tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90769830379633446222024-02-18T19:50:53.571-06:00Sylvester Brown, Jr.-Writerhttp://sylvesterbrownjr.blogspot.com/http://www.blogger.com/profile/05844535952864244272noreply@blogger.comBlogger245125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9076983037963344622.post-84997309502688979352023-07-30T08:36:00.000-05:002023-07-30T08:36:08.420-05:00Replace “Jews” with “Blacks” and See What Happens to Florida’s New Educational Standards<p><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"> <b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">OPINION</span></b></span></p><p></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 150%; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">During
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">the Holocaust, Jews learned valuable skills
which</span><b>, </b>in some instances, could be applied for their personal
benefit. Because of the genocidal treatment of <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">European
Jews between 1941 and 1945, they learned frugality, creativity and collective enterprising.
</span>Furthermore, it must be understood that some acts of violence during <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">German-occupied Europe, </span>were perpetrated
against and <i>by</i> Jews.</span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 150%; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">Did that
paragraph shock you, make you angry? Did it sicken you?</span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 150%; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">Good. </span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 150%; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">It should.
</span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 150%; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">Now What?</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 150%; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 150%; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">Replace
the words “<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">holocaust” and “Jews” with “slavery”
and “Blacks”</span> and you might empathize with the shock and frustration of
many infuriated over the new set of standards recently approved by the Florida
Board of Education. </span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 150%; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">The
new African American Studies curriculum standards include instruction on the
"personal benefit" of slavery for Black people.” This means Florida
public school students will now be taught about the advantages of various
duties and trades performed by slaves, such as agricultural work, tailoring
and blacksmithing.</span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 150%; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">The
fact that Blacks (like Jewish people) were creative, enterprising survivalists long before
slavery is overshadowed by this backwards effort to sanitize American history.</span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 150%; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">In addition,
in accordance with the state's new academic standards, students
will be instructed on "acts of violence perpetrated against and <i>by</i>
African Americans." </span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 150%; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">The new rule specifically applies to the 1920 Ocoee,
Florida massacre, where a white-led mob attacked and killed 30 to 35 Black
residents and burned Black-owned businesses to the ground.</span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 150%; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">Students
will learn how uppity, assaulted or even enterprising Blacks somehow
contributed to race riots in Florida and, theoretically, throughout the nation
during the early 1900s.</span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 150%; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">These educational additions are the result of politically- inspired
legislation signed in 2022 by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. </span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 150%; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">Proponents claim they simply want to
prevent the teaching of anything that makes people feel "shamed because of
their race."</span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 150%; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 150%; margin: 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">****</span></span></p>
<p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 150%; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 150%; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">What’s happening in Florida is the opposite of what
happened in Germany after it was defeated in </span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Georgia, serif;">1945. </span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 150%; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">After the end of WWII, </span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Georgia, serif;">Allied forces felt Germans needed to be re-educated
in democratic values. </span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Georgia, serif;"> Therefore, through the
process of “</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">denazification”
</span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Georgia, serif;">German society </span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Georgia, serif;">was to be cleansed of all Nazi </span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Georgia, serif;">ideology</span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Georgia, serif;"> and influence in</span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Georgia, serif;"> “society, culture, press, economy,
judiciary, and politics.”</span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Georgia, serif;"> </span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 150%; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Georgia, serif;">The Allied Control Council issued
Directive no. 24 </span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Georgia, serif;">mandating that all schoolbooks that supported
the destructive tenets of Nazism, Fascism or German militarism be eliminated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It required schools, universities, and public
libraries, as well as booksellers and publishers, to immediately remove such
works from their shelves.</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 150%; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: xx-large; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 150%; margin: 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: xx-large; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: large;">****</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 150%; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 150%; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Georgia, serif;">Of course, there were no </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">efforts to eliminate the tenants
of white supremacy in public <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">schools,
universities or libraries</span> after slavery was abolished in the United
States. Long before Jewish people were demonized in Nazi propaganda, America’s
religious, political and educational scholars upheld slavery on religious,
moral and economic grounds.</span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 150%; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">It seems politicians like </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">DeSantis</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"> want to revise the old-timey, white
supremacist, religious rhetoric that taught slavery was a mandate from God. </span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 150%; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">The Biblical story of Noah and </span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Georgia, serif; letter-spacing: 0.4pt;">his son, Ham, was re-manufactured into <i>“The
Curse of Ham.”</i> Slave-owners leaned on the tale of Ham and his descendants (reincarnated
as “Africans”) who were bound to servitude forever and ever.</span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Georgia, serif; letter-spacing: 0.4pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 150%; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">Then in the early 19<sup>th</sup> Century, there were
political figures like political theorist and the 7th Vice President of the
United States, John C. Calhoun who wrote: </span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 150%; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">“Never before has the black race of Central Africa,
from the dawn of history to the present day, attained a condition so civilized
and so improved, not only physically, but morally and intellectually... It came
to us in a low, degraded, and savage condition, and, in the course of a few
generations, it has grown up under the fostering care of our institutions.”</span></i><i><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></span></p>
<p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 150%; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">Note Calhoun’s dehumanizing use of the word “it” for
Africans.</span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 150%; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">In fact, <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; letter-spacing: 0.1pt;">everything taught in public schools after slavery was
presented through the vantage point of “American” (white) values. That mandate
continued </span>well into the 1960s when <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">most
Blacks, as well as other minority groups, were educated in wholly segregated public
schools that excluded Black history and culture<span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;">. </span></span></span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Georgia, serif; letter-spacing: 0.1pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 150%; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">Black history education became mainstream during the <i>“Say
it loud; I’m Black and I’m Proud,”</i> turbulent ‘60s civil rights era. A newly
integrated America inspired Black leaders, politicians, educators<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">, </span>students and others to boldly demand
historical and cultural representation in classrooms throughout the nation. </span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 150%; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 150%; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: xx-large; text-align: center;"> </span><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">****</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 150%; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 150%; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">And now, just 60 or so years after that educational
“revolution,” right-leaning politicians like DeSantis and their hordes of
like-minded followers are intent on reverting back to a time when whitewashed
education was the norm.</span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 150%; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">To
push back against Critical Race Theory (which isn’t even taught in public
schools), DeSantis signed the "Stop WOKE Act" into law. Critics,
including the ACLU argue that efforts such as those enacted in Florida are just
blatant attempts to erase Black history and culture from the nation’s
classrooms and American culture.</span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">“</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; letter-spacing: 0.15pt; line-height: 150%;">Truths we once
considered hard but self-evident are now being erased before our eyes,” the
ACLU posted on its website in February.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; letter-spacing: 0.15pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; letter-spacing: 0.15pt; line-height: 150%;">“Sadly, more and more, this history is
being challenged and even erased in our culture and, right now, in our schools,
through tactics like curriculum restrictions and book bans,” the statement
continued.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; letter-spacing: 0.15pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; letter-spacing: 0.15pt; line-height: 150%;">According to the organization, “30
state legislatures across the country have introduced bills to limit the
discussion of racial history in a wave prompted by the emergence of critical
race theory as a subject of political fearmongering. But that’s just the
beginning, over 300 books by predominantly Black authors discussing race,
gender, and sexuality, were also banned in the last year alone.”</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; letter-spacing: 0.15pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; letter-spacing: 0.15pt; line-height: 150%;">I invite you to go back and reread the
first paragraph of this commentary. Imagine school curriculums designed to
alleviate German “shame” because of actions perpetrated against European Jews. Try
to conceive the arrogance of a people who committed crimes against humanity
demanding that their victims learn how they, too, were culpable in those
atrocities. Imagine books written by Jewish authors who discussed the </span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 150%;">holocaust banned in
public schools and libraries.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; letter-spacing: 0.15pt; line-height: 150%;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; letter-spacing: 0.15pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; letter-spacing: 0.15pt; line-height: 150%;">Are you incensed?</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; letter-spacing: 0.15pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; letter-spacing: 0.15pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">Good!</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Now What?</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.15pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">Sylvester
Brown, Jr. is a St. Louis, MO-based writer</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; letter-spacing: 0.15pt;">, journalist and
author. He is the former publisher of Take Five Magazine, former Metro
Columnist with the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and current Deaconess Fellow writer
with the St. Louis American Newspaper.</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; letter-spacing: .15pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><i><span style="background-color: black; font-family: Georgia, serif; letter-spacing: 0.15pt;"><o:p><span style="color: white;"> </span></o:p></span></i></p><b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;"></span></b><p></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">{a href="http://PERMALINK_URL.com" rel="bookmark"}POST_TITLE{/a}
where { } are < ></div>http://sylvesterbrownjr.blogspot.com/http://www.blogger.com/profile/05844535952864244272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9076983037963344622.post-64649392800127898022023-05-03T12:12:00.002-05:002023-05-03T12:12:21.631-05:00Digesting Black History 365 Podcast - Sylvester Brown Jr<p><span style="color: white; font-family: helvetica; font-size: large;">From Pruitt-Igo to the Post-Dispatch to my current "old dude" life. This Podcast interview with Marvin Glenn gave me the opportunity to reflect on a "predestined life." Hope you enjoy!</span></p>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2qAZyyJRNVA" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><div class="blogger-post-footer">{a href="http://PERMALINK_URL.com" rel="bookmark"}POST_TITLE{/a}
where { } are < ></div>http://sylvesterbrownjr.blogspot.com/http://www.blogger.com/profile/05844535952864244272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9076983037963344622.post-24811395122597943852023-03-16T08:34:00.004-05:002023-03-21T10:59:53.943-05:00Kim Gardner and the Big Pretense<span> </span>by Sylvester Brown Jr.<div> <div><span style="font-size: large;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiehZIrzDpS-naLEOaQC0kJDAerVupPc0i-wfGBMQhvruLCHo8qe-VwPC0DdR4kGWlQznFwnPuHsbzMQnzGn5MQ_shiV5J-oduTvxJGAN9mWMrLsJeHCQ87IICpW16b3LmO_3sg1aaaHhzlm50guCCchSWCwYmJrSXhCs-zbXq63t0eSd2nh0IjmxxhUw/s1920/Kim%20Gardner.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiehZIrzDpS-naLEOaQC0kJDAerVupPc0i-wfGBMQhvruLCHo8qe-VwPC0DdR4kGWlQznFwnPuHsbzMQnzGn5MQ_shiV5J-oduTvxJGAN9mWMrLsJeHCQ87IICpW16b3LmO_3sg1aaaHhzlm50guCCchSWCwYmJrSXhCs-zbXq63t0eSd2nh0IjmxxhUw/w640-h360/Kim%20Gardner.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />T</span>hose who condone, tolerate or support Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner’s forcible removal from office have engaged in a heavy dose of pretension. </div><div><br /></div><div>Gardner has been on the hotseat since last month when a 21-year-old, Daniel Riley-who was on bond on a robbery case-caused an accident that left a young, out-of-town athlete, Janae Edmondson pinned between two cars. Her legs were later amputated. </div><div><br /></div><div>Immediately after the incident, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, ran an article that basically placed all the blame on Gardner’s office. The publication reasoned that since Riley had incurred more than 50 bond violations Gardner’s office should have had it revoked. That way, Riley would have been behind bars not driving recklessly on downtown St. Louis streets. </div><div><br /></div><div>The region’s daily newspaper pretended that Gardner’s office is responsible for eratic driving and issuing bonds. For suspect reasons, it skipped over the responsibility of the police who supposedly control reckless driving or Judge Bryan Hettenbach, who actually issued Riley’s recognizance bond and hadn’t changed or revoked it even after numerous violations and a request from Gardner that he be jailed. </div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">For suspect reasons, the Post skipped over the responsibility of the police to control reckless drivers or Judge Bryan Hettenbach, who actually issued Riley’s recognizance bond a</span><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">nd hadn’t changed or revoked it</span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;">...</span></span></div><div><br /></div><div>Almost every local media story stubbornly focused on Gardner as the sole culprit. Several black local, state and “progressive” politicians immediately condemned Gardner. Mayor Tishaura Jones stated that Gardner had “lost the trust of the people.” State Rep. Rasheen Aldridge (D-St. Louis), Rep. Raychel Proudie, who represents parts of north St. Louis County, Board of Aldermen President Megan Green also condemned her. Like the media, they too dismissed Gardner’s claim that she is the target of a political and media hitjob. </div><div><br /></div><div>To dismiss Gardner’s claim that she’s a political target is to dismiss similar allegations from black “progressive” female prosecutors across the nation. Prosecutors such as Baltimore City State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby, Aramis Ayala, the first black elected prosecutor in Florida’s history, Kim Foxx, Chicago’s first black woman state’s attorney or Rachael Rollins, a black female prosecutor in Boston are all under attacks similar to Gardner’s. </div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;">To dismiss Gardner’s claim that she’s a political target is to dismiss similar allegations from black “progressive” female prosecutors across the nation.</span><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"> </span></div><div><br /></div><div>Jefferson City politicians are working feverishly to appoint special prosecutors to take over Gardner’s cases or remove her from office. It’s no coincidence that Georgia legislators are attempting the same maneuver against Fani T. Willis, the district attorney in Atlanta. No doubt, the effort is in retaliation for Willis’ ongoing investigation of former President Donald J. Trump. </div><div><br /></div><div>It takes a great deal of pretension to ignore Gardner’s turbulent entree into the circuit attorney’s office. She was elected in 2016 on a promise to address the “long history of racial inequality and prejudice in the city’s criminal justice system generally, and within its police force particularly.” </div><div><br /></div><div>After she was elected, the police union quickly opposed her bid to create a new unit to investigate police-involved shootings. The relationship worsened in 2018 when Gardner drafted a list of 28 officers whom she did not trust to put on the stand. Racism is so deeply embedded in the city’s police department that even president of the Ethical Society of Police, Heather Taylor, questioned how anyone could ignore its “long history of racial discrimination.” </div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;">It’s no coincidence that Georgia legislators are attempting the same maneuver against Fani T. Willis, the district attorney in Atlanta. No doubt, the effort is in retaliation for Willis’ ongoing investigation of former President Donald J. Trump. </span></div><div><br /></div><div>Gardner’s critics have chosen to make-believe that “Red State” Missouri politicians are unlike Trump-loving extremists in Washington DC. Attacks increased exponentially in 2018 after Gardner made the audacious decision to prosecute then-Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens. </div><div><br /></div><div>Then, in 2020, Gardner received vicious backlash, mostly from conservatives, when she filed criminal charges against Mark and Patricia McCloskey, after they pulled guns on Black Lives Matter protesters outside their Central West End mansion. Claiming that Gardner violated the McCloskeys' 2nd Amendment rights, Missouri Republican politicians wrote to then Attorney General, William Barr, calling for an investigation. Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) also wrote Barr and insisted the courts immediately "dismiss this case.” For his part, Republican Gov. Mike Parson vowed to pardon the McCloskey's even if they were convicted. </div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;">Gardner’s critics have chosen to make-believe that “Red State” Missouri politicians are unlike Trump-loving extremists in Washington DC.</span></div><div><br /></div><div>Gardner’s critics have purposely ignored the more than two-decade history of problems within the circuit attorney’s office, similar to those under Gardner’s reign. Gardner’s predecessor, Jennifer Joyce, who is white and was elected circuit attorney in 2000, never received the kind of personal scrutiny and political backlash that Gardner has. </div><div><br /></div><div>Police representatives have accused Gardner of being “soft on criminals.” Yet, in 2007, when Joyce’s office failed to bring charges against a man homicide detectives said they had DNA evidence that proved his guilt, there was no outcry for her dismissal. </div><div><br /></div><div>Unlike previous circuit attorneys, Gardner’s powerful political critics have blamed her for everything ranging from in-office resignations to criminal case backlogs. Like Gardner, there was turnover and resignations when Jennifer Joyce took office. But, in Joyce’s 16 years in office, she was never held personally responsible for those departures. </div><div><br /></div><div>Nor was Joyce blamed in 2008 when the St. Louis circuit courts was designated “the slowest in the state and carrying the largest backlog of cases.” At the time, the average age of city court cases waiting for deposition was 285 compared to 153 in St Louis County and 146 in Jackson County. </div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;">Unlike previous circuit attorneys, Gardner’s powerful political critics have blamed her for everything ranging from in-office resignations to criminal case backlogs.</span></div><div><br /></div><div>Two years before Gardner was elected, Joyce’s office was accused of “last minute dismissal of felony cases.” At the time, at least 51 felony charges in 2014 were dismissed by the attorney’s office within days of trial dates. Again, there were no police or high-profile political accusations of Joyce being inept or “soft” on crime nor were there calls for her resignation or removal. </div><div><br /></div><div>It takes a huge bucket of gumption to blame Gardner’s office for backlogs and delays in criminal cases during a once-in-a-century, global pandemic. Earlier this month, KSDK news reported that there were more than 4,500 criminal cases pending near the end of 2022. </div><div><br /></div><div>Of course, Gardner has made mistakes. What politician hasn’t? </div><div><br /></div><div>But even with backlogs and chaos in the courts due to the pandemic, her office boasts a 95% conviction rate including an 81% conviction rate on murder charges. </div><div><br /></div><div>History is history and facts are facts. So, let’s stop pretending that attacks against Gardner and the orchestrated attempt to remove her from office are not politically motivated.
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where { } are < ></div>http://sylvesterbrownjr.blogspot.com/http://www.blogger.com/profile/05844535952864244272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9076983037963344622.post-48626532712190516912022-09-09T13:00:00.005-05:002022-09-09T14:27:14.598-05:00My Very Stressful “Stress Test.”<p><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1USO0YGHIndGm8A4NiRvq5ep2g9OGFk1gUbHBAc8UHwQZLQqwPMbUaFSCMgDrgLVSUdzXOXJVmPgB4KwNeinJiX7hvEP4VxpMCjwVZc3UXQuYs8CP6w0rU-Xc-ulmFm1vxfflmuwEmJ9nXCYhC-CprhwwfvVL3kZymfvtpwxgyKv64-aPddboO0RrVQ/s257/Cosby%20Physical%231.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="257" data-original-width="196" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1USO0YGHIndGm8A4NiRvq5ep2g9OGFk1gUbHBAc8UHwQZLQqwPMbUaFSCMgDrgLVSUdzXOXJVmPgB4KwNeinJiX7hvEP4VxpMCjwVZc3UXQuYs8CP6w0rU-Xc-ulmFm1vxfflmuwEmJ9nXCYhC-CprhwwfvVL3kZymfvtpwxgyKv64-aPddboO0RrVQ/w305-h400/Cosby%20Physical%231.jpg" width="305" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><br />I know all things Cosby-related
are taboo to discuss now, but I couldn’t help but recall the hilarious Bill Cosby show episode, “The physical." </span></span><p></p><p><span style="background-color: black; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">You see, my doctor set up a “nuclear stress test” for
me at Barnes Hospital last week. </span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: black; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">It was quite stressful.</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: black; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">The first red flag was the word
“nuclear.” </span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: black; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">A quick Google search explained it thusly: </span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 107%;"><i>“</i></span><i style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">A nuclear stress test uses a small amount of radioactive
material and an imaging machine to create pictures showing the blood flow to
your heart.”</span></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">Wait, what? Someone is going to
inject radioactive fluid in my veins and I’m supposed to be OK with this?</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">Fine! I trust my doctor…sorta.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">The emailed instructions from Barnes stipulated that I
not have coffee, chocolate, or cigarettes 12 hours prior to my appointment. My
day begins with two of those things (don’t judge me, damnit!). The latter is
probably why my doctor ordered the test. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">Anywho, I show up at the hospital bright and early already
stressed from deprivation. I check in and sit in the waiting room until a
technician calls my name and takes me to the prep room. There, she checked my
blood pressure and explained the upcoming process. She stuck a needle in my arm and a
catheter which would be used to pump the liquid death into my veins
that would travel to my poor unsuspecting heart. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">All the while I’m peppering
the tech with questions:</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">“Is this radioactive stuff safe? Has anyone ever been
rushed to the emergency for heart surgery during one of these tests?"</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">“Yes,” and “Yes,” the technician answered, way too nonchalantly
for my taste.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">Stress!<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 107%;">After this I was taken to another room with a gurney
and a treadmill nearby. Another tech
came in, had me lie down on the gurney and placed about 12 sticky patches (</span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 107%;">"electrodes")<b>
</b></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 107%;">strategically on my chest and torso.</span><span face="Helvetica, sans-serif" style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 107%;">Next, she connected a bunch of wires to the <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">electrodes before strapping a portable
EKG machine around my waste that, she said, would measure the electrical
activity of my heart while I "walked."</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">Next,
I was told to stand on the treadmill. In a few minutes, the tech explained, it
would start and gradually increase in speed and elevation for about 15-to-20
minutes.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">“Easy-peezy,”
I thought. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">Like
Cliff Huxtable, I was cocky, strutting on the treadmill like a Blaxploitation
movie character to the beat of “Superfly” playing in my
head.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">About
five minutes later, I had a Getto Boys moment where my mind started playing tricks on me.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">“I
can feel that radioactive sludge coursing through your veins,” it said.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">Beads
of sweat percolated on my brow, my arms and torso... making me think I might short
out the EKG wires. I felt my poor heart beating rapidly in my chest, my temples
and, </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">for some strange reason,</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"> the back of my throat.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">Stress!</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">“Stop being a punk,” my inner macho man demanded.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">OK,
but my legs joined my brain and started complaining: “Dude, we aren’t used to
this. We drive places. What’s with all this walking fast crap?”</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXvC4OtJjZFCG_UYOuyLFvAiGmI3YElA5uMwCfcCZmVxK3d-GRZF4jt1__lEAbGK5WE3iO6g4YGbAx4BaVramb4jLVcbnp2vhUntJhkrU7L9EV3Z-_2sNFHa9TXaWVoJMMC0pwUpku2N8XLzGAJAqke9N_eej4E_lacDwfL2IjCTrjdiLIDcCHYHWFLw/s259/Cosby%20Physical%232.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="194" data-original-width="259" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXvC4OtJjZFCG_UYOuyLFvAiGmI3YElA5uMwCfcCZmVxK3d-GRZF4jt1__lEAbGK5WE3iO6g4YGbAx4BaVramb4jLVcbnp2vhUntJhkrU7L9EV3Z-_2sNFHa9TXaWVoJMMC0pwUpku2N8XLzGAJAqke9N_eej4E_lacDwfL2IjCTrjdiLIDcCHYHWFLw/w320-h240/Cosby%20Physical%232.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">Ten
to fifteen minutes, more speed, and higher elevation levels later, I started to
really panic. I don’t know why they had that freakin’ EKG screen right next to.
Every time I coughed the ragged line shot up on the screen. I can’t swear to this, but
I believe I saw a flat line or two slip pass my eyes.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">I
think my intestines and bladder simultaneously decided to save me. Suddenly I
needed a (#1 & #2) bathroom break…like immediately.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: black; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; background: black; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">Stress!</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">Then, my legs, as if they had their own brain, just stopped. I grabbed the treadmill
handlebars so as not to slide into the wall behind me. The technician must have
noticed because she gently placed her hands on my lower back with gently reassurance:
“Just keep walking it’s almost over.”</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: black; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; background: black; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 107%;">Finally,
the treadmill ordeal was done. I desperately needed a cup of coffee and a
cigarette (stop judging). </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 107%;">But, Nooo, I had to wait around for the second part of
the test. Once my heart rate settled down, I was told I’d be placed in an
imaging machine</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 107%;"> so doctors could see blood
flow to the heart at its “resting rate.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 107%;">Whatever!</span><span face="Helvetica, sans-serif" style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">They
gave me a small cup of cranberry juice and a tiny packet of graham crackers and
sent me to another waiting room. Because I hadn’t eaten anything in the last 15
hours or so, I greedily consumed everything with a satisfied quickness. I’m not
sure if it was FOX or News Nation but the latest "Trump news" blared on
the waiting room's TV screen.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: black; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; background: black; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">Stress
and disgust!</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">We
were about three hours in at this point. I might have to stick around for another
two hours or so, the tech told me, if the doctors weren’t satisfied with the
images from the treadmill and scanner.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">Damn!
Rotating images of Starbucks and Parliament's 100s circled my imagination.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipG2t0v3WAGYD5Ek7QKhsrFPuab2Af_JlEIf5hswvvqQ98MDMyFSTgpU3QpfmvS8_ELLTfkWtjsxhh99iF41qSS2Jaf1r9YzhtV6HyqWT3PZQSNUoFgnrqi9EQK1F-Zhozr7MqKUUprKIFbL42fl8C7ABMHDRSwpU88RPqJ0wPu_6qGQIZP2wCMgzC4A/s251/Stress%20Test%20machine.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="163" data-original-width="251" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipG2t0v3WAGYD5Ek7QKhsrFPuab2Af_JlEIf5hswvvqQ98MDMyFSTgpU3QpfmvS8_ELLTfkWtjsxhh99iF41qSS2Jaf1r9YzhtV6HyqWT3PZQSNUoFgnrqi9EQK1F-Zhozr7MqKUUprKIFbL42fl8C7ABMHDRSwpU88RPqJ0wPu_6qGQIZP2wCMgzC4A/w400-h260/Stress%20Test%20machine.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Anyway,
I was sent to the imaging room and was told to lie down on this machine that
looked like part oversized metal donut and part coffin. I lay under the
donut part first, with my arms above my head holding my wrist. The whirring donut
rotated back and forth for a few minutes then the gurney-thingy slowly slid into the metal
coffin part.</span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">Again,
my mind started tripping: </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">“Man, it’s awfully snug in here,” it complained. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: large;">I didn’t know I was claustrophobic
but for some reason, I started breathing funny and felt my eyes bulging. Laying there
under whirring coffin cameras, the little boy in me pleaded:</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">“Momma!”</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">Finally,
finally, it was over. “No more tests needed,” the Tech told me. “The doctors
think they have what they need.”</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">I
was released.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">On
the way out of the hospital, I stopped at a kiosk and got a hot cup of java. I sat in my car on the parking lot sipping coffee and doing that other (nonjudgmental)
thing I mentioned. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">I don’t know
the results of the tests yet but I was feeling pretty good. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">For
those precious, caffeine and nicotine-filled moments, after hours of self-inflicted mental anguish...</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">I drove home stress-free.</span></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: white;">****<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: medium;">Sylvester Brown, Jr. is a longtime, St. Louis based write and
author of three books, including <a href="https://sylvesterbrownjr-writer.vpweb.com/books">White Castles with Jesus
& Uncle Ray at the Used Tire Shop.</a></span> <span style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="background: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: #202124; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">{a href="http://PERMALINK_URL.com" rel="bookmark"}POST_TITLE{/a}
where { } are < ></div>http://sylvesterbrownjr.blogspot.com/http://www.blogger.com/profile/05844535952864244272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9076983037963344622.post-16305645788793397232022-08-08T11:26:00.000-05:002022-08-08T11:26:50.872-05:00Understanding the Rise and Dominance of White Extremism in Today's America<p><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">White extremism was evident in the mobs that stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2020. To truly understand its resurgence and prominence in today's political and social landscape, we must go back 14 years to a supposed "post racial" time in America. I produced this video two years after the election of Barack Obama. </span><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">The video, presented during a MLK celebration ends with the question: "Are we really living the American Dream?"</span></p><p><br /></p>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/VZJ7l5tSpmY" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><div class="blogger-post-footer">{a href="http://PERMALINK_URL.com" rel="bookmark"}POST_TITLE{/a}
where { } are < ></div>http://sylvesterbrownjr.blogspot.com/http://www.blogger.com/profile/05844535952864244272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9076983037963344622.post-8705109645395097412022-06-29T13:58:00.004-05:002022-07-18T10:25:48.395-05:00There’s a N***a in My House<p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face="Helvetica, sans-serif" style="color: white; font-size: 14pt;">by Sylvester Brown,
Jr.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face="Helvetica, sans-serif" style="color: white; font-size: 14pt;">June 30, 2022</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span face="Helvetica, sans-serif" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: white; font-size: x-large;">It</span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span face="Helvetica, sans-serif" style="line-height: 150%;">
</span><span face="Helvetica, sans-serif" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: white;">took my mind a minute to process what my eyes were seeing.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span face="Helvetica, sans-serif" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">I
was sitting on my bed watching an episode of “The Boys” when I noticed a figure
creeping toward my bedroom doorway. Other than the TV light, it was kinda dark
in my upstairs apartment. I couldn’t see the face clearly. My mind went through
the checklist: It’s not my girlfriend. This body was bigger and beefier than my
brother, Tommy, who lives next door. These are the only two who have keys to my
apartment.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span face="Helvetica, sans-serif" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">“N***a,
who the f..k is you?” I shouted like a semi-illiterate, Samuel L. Jackson. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span face="Helvetica, sans-serif" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">Please
excuse my use of the N-word here but, damnit, sometimes it applies…for black
folk that is, not the descendants of those who’ve abused the word to snatch the
lives, liberties, and freedoms from blacks. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span face="Helvetica, sans-serif" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">In
my young world the word applied to trifling, no good, thieving, lying, raping,
or murderous black men. In my old world, it’s still apropos. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span face="Helvetica, sans-serif" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">I
jumped from the bed and got directly into this stranger’s space. He bac</span><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">ked up a
bit too slowly for my comfort. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span face="Helvetica, sans-serif" style="color: white; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-size: large;">“Am
I going to have to tussle with this dud</span><span style="font-size: large;">e? At 65, can I still tussle?” </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span face="Helvetica, sans-serif" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">Still, I kept advancing, keeping my eyes on his hands as he back
walked toward my kitchen. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span face="Helvetica, sans-serif" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">He
nonchalantly handed me my keys and said, </span><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">“y</span><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">ou shouldn’t have left these in the
door.” </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span face="Helvetica, sans-serif" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">I was taken aback. “Did I leave my keys in the door?” Maybe. It didn’t matter.
This dude should have knocked or shouted before creeping into my apartment.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span face="Helvetica, sans-serif" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">“Outside,”
I said, glaring into his creepy eyes. He tried to say more but I pointed above
his head. “I said, OUTSIDE!”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span face="Helvetica, sans-serif" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">He
left and hustled down my steps toward the courtyard. I took a quick inventory
of my apartment: Wallet was still on the stand in the kitchen. Nothing seemed
to be missing from it. My laptop was on my desk, and nothing looked out of
place.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span face="Helvetica, sans-serif" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">Then
I got mad. “This N***a was in my freakin’ house!”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span face="Helvetica, sans-serif" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">Anyway,
I grabbed my “weapon” and went looking for the dude. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was urged on by images of him creeping
toward me still burning in my memory. What if I were asleep? Would I have been
woken by a knife in my chest or a bullet blazing through my body?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span face="Helvetica, sans-serif" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">I
live in the Old North neighborhood, not far from Crown Candy. There’s an
interesting collective of people here. It’s comprised of working class,
lower-working class and people doing what they have to do to get by. Let’s just
say that seeing the occasional crackhead in the vicinity isn’t that rare. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span face="Helvetica, sans-serif" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">Once
downstairs, I saw two neighbors from across the street standing in the alley.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span face="Helvetica, sans-serif" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">“Did
you guys see a creepy-looking dude in a greenish shirt?” I asked.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span face="Helvetica, sans-serif" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">“Yeah,
he just walked around the corner,” the male neighbor answered.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span face="Helvetica, sans-serif" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">It
was sort of heartwarming to see how my eclectic neighbors-my brother, a
constant rehabber, a back-alley mechanic, and some people I’d never met- gathered
behind my building all discussing and searching for the mysterious intruder.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span face="Helvetica, sans-serif" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">I don’t
know why but I didn’t call the police. I just thanked the God’s that I wasn’t
harmed or robbed. I double-locked my door and went to sleep.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span face="Helvetica, sans-serif" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">The
next afternoon, standing in line at a fast-food joint, I pulled out my wallet. The
$45 I thought I had was gone. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span face="Helvetica, sans-serif" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">“I’ll
be goddamn…that MF did rob me!”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span face="Helvetica, sans-serif" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">When
I got home, my neighbor, the rehabber, knocked on my door. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span face="Helvetica, sans-serif" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">“That
guy who broke into your apartment, walked into another guy’s house and was harassing
the young lady who lives below you,” he informed me. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span face="Helvetica, sans-serif" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">Apparently,
the other guy whose home was invaded had called the police. No one has shown
up, the rehabber informed me.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span face="Helvetica, sans-serif" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">It
was then that I decided to call the police. Within a half hour, the rehabber again
knocked on my door to tell me the police were downstairs. I don’t know if my
call had anything to do with their visit or if they were responding to the
other call or both.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span face="Helvetica, sans-serif" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">Anyway,
it seems the rehabber and back-alley mechanic had done some impressive reconnaissance
work. They knew where the dude lived, how long he lived there and who his girlfriend
was. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span face="Helvetica, sans-serif" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">Me
and the other home invasion victim gave the police our accounts of what
happened. Fifteen minutes or so later, there was another knock at my door. The
police wanted to know if I’d get in the back of their cruiser to identify the
suspect. Through tinted windows, I saw the creepy-looking, black dude again,
this time handcuffed between two police officers standing against a building
about six or seven dwellings from mine. He had the gall to have a put-upon look
on his face.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span face="Helvetica, sans-serif" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">“Yeah,
that’s him,” I told my driver.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span face="Helvetica, sans-serif" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">The
next day, I got a call from the circuit attorney’s office wanting to know if I
would testify if they decided to prosecute the guy. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span face="Helvetica, sans-serif" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">“Yeah,
sure,” I answered.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span face="Helvetica, sans-serif" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">This
whole interaction has left me stunned. The thought of what the guy might have
done to me if I was asleep or what he may do to others; me being on the side of
the law and genuinely appreciating their work-all of this has left me in a vulnerable,
disturbing, introspective mood. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span face="Helvetica, sans-serif" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: white;">Mostly
though, I’m still grappling with the eerie reality that this apparently
up-to-no-good, possibly nefarious, possibly drugged out, creepy-ass n***a was
actually in my house. </span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span face="Helvetica, sans-serif" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: white;"><br /></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span face="Helvetica, sans-serif" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Sylvester Brown Jr. is a long-time St. Louis journalist. He currently writes for the St. Louis American newspaper and is the author of three books, "When We Listen: Recognizing the Potential of Urban Youth; White Castles with Jesus & Uncle Ray at the Used Tire Shop and his first novel, Gateway Gas. More information can be found <a href="https://sylvesterbrownjr-writer.vpweb.com/" target="_blank">here</a>. </i></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span face="Helvetica, sans-serif" style="font-size: large; text-indent: 0.5in;"><i> </i> </span><span face="Helvetica, sans-serif" style="font-size: large; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span></p><br /><p></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">{a href="http://PERMALINK_URL.com" rel="bookmark"}POST_TITLE{/a}
where { } are < ></div>http://sylvesterbrownjr.blogspot.com/http://www.blogger.com/profile/05844535952864244272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9076983037963344622.post-12936953675502336682021-12-06T08:36:00.000-06:002021-12-06T08:36:21.492-06:00“What If This is it?”<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">by Sylvester Brown, Jr.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEikzOdaHzFh93FiVxmGw93muPuf1S1WFzf2aB33UF2SQoUSdOWdRgxPJReMUcQihDgUuujv0YwXCNKOew0f-GiqzhBoqTpiO5d-oG9zK5chwWJK4yP2pgrNTh_nvObMylF4C5jbfrKSMB1G-BLlZ6wdlhEziupdS_VjZW-_35zNjbVEE7R57MllH4mntw=s275" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="275" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEikzOdaHzFh93FiVxmGw93muPuf1S1WFzf2aB33UF2SQoUSdOWdRgxPJReMUcQihDgUuujv0YwXCNKOew0f-GiqzhBoqTpiO5d-oG9zK5chwWJK4yP2pgrNTh_nvObMylF4C5jbfrKSMB1G-BLlZ6wdlhEziupdS_VjZW-_35zNjbVEE7R57MllH4mntw=w400-h266" width="400" /></a></div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">I</span></b></span><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"> am a
nocturnal creature. Poetry, songs, words, or complete storylines come to me in
the wee hours of the night. But, by the time I go from bed to bathroom, from
coffee to computer, the muses quickly dissipate. I am often disappointed at the
attempt to recreate, restructure or reimagine what was authentic or powerful enough to wake me. Sleeping with my phone at my side helps. Messaging
myself, helps seize it and squeeze a semblance of meaning from the nighttime
missives. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;">And so, it was last night. I rose from
slumber with the jarring thought: <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">“What if this is it?” </span><span style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 150%;">The question followed an apocalyptic dream obviously
inspired by my research on the </span><span style="line-height: 150%;">omicron variant of COVID-19. Reading about the </span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 150%;">coronavirus’ spike protein</span>
and its unusually high number of mutations ignited my unconscious imagination.
In unrestricted slumber, the thought of a disease stronger and faster than
science became real. It was the end of times unlike what religion taught me as
a child. There was no heaven or hell, no “good or bad,” no saved and definitely
no savior. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: black; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">We were all doomed.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 150%;">Still in bed, I Googled “Literature
during the Spanish Flu.” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Through my
limited research I read that there were </span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 150%;">few
books, movies, songs, or poems written explicitly about the 1918 flu pandemic
that killed between 50 to 100 million people.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 150%;">Some historians say that the man-made pandemic, WWI,
was one reason for the pandemic’s literary blackout. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They reasoned that tales of </span><span style="line-height: 150%;">brutal trench warfare, the sheer cost of human life coupled with
the travesties of an unseen and largely misunderstood virus might have
overwhelmed the collective consciousness.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: black; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Still, it’s hard for me to
imagine there ever being a situation that creative people didn’t address. The
unfiltered mind goes to taboo places. They write, sing, or speak to outcomes
that make the masses quiver. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They
release…not for effect but for freedom. If they don’t get it out; it consumes them,
stalls them, constipates their flow.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: black; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Thus is the curse of the
creatives.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: black; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Therefore, I allowed myself
to run with my dreamlike narrative: <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: black; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“What if this is it? What
would I feel? What would I do?"<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: black; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">All the intricacies of my
working life became miniscule. In that state of mind, I released myself from
the ongoing fight against racism and inhumanity. The rise of white extremism or
“black power” became inconsequential. What was, what is, were mute points. I no
longer cared about politics or political crazies. The return of Trump held no
threat. Dialogue about the “unvaxxed vs the vaxxed” became unimportant,
inconsequential. It was too late for the blame game. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: black; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Being a “creative,” I’d use
my remaining time to speak to LOVE. I’d make sure the people I truly care
about, know I love them, despite our perhaps artificial differences. I’d find
the daughters I’ve lost to a broken union. I wouldn’t beg for understanding or
absolution; I’d simply say, “you have been and will always be loved.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background: rgb(0, 0, 0); line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: white;">I was comforted by the
creative liberty of release. Freed from the ingrained fear of celestial
punishment for deeds or misdeeds, I was simply able to be…me. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The mere thought of uncontrollable, unmanageable,
unstoppable death made</span></span><span style="background-color: black; color: white; text-indent: 0.5in;"> me drill down to my core values and basic principles.
For brief, fleeting pre-dawn moments, I was released from the perceived ramifications
of wrong choices, wrong moves, or false friends. One succinct, pointed question
about death paved a pathway for living:</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 150%;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“What if this is it?”</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 150%;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 150%;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">*********</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i><span style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">Sylvester Brown Jr. is a St. Louis writer and author of three books: When We Listen: </span><span style="text-align: left;">Recognizing the Potential of Urban Youth (2019), </span><span style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">White Castles with Jesus & Uncle Ray at the Used Tire Shop (2021) and his first novel, Gateway Gas (2021). Sylvester is also</span></i><span style="text-align: left;"> the Deaconess Fellow with the St. Louis American newspaper writing about COVID-19's impact on the Black community.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 150%;"></span></p><p style="background: white; margin: 0in; text-align: left;"><o:p></o:p></p><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"></span><p></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">{a href="http://PERMALINK_URL.com" rel="bookmark"}POST_TITLE{/a}
where { } are < ></div>http://sylvesterbrownjr.blogspot.com/http://www.blogger.com/profile/05844535952864244272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9076983037963344622.post-23772118115613934332021-11-28T19:09:00.004-06:002021-11-28T19:32:09.030-06:00Uncle Ray...Redux<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 107%;">by Sylvester Brown, Jr</span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 107%;">.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: black; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; background: black; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIVKikREV1Bdbzy4c6vncSAw-WD3EaXKQuauiaRWq9gidpB_NAYvzuZk1sMAFQntCKHAQlS802ThFml97Vtq9A8szmn9rr5WxvGKY3QyCw1YmZqWmBZ_43YA_Ga48Kp8QYq_BvsFE6ZtSs/s2048/Uncle+Ray+-+B%2526W.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1405" data-original-width="2048" height="440" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIVKikREV1Bdbzy4c6vncSAw-WD3EaXKQuauiaRWq9gidpB_NAYvzuZk1sMAFQntCKHAQlS802ThFml97Vtq9A8szmn9rr5WxvGKY3QyCw1YmZqWmBZ_43YA_Ga48Kp8QYq_BvsFE6ZtSs/w640-h440/Uncle+Ray+-+B%2526W.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-family: verdana; font-size: xx-small;"><i>Illustration courtesy of <a href="https://www.amazon.com/White-Castles-Jesus-Uncle-Used-ebook/dp/B08RVD7Y8R" target="_blank">"White Castles with Jesus & Uncle Ray at the Used Tire Shop"</a> </i></span></span><i style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;">by Sylvester Brown, Jr. </i></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: white;"><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: white;"><br /></span></span></div>“Whoop, whoop!”<o:p></o:p></span></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">T</span><span style="color: white; font-size: medium;">he last
time I spoke with Uncle Ray, I was writing for the <i>St. Louis Post Dispatch</i>,
more than 15 years ago. When first writing about him, in 2000, I explained that
his name was a euphemism for “racism.” I compared it/him to a crazy old uncle that
kin folk hide in the basement when company is over who invariably comes out and
shows his ugly, vile, racist side to everybody. Talking with Ray has been all at once liberating,
frustrating, and depressing. But I cherish our conversations. Instead
of allowing it to eat me up, devour my mind and soul, I can release these feelings with racism. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: white; font-size: medium;">Recently,
while rousing from a deep sleep, I heard that familiar raspy voice:<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: white; font-size: medium;">“Wake up,
boy. I’m ba-aack!”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: white; font-size: medium;">“Uncle
Ray,” I reply groggily, “what brings you around?”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: white; font-size: medium;">“Ain’tcha been watching the news? I been
scoring victory after VIC-TO-RY!”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 150%;">I knew what the bastard was talking about. That
night, I read where 18-year-old </span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 150%;">Kyle Rittenhouse</span> had
been exonerated for shooting three men during a Black Lives Matter protest in Kenosha, Wisconsin<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 150%;">.</span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 150%;"> </span>The teen, whose mother
drove him across state lines with a loaded semi-automatic, AR-15 rifle<sup><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 150%;"> </span></sup><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 150%;">claimed
he went to Kenosha</span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 150%;"> to protect businesses from being vandalized and provide medical aid.</span>
Reportedly, out of the <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 150%;">12 jurors and eight alternates, only one
was a person of color</span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 150%;">.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 150%;">“Did
ya see what I did there, sonny? Did you see how I had my judge, </span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 150%;">Brucey</span>,
fix things during the trial? <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 150%;">Yeah, I knew. I was
sickened by Judge Bruce Schroeder</span>’s declaration to the prosecutors that the
people <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 150%;">Rittenhouse</span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 150%;"> shot couldn’t be referred
to as “victims” but the defense could indeed characterize them as “looters” or
“arsonists.” <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 150%;">A novice would have
concluded that allowing the jurors to hear this and give a defense witness a
round of applause, supposedly because it was Veteran’s Day, was a clear endorsement
of the type of “patriotism” </span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 150%;">Rittenhouse</span> represented.<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 150%;"> That sentiment was highlighted
when Schroeder's cellphone briefly chirped with the ringtone “<em><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">God Bless the U.S.A.</span></em><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">, a favorite ditty played during former President
Donald Trump’s rallies.</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: large; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 27px;">“Did ya see what I did there, sonny? Did you see how I had my judge, </span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 27px;">Brucey</span>, fix things during the trial?</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: black; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; background: black; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: white; font-size: medium;">“It was downright magical…hee,
hee, ha, ha!” Ray brayed. “It was like the glory days back in good ole’
Mississippi: Innocence by a like-minded judge and a sympathetic jury.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 150%;">“Yeah,” I responded
sarcastically, “like in 1955 when you selected an all-white jury to exonerate </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 150%;">Emmett Till's killers.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: white; font-size: medium;">Ray abruptly stopped laughing and looked at
me curiously.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: white; font-size: medium;">“Seems to me you don’t see the brilliance in my
moves, boy.”<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: black; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; background: black; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: white; font-size: medium;">“You mean Trump, his
followers and the rebirth of racism,” I answered. “Yeah, I see it and I guess
it is 'genius'...in a Hitler-ish kinda way.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: black; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; background: black; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: white; font-size: medium;">Ray again burst into
laughter: <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: black; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; background: black; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: white; font-size: medium;">“Hee, hee. Ha, ha. You killin’
me, son, you are kill-in’ me! You being so melodramatic and all...you’re
missing the genius of my moves these past few decades. Trump wasn’t the start;
he was just a part of my long-term strategery. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: black; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; background: black; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: white; font-size: medium;">“See, you and the rest of
them lily-livered liberals thought ya’ll accomplished something when ya’ll
elected that Nig, Obama. What ya’ll really did was scare white folks; made ‘em think ya’ll was looking for a little git’-back. Shoot, all I
had ta do was use the Intranets and Fox News to speak their fears out loud, whip
‘em into a frenzy, validate what they wuz already holding inside. They just
needed a little proddin’ that’s all. They just needed to hear ‘this here’s the
white man’s country…forever and a day.' <em><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">God
Bless the U.S.A., know whatI’msayin’?</span></em> Ha, ha!”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: black; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; background: black; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: white; font-size: medium;">Ray was winning the “argument”
if you can call it that. As incredulous as it seems, racism is again
mainstream. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A vile, sexist, and racist con
man was indeed elected president. He won despite using racist tropes to stir up
his base. He referred to Neo-Nazis as, “very fine people” after they marched with
tiki torches shouting, <i>“Jews will not replace us.”</i> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: black; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; background: black; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Since Trump’s victory, other elected racist extremists are loudly and proudly pushing bodacious,
not-so-subtle legislation aimed at snatching the voting rights away from people
of color. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: black; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; background: black; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: x-large;">"You’re missing the genius of my moves these past few decades. Trump wasn’t the start; he was just a part of my long-term strategery."</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: black; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; background: black; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: white; font-size: medium;">As if reading my mind, Ray
speaks with mock compassion:<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: black; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; background: black; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: white; font-size: medium;">“Did it shake you to the
core to see my loyal minions carrying the Confederate flag as they stormed the Capitol
to overturn that sham election?”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: black; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; background: black; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: white; font-size: medium;">I respond bitterly: <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: black; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; background: black; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: medium;">“You mean that group of crazies
who pissed and wiped their feces on the walls while beating Capitol police and
threatening to lynch the vice president because he wouldn’t endorse Trump’s
lies ? It was sickening but not shocking?”<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background: rgb(0, 0, 0); line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: #a2c4c9; font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;">“Did it shake you to the core to see my loyal minions carrying the Confederate flag as they stormed the Capitol to overturn that sham election?”</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: black; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; background: black; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: white; font-size: medium;">“Whatcha mean, boy?” Ray
replies, seemingly disappointed.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 150%;">“Because you’re right,” I answer
resolutely. “I been watching you, studying you. This outcome, our state
of affairs; its predictable. We are where we’ve been before. But, if you
recall, we’ve kicked your ass before, too. You may have scored a victory with </span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 150%;">Rittenhouse</span>,
but you got your ass stomped in the <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 150%;">Ahmaud Arbery</span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 150%;"> case. Those crackers who
thought they could also claim “self-defense” after chasing and shooting a black
jogger got a taste of swift justice when they were found 'guilty.' And
remember, buddy, there was </span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 150%;">only one black juror in that trial, too.</span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 150%;">"You see, in your
arrogance, you always go too far. You always go to a point of revulsion. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s just a matter of time before one of your political
loonies, like </span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 150%;">Boebert</span>,
Greene or Gosar, does something that reinforces the danger of radical
racism or leads to something even deadlier than <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 150%;">Rittenhouse</span>’s crime. Soon,
my old rabid enemy, you’re gonna slip up…again.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: black; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; background: black; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: white; font-size: medium;">It
looks as if Ray is seriously pondering my words. As if flipping through a mental
rolodex of racism’s rise and decline over the centuries, he stares at
me long and hard. Then, a nasty snaggle-tooth grin slowly spreads across his
face.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: black; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; background: black; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: white; font-size: medium;">“Almost
had me there for a second, sonny. Had me thinking my moves were mistakes when
they wasn’t. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That was jus’ me messing
wit’ ya’ll’s minds…making ya’ll think you was making…let’s see what’s that word…oh
yeah, 'progress!' </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: black; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; background: black; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: white; font-size: medium;">I gives a little to get a lot, knowwhatImean? Again, as Bushy put it 'strategery!'<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: black; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; background: black; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: white; font-size: medium;">“Rest
on that for a while, boy. I got’s things ta do. The midterms next year and the return
of my prodigy in ’24…lots and lots ta do. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: black; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; background: black; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: white; font-size: medium;">"Meanwhile, you gone back to sleep now and keep...hee, hee...hope alive. Hate to break it to ya, boy, but you got a long wait a-coming.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: black; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; background: black; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: white; font-size: medium;">With
that, Ray disappears. I try to go back to sleep but, in my mind, I hear a
familiar refrain:<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 150%;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: medium;">“Whoop,
whoop.” </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 150%;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 150%;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrCGSNGf8qNwXgHYTKOjyRXC-p2gtkSNwFgQqneES6ZpMv3njoFKBPCTQs6a8CLOgesm63K7NTjPV1Vv6aKCwbLk9UwL0IbRjlIOMNkOO_lmu97CnBbX8Psk8OOgAcO53eBGoCh8gkKgfz/s2048/Take+5+Live-Nov+21-B%2526W.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrCGSNGf8qNwXgHYTKOjyRXC-p2gtkSNwFgQqneES6ZpMv3njoFKBPCTQs6a8CLOgesm63K7NTjPV1Vv6aKCwbLk9UwL0IbRjlIOMNkOO_lmu97CnBbX8Psk8OOgAcO53eBGoCh8gkKgfz/w150-h200/Take+5+Live-Nov+21-B%2526W.jpg" width="150" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 150%;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><i>Sylvester Brown Jr. is a St. Louis-based writer and <a href="https://sylvester-brownjr-books.square.site/" target="_blank">author of three books.</a> Two "Uncle Ray" essays have been re-published in his book of short stories, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/White-Castles-Jesus-Uncle-Used/dp/B08RQNPRLP/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=White+Castles+with+Jesus+%26+Uncle+Ray&qid=1610472992&s=books&sr=1-1" target="_blank">"White Castles with Jesus & Uncle Ray at the Used Tire Shop. </a></i></span></span></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">{a href="http://PERMALINK_URL.com" rel="bookmark"}POST_TITLE{/a}
where { } are < ></div>http://sylvesterbrownjr.blogspot.com/http://www.blogger.com/profile/05844535952864244272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9076983037963344622.post-3366277167668262382021-11-08T09:35:00.002-06:002021-11-08T12:36:22.316-06:00Audio excerpt from Gateway Gas (Chapter 14) by Sylvester Brown, Jr. Warning: Not suitable for children<p> </p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gFAX6hNvQns" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><div><br /></div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: -.5in; text-align: justify;"><a name="_Hlk37627765"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Excerpt from
Chapter Fourteen</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></b></a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: -.5in; text-align: justify;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk37627765;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">The Ever-Mysterious
Olivia</span><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: -.5in;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk37627765;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: white;">March 15,
2017</span></span></b></span><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk37627765;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-themecolor: text1;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 9.0pt; margin-right: -.5in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk37627765;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 9.0pt; margin-right: -.5in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">"Hey, Sol, look,
it's the newspaper man." <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 9.0pt; margin-right: -.5in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">Sal yelled to his
twin brother as Cliff entered their business, Sol & Sal's Used Tire Shop.
The shop has been in the Ville neighborhood on Martin Luther King Drive before
there was a MLK Drive. Back when Cliff was a kid the street was named Easton
Avenue. The twins had run the business since the early 1960s. Business was
always good. A new set of tires for the average sedan could cost up to $1,000.
Customers could get a decent set at the used tire shop for $300 or less. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 9.0pt; margin-right: -.5in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">The address given for Olivia was just a few blocks from the
brother’s shop. Cliff knew they knew everybody and everything that happened in
the neighborhood. Maybe the twins would have information about the prisoner he
could use.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 9.0pt; margin-right: -.5in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">Cliff appreciated the metallic tinkle
of the rusted bell above the door as he entered. The sound was a throwback to
times when elderly black business owners always had a word of advice or an odd
job for neighborhood kids like Cliff. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 9.0pt; margin-right: -.5in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">Sol, Sal’s brother came through the dingy burgundy curtains that separated the storefront from the
huge, garage-like area where the brothers serviced cars and trucks. “Hey,
youngblood, he said, wiping his dirty hands on an even dirtier rag. Sol
embraced Cliff. Though in his late 70s, Sol is linebacker strong. Sal, not so
much. Cliff took comfort in his embrace. He also liked the fact that no matter
how old he was, he’d always be “youngblood” to Sol & Sal.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 9.0pt; margin-right: -.5in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">The twin brothers are
total opposites who rarely agree on anything – race, politics crime… not even
the origination of the shop's name. Sal said the name was inherited from the
previous Jewish owners. Sol told Cliff that his brother was “full of shit.” The
shop, he said, was an abbreviation of their first names - Solomon and Salvatore
Nester. Sol’s version made more sense. Sal’s story relied on the unbelievable
fact that two Jews sold a shop to two black men who happened to share their
first names.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 9.0pt; margin-right: -.5in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">"What's on your mind, youngblood?” Sol asked. “You only come
around when your cogs are stuck." Sal, laughing, chimed in: “Yeah what
problem can we solve for you today, young man?”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 9.0pt; margin-right: -.5in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">Cliff wished he could deny it, but <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">it</span> was true. He was still shaken from his brief
but brutal conversation with Olivia. His first impulse was to go back to the
Globe and tell Tink, he wasn’t doing the assignment. He’d tell his boss that
Olivia was batshit crazy and there was no way he’d get anything useful out of
her. After driving around aimlessly, he found himself trolling his old
neighborhood.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 9.0pt; margin-right: -.5in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">“You guys heard about that lady who killed that baby?”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 9.0pt; margin-right: -.5in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">The brothers exchanged glances. They were communicating something
with their eyes that Cliff didn’t quite understand. Sal looked at his brother
as if seeking permission to speak:<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 9.0pt; margin-right: -.5in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">“Crazy ass, woman. What kinda mother kills her own baby?”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 9.0pt; margin-right: -.5in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">Sol rolled his eyes at his brother, turned his back and went
behind the counter. He pulled out an old hat-sized, tin box with World War
II-era stickers pasted on its lid and sides. It once belonged to the twin’s
father, a soldier of the war, Sol once told him. Cliff got the impression that
Sol was carefully mulling his words before responding to his brother’s comment:
<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 9.0pt; margin-right: -.5in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">“Stop it Sal, we don’t know the facts, only rumors.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 9.0pt; margin-right: -.5in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">“Rumors my black ass,” Sal retorted. “They found a dead baby and
some crack in the house. Case closed. She’s gonna get the death penalty...unless…”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 9.0pt; margin-right: -.5in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">Again, the weird communication thing. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 9.0pt; margin-right: -.5in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">“Unless? Unless what?” Cliff wondered. It was as if Sal wanted
Sol to fill in the unfinished sentence. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 9.0pt; margin-right: -.5in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">Usually Cliff appreciated the brother’s different take on things.
Sal has little patience for today’s black people. He rails incessantly about
“no-account, do-nothing, lazy ass, welfare and drug addicted niggas,”
especially “young niggas with sagging pants and even lower IQ’s and morals,”
he’d say.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 9.0pt; margin-right: -.5in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">Sol is an old school, black pride, “everything wrong with blacks
is because of racism” kinda guy. Somewhere in between their divergent
philosophies, Cliff usually found a balance that guided his thinking and some
of his writing.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 9.0pt; margin-right: -.5in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">But not this time. Sol wasn’t playing the usual tit-for-tat game
with his brother. He nether indicted or defended Olivia. Cliff stared at Sol as
he tinkered with items in his box.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 9.0pt; margin-right: -.5in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">“What is it, Sol?”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 9.0pt; margin-right: -.5in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">“Oh, nothing, nothing,” his old friend replied. “I just think
folks who don’t know what they’re talking about ought to shut the hell up…Sal!<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 9.0pt; margin-right: -.5in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">“I’m jus’ sayin’,” Sal replied unusually noncombative.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 9.0pt; margin-right: -.5in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">“Wait, do you guys know Olivia?” Cliff asked. “If you do, that
will be helpful ‘cause I found very little about her in the public records.” <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 9.0pt; margin-right: -.5in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">Again, the brothers swapped curious looks. “Well, I think Sol
knew…” His brother’s angry glance stalled Sal’s words.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 9.0pt; margin-right: -.5in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">“You ever seen a Luger up close, Cliff?” Sol asked, pulling a
black semi-automatic with a brown base and elongated barrel from the tin box.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 9.0pt; margin-right: -.5in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">Cliff walked closer to Sol’s extending his hand. “Can’t say that
I have,” he answered, cradling the gun. Cliff imagined the twin’s father
fighting the German’s in the trenches of WWII. His respect for them deepened as
he realized that they, too, were soldiers but in the Korean War in the 1950s.
The fact that they and their father fought for “freedoms” overseas that they
were denied in their own country, humbled him. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 9.0pt; margin-right: -.5in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">What snapped Cliff out of his mental revelry was the realization
that his old friend had side stepped his question.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 9.0pt; margin-right: -.5in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">“What were you about to say, Sal?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 9.0pt; margin-right: -.5in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">Sol answered before his brother could. “I don’t think we’re going
to be able to help you on this one, youngblood.” He retrieved the gun, put it
back in its tin, closed the lid, turned his back, slid the burgundy curtain
aside and returned to the back of his shop.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 9.0pt; margin-right: -.5in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">Sal just shrugged his shoulders. “I guess we ain’t got nothing to
say.” <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 9.0pt; margin-right: -.5in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">The bell tingled again as Cliff exited the tire shop. He looked
up and down the street of his old stomping grounds. Cliff instinctively felt
the Nester Brothers knew more about Olivia than they were letting on. but were refusing
to talk for odd some reason.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 9.0pt; margin-right: -.5in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk37627765;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;">He fired up the Lexus’ engine. As he peered in the rearview
mirror before whipping a U-turn to head downtown, back to the Globe, he vowed
that he would learn more about the mysterious, troubling Olivia Johnson.</span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 9.0pt; margin-right: -.5in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk37627765;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 9.0pt; margin-right: -.5in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: black;"><a href="https://sylvester-brownjr-books.square.site/" target="_blank">CLICK HERE to Purchase Gateway</a></span></span></p>
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where { } are < ></div>http://sylvesterbrownjr.blogspot.com/http://www.blogger.com/profile/05844535952864244272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9076983037963344622.post-34121504605467486802021-10-26T10:05:00.006-05:002021-10-31T10:58:29.566-05:00“I Stand with Dave.” And Therein Lies the Problem<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: white;">by Sylvester Brown, Jr.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">Oct. 26, 2021</span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 18pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBG12XSs_EkxUHUf3nVLqwLjFviaI5PGovJH5b8uX2svAya0a-UhaNUIkwRiaAzHpcjHTe88T7n5d4UJu99_un-47_jwPOcwvCimMyy7iLQ8ARLobjxBYo1cClBL12cF0_cgGkAVLbWWWx/s300/Dave+Chappelle.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="300" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBG12XSs_EkxUHUf3nVLqwLjFviaI5PGovJH5b8uX2svAya0a-UhaNUIkwRiaAzHpcjHTe88T7n5d4UJu99_un-47_jwPOcwvCimMyy7iLQ8ARLobjxBYo1cClBL12cF0_cgGkAVLbWWWx/w400-h224/Dave+Chappelle.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /> <span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: georgia;">The
phrase, “I Stand with Dave” has been trending on social media after the outrage
over comedian Dave Chappelle’s recent Netflix comedy special, “The Closer.” Surely,
you’ve read how Chappelle’s jokes about the LGQTB community offended them and
their allies. Although I’ve been reading about it, researching
it and thinking about it; I’ve been hesitant to
write about it. <o:p></o:p></span></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Why? Because
I have friends and followers in the gay community who have supported me for
years. I sincerely don’t want to offend them. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">And
therein lies the problem.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: white;">Throughout
my 35-year writing career, I have never shied away from controversy or worried
about losing fans because of something I’ve written. I’m not comfortable with
the idea of self-censorship out of fear. </span></span><span style="background-color: black; color: white; text-indent: 0.5in;">Therefore,
I feel obligated to say what this comedy-driven outrage
represents in our society.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">For me, it’s
not the “why” many respond to things they disagree with; it’s the “how.” I see
a disturbing similarity between the so-called “woke” crowd and the Trump
supporters who stormed the capital in January. Both, convinced of their right-ness
feel they have an obligation to ferret out and destroy supposed offenders. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Reason, facts, nuance, ill-intent, malice, or
no malice…all be damned. Both groups have stormed the barriers of free speech,
free thought, and traditional norms to obliterate anyone they feel fits in the
category of their discontent. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">And
therein lies the conundrum. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Social
media is a wonderful, world-changing tool for change. It’s been an effective weapon
to beat back tyrants and dictators, killer cops, and corrupt politicians. Because
we can share our thoughts, coordinate our actions, and broadcast our intent globally,
people who had no voice now have powerful platforms of relevance, meaning and
action. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">We can
change shit! And that’s a good thing.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 150%;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWWlfilUdFCnf0nccuvYaJesVRAvfNhFMvHP5ZfAwV-SO_oVwlvZ_heDX8ZCMcPa6shD0quuXlsuKeNa0YcG9uaAWfo4WWdUs158M-rBYvKEY0m70L7g9zwtlE703gk7uDUsTs4EXBJclI/s280/Sticks+%2526+Stones+%25231.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="180" data-original-width="280" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWWlfilUdFCnf0nccuvYaJesVRAvfNhFMvHP5ZfAwV-SO_oVwlvZ_heDX8ZCMcPa6shD0quuXlsuKeNa0YcG9uaAWfo4WWdUs158M-rBYvKEY0m70L7g9zwtlE703gk7uDUsTs4EXBJclI/w400-h257/Sticks+%2526+Stones+%25231.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">But as
the old saying goes: “With great power comes great responsibility.” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is within this arena where we need to check
ourselves; examine our actions and remember the ramifications of what many
considered “right” in the moment. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;">I see a disturbing similarity between the so-called “woke” crowd and the Trump supporters who stormed the capital in January. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 150%;">The folk exercising
their right to target those they find offensive should remember the era of McCarthyism
when clusters of firm believers <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">accused
people in Hollywood of belonging to the Communist Party.</span></span> <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Facts had no sway. People, many of whom
were <i>not</i> communist, were nevertheless blacklisted, fired, had their reputations
destroyed and were publicly crucified out of fear, paranoia, and unchecked
political power.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 150%;">For those intent on ending the careers of comics
they deem offensive, I’d suggest they watch, at least, the first season of “</span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 150%;">The Marvelous Mrs.
Maisel</span>.” The show based <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 150%;">in the 1950s and ‘60s revisits a time
when comedians like Lenny Bruce were arrested on obscenity charges </span>because
of their comedic materiel. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 150%;">As
we root out the evils of comedy, we should be very, very careful and remember
that comedians, like Bruce, Carlin and Pryor pushed the envelope and challenged
the sacred cows of religion, race, politics, and culture. They endured
mainstream hatred but, in the end, opened doors for some of today’s most notable
comics.</span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: black; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; background: black; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Many
gay rights activists have taken offense at Chappelle’s transphobic humor because
now, in our society, trans people are being attacked and killed simply because
they are trans people. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: black; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; background: black; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">It
is a reasonable concern if you stubbornly subtract malice and intent. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: black; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; background: black; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I
remember when Richard Pryor told jokes about cops choking black people to death
when cops were choking black people to death. Things haven’t really changed
that much but the point is sometimes, comedic gold can be mined in times of great
turbulence and social unrest. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 150%;">In
today’s hyper-sensitive environment, I seriously doubt if Jewish </span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 150%;">actor, comedian, and film
producer Mel Brooks</span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 150%;"> could make films like <i>“Blazing Saddles”</i> (with
its copious use of the N-word), <i>“History of the World Part I”</i> and <i>“The
Producers”</i> (remember “</span><em><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; line-height: 150%; padding: 0in;">Springtime for
Hitler”) </span></em><em><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; font-style: normal; line-height: 150%; padding: 0in;">which made fodder out of Jewish tragedies. </span></em><em><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-style: normal; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></em></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><em><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; font-style: normal; line-height: 150%; padding: 0in;">When I
think of the mess Chappelle is in today, I reflect on Brooks who once said, “My
job is to </span></em><span style="letter-spacing: -0.05pt; line-height: 150%;">make terrible things entertaining.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: -0.05pt; line-height: 150%;">Dave Chappelle makes terrible things, uncomfortable things,
controversial things…well, entertaining. </span><span style="line-height: 150%;">I sense no malice, no ill intent,
no desire to spread hate or deny the gay community their right to be openly and
proudly gay.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvC9Fc6i5QANPAW0PV1v3EluNkw9rTKe6shFjaWuqnYIhpnbVuZ54fgkvPzNJsHYTZV5xLhVQEmtHWlzmZZExICD8WFntbtnji3M4zHr2iwrUqrbv0oIqYUyhYC5psuQO2CGCNfVliG37z/s275/The+Closer+%25231.jpg" style="background-color: black; font-family: Georgia, serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center; text-indent: 48px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="275" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvC9Fc6i5QANPAW0PV1v3EluNkw9rTKe6shFjaWuqnYIhpnbVuZ54fgkvPzNJsHYTZV5xLhVQEmtHWlzmZZExICD8WFntbtnji3M4zHr2iwrUqrbv0oIqYUyhYC5psuQO2CGCNfVliG37z/w400-h266/The+Closer+%25231.jpg" width="400" /></a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I think, as
a society, we must be very careful in this effort to intimidate or censor comedians.
During an episode of Netflix’s “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee,” host, Jerry
Seinfeld and guest, Eddie Murphy talked about how comedians find humor in
everything, even death. Trying to change how comedians think is akin to trying
to change the predatory habits of a lion or tiger.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;"><em style="background-color: black; color: white; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; font-style: normal; line-height: 36px; padding: 0in;">When I think of the mess Chappelle is in today, I reflect on Brooks who once said, “My job is to </span></em><span style="background-color: black; color: white; letter-spacing: -0.05pt; line-height: 36px; text-indent: 48px;">make terrible things entertaining.”</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: -0.05pt; line-height: 150%;">I stand with Dave because I find him to be a principled, cerebral comedian.
I loved the witty brazenness of the “</span><em><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-style: normal; line-height: 150%;">Chappelle Show.”</span></em><span style="letter-spacing: -0.05pt; line-height: 150%;"> In fact, I became more
of a fan when Chappelle walked away from the lucrative, $50 million dollar gig out
of principle. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: black; letter-spacing: -0.05pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Last year, on <i>“My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David
Letterman,”</i> Chappelle explained how the show challenged his sensibilities
and led to his departure. The ill-timed laughter of a crew member made Chappelle
wonder if the response stemmed from something unrelated to satire. As he told
Letterman, <i>"It just raised an interesting question to me, which I was
already wrestling with in the first place."</i><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: -0.05pt; line-height: 150%;">That response fits with the persona I have attached to Chappelle. He
doesn’t seem to be in the laughter game simply for cheap laughs. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Looking at the backlash over his recent comedy
special, I’m forced to wonder if viewers noted the deliberation Chappelle
provided before going in on the </span><span style="line-height: 150%;">LGQTB crowd. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I noted his
thinking process in the 2019 Netflix special, “Sticks & Stones.” In its
opening minutes, Chappelle opined about how the gay community accused the black
community of being homophobic because they didn’t support gay actor Jesse Smollett’s
questionable claim that he’d been a victim of a racist attack in Chicago. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Chappelle
then challenged the audience to decipher an imitation. They laughed as he went
into a dufus-sounding dissertation: <i>“Uh, duh. Hey!
Durr! If you do anything wrong in your life—duh!—and I find out about it, I’m
gonna try to take everything away from you!”</i><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 150%;">“That’s </span></i><em style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-style: normal; line-height: 150%;">you</span></em><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 150%;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">,”</span></span></i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 150%;"> Chappelle said pointing at the audience before adding<i>: “</i></span><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 150%;">y’all niggas is the worst motherfuckers I’ve
ever tried to entertain in my fucking life. Goddamn sick of it. This is the
worst time ever to be a celebrity. You’re going to be finished, everybody’s
doomed!”<o:p></o:p></span></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 150%;">Throughout both comedy specials, Chappelle worked
hard to convince the audience that he held no malice for gay people. In fact, near the end </span><span style="line-height: 150%;">of “Sticks & Stones,”
he said: <i>"If you’re in a group that I made fun of, then just know that
I probably only make fun of you because I see myself in you."<o:p></o:p></i></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 150%;">During what appeared to be a
recording from a recent live set</span>, Chappelle said he “won’t be summoned”
but is open to having a conversation with Netflix’s transgender employees. If
and when they have a sit-down, the comedian listed three conditions, one of
which is that participants must have watched his special “from beginning to
end.” <span style="line-height: 150%;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 150%;">I totally understand the caveat. Critics of “The Closer” had to
work awfully hard to ignore the gut-wrenching story about his transgender
friend and comedian, </span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 150%;">Daphne
Dorman</span>. Chapelle’s anger over the fact that Dorman committed suicide days
after defending him on social media was evident when he said:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><i><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: georgia; line-height: 150%;">“I don’t know what the trans
community did for her, but I don’t care…because I feel like she wasn’t their
tribe. She was mine. She was a comedian in her soul.”</span><o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;">Throughout both comedy specials, Chappelle worked hard to convince the audience that he held no malice, no hatred, no ill intent for gay people. </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: black; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; background: black; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Those were <i>not</i> the
words of someone who hates gay people. They were the words of a person pushing
back against the “movement of the moment” …the self-delegated, crowd who determines
“right vs wrong,” “funny vs offensive” and who’s allowed to say what and when.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 150%;">Chappelle has not buckled
under pressure even though the backlash has been real. During the recent live
set</span>, Chappelle talked about a new unnamed documentary he’s about to
release, noting: “Now<span style="line-height: 150%;">,
today, not a film company, not a movie studio, not a film festival, nobody will
touch this film.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 150%;">Not to be deterred, </span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 150%;">Chappelle will be host
screenings of his documentary across 10 cities nationwide so, as he put it, fans
can “see what they’re trying to obstruct you from seeing.” </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: black; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; background: black; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I admire Chappelle’s moxie.
He’s a cerebral thinker, and a damn funny comedian. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> I admire him because he </span>has made me think, made me write about
something despite fears of losing friends and followers. He’s lived up to the tradition. Chappelle is like the comedians of yesteryear who continued to stoke
the nation’s consciousness despite threats of arrest or censorship. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: black; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; background: black; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">It’s for these reasons and
more that…<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: black; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; background: black; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"> “I stand with Dave.”</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: black; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; background: black; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p><span style="color: white;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: black; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; background: black; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: white;">*******************<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0in;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">Sylvester Brown,
Jr. an award-winning, St. Louis-based writer and author. His first novel and
latest book, “Gateway Gas” was published in Aug. 2021</span><span style="background-color: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></i></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">{a href="http://PERMALINK_URL.com" rel="bookmark"}POST_TITLE{/a}
where { } are < ></div>http://sylvesterbrownjr.blogspot.com/http://www.blogger.com/profile/05844535952864244272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9076983037963344622.post-20834296986528536012021-09-22T10:00:00.001-05:002021-09-22T10:02:17.332-05:00<p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: white; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;"><b style="background-color: black;">Excerpt from:</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: arial; font-size: x-large; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: arial; font-size: x-large; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtf8ioIgbOhmm8Eok5bi1ee1bz1h1Yjia2hdVCKaKNUZL-zZDbCfSjlNQXx05nBoUnIfY-RBcPQJ9AVnYJ14vFJXNThBqFiXQ2tZ7F97xZYBGHwEIsEdEZQyrp4wInPAbJ9GhlhcYGceWQ/s1920/Gateway+Gas+Stand+Ad.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtf8ioIgbOhmm8Eok5bi1ee1bz1h1Yjia2hdVCKaKNUZL-zZDbCfSjlNQXx05nBoUnIfY-RBcPQJ9AVnYJ14vFJXNThBqFiXQ2tZ7F97xZYBGHwEIsEdEZQyrp4wInPAbJ9GhlhcYGceWQ/w640-h360/Gateway+Gas+Stand+Ad.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;">Chapter Seven </span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #a2c4c9; font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;"><b>The Assignment</b></span></p><p><span style="color: #d0e0e3; font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;"><b>C</b></span><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">liff got off the elevator on the fifth floor, the Globe’s hustling,
always bustling newsroom. There was a huge maze of dull, carpet-paneled cubicles designated for reporters, columnists, sports,
political and other writers. Copy and line editors, researchers,
photographers, layout artists, the editorial team, the archive room and Tink’s office were all behind glass-enclosed sections
on the newsroom’s floor.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Before starting his computer, he noticed a square, yellow
Post-It pasted to its screen. It was from Tink: </span></p><p><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“Come see me as
soon as you arrive.” </span></p><p><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Red-eyed and drained, Cliff trudged toward his bosses’ office.
He knocked before entering. “You wanted to see me, Tink?” </span></p><p><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“Clifford, how ya feeling?” Tink said measuring Cliff with his
youthful, sea-blue eyes. </span></p><p><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"> “Fine, fine, Cliff responded guiltily. “Thank you for looking
after me last night. Man, I don’t know what it was…the food,
the liquor…maybe I just haven’t been getting enough sleep. But
whatever it was, I’m fine now.”</span></p><p><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Tink seemed to survey Cliff from head-to-midsection for
several uncomfortable seconds: “Cliff, don’t bullshit a bullshitter,”
he said motioning for Cliff to take the seat in front of his desk. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">*** </span></p><p><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">The memory of their first conversation blipped in Cliff ’s
mind as he waited for Tink to address his drug usage and job performance. </span></p><p><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“Am I about to get fired?” he wondered.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“Something’s not right with you, my boy.” </span></p><p><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"> Normally, Cliff would have chewed the head off any white
muthafucka who dared call him “boy.” But, coming out of
Tink’s mouth, it seemed warm, fatherly even.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">*** </span></p><p><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Tink slapped the morning edition of the Globe on his desk.
Those eyes of his were like lasers through Cliff ’s soul. </span></p><p><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“Have you read today’s lead story?” Tink asked.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Cliff had not. Yeah, he had glanced at the headline about a
crack-addicted woman who allegedly suffocated a baby but, as far
as he was concerned, it was just another cumulative indictment,
another validation of a centuries-old myth of black savagery.
Sure, whites routinely committed horrid acts against children,
but the multiple representations of positive “whiteness” couldn’t,
wouldn’t impact the collective image of their almighty race.
But stories like this one could easily erase decades of so-called
“progress” by simple reminding whites that blacks have always
been and will always be nothing more than soul-less animals.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">***</span></p><p><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“This is a life raft, son.” </span></p><p><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Tink’s trenchant voice snapped him
out of his moment of revulsion. “I’ll be goddamned if I’m going
to leave this place with my prodigy in tatters.” </span></p><p><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"> Cliff opened his mouth to protest but Tink raised a flat palm
to silence him.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“This is your beat for the foreseeable future, son. You are
going to take our readers into this woman’s dark, disastrous
life. You are going to give us every sordid, ugly, depressing
detail of this tragedy up until she’s tried, exonerated, convicted,
incarcerated, put to death or sent to an insane asylum. You are
going to resurrect those skills I saw when I first hired you."</span></p><p><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“Accept this assignment or pack your things and get out of
here.” </span></p><p><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"> Tink continued with sad eyes and furrowed gray brows: </span></p><p><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"> “The choice is yours.” </span></p><p><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #9fc5e8; font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Gateway Gas is available through <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Gateway-Gas-SYLVESTER-BROWN-ebook/dp/B09DYYXPYL/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&qid=1632322875&refinements=p_27%3AJr.+Brown&s=books&sr=1-1" target="_blank">Amazon.com </a></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #9fc5e8; font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Learn more. <a href="https://sylvesterbrownjr-writer.vpweb.com/new-release-gateway-gas" target="_blank">Click here.</a> </span></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">{a href="http://PERMALINK_URL.com" rel="bookmark"}POST_TITLE{/a}
where { } are < ></div>http://sylvesterbrownjr.blogspot.com/http://www.blogger.com/profile/05844535952864244272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9076983037963344622.post-55427601920107020632021-09-18T16:48:00.001-05:002021-09-18T16:48:28.747-05:00"So, So St. Louis...So What?" Reading at Kasimu-Tet Jazz show<p><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: x-large;">The following is a spoken word piece I read during intermission of the Kasimu-Tet concert at Joe's Cafe on Sept. 16, 2021</span></p><p></p>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/bReIUUhgmpg" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><div><br /></div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="background-color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: white; font-size: x-large;">So, So St. Louis…So what?</span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 107%;"><i><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">I am so, so St. Louis…<o:p></o:p></span></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 107%;"><i><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">So what you might say…what does
that have to do with Kasimu, the man we came to hear play?<o:p></o:p></span></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 107%;"><i><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">Everything…I reply…<o:p></o:p></span></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 107%;"><i><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">Then you’ll probably ask…Why? <o:p></o:p></span></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 107%;"><i><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">Well, because I am a reflection, a
projection, a manifestation, a creation of a city in the 1950s…a product of
Pruitt-Igoe…built so leaders of the Metro could transplant the negro so the
city could grow…where black families and black businesses had no choice…but GO!<o:p></o:p></span></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;"><i>Millcreek, the home of thousands,
demolished in the wake of 33, 11-story, crowded, concrete towers near Jefferson
& Cass…that didn’t last…20 years before they were CAST to the barrios of
Wellston, Normandy, Jennings, and Ferguson…soon to be the home of a lost SON</i><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><i><span style="background-color: black; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">Music<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 107%;"><i><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">I am so, so St. Louis…<o:p></o:p></span></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 107%;"><i><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">So what you say…<o:p></o:p></span></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 107%;"><i><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">You see I was born that day, three
years after Brown vs the Board of education deemed segregated schools illegal
throughout the nation…but here, there was procrastination, hesitation,
machinations to never, ever invest in poor, black, city schools…<o:p></o:p></span></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 107%;"><i><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">…they bent the rules, packed black
kids on buses destined for suburban schools…where they learned by association,
affiliation, indoctrination to love the white world and regard theirs as an abomination…
<o:p></o:p></span></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 107%;"><i><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">Taken from their
neighborhoods…where “less than,” was understood…where Daddy Knew Best, where Lucy
& Ricky, Wally and the Beaver, Ward & June Cleaver lived opulent lives
while we got by on what we could…<o:p></o:p></span></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 107%;">Them that's got shall get</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 107%;">…<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">them that's not, shall lose</span>…<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">so the bible said and it still is news</span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 107%;">…you can help yourselves…but don’t take too much…<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 107%;"><i><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">It was just understood<o:p></o:p></span></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;"><i><span>By association, we were supposed to
learn to read and write…instead we were force fed the reality of black &
white…where kids did homework by candlelight…had to learn fight or flight…with
no relief in sight…living off condemnation, food stamps, hot plates, and cold
baths at night…</span></i><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><i><span style="background-color: black; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">Music<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 107%;"><i><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">I am so, so St. Louis…<o:p></o:p></span></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 107%;"><i><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">So what you say…<o:p></o:p></span></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 107%;">I
am Vess Soda, Crown Candy, Imo’s Pizza, W. C. Handy, Saint Paul Sandwiches, canned
spaghetti, Redd Fox, </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 107%;">Josephine Baker, Chuck Berry and Dick Gregory’s legacy…<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 107%;"><i><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">I
am the Jefferson bank demonstrations, Percy Green climbing the Arch to
highlight economic segregation…I am James Buford, Eric Vickers, and Al Sharpton…closing
down Hwy 70 so blacks could participate in a little monetary emancipation…<o:p></o:p></span></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;"><i>I
am Mike Brown…shot down with his hands in the air…Wilson didn’t CARE…nor did
the armor-clad cops with slathering dogs and tanks and rubber bullets who
wantonly threw tear gas in the AIR…</i><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><i><span style="background-color: black; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">Music<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 107%;"><i><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">I am so, so St. Louis…<o:p></o:p></span></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 107%;"><i><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">So what you might say…<o:p></o:p></span></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 107%;"><i><span style="color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: large;">Well, because anyplace else…I don’t
think I could have turned out this way…nurtured by soft, benevolent white support
and hard black love…I learned to believe in the majestically, magical power from up
above…<o:p></o:p></span></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 107%;">with
examples…in the shadows of creative genius…</span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 107%;"> Robert Guillaume, Maya Angelou, Michael McDonald,
Quincy Troupe, Clark Terry, Eugene Redmon, John Goodman, John Hamm…</span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 107%;">here I became another naïve
seeker…stubbornly carving out his own little piece in the promise land<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: black; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;"><i>This town is
my song … It’s My Kind of Town, St. Louis is…filled with people who-oftentimes,
sometimes, once and while…smile at you…</i><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: black; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">PAUSE<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: black; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 107%;"><i><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">It’s what Louie
described…Oh St. Louis is…with that Arch man…shining bright over downtown
streets…fancy joints, man, where people meet, eclectic eats, walkin’ historic
streets…<o:p></o:p></span></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: black; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 107%;"><i><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">Don’t.
Forget. About Kingshighway (huh, huh) and Graaand Blvddd…art after dark, there’s
Forest Park, U. City chill, BBQ on the grill and that groovy old Italian hill…<o:p></o:p></span></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: black; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 107%;"><i><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">Different
people all across the city, man… downhome Ville, the Grove’s surreal, zoo’s a
thrill and that old Timey…BEVO MILL…<o:p></o:p></span></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: black; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 107%;"><i><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">St. Louieeeee….It’s
a Hell of a townnnnn….Look out St. Louie is BACK!</span></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><i><span style="background-color: black; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">Music<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 107%;"><i><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">I am so, so St. Louis…<o:p></o:p></span></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 107%;"><i><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">So what you say…<o:p></o:p></span></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 107%;"><i><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">Those of us, born and raised here
understand…St. Louis’ terrain is rough…we’re molded to be tough…we’re not
highbrow, stuck up or dumb…we just want to know what high school you come from<o:p></o:p></span></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;"><i>St. Louis is tenacity, and
resiliency…we pay our dues, we make our own rules, we rock Nelly’s grooves and
resonate with Marquis Knox’s blues…St. Louis is courage and creativity… we’re hewn
from sturdy stones…It’s why we elected our first black, female mayor…TISHAURA
O. JONES!</i><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><i><span style="background-color: black; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">Music<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 107%;"><i><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">So, don’t ask me “so what?” <o:p></o:p></span></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 107%;"><i><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">If you’re from St. Louie, you
feelin’ what I say…That’s why you’re here today…to hear the magnificent, melodious,
uber-talented, unstoppable, young, St. louis trumpeter who’ll touch our hearts
and make our souls SWAY, SWAY, SWAY…<o:p></o:p></span></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 107%;"><i><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">Kasimu Taylor/Kasimu-Tet…<o:p></o:p></span></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;"><i>MAN…will you please PLAY, PLAY, PLAY?</i></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: medium;">Thank you! </span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 107%;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAP3A-hyFMJ_DankyXP-jsgUel4bTUUT4bpwnlrXiWoESzh3NUQx1UL4OMAnr7EevH-NKsUDkLsfsJTlR8afXy5NaLkVu3rt8SYRtqtnDxeoPgfI1BhEy3vN6swaQ_g67bmovpv_ggFdHT/s2048/Kasimu-Tet+Show.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAP3A-hyFMJ_DankyXP-jsgUel4bTUUT4bpwnlrXiWoESzh3NUQx1UL4OMAnr7EevH-NKsUDkLsfsJTlR8afXy5NaLkVu3rt8SYRtqtnDxeoPgfI1BhEy3vN6swaQ_g67bmovpv_ggFdHT/w640-h480/Kasimu-Tet+Show.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">{a href="http://PERMALINK_URL.com" rel="bookmark"}POST_TITLE{/a}
where { } are < ></div>http://sylvesterbrownjr.blogspot.com/http://www.blogger.com/profile/05844535952864244272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9076983037963344622.post-86368923448017382512021-09-11T09:03:00.000-05:002021-09-11T09:03:32.381-05:009/11 Excerpt from "Gateway Gas" by Sylvester Brown, Jr. <p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: x-large; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi45_ICX9rIxtwznqZ-2vHsjO3rtVGQPqa9p_Ecu27JfCdI0_XmlpH4eK_KL-iKxeid7EgXQttBzL9Bh0kumP-uit_4XwWRIl0rXmfaL14vvC4Ffn9EpT9aHl2TqS6ui-i9Or4CjArU5qTG/s2048/Promo-A+STL+Story.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1326" data-original-width="2048" height="413" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi45_ICX9rIxtwznqZ-2vHsjO3rtVGQPqa9p_Ecu27JfCdI0_XmlpH4eK_KL-iKxeid7EgXQttBzL9Bh0kumP-uit_4XwWRIl0rXmfaL14vvC4Ffn9EpT9aHl2TqS6ui-i9Or4CjArU5qTG/w640-h413/Promo-A+STL+Story.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><span style="background-color: black; color: #9fc5e8; font-size: x-large;">"Cliff was hired a year before Middle Eastern madmen reminded
America that terrorism was not just a threat on foreign soil."</span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #fcff01; font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Excerpt from "Gateway Gas": A novel by Sylvester Brown, Jr.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b style="background-color: black;"><br /></b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;"><b style="background-color: black;">Chapter Thirty Four: </b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;"><b style="background-color: black;">A Foreign Affair</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #fcff01; font-family: arial; font-size: large;">September 11, 2001 </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;">C</span><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">liff barely paid attention to the news that morning. He was
getting ready for work, casually watching the Today Show. After
a commercial, Katie Couric, who sat on a couch with her co-anchor, Matt Lauer, announced: “We have a breaking news story.
Apparently, a plane has just crashed into the World Trade Center
here in New York City. It happened just a few moments ago,
apparently. We have very little information available…”</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">It was almost 7:00 a.m., central time. Cliff watched the news
footage of cloud-like, dirty smoke billowing from the north
tower of the skyscraper. What he thought was just a horrible
plane crash became much more moments later. Another Boeing
767 had slammed into the second south tower of the World
Trade Center. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Within the hour, there were reports of two more plane crashes,
one into the side of the Pentagon and another somewhere in
Pennsylvania. Cliff ran to his apartment’s balcony and looked skyward. Was America under attack?</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">When he arrived at work, the newsroom was an intense flurry
of activity as the Pentagon burned and the fiery twin towers
eventually collapsed. Horrific images of people jumping from
wounded, burning buildings; smoke and ash filled city streets;
soot-covered pedestrians running for their lives; emergency
responders heroically and desperately working to save lives-all
dominated the news across the world.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">The next day, President George W. Bush addressed the nation,
promising vengeance on a yet-to-be-identified enemy. Nine
days later, Bush spoke before Congress, announcing a “War on
Terror” against a fanatical Islamic group known as “al Qaeda.”
Bush vowed to defeat it and “every terrorist group within global
reach.” Five days later, Sept 25th, Defense Secretary Donald
Rumsfeld announced the beginning of the anti-terror campaign
called “Operation Enduring Freedom.” </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">***</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Cliff had never paid attention to the name “Laila Ashani”
before September 11, 2001. She worked in the “Features”
section of the newspaper, which he never read. But two months
after the terrorist attack, Ashani penned an editorial about her
experience as a Muslim born in America. She wrote about her
parents, Ghasaan and Maraam Ashani, and their dream of
coming to America from Pakistan in 1982 and starting their own
business. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Within ten years, the East Indian couple owned three
motels in the St. Louis and East St. Louis regions. Their only
daughter, Laila, worked in those motels along with the Ashani’s
brothers, sisters, uncles, aunts and other Pakistani relatives and
friends. Under her parent’s scrutinizing eyes, Laila excelled in elementary, high school and college where she earned a full-ride scholarship in journalism at the University of Missouri.
She was hired at the Globe immediately after graduation. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">On the day her commentary was published, Cliff found
kinship with the writer. He then read her company profile
where she proudly spoke of having the wonderful opportunity
to break down stereotypes, misunderstandings, cultural
differences and explore the things Muslim-Americans had in common with native born Americans.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Laila was largely successful in that endeavor until nearly
3,000 people lost their lives during the terrorist attacks. When
she wrote her editorial, the U.S. had already gone to war in
Afghanistan, reportedly targeting the Taliban and al Qaeda
training camps. Laila detailed how life had suddenly changed
for her, her parents, and any Muslim or “Arab” who remotely
fit the ever-evolving description of what most Americans
deemed a “terrorist.”</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Laila wrote that she saw the “best and worst of America,”
citing the love and support Americans displayed for the victims
and their families. She spoke of her own bereavement for
the lost lives while, at the same time, detailing how Muslim-Americans had become the latest victims of racial and religious
discrimination, government oppression and physical attacks.
Lalia ended her piece with a plea for understanding, compassion
and her personal desire to grieve without the fear of retribution
from “fellow Americans.”</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Cliff read the responses from readers who mostly condemned
Laila and Muslims in general. They spoke of deporting “internal
enemies,” rounding up Muslim immigrants and placing them in
internment camps. Some questioned the Globe’s commitment to the war, “American values” and demanded Laila’s immediate
termination.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">After her editorial was published, Cliff made a point to
introduce himself. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"> “I liked your commentary,” he told the beautiful, sundrenched,
brown-eyed reporter. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“What you wrote took a lot of guts.” </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #cfe2f3; font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;">Gateway Gas is available at <a href="http://Amazon.com">Amazon.com</a></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"> </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">{a href="http://PERMALINK_URL.com" rel="bookmark"}POST_TITLE{/a}
where { } are < ></div>http://sylvesterbrownjr.blogspot.com/http://www.blogger.com/profile/05844535952864244272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9076983037963344622.post-85315060178456040822021-08-18T04:53:00.008-05:002021-08-18T04:57:36.353-05:00Live Up to It! Interview with Sylvester Brown, Jr. -June 17, 2019<p><span style="font-family: Roboto;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;">UMSL student, Grace Morrow, interviews Sylvester Brown, former
resident of Pruitt-Igoe housing project, former St. Louis Post-Dispatch
columnist, director of The Sweet Potato Project, and narrator of The
Pruitt-Igoe Myth. </span></span></p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/yCyXKDTHssA" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><div class="blogger-post-footer">{a href="http://PERMALINK_URL.com" rel="bookmark"}POST_TITLE{/a}
where { } are < ></div>http://sylvesterbrownjr.blogspot.com/http://www.blogger.com/profile/05844535952864244272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9076983037963344622.post-8517070957905308582021-06-20T11:00:00.006-05:002021-06-20T11:12:59.502-05:00"I wish I knew Sonny better."- A Father's Day Recollection <p> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: 13pt;">Who was Sylvester Brown Sr.? I wish I knew Sonny better<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: 13pt;">By Sylvester Brown Jr.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 17.3333px;">Originally published in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch / </span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 13pt;">Sunday, 6/20/2004</span></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk72MjvEkn-Z9uAk4dCwEMVSZur2905Z1GS4-gUsAYs5ZtMLXw6gxtlT0kr8Yo6h2pajrVlKeUsNvW1Ep0PEAf7z20yueLSpxSL1UZd2SrnwwHQmPRkyy7nUFJwhxb9nPJVEpW0iT8zkuW/s1138/Sonny+and+some+of+the+brew-Cropped.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;"><img border="0" data-original-height="876" data-original-width="1138" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk72MjvEkn-Z9uAk4dCwEMVSZur2905Z1GS4-gUsAYs5ZtMLXw6gxtlT0kr8Yo6h2pajrVlKeUsNvW1Ep0PEAf7z20yueLSpxSL1UZd2SrnwwHQmPRkyy7nUFJwhxb9nPJVEpW0iT8zkuW/s320/Sonny+and+some+of+the+brew-Cropped.jpg" width="320" /></span></span></a></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: white; font-size: xx-small;">Left: My father, Sylvester Brown, Sr., with some of his kids. That's me with the sunglasses on the right</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: black;">"Evelena, I ju</span>st hit somebody!"</span></span></p>
<p><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: white; font-size: 13pt;">My
mother moved with the swiftness of a paramedic. She grabbed blankets,
instructed her two oldest boys to fetch their coats and follow her. My older
sister was told to watch the little ones. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 13pt;"><span style="color: white;">It
was winter 1968. I remember fat, fluffy snowflakes floating from the sky as we
ran like athletes toward the car. I was 11. My brother was just a year older. I
can still hear the rapid-fire questions Mama shot at my father as we ran. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: white; font-size: 13pt;">"What
happened?" "Was he still breathing when you left?" "Have
you been drinking?" <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: white; font-size: 13pt;">The
car, still idling, was parked at an odd angle. The headlights magnified the
steady falling snow as it landed on the moaning figure in front of the bumper. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: white; font-size: 13pt;">My
mother knelt by the man. He was semiconscious and very old. She looked up with
tears in her eyes. My father looked down with fear in his. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: white; font-size: 13pt;">"Oh,
Sylvester…He's white," she whispered. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: white; font-size: 13pt;">I
was too young to understand the consequences of a poor, drunken black man
running over a white man in the late 1960s. As police sirens echoed in the
distance, Mama told my brother and I to run back to the house. We didn't see
our father for years after that night. I later learned, he was sent to prison. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: white; font-size: 13pt;">Sylvester
Brown Sr. was my father. Everyone, including his children, called him Sonny. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: white; font-size: 13pt;">When
I think about Sonny, memories like the wintry night so many years ago come to
mind. He's been dead for nearly 20 years, but I've been thinking about him
lately. I guess it started in January when Joe Corrigan, a member of the
Ethical Society of St. Louis, asked about him. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: white; font-size: 13pt;">"You've
written a lot about your mother, but who was Sylvester Brown Sr.?"
Corrigan asked. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: white; font-size: 13pt;">I
wish I knew. When I think about Sonny, I think of drama, like the accident. I
think of feelings. I think how sad and angry he made my mother. His battle with
the bottle brought him in and out of our lives. We missed him when he was gone
and rejoiced when he was home. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: white; font-size: 13pt;">Sonny
was an alcoholic, that much I knew. As an adult, I've come to understand that
his disease brought grief into our lives. As a child, though, his drinking
didn't bother me. In fact, I liked him better when he drank. He laughed and
hugged us more. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: white; font-size: 13pt;">My
father looked like actor/dancer Sammy Davis Jr. He held and lost many jobs. He
was a truck driver, a construction worker and he worked in scrap yards. He
laughed long and hard at Bugs Bunny cartoons. He made intricate toy cars out of
cardboard boxes and string. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: white; font-size: 13pt;">I
fondly remember him staggering home some nights and heading straight for the
refrigerator. He'd grab a carton of eggs, an onion, and a bell pepper and make
wild concoctions with whatever meat was available. My mouth still waters
thinking of the eggs and mackerel, eggs and chicken or eggs and hot dogs he
shared with his kids. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: white; font-size: 13pt;">But
I can't honestly answer who Sonny was. I never knew the source of his
addiction. Were his parents alcoholics? Did it have something to do with low
self-esteem? He had attended only a few years of grade school and couldn't read
or write. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: white; font-size: 13pt;">Who
was Sonny? I know he gambled and was fond of the ladies. I know my mother loved
him dearly. I also know he suffered from seizures. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: white; font-size: 13pt;">I
remember the seizures. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: white; font-size: 13pt;">My
older brother Daniel, Sonny and I were watching a western on TV one night,
probably 1969. There was a climactic point in the movie. The good guy was
shooting it out with bad guys. My brother and I laughed at the funny gagging
sound Sonny made. We stopped when his eyes rolled upward. We stood frozen as
his arms and legs went rigid, as he shook violently and blood trickled down his
cheek. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: white; font-size: 13pt;">My
mother rushed into the room, wrapped her arms around him, shoved a spoon in his
mouth and talked him through the episode. There were many, many more. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: white; font-size: 13pt;">Mama
later explained that drinking brought on the seizures. They increased as he got
older. After my parents' divorce, when I was in my teens, Sonny had a
debilitating seizure. He lay in the snow for hours before an ambulance was
called. He never regained his full mental or physical capacities. He spent the
last years of his life in a convalescent home. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: white; font-size: 13pt;">I
received a call from the facility one day in 1987. My father had suffered a
stroke. He was dead, the voice informed me. I was asked to come sign the death
certificate. Sonny lay on a bed, wrapped in a white sheet when I arrived. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: white; font-size: 13pt;">It
had been years since we talked. I guess I harbored the grudge of a son raised
without a father. I touched his soft gray and black speckled hair. The texture
was the same as my mother's and mine today. I said goodbye. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: white; font-size: 13pt;">Who
was Sylvester Brown Sr.? I wish I knew. Sure, when I think of him, I think of
his alcoholism, wasted talent and missed conversations. I think of the lessons
he taught me without meaning to. Like the fact that I've never been much of a
drinker or that I make a point to hug my 18-year-old son often. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: white; font-size: 13pt;">When
I think of my father, I think of cardboard cars tied up with string, Bugs Bunny,
laughter, old westerns and the smell of eggs, mackerel and green peppers. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 13pt;"><span style="color: white;">That
was Sylvester Brown Sr. My father. The man everyone called Sonny.</span><o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">{a href="http://PERMALINK_URL.com" rel="bookmark"}POST_TITLE{/a}
where { } are < ></div>http://sylvesterbrownjr.blogspot.com/http://www.blogger.com/profile/05844535952864244272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9076983037963344622.post-48963089450717641052021-05-01T09:23:00.000-05:002021-05-01T09:23:53.735-05:00Addressing the “Cancer” Rampant in the St. Louis Police Department<p><span style="background-color: black; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: white;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: white;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8zbE-P8TdCu7yMh1r9jtjpNI9gDtC0NU9sjqbwSFL6p6jFRS0TA_ccuhB-5TLkh0JYURchGbdblJPFUcj56quJ9UcPqkzW6O12ItbeKxszvCJ1fN9my5cn5OxfnxGePdJGSScdEgkKPcV/s288/Tishaura+Jones.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="175" data-original-width="288" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8zbE-P8TdCu7yMh1r9jtjpNI9gDtC0NU9sjqbwSFL6p6jFRS0TA_ccuhB-5TLkh0JYURchGbdblJPFUcj56quJ9UcPqkzW6O12ItbeKxszvCJ1fN9my5cn5OxfnxGePdJGSScdEgkKPcV/w400-h243/Tishaura+Jones.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="color: white;"><br />Newly elected mayor, Tishaura O. Jones has put the police union on notice: They have to get rid of [St. Louis Police Officers Association business manager] Jeff Roorda if they want a seat at her table. The police department is in the middle of negotiating its collective bargaining agreement with the city and Roorda, Jones said, continues "to gaslight racism in the region." Jones' election represents a crossroads in the city's relationship with police. This commentary, published in 2017, speaks to who Roorda is and the challenges Jones may face in ridding the city of a long-ignored, long-tolerated cancer in the ranks of the city's police department.</span><p></p><p><span style="background-color: black; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: black; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">************ </span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"> <a href="https://medium.com/@sylverbrow/addressing-the-cancer-rampant-in-the-st-louis-police-department-397d58f01138" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Originally published at Medium.com <span style="letter-spacing: -0.063px;">Sept. 25, 2017</span></span></a></span></p><p><span style="background-color: black; font-family: charter, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.063px;"><span style="color: white;">by Sylvester Brown, Jr.</span></span></p><p class="gw gx fh gy b gz hq ha hb hc hr hd he hf hs hg hh hi ht hj hk hl hu hm hn hp dm gd" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="724f" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: charter, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">Mayor Lyda Krewson deserves points for her Sept. 19th public statement on the root cause of protests in the St. Louis region:</span></p><p class="gw gx fh gy b gz hq ha hb hc hr hd he hf hs hg hh hi ht hj hk hl hu hm hn hp dm gd" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="b4fb" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: charter, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">“This is institutional racism.”</span></p><p class="gw gx fh gy b gz hq ha hb hc hr hd he hf hs hg hh hi ht hj hk hl hu hm hn hp dm gd" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="cdf7" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: charter, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">Krewson is 100 percent correct. Institutionalized, systemic racism is the rancid cancer that has metastasized in the region’s organs for centuries. It’s a rotting parasite flowing through the arteries of employment, housing and economic development, the courts, radio airwaves dominated by conservative talk and the comment sections of the city’s top media outlets, most notably, its daily newspaper.</span></p><p class="gw gx fh gy b gz hq ha hb hc hr hd he hf hs hg hh hi ht hj hk hl hu hm hn hp dm gd" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="b282" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: charter, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">Krewson, <span id="rmm" style="box-sizing: inherit;">a</span>lso to her credit, has been front-and-center since protests ensued after Circuit Judge Timothy Wilson handed down a “not guilty” verdict for former police officer Jason Stockley for the shooting death of Anthony Lamar Smith.</span></p><p class="gw gx fh gy b gz hq ha hb hc hr hd he hf hs hg hh hi ht hj hk hl hu hm hn hp dm gd" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="c5ab" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: charter, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">However, in her break-down of systemic racism, Krewson lost points for not directly mentioning the institutional body that is most infected yet emboldened by the disease: The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department.</span></p><p class="gw gx fh gy b gz hq ha hb hc hr hd he hf hs hg hh hi ht hj hk hl hu hm hn hp dm gd" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="49de" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: charter, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">The SLMPD shares this malady with police departments throughout the country. However, the city’s police department has a long, ugly history of brazenly flaunting its illness to intimidate politicians, protestors and anyone they feel defies them or question their tactics.</span></p><p class="gw gx fh gy b gz hq ha hb hc hr hd he hf hs hg hh hi ht hj hk hl hu hm hn hp dm gd" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="92bc" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: charter, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">In 2014, after the police shooting of Mike Brown, the head of the St. Louis Police Officers Assn. (SLPOA), Jeff Roorda, fanned the flames of hatred on Fox News by declaring what he thinks St. Louis protesters really want:</span></p><p class="gw gx fh gy b gz hq ha hb hc hr hd he hf hs hg hh hi ht hj hk hl hu hm hn hp dm gd" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="103a" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: charter, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><em class="ie" style="box-sizing: inherit;">“Dead cops, dead cops. That’s what they want.”</em> Roorda said.</span></p><p class="gw gx fh gy b gz hq ha hb hc hr hd he hf hs hg hh hi ht hj hk hl hu hm hn hp dm gd" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="103a" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: charter, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrEpgzUfjfepQSX_XMV-FyTSvuiea6XkeYeqBgB4lfUzQlDhboWTQZJh533hG5iA0MV62rpGgg42jDQ4smldtea5F262huNrfreERMw__jZXbtYfEoU3IfZFOmEqMwqYWijNc5yFVDKsEC/s599/Protest+signs+III+.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="394" data-original-width="599" height="421" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrEpgzUfjfepQSX_XMV-FyTSvuiea6XkeYeqBgB4lfUzQlDhboWTQZJh533hG5iA0MV62rpGgg42jDQ4smldtea5F262huNrfreERMw__jZXbtYfEoU3IfZFOmEqMwqYWijNc5yFVDKsEC/w640-h421/Protest+signs+III+.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p class="gw gx fh gy b gz hq ha hb hc hr hd he hf hs hg hh hi ht hj hk hl hu hm hn hp dm gd" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="89a6" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: charter, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">Established in 1808, the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department has a long history of racial division. Today, in 2017, it has two police associations that represent the collective bargaining rights of officers. There is some overlap, but most white officers belong to the SLPOA, while most black officers are members of the Ethical Society of Police, which issued a public plea to find former officer Stockley guilty of murder.</span></p><p class="gw gx fh gy b gz hq ha hb hc hr hd he hf hs hg hh hi ht hj hk hl hu hm hn hp dm gd" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="d42d" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: charter, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">The SLPOA is the same organization that, in 2014, tried to flex its collective muscles after five St. Louis Rams football players made a “hands up” gesture in solidarity with Ferguson protesters. The police group’s statement called<span class="gy cz" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;"> </span>for the players to be disciplined and for the Rams and the NFL to deliver a strong public apology.</span></p><p class="gw gx fh gy b gz hq ha hb hc hr hd he hf hs hg hh hi ht hj hk hl hu hm hn hp dm gd" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="92a6" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: charter, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">Roorda threatened to reach out to other police organizations around the country to enlist their support: <em class="ie" style="box-sizing: inherit;">“I’d remind the NFL and their players that it is not the violent thugs burning down buildings that buy their advertiser’s products. It’s cops and the good people of St. Louis and other NFL towns that do,”</em> he said.</span></p><p class="gw gx fh gy b gz hq ha hb hc hr hd he hf hs hg hh hi ht hj hk hl hu hm hn hp dm gd" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="92a6" style="box-sizing: inherit; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUHHPY56JbYb2VkFBfTKMuUs1JrA-_h43NoAN6RFlRh_ZtNKlh4liaXNG9L0wYNJAvlosDYR36HVUToeiuJZ6Cg8hI_4HIKTJ68BECzqI-TJ0AejxDVRuxwrLu5iR2XdI6f2wyyGK33Dlk/s300/Jeff+Roorda.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="300" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUHHPY56JbYb2VkFBfTKMuUs1JrA-_h43NoAN6RFlRh_ZtNKlh4liaXNG9L0wYNJAvlosDYR36HVUToeiuJZ6Cg8hI_4HIKTJ68BECzqI-TJ0AejxDVRuxwrLu5iR2XdI6f2wyyGK33Dlk/w320-h179/Jeff+Roorda.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><span style="letter-spacing: -0.063px; text-align: start;">Jeff Roorda, head of </span>St. Louis Police Officers Association</span></td></tr></tbody></table></p><p class="gw gx fh gy b gz hq ha hb hc hr hd he hf hs hg hh hi ht hj hk hl hu hm hn hp dm gd" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="84f7" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: charter, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">Protestors, police and their supporters all have free speech rights. The police union is a very, very powerful agency with extensive social media tentacles, like its newsletter, <em class="ie" style="box-sizing: inherit;">the Gendarme</em>, metropolitan police department websites and other pro-police groups like <a class="ds if" href="https://bluelivesmatter.blue/" rel="noopener nofollow" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; box-sizing: inherit;"><em class="ie" style="box-sizing: inherit;">Blue Lives Matters</em></a>. This would be all well-and-good if they didn’t cross over into the arenas of propaganda and intimidation.</span></p><p class="gw gx fh gy b gz hq ha hb hc hr hd he hf hs hg hh hi ht hj hk hl hu hm hn hp dm gd" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="bb8a" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: charter, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">Not only do the organizations use volatile rhetoric towards communities of color, often labeling young black men as “thugs” or peaceful protesters as “home-grown terrorist” and uses its influence to encourage an “us vs. them” narrative between police and protesters. Most disturbingly, however, is how these organizations threaten the livelihoods of individuals, businesses and anyone they’ve targeted as a threat.</span></p><p class="gw gx fh gy b gz hq ha hb hc hr hd he hf hs hg hh hi ht hj hk hl hu hm hn hp dm gd" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="e34e" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: charter, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">Consider the recent case of Chris Sommers, co-founder of Pi Pizzeria. According to Sommers, on Friday, Sept. 15th, St. Louis police, in full military regalia, gassed his restaurant <em class="ie" style="box-sizing: inherit;">after</em> protesters left the area. Sommers admitted he had some course words for police:</span></p><p class="gw gx fh gy b gz hq ha hb hc hr hd he hf hs hg hh hi ht hj hk hl hu hm hn hp dm gd" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="9744" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: charter, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">“<em class="ie" style="box-sizing: inherit;">I lost my shit and screamed at them for terrorizing our guests and hiding behind their shields and guns when there were zero agitators on our corner.”</em></span></p><p class="gw gx fh gy b gz hq ha hb hc hr hd he hf hs hg hh hi ht hj hk hl hu hm hn hp dm gd" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="2d35" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: charter, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">When police lobbed a tear gas canister in his direction, someone next to Sommers threw it back, he says. Police rushed the restaurant, Sommers added, saying that he barely made it inside and locked the door before police reached him. After he posted the incident on social media and called out “the insane, illegal behavior by the police,” Sommers claims he’s become “public enemy №1” to the police and their supporters.</span></p><p class="gw gx fh gy b gz hq ha hb hc hr hd he hf hs hg hh hi ht hj hk hl hu hm hn hp dm gd" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="a681" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: charter, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><em class="ie" style="box-sizing: inherit;">“</em><a class="ds if" href="https://www.facebook.com/bluematters/posts/755456934647083" rel="noopener nofollow" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; box-sizing: inherit;"><em class="ie" style="box-sizing: inherit;">Blue Lives Matters</em></a><em class="ie" style="box-sizing: inherit;"> </em><a class="ds if" href="https://bluelivesmatter.blue/pi-pizza-chris-sommers-police/" rel="noopener nofollow" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; box-sizing: inherit;"><em class="ie" style="box-sizing: inherit;">put Sommers on blast for his response</em></a><em class="ie" style="box-sizing: inherit;"> — and the union representing St. Louis County police officers shared the link and </em><a class="ds if" href="https://www.facebook.com/StLouisCountyPoliceAssoc/?hc_ref=ARTYKsbcDnad8I-oUCRTzA28z4F7jwvyqFnB58Pm0VXFaccTXd3uExzQUI8G-IUO4Ig" rel="noopener nofollow" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; box-sizing: inherit;"><em class="ie" style="box-sizing: inherit;">echoed the call on its Facebook page</em></a><em class="ie" style="box-sizing: inherit;">, </em>the River Front Times (RFT) reported. Pro-police groups shared the phone numbers of Pi’s Central West End, downtown and Delmar Loop locations and urged its supporters to express their “freedom of speech” rights and call the restaurant.</span></p><p class="gw gx fh gy b gz hq ha hb hc hr hd he hf hs hg hh hi ht hj hk hl hu hm hn hp dm gd" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="dc36" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: charter, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><em class="ie" style="box-sizing: inherit;">“Let’s get the word out that if you bash the police, you won’t be getting our business,”</em> Blue Lives Matter wrote, according to the RFT.</span></p><p class="gw gx fh gy b gz hq ha hb hc hr hd he hf hs hg hh hi ht hj hk hl hu hm hn hp dm gd" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="cb98" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: charter, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">Apparently, the word spread and their actions have affected Pi’s business. <em class="ie" style="box-sizing: inherit;">“The Blue Lives Matter (only) assholes are physically threatening me and my businesses, with hundreds of one-star reviews on Yelp, Google and Facebook,”</em> Sommers stated in his response to the police’s accusations.</span></p><p class="gw gx fh gy b gz hq ha hb hc hr hd he hf hs hg hh hi ht hj hk hl hu hm hn hp dm gd" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="e22b" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: charter, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">Andrew Gibson, a member of “Faith for Justice,” a coalition of Christian activists who’ve been involved in recent protests, recounted a harrowing tale of aggression and intimidation after police posted (on the SLMPD website) <a class="ds if" href="https://twitter.com/sLMPD" rel="noopener nofollow" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; box-sizing: inherit;">the names and addresses of protestors</a> arrested on Sept. 15th, including members of Gibson’s group:</span></p><p class="gw gx fh gy b gz hq ha hb hc hr hd he hf hs hg hh hi ht hj hk hl hu hm hn hp dm gd" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="1da4" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: charter, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><em class="ie" style="box-sizing: inherit;">“The police did more to put us in danger by posting the addresses of everyone immorally arrested…, knowing there are white supremacists and blue lives matter groups who would love that information, knowing that there are children at those addresses,” </em>Gibson wrote on his Facebook page.</span></p><p class="gw gx fh gy b gz hq ha hb hc hr hd he hf hs hg hh hi ht hj hk hl hu hm hn hp dm gd" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="87fd" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: charter, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">City cops have become so brazen in their attempts to bully people, they fear no repercussion. On Sept. 16th, a St. Louis police officer posted a photo of Back Lives Matter protesters on a stranger’s Facebook page. The captions read:<em class="ie" style="box-sizing: inherit;"> “The Klan with a tan”</em> and <em class="ie" style="box-sizing: inherit;">“domestic terrorists.”</em> Because the cop didn’t conceal his name, social media users connected him to his job through a Google search. The St. Louis Police Department was alerted and, according to a spokesperson, launched an investigation.</span></p><p class="gw gx fh gy b gz hq ha hb hc hr hd he hf hs hg hh hi ht hj hk hl hu hm hn hp dm gd" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="72e6" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: charter, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">St. Louis area police seem to gleefully opt for militarized confrontation with black protesters. Unlike what the nation witnessed in Charlottesville, Va. Armed, torch-bearing, antagonistic, white supremacists and Neo-Nazi’s yelling racial slurs and anti-Semitic remarks <em class="ie" style="box-sizing: inherit;">were not</em> greeted by the national guard, tanks, teargas or rubber bullets, which seems to be the first option local police choose for black protesters.</span></p><p class="gw gx fh gy b gz hq ha hb hc hr hd he hf hs hg hh hi ht hj hk hl hu hm hn hp dm gd" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="bb40" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: charter, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">Angela Helm, a correspondent for <a class="ds if" href="http://www.theroot.com/why-haven-t-the-charlotte-va-police-responded-to-whi-1797778989" rel="noopener nofollow" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; box-sizing: inherit;">the Root</a><em class="ie" style="box-sizing: inherit;"> </em>underscored the blatant disparity:</span></p><p class="gw gx fh gy b gz hq ha hb hc hr hd he hf hs hg hh hi ht hj hk hl hu hm hn hp dm gd" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="278a" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: charter, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><em class="ie" style="box-sizing: inherit;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">“The racists are still marching with guns and hair-trigger tempers, but the police have taken a unique “hands off” approach to the melee and letting these white men enjoy the very privilege that they whine is being taken from them.”</span></em></p><p class="gw gx fh gy b gz hq ha hb hc hr hd he hf hs hg hh hi ht hj hk hl hu hm hn hp dm gd" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="6bee" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: charter, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">Two days after the PI Pizzeria incident, protesters, bystanders and at least one journalist, were reportedly roughed up and rounded up by police. During the melee, officers were overheard chanting, <em class="ie" style="box-sizing: inherit;">“Whose streets? Our streets,”</em> stealing the familiar mantra of local protesters. The next day, interim police chief Lawrence O’Toole, reinforced the message by saying, <em class="ie" style="box-sizing: inherit;">“the police owned tonight. We’re in control.”</em></span></p><p class="gw gx fh gy b gz hq ha hb hc hr hd he hf hs hg hh hi ht hj hk hl hu hm hn hp dm gd" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="b9a8" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: charter, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">It was the <em class="ie" style="box-sizing: inherit;">Kansas City Star</em>, not our local daily newspaper<em class="ie" style="box-sizing: inherit;">,</em> that noted the danger of treating mass arrests like a <em class="ie" style="box-sizing: inherit;">“World Series win”</em>:</span></p><p class="gw gx fh gy b gz hq ha hb hc hr hd he hf hs hg hh hi ht hj hk hl hu hm hn hp dm gd" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="1731" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: charter, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><em class="ie" style="box-sizing: inherit;">“When St. Louis police in riot gear chant the same thing (as protesters), it’s meant to menace, to exclude… and not implausibly, to exult in the acquittal of Jason Stockley… The perception that it’s cops and not those they serve who ‘own the streets’ and the whole criminal justice system is why demonstrators are out marching in the first place,</em>” the Star’s editorial board wrote.</span></p><p class="gw gx fh gy b gz hq ha hb hc hr hd he hf hs hg hh hi ht hj hk hl hu hm hn hp dm gd" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="3b2b" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: charter, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">Police brutality and intimidation may wind up costing the city dearly. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) announced its filed a lawsuit claiming city cops violated the constitutional rights of protesters by: “Attacking people indiscriminately with gratuitous use of pepper spray, pepper balls, rubber bullets, and tear gas when no apparent illegal activity had occurred; excessively use of force, including violent arrests that caused injuries; deploying chemicals, such as tear gas and pepper spray, without warning; deploying tear gas on routes where people were leaving.”</span></p><p class="gw gx fh gy b gz hq ha hb hc hr hd he hf hs hg hh hi ht hj hk hl hu hm hn hp dm gd" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="62a9" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: charter, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><em class="ie" style="box-sizing: inherit;">“Intimidation is not conduct that lives up to the standard of behavior expected by city police officers,”</em> Mayor Krewson said during a Sept. 19th press conference. It’s important to note, however, that the mayor praised the police before pledging that any incidences of misconduct would be investigated by the department’s internal affairs division.</span></p><p class="gw gx fh gy b gz hq ha hb hc hr hd he hf hs hg hh hi ht hj hk hl hu hm hn hp dm gd" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="da16" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: charter, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">And therein lies the problem. For too long, city leaders have coddled racism. Placing the onus of change on the police is akin to asking cancer to cure itself. Like the literal disease, racism must be aggressively attacked with the most sophisticated tools and most qualified people. It must be killed <em class="ie" style="box-sizing: inherit;">before</em> it consumes the entire body. Unfortunately, it seems, the arm of the SLMPD is completely disease-ridden.</span></p><p class="gw gx fh gy b gz hq ha hb hc hr hd he hf hs hg hh hi ht hj hk hl hu hm hn hp dm gd" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="c542" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: charter, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">A Sept. 19th <a class="ds if" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/19/us/st-louis-mayor-lyda-krewson-protests.html" rel="noopener nofollow" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; box-sizing: inherit;">New York Times article</a> explored the “political tightrope” Mayor Krewson treads as a defender of protester’s rights “while also condemning lawlessness and standing in support of the police.”</span></p><p class="gw gx fh gy b gz hq ha hb hc hr hd he hf hs hg hh hi ht hj hk hl hu hm hn hp dm gd" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="88fc" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: charter, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">During the mayoral race earlier this year, Krewson was heavily criticized for the endorsement she received from the St. Louis Police Officers Association and her relationship with the controversial Jeff Roorda.</span></p><p class="gw gx fh gy b gz hq ha hb hc hr hd he hf hs hg hh hi ht hj hk hl hu hm hn hp dm gd" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="ac66" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: charter, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><em class="ie" style="box-sizing: inherit;">“Roorda’s comments on social media are incendiary and abhorrent,”</em> Krewson said during one community forum. <em class="ie" style="box-sizing: inherit;">“I do not stand with Jeff Roorda and those comments. But I do stand with the 1,200 city police officers today. I can’t help who they hire.”</em></span></p><p class="gw gx fh gy b gz hq ha hb hc hr hd he hf hs hg hh hi ht hj hk hl hu hm hn hp dm gd" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="d23a" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: charter, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">It’s that “stand” with police that’s sparked Krewson’s renewed criticism. In the NY Times article, city treasurer, Tishaura Jones, one of the mayoral candidates, said Krewson seems “like she’s taking the side of the police.”</span></p><p class="gw gx fh gy b gz hq ha hb hc hr hd he hf hs hg hh hi ht hj hk hl hu hm hn hp dm gd" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="08c0" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: charter, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">Mayoral candidates, including Krewson, offered a litany of proposals regarding police reform and public safety during the many debates and forums. Their ideas included de-escalation training for officers, violence intervention programs for would-be offenders, better community engagement, racial-equity training for police and increasing police presence in the city’s most violent neighborhoods.</span></p><p class="gw gx fh gy b gz hq ha hb hc hr hd he hf hs hg hh hi ht hj hk hl hu hm hn hp dm gd" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="5caa" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: charter, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">In the end, Krewson won the election. Bottom line: the buck stops with her. She can’t be both an advocate and adversary of cancer. “Tightrope” or not, as the city’s elected leader, she must lead the charge in addressing police intimidation and aggression.</span></p><p class="gw gx fh gy b gz hq ha hb hc hr hd he hf hs hg hh hi ht hj hk hl hu hm hn hp dm gd" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="dc99" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: charter, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">A Sept. 21st <a class="ds if" href="http://www.stlamerican.com/news/local_news/st-louis-is-the-new-selma-protesters-march-silently-through/article_40717f42-9cac-11e7-aaab-477d973c4972.html" rel="noopener nofollow" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; box-sizing: inherit;">St. Louis American editorial</a> labeled our city “the new Selma.” It harkens back to a time when Alabama police used brutal and inhumane tactics such as batons, water hoses and mass arrests to break the back of the civil rights movement. This is a designation that St. Louis doesn’t need. It is, however, a moniker the city will forever wear if the cancer of racism, aggression and intimidation isn’t completely and quickly eradicated from the body of police and our criminal justice system.</span></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">{a href="http://PERMALINK_URL.com" rel="bookmark"}POST_TITLE{/a}
where { } are < ></div>http://sylvesterbrownjr.blogspot.com/http://www.blogger.com/profile/05844535952864244272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9076983037963344622.post-30619906645988118282021-04-15T09:26:00.002-05:002021-04-16T10:14:00.258-05:00A Simple Plan for a Mayor Who Listens<p>By Sylvester Brown, Jr.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0.25in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPGrX0SdHQOuBGcCVG2apmjLkC-A7DxHVz4qv1cY5ixycw-ULR1npff3MCUQkaV2uME909vO0WNGwyTTNp7D447Xf2NvCtwgLzebpqGbPo_3jZcbdQpKK4fwch9BuHQKaLFAyd-mvH2xKi/s288/Tishaura+Jones.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="175" data-original-width="288" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPGrX0SdHQOuBGcCVG2apmjLkC-A7DxHVz4qv1cY5ixycw-ULR1npff3MCUQkaV2uME909vO0WNGwyTTNp7D447Xf2NvCtwgLzebpqGbPo_3jZcbdQpKK4fwch9BuHQKaLFAyd-mvH2xKi/w526-h320/Tishaura+Jones.jpg" width="526" /></a></div><br /><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0.25in;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0.25in;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0.25in;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0.25in;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0.25in;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0.25in;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0.25in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0.25in;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I’m a simple guy. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0.25in;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">In my mind, most challenges require fundamental, basic solutions: End racism by
thoroughly addressing race-based stupidity. End poverty, crime, and violence by
increasing opportunities for marginalized people. Elect politicians with the
heart, mindset, and determination to do something different, radical even.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0.25in;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">See, simple.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0.25in;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">I supported mayoral
candidate, Tishaura Jones because I believe she will listen and react to basic,
simple plans that address the multitude of problems plaguing St. Louis’
long-denied and long-ignored black communities. I know this because she sat
down and listened to me and others I know.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p>
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0.25in;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">My desire is that
the black community recognizes and utilizes the magic of this moment. Make no
mistake about it; Jones is not our savior. I do see her, however, as a listener
and possible do-er. If a plan make sense, if they impact the lives of the marginalized,
I believe she will not only listen but offer some form of meaningful direction
and leadership.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0.25in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYaQxWwlXPoObEE3P0yrBsQRktdGFbsGAgpBY7gl3nlP33M2grTNdl-QpUkzuC9jzxaoOYOvgl8mQKmSgFHsRYYsPz3i7nzLajYvgEw-Y8YgPqSgP9zFVefQdn-cN3LlxjNafX1kuDTVeS/s300/Tishaura+%2526+Roland+Martin.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><img border="0" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="300" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYaQxWwlXPoObEE3P0yrBsQRktdGFbsGAgpBY7gl3nlP33M2grTNdl-QpUkzuC9jzxaoOYOvgl8mQKmSgFHsRYYsPz3i7nzLajYvgEw-Y8YgPqSgP9zFVefQdn-cN3LlxjNafX1kuDTVeS/w354-h198/Tishaura+%2526+Roland+Martin.jpg" width="354" /></span></a></div><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">She said as much
during her first national interview after winning the mayoral race. On the April
7</span><sup style="font-family: georgia;">th</sup><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"> broadcast of “Roland Martin: Unfiltered,” Jones talked about her
plans to listen to everyone; those who voted for her and those who didn’t; city
and county residents, politicians, stakeholders and the disenfranchised.</span></span><p></p><p><span style="background-color: black; text-align: center;"><span style="color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">This is important. The
almost 300-year history of this city has been dominated by white men who
listened and responded to the wishes of powerful white leaders. Black leadership,
however, shouldn’t start with Jones. It should begin in black communities. The
people must bring her something practical, powerful, and attainable. Jones must
see a cadre of individuals in economically hard-hit neighborhoods doing the heavy
lifting and then seeking her help and whatever resources she can muster.</span></span></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: georgia; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Black leadership, however, shouldn’t start with Jones. It should begin in black communities. The people must bring her something practical, powerful, and attainable.</span></span></h3></blockquote><p><span style="background-color: black; text-align: center;"><span style="color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Let me give you a
basic, simple vision and a way Jones could help accelerate it:</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: black; text-align: center;"><span style="color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">There are several nonprofits in
the city with the intent to build homes, grow food, start businesses, and
rebuild neighborhoods. These nonprofits need to come together and develop a collective
plan for North St. Louis.</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span style="text-align: center;">There are experienced African
American developers like, Kevin Bryant, of Kingsway Development who, like white
developers, know how to put together proposals that include </span><span style="text-align: center;">tax breaks, </span><span style="text-align: center;">government subsidies and other perks. They should work with
the community, develop the plan, put a price tag on it and go forth with
assured determination.</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: black; text-align: center;"><span style="color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">President Joe Biden received the
lion’s share of black votes. We must hold him accountable for promises made to
black voters. Substance outweighs symbolism almost every time. But, in this
case, Jones could be the symbolic impetus needed to galvanize an across-the-board
movement of community ownership. If she is presented a viable plan, I believe
she will listen and act accordingly.</span></span></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large; text-align: center;">Substance outweighs symbolism almost every time. But, in this case, Jones could be the symbolic impetus needed to galvanize an across-the-board movement of community ownership.</span></h3></blockquote><p><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span style="text-align: center;">Jones could rally her Washington
DC and other powerful connections and officially announce that St. Louis is
implementing the first “reclaim and rebuild” movement in modern history. </span><span style="text-align: center;"> </span><span style="text-align: center;">By 2024, Biden could use St. Louis as a
national template of re-investment and redevelopment in urban neighborhoods.</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span style="text-align: center;">The young people terrorizing the
streets of North St. Louis need direction and inspiration. “Black ownership”
needs to be a cool, communal moniker. We need talented poets, rappers, artists,
writers, and activists to make words, songs, images, slogans, banners, and
memes that encapsulate a 21</span><sup style="text-align: center;">st</sup><span style="text-align: center;"> Century urban movement.</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: black; text-align: center;"><span style="color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">But symbolism must be complimented
with substance.</span></span></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large; text-align: center;">The young people terrorizing the streets of North St. Louis need direction and inspiration. “Black ownership” needs to be a cool, communal moniker.</span></h4></blockquote><p><span style="background-color: black; text-align: center;"><span style="color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">During her interview with Martin,
Jones said she will use her bully pulpit to work with civic groups, businesses and schools to find solutions, instigate “really hard conversations about the role race
plays in our government” and move forward.</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: black; text-align: center;"><span style="color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Jones defined St. Louis as the Midwest’s
“best kept secret’ regarding its influx of agriculture, biotech, technology
industries and the upcoming National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. She said
she wants to make sure that students from our region’s institutions of higher
learning, such as Harris Stowe State College and Washington University, graduate
with a degree and a job offer from industries in St. Louis.</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: black; text-align: center;"><span style="color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">This is good news, but we should not, must not, rest our hopes and dreams on white
corporations saving black communities. Black folk have to step up to the table
and illustrate the untapped economic and societal power already existing but
never fully utilized within long ignored black communities</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span style="text-align: center;">Imagine a plan to resurrect a couple
of abandoned public schools as urban entrepreneurial educational centers.
Imagine black kids from K-12 being taught the ABC’s of owning land and property,
making and marketing products, growing, selling, and manufacturing fresh food
and food-based products. Teaching young people these skills will not only make
them viable entrepreneurs, it will also position them to be viable players in
the burgeoning industries Jones mentioned. </span><span style="text-align: center;"> </span></span></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large; text-align: center;">Imagine a plan to resurrect a couple of abandoned public schools as urban entrepreneurial educational centers.</span></h3></blockquote><p><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large; text-align: center;">Right now, many of our kids live
in environments where they instinctively learn the supply-and-demand methods of
the illegal drug trade. If they’re taught the economics of urban life-how we
live, dress, spend our money and entertain ourselves (the things whites have
perfected)-young people would not only be prepared to draft their own
destinies, but they will also be unstoppable in the new frontier of urban
economics.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: black; text-align: center;"><span style="color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Our youth must immediately see the
connection between education and entrepreneurism among their own people and
within their own neighborhoods. They should graduate from entrepreneurial
elementary and high schools with paid scholarships to institutions like Forest
Park Community College, Rankin Technical School or Harris Stowe State College
which already offers urban agricultural degree courses. They should be specifically
primed to excel in areas targeted for redevelopment. Graduating students should
be gifted a vacant lot and the resources to grow food. Meanwhile, nonprofits can
build farmer’s markets, burgeoning business strips and perhaps a food
manufacturing plant to employ new graduates.</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span style="text-align: center;">Students trained to start and
operate businesses should be awarded a stipend to open businesses in targeted
areas, perhaps a diverse University City Loop-like destination along Martin
Luther King Jr. Blvd. Those who graduate (or not) should be trained to build
and rehab homes and businesses in resuscitated neighborhoods. Stipends should
be given to young, first time homeowners to stabilize neighborhoods and provide
reliable customer bases. Theoretically, Jones can be in the background
convincing congress, local and state legislators, banks, and government entities
to fund this massive, do-for-self reinvestment effort.</span><span style="text-align: center;"> </span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span style="text-align: center;">I recently met a young man, Alex
L. Hodges, who owns his own security firm. Certain, more wealthier
neighborhoods hire private security firms who work with the police department to
patrol neighborhoods and properties. A black-owned private security firm with
employees from inner city neighborhoods could be an asset in addressing crime (both
street crime and police abuses) in areas targeted for redevelopment.</span><span style="text-align: center;"> </span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: black; text-align: center;"><span style="color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Of course, there’s nothing
“simple” about this vision. However, it revolves around fundamental, basic,
common sense ideas. The biggest hurdle in this endeavor will be overcoming our shared
defeatist mindset. Black St. Louisans have been beat down, betrayed, belittled,
and ignored for decades. Political division, greed, nepotism, and incompetence has
run rampant in the city’s darker-skinned wards for decades.</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: black; text-align: center;"><span style="color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Symbolism is needed to convince people
that power does not lie in the hands of politicians alone. Substance will encourage
and assure them that they can lead and accomplish this yeoman’s task with or
without politicians. In fact, a new mindset will threaten any politician that’s
usurping or sabotaging this collective effort.</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span style="text-align: center;">As a black, progressive, female
mayor, Jones has the juice, connections, art of persuasion and potential to pull
off such a radical effort.</span><span style="text-align: center;"> </span><span style="text-align: center;">Am I
confident that she will rise to this simple, common-sense challenge? No. I am confident,
however, that she will listen and act on a practical, people-oriented plan that
outlines self-determined benefits for long-denied communities.</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span style="text-align: center;">This alone is a simple yet
powerful start.</span><em style="text-align: center;"> </em></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 20.25pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.25in;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><em><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Sylvester Brown Jr. is long-time St. Louis
journalist and writer and author of “When We Listen: Recognizing the Potential
of Urban Youth.”</span></em><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p></div><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">{a href="http://PERMALINK_URL.com" rel="bookmark"}POST_TITLE{/a}
where { } are < ></div>http://sylvesterbrownjr.blogspot.com/http://www.blogger.com/profile/05844535952864244272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9076983037963344622.post-59492011677353577422021-01-28T11:24:00.000-06:002021-01-28T11:24:12.530-06:00Two Decades of Dumb<p><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"> By Sylvester Brown, Jr.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">Originally posted Jan. 1, 2020 / <a href="https://medium.com/@sylverbrow/two-decades-of-dumb-aa02f7fe84a2" target="_blank">Medium.com</a></span></span></p><figure class="afs xg qn qo paragraph-image" style="box-sizing: inherit; clear: both; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8); font-family: medium-content-sans-serif-font, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; margin: 33px auto 0px;"><div class="aft afu ez afv ap afw" role="button" style="box-sizing: inherit; cursor: zoom-in; position: relative; transition: transform 300ms cubic-bezier(0.2, 0, 0.2, 1) 0s; width: 680px; z-index: auto;" tabindex="0"><div class="qn qo alj" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; max-width: 768px;"><div class="pj x ez cq" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: auto; position: relative;"><div class="agb xl x" style="box-sizing: inherit; height: 0px; padding-bottom: 382.5px;"><img alt="Image for post" class="nh aef y z ab ex ap c" height="432" sizes="700px" src="https://miro.medium.com/max/768/1*shCX67gTArsC1dIHthXDLQ.png" srcset="https://miro.medium.com/max/276/1*shCX67gTArsC1dIHthXDLQ.png 276w, https://miro.medium.com/max/552/1*shCX67gTArsC1dIHthXDLQ.png 552w, https://miro.medium.com/max/640/1*shCX67gTArsC1dIHthXDLQ.png 640w, https://miro.medium.com/max/700/1*shCX67gTArsC1dIHthXDLQ.png 700w" style="box-sizing: inherit; height: 382.5px; left: 0px; opacity: 1; position: absolute; top: 0px; transition: opacity 400ms ease 0ms; vertical-align: middle; width: 680px;" width="768" /></div></div></div></div></figure><p class="wi wj ux mf b wk xo wl wm wn xp wo wp wq xq wr ws wt xr wu wv ww xs wx wy wz rr hc" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="6f77" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: charter, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">We’re entering a new decade of the 21st century. Historians, I predict, will define this first 20 years as a pivotal point in American history. Where we go in 2020 and beyond is anybody’s guess. Candidly examining our trajectory so far, may help us right our seemingly wayward and chaotic course.</span></p><p class="wi wj ux mf b wk xo wl wm wn xp wo wp wq xq wr ws wt xr wu wv ww xs wx wy wz rr hc" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="09af" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: charter, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">In the early 2000s, the Internet came into its fu<span id="rmm" style="box-sizing: inherit;">l</span>l powerful force. Like a two-edged sword, it changed how the world communicated, giving anyone and everyone the power to decipher, define and disseminate “news.” Mainstream media suffered a massive blow. Its lifeblood, advertising revenue, was now siphoned off to “alternative news” sources. The Internet empowered a whole segment of the populace, some who share dangerous, outdated, xenophobic and paranoid beliefs. Suddenly, a horde of uneducated, uninformed readers, viewers and voters had well-financed media platforms to validate and normalize their darkest and dumbest beliefs.</span></p><p class="wi wj ux mf b wk xo wl wm wn xp wo wp wq xq wr ws wt xr wu wv ww xs wx wy wz rr hc" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="974b" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: charter, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">In short, ignorance had gone mainstream.</span></p><p class="wi wj ux mf b wk xo wl wm wn xp wo wp wq xq wr ws wt xr wu wv ww xs wx wy wz rr hc" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="512c" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: charter, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">This throng was ripe for exploitation after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. World leaders expressed sympathy for a relatively baby country that found itself vulnerable to deadly, strategized aggression. Countries the US considered “hostile” like North Korea, Cuba, Iran and Libya condemned the attacks and expressed sympathy for the loss of thousands of American lives. Fearing that Muslims around the world would become alienated and victimized, allies and adversaries alike cautioned against pursuing an indiscriminate, disproportionate, deadly course of military hostility.</span></p><p class="wi wj ux mf b wk xo wl wm wn xp wo wp wq xq wr ws wt xr wu wv ww xs wx wy wz rr hc" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="e866" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: charter, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">The George W. Bush Administration instead launched a dumbed down, simplistic rationale for war: Our enemies simply “hate us for our freedoms.” This sophomoric, open-ended “good vs. evil” cliché expanded the definition of “enemy.” Illogical interpretations from religious leaders like Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson claimed the terrorist’s attacks were “a punishment from God.” “Pagans, abortionists, feminists, gays and lesbians” were all complicit in the horrific attacks on America, they said.</span></p><p class="wi wj ux mf b wk xo wl wm wn xp wo wp wq xq wr ws wt xr wu wv ww xs wx wy wz rr hc" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="39c7" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: charter, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">Stunned Americans, comforted by the illusion of military and economic superiority, were primed for unfettered, John Wayne-style vengeance. The president and willing politicians capitalized on the nation’s nativist fears, misunderstandings and growing hatred of anyone deemed “foreign.” In the newly revised media landscape, a war based on lies, greed and deceit was propagandized. Under the cloud of mass hysteria, a new, private, corporatized army was employed to help guarantee the capitalist’s desires to control oil-rich countries.</span></p><p class="wi wj ux mf b wk xo wl wm wn xp wo wp wq xq wr ws wt xr wu wv ww xs wx wy wz rr hc" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="faa8" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: charter, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">The terrorist’s attacks led to a decaying of our constitutional and democratic principles. Warrantless domestic wiretapping and the torturing of our enemies became legally and socially acceptable. After 9/11, immigration enforcement became synonymous with the “war on terrorism.” New government policies betrayed the words etched on the Statue of Liberty that, for centuries, welcomed the tired, the poor and the “huddled masses” yearning for freedom.</span></p><p class="wi wj ux mf b wk xo wl wm wn xp wo wp wq xq wr ws wt xr wu wv ww xs wx wy wz rr hc" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="ef54" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: charter, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">***</span></p><p class="wi wj ux mf b wk xo wl wm wn xp wo wp wq xq wr ws wt xr wu wv ww xs wx wy wz rr hc" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="ea1d" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: charter, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">Two underfunded, ongoing wars, mounting deaths of American soldiers, a harsh recession brought on by the reckless actions of big banks and mortgage lenders and a ballooning deficit had many voters itching for “change.” It came in the form of a likable, compelling orator and Illinois Senator by the name of Barack Obama. The 2008 election of America’s first black president was falsely heralded as the “post-racial” era. In fact, the opposite became obvious.</span></p><p class="wi wj ux mf b wk xo wl wm wn xp wo wp wq xq wr ws wt xr wu wv ww xs wx wy wz rr hc" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="f370" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: charter, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">By 2010, polls and studies substantiated a growing anxiety among whites who felt they had lost their place and stature in America. FOX News and other right-leaning news organizations fed this fanaticism with exaggerated stories of lost liberties, uncontrolled immigrant invasions, black contempt for police and orchestrated liberal attacks against traditional “American values.” The uninformed, prejudiced and paranoid bought into media hype that questioned the birthplace and legitimacy of President Obama. The loudest mouthpiece of this racist, misleading campaign, Donald J. Trump, incredulously wound up winning the 2016 presidential contest.</span></p><p class="wi wj ux mf b wk xo wl wm wn xp wo wp wq xq wr ws wt xr wu wv ww xs wx wy wz rr hc" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="1694" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: charter, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">With Trump’s presidency, a whole slew of political, religious and social norms has been upended. Amazingly, a narcissist, a conman with a documented crooked background, an uninformed, self-admitted philanderer has been dubbed God’s messenger and savior of the free world.</span></p><p class="wi wj ux mf b wk xo wl wm wn xp wo wp wq xq wr ws wt xr wu wv ww xs wx wy wz rr hc" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="e1fe" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: charter, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">Trump has been impeached and now faces removal from office. It’s doubtful that this will happen. But even if it did, Trump’s ouster is akin to removing a polyp from a malignant, cancerous, spreading tumor. The people, politicians and the press that elected him, codify him, excused, enabled, empowered and are protecting him will still be very much in power.</span></p><p class="wi wj ux mf b wk xo wl wm wn xp wo wp wq xq wr ws wt xr wu wv ww xs wx wy wz rr hc" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="98ba" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: charter, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">Trump is but a mere reflection of our collective hypocrisy, arrogance, selfishness and ignorance. We boast of “democracy and justice” while more than 2,000 children, without their parents, are locked in cages by the US Border Patrol. Trump has normalized a strange relationship with our long-standing enemy, Russia. We now have the president and his republican allies regurgitating Putin’s talking points while downplaying our own national security agencies’ warnings.</span></p><p class="wi wj ux mf b wk xo wl wm wn xp wo wp wq xq wr ws wt xr wu wv ww xs wx wy wz rr hc" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="ff25" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: charter, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">Religious leaders loyal to Trump have blurred the lines between “immoral and moral” conduct. Our government is cutting aid for the poor while increasing the wealth for the wealthiest Americans. Prodded on by competing media outlets, Americans are more misinformed and more divided than ever.</span></p><p class="wi wj ux mf b wk xo wl wm wn xp wo wp wq xq wr ws wt xr wu wv ww xs wx wy wz rr hc" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="a21e" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: charter, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">Do the first two decades of this century represent a new normal or a normal necessity? Sometimes extreme circumstances spur collective, corrective action. American history is replete with dumb, dangerous ideas, policies and people. Slavery, prohibition, the bombing of Nagasaki and Hiroshima, McCarthyism, internment camps, Cointelpro and the “War on Drugs” are but a few pertinent examples.</span></p><p class="wi wj ux mf b wk xo wl wm wn xp wo wp wq xq wr ws wt xr wu wv ww xs wx wy wz rr hc" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="2a38" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: charter, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">We enter 2020 at a bizarre point in American history. But, as a naïve optimist, I cling to the notion that enough of us have had enough of the chaos, inhumanity, hypocrisy, greed and mind-manipulating propaganda. The fact that there are millions of young people ready to vote, take to the streets, tweet, post and challenge wrong-headed adults also give me a sense of calm.</span></p><p class="wi wj ux mf b wk xo wl wm wn xp wo wp wq xq wr ws wt xr wu wv ww xs wx wy wz rr hc" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="45ed" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: charter, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">Today, we start a new decade. We have a new year and another chance to chart a new course. Take heart. Have faith in our collective and individual potential. Let us remember the words of anthropologist, Margaret Mead:</span></p><p class="wi wj ux mf b wk xo wl wm wn xp wo wp wq xq wr ws wt xr wu wv ww xs wx wy wz rr hc" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="76b6" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: charter, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”</span></p><p class="wi wj ux mf b wk xo wl wm wn xp wo wp wq xq wr ws wt xr wu wv ww xs wx wy wz rr hc" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="9b18" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: charter, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">***</span></p><p><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><em class="xt" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: charter, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em;">Sylvester Brown Jr. is a former columnist for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the founder of the Sweet Potato Projecd and the author of </em><a class="fr vt" href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/1794669272?fbclid=IwAR0-cpH0mKKWQh4Gr_VMqiQaZmamZM-ikxDw1ZbCwu0LiLrt-TxtAMVVfaA" rel="noopener nofollow" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: charter, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em;" target="_blank"><em class="xt" style="box-sizing: inherit;">“When We Listen: Recognizing the Potential of Urban Youth.”</em></a> </span></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">{a href="http://PERMALINK_URL.com" rel="bookmark"}POST_TITLE{/a}
where { } are < ></div>http://sylvesterbrownjr.blogspot.com/http://www.blogger.com/profile/05844535952864244272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9076983037963344622.post-40053669830694741712021-01-28T11:18:00.002-06:002021-01-28T11:18:38.494-06:00How Hip-Hop Can Save the ‘Hood<p> by Sylvester Brown, Jr.</p><p>Originally posted May 2, 2019 / <a href="https://medium.com/@sylverbrow/how-hip-hop-can-save-the-hood-c4c2f745c90b" target="_blank">medium.com </a></p><figure class="xb xc xd xe xf xg qn qo paragraph-image" style="box-sizing: inherit; clear: both; font-family: medium-content-sans-serif-font, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; margin: 56px auto 0px;"><div class="aft afu ez afv ap afw" role="button" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8); cursor: zoom-in; position: relative; transition: transform 300ms cubic-bezier(0.2, 0, 0.2, 1) 0s; width: 680px; z-index: auto;" tabindex="0"><div class="qn qo ajl" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; max-width: 1200px;"><div class="pj x ez cq" style="background-color: #f2f2f2; box-sizing: inherit; margin: auto; position: relative;"><div class="aim xl x" style="box-sizing: inherit; height: 0px; padding-bottom: 510px;"><img alt="Image for post" class="nh aef y z ab ex ap c" height="900" sizes="700px" src="https://miro.medium.com/max/1200/1*Epb7TU57EbsutCoYE74mtA.jpeg" srcset="https://miro.medium.com/max/276/1*Epb7TU57EbsutCoYE74mtA.jpeg 276w, https://miro.medium.com/max/552/1*Epb7TU57EbsutCoYE74mtA.jpeg 552w, https://miro.medium.com/max/640/1*Epb7TU57EbsutCoYE74mtA.jpeg 640w, https://miro.medium.com/max/700/1*Epb7TU57EbsutCoYE74mtA.jpeg 700w" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; height: 510px; left: 0px; opacity: 1; position: absolute; top: 0px; transition: opacity 400ms ease 0ms; vertical-align: middle; width: 680px;" width="1200" /></div></div></div></div><figcaption class="xw na uq qn qo xx xy er b gg gh gi" data-selectable-paragraph="" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: sohne, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 10px; max-width: 728px; text-align: center;"><a class="fr vt" href="https://youtu.be/hJOC5tsVQ-E" rel="noopener nofollow" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; box-sizing: inherit;" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">JAY-Z in New York paying a musical tribute to the late rapper Nipsey Hussle</span></a></figcaption></figure><h1 class="ajm aio ux er es agl ajn wl nu agm ajo wo ny ajp ajq ajr oc ajs ajt aju og ajv ajw ajx ok ajy hc" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="3106" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: sohne, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 30px; font-weight: 500; line-height: 36px; margin: 1.95em 0px -0.28em;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">“Gentrify your own hood before these people do it…Claim eminent domain and have your people move in…That’s a small glimpse into what Nipsey was doing…”-Jay-Z</span></h1><p class="wi wj ux mf b wk ajz wl wm wn aka wo wp wq akb wr ws wt akc wu wv ww akd wx wy wz rr hc" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="8a05" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: charter, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 0.86em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">During his performance at Webster Hall in New York City last week, multimillionaire entertainer and business mogul JAY-Z paid tribute to the late rapper Nipsey Hussle with an impromptu freestyle rift…</span></p><h1 class="ajm aio ux er es agl ajn wl nu agm ajo wo ny ajp ajq ajr oc ajs ajt aju og ajv ajw ajx ok ajy hc" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="194f" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: sohne, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 30px; font-weight: 500; line-height: 36px; margin: 1.95em 0px -0.28em;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">“For anybody still confused as to what he was doing…Take back the hood that keep us trapped…the redlining where property declining if you live by blacks…”</span></h1><p class="wi wj ux mf b wk ajz wl wm wn aka wo wp wq akb wr ws wt akc wu wv ww akd wx wy wz rr hc" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="3def" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: charter, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 0.86em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">Watching the video via Instagram validated what I have written in my new book. In Chapter Eight, “When They Know Money,” I speak to the untapped power of hip-hop music and its potential to foster an empowering new lexicon among its legions of young fans. The chapter opens with a homage to Jay-Z:</span></p><p class="wi wj ux mf b wk xo wl wm wn xp wo wp wq xq wr ws wt xr wu wv ww xs wx wy wz rr hc" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="aba0" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: charter, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">“With his 201<span id="rmm" style="box-sizing: inherit;">7</span> album, ‘4:44,’, Jay-Z parlays his experience as a former drug dealer and all-time savvy hustler into a template for urban success. Building “generational wealth” is the key for economic salvation, he preached. Laced within the album’s tracks are lessons in strategic investing, financial-planning, owning real estate and fine art, rather than depreciating items like fancy cars or shiny jewelry.”</span></p><p class="wi wj ux mf b wk xo wl wm wn xp wo wp wq xq wr ws wt xr wu wv ww xs wx wy wz rr hc" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="5e7a" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: charter, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">In his Hussle tribute, Jay-Z used the old “crabs in a barrel” analogy to remind the audience that blacks can reclaim long-ignored neighborhoods if we only unite:</span></p><h1 class="ajm aio ux er es agl ajn wl nu agm ajo wo ny ajp ajq ajr oc ajs ajt aju og ajv ajw ajx ok ajy hc" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="f59b" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: sohne, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 30px; font-weight: 500; line-height: 36px; margin: 1.95em 0px -0.28em;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">“<span class="ake" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-style: inherit;">We stand on each other’s back…whoever gets on top, as long as they stay attached, they can pull everybody out…I was doing just that…</span></span></h1><p class="wi wj ux mf b wk ajz wl wm wn aka wo wp wq akb wr ws wt akc wu wv ww akd wx wy wz rr hc" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="28af" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: charter, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 0.86em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">Indeed.<em class="xt" style="box-sizing: inherit;"> </em>The<em class="xt" style="box-sizing: inherit;"> </em>entrepreneur who, according to Forbes, is worth more than $800 million has used his music to encourage young blacks to lift one other up financially by supporting black-owned businesses and buying property in their own neighborhoods. This, of course, is part of Nipsey Hussle’s legacy in South Central LA.</span></p><h1 class="ajm aio ux er es agl ajn wl nu agm ajo wo ny ajp ajq ajr oc ajs ajt aju og ajv ajw ajx ok ajy hc" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="c91a" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: sohne, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 30px; font-weight: 500; line-height: 36px; margin: 1.95em 0px -0.28em;"><span class="ake" style="background-color: black; box-sizing: inherit; font-style: inherit;"><span style="color: white;">Hip-Hop isn’t just music, it is also a spiritual movement of the blacks! You can’t just call Hip-Hop a trend!”- Lauryn Hill</span></span></h1><p class="wi wj ux mf b wk ajz wl wm wn aka wo wp wq akb wr ws wt akc wu wv ww akd wx wy wz rr hc" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="69d6" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: charter, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 0.86em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">As I mention in my book, if we are serious about nurturing a generation of youth who will reclaim and remake communities of chaos, we should amplify and utilize the musical messages they receive from hip-hop artists like Jay-Z and Nipsey Hussle.</span></p><p class="wi wj ux mf b wk xo wl wm wn xp wo wp wq xq wr ws wt xr wu wv ww xs wx wy wz rr hc" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="f4ab" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: charter, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">I am of the firm belief that African Americans will never reverse the deadly and generational trends of poverty, crime and unemployment until WE reclaim our communities and define our own economic and social destinies. And what better place to start than with millennials in the ‘hood? Imagine a “buy-the-block” movement that’s marketed like music, alcohol and clothes. Imagine the hottest rap and hip-hop artists on billboards in the ‘hood promoting the idea of self-determination and community wealth. My mind salivates over the possibility of hundreds of rappers collectively using their wealth, music and influence to inspire millions of young people across the country.</span></p><p class="wi wj ux mf b wk xo wl wm wn xp wo wp wq xq wr ws wt xr wu wv ww xs wx wy wz rr hc" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="bf02" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: charter, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">And the really, really cool thing about this vision, is that it’s already begun.</span></p><p class="wi wj ux mf b wk xo wl wm wn xp wo wp wq xq wr ws wt xr wu wv ww xs wx wy wz rr hc" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="2c67" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: charter, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">Before Jay-Z dropped 4:44 and before Hussle’s death highlighted his business ventures, hip-hop artists had adopted the narrative of community-generated wealth.</span></p><p class="wi wj ux mf b wk xo wl wm wn xp wo wp wq xq wr ws wt xr wu wv ww xs wx wy wz rr hc" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="8f7e" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: charter, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">In last month’s commentary, <a class="fr vt" href="https://whenwelisten.net/blog/nipsey-hussle-and-a-letter-to-our-young/" rel="noopener nofollow" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; box-sizing: inherit;" target="_blank">“Nipsey Hussle and a Letter to Our Young,”</a> I mentioned how superstars like T. I. and Queen Latifah are building affordable homes in their old neighborhoods. I described how Jay-Z, Chamillionaire and Diddy are investing in entrepreneurship. I highlighted Akon’s high-tech, climate-friendly entrepreneurial endeavors aimed at bringing economic freedom to Africa.</span></p><p class="wi wj ux mf b wk xo wl wm wn xp wo wp wq xq wr ws wt xr wu wv ww xs wx wy wz rr hc" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="97ce" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: charter, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">These are but a few examples. There are many more. What if we lifted the narrative from an honorable mention in the press to a nationwide movement in troubled and disenfranchised neighborhoods throughout the nation?</span></p><p class="wi wj ux mf b wk xo wl wm wn xp wo wp wq xq wr ws wt xr wu wv ww xs wx wy wz rr hc" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="a40c" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: charter, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">I operate a nonprofit in St. Louis where young people plant produce on vacant lots. I give them a summer job where they learn horticulture, marketing, branding and how to turn produce into marketable products. One of my greatest desires is to gift these kids their own lots to grow food.</span></p><p class="wi wj ux mf b wk xo wl wm wn xp wo wp wq xq wr ws wt xr wu wv ww xs wx wy wz rr hc" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="3a55" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: charter, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">What if this initiative was part of the hip-hop inspired “Buy-the-Block” movement? What if banks, corporations and government entities matched or exceeded the rappers financial and land-ownership investments? What if Nelly, Chingy, Tef Po and other St. Louis entertainers lent their faces, money and fame to the cause in my city. How about T.I., Gucci Mane, Andre’ 3000 and other Atlanteans representing their home turf. Of course, Cardi B, 50 Cent, Fat Joe, Melle Mel and others can do their thing in the New York area. And on and on it goes…city after city. ‘hood after ‘hood with one robust, revolutionary self-empowering message.</span></p><p class="wi wj ux mf b wk xo wl wm wn xp wo wp wq xq wr ws wt xr wu wv ww xs wx wy wz rr hc" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="f661" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: charter, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">In no time, the do-for-self mantra of self-sufficiency and community wealth-building would be all the rage. And not just in hip-hop arenas. It could ignite the passions and support of black celebrities in sports, movies, comedy and all the other high-profile domains they dominate.</span></p><p class="wi wj ux mf b wk xo wl wm wn xp wo wp wq xq wr ws wt xr wu wv ww xs wx wy wz rr hc" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="3592" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: charter, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">Before integration laws were passed in the late 1960s, our collective call for progress included equity, jobs, education and voting rights. It’s time for an national update. The issue of reparations for pass sins of slavery and racial oppression is a hot topic among presidential candidates today. A hip-hop inspired economic empowerment initiative could be part of the template for rebuilding broken lives and revitalizing long-ignored black communities.</span></p><h1 class="ajm aio ux er es agl ajn wl nu agm ajo wo ny ajp ajq ajr oc ajs ajt aju og ajv ajw ajx ok ajy hc" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="2c7f" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: sohne, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 30px; font-weight: 500; line-height: 36px; margin: 1.95em 0px -0.28em;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span class="ake" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-style: inherit;">“The thing about hip-hop today is it’s smart, it’s insightful. The way they can communicate a complex message in a very short space is remarkable.”</span>-President Barack Obama</span></h1><p class="wi wj ux mf b wk ajz wl wm wn aka wo wp wq akb wr ws wt akc wu wv ww akd wx wy wz rr hc" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="a0ef" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: charter, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 0.86em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">Criticize this “remarkable” music for some of its lewd, materialistic and violent content if you must. But let us older folk at least attempt to recognize that young entertainers have “the stuff” embedded in their DNA. They can inherently become the next creators of another Black Wall Street. They can honor and continue the proud legacy of black folk who had no choice but to do-for-self and build their own political, educational and economic institutions.</span></p><p class="wi wj ux mf b wk xo wl wm wn xp wo wp wq xq wr ws wt xr wu wv ww xs wx wy wz rr hc" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="d887" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: charter, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">In my book, I urge adults to not only listen to young people but act on what they say and do. Here’s our opportunity. Many of us are loathed to admit it, but young people have created a genre of music that’s just as popular, just as lucrative and influential as classical, jazz, R&B and country music.</span></p><p class="wi wj ux mf b wk xo wl wm wn xp wo wp wq xq wr ws wt xr wu wv ww xs wx wy wz rr hc" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="6f81" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: charter, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">Some of today’s young artists are rapping about financial literacy, land and business-ownership, buying blocks and creating businesses and urban-centric educational and nonprofit organizations. What if we recognized their potential and acted on their initiatives? What if preachers, bankers, politicians and investors followed the hip-hop lead and turned powerful lyrics into powerful real-time examples of independence and community wealth-building?</span></p><p class="wi wj ux mf b wk xo wl wm wn xp wo wp wq xq wr ws wt xr wu wv ww xs wx wy wz rr hc" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="9036" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: charter, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">Let us recognize the power and potential in the words of rapper, songwriter and entrepreneur, Nas:</span></p><h1 class="ajm aio ux er es agl ajn wl nu agm ajo wo ny ajp ajq ajr oc ajs ajt aju og ajv ajw ajx ok ajy hc" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="3dbc" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: sohne, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 30px; font-weight: 500; line-height: 36px; margin: 1.95em 0px -0.28em;"><span class="x akf akg akh ou aki akj akk akl akm ez" style="box-sizing: inherit; display: block; float: left; font-size: 66px; line-height: 0.83; margin-right: 12px; padding-top: 7px; position: relative;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">“I</span></span><span class="ake" style="background-color: black; box-sizing: inherit; font-style: inherit;"><span style="color: white;">think hip-hop could help rebuild America, once hip-hoppers own hip-hop…we are our own politicians, our own government, we have something to say. We’re warriors. Soldiers.”-Nas</span></span></h1><p class="wi wj ux mf b wk ajz wl wm wn aka wo wp wq akb wr ws wt akc wu wv ww akd wx wy wz rr hc" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="6bd7" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: charter, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 0.86em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><em class="xt" style="box-sizing: inherit;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">********</span></em></p><p class="wi wj ux mf b wk xo wl wm wn xp wo wp wq xq wr ws wt xr wu wv ww xs wx wy wz rr hc" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="0730" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: charter, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><em class="xt" style="box-sizing: inherit;">Sylvester Brown, Jr. is a former columnist for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the founder of the Sweet Potato Project, an entrepreneurial program for urban youth and the author of the newly released book </em><a class="fr vt" href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/1794669272?fbclid=IwAR0-cpH0mKKWQh4Gr_VMqiQaZmamZM-ikxDw1ZbCwu0LiLrt-TxtAMVVfaA" rel="noopener nofollow" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; box-sizing: inherit;" target="_blank"><em class="xt" style="box-sizing: inherit;">“When We Listen: Recognizing the Potential of Urban Youth.”</em></a></span></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">{a href="http://PERMALINK_URL.com" rel="bookmark"}POST_TITLE{/a}
where { } are < ></div>http://sylvesterbrownjr.blogspot.com/http://www.blogger.com/profile/05844535952864244272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9076983037963344622.post-74327840897858784492021-01-28T11:15:00.000-06:002021-01-28T11:15:18.966-06:00Young People: Our only hope for morality, normalcy, decency, and democracy in America<p><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">by Sylvester Brown, jr.</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">Originally posted Dec. 2, 2019 / <a href="https://medium.com/@sylverbrow/young-people-our-only-hope-for-morality-normalcy-decency-and-democracy-in-america-c3e51f9ce2c7" target="_blank">medium.com </a></span></span></p><p class="wi wj ux mf b wk xo wl wm wn xp wo wp wq xq wr ws wt xr wu wv ww xs wx wy wz rr hc" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="0196" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: charter, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">The underlying premise of my book, <a class="fr vt" href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/1794669272?fbclid=IwAR1ytIJ6a1YkDGHZygrXE0xHPQIvNAXOtkH8I81XdTRx5yHA51T9Vd8zAoc" rel="noopener nofollow" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; box-sizing: inherit;" target="_blank"><em class="xt" style="box-sizing: inherit;">“When We Listen: Recognizing the Potential of Urban Youth”</em></a> underscores the importance of listening, learning and responding to the words, worries, hope and concerns of all young people. If we don’t do these things, young people will force us to pay attention through their passionate words, deeds and actions.</span></span></p><p class="wi wj ux mf b wk xo wl wm wn xp wo wp wq xq wr ws wt xr wu wv ww xs wx wy wz rr hc" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="bff5" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: charter, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">This, I believe, is the harsh lesson Presiden<span id="rmm" style="box-sizing: inherit;">t</span> Donald Trump and his army of loyal Republican minions are destined to learn very soon. Since his election in 2016, GOP leaders, evangelicals and a healthy number of adult voters have endorsed, supported or excused the outlandish, corrupt, immoral and illegal behavior of America’s 45th president. One obvious example is the juvenile and sophomoric defense of Republicans insistent on ignoring Trump’s obvious misuse of governmental power to pressure a foreign country to dig up dirt on his political opponent.</span></span></p><p class="wi wj ux mf b wk xo wl wm wn xp wo wp wq xq wr ws wt xr wu wv ww xs wx wy wz rr hc" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="1a4d" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: charter, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">Considering Trump’s cult-like following there is little chance that he will be impeached and removed from office. After all, the man remains popular among a segment of adults who’ve anointed him God’s “chosen one.” This, despite his well-documented history of corruption, infidelity, dishonesty, incompetence and not-so-subtle racism. Maybe it boils down to the fact that maintaining political power is more paramount than principles or oft-spoken far right rhetoric of “American Values.”</span></span></p><figure class="xb xc xd xe xf xg qn qo paragraph-image" style="box-sizing: inherit; clear: both; font-family: medium-content-sans-serif-font, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; margin: 56px auto 0px;"><div class="qn qo afy" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; max-width: 270px;"><div class="pj x ez cq" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: auto; position: relative;"><div class="afz xl x" style="box-sizing: inherit; height: 0px; padding-bottom: 187px;"><div class="hr xh y z ab ex ap hl xi xj" style="box-sizing: inherit; height: 187px; left: 0px; opacity: 0; overflow: hidden; position: absolute; top: 0px; transform: translateZ(0px); transition: opacity 100ms ease 400ms; width: 270px; will-change: transform;"><img alt="Image for post" class="y z ab ex ap xm xn gq afa" height="187" src="https://miro.medium.com/max/30/1*TKqd5BDqi7L0uCIyWJ9IRw.jpeg?q=20" style="box-sizing: inherit; filter: blur(20px); height: 187px; left: 0px; position: absolute; top: 0px; transform: scale(1.1); transition: visibility 0ms ease 400ms; vertical-align: middle; visibility: hidden; width: 270px;" width="270" /></div><img alt="Image for post" class="nh aef y z ab ex ap c" height="187" sizes="270px" src="https://miro.medium.com/max/270/1*TKqd5BDqi7L0uCIyWJ9IRw.jpeg" srcset="" style="box-sizing: inherit; height: 187px; left: 0px; opacity: 1; position: absolute; top: 0px; transition: opacity 400ms ease 0ms; vertical-align: middle; width: 270px;" width="270" /></div></div></div></figure><p class="wi wj ux mf b wk xo wl wm wn xp wo wp wq xq wr ws wt xr wu wv ww xs wx wy wz rr hc" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="0c26" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: charter, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">Adults may be dedicated to the Trump brand-no matter what he does-but make no mistake about it; young people aren’t drinking the Kool-Aid. And, if polling and research data is correct, they are poised to overturn the proverbial political apple cart.</span></span></p><p class="wi wj ux mf b wk xo wl wm wn xp wo wp wq xq wr ws wt xr wu wv ww xs wx wy wz rr hc" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="e248" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: charter, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">Last month, a national poll conducted by the Institute of Politics at the Harvard Kennedy School, found that young voters by a nearly 2-to-1 margin want Trump impeached and removed from office. The poll of voters (ages 18 to 29) found that 52 percent of all eligible youth voters and 58 percent of likely youth voters in the 2020 presidential general election believe Trump should be impeached. Add these numbers to the recent <a class="fr vt" href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2019/11/18/poll-seventy-percent-trump-ukraine-actions-wrong/4227312002/" rel="noopener nofollow" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; box-sizing: inherit;" target="_blank">ABC-Ipsos Public Affairs poll</a> that showed 51 percent<span class="mf jy" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;"> </span>of all Americans — not just youth — believe Trump should be impeached by the House and removed from office by the Senate, the forecast for Trump loyalists seem dire.</span></span></p><p class="wi wj ux mf b wk xo wl wm wn xp wo wp wq xq wr ws wt xr wu wv ww xs wx wy wz rr hc" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="7761" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: charter, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">There are also signs of generational division among Trump’s faithful evangelical base. According to the 2019 <a class="fr vt" href="https://www.voterstudygroup.org/" rel="noopener nofollow" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; box-sizing: inherit;" target="_blank">Voter Study Group survey</a>, only six in 10 younger white evangelical Christians (ages of 18 to 44) view Trump favorably.<span class="mf jy" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;"> </span>Although<span class="mf jy" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;"> </span>a majority (55 percent) of older white evangelicals reported having a “very favorable” opinion of Trump, only 25 percent of their younger brethren share their zeal.</span></span></p><figure class="xb xc xd xe xf xg qn qo paragraph-image" style="box-sizing: inherit; clear: both; font-family: medium-content-sans-serif-font, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; margin: 56px auto 0px;"><div class="aft afu ez afv ap afw" role="button" style="box-sizing: inherit; cursor: zoom-in; position: relative; transition: transform 300ms cubic-bezier(0.2, 0, 0.2, 1) 0s; width: 680px; z-index: auto;" tabindex="0"><div class="qn qo aga" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; max-width: 2400px;"><div class="pj x ez cq" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: auto; position: relative;"><div class="agb xl x" style="box-sizing: inherit; height: 0px; padding-bottom: 382.5px;"><div class="hr xh y z ab ex ap hl xi xj" style="box-sizing: inherit; height: 382.5px; left: 0px; opacity: 0; overflow: hidden; position: absolute; top: 0px; transform: translateZ(0px); transition: opacity 100ms ease 400ms; width: 680px; will-change: transform;"><img alt="Image for post" class="y z ab ex ap xm xn gq afa" height="1350" src="https://miro.medium.com/max/30/1*pQisdA_uzFNBss9Hq6v9Ow.jpeg?q=20" style="box-sizing: inherit; filter: blur(20px); height: 382.5px; left: 0px; position: absolute; top: 0px; transform: scale(1.1); transition: visibility 0ms ease 400ms; vertical-align: middle; visibility: hidden; width: 680px;" width="2400" /></div><img alt="Image for post" class="nh aef y z ab ex ap c" height="1350" sizes="700px" src="https://miro.medium.com/max/2400/1*pQisdA_uzFNBss9Hq6v9Ow.jpeg" srcset="https://miro.medium.com/max/276/1*pQisdA_uzFNBss9Hq6v9Ow.jpeg 276w, https://miro.medium.com/max/552/1*pQisdA_uzFNBss9Hq6v9Ow.jpeg 552w, https://miro.medium.com/max/640/1*pQisdA_uzFNBss9Hq6v9Ow.jpeg 640w, https://miro.medium.com/max/700/1*pQisdA_uzFNBss9Hq6v9Ow.jpeg 700w" style="box-sizing: inherit; height: 382.5px; left: 0px; opacity: 1; position: absolute; top: 0px; transition: opacity 400ms ease 0ms; vertical-align: middle; width: 680px;" width="2400" /></div></div></div></div></figure><p class="wi wj ux mf b wk xo wl wm wn xp wo wp wq xq wr ws wt xr wu wv ww xs wx wy wz rr hc" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="c7ad" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: charter, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">ABC’s “<a class="fr vt" href="http://fivethirtyeight.com/" rel="noopener nofollow" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; box-sizing: inherit;" target="_blank">FiveThirtyEight</a>” reporter Daniel Cox wrote: “In conversations with a number of younger white evangelical Christians, many said they are reexamining the way their faith informs their politics and whether the two have become too tightly intertwined.”</span></span></p><p class="wi wj ux mf b wk xo wl wm wn xp wo wp wq xq wr ws wt xr wu wv ww xs wx wy wz rr hc" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="fbf8" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: charter, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">As I wrote in my book, there is a powerful historical precedent of young people standing up, voting, speaking out and publicly challenging wrong-headed adults or majority-thinking. Those who engaged in civil disobedience during the battles for worker’s and women’s rights, racial equality and justice, the wars in Vietnam and Iraq and the “Occupy Wall Street” demonstrations were all on the right side of history.</span></span></p><p class="wi wj ux mf b wk xo wl wm wn xp wo wp wq xq wr ws wt xr wu wv ww xs wx wy wz rr hc" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="a9fe" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: charter, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">During the impeachment hearings, Republican toadies trotted out asinine and debunked conspiracy theories to prove that Democrats are simply out to get Trump for partisan reasons; that his actions have nothing to do with his current predicament.</span></span></p><p class="wi wj ux mf b wk xo wl wm wn xp wo wp wq xq wr ws wt xr wu wv ww xs wx wy wz rr hc" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="afe6" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: charter, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">Young people just aren’t buying it.</span></span></p><p class="wi wj ux mf b wk xo wl wm wn xp wo wp wq xq wr ws wt xr wu wv ww xs wx wy wz rr hc" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="bcb0" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: charter, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">In April, TIME released data from Harvard’s Institute of Politics that showed significant majorities of young voters, from both parties, “are concerned about the country’s moral direction.”<span class="mf jy" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;"> </span>Among young Democrats, 66 percent expressed this sentiment while 64 percent of young Republicans agreed. The study didn’t detail which party young voters blame for a lack of moral direction. It did, however, illustrate the shift in generational thinking.</span></span></p><p class="wi wj ux mf b wk xo wl wm wn xp wo wp wq xq wr ws wt xr wu wv ww xs wx wy wz rr hc" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="2118" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: charter, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">Millennials and Gen Z’ers, the poll stressed, “have grown suspicious of the Baby Boomer generation.” Roughly four in ten younger voters said they didn’t think Boomer voters (between the ages of 55 and 73) have their best interests at heart.</span></span></p><p class="wi wj ux mf b wk xo wl wm wn xp wo wp wq xq wr ws wt xr wu wv ww xs wx wy wz rr hc" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="2f85" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: charter, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">Another <a class="fr vt" href="https://apnews.com/da5c9104e5c6463da83fd47f893ba072" rel="noopener nofollow" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; box-sizing: inherit;" target="_blank">AP/MTV poll</a> released in March of this year revealed that only 33 percent of Americans ages 15 to 34 approve of Trump’s White House performance.</span></span></p><p class="wi wj ux mf b wk xo wl wm wn xp wo wp wq xq wr ws wt xr wu wv ww xs wx wy wz rr hc" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="1110" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: charter, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">Meghan Carnes, 23, expressed her feelings with the Associated Press: “He (Trump) doesn’t seem to be really for women. He doesn’t seem to be for Black Lives Matter. He doesn’t seem to be for DACA,” <a class="fr vt" href="https://apnews.com/da5c9104e5c6463da83fd47f893ba072" rel="noopener nofollow" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; box-sizing: inherit;" target="_blank">Carnes said,</a> adding, “He doesn’t seem to be for the kids worried about guns. It’s extremely disappointing to have a president who doesn’t seem to care.”</span></span></p><p class="wi wj ux mf b wk xo wl wm wn xp wo wp wq xq wr ws wt xr wu wv ww xs wx wy wz rr hc" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="f714" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: charter, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">Although both parties should care that younger voters question their moral leadership, Republicans who consistently stand by a president with questionable moral values and unsavory policies stand to suffer more as young people reach voting age.</span></span></p><p class="wi wj ux mf b wk xo wl wm wn xp wo wp wq xq wr ws wt xr wu wv ww xs wx wy wz rr hc" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="f897" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: charter, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">University of California, San Diego’s professor<span class="mf jy" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;"> </span>Gary Jacobson<span class="mf jy" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;"> </span>spoke to the possibilities of passionate young voter turnout.<span class="mf jy" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;"> </span>“We had turnout in 2018 that was 10 or 12 points higher than it’s been over the past several decades, the highest it’s been in 100 years.”</span></span></p><p class="wi wj ux mf b wk xo wl wm wn xp wo wp wq xq wr ws wt xr wu wv ww xs wx wy wz rr hc" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="61d6" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: charter, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">Republicans should also be alarmed that youth turnout more than doubled during the 2018 midterms compared to 2014. In the first congressional election since Donald Trump became president, 36 percent of voters (ages 18 to 29) voted in 2018, up from 20 percent four years prior. According to <a class="fr vt" href="https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2018/11/youth-turnout-midterm-2018/575092/" rel="noopener nofollow" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; box-sizing: inherit;" target="_blank"><em class="xt" style="box-sizing: inherit;">The Atlantic</em></a>, more than 3.3 million of these voters casted early ballots, a 188% increase from 2014.</span></span></p><figure class="xb xc xd xe xf xg qn qo paragraph-image" style="box-sizing: inherit; clear: both; font-family: medium-content-sans-serif-font, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; margin: 56px auto 0px;"><div class="qn qo agc" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; max-width: 225px;"><div class="pj x ez cq" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: auto; position: relative;"><div class="agd xl x" style="box-sizing: inherit; height: 0px; padding-bottom: 225px;"><div class="hr xh y z ab ex ap hl xi xj" style="box-sizing: inherit; height: 225px; left: 0px; opacity: 0; overflow: hidden; position: absolute; top: 0px; transform: translateZ(0px); transition: opacity 100ms ease 400ms; width: 225px; will-change: transform;"><img alt="Image for post" class="y z ab ex ap xm xn gq afa" height="225" src="https://miro.medium.com/max/30/1*A3ZDE864vvSNe89Hqz5D7w.jpeg?q=20" style="box-sizing: inherit; filter: blur(20px); height: 225px; left: 0px; position: absolute; top: 0px; transform: scale(1.1); transition: visibility 0ms ease 400ms; vertical-align: middle; visibility: hidden; width: 225px;" width="225" /></div><img alt="Image for post" class="nh aef y z ab ex ap c" height="225" sizes="225px" src="https://miro.medium.com/max/225/1*A3ZDE864vvSNe89Hqz5D7w.jpeg" srcset="" style="box-sizing: inherit; height: 225px; left: 0px; opacity: 1; position: absolute; top: 0px; transition: opacity 400ms ease 0ms; vertical-align: middle; width: 225px;" width="225" /></div></div></div></figure><p class="wi wj ux mf b wk xo wl wm wn xp wo wp wq xq wr ws wt xr wu wv ww xs wx wy wz rr hc" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="e3bb" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: charter, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">Ignoring the pattern of youthful voter enthusiasm may prove detrimental in the 2020 elections. John Della Volpe, director of polling at the Harvard Kennedy School Institute of Politics, spoke to this: “Young people are not just responding, but they are shaping a larger public narrative, or beginning to.”</span></span></p><p class="wi wj ux mf b wk xo wl wm wn xp wo wp wq xq wr ws wt xr wu wv ww xs wx wy wz rr hc" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="923d" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: charter, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">I’m not naïve enough to believe that anything I’ve written will dissuade the president’s horde of political and religious sycophants. Let’s be real, “facts” aren’t really a persuasive argument against grownups mesmerized by the hype that is Trump.</span></span></p><p class="wi wj ux mf b wk xo wl wm wn xp wo wp wq xq wr ws wt xr wu wv ww xs wx wy wz rr hc" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="e1d0" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: charter, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">No, my goal is to emphasize the importance of recognizing and benefiting from our young people’s potential. For those of us seeking real change in political leadership, our young people are our best and brightest hope for the return of morality, normalcy, decency, efficiency and democracy in America.</span></span></p><p class="wi wj ux mf b wk xo wl wm wn xp wo wp wq xq wr ws wt xr wu wv ww xs wx wy wz rr hc" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="b3d8" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: charter, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">***</span></span></p><p class="wi wj ux mf b wk xo wl wm wn xp wo wp wq xq wr ws wt xr wu wv ww xs wx wy wz rr hc" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="0bf6" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: charter, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;"><em class="xt" style="box-sizing: inherit;">Sylvester Brown, Jr. is a former columnist for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the founder of the Sweet Potato Project, an entrepreneurial program for urban youth and the author of the newly released book </em><a class="fr vt" href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/1794669272?fbclid=IwAR0-cpH0mKKWQh4Gr_VMqiQaZmamZM-ikxDw1ZbCwu0LiLrt-TxtAMVVfaA" rel="noopener nofollow" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; box-sizing: inherit;" target="_blank"><em class="xt" style="box-sizing: inherit;">“When We Listen: Recognizing the Potential of Urban Youth.”</em></a></span></span></p><p><br /></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">{a href="http://PERMALINK_URL.com" rel="bookmark"}POST_TITLE{/a}
where { } are < ></div>http://sylvesterbrownjr.blogspot.com/http://www.blogger.com/profile/05844535952864244272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9076983037963344622.post-90593397612009733762021-01-09T03:19:00.003-06:002021-01-09T03:27:10.498-06:00New Release: White Castles with Jesus & Uncle Ray at the Used Tire Shop by Sylvester Brown, Jr.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Inspired
by the fictional writings of Langston Hughes, Sylvester Brown Jr. presents
selected real and imagined short stories from his more than 30-year-career as a
writer. Here, Sylvester sits with Jesus,
converses with racism, listens to the wise oracles of a used tire shop, mourns
the neighborhood dope man and discovers the miracle of White Castles during the
holidays.</span></span></div><p><br /></p>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/BbTEIs4gSNw" width="560"></iframe><div><br /></div><div>In print and E-book versions. Audiobook coming soon. Available at <a href="http://Amazon.com">Amazon.com</a></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">{a href="http://PERMALINK_URL.com" rel="bookmark"}POST_TITLE{/a}
where { } are < ></div>http://sylvesterbrownjr.blogspot.com/http://www.blogger.com/profile/05844535952864244272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9076983037963344622.post-34925217562208900042020-08-30T08:41:00.007-05:002021-01-09T10:32:07.075-06:00And then Chadwick Died<p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvbWMhimBATWaCyisu6mhrBs2xsYAEm6p8jQ5-JO1ZsQCmACYDnoNGY7TDFRFq8Xu0TyhDkjYduIERziMWZ3GnHI14OQTHjTiQc5WTQao8ZoH0wnRZ4lawpILfFhRLqnmawzw10IjFjjCA/s1200/Chadwick+%25232.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvbWMhimBATWaCyisu6mhrBs2xsYAEm6p8jQ5-JO1ZsQCmACYDnoNGY7TDFRFq8Xu0TyhDkjYduIERziMWZ3GnHI14OQTHjTiQc5WTQao8ZoH0wnRZ4lawpILfFhRLqnmawzw10IjFjjCA/s640/Chadwick+%25232.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: #674ea7; font-size: x-large;"><b>…and then Chadwick died</b></span><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: black;">Actor</span></span></span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: black; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; background: black; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-size: large;"> Chadwick Boseman’s death from colon cancer
struck hard. The news of his demise at the tender age of 43, deepened my funk,
cemented my sense of dread and despair. It was a dark reminder during a
particularly dark time.</span><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 150%;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;">The night before Boseman’s death was announced, the
Republican National Convention (RNC) had just concluded. The entire four-day spectacle was laced with a
sickening stream of unsubstantiated, unmitigated, out-and-out lies. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 150%;">Yet, it worked. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 150%;">According to a recent CNBC/Change Research poll,</span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 150%;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 150%;">the approval of President Donald
Trump’s handling of Covid-19 rose, while concerns about the coronavirus fell in
six 2020 swing states.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 150%;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;">With more than 180,000 deaths, how in the hell could concerns about the still
growing virus fall anywhere in America? <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 150%;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;">I was grieving, what seemed to me, a country on life
support. The idea that a president’s popularity could rise after his utter incompetence
fueled so many deaths, is mind-blowing. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How
could a man who claimed “victory” because more people<i> hadn’t</i> died,
possibly be celebrated and supported my millions?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 150%;">It was further proof that a more insidious cancer had indeed
</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 150%;">metastasized
in America’s bloodstream. It was validation that the growing tumor of that
cancer, Donald Trump, the great (reality show) conman could lie his way into a
second term. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was deeply saddened by
the possibility that race, fearmongering, and manipulated division during the
convention would gift a monster four more years in office.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 150%;">Blacks are 13 percent of the U.S. population but make up
more than 32 percent of COVID-19 deaths. Roughly 60,000 black people have died
from the virus. Since early March, we’ve had to deal with the double whammy of disproportionate
deaths from the coronavirus and police brutality. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 150%;"><a href="https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/rnc-black-republicans/">The
Nation</a>, took aim at blacks who spoke at the “</span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 150%;">Republican National Infomercial”</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 150%;"> like </span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 150%;">former NFL players, Herschel Walker and Jack
Brewer</span>, Sen. Tim Scott and<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 150%;"> <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Republican congressional nominee</span></span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">, Kim Klacik:</span><span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;"><i><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 150%;">“The Black
speakers, like the rest of the Republican Party, offer no agenda to extend
economic or social opportunities to people of color. They offer no policy
prescriptions to address police brutality or violence against Black people.
They offer no rebuttals to the assaults on voting rights or immigrant rights the
Trump administration engages in. And they’ve been as silent about the
disproportionate toll Covid-19 has taken on communities of color as Herman Cain.</span>”<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 150%;">America’s streets have overflowed with those protesting the
killings of </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 150%;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shooting_of_Ahmaud_Arbery" target="_blank"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; letter-spacing: -0.05pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Ahmaud Arbery</span></a><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; letter-spacing: -0.05pt; mso-color-alt: windowtext;"><span color="" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">,</span> </span></span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 150%;">Breonna Taylor, George Floyd and others. On the
day before the GOP convention, we watched, in real time, a </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 150%;">Wisconsin</span><span style="font-family: "Montserrat",serif;"> </span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 150%;">police officer empty his gun into the back of yet another
black man, </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 150%;">Jacob Blake.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 150%;">And then,
“</span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 150%;">T'Challa</span>,”
the character Bosman played in “Black Panther,” died.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhBBt5ZzZNISdF-VAc7SKAxkZvPlTRzOM6ywUUcZrbdaDn6L1dqBOiClYoeUpAb5DvVjyxTDWIKuNg8P4RGQ15Ardn1umQa4Z338biU8HjkHFPd4O7SxrZkUaPrLN4JUgSTQ3UkNN-Vafo/s2048/Chadwick+%25234.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: white;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhBBt5ZzZNISdF-VAc7SKAxkZvPlTRzOM6ywUUcZrbdaDn6L1dqBOiClYoeUpAb5DvVjyxTDWIKuNg8P4RGQ15Ardn1umQa4Z338biU8HjkHFPd4O7SxrZkUaPrLN4JUgSTQ3UkNN-Vafo/s640/Chadwick+%25234.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 150%;">It was a crushing blow to an already crushed people,
especially young, black people. For many of them, Boseman represented fierce
black pride, dignity, and the power of unity. His film portrayals of Thurgood Marshall,
Jackie Robinson and James Brown </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 150%;">"brought history to
life" said Martin Luther King III.</span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 150%;">"As Black Panther, he was
also a superhero to many,” King added. “And despite his 4 year-long battle with
cancer, he kept fighting and he kept inspiring."</span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE8Mlvd7eCX6fKC5fRHHABUp1ozVS5UJybcKvBnfzykO0qLdcYiElZb_YgJxTY8DjsHmrlKtSJ4BWjg4zrpf49JmMwh7h6juowylrWbTYnQRBLUvXk4VI8-WTVxMNk88O-J1GOT65T7LP8/s300/Chadwick+-Black+Panther.jpg" style="background-color: black; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="300" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE8Mlvd7eCX6fKC5fRHHABUp1ozVS5UJybcKvBnfzykO0qLdcYiElZb_YgJxTY8DjsHmrlKtSJ4BWjg4zrpf49JmMwh7h6juowylrWbTYnQRBLUvXk4VI8-WTVxMNk88O-J1GOT65T7LP8/w469-h263/Chadwick+-Black+Panther.jpg" width="469" /></a></span></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 150%;">On Instagram, </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 150%;">the NAACP also paid tribute,
saying that Boseman showed us “how to 'Say it Loud’” and “how to walk as a
King, without losing the common touch” and he showed “us just how powerful we
are."<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 150%;">Some might say it’s inappropriate
to associate the death of a beloved actor with the RNC and Trump’s political
chicaneries. I respectfully disagree. </span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 150%;">Through his movie roles and public speeches, he
was a living affirmation that “black lives matter,” that being “young, gifted
and black” was a needed recipe in the ongoing fight for justice, dignity and
equity. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD4-xDxdONJdEU0bxMh32iLZnPZovStYOfxM6fXJjfs2gEjO9dYj8CUs9ycBJi_5smK99sKhKWc_yiMjIpedOonf75uPuoGrTpHgtWO1deI2yhUvvustS0b9eQIy9SXdpdwkaJkkKSkA_x/s800/Chadwick+at+Howard.jpg" style="background-color: black; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD4-xDxdONJdEU0bxMh32iLZnPZovStYOfxM6fXJjfs2gEjO9dYj8CUs9ycBJi_5smK99sKhKWc_yiMjIpedOonf75uPuoGrTpHgtWO1deI2yhUvvustS0b9eQIy9SXdpdwkaJkkKSkA_x/s640/Chadwick+at+Howard.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 150%;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;">I recognize the power of
symbolism and, for me, Boseman symbolized “hope.” In 2018, while giving the
commencement speech at Howard University, his alma mater, Boseman told the
throng of young graduates that "the struggles along the way are only meant
to shape you for your purpose."<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 150%;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: x-large;"><b>I recognize the power of symbolism and, for me, Boseman symbolized “hope.</b>”</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 150%;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;">I maintain that the tragedy of Trump
and all the related struggles are shaping us, preparing us for something bigger
than ourselves.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 150%;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;">Back in June, I wrote a
commentary titled: “<a href="https://sylvesterbrownjr.blogspot.com/2020/06/the-gift-of-covid-19.html">The
Gift of COVID</a>”: <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;"><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 150%;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;">“Yes, the pandemic has
unleashed great pain, heartbreak, death, and disaster amongst us,” I wrote. “But
it has also given us new perspective, a new outlook and, hopefully, a new way
to explore our inherent commonalities.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 150%;">The eternal optimist
in me believed those words. I believed </span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 150%;">that
we have new opportunities under a new sense of awareness and empathy, that we
could collectively steer this country back to decency and some sense of normalcy.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: black; font-size: large;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 150%;">But
then, Chadwick died. </span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: black; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 150%;"> </span><span face="" style="color: black; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p></p><div class="jd jr ap by jf b jg jh js ji jj jt jk jl ju jm jn jv jo jp jw jq fr" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="dc84" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin-bottom: -0.46em; margin-top: 2em;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "times new roman"; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><div style="color: black; text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; line-height: 24px;"><span style="background-color: black; color: purple; font-size: large;">************************</span></span></div></div><div style="color: black; text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; line-height: 24px;"><span style="background-color: black; color: blue; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSXD7ycn-8AuZboyA25gWQ5ScNxHzKzl2q83OWpdCZO23JjQ5O9ADR2OaRWp87Cpxt1GU2x5kWvepgKmsQ7Bleh_mDlY0uS4LQgmj51pT7hQTzFNrHNG_th-IvXr1ONmwy8SsgHpOR5h0B/s1600/Cover+%25233.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="background-color: black;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSXD7ycn-8AuZboyA25gWQ5ScNxHzKzl2q83OWpdCZO23JjQ5O9ADR2OaRWp87Cpxt1GU2x5kWvepgKmsQ7Bleh_mDlY0uS4LQgmj51pT7hQTzFNrHNG_th-IvXr1ONmwy8SsgHpOR5h0B/s200/Cover+%25233.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="132" /></span></a></div></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 24px;"></span></span><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em" style="font-family: "open sans", helvetica, arial, verdana, sans-serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0px;">Sylvester Brown, Jr. is a former columnist for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the 2020 Deaconess Fellow with the St. Louis American,</em></span></span><span face="" style="font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; text-indent: 0px;"> </span><em class="markup--em markup--p-em" style="font-family: "open sans", helvetica, arial, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0px;">founder of the Sweet Potato Project, and author of </em><em class="markup--em markup--p-em" style="font-family: "open sans", helvetica, arial, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0px;"><a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/1794669272?fbclid=IwAR0-cpH0mKKWQh4Gr_VMqiQaZmamZM-ikxDw1ZbCwu0LiLrt-TxtAMVVfaA" href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/1794669272?fbclid=IwAR0-cpH0mKKWQh4Gr_VMqiQaZmamZM-ikxDw1ZbCwu0LiLrt-TxtAMVVfaA" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" target="_blank">“When We Listen: Recognizing the Potential of Urban Youth.”</a></em></span></div><div style="color: black; margin: 0px;"><div><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; line-height: 24px;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #4c1130; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div></div></div></div></div></div><p><br /></p><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;"></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">{a href="http://PERMALINK_URL.com" rel="bookmark"}POST_TITLE{/a}
where { } are < ></div>http://sylvesterbrownjr.blogspot.com/http://www.blogger.com/profile/05844535952864244272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9076983037963344622.post-45877274538093511272020-06-11T12:30:00.001-05:002021-01-09T10:33:48.998-06:00Message to Black Trumpsters: Now is Your Time!<br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">By Sylvester
Brown, Jr.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7ntX5cAztjhPD3vhQSm1mrmD7VRPrmus5M5ol_kZXmGZXNVRZOuylIvcZtEirJ00jvemvQEfZvkbzgQ2KkAJWG4-Fj_kou6xkgOxq7TmCcSp0kJ0pLA_mPv52i16-RFdWS0yEtgjfIC7w/s1600/Black+Trumpsters+%25231.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="165" data-original-width="305" height="345" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7ntX5cAztjhPD3vhQSm1mrmD7VRPrmus5M5ol_kZXmGZXNVRZOuylIvcZtEirJ00jvemvQEfZvkbzgQ2KkAJWG4-Fj_kou6xkgOxq7TmCcSp0kJ0pLA_mPv52i16-RFdWS0yEtgjfIC7w/s640/Black+Trumpsters+%25231.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>I</b></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> am, by no stretch of the
imagination, a loyal Democratic supporter. My ideology leans left but I have
been a constant critic of how the party takes blacks for granted. My major complaint,
however, isn’t against the party, it’s aimed at black leaders who don’t do the
hard work of drafting an agenda or demanding that their party adopt and enforce
it.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 150%;">I level the same charge at black republicans
and more directly at black Trump supporters. I respect black republicans like
former </span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 150%;">National
Security Advisor</span>,<span style="line-height: 150%;"> Colin Powell and former RNC chairman, </span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 150%;">Michael
Steele. It’s the cadre of clowns like Candace Owens, Rev. Darrell C. Scott</span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 150%;"> </span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 150%;">and </span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 150%;">vloggers “Diamond and Silk” that get on my very
last nerve. </span><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They rant on and on about how the Democratic
party has destroyed the black community but never, ever outline how the Republican
party is a better alternative.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg55CNhoYKgzhz-7TPjP72dga8Az7YRULILMs49dBUajJr7vgAdxPDuupITGzSmFsZzXXbpr5IeVFDy-YGMeBt60TDorMy9y9LPjyKmTCriDRcG4CEGh9EweFpD1rkCnSeV4GfI8xfNBbWT/s1600/Candace+Owens.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><img border="0" data-original-height="446" data-original-width="794" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg55CNhoYKgzhz-7TPjP72dga8Az7YRULILMs49dBUajJr7vgAdxPDuupITGzSmFsZzXXbpr5IeVFDy-YGMeBt60TDorMy9y9LPjyKmTCriDRcG4CEGh9EweFpD1rkCnSeV4GfI8xfNBbWT/s640/Candace+Owens.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">Candace Owens</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 150%;">These
opportunistic buffoons seem oh-so-happy just to be in the White House, receive
Trump’s praise, or to get their faces on news programs. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They claim that Trump, who inherited a
rebounding economy from Obama has been the best president ever for black
people. Never mind that Trump’s </span><span style="line-height: 150%;">biggest economic accomplishment-the fat tax
cut he gave to the rich, white, and privileged-did very little for the average black
person and, really, exploded the deficit.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">So,
here’s my message to the Black Trumpsters: <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">“Now
is your time. Do something!”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Black people are not stupid, monolithic, or naïve.
<a href="https://www.factcheck.org/2008/04/blacks-and-the-democratic-party/">Factcheck.org</a>
gives a good chronological breakdown of black voting patterns from the Civil
War up to and beyond the early 20<sup>th</sup> Century. Summarizing; blacks have voted
for the party that they think serves their best interests-period/dot. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 150%;">In the late 1800s, blacks who could, voted Republican
because it was the party of Abraham Lincoln, the “great emancipator.” Many
aligned their “freedom” with Lincoln’s political party. Before Lincoln, </span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 150%;">blacks who mostly lived in
the South, weren’t allowed to vote at all.</span><span style="line-height: 150%;"> </span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 150%;">The Democratic Party didn’t welcome them. In fact, it wasn’t
until 1924 that blacks were even allowed to attend Democratic conventions.</span><span style="line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: black; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: white; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 150%;">Their loyalties started shifting in 1936,
with the </span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 150%;">election of Franklin D. Roosevelt
who received 71 percent of the black vote and almost as much in his second term.
Why? Because blacks felt Roosevelt’s “New Deal” initiatives, that included </span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 150%;">relief, reform, and
recovery from the Great Depression</span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 150%;"> served
their interests as well as whites.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 150%;">In
1948, Democrat Harry Truman won 77 percent of the black vote in his second
term. Why? Mostly because Truman desegregated the armed services and issued an executive
order mandating regulation against racial bias in federal employment.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: black; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: white; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 150%;">Still,
Republican nominees after Truman managed to get a respectable slice of the
black vote. As Factcheck.org notes, Dwight D. Eisenhower got 39 percent in
1956, and Richard Nixon, who lost to John F. Kennedy in 1960, got 32 percent of
the black vote.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: black; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: white; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 150%;">The wholesale swing to the left happen</span><span style="line-height: 150%;">ed in 1964, </span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 150%;">with the election of Democratic candidate Lyndon B. Johnson. At the time,
blacks were fighting </span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 150%;">to vote, to end racial tyranny (like lynching), to achieve equal
employment and other basic rights. Johnson’s </span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 150%;">Republican opponent, Sen. Barry Goldwater, opposed
his landmark Civil Rights Act which outlawed segregation in public places. In
response, blacks awarded Johnson 94 percent of their vote, a record unmatched
to date for any presidential election.</span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 150%;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 150%;">No
Republican presidential candidate has gotten more than 15 percent of the black
vote since. In 2016, Trump only received about eight percent of their vote.</span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: black; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: white; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUOFABbfV8qWDd3Q9LOql_OYiheSRVjIqTGtPLbBMNSKLgqC1KppWTScy5AsgNpOp5ftA4UCeiJoZ0jqf1wwCsdM1Yz9hG3iV37wYWJmt7bhKj8xWvY3O6MDD1xujotOM_f1_2qfO8KUhU/s1600/Black+Trumpsters+%25232.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><img border="0" data-original-height="190" data-original-width="266" height="456" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUOFABbfV8qWDd3Q9LOql_OYiheSRVjIqTGtPLbBMNSKLgqC1KppWTScy5AsgNpOp5ftA4UCeiJoZ0jqf1wwCsdM1Yz9hG3iV37wYWJmt7bhKj8xWvY3O6MDD1xujotOM_f1_2qfO8KUhU/s640/Black+Trumpsters+%25232.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 48px;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: x-small;">Avid Trump supporters loggers “Diamond and Silk”</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: black; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: white; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 150%;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">These
examples refute the arguments of those like Owens who claim blacks blindly
support democrats at their own detriment. This is foolishness on several
levels.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 150%;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">First,
the major deterrent to black lives, livelihoods and accomplishments is historic, systemized racism.
That’s a white thing not a GOP or Dem thing. Secondly, the record shows that black political loyalty
is based on the belief that democrats will do less harm to them than republicans.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 150%;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 150%;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Cut
the bull, black Trumpsters! This is the real obstacle you face. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you’re serious about securing black votes,
you must abandon the “Democrats Destroyed Back Communities” hyperbole and articulate
a plan that serves their best social, health, educational and economic interests.
What’s more, you must force your party to adopt, publicly promote and legislate
your agenda. Stop giving them a pass!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 150%;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 150%;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">I
feel uneasy offering this advice. Mostly because it’s so easy to do and it
would be a definite gain the GOP. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My loyalties, however, belong to my people,
not to any party.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And this is sage
advice for black democratic leaders, too. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: black; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: white; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 150%;">Yeah,
Joe Biden is pushing his</span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"> </span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 150%;">“</span><span style="line-height: 150%;"><a href="https://joebiden.com/blackamerica/" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;" target="_blank"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Lift Every Voice” </span></span></a><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">plan for African Americans. But I’ve
seen no evidence that his people went out and got input or sign-off from civil
rights groups, reparation scholars, grassroots organizations, young blacks, rappers, entertainers
or nonprofit leaders doing the hard work in black neighborhoods. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The plan seems knee jerky, gimmicky and
conveniently timed to appease black people before a major election.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 150%;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 150%;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Today,
the Trumpsters have the opportunity to say, <i>“Listen, black democrats have
failed to come up with a plan that addresses our concerns. They have failed to
force their party to act. We black republicans, on the other hand, have a plan
and our party is at the ready to implement it across the country.”<o:p></o:p></i></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 150%;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 150%;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Note
the operative word here is “plan.” Black leaders-Left and Right-must do the hard work
of developing and promoting their own collective agenda. We must cease and desist
with begging whites to come up with “a plan” for us. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: black; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: white; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 150%;">Personally,
I think it’s too late for any overwhelming black Trump support. </span><span style="line-height: 150%;">In a recent CNN poll, 79% of black respondents said the federal
government had done a “bad job” in its attempt to contain the coronavirus pandemic.
Unfortunately, blacks who are disproportionately impacted by the virus, can now
answer Trump’s 2016 question, “What do you have to lose?” with a resounding: “Our
very lives!”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Right now, many black voters consider Trump
to be an unqualified, ill-informed, unreliable, and racially divisive leader.
Black Trumpers will have one helluva job reversing that sentiment before November
with simplistic oratory.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Perhaps my message is for the
post-Trump era. Covid 19 and the senseless police killings of unarmed black
people have left African Americans traumatized, economically weary and
emotionally spent. So, Black Trump supporters, if you want to be a serious
contingent in wooing blacks back to the GOP, now is your time. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Forget Trump. You have the chance to
come up with a new “New Deal” that assures black folk that maybe, just maybe,
your party takes their interests seriously. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A new pro-active, informed approach might give
you legitimacy beyond 2020. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Therefore, I advise you to cleanse yourselves
of the coonery, buffoonery and lunacy typified by Owens and other loud-mouth
opportunists. Let history guide you,
stop pandering to the whims of racists and do something powerful for your
people. </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; line-height: 24px;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSXD7ycn-8AuZboyA25gWQ5ScNxHzKzl2q83OWpdCZO23JjQ5O9ADR2OaRWp87Cpxt1GU2x5kWvepgKmsQ7Bleh_mDlY0uS4LQgmj51pT7hQTzFNrHNG_th-IvXr1ONmwy8SsgHpOR5h0B/s1600/Cover+%25233.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSXD7ycn-8AuZboyA25gWQ5ScNxHzKzl2q83OWpdCZO23JjQ5O9ADR2OaRWp87Cpxt1GU2x5kWvepgKmsQ7Bleh_mDlY0uS4LQgmj51pT7hQTzFNrHNG_th-IvXr1ONmwy8SsgHpOR5h0B/s200/Cover+%25233.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="132" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 24px;"></span><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em" style="font-family: "open sans", helvetica, arial, verdana, sans-serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0px;">Sylvester Brown, Jr. is a former columnist for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, founder of the Sweet Potato Project, an entrepreneurial program for urban youth and author of </em><em class="markup--em markup--p-em" style="font-family: "open sans", helvetica, arial, verdana, sans-serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0px;"><a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/1794669272?fbclid=IwAR0-cpH0mKKWQh4Gr_VMqiQaZmamZM-ikxDw1ZbCwu0LiLrt-TxtAMVVfaA" href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/1794669272?fbclid=IwAR0-cpH0mKKWQh4Gr_VMqiQaZmamZM-ikxDw1ZbCwu0LiLrt-TxtAMVVfaA" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" target="_blank">“When We Listen: Recognizing the Potential of Urban Youth.”</a></em></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; line-height: 24px;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div>
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where { } are < ></div>http://sylvesterbrownjr.blogspot.com/http://www.blogger.com/profile/05844535952864244272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9076983037963344622.post-26554876020953852482020-06-09T12:40:00.002-05:002021-01-09T10:34:18.605-06:00The Gift of Covid 19<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixh5BJNwYCYDkGmkqB4xf7yODi8OUX17d1dLsRSCR_1Z-P5Bcale3GQzyvMVQeL1NSnOqcUTePsTKtI6WJZkZcVVnc0GXnNp4A1cNkxFjvd5l_dyFGKt1eaXT3NszLB2fxDUGtHnucrboy/s1600/I+Can%2527t+Breathe+2020+Photo.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="365" data-original-width="648" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixh5BJNwYCYDkGmkqB4xf7yODi8OUX17d1dLsRSCR_1Z-P5Bcale3GQzyvMVQeL1NSnOqcUTePsTKtI6WJZkZcVVnc0GXnNp4A1cNkxFjvd5l_dyFGKt1eaXT3NszLB2fxDUGtHnucrboy/s640/I+Can%2527t+Breathe+2020+Photo.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: x-large;">“It’s. Just. Too. Much!”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; line-height: 150%;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; line-height: 150%;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;">Those words dominated my mind
ever since the coronavirus struck America. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; line-height: 150%;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; line-height: 150%;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;">Suddenly, death was in the air,
thousands were dying (blacks disproportionately), businesses and schools were
forced to close, people were ordered to stay home, the economy tanked, a psychopathic,
unqualified president was on TV every day lying, denying and giving bizarre,
dangerous medical advice. Then, we watched live, via video, a black man shot
and killed by a white father and son while jogging and another black man dying
with a cop’s knee on his neck while crying out for his mother.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; line-height: 150%;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; line-height: 150%;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;">It was all just too much. Too much
to take, too much to understand, too much to reconcile…too much to breath. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: large; text-indent: 0.5in;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: large; text-indent: 0.5in;">It was (and perhaps still is) an apocalyptic
period straight out of the Book of Revelations or any end-of-the-world cinematic narrative.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; line-height: 150%;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; line-height: 150%;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;">And then, the unexpected: The
killing of George Floyd was universally condemned by politicians, policemen, the
public at large and even some FOX News commentators. White people started
kneeling and showing up en masse to protest the unwarranted murder of unarmed
black people. Most didn’t allow “rioting” to be a convenient excuse to condemn all
protesters, deter their participation or remain stagnant and silent about racial
injustice.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: large; text-indent: 0.5in;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="color: white; font-size: x-large;"><b style="background-color: black;">It was an apocalyptic period straight out of the Book of Revelations or any end-of-the-world cinematic narrative.</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="color: white; font-size: x-large;"><b style="background-color: black;"><br /></b></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhgBTy9wek5q8UiKoPiL5_txvu3faN9Rz38IxiUWpHlaDV8vZWnWgnqcmhBnePYFojnoyFnWafstb22MNYcrx4YlD8sW69dNhB5buh9dghmuG0-TKVL_SCiFKVB62FNwBYiGn4zU9U0RB6/s1600/Cops+with+Protester.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhgBTy9wek5q8UiKoPiL5_txvu3faN9Rz38IxiUWpHlaDV8vZWnWgnqcmhBnePYFojnoyFnWafstb22MNYcrx4YlD8sW69dNhB5buh9dghmuG0-TKVL_SCiFKVB62FNwBYiGn4zU9U0RB6/s640/Cops+with+Protester.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="color: white; font-size: x-large;"><b style="background-color: black;"><br /></b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; line-height: 150%;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; line-height: 150%;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;">Something changed in 2020 America
and, now, dare I say, I recognize the upside of a worldwide pandemic. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Covid 19 cut across all the bullshit lines of racism,
capitalism, and exceptionalism. Suddenly, everyone was vulnerable. Money
or status had no sway over an indiscriminate, deadly virus. Mass unemployment cast
the comfortable and secure into the same lot as those dependent on government sustenance. Lives were lost due to a president’s hesitancy and
inability to respond accordingly. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; line-height: 150%;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; line-height: 150%;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;">Covid 19, with all its death and
destruction, served as the great social, political and economic equalizer. Because
of the pandemic, priorities changed. People measured their time on this planet,
their lives and those of their loved ones through a new prism of survival. Many analyzed their
values, principles, and political loyalties and some realized they may have
been out of line with humanity.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; line-height: 150%;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; line-height: 150%;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;">I wonder if Covid
19 was too much or just enough to wake up a country steeped in comfortable,
collective slumber. The strict, religious upbringing of my youth is still
carved into my DNA. Therefore, I wonder if the universe, in its omnipotent
wisdom, sent us a life-altering warning. I’m psychologically programmed to believe
that all the sickness, death, brutality and chaos is really a <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">celestial warning to
get our collective houses in order.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: "georgia" , serif; line-height: 150%;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: "georgia" , serif; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: white; font-size: x-large;"><b style="background-color: black;">I wonder if Covid 19 was too much or just enough to wake up a country steeped in comfortable, collective slumber. </b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: "georgia" , serif; line-height: 150%;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: "georgia" , serif; line-height: 150%;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;">So, the question is: Where do we go from here? Do we return
to divisive partisan politics? Will we continue to support a president who’s
proven that he’s dangerous, incompetent and solely dedicated to his reelection?
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do we, as black people, finally start the
process of reclaiming our communities, lives, the well-being and
futures of our children? Or, will we continue to beg or softly demand that politicians come up with our survival plan?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: "georgia" , serif; line-height: 150%;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: "georgia" , serif; line-height: 150%;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;">For what it’s worth, Covid 19 has provided a new slate, a new
platform for constructive dialogue and immediate social reform. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It exposed the dangers and fallacies behind
white privilege, the “Blue Wall of Silence,” the “trickle down economics” theory and
presidential immunity.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: "georgia" , serif; line-height: 150%;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: "georgia" , serif; line-height: 150%;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;">Will we finally hold our president accountable for his deeds
and misdeeds? Will “justice” have meaning no matter how much money or power one
has? Will we repair a drastically broken health care system where skin color or
the lack of health insurance determines life or death? Will we dismantle a centuries-long
system that has codified and enabled men with badges to wrongly kill without reprisal?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Will black
lives finally matter?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: "georgia" , serif; line-height: 150%;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCrs5710iJGMZOO6fP64koplw6vRcwpwriPI_ymeq0k3M4_ZhbJ_i7BBnmDAiyp0_-RNTPQY8nnmI28m3prsVbI4VKSLMjyqmV6HsbSNMUaVtI1qEzLjuPpXQMKXXPM1-xoqgyMNksivB5/s1600/Trump+with+Bible.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><img border="0" data-original-height="288" data-original-width="512" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCrs5710iJGMZOO6fP64koplw6vRcwpwriPI_ymeq0k3M4_ZhbJ_i7BBnmDAiyp0_-RNTPQY8nnmI28m3prsVbI4VKSLMjyqmV6HsbSNMUaVtI1qEzLjuPpXQMKXXPM1-xoqgyMNksivB5/s640/Trump+with+Bible.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: "georgia" , serif; line-height: 150%;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: "georgia" , serif; line-height: 150%;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: "georgia" , serif; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: white; font-size: x-large;"><b style="background-color: black;">Covid 19 has provided a new slate, a new platform for constructive dialogue and immediate social reform. </b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: "georgia" , serif; line-height: 150%;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: "georgia" , serif; line-height: 150%;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;">The mood, the sentiment, the moment, the momentum to tackle
these issues seems to be before us. My
cynical side cautions me, though. Although some police have spoken out against
brutality, others are still wilding amid protesters. I am also aware of the unlimited
and invincible power of racism and ignorance. With someone in the White House proficient
and ready to use fear and propaganda to divide and conquer, we Americans can easily
revert to our divisive baser instincts.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><br />
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: "georgia" , serif; line-height: 150%;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: "georgia" , serif; line-height: 150%;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;">Yet, the optimist inside tells me it’s a new day. I want to
believe we have new opportunities under a new sense of awareness and empathy. I want to believe we can steer this country back on the road to some form of normalcy.
<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: "georgia" , serif; line-height: 150%;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: black; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: white; font-family: "georgia" , serif; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Yes, the pandemic has unleashed great pain, heartbreak, death,
and disaster amongst us. But it has also given us new perspective, a new outlook and, hopefully, a new
way to explore our inherent commonalities.</span><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: "georgia" , serif; line-height: 150%;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: "georgia" , serif; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-size: large;">This, I believe, is the gift of Covid 19.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: "georgia" , serif; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; line-height: 24px;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSXD7ycn-8AuZboyA25gWQ5ScNxHzKzl2q83OWpdCZO23JjQ5O9ADR2OaRWp87Cpxt1GU2x5kWvepgKmsQ7Bleh_mDlY0uS4LQgmj51pT7hQTzFNrHNG_th-IvXr1ONmwy8SsgHpOR5h0B/s1600/Cover+%25233.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSXD7ycn-8AuZboyA25gWQ5ScNxHzKzl2q83OWpdCZO23JjQ5O9ADR2OaRWp87Cpxt1GU2x5kWvepgKmsQ7Bleh_mDlY0uS4LQgmj51pT7hQTzFNrHNG_th-IvXr1ONmwy8SsgHpOR5h0B/s200/Cover+%25233.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="132" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 24px;"></span><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em" style="font-family: "open sans", helvetica, arial, verdana, sans-serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0px;">Sylvester Brown, Jr. is a former columnist for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, founder of the Sweet Potato Project, an entrepreneurial program for urban youth and author of </em><em class="markup--em markup--p-em" style="font-family: "open sans", helvetica, arial, verdana, sans-serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0px;"><a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/1794669272?fbclid=IwAR0-cpH0mKKWQh4Gr_VMqiQaZmamZM-ikxDw1ZbCwu0LiLrt-TxtAMVVfaA" href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/1794669272?fbclid=IwAR0-cpH0mKKWQh4Gr_VMqiQaZmamZM-ikxDw1ZbCwu0LiLrt-TxtAMVVfaA" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" target="_blank">“When We Listen: Recognizing the Potential of Urban Youth.”</a></em></span></span><br />
</span><div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; line-height: 24px;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div>
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where { } are < ></div>http://sylvesterbrownjr.blogspot.com/http://www.blogger.com/profile/05844535952864244272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9076983037963344622.post-4057788088919522652020-06-05T20:46:00.003-05:002021-01-09T10:36:01.639-06:00a MAN was killed yesterday<span style="background-color: black; color: white;">Originally posted on <a href="https://medium.com/@sylverbrow/a-man-was-killed-yesterday-62c4072821a2" target="_blank">Daily Medium</a> on May 27, 2220<br />
by Sylvester Brown, Jr.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUY3G5f_rA8K0st8zCqnpRC9HH0S_E5BhtIru4jtQ5Ffb68ZxovvpJSiJDMR1nosJZpF9Dy0JDRu15qD8BZlRtV-qQwLYoJTcPwXPefiRrzji3rGmUEPvxT39cLuXTXcZam4G2ZeXgmsdw/s1600/A+Man+was+Lynched+Today.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="472" data-original-width="700" height="430" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUY3G5f_rA8K0st8zCqnpRC9HH0S_E5BhtIru4jtQ5Ffb68ZxovvpJSiJDMR1nosJZpF9Dy0JDRu15qD8BZlRtV-qQwLYoJTcPwXPefiRrzji3rGmUEPvxT39cLuXTXcZam4G2ZeXgmsdw/s640/A+Man+was+Lynched+Today.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>O</b></span><span style="font-family: , "georgia" , "cambria" , "times new roman" , "times" , serif; font-size: 21px;">ne of my Facebook “friends” posted a photo, captured sometime between 1920 and 1938. It was a picture of a flag that hung in New York City from a high-rise building which housed the headquarters of the NAACP. The banner simply stated, “A man was lynched yesterday.”</span></span></div>
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The person who posted the photo made no comment. For me, words were unnecessary. I get it. A man, a black man, by the name of <a class="cu dw kr ks kt ku" href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/minneapolis-police-george-floyd-died-officer-kneeling-neck-arrest/" rel="noopener nofollow" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; background-image: url("data:image/svg+xml; background-position: 0px calc(1em + 1px); background-repeat: repeat-x; background-size: 1px 1px; box-sizing: inherit; http: //www.w3.org/2000/svg\"><line x1=\"0\" y1=\"0\" x2=\"1\" y2=\"1\" stroke=\"rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.84)\" /></svg>"); text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">George Floyd</a>, 46, was killed a couple days ago by Minneapolis police. The murder was captured on video.</span></div>
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For me, the connection between the NAACP photo and the video of Floyd’s murder was immediate. The flag that flapped high above hustling, bustling Fifth Avenue, emphasized the continuous torture and murder of black people. It was a steady, 18-year reminder that, as life went on, a man, a human being, was murdered in America.</span></div>
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After seeing the video a day after Floyd’s death, I thought, “I just watched police callously, coldly, unemotionally kill a man.” </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span style="letter-spacing: -0.003em;">What struck me most was the look on the face of the killer, whom the</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.003em;"> </span><a class="cu dw kr ks kt ku" href="https://www.startribune.com/what-we-know-about-derek-chauvin-and-tou-thao-two-of-the-officers-caught-on-tape-in-the-death-of-george-floyd/570777632/" rel="noopener nofollow" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; background-image: url("data:image/svg+xml; background-position: 0px calc(1em + 1px); background-repeat: repeat-x; background-size: 1px 1px; box-sizing: inherit; http: //www.w3.org/2000/svg\"><line x1=\"0\" y1=\"0\" x2=\"1\" y2=\"1\" stroke=\"rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.84)\" /></svg>"); letter-spacing: -0.003em; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><em class="kv" style="box-sizing: inherit;">Minneapolis Star Tribune</em> identified as Officer Derek Chauvin</a><span style="letter-spacing: -0.003em;">. This officer placed his full weight (which had to be at least 200 pounds) on the neck of a restrained man whose face was scrunched in the concrete pavement.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjayQ0RIWICYQiDZSfRRohfSCfIyT9jNPirn8EEuo_q1bg0LhEA0KpL16dI3ql0T1bbNVa5kiCkH-5PqhuQhZONdq_b0OGracx7d8sXSuMwUpP4cXrXD8nCoSWkrvscNUKVhp155DIJ50h2/s1600/Minneapolis+police+killing+%25231.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><img border="0" data-original-height="896" data-original-width="640" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjayQ0RIWICYQiDZSfRRohfSCfIyT9jNPirn8EEuo_q1bg0LhEA0KpL16dI3ql0T1bbNVa5kiCkH-5PqhuQhZONdq_b0OGracx7d8sXSuMwUpP4cXrXD8nCoSWkrvscNUKVhp155DIJ50h2/s400/Minneapolis+police+killing+%25231.jpg" width="285" /></span></a></div><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">
<span style="font-family: , "georgia" , "cambria" , "times new roman" , "times" , serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; text-align: center;">For at least 8 minutes, the officer, with hand in his pocket, stared wordlessly, defiantly at a group of onlookers pleading with him to get off the man’s neck; to understand the man was dying; to at least check his vital signs.</span><br />
</span><div class="jd jr ap by jf b jg jh js ji jj jt jk jl ju jm jn jv jo jp jw jq fr" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="b752" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin-bottom: -0.46em; margin-top: 2em; word-break: break-word;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">
The officer stoically ignored Floyd’s plea: <em class="kv" style="box-sizing: inherit;">“My stomach hurts. My neck hurts. Everything hurts. … (I need) water or something. Please. Please. I can’t breathe, officer. I cannot breathe. I cannot breathe.”</em></span></div>
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As Floyd moaned in agony, calling out to his “Mama” and eventually stopped breathing, the officer, nonplused, showed no sympathy, no anger, no remorse-nothing.</span></div>
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<span class="bk" style="background-color: black; box-sizing: inherit; color: white; font-weight: inherit;">As Floyd moaned in agony, calling out to his “Mama” and eventually stopped breathing, the officer, nonplused, showed no sympathy, no anger, no remorse-nothing.</span></h1>
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<span class="bk" style="background-color: black; box-sizing: inherit; color: white; font-weight: inherit;">The inhumanity was exacerbated by the other cops who held Floyd down with Chauvin perched on his neck. Not one of them told their colleague his deadly actions were unwarranted. Another officer, Tou Thao, mostly stood with his back to Chauvin, focusing more on confronting onlookers than the murder occurring behind his back. When paramedics arrived, I didn’t see one check Floyd’s vital signs or attempt resuscitation. They simply loaded his prone, unconscious body on a stretcher like a slab of dead meat.</span></div>
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<span class="bk" style="background-color: black; box-sizing: inherit; color: white; font-weight: inherit;">No, Floyd wasn’t lynched. He was callously, coldly and cruelly murdered in broad daylight on a hustling, bustling metropolitan street. Yes, the officers involved have been fired. Yes, Minneapolis Police Chief, Medaria Arradondo, and the city’s Mayor Jacob Frey have denounced the actions of the dismissed cops. Yes, there is national outrage and protests.</span></div>
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<span class="bk" style="background-color: black; box-sizing: inherit; color: white; font-weight: inherit;">But still, life goes on.</span></div>
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</span><div class="jd jr ap by jf b jg jh js ji jj jt jk jl ju jm jn jv jo jp jw jq fr" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="8793" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin-bottom: -0.46em; margin-top: 2em; word-break: break-word;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">
I suppose being stunned by one death during a pandemic that’s closing in on 100,000 deaths, may be a sign of misplaced priorities. Yet, for black people, especially, it’s just another layer of trauma during a traumatic time. As we grapple with the disproportionate number of black deaths from Covid 19, black lives are continuously, unceremoniously snuffed out because of their skin color.</span></div>
<div class="jd jr ap by jf b jg jh js ji jj jt jk jl ju jm jn jv jo jp jw jq fr" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="b5d4" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin-bottom: -0.46em; margin-top: 2em; word-break: break-word;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">
As we grieve the deaths of loved ones from the virus, we also have to reconcile the nonsensical deaths of others like <a class="cu dw kr ks kt ku" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Breonna_Taylor" rel="noopener nofollow" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; background-image: url("data:image/svg+xml; background-position: 0px calc(1em + 1px); background-repeat: repeat-x; background-size: 1px 1px; box-sizing: inherit; http: //www.w3.org/2000/svg\"><line x1=\"0\" y1=\"0\" x2=\"1\" y2=\"1\" stroke=\"rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.84)\" /></svg>"); text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Breonna Taylor</a>, the 26-year-old black emergency-room technician who was sleeping in her Louisville, Kentucky apartment on March 13th when plainclothes police arrived with guns ablaze, killing Taylor in the wee hours of the morning.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAHxCGMcvFcuBK8rTZLzh9K34Nhdo4UgQOEN_AGctFG19GB8_wa-_qRhsnFA4h_mTUuF3oV0hEVUQ6Pv6eLd18wcwwdZ-ed0JkrT1PXqCbIoaRCBoPMzgzjlQiEf2tDtSsatrADqjGfYcx/s1600/Breonna+Taylor.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAHxCGMcvFcuBK8rTZLzh9K34Nhdo4UgQOEN_AGctFG19GB8_wa-_qRhsnFA4h_mTUuF3oV0hEVUQ6Pv6eLd18wcwwdZ-ed0JkrT1PXqCbIoaRCBoPMzgzjlQiEf2tDtSsatrADqjGfYcx/s400/Breonna+Taylor.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; background-image: url("data:image/svg+xml; background-position: 0px calc(1em + 1px); background-repeat: repeat-x; background-size: 1px 1px; box-sizing: inherit; font-size: xx-small; http: //www.w3.org/2000/svg\"><line x1=\"0\" y1=\"0\" x2=\"1\" y2=\"1\" stroke=\"rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.84)\" /></svg>"); letter-spacing: -0.063px; text-align: start; text-decoration-line: none;"><a class="cu dw kr ks kt ku" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Breonna_Taylor" rel="noopener nofollow" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; background-image: url("data:image/svg+xml; background-position: 0px calc(1em + 1px); background-repeat: repeat-x; background-size: 1px 1px; box-sizing: inherit; http: //www.w3.org/2000/svg\"><line x1=\"0\" y1=\"0\" x2=\"1\" y2=\"1\" stroke=\"rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.84)\" /></svg>"); letter-spacing: -0.063px; text-align: start; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Breonna Taylor</a></span><br />
</span><div class="jd jr ap by jf b jg jh js ji jj jt jk jl ju jm jn jv jo jp jw jq fr" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="1855" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin-bottom: -0.46em; margin-top: 2em; word-break: break-word;">
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; background-color: black; background-image: url("data:image/svg+xml; background-position: 0px calc(1em + 1px); background-repeat: repeat-x; background-size: 1px 1px; box-sizing: inherit; color: white; font-size: xx-small; http: //www.w3.org/2000/svg\"><line x1=\"0\" y1=\"0\" x2=\"1\" y2=\"1\" stroke=\"rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.84)\" /></svg>"); letter-spacing: -0.063px; text-align: start; text-decoration-line: none;">“Breathing” is a luxury for parents who don’t have to worry about their kids jogging in neighborhoods like the one in Glynn County, GA where <a class="cu dw kr ks kt ku" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shooting_of_Ahmaud_Arbery" rel="noopener nofollow" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; background-image: url("data:image/svg+xml; background-position: 0px calc(1em + 1px); background-repeat: repeat-x; background-size: 1px 1px; box-sizing: inherit; http: //www.w3.org/2000/svg\"><line x1=\"0\" y1=\"0\" x2=\"1\" y2=\"1\" stroke=\"rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.84)\" /></svg>"); text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Ahmaud Arbery</a>, 26, was gunned down on February 23, by a white father and son.</span></div>
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</span><div class="jd jr ap by jf b jg jh js ji jj jt jk jl ju jm jn jv jo jp jw jq fr" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="dc12" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: medium-content-serif-font, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin-bottom: -0.46em; margin-top: 2em; word-break: break-word;">
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; background-color: black; background-image: url("data:image/svg+xml; background-position: 0px calc(1em + 1px); background-repeat: repeat-x; background-size: 1px 1px; box-sizing: inherit; color: white; font-size: xx-small; http: //www.w3.org/2000/svg\"><line x1=\"0\" y1=\"0\" x2=\"1\" y2=\"1\" stroke=\"rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.84)\" /></svg>"); letter-spacing: -0.063px; text-align: start; text-decoration-line: none;">Although whites fear that their husbands, wives or children may contract the coronavirus, they need <em class="kv" style="box-sizing: inherit;">not</em> worry that their skin color will get them harassed or killed by police. This was the case in May when David Stewart, an Oklahoma City homeowner’s association member called the police on <a class="cu dw kr ks kt ku" href="https://www.insider.com/black-deliveryman-held-oklahoma-city-neighborhood-hoa-president-2020-5" rel="noopener nofollow" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; background-image: url("data:image/svg+xml; background-position: 0px calc(1em + 1px); background-repeat: repeat-x; background-size: 1px 1px; box-sizing: inherit; http: //www.w3.org/2000/svg\"><line x1=\"0\" y1=\"0\" x2=\"1\" y2=\"1\" stroke=\"rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.84)\" /></svg>"); text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Travis Miller</a>, a black delivery driver, who was simply doing his job.</span></div>
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; background-color: black; background-image: url("data:image/svg+xml; background-position: 0px calc(1em + 1px); background-repeat: repeat-x; background-size: 1px 1px; box-sizing: inherit; color: white; font-size: xx-small; http: //www.w3.org/2000/svg\"><line x1=\"0\" y1=\"0\" x2=\"1\" y2=\"1\" stroke=\"rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.84)\" /></svg>"); letter-spacing: -0.063px; text-align: start; text-decoration-line: none;">Black women, unlike white women like <a class="cu dw kr ks kt ku" href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/05/26/us/central-park-video-dog-video-african-american-trnd/index.html" rel="noopener nofollow" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; background-image: url("data:image/svg+xml; background-position: 0px calc(1em + 1px); background-repeat: repeat-x; background-size: 1px 1px; box-sizing: inherit; http: //www.w3.org/2000/svg\"><line x1=\"0\" y1=\"0\" x2=\"1\" y2=\"1\" stroke=\"rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.84)\" /></svg>"); text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Amy Cooper</a>, don’t have the luxury of calling 911 to claim “an African American man” had threatened her life when, in actuality, the man only inconvenienced her. Christian Cooper (no relation), an avid bird watcher, only asked the woman to restrain her dog in Central Park. And, because of this, Cooper felt justified in putting Christian’s life in jeopardy.</span></div>
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I’m so tired of being sick and tired of unnecessary black death by the hands of police. During this critical time, why can’t I share the worry and grief of those who don’t look like me without the extra burden of dealing with race-related murder. Many years ago, the NAACP’s flag highlighted a simple truth: Another human being died needlessly because of his race. It’s heartbreaking that some 80 years later, that reminder is still relevant.</span></div>
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Is it too much to ask for compassion, empathy, and humanity? Why do I, and so many others who share my hue, have to wrestle with a devastating health-related pandemic while simultaneously grieving the age-old epidemic of racism?</span></div>
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At some point, hopefully, these simple words will matter:</span></div>
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“A Man Was Killed Yesterday.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; line-height: 24px;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSXD7ycn-8AuZboyA25gWQ5ScNxHzKzl2q83OWpdCZO23JjQ5O9ADR2OaRWp87Cpxt1GU2x5kWvepgKmsQ7Bleh_mDlY0uS4LQgmj51pT7hQTzFNrHNG_th-IvXr1ONmwy8SsgHpOR5h0B/s1600/Cover+%25233.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSXD7ycn-8AuZboyA25gWQ5ScNxHzKzl2q83OWpdCZO23JjQ5O9ADR2OaRWp87Cpxt1GU2x5kWvepgKmsQ7Bleh_mDlY0uS4LQgmj51pT7hQTzFNrHNG_th-IvXr1ONmwy8SsgHpOR5h0B/s200/Cover+%25233.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="132" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 24px;"></span><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em" style="font-family: "open sans", helvetica, arial, verdana, sans-serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0px;">Sylvester Brown, Jr. is a former columnist for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, founder of the Sweet Potato Project, an entrepreneurial program for urban youth and author of </em><em class="markup--em markup--p-em" style="font-family: "open sans", helvetica, arial, verdana, sans-serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0px;"><a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/1794669272?fbclid=IwAR0-cpH0mKKWQh4Gr_VMqiQaZmamZM-ikxDw1ZbCwu0LiLrt-TxtAMVVfaA" href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/1794669272?fbclid=IwAR0-cpH0mKKWQh4Gr_VMqiQaZmamZM-ikxDw1ZbCwu0LiLrt-TxtAMVVfaA" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" style="font-family: "open sans", helvetica, arial, verdana, sans-serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0px;" target="_blank">“When We Listen: Recognizing the Potential of Urban Youth.”</a></em></span></span><br />
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