REMEMBERING: Islan Nettles

Two and a half years ago I attempted to write a blog post regarding the murder of a transgender Human Being that I knew. I could not because it was so raw. The backlash of violence against young people of color over the past five years has demanded a revisit from me. because although the police were not involved directly, their lack of response was equivalent to covert abuse.

The original, intended post:

I knew Islan Nettles. She was a intelligent, articulate and accomplished young woman. She had her whole Life waiting for her and a career in the clothing design industry. Insead, she was beaten to the point of Death.

I am sick to my stomach because what the NYS media monsters failed to mention, in ALL of the articles I'd seen for an etire week, is that the incident happened RIGHT IN FRONT OF THE 148th Street POLICE STATION! If it was a citizen considered to be 'White' or Caucasian', they would have been there johnny-on-the-spot; all over the 'perps': feet on necks, knees on backs and gun barrels pushed up against temples and/or throats! The entire neighborhood put on lock-down until a perp was found.  The police materialize, it seems out of thin air, when they want to Stop and Frisk you for handing a friend $5 standing in front of your own dwelling (SIDE-NOTE: I thank DeBlasio for being serious about cracking down on this and not just using it as a campaign nibblet - yet, the police are hard nuts and are no giving it up easily). The people crying about NYC turning into the Wild, Wild West or some 'Mega-City' straight out of a Judge Dredd strip obviously don't live in the communities where this protocol is being abused at every level of policing.

The precinct I'm referring to, located on Frederick Douglass Blvd (8th Ave) between 147th & 148th streets, has a history of harassment & detention of young Latino and Black males. Question: tell me how a beating of that level, right in front of the precinct with cameras upon the roof, NOT catch at least ONE officer's attention? In addition to the ones installed on top of the traffic light poles at the intersections of 147th and 148th streets?  Answer: because, the police are worthless when it comes to doing anything that resembles real, sincere support in this community. A neighbor told me that they overheard a officer say, "If we hadn't of responded as quickyl as we did, it woulda been worse..." Excuse me but, last time I checkd: Death is about as bad as you can get. Ummm, maybe I'm wrong, eh?! What's really funny? The day after the tradgedy, I was on my way back home from a walk at around 9:00pm that evening. As I  passed the precinct, I noticed that there was a cop on patrol out front, casing the block. LOL!!!!!! I had  to find the irony; the humor, to keep myself from wringing that man's neck. It's the first time I've ever seen that in the 10 years I've lived here (on 8th Ave -- only a few blocks from the station). The lives of Black folks don't mean much in the US - esp. young males, women and those of alternative gender orientation...the levels of racism, sexism, gender bias and class snobbery in this country is sick, insane and detestable.

NEWS ARTICLE
http://tinyurl.com/m6cpb7l

MR. UNTOUCHABLE? The Nicky Barnes Documentary

The production was decent yet the interviews were stereotypical, one-sided and lacked depth for both the Law Enforcement and former gang members. Cops/DEA: good guys; Barnes, et al: bad guys. Basically following the timeline of the Barnes operation, from its beginnings in the streets of NYC to his incarceration, with no new information was presented. The interviews should have been an opportunity to flesh out the individuals more thoroughly, instead of relying on the sensational Thug-Life aspects, such as expounding upon the reasons why a young Harlem boy would say that Mr Barnes was his hero as opposed to the World Series winner Mr. Jackson. In fact, Mr. Barnes DID have other business AND community interests besides drugs in NYC - Harlem in particular. He was instrumental in getting the Apollo Theater renovated, he opened clubs and grocery stores (providing jobs to local residents), provided funds to after school, breakfast and lunch programs for children and the homeless. He was known to furnish the apartment of many families following a fire or other tragedy and/or providing one for those who lost them. Every year during his tenure a truck would pull up in neighborhoods around Harlem during Thanksgiving filled with Turkeys and TVs, furnishings, clothing, etc. for Christmas. He could also be found walking around Harlem handing out money to children and the indigent. In addition there was no mention, by the law enforcement interviewees, of the complicity by thousands of police officers - even entire precincts - that took pay offs from Mr. Barns and his crew for a variety of services, including hits. The implementation of the Rockefeller Drug laws, now a pock mark upon the history of inner cities in this country destroying communities in Harlem, the Bronx and Brooklyn much more than Barnes or his ilk ever could, was glossed over like a sound bite. There are many missed opportunities for a more balanced and compelling documentary here, yet I would suggest folks watch it for an interesting look at the products of a soul less culture, regarding a country that produces the kind of desperation and greed surrounding drugs and its trade.

"On June 8, 2011 the following unfortunate arrest took place in Canton, OH. Notifying the policy when you have a firearm is required by Ohio Law, but when this individual with a thirty-day old license tries to do that he is repeatedly ordered to look away, shut up, or interrupted and "forced" to change what he is speaking about by the actions of an aggressive cop who maintains verbal control of the situation." ~Excerpt of video submission by  'Ohio', http://www.facebook.com/thugmidget
 
POLICE OFFICER (OverSeer) speaking to the driver: 

"I tell you what I shoulda done? As soon as I saw your gun I should taken two steps back, pulled my Glock 40, and just put ten bullets in your ass and let you drop."


Yes, this is for real. Unfortunately...what happened in this video can be found repeated in every 'hood of the USA; whether it's a trailer park, rez, inner city or, these days, a suburb, the Fear and lasting trauma suffered at the hand of those who swore to 'protect and serve' is a travesty. (click on 'Police Brutality' to see Video)

'This Type Of Police Brutality Needs To Stop: Ohio Officer Makes Death Threats & Goes Ape Sh*t!'

 

 

THE WEST 4TH HANDBALL CLUB: 5th Annual Girls Junior Open Tournament

THE WEST 4TH HANDBALL CLUB

Presents the 5th Annual

Girls Junior Singles Tournament

           

             When:  Saturday,  August 31, 2013.   

Rain date, Sunday,  September 1, 2013

             Where:  At the 1st Park handball courts on Houston street and 1st Avenue in the East village

             How to get there:   Take the F, V train to 2nd Avenue and lower east side

             Time:  Sign up is at 11am and the tournament 

starts promptly at 12 noon

             Prizes:  1st, 2nd & 3rd place trophies

             Entry fee: Not required, but ID for age verification is.  

(19 and under)

             Bring friends and family and let’s have some fun!

Sponsored By:

Andy Melendez &  Master Dave

USA GAMES: PLAYING THE MIDDLE EAST

 

The Independent Lifeboat

Killing for Opium : If You Speak Out, You’re ‘Suicided’              (Full Article - click here)

 

This article details the games our government continues to play in the Middle East and Asia are so crucial that they are killing their own citizens.  People who risk their lives for their country even. Now that's as perverse as it gets.

Meanwhile, here at home in the inner cities, police are killing young, black and Latino males, incarcerating people of color of both genders and taking away their children then placing them in the 'care' of the state. All in the name of this bogus 'War on Drugs'. 

It's actually a war on the inner-cities and it's inhabitants.

FROM THE MOUTH OF BABES

Peeps know my take on what happens in The Hood.

The Florida tragedy is only one spot and when something like that hits the news, it takes away from the reality of the rest of the USA. Why? Because folks can feel good about rallying behind or speaking out momentarily about a single atrocity. Then slip it away until next time.

For a young man like my neighbor's son, a African descended youth, who has to deal with police intimidation every day, Florida just sounds all too familiar. I'd like you truly consider his comment:

"When I'm laying in my bed and I look up and it's morning or afternoon sunny outside basically if I see a light flash wild fast on my Cellin when I look up that's life passing me by when I could be outside but the cops always want static so I try and stay as much as possible not valid." B.K. Roundtree, Age 22

BLACK YOUTH: IT'S OPEN SEASON & I'M DONE!

I'm done with this open season on Black youth and the SILENCE from communities outside of the inner cities! TOTALLY!  Done-done-done-done-done!

I'm coming un-done, actually, and gearing up for getting in-your-face with this one, so get ready.

This is MY blog.  Now, screw Spirituality and f^k changing my perception.  Yo, I'll change mine when you change yours,  'white folks' -- how about that one!? Yup, I am getting seriously wicked and rubbing sand paper all over you -- I don't  care how you feel about my attitude. You certainly don't give a sh!t about what's happening ALL OVER the USA to people  with excess melanin in their skin.  People who look like me.

Let this level of violence start being perpetrated against Jewish young people or any youth considered 'White'.  Y'all  would have the phone's faxes, laptops, desktops and cell phones burnt up from Obama's office to the Pentagon.   Especially Obama!! You'd be railing: he'd be cross-nailed, tarred & feathered then drawn & quartered.  There would be  Emails, FB and Twitter posts shared up the router's a$$!

STOP.  Stop lying, you know you would.  I've seen you do it for freeking ANIMALS!

We are human beings!!

Last summer, a 'white' couple in Virginia got their door busted in by police and the husband was arrested. Jeeze - the  posts and shares on FB were insane and the views and comments on the U-Tube video were off the hook!  Bashing the  cops and oh - the sympathy for those poor folks.  The ishnit was even hopping in the European media!! Hey - it should  have been, of course, the police violated their civil rights.  All I'm saying is:  when it comes to people who don't look like  you or live in your neighborhood, where is your incredulousness and your raised voices to the heavens?

Alright, I do understand the problem is that 'white folks' have this guilt thing and they say "I don't want to hear about it anymore."

Uhm. As if they ever did in the first place?

Point in fact, a CBS Online follow up article regarding the police shooting of 18 year old Ramarley Graham  'Family of Slain Bronx Teen Shot By Narcotics Officer Rallies For Justice'


Here's some of the comments:

texxx:

"HEY NICCAS DON’T FREAKIN RUN FROM THE POLICE….

WE HAVE NO SYMPATHY FOR YOU RAMARLEY….YOU SCREWED UP

Graham’s mother has admitted that her son smoked marijuana and that he was chased by a narcotics officer."

All I can say is f^k you TEXXX. Triple X, eh? Damn perv. Or maybe you think you're a Vin Diesel kinda guy. Screw you none-the-less TEXXX!

I guess wiggers, slackers and 'white' college kids DON'T smoke weed.  Get the hell outa here, man.  They smoke all day  long at the Strawberry Fields area of Central Park, here in NY.  However, there isn't a overwhelming police presence  breathing down their necks while they hang out in the park.  The 'white' kids in my building by weed right outside, in the  front, where my Boi sells it every day and then they make their way up the hill to the A train. Yet, the Black youth get the  Stop and Frisk treatment on general principal - NOT the 'white kids.  If you stop enough people, well, eventually you're  gonna catch someone with a joint in their wallet, right? And off they go to the precinct - or maybe they run because they  don't want to get kicked out of school or in trouble with Mom.  Or they don't want to get roughed up by those cops (which  happens routinely when they are 'arresting' someone in my community). But oh, they're NOT supposed to have a normal  human reaction, right? 

This kind of BS is reminiscent of those psuedo-sciences and their claims of Blacks not having the same kinds of emotions at whites, etc., that began with Carl Linnaeus in the early 18th century with his Craniometry. And  Friedrich Hegel, who said, "Africa is no historical part of the world." Hegel further claimed that Blacks had no "sense of  personality; their spirit sleeps, remains sunk in itself, makes no advance, and thus parallels the compact,  undifferentiated mass of the African continent. Christoph Meiners split mankind into two divisions, which he labelled the  "beautiful White race" and the "ugly Black race".  Coincidentally, there was an article in the May 2011 Psychology Today  titled “Why Are Black Women Less Physically Attractive Than Other Women?”  THIS IS IN THE 21ST CENTURY!  {middle  finger raised to laptop screen}

Here's another in denial dumb-a$$ commentary:

Edde:

"At the end, what their looking for is Money, which they will most likely get, but, true, an innocent person would not run  from the police.

As to the death, that appears from all reports to be an accident, I can only assume, their was a brief struggle in that  bathroom, Officer had his weapon out, gun discharged accidentally.

If this were a person crossing on the street and a car hit and killed him, it would be ruled an accident, insurance would  payout for the fatality, which would not amount to the amount they will be suing the City for."

WTF? Comparing a car to a GUN? I get it EDDIE: you are a moron!  

Police officers go through specific ONGOING training  protocols to learn how to use a gun AND to apprehend and arrest people in high-anxiety situations.  You go through a  few hours of driving school and take a test - ONCE - to get a license for driving a car. And you can get a driver's license  as young as 16 in most states. And most folks don't even follow the rules of the road, like sticking your hand out the  window and pointing when you're making a left turn into a intersection.

NO COMPARISON you bass-ackwards fool!

Let's see what else I can dish up for you.  How about this insensitive bore?:

Glenn Erdmann:

"Your son would be alive if he was not smoking weed and he did NOT run from a narcotics officer. Next."

Let me find out ...  Yo, my man, I'll make sure the NEXT thing you experience is my spit in your eyes.

What is this harping on the weed and his running?  Lots of people smoke weed.  And, he's a Black kid in the Hood.   People who don't live in The Hood don't experiences the same BS we deal with in our communities. You have NO CLUE  as to what it's like and are speaking on something you do not have a reference for.  To top it off: you don't even consider taking a moment of your time to understand it or learn more about it. Yet, you'll Google Animal Abuse all afternoon at  your desktop on your job when you should be WORKING.

The last comment was by an arse called 'Joe', who posted a 2 minute and 29 second U-Tube video of some Islanders  players beating up on a couple of Rangers, on the ice, during a game.  Very intelligent metaphore, Joe. Gotta give it to  you for originality, my man...

Now, in Florida, they have a 'Stand Your Ground Law', where you can perpetrate deadly force against someone if you feel threatened by them.  You are not required to retreat first.  Now this young man, Treyvon Martin was being followed by this so-called  'Neighborhood Watch' captain.  The guy was profiling the kid.  Now, my question is why was it wrong for the young man to feel threatened?  The man following the young man claims the kid jumped at him. Well, why could this kid not implement the 'law'?  If you were being followed by some strange guy you would have a serious problem with that, right?  But it's okay for the 'Captain' to shoot to kill. A stinking pile of bull crap! 

The following WEB link is a FOX News ONline follow up story.  Most of the second video is garbled and it gets cut off at the end - how lame - they didn't even bother to make sure it was produced  properly.  Another example of how Black issues are minimized, marginalized and/or outright discredited.  Dissed by omission.

Both videos have 3 newscasters and all of them are 'white.  We all know they could have had a person of color on that panel. Especially since they attempted to discuss the street violence in inner-city communities.  One of them asked her  colleague why this case is getting so much attention when there is so much violence in 'these' neighborhoods on a consistent basis.  WTF would she know about it?  However, I'll address it because I live in one of 'those' neighborhoods.
'Trayvon Martin: Florida March Protests Teen's Shooting Death Want Justice & Prevention' 

Who allows guns to flood into our communities?  Who lets the drugs get off the boats and airplanes into the community?   Who sanctions liquor licenses to sell wines and spirits? Certainly not me or the folks who live here. Yet we are blamed  and judged for the results of these allowances.  This kind of overflow of contraband and liquor is not present in the suburbs and affluent communities of the US.  The only place the same kind of activity can be seen is in rural 'white'  communities and the reservations of the First Peoples Nations.  The bayous, backwoods and trailer parks of poor 'white' America are filled with petty crime, drugs, alcoholism, sexual and criminal violence.  Yet they are not judged with the same rod as Black folks and Native Americans;  noses aren't being stared down in those 'white folk's' streets and homes.  Yet the behavior is similar:  the neurosis of economic oppression and exclusion.  However, we people of color have a extra bonus demerit by virtue of being - of color - therefore ostracized and not worthy of consideration when violence is perpetrated in our communities by police or 'white folks' who are scared or wary of us.  Yet - I'm not supposed to be scared of a cop chasing me down or some strange 'white' guy following me without cause.

Stupid ishnit.

I think you are getting my point, Brothas & Sistas.  And I am hoping that the 'white folks' who happen to read this are as done with me as I am with their silence.

So, there it its 'whitey': your Crash Course In The Hood.

~This is CrashHood, signing off from this brain-bash; tasked with blowing your wig back... and hoping to be done with this garbage perpetrated on a daily in The Hood sometime soon.  
====================================================

MUST READS:

Racism is ingrained in US! It's rampaged about our society through several  institutions:  Religion, Sociology, Politics and Evolutionary Science.  In  order to understand the present numb and dumb reaction to Black issues by ordinary, 'average Joe' Americans, one  must check the history.  

'Psuedo-Science and Race'   http://www.math.buffalo.edu/mad/special/pseudoscience-race.html

AND  how it effects the PRESENT:

“Why Are Black Women Less Physically Attractive Than Other Women?” 
- Psychology Today, May 2011
http://www.buzzfeed.com/mjs538/why-black-women-are-less-physically-attractive-tha

"Ugly" Black Woman?

CRACKING ON EBT: Racists Don't Get It Tho.

There are a couple of videos I came across while researching supposed 'free' money, that certain people with a specific political agenda, is claiming the Obama administration is handing out.

One VID, 'It's Free Swipe Yo EBT' by Chapter  is actually commenting on how ridiculous the HRA Public Assistance system is. The amount of money people on HRA get is miniscule. This young lady is using metaphor and sarcasm to flip the picture. It is absurd to think that one could purchase all the things she raps about getting with $137.50/month and $200/month in food stamps (base amount for 1 person). What I find most compelling are the racist reactions: not considering the artistic license being employed here - that just went right over their ignorant ass head.  So quick to think what she's saying is actually true, eh? So you can fuel those xenophobic belief systems?


Here's a couple of those uninformed comments:

"God damn it fucking EBT is why your worthless waste of flesh and your many spawn are alive? Get rid of EBT right now!" BlueBerryWizard, 23 hours ago

"It's sad that alot of people on welfare an stuff abuse the governments money and have the ablity to work but dont beause they are lazy and get a check every month...I get that there are people out there that really need it and thats what it is there for not lazy ass people who need money but refuse to get a job.... the people that don't abuse it are the ones that feel the most bad for being on it." kiera791, 3 days ago

Actually, B-BerryWiz, with a mind-set like that, the spawn we need to get rid of is yours. And it would be nice if Kiera791 could actually write coherently. Lazy?  Either she wasn't paying attention in Writing class or she's just slacking. More like the pot calling the kettle...black.

And this VID, 'My EBT' by MoneyMaineNGP, found on an 'Expose Obama' site. The headline claims: "Now Another Rap Song Celebrates EBT Card".  Are you serious? As if Obama invented EBT or Public Assistance. 


These young people are poking and jabbing, using 'Black humor' (pun intended). This is a tool that is part of many cultures, especially when oppression and exclusion is prevalent on a daily. I've seen it all my Life. My own father used to invoke this kind of humor during the most challenging times. It's a way of getting through so you don't lose hope -- or your freaking mind. Yet, people with ingrained racist belief systems perceive these videos as actual fact because it feeds into the picture they have chosen to paint of all poor people of color being parasites. 

Check these comments out from the 'Expose Obama' site:

C Dickens · 25 weeks ago

"Definition: rap (hip-hop) - "The spectacle of an angry black man in baggy pants jumping up and down, shouting obscenities into a microphone to the rhythm of a monotonous, pounding drum beat." It's not music - some say it's an art form; but if this is art, then the pile my dog left in the back yard must be a masterpiece."

HAD EFUKNNUFF · 25 weeks ago

"STOOPPIIDD MONKEYS SO PROUD OF THEIR THEIVING WAYS


TYPICAL SHITBAMA MENTALITY, BRING ON THE FUKN RACE WARS


LETS FINISH THIS OFF, WE HAD TO FIGHT ON OWN RELATIVES , AND KILL THEM TO BIRTH THIS NATION, LETS PUT THIS BIOTCH TO BED, WAR."
  

One could say that the definition of Punk Rock is: the spectacle of angry white boys in worn out leather pants and torn up t-shirts jumping up and down, breaking $1000 guitars to the rhythm of a monotonous, pounding drum beat, incoherent lyrics and insane screaming. So, hey -- let's keep it real on what is or is not art. And using racist ideology to define it is just, well - whack. 'Cause I dig Metal and Punk...I'm a Goth Punk rocker from waaaay before Emo, as a matter of fact. There were times that I was the only person of color in a Punk club. And I can tell you, me and other people of color have experienced plenty of  racism in those circles. 

Yet, it's ok for a white boi punk to make a video glorifying being on 'the dole', shooting up and roaming the halls in the 7 Towers (a project in Dublin) to make a socio-political statement, like Black 47, for example (Irish Punk Rock group).

I am on Social Security Disability and receive $200/month in food stamps, yet what would be lost on these fools is that I worked on Wall Street and for Fortune 500 companies for 25+ years.  Although, what they would see is another black B!ch wicking money from the taxpayer's pockets.  Well, I have some shocking news:  I've been paying taxes since the age of 14.  And most of the people I know have worked since they were youngsters helping their parents support their families.  We grew up poor or working class in the South End of Montclair, NJ; Newark,NJ and Harlem.  We knew what it meant to earn our merits - our parents made sure of that. I'm sure the very same was going on in the neighborhoods of LA, Chicago, Seattle and Miami too -- all across America's inner-cities, rural areas and suburban enclaves.

So is it now MY fault that liquor store owners are cashing in on the EBT card?  Or the corner bodega where one can trade food stamps for cash at the highway-robbery rate of $3.00 for every $10.00 exchanged? Banks don't even get that kind of percentage per dollar! Those commentators need to take their heads out of their rear end! It's so far up there the perception is completely obscured.  Take a good look at what they are really saying in these videos.

One has to deal with subsistence 'benefits' then, within our neighborhoods, we are confronted with merchants and retailers, who have only just arrived here and have absorbed all the stereotypes thrown at them by the media.  They hold their noses with one hand and pocket the little money we've got with the other.  What these young people are up to is exposing the exploitation going on in their communities.

What needs to be addressed is the below poverty income the HRA Public Assistance Program insists upon. The WEP Program (Work Experience Program) is also bogus. Relegating people to filing folders and sweeping floors for 3 cents/hour in government offices. Usurping the full-time employees and creating an atmosphere of resentment. They offer NO training for the actual skills needed in a professional work environment.  Some activists call it 'The New Face of Slavery'. One has to 'work' for benefits. What is truly ironic is their audacity to call that abysmal amount of money 'benefits'. It's only beneficial for the politicians, who continue fueling the fires of racism with their rhetoric.  And it is a joke - one that is not lost upon these Spoken Word artists, however.

TO THE IGNORANT COMMENTATORS: Wake up call folks! Get educated on what's really going on with Public Assistance!  You might be surprised at what you learn about Public Assistance and what is truly happening to people who need to access it...or maybe you'd rather stay stupid so you can have someone to blame for this insane, money-scheming system called the US government?

The NYPD shoots another nigga -- the third one this week. 

Ask me if I'm surprised at this. No.  I am a bit perturbed about the response from the residents of NYC, tho.  Damn!  Let these mofo's start killing white kids left and right -- especially Jewish kids -- and see what happens. Yeah: I'm going off but right about now I'm not feeling very 'Spiritual' about this.  Give me a few hours, I'll be okay but at this moment I need to have the space to be angry and get ill about it. So F&ck you if you think I'm being racist or anti-semetic or WHATEVER! To read the article CLICK HERE.

In the inner cities of America: POLICE ARE HAZARDOUS THE THE HEATH AND WELL-BEING OF YOUNG BLACK MALES! PERIOD.

What's Obama Got To Do With It? We Need To Step Up To the Plate.

A FB Note originally written on April 26, 2011:

Several incidents over the past two weeks has reminded me, once more, about the fact that so much has been and will remain the same in communities of color. The election of an African American man seems to have served the purpose of putting folks further into the comfort zone of denial. The facts are that the same program still remains in place for people in communities of color. Many with new faces but the intentions and outcomes are the same. The continuation and escalation of violence, exclusionary tactics (called Jim Crow in the late 1800s), under education and unemployment, to name only a few.


I passed a small rally on the way back from the post office in from of PS173 on 8th avenue and 149th street on Friday. Students and teachers were calling attention to the takeover of a charter school board that they graciously allowed to take space on the 3rd floor of the school. The board renovated the space putting in marble tiles, updated computer systems and state of the art educational tools and furniture. The public school in the remainder of the building is still using furniture from the 1950s and -60s and has to fight for basic supplies. This charter school board is now trying to lobby Mr. Klein to allow them to take over the entire school and push the public school children and their families out. This very same story happened last year with a school around the corner from me on 144th street between 7th/8th avenues called Countee Cullen. I did some volunteer work for them and they eventually beat back the vultures. I exchanged info with a couple of teachers from PS173 and told them I would get contact info for them so they can find out how C. Cullen handled their business with the city and charter corp. that wanted to wholesale snatch their school. I did some research in other inner cities throughout the US and this appears to be a new tactic for excluding children in certain neighborhoods and income brackets (which boils down to children of color being in the majority). A Google search came up with a myriad of articles on takeovers by mayors, charter school boards and private sector groups from Pennsy, Michigan, Milwaukie, LA, Chicago, etc.; an article in the Independent detailing the rise in occurrences (http://www.indypendent.org/2010/01/29/taking-the-public-out/); and loads of studies detailing the basic formula for these takeovers, how they hide under the auspices of "No child left behind", etc. This stuff is no different from the segregation tactics of the mid 1950s thru 60s, it's just slicker like many of the oppressive, exclusionary racist policies that have been resurfacing across the socio-economic spectrum. They are designed to make the greater, privileged society think things are cool when the folks who have to live it continue to see the same treatment their grandparents and parents endured.

In the area of the justice ("in-just-us") system I continue to see constant police violence, manipulation and abuse of power. Last week a 86 year old woman was beaten nearly to death during a 'routine' investigation of a 14 year old boy, who happened to be her grandson, and had her residence listed as 'last know address'. The boy was implicated in a shop-lifting incident at a local bodega where some milk and other items were taken. They wanted to know his whereabouts and proceeded to beat the info out of her. Last night, on the corner of 145th street and 7th avenue, a block from where I reside, a mentally impaired young man - wearing a medical bracelet AND chain indicating this fact - was beaten unconscious and placed in the back of the squad car. With his head hanging out of the door and his eyes lolling, they attempted to close the door. A bystander had to yell at them in order to prevent the door being closed against his head. The gentleman was threatened with arrest. Another bystander, recording the entire incident, was wrestled with so that the officer could confiscate his cell phone. Others created a diversion and the gentleman was able to flee. Friends of mine who live in a building overlooking the area were able to see the entire incident clearly and relayed the story to me. The beaten young man's girlfriend, who is also mentally challenged but higher functioning (the young man cannot speak) tried to get the police to understand that they had the wrong guy. The person they were looking for left a bodega and instead of confronting him outside the establishment as he was leaving, the officers followed the 'suspect' for a few blocks. He somehow ended up walking in front of the young man and his girlfriend and they mistook the young man for the other guy. (??) Two days ago some friends of mine were playing chess at 145th street Park when several officers approached them, lined them up against the fence and proceeded to check them and the entire line of tables for alcohol. Folks had beer and small wine bottles IN BAGS not open to view yet somehow tickets were issued for having open containers of alcohol to the folks who had beers only. The summer hasn't even started yet. I can only imagine how it's going to be out there this simmer: constant harassment. We are adults and many who relax at the game tables are veterans yet we are not afforded the right to enjoy sitting in the park without being harassed about petty garbage. Folks on the street, in front of their residences or bodegas are being approached by police when they display any kind of hand to hand exchange. Some of these incidents end up in violence, abuse or with the person being arrested. The case is dismissed, of course but that person's time was wasted and their life was disrupted. Young boys 10-12 and 13-14 are being chased down and thrown to the ground.- for taking silly crap like potato chips. I saw a young man no older than 14 with three grown police men on top of him and one standing with his foot on the boy's back! They are starting folders on children as young as 9-10 years old for stuff that we've all done as kids - silly stuff like jumping the turn-style or climbing the pool fence and going swimming when it's closed. Police are getting 'collars' for this kind of thing in our neighborhoods!

I have experienced profiling and unwarranted searches myself and was arrested once for trespassing in my place of residence. I stayed overnight in jail just to have my case dismissed. At 12% of the population, African Americans make up 80% of the incarcerated with Latinos right behind them. The unemployment rate in NYC is 54% for Africa American males and cities across the US post similar percentages (this kind of disparity hasn't changed since the enactment of co-called civil rights laws).

Racism and it's results effect folks on a daily -- contrary to what others who do not experience living in black, brown or yellow skin (unfortunately that is the criteria to which the majority of people in this society view other human beings) may want to believe, it has never stopped. Since Jim Crow was enacted at the end of the 19th century to this day -- it has been the same deal for people in my communities.

It won't stop until those who are placed in that category referred to as privileged have the courage to change their paradigm and remove the blinders of denial. And I do not mean rich people, politicians or those who have stolen power. I am referring to the folks who live outside these neighborhoods and who have been afforded, by the afore mentioned political structures, to partake of certain benefits by virtue of the arbitrary connotation of a class and race called 'upper middle class' and 'white'. This silent majority, in tandem with the struggling classes, has the ability to reshape the current socio-economic structure into a more feasible and equitable existence. We just need you to take the self imposed blindfold off, remove the gag from your mouth and step up to the plate.

HOOD STORIES: Series I - La Bodega 

-- My daughter's partner, in a NJ 'hood goes to the store. Police are coming hears a racing police car as it rolls up on the sidewalk and halts at the store's entrance. So, her man walks away from the counter apprehensively, like most young men of color living in the 'hood, and he leaves the store. The store owner rushes out yelling, "Yo, man you forgot your cookies." Her partner could give to $hits about those cookies, "I'm gonna just keep walkin', I'll be alright...just keep walking". Why popo rolled up on the sidewalk in front of the store, where children could have been coming out and been hit, is one more example of the disrespect people in inner cities have to endure from those sworn to protect and serve.