Racism Will Never Die....

The more and more I read and hear about stuff like this, I'm convinced that racism in America will never die. We as offsprings from those who were enslaved and brought to this country, and understanding this, must take every step and opportunity to better ourselves, defend ourselves, and ready ourselves for whatever challenge is thrown our way. In the 1800s and prior til the abolishment, our collective challenge was to be a free people....today our challenge remains one that is almost like grasping for air, ever escaping our reached out hands—a challenge to be even more free, a challenge to be left alone, free to live, free to dream, free to walk down the street with a pack of skittles, free to be great, free to be American, and capture all that is—just like every other non-black race in this country. Free to fill out a job application and have it looked at without prejudice. Free to wear a hoodie without fearful eyes, free to be wholeheartedly black with no regret or anxiety about what's lurking around the corner. Knowing that racism will never die, we must continue to live and do just as our ancestors did, thrive and press on despite the odds, despite faux news, and despite every negative connotation associated with the word black.....we were born into this mess, and through it all, we've still rose from the ashes. Be entrenched in your blackness, love your blackness, and to hell with any and everybody who as problem with our blackness 

Mr. Draconian bka Child Support

If you ever want to be depressed, try sitting in any family court room where child support is being ordered. 

Now before any of you get all riled up and up in arms, listen for a sec. Me and my wife watched as father after father was called up and asked to pay the piper. Some of these father's owed as much as $150,000, yes one-hundred and fifty thousand in arrears, on top of that 10% interest. One father pleaded with the judge to lower his payment because he was only making barely $1500 a month. Judge replied, "you know the interest payment alone is well over $700 dollars and you're asking for a payment of $200, granted." Another guy $95,000 in arrears, making $7.50 an hour, a lady ordered to pay almost $600 as she pleaded about how she was going to pay rent. And wait, lets not forget the unemployed, who the judge slapped a minimum wage child support order on them, which if not paid, will end up over $100k after interest and years of unemployment.

I ask you whats wrong with this picture? This is no way an attempt to justify not taking care of children financially by fathers or mothers, but what it is, is an attempt to shed light on some of these draconian measures strapped on the non custodial parents. These guys mentioned above will NEVER, ever, pay their child support off. They will NEVER be able to find gainful employment, or buy a home, or try to go to school in an effort to gain better employment, and credit will be forever screwed. They will for the rest of their lives, be imprisoned by this system. By the way, how does it make sense at all to cash strap an unemployed person with a child support order, knowing full well that he or she will fall into arrears and end up owing thousands of dollars that will never be paid off. And how is it that the law requires a man to look for a job, and ask if he is physically able to work, meanwhile the mother is not asked these same questions or forced to find employment.

This system has been around since the 1980s and to my knowledge there has been no attempt at overhauling it. This system keeps men and some women at poverty levels because of what the system told them to pay. How can they even enjoy their kids when they don't have the money to take and do anything with them. Sorry but its only so long before the kids get tired of going to the park. What father does not want to take his daughter out on a date, or take her shopping, or perhaps take his son to the batting cages, or even take them both on a family trip. This is just the tip of the iceberg folks, lets not even get into the racial disparities regarding this topic. I feel like the system needs to change and some level of accountability needs to be inserted and the payments should not be based on income, but rather the children's needs. If a dad is making $50k a year and is paying x amount in child support, but gets a raise to $90k and is hauled back into court for more support, has the needs of the child changed, NO, but his support will.  I ask, on what planet does it take $3, $4, or even, $5 thousand dollars to raise kids? I submit that this system is set up to just perpetuate poverty. Something needs to be done......

Independence Day or Nah?

I've seen conversation this morning about African Americans being conflicted about celebrating our country's independence from Great Brittain. Especially when our ancestors were not even counted as human beings in 1776. It is definitely a sad, and horrible situation. However, as I ponder this situation, I can't say that I am conflicted. Yes, I'm perfectly aware of our country's past. Our people were enslaved and beaten, our women raped, and our newborns killed. But now what, even today our men are enslaved, I mean imprisoned, excuse me. Our women are not held holy and dignified in the media. They are depicted as less than the ideal of beautiful. Our educational institutions in our neighborhoods are less than acceptable. Our opportunities are far and few with no equal opportunity at times. As tragic as our past was, and still is, I'm  looking to the day where there are no Fergusons, Baltimores, and McKinneys. We as a nation have come along way, and I'm truly proud of the progress we have made and continue to make. I'm freely typing this on my iPhone with no fear whatsoever. This is the freedom I enjoy, you enjoy. While I'm aware of the disproportionate way in which we are treated by the criminal injustice system, it is still a choice to be caught up in criminal activity, though some would argue that we really have no choice given our lack of opportunity, but I digress. But the aforementioned reasons listed above is why I celebrate Independence Day, not because in 1776 my people were enslaved, but because today, you can wake up and throw the Q on the grill and sit back and enjoy your family, and do the Nay-Nay as your favorite trap music song comes on the radio. This is why I celebrate, and I will impress upon you to do the same. Continue to make strides, put yourself and others in a position to succeed, it is the only way to truly attain the community in which Dr King dreamed of. 

Call a Spade a Spade...Please

Look I'm not the president and I'm not even an elected official. I am merely a public servant in the street level of government, and even then I have to watch the way in which my language comes across. 

But there is one thing that i can do, that it seems like my president cannot. Look we/you/me have to stop being so delicate with white america, and America period. When you get up to address the media regarding an act so full of hatred directed towards black people, you just gotta call a spade a spade. Look black people are discounted/killed and marginalized in this country, I don't want hear a dumbass media person start talking about the mental ineptitude of this mass murderer. Somebody needs to just say what this is. The Mayor in Charleston says this doesn't represent our town, really??? You have a confederate flag flying over the city, you have streets named after confederate leaders that black people drive on.....so while I hear your fake sympathy, it really doesn't mean anything...people love to sound sympathetic to our struggle, but ain't really doing nothing about it-period!

Blanket America

Look this blog is a direct result of the mass shooting at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, SC. The mass shooting has left a reportedly 9 people dead. This shooting was carried out by a young white male, at a historically black church, that has been around since the days of slavery...now that I've gotten that narrative out of the way let me begin...

I love America, I really do. Even after a feeling of nostalgia overcame me at a Nigerian wedding. Had it not been for my ancestors being brought to this country, I may not have had the chance to write, let alone from my iPhone. 

It's hard not to blanket all of America with what has happened in Charleston, and I won't, because lord knows there are some folks in our county who don't see my blackness as a threat, but see me as a human being, one full of life and goodness. One that can add to our country's unique fabric, not one that' is treated like a virus or a worldwide pestilence that must be eradicated. But who has the answers? Why are my people continually gunned down by the police, unarmed? Why can't our young black children enjoy a summers day a local pool without being harassed, why can't my people worship their God without being shot down like dogs? You say post-racial, but this keeps happening to my people. White men are not gunned down or mass incarcerated. You've never heard of little Sarah being slammed to ground by the police clad in a bikini, just trying to have fun. These stories never originate in white America, or any other ethnic community in our country. So who's gonna answer, who's gonna be brave enough to sweep yet another black tragedy under the proverbial post-racial rug, who's gonna say black folks are just whining and complaining, who's gonna point out the fact that we have a black president? How many more examples have to play out at the expense and loss of black life before America wakes up and pulls back this damn blanket, this blanket that covers up all the nasty and vile things that happens to black Americans? Who?!

Unfortunately, I don't believe it will ever happen. Don't mean to be a cynic, but time and time again history has shown me what to expect. You want to learn about future behavior, study past behavior. Nothing about this great country's past, indicates that this will ever end. I suppose if one can walk into a church and murder black bodies, this example alone offers little to no hope at all. 

Robbed!!!!!!!

Some may or may not agree with what ima bout to say, but who cares. Yesterday as we were welcomed into a Nigerian's home for the pre-wedding party, I could not help but feel out of place, not in a bad way tho, follow me...me and my wife were surrounded by Africans in every sense of the word, and while we are African American I couldn't help but feel left out, even robbed. The slave trade all those centuries ago devastated us as a people, then when we finally landed on the proverbial Plymouth Rock, we were stripped and beat of any culture of our homeland, this continues on to this day. This is why in my opinion we are lost as a people, we have no native tongue, no real traditions that are uniquely ours. We are literally a people without a home...We must discover ourselves and remember what made us strong, what made us endure centuries of brutality...sitting here waiting for the wedding to commence, looking at all the beautiful women in their traditional garb, makes me wonder, how would WE be had it not been for the slave trade.....

Sad State of Affairs for My Folk

As a police officer in a metropolitan city, I get to see and witness a lot of things. Some i'm proud of, others I just hang my head in shame. Today was one of those days where I was really at a loss for words. As I stood in the watch commander's office taking care of my business, in walks another cop with what looked like a no more than 12 year young black male. I walked over and asked him bluntly as he looked around, afraid and, nervous all at the same time. The look was one of emptiness, one of wondering why he was in a police station in handcuffs. But sadly, it almost seemed as though he knew this is what his life was supposed to be; a young black male in the system already, perhaps bragging rights.

 At any rate, I digress. Back to talking with the young man, I asked him why was he in the police station in handcuffs. He began to ramble on like many 13 year olds when they're trouble, rambling about borrowing $1.00 and then he continued to ramble some more. I stopped him and asked if he had a shorter version of the story, he bowed his head, as his arresting officer chimed in and said he robbed another kid. I looked at him as he was getting ready to defend what the officer said, and I asked him, regardless if you did it or not, do you think it is right to take something from someone...he said no, in total disgrace. I walked out and continued my business. I wish I had more time, real time to just sit down and try to pour something into this kid, but I couldn't.....

I walked away from that kid disheartened and left feeling hopeless. Here was a kid who's life hadn't even started, and he was about to lose it to a felony robbery charge. Now whether the charges stick is a different story, but the school to prison pipeline is alive and well for our young black males. What can I do, what can any of us do who make it out and become somewhat successful. I speak to as many kids as I can when I get the chance, try to point them in the right direction give them advice. But for all that I say, it is almost a wonder if it falls on deaf ears. Reading the news paper or listening to the news, stories are filled with black strife. Gang violence, domestic violence, just violence period. At a time in history when #BlackLivesMatter dominated the headlines, when will the injustices against our own stop. Has the 400 years of oppression really kicked our destruction into auto pilot? It seems that, that is the case, because for every one of me that makes it out, I watch as 10 more are arrested and brought into the police station. I'll continue to search for answers, continue to try to reach the ones I can, and steer them straight, and pray that one day the self destruction will end, and we can prosper as a people...

Gentrification: Renovating Aging Neighborhoods, or Moving Out Minorities to Make Room for Whites?

Abstract

Gentrification for the last thirty-plus years has signaled what some have called a much needed improvement and revitalization of poor urban communities. However, this has not come baring tidings of good joy. Communities that were once home to African Americans and minorities just trying to work and earn livable wages are now being dislocated. Local government and politicians are using urban development and renewal as the reasoning for the change. Furthermore, in the name of eroding roads, and underperforming and obsolete infrastructure these community members are being sold a lie. In reality, as told by a landlord in Brooklyn, New York City, having poor black people in properties causes the value of the properties to go down tremendously. In an effort to infuse the tax base and improve the value of these properties, you have to replace them with affluent white people. This is what gentrification ultimately does, moves out the poor minorities and replaces them with yuppies, guitar toting whites, who are more than willing to pay twice the rent so long as there are no black tenants. Moreover, gentrification is not only destroying and further segregating poor minorities; it is destroying the very fabric that makes these communities unique. Local stores are closing their doors, unable to now afford the expensive rents caused by this urban renewal. Ultimately, gentrification is continuing, regardless of the consequences. Urban renewal and renovation is spreading across the country, displacing millions of people who end up where they started, poor deplorable communities void of resources.

Gentrification: Renovating Aging Neighborhoods, or

Moving Out Minorities to Make Room for Whites?

If one were to go back in time to an urban area like the Mid-City area of Los Angeles, the south side of Chicago, or even Brooklyn, New York and Washington D.C., these neighborhoods would have been seen in some instances as dilapidated, and in desperate need of an influx of funding and resources. To say that negative entropy had set in would be an understatement. Cities looked for ways to get businesses to relocate there to infuse the tax base, and generate revenue, but gangs, and violence, albeit a small percentage of what actually goes on, kept these potential businesses out. With the socio-economic levels in these neighborhoods all but below poverty levels, struggling, and an educational system seriously underperforming, it seemed that there was no answer. How could cities turn around these urban communities, and give the people there a chance at a better quality of life, all while adding value to the city. Enter Gentrification. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary and Thesaurus defines gentrification as the process of renewal and rebuilding accompanying the influx of middle-class or affluent people into deteriorating areas that often displaces poorer residents. While gentrification on the surface seems like an long term answer, and fix to these problems, it is short sighted, and ultimately does a disservice to the people who were in need of help in the first place.

In the purview, and spirit of Americanism, and that is giving all citizens, no matter the race or ethnicity a chance at the “American Dream,” who is gentrification really helping? Let us look into this further, and through research, it will be shown how calculated politicians and cities were in removing the powerless, and replacing them with the powerful. In History in a Time of Gentrification, George Derek Musgrove (2014) in his review of Building the Body Politic: Power and Urban Space in Washington, DC, went on to say that our nation’s capital was in the process of drastically changing, and not necessarily for the betterment of its citizens. (p. 1155) Musgrove (2014) wrote that, “Nearly two decades of white in-migration and black out-migration, facilitated by federal lending practices and pro-development city policy, have made Washington’s population younger, whiter, and wealthier” (p. 1155). Prior to this happening, this same city wanted and needed revitalization, but through calculated measures, and politics it was decided that the people of color in these neighborhoods, were no more in need of help, than the people they were replacing them with. Again, is this gentrification, or just simply a fancy word to move out minorities and move in whites? Washington DC wanted the area to be revitalized and re-energized as the capital of the United States. However, this revitalization did not include offering better paying jobs, so that in turn neighborhoods would flourish and property values increase.

 Instead there has been much study on the values of property when said poor minorities, mostly black, live in these neighborhoods. David R. Harris (1999) in Property values drop when blacks move in, because...": Racial and socioeconomic determinants of neighborhood desirability, assessed that,

…With respect to the national market, property values do respond to racial composition. Housing loses at least 16 percent of its value when located in neighborhoods that are more than 10 percent black. [Also]… in neighborhoods with a high percentage of black residents is less valuable not because of an aversion to blacks per se, but rather because people prefer affluent, well-educated neighbors, and these traits are more common among whites than blacks. (p. 476)

What this study has shown, along with how most cities deal with their poor urban communities, is that when large communities blacks are concentrated in a singular neighborhood, the value of said neighborhood goes down. This then becomes a dead tax base, and the local government is forced to take action. This action however, while addressing the dead tax base by infusing it with mostly affluent whites, still neglects the root of the problem in the first place. Nevertheless, gentrification continues to be the driving force behind improving urban communities, displacing the poor, and sending them packing.

            Washington DC had been seeing this happen for some time, with the majority of the black residents being displaced and moved out. But again, why? If these neighborhoods were so deplorable, why not just create jobs, and a sense of urban renewal? Were black citizens not worthy of the same revitalization efforts that would follow once they were ousted? This indeed was part of a bigger plan, a plan change the political base, and a change that would transform the political landscape. Racist perhaps, but this was not a plan that would be enacted so soon as to arouse the suspicion of those being impacted. What the poor blacks knew was that the area was being changed, roads were being built, and that they simply had to go. In her research, Sabiyha Prince (2014) in Urban Anthropology: African Americans and Gentrification in Washington, D.C. : Race, Class and Social Justice in the Nation’s Capital, interviewed and talked with many people who were long standing residents of the District, who witnessed the coming change first hand. This dismantling of their neighborhoods created a distrust and Prince wrote that, “Distrust of top-down “improvements” has been nurtured in vulnerable communities where residents have seen the converging, profit-driven efforts of politicians, developers, and banks in their midst” (p. 103). The disenfranchisement of these neighborhoods was clearly a purposeful action all in the mighty name of renewal and development that would not include the African Americans’ who were at the receiving end of government’s proverbial whip.

            This process did not happen overnight. Gentrification for all of its subliminal glory began slowly. With certain communities of color struggling, it would seem that the democratic process would prevail, and the outstretched hand of equal opportunity for advancement would also prevail. On the contrary, increasing property values, and rejuvenating the tax base was gentrification’s main concern. Again looking at the research of Sabiyha Prince (2014), she stated that gentrification was preceded by the disinvestment of these communities, and she looked to the riots of 1968 for a clear of example of this, arguing that after the devastation, no one was campaigning to rebuild the homes and businesses in the areas mostly home to African Americans. (p. 104). In one interview, Prince (2014) learned that it was just easier to dislocate, than to relocate. (p. 104). Dislocation because of deteriorating roads, and inferior infrastructure was an easier sale than outright saying; we have to make room for affluent white Americans.

            Washington DC was not the only place that this was occurring, Urban Gentrification was taking place all over the country, and the same narrative followed. Again, whom was this really helping? Brooklyn, New York City was also experiencing the same fate as Washington DC. Brooklyn had long been synonymous with the poor in New York State. Even if you were not a New Yorker, from Florida to Washington State, images of poor blackness was conjured up when the city was mentioned. That socioeconomic status was further glorified in rap music in the late to early 1990s. However, as of late, Brooklyn is no longer the Brooklyn of old. As told in a News One Editorial by Christina Coleman (2015), traditional African American boroughs such as Bushwick and Bed-Stuy, are now be rebranded to attract young white perspective renters and buyers. In looking at both Washington DC and Brooklyn on the surface, this does not look like it has the residents in these urban communities best interests at heart. Again, whom is gentrification truly helping? DW Gibson (2015) posted an excerpt from his book, The Edge Becomes the Center: An Oral History of Gentrification in the 21st Century, in the New York Magazine, The Daily Intelligencer where he discussed gentrification in the predominantly black boroughs of New York City. Gibson interviewed a Brooklyn landlord/redeveloper who with his associates bought old derelict, ruined properties in these boroughs that housed black tenants who paid $1,200 to $1,500 in rent. This landlord, as told by Gibson, knew that black tenants brought the property values down. The landlord would then pay the black poor tenants to move out, and replace them with white “yuppies” who were looking to rent. The landlord would charge these white tenants double the rent; in return, the property values would skyrocket. Gibson wrote as told by the landlord

If there’s a black tenant in the house—in every building we have, I put in white tenants. They want to know if black people are going to be living there. So sometimes we have ten apartments and everything is white, and then all of the sudden one tenant comes in with one black roommate, and they don’t like it. They see black people and get all riled up, they call me: “We’re not paying that much money to have black people live in the building.” (http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2015/05/grim-racist-methods-of-one-brooklyn-landlord.html).  

Gentrification as seen by this landlord, is about the exodus of poor blacks, and the advent of whites relocating into these areas. As a national narrative, the same can be said about gentrification all over the country. Urban renewal, rebranded and sold as making the community and city better, meanwhile the citizens being exiled, could no longer afford the new developments once constructed. The South Side of Chicago, and Mid-City Los Angeles are experiencing these same fates. These areas that were once enclaves of urban enrichment, are now home to white Americans with half-million dollar and up properties, and the redistribution of wealth complete.

            Gentrification is not only displacing millions of black Americans and poor minorities. This process of urban renewal and revitalization is also hurting the very communities it is intended to help. What happens to the small mom-and-pop stores that are unable to afford the now ultra-expensive rents in the neighborhoods they have called home for decades. Even in looking at what makes America great, our ever-changing vibrant cultures are also being hurt. Allan Edson (2001) wrote that, “For people already living in these communities the result is rising rents and home prices, and the loss of their unique social fabric and culture” (p. 30). Looking at gentrification, what are the costs, clearly displacing minorities out of their neighborhoods, and changing the social urban fabric is not of major importance. Increasing the tax base as to increase the revenue for the government seems to be the overriding factor. Even though it has been shown in study after the study, the social costs far outweigh the monetary costs. However this is simply overlooked by the proponents of gentrification, and urban communities are continuing to be rebranded to attract young white middle and upper class affluent white citizenry. Again is gentrification about renewing aging communities or moving in whites, and further segregating communities. T. William Lester (2014) in The Long Term Employment Impact of Gentrification in the 1990s stated that, “However, critics of gentrification highlight the social costs of neighborhood change and point out that displacement of low and moderate income households exacerbates affordable housing problems, destroys long-standing social ties, and can lead to a re-segregation of urban housing markets” (p. 80). So while gentrification enters in and rejuvenates a community, the long term and permanent social costs are devastating, proving further that this only benefits those who could afford it, the white elite.

            Conclusively looking at the question, gentrification: renovating aging neighborhoods, or moving out minorities to make room for whites? What is clear is that since the beginning, in the 1980s, gentrification has been the ultimate wrecking crew, in the name of urban renewal; communities have seen their landscape change drastically. From vibrant communities of color, to communities filled with yuppies and middle to upper class affluent whites, what these communities once represented are no more. Reasons such as eroding roads, and subpar infrastructure, governments are selling a dream of urban revitalization only to those who can afford it. Sadly, instead of creating that same revitalization for those already living there, and giving them livable wage jobs, they are being forced out, and segregated into even more poorer communities, with the same problems that existed prior to their exile; disenfranchised tax base, and underperforming schools, that exacerbate the problems even further. To answer the question posed throughout this research project, gentrification is about renovating aging neighborhoods, and unfortunately the research has also shown that in order to achieve this revitalization, and wealthier tax base, you replace the poor black community members with affluent white citizens.  

While proponents of gentrification would call this race baiting, the ever-changing landscapes of these communities prove the contrary. One would be hard pressed not to see the proof when examined closely, and that is these urban communities are being displaced, and no longer urban. With this being said, the choice for correcting this urban obliteration remains with the politicians and local government. Understanding that the social-costs supersede that of monetary costs, they must decide if preserving the unique fabric of the community is worth it, or is it easier to just bulldoze down communities. John Betancur (2011) in Gentrification and Community Fabric in Chicago had this to say about the costs of urban gentrification, “The situation seems especially challenging for racial minorities who, like European ethnics, developed place-based social fabrics for self- help, incorporation and advancement but, unlike them, were deterred by the challenges of race and, most recently, urban restructuring via gentrification” (p. 383). Understanding these costs are what matters to these displaced community members, keeping their communities together, and providing that same revitalization, along with jobs is what is needed. While moving in the affluent is the quick fix, ultimately, relocating the poor and disenfranchised is not going to make that problem go away, and eventually it is going to rear its head and it will have to be addressed.

References

Betancur, J. (2010). Gentrification and community fabric in chicago. Urban Studies,

48(2), 383–406. doi: 10.1177/0042098009360680

Coleman, C. (2015, May 13). Here’s definitive proof gentrification is racist, as told by a

participating brooklyn landlord. Retrieved 21 May 2015. Retrieved from http://newsone.com/3114333/gentrification-is-racist-brooklyn-landlord/

Edson, A. (2001). Race, poverty & the environment. Reclaiming Land and Community:

Brownfields & Enviromental Justice, 8(1), 30-30. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/41554318

Gibson, D. (2015, May 12). ‘I put in white tenants’: the grim, racist (and likely illegal)

methods of one brooklyn landlord. Retrieved 21 May 2015. Retrieved from http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2015/05/grim-racist-methods-of-one-brooklyn-landlord.html

Harris, D. R. (1999). ‘Property values drop when blacks move in, because...’: racial and

socioeconomic determinants of neighborhood desirability. American Sociological Review, 64(3). doi: 10.2307/2657496

Lester, W. T., & Hartley, D. A. (2014). The long term employment impacts of gentrification in

the 1990s. Regional Science and Urban Economics, 45, 80–89. doi: 10.1016/j.regsciurbeco.2014.01.003

Musgrove, G. D. (2014). History in a time of gentrification. Journal of Urban History, 40(6),

1155–1160. doi 10.1177/0096144214536863

Prince, S. (2014, January 1). African americans and gentrification in washington, d.c.: race,

class and social justice in the nation’s capital. United Kingdom: Ashgate Publishing.

Retrieved from http://www.ebrary.com