I first noticed it when many of the long-term aldermen began announcing that they wouldn't seek reelection. As I read their names something smelled fishy. And now the biggest fish of them all has decided to get out of the race, and all the wannabees are coming out of the woodwork.

If you don't follow politics, I suggest you pay attention now like you've never done before. Without Mayor Daley in the race, those who never could find the time to have anything to say are cackling like a chicken. As I write this column, I'm listening to WVON. All the politicians are frothing at the mouth as they try and position themselves as "the only candidate" for mayor.

I am particularly incensed whenever a white candidate comes on WVON and panders to the black community. I'd rather have a candidate that doesn't know a damn thing about black culture but who wants to create jobs and economic development, versus someone who talks about listening to jazz and drinking Kool-Aide.

As we begin to hear from the mayoral candidates, we need to carefully vet them. Now is the time to find out their plans for the city, asking them hard questions. How will they fix the budget shortfall? What are their plans for the burgeoning crime problems involving guns? How fast will they kick out Ron Huberman from CPS and bring in a real educator? Will they continue with Daley's plans for the fast-track demolition of public housing or will they save the remaining buildings as safety nets for those who need it?

What of the shortage in manpower at the Chicago Police Department? Will the next mayor work with the city council or will we have "Council Wars 2011?" What can be done to renegotiate the parking lease agreement? Will the TIF (tax increment financing) monies-which had been controlled by Daley-be audited to make sure that it is all there like it's supposed to be? How will the next mayor work to bring jobs and opportunities back to the city?

Many names are being thrown around as the 2011 mayoral race begins. I have always said that you can't have a race without runners. As all the runners are now lining up, don't just watch the race but participate in it. Ask the runners questions. Make sure they answer them and not give you the run around. When those aldermanic candidates begin to appear, asking you to sign their petitions to run for office, find out who they are willing to publicly support for mayor.

That is always an eye opener.

Weis Met With The Wrong Gangleaders

2010-09-02T06:20:00.003-05:00

Like a lot of people, the headlines and stories in the newspapers and on the TV news sounded impressive. Police Superintendant Jodie Weis tells gang leaders they will be held responsible for the mayhem their members are creating on the streets. But once past the headlines and given the opportunity to learn more about the meeting, my initial impression has quickly fizzled to hysterical laughter. You see, if I could have instructed Weis on convening a meeting with gang leaders, it is not the ones on the streets that I would have had sitting in a room. It’s the ones currently in jail who he should have spoken with.

Why? Because the message to inmates will quickly resonate amongst the criminal elements on the street. The message is quite simple. Kill someone on the streets and upon your arrival in jail, there will be someone waiting to kill you. Point blank. Jail and prison will no longer offer you a safe haven amongst your ilk.

Now in ordinary times, it is “unconscionable” for those in the position of leadership and law enforcement to send out that kind of message. But these are not ordinary times and thus extraordinary measures are needed. Because one of the underlying positions that our young people have taken is that they are not scared to go to jail. In truth, going to jail is seen by some of them as a badge of honor. But if one doesn’t make it out of the prison system alive to tell about it, then the message on the streets will be glaring. Going to jail will be akin to signing their own death sentence.

The first thing out of Weis’ mouth should have been that the prison industrial complex (yeah he should call it just what the activist have labeled it) is no longer concerned about the safety of inmates. If you are a 4-corner-hustler, we are going to house you with the members of the Mexican Mafia. If you are a Latin King, we’re going to house you with the Gangster Disciples. If you’re black, we’re going to put you in the same cell as the Skinheads. If you’re white, we’re practicing integration and putting you in the cell with the blacks. And if any of this leads to your losing your life, a limb or two or becoming someone’s girlfriend while in jail—oh well, you shouldn’t have been involved in that mess to begin with.

Now initially the murders won’t stop overnight. But then again, no new program will immediately stop the mayhem. But as the word gets out on the street that Pookie got 20 years for murder and he’s now in prison in Idaho where blacks can be counted on one hand, the message will slowly but surely resonate. Or let’s outsource our prisoners to jails in Mexico and other third world nations where water is a privilege and food not laden with bugs a rarity.

A second piece of the discussion Weis should have had is to have gone on television and announced that heads of households will now be responsible for the actions of everyone living under their roofs. So if you are the girlfriend and “yo’ man” is shooting up folks, when he goes to jail you’ll be going with him. If “yo’ baby” or “grandbaby” is committing heinous acts while bloodsucking off of you by living under your roof, you’ll share a cell with him or her. I could go on, but I’m sure you folks get my drift. Only when we take harsh actions can the message get out to those that normally don’t listen.

Now after reading this column, I hope you all know that I’m just being cynical. But there is a sliver of truth to what I’ve written. And that truth is that very few of our criminals when caught can maintain that bravado that they had on the streets. Yet far too often, their breakdown is not a subject for public discourse. When we make it such, the message will resonate louder than any public service announcement.

I was inspired to write this column after reading an article regarding 17-yr-old India Spellman from Philadelphia. She along with an accomplice is alleged to be responsible for the vicious murder of an 87-yr-old vet in his front yard. Her mug shot with one tear running down her face and her eyes reflecting deep thought for possibly the first time in her life needs the following caption; “I’m accused of a crime and now I’m finally scared cause I just realized my butt is on the line.”

Like Most Folks, I too Suffered Flood Damage

2010-09-01T16:05:00.000-05:00

Like most people, when I went to bed on the night of July 23, I knew that it had rained and the night was stormy. So when I got a call that woke me up on July 24 asking if I needed help cleaning out my basement, I was taken aback.

In the 21 years I have lived in my home, I have flooded only twice before. The first time was about a year after I moved in and then again in 1996. This time, I got more water than I have ever seen, and it must have stood in my basement for hours.

The flooding of my basement has been a slight blessing in disguise. After years of becoming the place where we put the stuff we didn't just want to throw out, so much stuff got ruined by the sewer water that backed up, I was forced to make decisions about things I had been putting off for years. I am about 85 percent done with cleaning up from the storm, and it has been very hard work.

Storm damage has been the constant subject of the townhall meetings Congressman Danny Davis has been hosting all over town. I have witnessed angry homeowners, upset with all the damage their property and personal possessions have undergone. Davis has had the FEMA representatives out to talk, but if there is truly anger about the flood and the damage, it should be directed at the city.

Everyone by now should know the FEMA number (1-800-621-3362) to call and put in their claim. I am hearing that people are learning FEMA will not cover everything damaged by the flood. Many people, like me, lost furniture. I had bookcases that I bought when I was 16 years old from the Montgomery Ward catalog store on Chicago Avenue. Those bookcases had survived at least seven moves, but the sewage water that backed up into my basement did them in.

I have spent the last four weeks working on my basement as time permitted. Fortunately, the water that drained out didn't leave an odor, but still I had to start to clean and sanitize everything because it was sewer water.

I started with my storage room. Fortunately, it is filled with those storage shelves that are metal with particle board shelves. I found so much stuff in there that didn't get touched by the storm water but made me realize I will have to host a yard sale before the end of summer. As I worked on my basement, throwing out the various items that I no longer wanted, there were tears in my eyes when I opened the metal file cabinet to discover all my children's school pictures that I had filed away got wet and damaged.

It is mentally taxing to have to sort through so many of life's treasures. I was amazed that the Christmas Wrapping paper plastic bins had a hole that allowed the water to seep in and held it inside. Tossing out wrapping paper, thankfully, isn't as heartbreaking as tossing those pictures out.

One of the few things I had done in the past and forgot to do for the filing cabinet was to build stands for everything to sit on. I normally use a 2 x 4 and build a base the exact dimensions of the item and then cover it with some plywood. I have even stained the stand to match the item so it doesn't look out of place. Since both my basement refrigerator and filing cabinets didn't have one, I have another project to undertake in the coming days.

Last week I wrote a column asking people to attend the City of Chicago's Budget Hearing Meetings. After writing that column and sending it off to this paper, the city announced that the hearing had been postponed until September. Everyone should be done cleaning and assessing their basement by the time those meetings are held, and I hope that the two held on the West Side will be filled to capacity with residents seeking relief from the city. If the city can't compensate us for our losses, the least they can do is freeze our taxes so that in this rough economy we can have some relief in order to purchase and replace all the items we lost in the flood.

Budget Hearing Dates Changed

2010-08-24T11:57:00.002-05:00

After sending my column to the paper, I got an announcement that the dates for the Budget Hearings had been changed. The new schedule is as follows:
Sept. 9 at the South Shore Cultural Center, 7059 S. South Shore Dr.

Sept. 10, Westinghouse College Prep, 3223 W. Franklin

Sept. 16, North-Grand High School, 4338 W. Wabansia

Another Budget Hearing - Another Chance To Be Heard

2010-08-24T11:56:00.001-05:00

I no longer believe people when they use that famous quote of Fannie Lou Hamer. You know, the one where she states, "I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired!" If people were truly that sick and tired, they would have done something by now.

Every year I write and remind people that the mayor of the city of Chicago must, by law, attend the three budget hearings. At those meetings, people can sign up and give the mayor a piece of their mind regarding any issue under the sun. Yet year after year, those hearings held in the neighborhoods are some of the least attended events by residents of this city.

As an individual who doesn't believe in giving up, I am still going to tell people to come out to one of those hearings.

What can you discuss at the budget hearings? Anything and everything. But to help you out, here are a few things that have been going on in Chicago that you might want to voice your opinion on: Track 'E' schools holding classes in August with no air conditioning and children falling ill in the heat; the parking meter fiasco and just how will those pieces of paper work in the winter with snow on the windshields; the recent flooding of basements; garbage pickup or lack thereof; the shootings by young people, killing other young people; the CTA; unemployment; nickel tax on a bottle of water; firing of Chicago public school teachers; CAPs meetings; taxes on utility bills; response time when calling 911; library hour cutbacks; Wal-Mart; foreclosures; city colleges now being told not to offer remedial classes after students have spent years in CPS not getting a basic education; red light cameras; TIF (tax increment financing) money and why we have yet to see a successful TIF district and just how that money is being spent; the neighborhood stabilization money and what is going on with it; open air and open market drug dealing, why after all these years it is still permitted; ex-offender issues and what to do about them; the Chicago Housing Authority; why Chicago is so filthy outside of the downtown areas; storefront churches and how they prevent economic development of business areas; new curbs and sidewalks; street lighting; potholes here ... potholes there ... potholes everywhere with another winter looming; loud music from cars; whether traffic circles are the biggest waste of money yet; why so many white street carts are allowed to operate on corners without any sanitation provisions; city services like street cleaning, sewer cleaning, tree trimming; cars being booted when people don't have jobs; the price of the city sticker and what is done with all that money; parking tickets being the city's main method of revenue generation; what plans the mayor has to bring more businesses back to Chicago; the former Meigs Field and why taxpayers should have to pay for his personal decision; McCormick Place and the cancelling of conventions; illegal immigration and Chicago as a sanctuary city; how come there are so many temporary plate stickers on junk trucks; what about residents who don't buy a city sticker; whether Ron Huberman who doesn't have any formal training in education is the right person to be at the helm of the Chicago Public Schools; whether Jody Weis is a misfit as head of the Chicago Police Department; why we are still paying the pension of Jon Burge and how come the mayor, who was the state's attorney at the time, hasn't been indicted yet; should we have a moratorium on People's Gas and Com Ed turning off the utilities as people are struggling in this economy; what activities are being planned to keep our young people safe as they prepare to go back to school; what plans does the city have to bring grocery stores to the food-desert areas of the city.

And on and on.

This year, two of the budget hearings have been moved to brand new, state-of-the-art high schools where you can see your tax dollars at work. Come early and register to speak between 6 and 7 p.m. The hearing starts promptly at 7 p.m.

Responding to McCullough's Defense of Bethel

2010-08-24T11:55:00.000-05:00

When I wrote my three recent columns on Bethel New Life, it was done from the perspective of someone who has been up close and personal with both the assisted living facility on North Lavergne and the independent living facility on West Thomas. Not only have I been there numerous times, but I took the time to speak with actual residents about what has been going on at both residences.

When those who used to work for Bethel actually reached out and asked people to visit the facility without public notice, it shows the seriousness of their concerns. Plus, they were Westsiders themselves. As they lived in the community that they were serving, they were committed to Bethel in a way that those living outside the community wouldn't necessarily show.

I didn't decide lightly to criticize Bethel. When I first learned of them firing the entire staff, I took the time to look into it. And the more I looked, the uglier it got. Some have tried to claim that Mary Nelson, who founded Bethel, didn't have anything to do with the firing. My contention is that her silence on the subject is tacit to agreeing with what has happened. To see local residents lose their jobs because of whim instead of substance sends a very bad message to this community. I haven't even mentioned the ex-offenders who worked at Bethel for years and were let go before their "state waiver" came through, which would have permitted them to keep their jobs.

I read Steve McCullough's response in last week's paper. He mentioned three major points, and I feel I must respond.

First, he wrote, "The number of elders in need of critical services is growing at a rapid rate and the supply of services on the West Side does not meet the demand." Readers can use their own common sense to determine how firing an entire staff serves to help a situation here on the West Side where McCullough admits there is already a severe shortage. Not once did Bethel build upon their foundation (remember those fired employees had 10-plus years of service). Bethel has quickly forgotten where it came from, and now that its budget is in the millions, it has kicked to the curb the very folks whose talents got the organization there to begin with.

Second, he said, "Elders' needs are growing more complex. We are experiencing higher numbers of elders who have dementia, Alzheimer's disease, and mental and physical disabilities." Many illnesses and problems come with an aging population. So giving the seniors stability during that time would seem to be more productive than removing the staff that those seniors have come to know, love and trust. Society is quick to point out the disruption that comes with important people leaving a young child's life. The same can be said for our elders as well. There's a reason we have the saying, "Once an adult, and twice a child."

Lastly, McCullough wrote, "The final trend is that our elders come to us with increasingly limited resources. The state of Illinois is hindering our ability to provide services to low-income elders with its slow reimbursement for the care we provide. Based on these trends, we are always evaluating the quality of our work. In some cases, we have to increase our capabilities to address complex issues in care." If ever there was an "Aha" moment, this was it. This is not a wealthy community. So it is not shocking that the elders who look to live at Bethel don't have a lot of money. If you first get rid of the community members who work at Bethel, then you can slowly change the complexion of the people Bethel is serving and most of us would be none the wiser.

What is going on at Bethel is not done in a vacuum. The plans they make today affect us down the road. How can they speak for us when they don't live amongst us?

I invite Bethel residents to call or write this paper and tell the community what really is going on.

Young People Will Find A Way To Entertain Themselves

2010-08-07T08:59:00.001-05:00

I dropped off a friend at her home last Friday evening. She lives around California Avenue and Warren Boulevard. As I drove westbound past Wallace's Catfish Corner before getting to her house, I saw about 100 young people in the alley directly behind Wallace's parking lot. They were milling about in such a large number that I was curious as to what was going on.

So after dropping my friend off, I drove around the corner again just as one solitary police SUV went down the alley where the young people were. The officer turned on his blue lights and drove through the crowd. I watched with concern because the police car was greatly outnumbered by the young people hanging out. The officers' actions could make or break the situation as I could hear some very derogatory comments from those young people who, though not part of the main crowd, had clustered closer to Madison Street. Anger emanated from those young people simply because the police car had shown up. From what I sensed and heard, they didn't see themselves doing anything wrong, and they viewed the police SUV as just out to "F___ with them."

Fortunately for everyone involved, the police SUV made it through the crowd with the windows down and without any negative interaction. I took Lake Street to head home and saw a second huge group of young people milling about off Lake Street just past Homan Avenue. A third large group of young people were just off of Lake on Keeler Avenue, and by the time I got to Laramie and made the right turn to head north, I saw lots of young people hanging out in front of the liquor store.

Of all these scenarios, it's easiest to blame the liquor store for the young people milling about in front of it. But from the time I was a kid, hanging out in front of someplace has been a rite of passage - especially when young people don't have places to go and things to do.

The issue of what our West Side young people are supposed to do for entertainment should be at the forefront of our minds. On a warm summer night, young people hanging out on the corners and milling about on the streets is the perfect recipe for negative behavior. Until we provide them with public places of amusement, they will create their own versions of entertainment on the corners and in the streets.

Where are the skating rinks, arcades, dance and pool halls for our young people to go to learn how to socialize? Those establishments offer job opportunities as well as ways to keep our money right here on the West Side instead of giving it to outsiders who take it back to their home communities to create those same things for their young people.

When we are mistakenly led to believe these establishments are the problem and not the individuals who create the havoc, we are left with a community filled with no place to go. I know many who love block after block of storefront churches, yet we have more crime than any other community.

I have nothing against churches, but the majority of them are closed five days a week with the exception of Sunday service and Wednesday bible study. I'd like to see a rule that if a church exists in a storefront, it must be open seven days a week offering programs to the area. Otherwise, that church should combine with another church and become a bigger entity able to fulfill the requirement. At no point should we accept excuses because "doing the Lord's work" requires a 24-hour-a-day commitment, 52 weeks a year.

P.S.: Governor Quinn quietly signed the African American Employment Act last Tuesday after I lambasted him on both the Emilie and Friends show, broadcast on WVON 1690-AM, and the Garfield Major show on 1450-AM. This Sunday from 10 until midnight, we'll be talking about Chicago Public Schools on Garfield's show. Tune in.

Chicago Public Schools

2010-08-02T06:39:00.002-05:00

Last night on the Garfield Major show, we had a round table discussion regarding the Chicago Public School. The conversation was excellent, especially DeAndre Robinson who is a senior at Douglass High School.

We will do part II next week. So post your questions in advance or give us a call at 9
773 - 591 - 8000 next Sunday night.

The Garfield Major show airs every Sunday from 10:00pm until Midnight on WRLL 1450AM.

Our "FRIENDS" have a strange way of showing it

2010-07-31T07:19:00.000-05:00

I've been writing about Bethel New Lie the past two weeks. In an era where many of us have become callous, the mistreatment of seniors galls me no end. At age 56, my road to senior citizenship is my future. I hope to not ever have to live in a senior building, but should it happen, I want to know that I will still have rights and am able to make decisions about how I live. Sadly, the seniors at Bethel's facilities for both the independent living and assisted living aren't being treated as such.

For months now, those living in the independent living building at 4950 W. Thomas have been infested with bedbugs. Yup, those same yucky critters from the "goodnight, sleep tight, don't let the bedbugs bite" nursery rhyme have taken over the building. The exterminator hired by Bethel has ordered the seniors to "toss out" their furniture and mattresses as the first step in addressing the issue. But in speaking with famed West Side exterminator Garfield Major, he tells me only a lazy exterminator makes people throw out their furniture. There are methods that can be used to kill the bugs while saving people's possessions.

I thought of that when I learned several seniors with little to no money were forced to purchase new mattresses and furniture after being told to throw out their possessions. When they went to Bethel New Life for assistance in paying for that sudden expenditure, they were told no financial help was available. Many of those seniors had lived there for years without bedbugs but now found themselves inundated with them. The current and most effective method for killing bedbugs without having to throw everything out is to heat the area between 135 and 150 degrees for several hours. Every critter has a heat tolerance limit and then it dies. Bethel is now using this method. But prior to the heat method which doesn't require furniture to be tossed, those who did lose their furniture have had little to no recourse in recovering the money they spent while already living on a limited and fixed income.

I understand that Bethel has opted not to respond to what I've written. That is their right. However, no response is a response. Plus it would be interesting to hear why they don't live up to all those Christian principles they espouse. Seniors at both complexes say they are being subjected to subtle threats. If they speak out, they are afraid they'll be labeled troublemakers and their ability to stay in the complex will be put at risk. My voice can only go so far. Those of you who have grandparents, family members and friends living at Bethel need to speak up and stand up for the residents.

Staying on the theme of standing and speaking up, I want to congratulate 8th District state Representative LaShawn K Ford for having introduced SB-3531. That bill is called the African American Employment Act. In an era where far too many black elected officials do little to truly help the plight of black people, his bill is an attempt to make sure that black people get fair treatment in employment with the state.

The act is designed to:

1) improve the delivery of state services to Illinois' African Americans;

2) increase the number of African Americans who are employed and promoted throughout state government;

3) assist state agencies in meeting goals established by the African American Employment Plan; and

4) establish an African American Employment Plan Advisory Council.

The bill requires the Department of Central Management Services to develop and implement plans to increase the number of African Americans employed by state government, including those at supervisory, technical, professional, and managerial levels; prepare a state African American Employment Plan; annually report to the General Assembly about each state agency's activities to implement the plan; and assist state agencies with training programs to meet their affirmative action and equal employment opportunity goals.

This state already has a similar bill for Hispanics, signed into law by ex-governor Blagojevich in 2005. Yet the similar bill for black folks is languishing on Gov. Quinn's desk. It was sent to Quinn on June 4 and once signed would be effective immediately. I placed a call to Quinn's office, asking if perhaps he needed a pen, but was given myriad reasons why Quinn hadn't signed the bill yet.

I strongly urge people to call Quinn's office and ask why he hasn't signed the bill. His number is 312-814-2121. Election time is coming. I believe he is playing politics by not signing the bill and waiting until he can get the biggest bang for his buck. In the meantime, black folks are suffering. Everyone should remember that come Nov. 2, 2010 when we go to the polls. The mistreatment of black people should never be ignored.

If She Makes It On The Ballot, Will She Win?

2010-07-24T06:18:00.002-05:00

(FOX News Channel) - Wisconsin state legislature candidate Ieshuh Griffin wants voters to know she is "NOT the white man's b*tch" and is NOT happy about being prevented from spreading her message, Fox News Channel reported late Thursday.

Griffin, who is running as an Independent, wanted that statement -- and capitalization -- posted under her name on the ballot for state representative, in the place where the candidate's political party would usually be listed. But the state's Government Accountability Board (GAB) denied her request.

"It's not racist, it's not a slur ... it's not pointed to a particular person. In my point of view, the average politician is a token," said Griffin.

She is now suing on the grounds that her "freedom of expression" is being "suppressed."

GAB spokesman Reid Magney explained why Griffin's request was denied, saying, "Staff determined that her language used on her declaration of candidacy is pejorative in nature and does not satisfy the requirements of Wisconsin statutes."

During a hearing, a board member asked Griffin if she would be satisfied omitting the expletive and simply writing that she was "not under the white man's influence." Griffin did not respond to the query.

Griffin is running to replace State Representative Annette "Polly" Williams, who is retiring after 30 years in office.

Source: FOX News Channel

Bethel New Lie Part II - Unedited Version

2010-07-22T07:14:00.001-05:00

There has always been the understanding that “to tame the natives, you send in the missionaries.” The same juxtaposition can be said of the black community. Just create a non-profit, 501C-3 organization that tells poor black folks on the west side that it is interested in helping to solve our economic/social/educational problems and voila, everything will appear to be alright.

When Bethel New Life got started in 1979 that is what it offered. Bethel chose a passage from the Bible to create its mission statement. If you’re not a biblical scholar, I highly recommend pausing right now before reading this column and looking up Isaiah 58:9-12. Those verses are so ironic (especially the twelfth verse) when you think of why they were chosen in 1979 and how current leadership at Bethel has made them a mockery in 2010.

In doing the background research for this column, I found a statement that then founder Mary Nelson wrote a few years back. She reflected that in choosing those biblical passages for their mission statement, it would “keep Bethel focused on a combination of justice, compassion, and building on the capacities of its own people.”

Well can someone please tell that to the recently hired administrative staff at Bethel? You know the outside folks that now run it and the majority of whom have less than two years worth of experience working there. What “justice or compassion” did Bethel put forth when it fired almost everyone who worked at the supported living facility (SLF) located at 1134 N. Lavergne? The WestSiders who were terminated had ten-to-twenty years of service there plus they lived right here in the neighborhood. I’m not going to be politically correct and say “let go” or “laid off” because what Bethel New Lie did is to use that missing ‘f’ on both their terminated employees, the people living in the SLF and to the Westside community they purport to serve.

Bethel has reached out with its left hand to get money, from both governmental and private groups, while its right hand has done all it could to contribute to the very problem that plagues the black west side; a lack of employment Then to add to the irony of it all, Bethel recently announced it was going to help create 700 jobs this year. I wonder if all the employees they hired after firing the previous staff will be included in that count.

Bethel F’d their terminated employees because they were doing a “fine job” towards the residents of the SLF. I spoke with quite a few residents and they are in tears over losing those employees because they had come to know, like, and trust them. So much for Bethel “building on the capacities” when it claims that to do the job the person needed a college degree, yet the new “degreed” current employee can’t even manage to do something as simple as get the seniors at the SLF to the funerals of current and former residents. I got to keep shouting it so that everyone understands, college is theory. Real work experience can never be trumped.

Bethel has F’d the current residents because those living there are not nursing home patients. They are independent people who need the security of knowing that help is nearby should they need it. But there is no “help” to send when the new staff is so trifling that they removed photos of the residents from off the lobby walls and devastate the activity room by throwing away board games the residents had placed there so that they could be a community of elders. Now the once active residents of the SLF who used to go on several outside trips a week are now making a visit to the first floor television room their main outing. The residents who used to be very happy with the food are now infighting because some of them got two breakfast sausage while others only got one.

Even worst, some of those residents are being disrespected when current workers drop serving utensils on the floor and then when those workers attempt to still use the utensils without washing them off are told to “shut up” when they complain about the unsanitary actions. The residents who used to have a voice in how their building is run (it is their home) now are not asked for any input into what is going on. They are expected to accept what is offered. Several residents say that the new staff members haven’t even taken a moment to introduce themselves to the residents. Hey Bethel…, SLF is support and not manipulation. Those seniors are not in prison although the treatment of those seniors is closely approximating it. And rather than encourage those seniors to keep their minds active by having them read the morning paper, the new staff has taken to reading the newspaper to them as if they are in preschool.

Bethel mission statement for seniors is this: “Elders living to the fullness of life in community.” The question that remains is who gets to make the decision about that fullness? The elders or the employees?

Bethel New Life Employees Deserve Better

2010-07-21T06:58:00.001-05:00

I received a call several weeks ago, someone asking if I knew that Bethel New Life had laid off the majority of their staff at the assisted living facility. No I didn't know that I told the caller; but I would look into it. In the past, I had been invited to the facility on a number of occasions. I had also visited on my own at unannounced times. Every time while I was there, I paid attention to the staff in action. Why?

Because my 93-year-old aunt is living in a nursing home and has recovered to the point that assisted living would be more appropriate for her over a nursing home. Even at her age, my aunt is capable of living on her own as long as help is nearby in case of an emergency. The nursing home where my aunt currently resides is little more than a warehouse for the elderly. The residents are gathered together daily to spend hours on-end in the dayroom, with little-to-nothing to do accept listen to the drone of the television set. The residents are not permitted to move about. Rather, they are kept in their wheelchairs.

So when I saw the active and lively seniors at Bethel New Life's assisted living facility and their interaction with the caring staff, I was extremely impressed. Far too often facilities that have black residents and black staff are held in a negative stereotype. To see such positive interaction between the staff and resident was inspiring. It was also important that I have a personal relationship with the staff. I wanted to know the people who would surround my aunt so that I could trust her with them. Unfortunately, my cousin who has the power of attorney over my aunt lives on the South Side and didn't want to move my aunt to the West Side. But had she given the OK, and I would have placed my aunt there without hesitation.

A few weeks ago, I ran into another friend who had been terminated from Bethel. I also recently met with a group of the terminated workers. Having known many of them and seen their work, I can attest that they are not "disgruntled" ex-employees. They are folks who worked their butts off for Bethel, only to be rewarded with a letter telling them their positions were being eliminated.

Bethel's rise to prominence began in 1979. Its emphasis in housing came out of a Lutheran ministry focused on a two square mile area of the West Side that was primarily African American and low income. Over the years, Bethel has grown from an initial staff of two people and a budget just under $10,000 to employing roughly 350 people and with a budget of more than $12 million. In 1989, Bethel took the plunge and purchased the old St. Anne Hospital campus. The organization has successfully turned the one square block area at 4900 W. Division into a thriving area. This was not done single-handedly by one person. Bethel's success at that location is directly related to the people who used to work there. They were employees who were vested not only in the success of Bethel but lived in this community as well.

How has Bethel New Life come to be known as Bethel New Lie? It is a symbolic response to what Bethel has done to its terminated staff, as well as to the community it purports to service. My dropping the 'f' out of their title is exactly what many of the staff members expressed to me how they felt after working for so many years to make Bethel a success. Now, their services were no longer needed.

It is also my reflection on how I perceive Bethel's opinion regarding the people in the community that they purport to serve. As a nonprofit agency and Christian-based organization, they are willing to take in millions of dollars to train people, yet those same people cannot get an opportunity to work for that very agency. Bethel is showing its hypocrisy. Many of the employees that were let go had worked for Bethel for years. But in a recent change of management, the emphasis has been on removing the majority of people who were brought into Bethel while founder Mary Nelson was in charge.

The excuses Bethel gave are many. Next week, I will discuss them at length.

Where Are the West Side Park Festivals?

2010-07-21T06:56:00.000-05:00

I've just finished four days sitting in Washington Park with my group, the Chicago Black Authors Network (www.chicagoban.blogspot.com) at the International Festival of Life event. My authors group is a collaboration of writers who have joined forces to promote our works.

Our goal is to bring our novels and literary publications to the forefront for the reading public. We are dedicated to being a Chicago Renaissance for both urban literature and fiction/non-fiction in general. From romance to comedy, children to fantasy, history and culture to inspiration and religion, we know we can fulfill whatever form of literary works one's mind desires.

When I left home to go to the park, the heat was stifling. But once I got to the park, the constant breeze across the wide open space made the heat tolerable. I'm not normally a person who likes to sit outdoors a lot, but I do love going to the different parks whenever there's a festival. There is something about the vendors grilling food, tents filled with merchandise and the sound of music drifting over the park that creates a memorable atmosphere. As I sat there watching the festival-goers enjoying themselves and reflecting on the 18th annual Festival of Life, I had to ask myself, where are the West Side park festivals for the black community?

I know every year there will be a huge week-long festival in Humboldt Park to celebrate the Puerto Rican parade. The Caribbean Festival, normally held in Union Park, was combined with the African-Caribbean Festival of Life this year and moved to Washington Park. We haven't had a real Taste of Austin festival in a couple of years. Now even the Cubans are getting into the act by holding a festival at Riis Park on August 7-8. But where are the two day or longer festivals for the black community? Where are the festivals for Douglas, Columbus, and Garfield parks which all sit in the midst of the West Side?

Why are festivals important to have? Because they bring people to the park to celebrate, socialize and network. They unite us via common music, food and culture. Yet even though the black West Side is a huge community, we aren't seeing any festivals that highlight our presence here.

We do have Congressman Danny Davis' Back to School Parade and Picnic as well as state Senator Ricky Hendon's West Side parade and picnic, but those events are political. What I want to see are events we can celebrate in our parks. We could use a huge Juneteenth celebration (June 19) in, say, Garfield Park. We can work to re-establish the Taste of Austin again in Columbus Park. We could have a celebration of Southern life in Douglas Park, seeing that the majority of black folks here came out of the south to live on the West Side.

Now I know some of the first words out of many of your mouths will be, "How come Arlene Jones doesn't do something about it?" I don't have a problem volunteering to help, but the bigger issue is this: What are you the reader willing to do? As always, I can be reached at 773-622-3863 or via e-mail at westside2day@yahoo.com.

Lastly, I must make a comment on Taste of Chicago. I hadn't gone there in a number of years but did so this year. I am grateful I can do what I call "Chicago Public School Math." If one has to pay $8 for 12 tickets, that means at 50 cents a ticket, we are spending $6 toward food and $2 toward taxes. I came to that conclusion when I saw the highest ticket price was 12 tickets for any item. After doing the math, I opted not to spend a dime at the Taste. Shame on the city for pure greed in implementing a 25 percent tax on those tickets.

Here's To A Few Good Men

2010-07-21T06:55:00.001-05:00

An entire issue of a newspaper dedicated to men. That put a smile on my face. Like most people, there have been some really good men in my life, so those will be the ones I focus on.

My grandfather was a truly good man. No matter where he went, he took his children with him. He was the kind of patriarch that, even today, his 93-year-old daughter will preface her statement with, "Well Daddy said this," or "Daddy would do that." My grandfather was an excellent cook. He had been a cook on the railroad and whenever granddaddy was cooking, it was sure to bring the entire family out to his small house in Robbins. Every time I cook a pot of gumbo, I make it using a tomato base and not a roux because that's the way my grandfather did it.

Growing up, I have had men in my life who made a major difference. Rev. Thompkins would drive to Cabrini-Green on Sunday mornings to pick us up for church. I can still remember his white station wagon coming down the street to get us. I can remember him asking, as we came of age in his church, how come Mary and Joseph couldn't be portrayed by black kids in the Christmas pageant? Without fanfare, my integrated church had a black Mary and Joseph. Thank you, Olivet Presbyterian, for practicing what you preached.

My mother only had one brother who lived in Chicago and my Uncle Dave was always the subject of conversations when my aunts got together. He wasn't perfect, but he was there for his children, raised his family, and always did what this society expected of a man.

When I was a little girl around 10, there was a man, Mr. Cunningham out of Kankakee, who used to come into Cabrini in a white truck. He would bring bread, cookies, and donuts and sell it off the truck. He used to come and get me to be his helper. I can still remember his funny excuses when he would pull by the tavern to use the bathroom. He was always respectful of me, and I was like another daughter to him.

I had several wonderful male teachers while in school. Mr. Wilson, my sixth grade teacher, Mr. Gant and Mr. Palmer. All three of those black men, who worked at Jenner Elementary School, made such a huge impression on me that over 45 years later I can still remember their names and faces.

In high school, my music teacher Joel Helfand taught me to appreciate classical music and exposed me to the greater world around me. My Spanish teacher, Mr. Blaylock, instilled a love of language in me.

I have dated some wonderful men. My ability to be friends with many of them once the relationship ended is a testament to the wonderful people they are. I still get Christmas cards, phone calls and invitations to go to plays with them even though our relationships didn't work out.

I have wonderful male cousins. They are committed husbands and fathers. I readily think of them whenever someone starts to talk negatively about black men. When I see them still in marriages that have lasted well over 40 years, I use them as my reality.

I have worked with some really good men. From being on the job with them, to those who are active in this community, to the ones who put this newspaper together, they are the unsung heroes who do the work without getting the accolades.

Let us rejoice in our good men. Let us all take the time to accentuate the positive and negate the negative. Let's celebrate the good men who surround us. All I ask is that men take the time to find the boys who lack the proper etiquette of manhood and help direct them to betterment. When that happens, the problems in our community can be solved.

I will be at the Festival of Life, 55th and Cottage, July 2-5 from noon until 10 p.m., vending my novel at the Chicago Black Author's Network tent. Stop by and pick up a copy. Or call me at 773-622-3863.

Let's Stop Making Victims Out Of Wrong-doers

2010-06-30T11:45:00.000-05:00

Like many, I watched the video of the incident with the two teenagers, Angel Rosenthal, 17, (PS - Pink Shirt), Marilyn Ellen Levias, 19 (BS - Black Shirt), and Officer Ian Walsh a number of times. If you don't recognize their names, you surely recognize the incident. It made headline news the world over. Police officer attempts to arrest two teenagers for jaywalking and punches one of them in the mouth.

In viewing the video, I remained analytical and not political or reactionary. My first impression, which cannot ever be changed, is the image of just how foul-mouthed those two girls were. Sorry, folks, but under no circumstances can I refer to them as ladies. Wenches, hoochies, trollops, ghetto rats, and sluts are just a few of the choice words that came to mind when I saw the tape.

When I first tuned in, it was labeled "raw video" and the reason that the officer was attempting to arrest those two girls was unbeknownst to me. Truthfully, I laughed the first time I saw it, thinking to myself that the girl got what she deserved. It is most often the case that those who hit don't like to get hit back. It wasn't until days later, when the incident began to pick up steam, that I learned the entire event was due to those girls jaywalking. That caused me to replay the video a number of times and investigate further.

I managed to pause the initial part of the tape and it clearly shows both girls lined up against the police car. PS is closer to the driver's door, while BS is overheard shouting, "Get the f*** off my neck." From there the situation goes downhill with the officer attempting to handcuff BS while PS continues to get involved. What was amazing to me was the total disregard for their safety when both girls repeatedly try to fight the officer. In my mind, he could have pulled out his gun and shot them, claiming he was in fear of his life.

When PS breaks free from the young man who was attempting to hold her back and rushes to join in, I questioned whether or not she ever had any home training? My mother always told us not to get in the middle of a fight. But it's obvious PS has been emboldened to feel she was entitled to "jump in" and fight a cop over her friend's imminent arrest.

I stopped the video a second time - at a point where the tape clearly shows PS's arm fully extended and her hand balled in a fist as she attempts to land a blow to the officer's face. That's when the officer raised his own fist and punched PS squarely in the face. And guess what? It worked! She is clearly in shock over getting a dose of a good beat down - something she should have gotten as a child to teach her self-control, or the consequences that come when one doesn't demonstrate it. But not BS. As the cop struggles with PS, BS jumps all over his back.

The cop now has to deal with BS as PS is pulled away by the friend who tried to stop her to begin with. Now the cop's attention is again drawn back to BS, which is where all the trouble started to begin with. The cop finally gets control of BS and cuffs her and after all the drama she gave the cop, the first thing she does is bawl like a baby. Meanwhile PS is standing several feet away, nursing her mouth, now in complete control of her behavior.

Here are some additional facts that have since come out regarding the incident. The street where the girls were jaywalking is kind of like Lake Shore Drive. I saw another video where the kids were attempting to get across it, and they are truly risking their lives as cars travel about 45 mph. The reason Officer Walsh was there was because the school at that location had asked the police to enforce the law about jaywalking. Many of the students are too trifling to use the pedestrian bridge and would rather risk life and limb to jaywalk. Of course, we know what the story would have been had they been hit and killed while a cop car sat nearby.

What is amazing to me are the organizations that have come out trying to defend these two foolish girls. Those organizations are trying to make them victims when in truth they are perpetrators. Yet those same organizations aren't acknowledging that PS has since apologized to the officer for her behavior.

T.C. Raven Sings at Garfield Major event.

2010-06-26T07:07:00.002-05:00

Here a link to the youtube video

All Verdicts and Sentences Should Be Televised!

2010-06-17T02:14:00.000-05:00

Last week, I had the opportunity to do something I'd never done before. I attended a murder trial. When a friend asked me to accompany her to the trial for the man accused of murdering her nephew, I gladly agreed. The trial was held at the Cook County Criminal Court Building at 26th and California. Going there is an additional reality check in how much mayhem is going on in our society, as one only has to look at the pages and pages of printouts on who is on trial and for what reason.

Sitting in the courtroom on the side with the victim's family were people from court advocacy. The defendant had his grandmother who had put her building up as collateral for both his attorney and bond money. The defendant sat in the court wearing a suit that looked so new I could still see the price tag marks on it. He looked like he should have been a young man starting out in the world of business as opposed to, perhaps, a young fool trying to get off for murdering another human being.

I couldn't stay with the family the entire time the jury was in deliberation. But during the time I was with them, their pain of losing the only son/brother in the family was visible. When I asked my friend about the attitude of the defendant during the entire trial, she said he was cocky. He got to speak and see his relatives during the court proceedings while my friend's family got to see the horrific crime scene photos.

The defendant got to pass notes to his family via his attorney. My friend's family got to hold on to each other in support as each day of the trial dragged on. Later in the evening, my friend sent me a text message. The defendant was found guilty. When I spoke with her, I asked what the reaction of the defendant and his family was to the verdict. She said they had moaned and wept. The prosecutors were asking for a sentence of 45 years. The defendant is 23, which mean he would be 68 years old when he got out of jail.

Hearing that news reminded me of a video I had posted on my Facebook page. A young man in Wisconsin, Seandell Jackson, was accused of killing a college student during a robbery. He, too, during his trial had been cocky. But unlike in Illinois, Seandell's trial had been televised. The cameras caught him sneering at the victim's family. The judge in that Wisconsin case didn't believe for one second that Seandell was really sorry for what he had done. So she sentenced him to life in prison without a chance for parole. Seandell's reaction was to fall out in court, astonished that at age 19 he had forever lost his freedom.

Although the state of Illinois doesn't allow our court cases to be televised, I think that the law should be changed to mandate that all verdicts and sentencing be taped and televised. Why? Because our young people put on the attitude and behavior as if they are so tough. Then as soon as they're hit with the reality sentence of life in prison, they break down like the wimps they truly are. It would be very interesting to be able to watch the same urban terrorists who cause and maintain havoc react to their sentences. Their bravado is given a dose of reality as they are led away to be incarcerated forever.

Why should the defendants get to have privacy at that point in the trial? If they wimp out at their verdict hearing and the world knows it, what will be the reaction of their fellow inmates, having "punked out" at sentencing?

We are currently in a desperate time, which calls for creative measures to help stem the tide of killings. Allowing the entire world the ability to see those defendants react to their verdicts and sentencing might cause some of our young people to stop and think twice before engaging in criminal activity. And if nothing else, the family of the victim they can take solace in watching the perpetrator get sentenced over and over again.

P.S.: I want to wish a Happy Father's Day to all the real men who have stood up and taken care of their children. And to the males who conceived children they have abandoned, ignored, and disregarded, I know your hell awaits you.

Come to the Fundraiser for Garfield Major

2010-06-17T02:13:00.000-05:00

"Give them their flowers while they can see them," is a common saying in the black community. Far too often, the flowers and kind words are extended at the funeral, which serves the living but does nothing for the deceased.

Well, on Saturday, June 19 at Grace Memorial Baptist Church, 1457 S. Kenneth Ave. at 5 p.m., the entire Chicago area will have the chance to give Garfield Major some flowers while he can enjoy them. As I've written before, I am a co-host on the Garfield Major show, Talking to the People. It airs live every Sunday evening on WRLL 1450AM from 10 until midnight. Also joining me on the air is Congressman Danny Davis (D-7th), motivational speaker Johnny Westmoreland, Martha Swain of the North Lawndale Juvenile Justice Collaborative, and the immeasurable praying of Pastor Bowers from the True House of Holiness Church.

From the opening gospel song, "Just Put It in Jesus' Hands," to his trademark answering of calls to the station, "You've Got Garfield," Major is an institution. For years, he has reached into his own pocket and paid for the show, which has allowed two hours of information to go directly to the people. It has also permitted him to be among the last radio personalities whose opinions are his own and not controlled by any sponsors.

Major's style takes me back to the early days of black stations when the community was totally dependent on the radio and the hosts for information. Even with all the modern technology we have today, many issues aren't covered by the major radio stations and news media but can be heard on Garfield's show.

Some in the past have been dismissive of him. Yet after last February's primary vote when all was tallied, Major hosted more politicians and wannabe politicians on his show than any other radio program.

When the Dan Hynes' campaign ignored my offer for Hynes to come on Garfield's show the Sunday before the election in return for a fee of a couple of hundred of dollars and lost the election by less than 700 votes, well, that proved Major has that many listeners and more. It is always unwise in the dead of winter in frigid, cold Chicago to be dismissive of radio, which can get a politician's word out to folks when other methods won't work. Thousands of people listen to Garfield and are influenced by him.

One of the initiatives Garfield now wants to undertake is getting people to "drop a dime on crime" by calling into the radio station and publicly outing people who are responsible for some of the killings. To date, the families of Percy Day and Tyrone Williams are still seeking information on their killer. And just last week we had Jeremy Baggett slaughtered while riding his bicycle in front of Piccolo School. What better forum to get those with the knowledge to put it out in public than via the media where we aren't trying to find out who is calling? We just want to know the truth.

To do that will take money - money to keep Major on the air, money so he can have his show heard over the Internet.

The fundraiser at Grace Memorial is already shaping up to be a fantastic event. Otis Clay called in and said he's coming to sing. So did T.C. Raven who was out of town but wanted Garfield to know he's coming to perform. I understand Kathy Lockett offered to be the M.C., and Rev. Johnny Dodd will be there to perform some of his songs, along with many others.

There will be plenty to eat and drink. And every dime collected will go to keep Garfield Major on the air. So bring your wallets and checkbooks. All checks can be made payable to WVON and in the memo portion, write "Garfield Show." See you on Saturday, June 19.

NO SPECIAL TREATMENT FOR CHURCES CONCERNING PARKING

2010-06-03T08:15:00.000-05:00

I love and respect Webb Evans of United American Progress Association. As its founder, he has fought for black people and black businesses his entire life. So when his column appeared in last week's edition of the Austin Weekly News, I read it to fully comprehend just how the parking meters were, as he wrote, robbing the black community.

He argues that with the new parking meter deal, pastors must now pay to park in front of their churches. On Sundays, parishioners must also pay for parking if the new meter box is located in front of the church. In the past, parking meters were never utilized on Sundays. But the horrific deal that Mayor Daley orchestrated now means everyone has to feed meters-including on Sunday.

Now let's be clear, in 99.99 percent of the cases, the parking meters were there before the churches. Go up and down major business streets, especially Halstead on the South Side or Madison on the West Side and you will see brand new edifices to pastors and their ministries. Those new churches were built on business strips where grocery stores, shoe stores, clothing stores, and all sorts of revenue-producing businesses should have been located.

The Daley administration in kowtowing to the black clergy has allowed many of them to build their new churches in business districts. The churches saw the meters in front, but didn't care. It was more important to have their building on a major thoroughfare where it could be seen, as opposed to two blocks over inside a residential community where it truly should have been. And I won't even begin to talk about the churches who established themselves in existing storefronts with no parking to be found.

The attitude of the pastor is "let them park on the street," otherwise money would have been included to create a parking lot, like the Chicago ordinance says they should.

Now that parking meters are enforced every single day, there has been an outcry of "foul" coming from some in the church community. And sorry Webb Evans, but if the businessman has to pay to park to conduct his business on the same street as the church, why should the pastor be given an exemption?

Calling for a boycott of the parking meters is not going to work. Why? Because the law is clear that if the parking meter company doesn't make the money they're supposed to generate every year, they can expand where the meters are installed. That parking meter deals gives them that right.

I also found it very self-serving that the concern is just about having to pay to park near a church, given that most churches don't pay property taxes. They also get free water service and free garbage pick up. They are benefiting tremendously off the backs of the taxpayers and now want special consideration for parking too?!?

The proper lament about parking in this city should be that the deal should be rescinded because it hurts all Chicagoans. The mayor should issue an executive order stating that all parking meter violations will no longer be enforced. The proper fight is that the entire business community is hurting as people who don't have to shop here go outside the city where parking is free.

Lastly, I have a suggestion for those churches: buy some land and build a parking lot. The neighbors who live on the blocks near those churches have the right to park in front of their homes without all the spaces being taken up every Sunday by those parishioners.

OLD FOLKS NEED TRAINING JUST AS MUCH AS THE YOUNG

2010-06-03T08:14:00.000-05:00

A lot of discussion has again been held over the past few days concerning where crime and violence committed by young black people originate? If you're like me, there is only one word to use to begin to start that discussion: parents. For thousands of years, human beings have depended on having both parents available to raise children. The need for daddy is as much ingrained in our DNA as the need for mommy.

And when both were present and functioning, strong children with a sense of self were raised to become honorable men and women. All one has to do is look at the biography regarding fallen Chicago officer Thomas Wortham, IV to see that idea in motion. He was the Chicago police officer who was slain by four thugs who tried to steal his motorcycle.

In the course of that theft, Officer Wortham's father-a retired Chicago cop-retrieved his gun and was able to shoot and kill 20-year-old Brian Floyd.

NBC Channel 5 interviewed Brian's mother, Lucille Floyd. What she said-even in the obviously edited report-I found very, very disturbing. She said it was a mistake on everybody's part, including those who died and those who did the shooting. Seeing that both Officer Wortham died, as well as her own son, just whom was she speaking about? Also, her son and his friends were shooters, as well as Officer Wortham and his father. And what's up with the other notion she offered; that four killers shouldn't have to pay for one person's mistake-that "mistake" involved taking another person's life. For her to say that the father defending his life and that of his son's is a mistake, well, that is the epitome of someone who hasn't grown up herself.

She then said we need to let it rest and go on with our lives? Her son tired to rob someone and ended up participating in the murder of an off-duty police officer, who was not only shot but dragged down the street by the murderous crew's getaway car-and we're suppose to accept it and just "let it rest." It's not that simple and murder is not an "oh well" moment.

Ms. Floyd was also critical of Officer Wortham's dad for not using his knowledge as a retired cop to shoot the boys without killing them.

Mr. Wortham wasn't just walking around with a gun and shooting four people for the heck of it. He was defending his son's life from a group of treacherous thugs who had nothing better to do. And what of Floyd's own son who participated in the even colder blood killing of a police officer? Calling those hoodlums "children" is an insult to the word. They are grown men. They were driving around while drinking. They then deciding to play a game of "dare"- let's rob someone they thought.

Brian Floyd didn't have the same concern for Officer Wortham's life that his mother feels the officer's father should have showed to her son-maybe Brian should have tried to shoot the officer in the leg or butt. That didn't happen.

Parents, I have looked at the Facebook pages of Brian (B4) Floyd; what I find very sick is the amount of sympathy being expressed by young people over his death with nary a mention of the underlying cause of it-the thug life.

Every time we have a horrific murder committed by young people, I have appealed to parents to take the time to speak with their children. But it seems that the parents are now in need of a "talking to" more than the kids. So I'm calling on every minister to have a Sunday sermon based on Proverbs 22:6-Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

It is obvious that we have many that are old and don't know how to train-the training must now first begin with them.

PHI DELTA KAPPA hosts scholarship

2010-06-03T08:13:00.000-05:00

The Northeastern Illinois chapter of Phi Delta Kappa hosted its annual Educator/Scholarship Awards Dinner last Sunday, May 23 at the Doubletree Hotel in Alsip.

This year's recipients were: Margaret Burroughs, a founder of the DuSable Museum of African American History; Daphne LeCesne a teacher in Oak Park; Jeanette Dibella, principal of Providence St. Mel; and Demetrice Griffin, chairperson of the Westside NAACP. Scholarships were also presented to students for their education.

Invited guests included U.S. Rep. Danny K. Davis (7th), a former school teacher himself, and Austin Weekly News columnist Arlene Jones. The AWN writer was a special invited guest by fraternity President Louverta Hurt, who's also an Austin. Jones and Hurt will be using the columnists' new book Billion Dollar Winner this summer to teach a group of students financial literacy, economic development, business creation and entrepreneurship.

CHANGE YOU CAN BELIEVE IN has become BUSINESS AS USUAL

2010-06-03T08:12:00.001-05:00

Growing up in 1960s and '70s always meant going to the movies. And at the movies, the messages I always received was that the "bad guys never win" and that America was a land of "law and order." Nothing made my heart beat faster or pride grow stronger than to watch a movie where Americans were being the underdog and a plane/calvary/army etc. came in carrying the American flag and began to "kick butt."

But those types of movies are now passé and John Wayne as the big, fair, American hero-type is no more. Still, I long for those types of movies where the good guy makes a stance and emerges a hero. Isn't that the formula that brought the majority of fame to now Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger?

So, it's been very interesting watching this country's reaction to Arizona's Immigration Bill SB1070. That is the law which is taking a firm stance against illegal immigration by supporting federal laws already in place regarding aliens (folks that is a legal term) who are unlawfully present in the United States. The law's main intent is to make attrition through enforcement the public policy of all state and local government agencies in Arizona. It also has another stated goal which is to discourage and deter the unlawful entry and presence of aliens and economic activity of persons unlawfully in the U.S.

Now this law has elicited comments from everyone. From Pookie on the corner to even President Obama, people have chimed in their comments regarding the new law. Now, I don't expect Pookie to have read the law. He will get his information from the television news shows. But it was very eye opening to learn that two of Obama's highest ranking cabinet members have jumped on the "Dump on Arizona" bandwagon and then subsequently admitted they haven't read the bill. Huh? You mean that Attorney General Eric Holder, our chief law enforcement officer and Janet Napolitano, secretary of homeland security, have both acknowledged on film that they haven't read the bill and yet commented against it? That's right! For a second I thought we were back in the George W. Bush years. But nope, its Obama's people answering in an official capacity and then admitting that they didn't even bother to read the bill.

That is very troubling news. Whether or not I like the law, I respect Arizona for taking a stance, a stance in which the majority of the people who live there are in agreement. And one that a lot of other people all over the country agree with as well. I know that people who are in support of the intent of the law are rarely heard from while the news media only focuses on the side of those in opposition. Many in the news media as well as pro-illegal immigration activists have focused solely on the wording that states "...where reasonable suspicion exists that the person is an alien." The screams have been loud about how does one tell that someone is an "alien." Yet few will admit that there are words prior to that part of the law that codify that part of the law. What it does is state that during the course of any lawful contact with the police, they can ask about a person's citizenship status.

The Arizona law also says that no individual or government body can disregard this rule of law and make itself a "sanctuary" anything. The law makes it illegal for anyone to pick up day laborers standing outside of places like Home Depot. If someone is being transported illegally into this country, it puts the "felony" label on both the coyote and those who are the paying customers.

For those of us not living in Arizona, we haven't experienced first hand what life is like living in a state that is the main corridor for many who are involved in illegal immigration. We haven't experienced the frustration of ranchers living with people crossing their land and not knowing if an encounter with them will lead to their death. Very few people will mention rancher Robert Krentz who was murdered on his property. Trackers traced the footprints of the murderer back to the Mexican border.

SB1070 is scheduled to go into effect in July. It is already facing legal challenges. It has again put on the front burner the issue of illegal immigration. And while many elected people talk about "law and order," the illegal immigration issue has made many of them wimps on that subject. The eventual final resolution to the issue will not make everyone happy. I would suggest that the two top officials in the Obama administration remember that they are supposed to live up to the "change you can believe in" slogan, and not continue the "business as usual" behavior.

UPDATE REGARDING MY FIRST NOVEL

2010-05-19T09:16:00.001-05:00

My novel hs been chosen by Dr. Louverta Hurt, retired CPS educator and head of Congressman Danny K Davis' Education Task Force to be used this summer by 25 Upward Bound students to learn Financial Literacy, Economic Development, Business Creation and Entrepreneurship.

I am going to work out the lesson plan. My minor in college was education. I will keep folks updated as the time approaches and how it goes.

I'm Also Writing For OnixLink.Com

2010-05-19T09:09:00.001-05:00

I am a featured columnist at OnixLink.com . There you will find my commentary on national news stories and national politics. Make sure to bookmark the site and check back often. I will be posting there often stories and you can leave feedback as well.

A Change Must Come and Fast

2010-05-19T09:08:00.002-05:00

When I first read and heard State Rep. LaShawn Ford (8th district) calling on the National Guard to come into Chicago as a solution to dealing with the violence, my heart sank. I am old enough to remember the guard not only coming into the black community during the riots in the 1960s, I also remember vividly the fear I felt when old man Daley gave out the "Shoot to Kill" order.

So the thought that over 40 years later, a black elected official would make a similar call to suggest having them come into the city was upsetting.

To his credit, Ford didn't just make the call and then proceed to go ahead with his vision. Rather, he hosted a town hall meeting this past Monday at McNair Elementary School. Form came seeking community input and boy did the community show up to give it. In attendance were elected officials, including Aldermen Emma Mitts (37th), Deborah Graham (29th) and Sharon Dixon (24th). Even Commissioner Earlean Collins came out, as well as newly installed State Rep. Camille Lilly (78th). Missing were many of the elected black male officials, for some strange reason. William "Dock" Walls, who is running as an independent for governor, came out and added his support and voice to the mix.

At a few minutes before the 6 p.m. start time, the room was pretty empty. But it soon filled to the brim with people, including young black males carrying signs saying, "Jobs Not Guards." Anyone who has read my columns knows that I have a simple, easy to remember five-word plan to cure the majority of ills that have befallen the black community. They are Economics, Employment, Education, Ex-Offenders and the fifth one Excuses - none accepted.

With the gym at McNair being filled to maximum capacity, the message given and being sent by our young, unemployed black men was simple. They want employment and they want it now. Most impressive in his passion and speech was Mark Carter, an ex-offender who is now one of the leading voices coming from the younger generation. They want a piece of the state of Illinois' governmental pie and it's not welfare or food stamps they are seeking. Out of a $310 billion budget, according to Carter, black elected officials only got $425 million for their communities. It is a drop in the bucket and since we contribute a lot of money in to the state for taxes, we should get our fair share back.

Another impassioned speaker was Luster Jackson. I met Jackson when I first moved to this side of town and read about the plans to just take the people's property at Homan and Jackson for a new traffic court. Anyone who takes a few minutes to study how land grabs work in this city will find that the black community always becomes what they assume to be the easiest target. I was a novice when I first started attending those meetings to fight that land grab. But even back then, I understood that when you're fighting city hall, every person who shows up sends a message that the people care. Jackson was successful in stopping the development of that courthouse. He also recently shut down the Marshall High School redevelopment project due to racial discrimination in the workforce.

I came away from Ford's town hall meeting impressed that there is a new mission and message coming from those who are tired of being overlooked. No longer will our young people be content to allow the "usual suspects" to keep us in the "status quo" of all talk and no action.

The Eisenhower Expressway project is the baseline. That project runs straight through the heart of the West Side and will be the measure by which we will see if those young folks are serious or not. For weeks, the companies working on the project have been taking applications. Now, let's see if those who have been threatening to shut that project down if blacks aren't hired in substantial numbers will be successful.

If it comes down to that, I won't have to report on it. I will be one of the folks standing tall with them

Food for the Soul and the Stomach

2010-05-19T09:07:00.000-05:00

Are you a proud West Sider? With calls for the National Guard to come into our community, one can easily be jaded over living on this side of town. I do not want to diminish the problems that we have, but at the same time someone does need to focus on what is good about living here.

One of the best things about living on the West Side is an organization that has always been at the forefront regarding this side of town: Westside Branch NAACP. I recently rejoined the organization when chastised by President Karl Brinson for having let my membership lapse. The organization has moved and is now located at 5820 W. Chicago Ave. in the Sankofa Cultural Center.

If you want to be part of an organization that is not political or religious but is focused on doing good, then this is the organization to join. The meetings are held on the first Saturday of every month at 1 p.m. and it is not unusual to have at least 30 members present. Every year our branch holds its annual Freedom Fund Banquet. This year it will be held on Saturday May 15, at the Best Western Hotel, 4400 Frontage Rd. in Hillside beginning at 6:30 p.m. The cost of the ticket is $50 and can be purchased by calling 773.261.5890. If you are a business owner, then please buy an ad showing your support for an organization that is always out front in supporting this side of town.

And speaking of this side of town, I want everyone to support four restaurants that I visited in the past couple of weeks that may not be on your normal dining radar. The first is J&W Jamaican Jerk at 5148 W. Madison St. From the chicken & waffles for breakfast to the jerk chicken and ribs, everything was fresh, hot, and very tasty. I had the jerk chicken and it was smoky and jerked just right. The staff is helpful and friendly and whether you take out or eat in, this restaurant deserves the support of everyone.

I also had the opportunity to visit Ms. Lucille's Soul Food Kitchen at 108 W. Madison in Oak Park. The fried pork chops were scrumptious, the yams were laced with butter and vanilla, and it was refreshing to see succotash loaded with okra on the menu. I went with one of my girlfriends and she and I both had to drag ourselves out of the restaurant from having eaten so much.

Now, the next restaurant I must recommend may come as a surprise to some. I had left the radio station around midnight on Sunday and driving home my stomach began to growl. I hadn't had anything to eat since that morning and I was starving. As I drove past Chicago Avenue and Kedzie, the sign in the Popeye's Chicken, 3202 W. Chicago Ave., said their drive thru was open. Now, at 12:30 a.m. the choices for what to eat on this side of town are few and far between. So I made my purchase and took the food home, not knowing what to expect. I want to tell you that when I opened the bag, everything inside was fresh and hot. And for the first time in years, I had a chicken breast that was moist and perfectly cooked. The food was so good that I called the manager the next day and shocked her with a compliment and not a complaint. I even went on the Internet and sent a form to their main headquarters about how good that chicken was.

Lastly, for over a year I have seen the Mississippi Hot Tamale cart on the corner of Laramie and Iowa. I never knew black folks made tamales, but I got a real history lesson when I went on the Internet. Whatever the origins, I finally stopped and sampled those tamales. They are inexpensive, tasty, and very juicy since they are boiled and not steamed.

So, when you come to the NAACP banquet, let me know which restaurants you tried and give me and the restaurants in question your reviews.

Stand Up and Be Counted

2010-05-19T09:06:00.000-05:00

Last Friday I attended a first-of-its-kind graduation. The 44 women were dressed in blue graduation gowns with matching mortar boards. The smiles on their faces reflected their pride in having achieved the goal of graduation after completing their curriculum.

Most family members are always proud at a graduation, and this graduation was no exception. I had never seen so many faces filled with pride as those displayed by the audience. As they watched their loved ones march down the aisle to get their diplomas, the cheers from both the audience and members of the graduation class reflected the end of one arduous journey and the beginning of another. You see, the average age of the graduating women was around 40 and the curriculum they had just finished was one from ACCESS Health Network. It was the Women Returning Home Inaugural Graduation for women who are ex-offenders.

I never asked any of the graduating women about their past. Their past isn't as important as their present and future. You could see in their eyes the obstacles they had overcome. Every one of the women who graduated had been drug and alcohol free for at least 30 days. Remaining that way is always a challenge seeing that they are still inner city residents with all the trapping of turning back to drugs and alcohol is smack dab in their faces. But because of the support of those who run Women Returning Home (WRH), they were able to stave off the lure of returning to their former lifestyles and remain committed to the program.

When the names of the workers from ACCESS were called, the cheers were thunderous. The workers, case managers James Jones, Carmelita Tunstall and Basje Lewis along with team leader Takala Welch, had gone above and beyond in supporting those ladies as they transitioned back into everyday life. Let us too applaud them and the women who are now given a second chance. The women are back with their families and can try to heal the pain and suffering that their incarceration brought on.

As I watched the joy those ladies were expressing, I thought about the people they left behind in the penitentiary. Will those other women who will one day return to the community find a service like WRH waiting for them? Or will they end up alone and without support, become a part of the cycle of recidivism? I also thought how those women who are now home can be counted as part of the current 2010 census and that their individual count will help to bring monies back to our community for programs like the one they had just attended. And I also thought of the hundreds of thousands of households in this city who are ignoring the census.

There are millions of federal dollars a community can get based on the census counts. For example, the federal government only acknowledges the census count based on the form it receives. So, although Chicago may have three million residents, if no one sends in their census count, then programs like WRH can't ask for money to serve 100,000 thousand ex-offenders.

But if every Chicagoan returns their forms, or calls in their census to 1-866-872-6868, we can all be counted and the monies that are needed to service the needs of Chicagoans can be met.

And here's another reason to complete the census: Our community hasn't been targeted to get counted. With every census the African-American population is being eroded. Last time it was the bi-racial category. This time they are making Hispanic, which is a culture and not a race, a category. So take 10 minutes and let the government know about you and your entire family. Get counted to be counted!

Jobs results from buying into the "Green" Economy

2010-05-19T09:03:00.001-05:00

This past Saturday I was a co-host on the radio show Emilie and Friends, which is broadcast on WVON 1690-AM every Saturday from 1 to 4 p.m. I got the opportunity late Thursday afternoon, which is the reason I didn't mention it in last week's column.

The show focused on "green" jobs, the much touted field everyone is talking about as the key to our slowing rebounding economy. If you're like me, you're not really sure what a "green" job is. Because of the multitude of experts that were part of the show on Saturday, I'm now better versed and able to explain what the "green" economy is.

First off, the term "green" just means anything involved in being ecologically responsible. Windows that keep in cool air in the summer and hot air in the winter are now "green" as opposed to just being called "energy efficient." The job of manufacturing those window to installing those windows to even the selling the windows all fall under the "green" umbrella.

Once I was able to understand the "green" economy in those terms, it was easy to understand the entire spectrum of jobs that can be created as a part of the process. Banks will lend money to buy, manufacture or install the windows. There will be a need for someone to move the windows from the factory to the store, and then from the store to the location where the windows will be used. There are jobs to be had in designing the house that uses those windows. There will be jobs designing landscaping products that will be used around the house that will help to make the house even "greener." The scope gets even bigger when you add wind and solar power as major catalysts for the "green" economy. Those new industries, for the most part, will be created right here in this country with jobs that cannot be outsourced.

Another interesting dimension of the "green" movement is urban farming. One of the best examples comes out of Milwaukee, Wis. Besides creating urban gardens which help produce fresh fruits and vegetables locally within the city, there are projects that include Aquaponics where fish like Tilapia and Yellow Perch can be raised indoors. Urban beekeepers produce honey and products that utilize it. There are those who raise worms, which produce manure, the perfect fertilizer for your plants and garden. It is easy to see how "green" is a full circle of things that are interrelated.

In the last hour of the show, one of the guests mentioned reusing items that normally would go into a landfill when houses are demolished to make way for a new home. I immediately thought of my own kitchen. My original kitchen was a horrible sight to see. Imagine yellow plastic tiles on the wall topped off with black bull-nose tiles. The floors were an ugly red and white checkerboard tile. The cabinets were OK, but didn't give me any countertop room. When I had a second story added and the kitchen was partially destroyed in the process, it gave me an opportunity to redo the kitchen.

As most people are aware, remodeling a kitchen is costly. Saving money became my main goal. What I ended up doing was finding a house in Winnetka that was about to be torn down. The cabinets were extra tall and one needs to have ceilings at least 9 feet high to use cabinets that are 4 feet tall. I was the only one who bid on the cabinets and ended up paying $700 for an entire kitchen of cabinets. I paid a friend to remove them and then re-used them in my own kitchen.

I did it because of economics, but this is also part of the new "green" industry. Companies now specialize in selling parts of houses to be used by people when they need parts to repair their own vintage homes. There are even resale stores that specialize in selling those items for the home.

Here on the West Side, we have the Chicago Center for Green Technology at 445 N. Sacramento. I would suggest that anyone who wants to learn more about the future of "green," and the jobs that can come with it, visit the center and learn more.

Can Those Who Kill Put Themselves In A "Better Place"?

2010-04-15T08:35:00.001-05:00

I have advocated for years that as adults we need to be careful of what we express in front of our young people, because they take things literally. Their young minds are not fully developed and capable of doing a lot of critical thinking.

As an example, many of our young people have grown up hearing people my age say, "If that person does this or that, I'll get my gun and blow their brains out."

Well guess what? Our young people are now doing that at a rate that make our city more dangerous than Iraq. We are seeing young men killed at a rate that, if was the Klan, the community leaders would be in an uproar.

But because it's black-on-black crime, we get the occasional whimpers from the preachers and the nodding in agreement by the politicians who don't take the lead on ending the violence.

And I make that claim based on a simple premise. Tell me which black politician has made it his or her stance to always speak out on the murders and killings going on in the black community?

I'll take a nap while you try to think of a name, because I know that none of them immediately come to mind. Sure, there are those that make occasional statements, but it's not something where they've taken the lead and are the first person the media would go to in order to get a sound bite.

Well, there is a new phenomenon that is occurring, where our young people have heard us say something so much that they are now taking those words literally. For years when someone finally passes away (perhaps they had been ill or suffering in some other form or fashion), we would offer words of condolences to the family members.

We would tell the family that the suffering was now over and that their deceased love one was now in a "better place." Well our young people have heard us, but they only heard the second half of the message.

I first noticed this the other day when there was an interview on television regarding Reggis Washington. On Friday April 2, at 7:35 p.m. at 69th and Wabash, there was a call to police about shots being fired. When they police arrived, they found Reggis face down on the ground, shot in the back.

When they interviewed a friend of his, the young man stated, "He's (Reggis) in a better place now!" It was shocking and surprising to hear our young people take words of condolences and make them words of statement and fact.

Yes, death is the inevitable end to life. And it is hopefully a place where our souls can find a better place after living this life. But it is not the journey or decision for others to make - to give or send us to the "better place." We cannot allow our young people to warp the meaning and, therefore, validate the murders and killing by claiming that the deceased is now in a "better place."

Because if death is such a better place, then the killers and murders can do us all a favor and end their own wretched lives and put themselves into a "better place." But we know that ain't happening.

We need to talk with our young people and challenge them when they speak so cavalierly that death "is a better place." If it is, then why are so many scared to take a stand that might lead to their death and journey to that "better place?"

Why do religious leaders who profess to speak to God and know about heaven surround themselves with security guards so they can remain on this earth and avoid getting to that "better place?"

This is not about the religious connotation to death. It's the reality that our final destination should not be the legitimate excuse to give other the right to end our lives. And our anger should be directed against those killers and murders. Otherwise, what our young people are doing is inadvertently validating the killing, since the end result is the "better place."

Harold Washington's Words Still Ring True

2010-04-10T00:08:00.001-05:00

I’ve been a fan of Celebrity Apprentice (CA) ever since it first came on the air. And even though I am rarely home to see it when it first comes on the air on Sunday night, you can be assured that I will catch it over the Internet the next day. What makes this season episodes of CA apprentice even more fascinating is the appearance by former Governor Rod Blagojevich.

Now I’ve never been a big fan of Blago. He was always a sleazy character in my book. But because I really didn’t know him, CA would give me the perfect opportunity to see him in a different light. Unfortunately, my hopes for that to happen quickly fell short as one of Blago’s first words on the show was that he is “An innocent man wrongly accused.” Now Blago has all the rights that the constitution gives him to profess his innocence. But would he be a real “team player” or was he using the show to promote his legal troubles.

The latter appears to be more his motives. In the very first episode of CA, Blago allows some food to sit and go cold while acting as a waiter. He was speaking to people professing his innocence while the food sat unattended waiting for him to pick it up and deliver it to the table. The second and third episodes of CA also showed Blago in a poor light. Again too much emphasis on his legal woes and not enough attention paid to the tasks he needs to be completing. Plus in the third episode, Blago is given a laptop and he is so technically challenged that he doesn’t even know how to turn it on. But it was the very last episode in which he appeared that doomed him. He was given a Blackberry or some other type of smart phone and was incapable of sending a text message. Funny and yet…sad. Because while holding the position of governor of this great state, he made decisions which affected all of our lives and yet lived such a privileged lifestyle whereby he didn’t ever have to practice what he preached. He had others to do it for him as he would often say.

As I pondered Blago’s incompetence with text messaging, it made me rescore just how important a Lt. Governor candidate is in case they ever have to assume the position of Governor. It was fun to have Pat Quinn as the Lt. Governor. His quirky nature was easy to dismiss. It is not fun to have Pat Quinn as Governor. Blago had said upon leaving office that he had been fighting attempts to increase our taxes and all Quinn has talked about since being appointed Governor is increasing them. It is very easy to solve the fiscal problems for this state by asking the taxpayers to pay more. It takes a real leader to come in and look at the state’s budget and slash waste and fraud first before asking taxpayers to pay more into an insatiable system.

Plus the fiasco about who will be Quinn’s running mate has forever tarnished him in my book. First he wanted Hynes, then Tammy Duckworth, then State Sen. Susan Garrett before finally settling on Sheila Simon. I too, am one of the angry, irate African American voters who didn’t like the way Art Turner was summarily overlooked in the process. My anger runs so deep that Quinn has forever been renamed by me to be Quinn-Ain’t-Our-Friend.

I also went back and looked up that commercial that played in the waning days before the primary where the late Mayor Harold Washington said of QAOF, “I was nuts to do it. I must have been blind or staggering. I would never appoint Pat Quinn to do anything. Pat Quinn is a totally and completely undisciplined individual who thinks that government is nothing but large easel by which he can do his PR work. He almost created a shambles in that department. The Revenue Department was in a slow process of being revised…and made into a whole. He went in there like a bull in a closet. Wouldn’t do what he was told, which was to put the systems in there which I had discussed thoroughly with him. No he thought that department was a PR plantation and he didn’t do his work. And he was dismissed and should’ve been dismissed. My only regret is that we uh hired him and kept him too long. That was perhaps my greatest mistake in government in terms of appointments.” And the same can be said of QAOF of being appointed governor. A big mistake. But not one we have to live with. Recently Bill “Dock” Walls has announced that he is reviving his campaign for Governor and will run as an Independent. Thank goodness the mistake that is currently in the governor’s seat can be removed this November by electing Walls to the job. You can hear and learn more about Walls this Sunday night on WRLL 1450AM from 10 until Midnight.

The Jewel Of The WestSide

2010-04-09T07:52:00.002-05:00

I had the pleasure last Thursday, March 25 of being a guest at Douglass High School on North Waller Avenue. Years back it was primarily a middle school but has been converted into a high school. I was invited by Dr. Louverta Hurt, our preeminent educator here on the West Side to participate in the Career Day at the school. It was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up.

I had never been inside Douglass before and I didn’t know what to expect. But after having worked with the young students from Collins High School in North Lawndale earlier this year on a political forum, I know that our young people are negatively portrayed at every opportunity. Too much emphasis has been placed by the media on one or two negative events and never is the spotlight shown on all the positives things that they do.

I was greeted at the parking lot door by members of the ROTC unit. With their spiffy uniforms and fresh faces, the young people immediately brought a smile to my face. They were well mannered, efficient, and demonstrating responsible behavior with nary an adult in sight. They offered to help me with my suitcase full of books and to escort me wherever I needed to go.

Upon checking in at the library, I was given an itinerary to follow for the day. I would have the opportunity to speak to four classes. As luck would have it, the classes I got were perfect for me; two were for the Spanish class and two were Computer Science. As one who majored in Spanish in college and worked for over twenty years as a computer programmer—well the fit was perfect.

I spoke to the students on a variety of subjects. I told them about getting a job writing for this paper simply because of my weekly letters to the editor. I spoke about writing my first novel, Billion Dollar Winner and my having been inspired by listening to activists who always knew the answers but rarely have the money to fix the problems. I spoke about living in this community and loving technology so much that I normally travel with my laptop wherever I go. When one young man asked if I was concerned about someone stealing it, my reply was swift and without hesitation. I live in this community. I am not allowing that type of negative mindset to infiltrate my reality. I don’t believe this community is full of thieves and therefore don’t subscribe to it.

The young man was taken aback with my response. He has probably spent too much of his young life being labeled a thief without proof. From being watched every time he goes into a store to being profiled by the police, criminal behavior can often be painted on our children whether it is justifiable or not. But he wouldn’t get that label from me. What he did get was a lecture that reminded him and others that just because there are those that expect them to fail doesn’t mean that they have to buy into that mindset. His goals in life should be the ones he strives to achieve and not fall prey to the lack of expectations that others want him to possess.

Douglass nicknames itself the Jewel of the Westside. And like any jewel in its unpolished and natural state, it doesn’t reflect the light like it should. But once cut into the right shape, an unpolished diamond will become a brilliant stone. Getting a good education is akin to becoming a polished stone.

My message to all the students at Douglass High is this; achieve even though many don’t expect you to achieve. Soar to the highest level of the sky leaving those behind who do not or can’t soar with you. Learn from everyone as even a fool can teach you how not to be one. Think and think critically about what you are being taught. Don’t accept “no” for an answer when you know that it is not right. Strive to be the best because only by being the best can you really get to know yourself. Read everything you can get your hands on and ask questions. Be curious about learning and open to learning new things. And as I always like to remind people; the most brilliant of all brain surgeons was once a snot eating two-year-old. You came into this world not knowing how to walk or talk and have mastered those two things. You can master everything else if you put your mind, energy, and effort into it.

One of the special treats of the entire day was to have a meal prepared by the culinary students at the school. I had baked chicken with a maple cream sauce, rice pilaf, and asparagus with lemon butter. Oh my goodness was that food good. The students in the culinary program acted as the wait staff and they did a fantastic job. I am normally not a dessert person, but the pound cake with fresh strawberry topping was so good that I ate mine and that of my tablemates who didn’t want theirs. One of our local restaurants should consider having a special event and allowing those children to cook so that everyone in the community can taste what they can whip up in the kitchen.

To the parents of the students at Douglass High School, your children need to know that we as a community care about them. But we cannot do what you must do. And that is fight for every nickel and dime that the schools gets. It is your children’s education that is on the line and no longer can you expect anyone to do it for them but you. If you don’t fight to insure that your children get the best of everything, no one else will. This column will only mean something if you’re willing to take a stance and tell the board that no more will your children get second class anything. The tax dollars from this community cannot go to the top five high schools while children from this community are short changed.

Lastly, I’ll end my column with this. Thank you students at Douglass High School. Thank you for allowing me into your classrooms. Thank you for letting me intrude into your school day to have a few minutes of your time. Thanks for reaffirming that we have hundreds of hidden jewels in this community and all we need to do is open our eyes to see them.

The Black Agenda Is The American Agenda

2010-04-09T07:51:00.001-05:00

Last Saturday morning, the wind howled, the snowflakes swirled, and my alarm clock went off at 5 am. I had set the alarm to go off even earlier than normal so that I could be on time to attend Tavis Smiley’s We Count – The Black Agenda event at Chicago State University (CSU). I wanted to be on time to hear from all those that were to be on the panel. I wanted to hear and come away from the meeting with a clear, concise, concrete, and complete agenda. And I did.

Now the event was definitely interesting. The panel combination of Smiley, Dr. Cornell West, Rev. Jesse Jackson, Min. Louis Farrakhan and ex-Ald. Dorothy Tillman and others was a listen-fest for the ears. And although I could have stayed home and watched the entire event over the internet, it’s not the same thing as being there. Television cannot televise the atmosphere of the crowd that showed our hunger for real discussions, real solutions, real decisions and in the end—a real agenda.

I got to CSU shortly before 7am. If you haven’t seen the Emil and Patricia Jones Convocation Center, it’s a beauty. I had gone there for the first time a few weeks back for the Census concert, so I was shocked to see newly installed (or temporarily placed) metal detectors at the front door. My mind immediately acknowledged that it was because of Farrakhan. I also had to have my bags searched. I was taken aback when the CSU security guard allowed the women from the Nation of Islam (NOI) to rummage thru my possessions. Those NOI women were not duly authorized state employees who have been fingerprinted, identified, duly trained and have had their own backgrounds checked for criminal activity. I have written a letter of concern to Wayne Watson, Chancellor of CSU pointing out my contentions that allowing the women from the NOI to search my bags was akin to permitting the general public to rummage through my possessions. My metal thermos full of hot tea could have held a weapon and those women didn’t have the knowledge to detect it, or even the curiosity to open it, so their actions were more show that security.

Smiley started off the discussions by placing a cube labeled with the word “Love” on the table and it set the tone for both the individuals on stage and those of us in the audience. If there were to be disagreements, it could be done in a fashion without people being disagreeable (which is why I held my protest about the NOI women acting as security until I could pen a letter). And it worked. It was a lively four hour conversation with some things being said that needed to be said. But because this discussion was so vast and it was so much to take in and truthfully I wasn’t taking notes because I wanted to be in the moment and not just be a reporter of it.

Since coming home, I have again re-watched the entire conversation. And what I saw in retrospect is that what had been good in person was even better replayed. I saw individuals put information on the table that may make others uncomfortable, but the data was facts and not just suppositions. The black community cannot afford—no matter who is seated at the head of the White House table to not put forth our agenda. And what is that Agenda? It’s the one that has already been defined by Smiley’s 2006 book, The Covenant with Black America.

The Covenant has a ten point agenda that is as valid today under Obama as it was when the book was first published under President Bush. The ten points are; Healthcare, Education, Criminal Justice, Police, Affordable Housing, Voting, Rural Development, Economics, Environmental and Digital Divide.

My only criticism of the event is that it didn’t have a single male under the age of 30 on the panel. That is the age group with the most unemployed. They do the most killings They are the ones most often killed. They are the ones going to jail, dropping out of school and in need of the most intervention.

I love and respect President Obama. But I also love and respect black people more. We must force him to do for us and to address our issues the same way other groups are pushing forward to get theirs. We cannot afford to allow this opportunity to pass by sitting back and waiting. We are the only group of people who didn’t immigrate to this country. We are the only group that had laws made so that we couldn’t participate. As the title to the conference stated, “The Black Agenda is the American Agenda.”

Parents Are Responsible For Their Children's Education!

2010-03-18T10:08:00.001-05:00

The Five E's - Economics, Education, Employment, Ex-Offenders and Excuses (none accepted) - are still the major forces facing the black community. Last week I discussed what is going on in this city and on the West Side when it comes to economics. It is a slow process, but there are changes taking place because of Chicago's Black Wall Street.

There are also changes taking place in education, but it is not being done to really give our children the best opportunities in life. Rather, many business people have looked at education and the money that flows to it and have made our children products that they process.

When Renaissance 2010 was first announced in June 2004 it seemed like the year 2010 was a long way down the road. But time is moving swiftly and the year 2010 is here. All Renaissance 2010 has done is replaced many experienced African-American educators with young white college graduates hired at a lower salary.

It is another attack on our community. When a child is properly educated, the entire world is open to him or her. But the continuous "Mis-education of the Negro" is a guaranteed source of individuals to fuel the prison-industrial complex. And even sadder, once they are incarcerated for life, many prisoners finally learn to read, write and critically think but are forever prevented from turning that knowledge into something productive.

When all our children attend local public schools, they benefit equally from all the forces involved in it. Within the schools I attended while growing up, there were activist parents, trifling parents, working parents and contributing-when-they-could parents.

When activist parents got something done for our school, we all benefited. Working parents sent money and other parents did when they could. And the trifling parents? Well they never added anything into the betterment of the school. But their children benefited from all the other forces, so there was equality for all of us.

Now charter schools are also public schools. But they can have rules that every parent must agree to in order for their children to attend. If the school requires parents to participate X number of times per year, activist parents will always be there to make sure their children get every benefit out of their school years.

Working parents will do what they can, especially if it means giving money more than time. So will the when-they-can parents. But the trifling parents are not going to change. And, therefore, their children are being left to fend for themselves and become the bottom rung of the educational ladder.

Why should we care when Pookie and Nay-nay don't get involved? Because more than likely, it will be their children who will create the havoc in the community, pull the trigger and leave children with so much potential dead.

We must also pay attention to business people who are using education as their manner of income. These individuals are not educators. They look at our children as something they process and are not involved into how and why a child learns.

Our children learn something everyday. They retain certain things and can do an instant recall on the latest rap record while not being able to recite the multiplication table. Our boys are enthusiastic about school until the third grade and then lose interest.

Years ago it was stated that many black parents went overboard on the eighth-grade graduation because high school graduation rates were so dismal. We need to reverse that trend to make eighth-grade graduation a "clap," high school graduation an "applause" and college graduation a "standing ovation." Parents, your child's education is your job.

Do it!

Black Wall Street Comes To Austin

2010-03-12T18:10:00.000-06:00

Several years ago, I wrote a series of five articles. Each of those articles contained what I professed to be the solutions to the majority of "ills" that have befallen the black community. To refresh your memories, my articles were on the five E's: Economics, Education, Employment and Ex-offenders. The fifth "E" was Excuses (none allowed).

So when I attended the Black Wall Street Summit (BWSS), held on Feb. 27, at 3333 W. Arthington, it was a pleasure. During the course of the day, over 150 people came by to pledge their commitment to the agenda. The primary focus of the BWSS is economics, and if you're not familiar with the origins of the Black Wall Street concept, let me give you a brief history lesson.

In 1921, the Greenwood community in Tulsa, Okla., was a thriving center for business. As with most black communities during that time, the main business strip of Greenwood Avenue was racially segregated. Segregation, however, was not an obstacle but an impetus for the people of Greenwood to build an economic base that rivaled what was occurring in Tulsa proper.

Most every business that the community of Greenwood needed was supplied by the people living there. A dollar circulated in Greenwood from 36 to 1,000 times before that dollar left the community (compare that with Austin today where a dollar leaves faster than it comes in and so few of our businesses are owned by people who live here). The community had millionaires and bank deposits and assets totaling millions of dollars. Booker T. Washington, upon learning of the industriousness of the community, dubbed it "Black Wall Street."

Then an incident occurred on the evening of May 30, 1921 between a black shoe shine "boy," Dick Rowland, and a white elevator operator, Sarah Page. Although rumors had long circulated in the black community that these two were involved in a relationship, the racist Tulsa Tribune (fair to call them that, as they used the word, "Nigger," in writing about the black community) reported that a rape had occurred. The newspaper's incendiary editorial was used to inflame already tense race relations.

What happened afterwards was one of the worst race riots ever. The white community descended on the Greenwood black community, looting, killing and burning homes and businesses to the ground. The riot lasted from May 31 through June 1. It was the first documented episode of an American community being bombed. So many black people were killed and their bodies unceremoniously destroyed that the actual death toll is not known, but estimates range as high as 3,000.

The BWSS I attended is committed to re-establishing within the black community the same sort of business district that once thrived in Greenwood. Our communities can only survive if the residents are committed to supporting the quality businesses in it. And if you are one who readily dismisses local businesses, how do you ever expect to see North, Chicago avenues and Madison Street become the business Mecca we need?

This past Saturday, I helped out a friend at a comedy night, held at the recently at the remodeled Potpourri Banquet Hall located in the Laramie State Bank building at the corner of Chicago and Laramie. The crowd's age ranged from mid-20s to early 40s. The primarily black audience was a testament to the concept that black people can support a black business operating in a black-owned facility with food supplied by a black-owned restaurant with a black wait staff.

It was, in essence, the basic premise of the BWSS mission. The dollars earned were first spent in our community, and the quality of the services, entertainments and all else rivaled anything Rush Street could offer, except that it was located right here in the heart of the Austin community.

Over the next couple of weeks, I am going to revisit my contention that the 5 E's are the only viable solution to the ills that plague us. Whether you agree or disagree, voice your opinions - because when it comes to our community, there should be no silent voices.

CICERO FIRE WAS MURDER!!!!!

2010-03-05T06:04:00.002-06:00

I suspected as much! My column demanding that Comm Ed not add additional meters on to houses should become law!

Those seven people didn't have to die!

Why Quinn Ain't Our Friend

2010-03-05T06:03:00.001-06:00

In last week’s column, I was highly critical of those who were dismissive regarding Black History Month. In the time since that column was published, I’ve heard from a number of others who agreed with what I wrote. While every other group’s ethnic heritage is celebrated, when it comes to black folks, we are being told to disregard ours. Amazing!

As many of you who read this column are aware, I try and pick a constant underlying theme for them. Last year, my mantra was “Pay Attention Chicago.” This year’s theme was supposed to be “Take No Prisoners.” But I am forced to amend it. So I will alternate that theme with “Every Day is Black History.”

Now anyone reading this column has lived through one of the greatest historical moments in Black History, American History and our lifetime. And that was the election and inauguration of President Barack Obama into office. But if you haven’t been paying close attention to local politics lately, another historical event is occurring. And that is the complete disregard of the first runner up in the Lt. Governor’s race; Art Turner.

Now there is not any hard and fast rule that Turner should automatically becomes the nominee after coming in second place to Scott Lee Cohen. In truth, I liked the idea that the position was first offered to Dan Hynes seeing that he and Quinn had a neck-in-neck photo finish to their race. But once Hynes turned down the opportunity, I expected the next name to flow out of Quinn’s mouth to be Turner. The reasons; Turner did come in second place for the position; Quinn use of every black politician in town to robocall my house to get the “black vote;” and an immediate, decisive decision would help allay those words that Harold Washington had said and which still lingered in the forefront of my mind regarding Pat Quinn.

Is there anyone who can forget that commercial that had run on television featuring a vintage interview with the late Mayor Washington? The reaction to that commercial quickly brought every black politician from out the woodwork to call my home and urge me to vote for Quinn. I didn’t. But as I watched the debacle going on after Cohen’s resignation from running, Washington’s words rang in my head like an omen; “"Pat Quinn is a totally and completely undisciplined individual who thinks this government is nothing but a large easel by which he can do his (public relations) work. He almost created a shambles in that department."

No truer words could have ever been stated. After getting turned down by Hynes to be his running mate, Quinn then goes after Tammy Duckworth to be his running mate, completely disregarding Turner. Huh? What is Art Turner? The “Invisible Negro?”

Now admittedly Quinn’s running mate selection will be made by the Democratic Central State Committee. But Quinn does have influence in letting them know who he would like to see on the ticket with him. Had Turner come in first, the decision would have been a given and no further discussion needed. But he didn’t and now we have to watch as Governor Quinn-Ain’t-Our-Friend turns the process into a shambles by mulling over which person gets to be the next candidate for the office. His finger pointing at first this one and now that one leads me to conclude that his political astuteness is lacking. Without the black vote, and our vote shouldn’t be a guaranteed “given,” Quinn can’t win. As someone else stated to me this week, “If Quinn’s running mate ain’t black, he can’t go back!”

It is also interesting to hear that several black elected officials are willing to support a white candidate from downstate to “balance the ticket.” Yet where is the reciprocity to support a black candidate to also “balance the ticket.” And although Turner is from the Chicago area, he does own a home in Springfield. Doesn’t that count?

Why Changing the Face of Urban Literature Is My Passion

2010-03-01T16:35:00.002-06:00

I got the following list of the top five books for 2009 from the African American Black Literature Book Club. They are:

1 - Total Eclipse of the Heart by Zane
2 - Purple Panties: An Eroticanoir.com Anthology by Zane (Editor)
3 - Missionary No More: Purple Panties 2 by Zane (Editor)
4 - Head Bangers: An APF Sexcapade by Zane
5 - Push: A Novel by Sapphire

I do congratulate them on their success, but at what cost to the Black community? This is the reason I wrote what I wrote. I want to be the catalyst for changing the face of Urban Literature the way Terry McMillian did when she had her breakthrough with "Waiting to Exhale."

Black History Month is Always Relevant

2010-02-25T03:21:00.001-06:00

As we come to the end of Black History Month (BHM) 2010, I wonder how many of you who are descendants of enslaved Africans chose not to participate? If you are one of those folks, I wonder if you have subconsciously fallen victim to the subtle but strong underlying current of a message that has been permeating the airwaves of late. It is a message that began shortly after President Obama's election, as if that occurrence had miraculously converted America into a post-racial society.

Many of us have heard the jokes about how BHM is the shortest month of the year from those who are too ignorant of their own history to learn why February is the month dedicated to celebrate our history. Add in that the major media has done an excellent job over the past couple of decades focusing their and our attention solely on Dr. King's "I Have a Dream" speech along with an obligatory tossing in of Rosa Parks and a sprinkling of everything else, and it's no wonder many have come to see BHM in the narrowest of terms - as if the month were a side salad to the meal as opposed to a never-ending buffet.

But in all of my 56 years on this earth, rarely have I heard so many questioning if BHM is still relevant or should even continue to be acknowledged. At first the question was a whisper. But by mid-month, I had Garrard McClendon of CLTV asking, both on his Facebook page and on the air, if BHM was still relevant. Even sadder, Monique Caradine, former host at WVON 1690-AM responded, "Black History Month is played out like 8 tracks and Afros."

The smugness of those who are dismissive regarding BHM is comparable to those who feel they have "made it" as they sit in comfortable jobs and go home to houses in the suburbs. They attribute their success to hard work with nary a though of the many maids and janitors who took a stance against legalized racism so those same young folks can have what they have today.

I got a chance last Sunday to meet some of the men who stood up to legalized racism in this country. In 1941, then-President Roosevelt signed Executive Order 8802 which allowed African Americans to join the Marines. When they went to basic training, they didn't go to the Marine training base at Camp Lejeune. Instead, a segregated base was built next door at Montford Point (now named Camp Johnson). There between the years 1942-1949, those men became some of the first African-American Marines to undergo basic training. They trained under segregated circumstances while being subjected to the racism of both the military in which they served and the City of Jacksonville, N.C. Then they were sent off to fight and die in WWII and other conflicts.

I had never heard of the Montford Point Marines prior to the event I attended. Their story is yet another dish at the Black History buffet that we cannot allow the younger generation or anyone else to summarily dismiss. The sacrifices of those black Marines to a country that didn't allow them 100 percent participation are immeasurable. Before the last of them die, we can do something to place a value on their contribution. That is to make sure the last surviving members who trained at Montford Point receive a Gold Medal from the U.S. Congress.

There are currently two bills before Congress. One is HR3927 for the House of Representatives; S1695 is the corresponding Senate version. Our two Illinois senators, Burris and Durbin have supported the Senate bill. Now we need everyone from all over the country to write, e-mail or fax their Congressional representatives and their senators to demand that those men who served, fought and died for this country be recognized for their valor. A medal is a small price to pay to honor the men whose service to this country wasn't in vain.

Joe Stack

2010-02-19T06:38:00.001-06:00

Is the man who flew his plane into the IRS office in Texas.

JOE STARK MANIFESTO PART 1

2010-02-19T06:11:00.004-06:00

JOE STACK MANIFESTO PART 2

2010-02-19T06:07:00.006-06:00

Political Correctness VS Common Sense

2010-02-17T23:09:00.000-06:00

It's time! It's time for political correctness to no longer overrule common sense and public safety. It's time we all take a stand for the public good and not let those with agendas put our lives, safety and property at risk.

What am I talking about? I'm talking about the fire this past week in Cicero - a fire that took the lives of seven people, a fire whose risks of occurring multiplied exponentially because of the number of people (estimated to be 30-40) living in a two-story, 116-year-old frame building.

As I've written in the past, I have worked with the 25th District housing subcommittee regarding "illegal conversions." That is when an unscrupulous landlord or homeowner takes a space that wasn't designed for people to live in and turns it into a living quarter. During the early 1990s, this practice occurred so much in the Belmont-Cragin district, which lies just north of Austin, that almost every bungalow in the area eventually became an illegal apartment building. It also occurred during the heyday of lots of jobs and a booming economy. It occurred during a time when "no vacancy" was the norm and people couldn't find a place to live.

As I read about the deaths in Cicero, one part caught my attention: "Cicero tried to impose an occupancy limit in 1991, but the U.S. Justice Department sued, charging that the ordinance discriminated against Hispanics. In 1997, Cicero signed an agreement with the federal government over the ordinance."

The family members who died weren't Hispanics. They were African Americans and U.S. citizens. But because of illegal immigration and a desire to call any laws that would limit overcrowding as "racism" against Hispanics, who are the primary practitioners, a lot of municipalities were unable to do anything about it. So rules weren't enforced and landlords and homeowners went about putting as many people under one roof as possible.

Now 20 years later, with the U.S. economy in a shambles and the housing market crumbling, there are more vacancies than people who can afford to rent them. So families are doubling and tripling up because individually they are no longer able to afford a place of their own. And even if neighbors had complained about at least 12 people living in one apartment, Cicero couldn't do anything about it because the federal lawsuit limited the city's rights.

So we now have four dead children and three dead young adults. I bet the U.S. Justice Department won't be at the funeral to see seven caskets lined up in a row. Or show up to be pallbearers since it was their lawsuit that legally allowed so many folks to sardine in together.

I think I have the solution.

I am calling on our state legislators to pass a law that prevents the electric company from adding more electric meters to a building without a permit from the local municipality. For example, in a single family home, there should be a single meter for the building. In a two flat, there are three - one for each apartment and one for the basement and common area.

Currently, Com Ed will add an unlimited number of meters to a house. Why? Because there is nothing to prevent them. People who illegally convert their property want to separate out the electric bill. Otherwise one bill for an entire building can soar as each area runs electric devices, which consume tons of electricity. If a single bungalow is illegally converted, the owner will have the first floor, basement, and attic all on separate meters.

It is very interesting that People's Gas won't add additional gas meters, but Com Ed will. So to heat those locations, the owners install electric baseboard heaters which we all know run an electric bill sky-high. If an owner had to get a permit from the city before adding additional electric meters, guess what? They couldn't get permission because the city shows the home as single family and not a two- or three-flat.

What about houses that have already done this? The law should require electric companies to report all addresses that currently have more than one but less than, say, 10 meters. Every meter reader has to know there is something suspicious about a house in a neighborhood of single-family homes with five meters on the outside. The city can then investigate to see if the meters are legitimate, fine the landlord and have them deconvert the illegal conversion and allow only city-authorized electricians to remove the meter, thus forcing the owner to pay a ridiculous amount of money for the work and putting electricians back to work.

My suggestion might not have helped the Cicero fire victims, but if municipalities could set a limit on the number of individuals who can legally occupy a space, perhaps those babies would be alive today.

Shame on everybody for making their political agenda more important than people's lives.

West Chicago Ave Book Event

2010-02-17T06:38:00.002-06:00

When I got to the library last night, the librarian immediately told me that they didn't get a chance to promote my visit like they wanted. So she didn't expect anyone to come.

But she did have in her office a young lady from Douglas High School who had read the book. I met Elizabeth and she is a charm. They somehow found my book while browsing the Internet looking for the next book for their bookclub at school. She was radiant as she talked about the book.

It was very interesting to hear that her reading teacher was amazed at all Elizabeth picked up from reading the book. From our conversation, it appears that the teacher never read the book. Elizabeth told me that the teacher thought the book was just about a lottery. But it isn't.

My book is for ages 12 and up. And best of all, the book did what I meant it to do as Elizabeth got it. She liked the story lines. She felt good about the WestSide being portrayed in a positive light. She had another bookclub member said they began searching the internet to see if they could find my character for real because the book felt like they could go to the 4600 block of west WestEnd and find my character Val.

Thank you Elizabeth. It is because of young children like yourself who need to see where they live in a very positive light that I write.

A LOT OF LOSERS IN LAST WEEK'S ELECTIONS

2010-02-12T08:46:00.001-06:00

This week’s column is a hard one for me to write. Why? Because I’ve had to change my mind so many times about what I was going to say. Truthfully I don’t write my columns until the day they are due. Sometimes certain issues are so worrisome that by the time I finally sit down to write, many of my opinions are so well-formed that my fingers fly across the computer keyboard as the words just flow out of me. Today I am disgusted because I must write about last week’s elections. My focus is not only on the candidates, but also on the trifling folks who were too lazy to go to the polls and vote for some damn good choices. Those candidates lost and had a poor showing because far too many people have become jaded about the political process and therefore want the television version of elections as opposed to the reality.

President Barack Obama’s campaign was a rare fairy tale candidacy. But for all others, it is very hard work to try and get your name and opinions on the radar for the average voters. Running for office is a decision that most sincere candidates don’t take lightly. It is a sacrifice of their time, feelings, money, and most of all their energy as one goes about trying to convince voters that if they give that candidate a chance, the candidate will work to make a difference.

One of the biggest losers in last week’s elections was Sylvester Baker. This was his third attempt to become the Cook County Sheriff and black folks who represent about seventy percent of the inmates’ population did a piss poor job of coming out to support this man in his quest. Not only was Sylvester Baker highly qualified for the job, he came with ideas to give inmates knowledge so that they wouldn’t find themselves coming back to jail. But it is obvious that the black community loves the idea of their sons and daughters being incarcerated because if they didn’t, they would have done a better job of supporting Mr. Baker in his effort to become the democratic nominee for Cook County Sheriff. So the next time those of you who didn’t vote or voted to keep the incumbent sheriff in office have a love one at the jail, remember it was your indifference to the election that helps to keep the “status quo” and you can’t complain.

Another big loser in last week’s elections was Dorothy Brown. After all the talk about her qualifications and leads in the polls, voters weren’t fooled. This was the second time that Brown has displayed that she is dissatisfied with her position as Clerk of the Circuit Court. Three years ago, as Bill ‘Dock’ Walls ran a campaign for mayor; she entered at the last minute to split the black vote. She lost. Now she again demonstrated her dissatisfaction with the job she has by running for County Board President to do another splitting of the black vote. Fortunately many voters saw her candidacy for the farce it was and will remember it when the 2012 elections come along. As one politically savvy person told me, no longer will Brown be able to run for re-election unopposed. From the same names on her petitions as Terry O’Brien, to the pay-to-wear-jeans scandal, Brown has dug her own brown pile and the stench is obvious.

Then there were a lot of losers in the race to become a Metropolitan Water Reclamation Commissioner. I don’t know why that job attracted the attention of so many individuals to run for it, but the names and pedigrees of the ones who did run were like a who’s who list. Some were immensely qualified to do the job while others spent more money on the campaign than they would make over the six year period for the job in salary. That immediately has my curiosity peaked and at some point in the future I will follow up.

Lastly, if you’re not doing anything this Saturday afternoon, I am having a book signing at Munchies, 3511 S. King Dr. from 3 – 6pm. I will be reading from my novel, “Billion Dollar Winner.” I am currently on a mission to get one million people to visit my blog and read the prologue to the book. You can learn more by going to the website for the book at www.billiondollarwinner.blogspot.com.

THE ELECTIONS ARE OVER UNTIL NOVEMBER

2010-02-05T21:26:00.000-06:00

I'm writing this column early in the morning on Tuesday, Feb. 2. The polls have just opened, and I hope many will get there and vote. It is also a day when there is no joy in liking, following or even wanting to be involved in politics. Why? Because this election has proven how low individuals will go to sling mud in order to get voters to vote for them.

Last week I took a stance and declared that I wouldn't vote for any politician who has used the Burr Oak tragedy in their political campaign. I also reiterated my feelings on the radio show that I do with Garfield Majors (Sundays, 10-midnight, 1450AM) which caused one of the candidates for judge to stop her proud announcement that she was one of the lead attorneys in a Burr Oak lawsuit.

One of the sickest comments regarding Burr Oak came out of the mouth of Congressman Danny Davis when he stated in a robocall left on my answering machine: "Hynes hopes you'll forget the African-American bodies left to rot in unmarked graves under his watch at Burr Oak Cemetery." Obviously, the pain and guilt many of us share about the Burr Oak situation wasn't a top priority on his list when he recorded that call for Pat Quinn.

There was a bright side to the Burr Oak debacle though. Sherriff Tom Dart was so self-assured that his role in bringing the tragedy to the forefront was such a "guaranteed" vote-getter in the African-American community, he didn't feel the need to even campaign there for his job. The only name you saw all over the county was Sylvester Baker. I appreciated Sheriff Dart not grandstanding on the problem, but I still want a candidate to solicit my vote and not just assume he is going to get it.

I felt like I was being patronized whenever I heard from Gov. Pat Quinn. His robocall to my house yesterday was filled with the list of people who had placed calls on his behalf, including Rev. Jackson, congressmen Rush, Davis, Gutierrez and Jackson, Jr. and a former employee of Mayor Harold Washington, Jacky Grimshaw. He named-dropped so much during his interview on WVON-1690AM that the issues he was addressing got lost in the limelight of all the names he kept bringing up. As far as I was concerned, it was one step above that old line, "One of my best friends is black." It was a turn-off and amounted to pandering to the black community for votes without offering substance.

I am going to have to investigate why there was so much interest from so many people to run for commissioner of the Water Reclamation Department. The job pays around $70,000 a year, yet one person was spending millions to get the job. There were giant ads and billboards all over the place. One has to wonder about what contracts are being given out and to whom for so many to be pursuing that position.

I have a feeling many of the incumbents will either lose their jobs or win by a narrow margin. If some of the Democratic incumbents win, then we need to hold their feet to the fire before the general election come November. No longer should a primary win be a shoo-in when the economy in the black community is on the verge of bankruptcy as we suffer unemployment figures as high as 50 percent among our teens and young men.

Lastly, there is no joy in acknowledging that Ald. Ike Carothers has resigned and pleaded guilty to bribery. His downfall and the possible indictment of several other aldermen still loom in the future. Developer Calvin Boender's reach into the black West Side wards may take down several more aldermen. Let's see what ex-Ald. Carothers has to say months from now when he does testify.

UNAUTHORIZED Campaign Flyers getting Uglier

2010-01-29T01:42:00.001-06:00