Posts Tagged ‘rip’
Thursday, August 14th, 2008
I will sing for the one I love a song about his vineyard: My loved one had a vineyard on a fertile hillside.He dug it up and cleared it of stones and planted it with the choicest vines.He built a watchtower in it and cut out a winepress as well.Then he looked for a crop of good grapes, but it yielded only bad fruit.”Now you dwellers in Jerusalem and men of Judah, judge between me and my vineyard. What more could have been done for my vineyard than I have done for it? When I looked for good grapes, why did it yield only bad?Now I will tell you what I am going to do to my vineyard: I will take away its hedge, and it will be destroyed; I will break down its wall, and it will be trampled. Isaiah 5 : 1-5
Think of the above story as if it were your life. You have put alot of work into your life and at times it does not seem that your life yields success. But that is no reason to destroy your life. Do not ask, what else could you ahve done with your life. Maybe you should let go of some of the gardening practices that you are using. Let go of some of the chains that we have bound ourselves too. Free your mind and start anew!
The rain is pouring, smacking the streets violently while a track from Isaac Hayes album Hot Buttered Soul plays. Feels like a defining moment in ones life, the rain always seems to signify the end of one and the beginning of something else. I was reading Iyanla Vanzant’s Acts of Faith yesterday and she was talking about letting go. Whether you are letting go of a relationship, or relinquishing the psuedo control that you thought you had on your life, the issue is that we may have to let go. But letting go sounds insane, life’s troubles feel like your hanging from a cliff, your whole life depends on the moment you are in right now or so you think.
Who wants to let go, what ever you’re holding onto may feel to you like the bane of your existence. This is the mental build up that we give things, whether they are material or just things we feel like we can not live without. I read once, in order to receive you must strip yourself of all your possessions mentally and still believe that you have or will have again. This was a book dealing with taoism, it had some extremely great lessons. I have not been on my daily grind of writing this week. Check the blog, it’s updated sparingly. Partially it may be because I have no computer but more importantly it’s because I’m letting go. While letting go we do not know what door God will open but we have to have faith that he is about to show off in our lives. We have to have faith that these new beginnings, these new happenings though they may bare a dark moment, or a rainy day; there will be light in the end, a sun that shines upon our faces as we cry tears of joy. Peace and Grace be unto you!
You know, life is bound to be a roller-coaster if you keep looking back. A life that matters is focused on where you’re headed, not where you’ve already been.
Tags: art, bar, be, BET, che, faith, God, good, grace, hip, i l, isaac hayes, jE, jerusalem, joy, k, king, life, light, live, love, men, NY, O, pa, pardon me, peace, race, rain, rap, rape, reading, reason, res, rip, sin, sons, soul, star, streets, success, taoism, the one, the rain, troubles, us, usa, work
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Saturday, August 9th, 2008
The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter till the full light of day. But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know what makes them stumble. Proverbs 4: 18-19
It’s Friday night, just got paid lalala. I can’t remember the rest of the words but I remember hearing that song when I was a little kid, I had no job and I wasn’t going anywhere but I sure could dance in front of the television. I saw something interesting and I just thought I would share it with you. The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter till the full light of day. What happened was I read the second line first, where it spoke about the darkness and a person stumbling but not knowing what made them stumble. It made me think about walking through the house at night and tripping over something, you know when you stump your toe. But I still continue to walk in the darkness because the light hurts my eyes. Even though I know I could slip on something, fall over something, I still walk in the dark because it’s easier to figure my way through the darkness not knowing what is ahead then to turn the light on and for a short second and let the light blind me.
I think life is like that, sometimes we feel better walking in the dark because we are afraid of what the light may expose. Think about it the night represents fun, we all like to have fun and act like we don’t have a care in the world. The night also represents sleep, sleep is so comfortable, and rewarding. In our dreams we can often escape all of life’s troubles, for a few hours a night we are free from our day. Which brings me to the day, the day is where the sun shines, waking you up disrupting your sleep, your comfort. The day is where you work, work, work and work. During the day you can bet that your boss will want something from you, that your friends want something from you, it just seems like you’re doing a lot during the day.
Well Righteousness is hard, it’s work and we can be lazy people. It’s hard to do the right thing sometimes, because most people will do the wrong thing and even when you do right you may be wronged. So what’s the point in that, might as well stay in the dark right. I wish it was that easy, no matter how dark the night is there’s a bright day after that. And during that bright day we have some things to face, like ourselves. Our fears, the triumphs and life we wish to lead. We can’t make our most important decisions in the dark so maybe it’s time we start at least trying to live in the light. Peace and Grace be unto you.
If you are on a road to nowhere, find another road.
Tags: art, be, BET, better, blind, darkness, dreams, fear, friday, full, fun, grace, hear, house, hurt, i can, k, king, life, light, live, NY, O, pa, pardon me, peace, proverbs, race, res, rip, star, the light, triumph, troubles, us, war, wicked, word, words, work, world
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Saturday, August 9th, 2008

Today is the day the Olympic Games begin and though I have strong feelings about China and their inhumane policies I wish to congratulate all of the athletes from every country represented for being the best in their craft. So in honor of the 2008 Olympics here is my main man Marvin Gaye with his beautiful rendition of the United States National Anthem.

Tags: art, be, china, honor, k, man, marvin gaye, O, res, rip, State, united states, youtube
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Friday, August 8th, 2008

These allegations have been hovering around Senator John Edwards for quite some time. I’ll admit, he had me fooled. When I heard the rumors I thought to myself, no way would this man have an extra-marital affair on his wife while she is in such a fragile state. John Edward’s wife Elizabeth has been battling cancer for some time now. His reputation is ruined but that’s not the important issue, he lied to the American Public but that’s the norm for politicians so that’s not the important issue.
The problem here is his wife has to stand by his side, standing up for someone who has embarrassed her in front of the whole world. John Edwards issued a statement saying “You cannot beat me up more than I have already beaten up myself. I have been stripped bare and will now work with everything I have to help my family and others who need my help,”. I mean even after the man has been caught red handed, he tries to moralize on the public as if he is not the ione who lied, cheated and created this trouble.
Once again I just feel sorry for the wife, she is the victim here. And the story gets even weirder. The woman with whom he cheated has a child who is said to be fathered by another married man who was a former aide to Edwards as well. These women who have these affairs with these married men, who somehow decide to have a conscience like to be the victims as well. Their not, this woman was sleeping with two married men, and having unprotected sex with both of them at that. Once again my prayers are with Elizabeth because she is the one who loses in all this. John Edwards political career was never going anywhere anyway so he’s not losing much.
link

Tags: america, art, bar, battling, be, BET, cancer, che, child, cia, cnn, family, father, full, hand, hear, help, hov, John Edwards, k, man, men, nas, NY, O, politics, prayer, reputation, rip, sex, sin, Stand, State, the one, unprotected sex, us, war, wife, woman, women, work, world
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Saturday, July 12th, 2008

I guess the kid in me is coming out today. I saw this on CNN and I had to post it. Shout out to the Muppet Babies. Miss Piggy and Kermit and Gonzo. All of them gave me a great childhood. I used to watch the tv show, the movies, you name it I was watching it. I even had a little Kermit back in the day, he had a lumberjack vest on but I’m not sure what happened to him. I had him for years, the vest had been gone but now he’s gone too. Sad, just sad. Anyway shout out to the Smithsonian for celebrating the work of Jim Henson, Long Live the Muppets. Check below, I’ve included a clip of their great show!
Bert and Ernie are paying a special visit to the city that helped give birth to the “Sesame Street” gang.
Kermit the Frog will be part of an exhibit, “Jim Henson’s Fantastic World,” at the Smithsonian Institution.
But don’t expect to see the popular puppets strolling around Washington. Their fame and age (they’re sensitive to light) make too much exposure a security risk. Instead, they will be making their home, at least temporarily, in the underground International Gallery at the Smithsonian Institution as part of the exhibit “Jim Henson’s Fantastic World.”
Visitors to the show, which opens Saturday and continues through Oct. 5, will find the Muppets under special lighting, behind glass and closely guarded.
“We consider every single thing in here to be precious,” said project director Deborah Macanic. Technically speaking, they’re all antiques.
It’s a homecoming for Muppets such as Kermit, the piano-playing dog Rowlf and others that first achieved stardom on Washington-area television shows and commercials — long before the success of “The Muppet Show” and “Sesame Street.” Muppets creator Jim Henson grew up in nearby Hyattsville, Maryland, and attended the University of Maryland, where his creative approach began to take shape.
“We’re showing how he went from drawing to a cartoon to a puppet to a moving image,” Macanic said, explaining the exhibit’s themes of visual thinking, storytelling and character development.
Through more than 100 original drawings, cartoons and story boards and about 14 famous Muppets, the exhibit traces Henson’s career as a puppeteer and filmmaker until his death in 1990.
Henson got his television start in 1954, creating a TV show, “Sam and Friends,” for Washington’s NBC station while still in college. Kermit the Frog’s character began developing from this show and later became a superstar.
The exhibit features one of the earliest sketches of Kermit, and a 1970s version of the puppet sits front and center to greet visitors near the entrance of the International Gallery, which is part of the Smithsonian’s Ripley Center.
Kermit was originally conceived as a more abstract reptile character with less defined features. The original puppet was made in 1955 from an old turquoise coat with eyes made from a pingpong ball. Kermit continued to evolve from there to a frog in the 1960s.
“Then Kermit just kind of took over and became the news (reporter) guy with the hat and the trench coat and all that he was by the time he got to Sesame Street,” Macanic said.
The skinny, green frog became the most enduring Muppet character, in part because Jim Henson considered Kermit to be his alter-ego.
Henson’s personality shines through other characters as well, such as the furry, hippie Mahna Mahna who sings scat to a jazz song with two backup singers called the Snowths. The skit debuted in 1969 on “The Ed Sullivan Show,” with Henson performing the gruff voice of Mahna Mahna.
A few days before the exhibit’s opening, the three singers emerged from a wooden storage crate — all in need of a little primping. Josette Cole and Viki Possoff, Smithsonian exhibit registrars, carefully fluffed the pink Snowth puppets and twisted an arm to match a dance pose from a photograph.
“There’s a whole technique to it,” Cole said. “You use a dog brush, for one, and you don’t pull it through the hair because you’ll pull it off. You sort of have to pat it in place.”
Bert and Ernie were unpacked after the Snowths, apparently needing some extra rest after their last public appearance in June in Louisiana.
Museum workers are becoming experts in Muppet care as the exhibit makes a three-year tour. After the show in Washington, the Muppets will travel to Atlanta, Georgia; Orlando, Florida and five other cities through early 2011. The Smithsonian’s experts escort their Muppet treasures by tractor-trailer, tending to them at each stop.
The exhibit anchors a Muppet-themed summer of events at the Smithsonian and elsewhere in the Washington area. Through much of July and August, the AFI Silver Theatre in Silver Spring, Maryland, will host the film series “Muppets, Music and Magic: Jim Henson’s Legacy” as a tribute to Henson’s work. There will also be programs on puppetry and free Podcast tours.
The only thing missing from the Muppet festival may be the elegant Miss Piggy, who aggressively flirted with Kermit. Miss Piggy will show up in film only, but her puppet isn’t available. Apparently, the materials used to create Miss Piggy weren’t as sturdy for travel as Kermit’s, said Karen Falk, an archivist with The Jim Henson Co. who curated the exhibit.
“As you might expect,” said Falk, “she’s more sensitive.”
Link
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Posted in Uncategorized | 4 Comments »
Saturday, July 12th, 2008

I can’t call it people. Everywhere we turn we are confronted with race issues. It’s really sad that racism plays such an integral role in our lives but I guess when you live in a country founded upon racist principles this was bound to happen. Walmart shows good judgment I think by removing this comic if they are receiving backlash from people of color who feel it is offensive. Have you ever been to Walmart; I know in Philadelphia if they lost the support of their black customers they would go broke! LOL!
To me there’s a deeper issue here; I am not familiar with this comic book and obviously not familiar with how Mexicans perceive it. However I am familiar with the controversy over black and brown relations. I’m appalled by it because I feel all people are created equal no matter what their race, religion or any other affiliation that may make them different may be. It hurts even more when you see two groups of people who are constantly oppressed and instead of binding together, building an alliance and attacking systematic ills of our society. I often hear things that contradict such a beautiful plan of action.
A few nights ago I was watching the Michael Baisden show on TVOne and George Wilborn was asking black people on the street if they would be mad if Latino people had more positions of power. Some of the answers were ignorant in my opinion and they sought to create a divide between these two ethnic groups. Do blacks and browns not know that they are both derivitives of the African Diaspora and are one in the same?
Please do not take that comment as disregarding the rich cultures that both of these particular groups have to offer but I am merely talking about their ancestry. The conditions for both groups here in America are very similar, both groups are losing their young men to gang violence, prisons and the drug trade. Both groups are losing their young women to sexually transmitted diseases. Women of color whether they are Black or Latino are disrespected in the media and often unfavorable images are shown of them. Mistreated in the workplace, a severe housing dilemma and the similarities go on and on. Where does the divide stop? When do we as a people living in this land together, praying to the same God begin to follow those words in our dear Holy books and bind together to create a better future for our children. When?
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Wal-Mart Stores Inc said on Wednesday it removed the comic book “Memin Pinguin” from its stores after receiving complaints the popular Mexican character was a racist depiction of blacks.
The series started 60 years ago in Mexico, and the main character, Memin Pinguin, is a black Cuban-Mexican boy with enlarged lips who often gets into mischief.
Wal-Mart recently started offering the Spanish-language comic in parts of California, Texas and Miami, where the giant retailer serves large populations of Hispanic customers.
“We understand that Memin is a popular figure in Mexico. However, given the sensitivities to the negative image Memin can convey to some we felt that it was best to no longer carry the item in our stores,” said Lorenzo Lopez, a spokesman for Wal-Mart.
“We apologize to those customers who may have been offended by the book’s images,” Lopez added.
A black woman in Houston told the Houston Chronicle this week she complained about the comic books after seeing them at a Wal-Mart.
“I said, wait a minute: Is this a monkey or a little black boy?” Shawnedria McGinty told the newspaper. “I was so upset. This is 2008.”
Many Mexicans argue Memin Pinguin is misunderstood in the United States and that he is a lovable character and not a racist depiction of blacks.
Memin Pinguin was at the center of a controversy in 2005, when the Mexican postal service issued a series of stamps featuring the character.
President George W. Bush called the stamps offensive, which put him at odds with Mexico’s then president, Vicente Fox.
Link
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Posted in black men, news | 1 Comment »
Thursday, July 3rd, 2008
This is what the LORD says: ”Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who depends on flesh for his strength and whose heart turns away from the LORD. He will be like a bush in the wastelands; he will not see prosperity when it comes. He will dwell in the parched places of the desert, in a salt land where no one lives. ”But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him. Jeremiah 17: 5-7
Umm word of the day after dinner, yea work is that real! I don’t have to many stories about the kids today, not because they didn’t keep me on my toes. It’s just that I don’t have enough paper to tell the tales of 31 intriguing young individuals. I do have one story though, this morning we started off with a discussion about confidence. Confidence in oneself has no budget ( I stole that from Lil Wayne) but I wanted to let these beautiful, intelligent children know that they should be proud of their voices and their intelligence. All of my students are minorities whether they are from India, Pakistan, Tibet, the West Indies or good old black Americans. I think it’s important for them to hear how intelligent they are, how beautiful their minds are so I started today off with a confidence exercise.
Somehow this evening I was brought to this scripture and once again it was time to look in oneself. Back in October, November, I was on my knees pray for 30 minutes plus a day. And I said to the Lord I pray that when I feel like things are good that I do not forget you. While I acknowledge God everyday as of late I have been troubled for lack of a better word by the ills of too much thought. If that makes sense. And in that thought I do not see myself seeking guidance in the form of prayer so I ask myself am I the one who trusts in man and when I say man I am talking about myself. I can’t call it, but I know that for 24 years I have thought that I was in more control than I actually am. And now that I have this knowledge I have to surrender myself, my problems, my successes and the whole nine. It’s a process and at times I guess we all question ourselves. This wasn’t supposed to make sense but blessed is the man whose confidence in the Lord. As I teach these children about confidence within themselves I too need that lesson as well as building continuous confidence in the lord. Peace and Grace be unto you!
A friend should be a master at guessing and keeping still: you must not want to see everything.
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Sunday, June 29th, 2008

What it means to be a NIGGER
A few weeks back as I sat and watched the red carpet section of the Grammy’s I saw my fellow Virgo grace the camera with his wife donning a t-shirt that said “NIGGER”. Wait a minute rewind that back, I saw Nasir Jones better known as “Nas” and a group of supporters of different ethnicities in NIGGER Fashion. This is clearly a sign that the times have changed, television has become so liberal when I was a child they would have blurred out the image to say the least. Nas was interviewed about his “message”, there were no censors over the word and things went relatively normal. I mentioned earlier that Nas is a Virgo because they are the thinkers of the zodiac and very strategic in their movements, so maybe Nas is titling his album NIGGER and grappling after the publicity that it is causing so that we can have intelligent discourses like the one we are about to have.
Wait one second, before you lose interest in fear that I am about take you on a historical voyage enduring the plight of black people and the socialization of the term Nigger and how we need to accept it to empower ourselves, I promise you I will not. This is not the typical discussion of whether this is a term of endearment or mental slavery. But to understand what I am interested in the concept of the term nigger we must first look to one of the great writers of the Harlem Renaissance, James Baldwin.
Baldwin says, “What white people have to do is try to find out in their own hearts why it was necessary to have a nigger in the first place. Because I’m not a nigger, I’m a man! But if you think I’m a nigger it means you need it. If I’m not the nigger here and you, the white people invented him then you’ve got to find out why?”
Baldwin paints us such a vivid picture when he speaks about the system needing a nigger. You see the term nigger is about an institutionalized inferiority complex. The system, those proponents of white supremacy need a nigger to belittle, they need a nigger to make themselves feel better than because they lack self-esteem. The nigger is needed in order to perpetuate systems of control, a hierarchy within this great land from sea to shining sea. Unfortunately today the term nigger has become synonymous with black people. However this is not the case, this is not the fate of black people; this has been the position of various ethnic groups in America. I will chronicle the stories of three niggers who have been bastardized by a system of oppression and blatant racism in this country without ever painting the picture of a black face!
If you are of Middle Eastern decent, or even look like you could possibly be of the Islamic faith after 9/11, I regret to inform you but the United States has declared you a NIGGER! Your rights were stripped from you; you became the victims of police brutality, random searches and seizure, and you are always pulled aside at the airport for more questioning. Why is this; because you fit the “description”, you look suspicious? But none of this is true; it is merely the pigment of your skin and the religious affiliation that you are suspected of practicing which garners you such attention. You watch your faith and belief system ridiculed daily on television, you have become the butt of all jokes. You’re fearful when your children go to school because other children will torment them; forgive them for they know not what they do. You came to this country with hopes of reaching the American dream however you are now living the American nightmare! The ultimate insult is no longer to be black but it is to be Muslim. Your beautiful, peaceful culture has been tainted by slander; you are now judged by the few who make it tough for the many. Welcome!
Rewind the clocks back before the Civil Rights Era, after the Red Scare, where if you were communist you were a nigger. No I am speaking of World War II, a defining moment in this country’s history where we joined forces with our allies overseas and toppled the Axis Powers who viciously slaughtered those of the Jewish faith and anyone else in their quest for world domination. Let us look into our backyard at today’s most successful minority, looked upon as intelligent, reserved, model citizens of this great nation; the Asian. Yes in 1942 here in America the Japanese were considered NIGGERS! Stripped of their land, businesses, and personal possessions, some 120,000 Japanese Americans were forced into relocation centers in the interiors of the country. Placed in prison camps with little to no food to eat, cramped living quarters for large families were just some of the conditions the Japanese had to experience. Propaganda spread through the media about the Japs as they were called, “good riddance to the spy’s and traitors”, these were some of the messages about the people who had only a few years prior been trying to assimilate into American culture. They too were in search of the roads paved of gold. White farmers benefited with the Japanese farmers gone, they were then able to take over their profit share and make more revenue for themselves. Even the Supreme Court of the United States permitted this racist behavior citing this exclusion did not violate the constitution arguing “it is permissible to curtail the civil rights of a racial group when there is a “pressing public necessity.” So much for Justice!
Who discovered America? Oh yes I remember we have a beautiful holiday in this country named after none other than Americas most beautiful thief, rapist, and oppressor among other names. Yes I am speaking of Columbus, when we discuss the concept of the nigger we have to speak about our beloved Columbus. You see the Indian; wait a minute what am I saying, Native Americans is the correct term because this is their native land. When we think of all the horrific things done to black people during chattel slavery our bodies quiver with fear. However, we forget that the Native American watched his woman be raped, and his family die from sickness brought by the Europeans. He watched his people become addicted to substances, his name was changed, and not just his name but also his ethnicity. To this day we call Native Americans Indians because of a mistake that an idiot made. We keep this mistake going forth, Native Americans call themselves Indians even; similar to how African Americans call themselves nigger, they have embraced the term. Last but certainly not least the Native American was robbed of his land and certainly his culture. The history that they created prior to imperialism has long been erased and they are forced to live on reservations of land and lay dependent on the powers that be. Americas first experimentation with this Nigger concept was and is still in fact the Native American!
So many Niggers over the years, and I use this term loosely for this piece in hopes to articulate the construction of an underclass. That is what it is to be a nigger. Similar to the Untouchables in India, the term nigger is rooted in not only a need for superiority but a mindset entrenched in socio-economic slavery. The ability to legally strip people of the inalienable rights that our Constitution provides for them speaks not only to a power struggle but a constant reminder of who the boss is and what can happen if the system was ever to be questioned. The term Nigger, the concentration camps, the nooses, all of these symbols are objectifiable and measurable elements of what it means to be inferior but deeper than inferiority one must know their place. You see in 2050 the white majority will actually be the minority yet they need not worry because the hegemony and institutionalized racism have made all of the niggers fearful and afraid to jolt the status quo. Nigger is a term of fear; it’s a bastardizing moment in an ethnicities history that emotionally, physically, and mentally scars the people. This fear that is instilled takes over the mind yet keeps the body, the nigger is still used for their talents but their mind will never forget that moment and how much they never want to experience such a moment again.
Malcolm X once said “If you are a citizen, why do you have to fight for your civil rights, if you’re fighting for your civil rights that means you’re not a citizen”. Niggers are not citizens, at least for the time in which they are apart of the social construct of the term. That is why the Supreme Court allowed the Japanese to be placed in internment camps, that is why we allow our media and public officials of the law to bastardize the Islamic faith. That is why Native Americans are still relegated to plots of land on reservations in a country that they once owned and were illegally dispossessed of this land. So next tie you hear the term NIGGER, or you go out and purchase the upcoming album NIGGER by Nas, be aware that this term has nothing to do with a specific group of people and more to do with a concept of how to control different groups of people. How to make one fearful, and how to make another group feel superior thus always limiting the power of one and expanding upon the power of the other.
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Posted in Hip-Hop | 2 Comments »
Saturday, June 28th, 2008

I’m wondering if there is any real crime in Flint. Ofcourse I know the answer is to this question is yes so then the next question becomes “do the cops in Flint not have more to worry about than the harm of saggy jeans”. Who hires these idiots, everyday people are being murdered, raped and a host of other violent crimes and you want to harrass people who wear their pants sagging.
It’s indecent and immoral, ok I hear you but what about the drugs being sold on the streets of Flint, the armed robberies, crimes that actually affect the well being of our communities. Make those crimes your priority not saggy jeans which is no more than a tacky fashion statement that I myself used to partake in.
Unless the real reason behind this saggy jeans thing is more remniscent of the broad view of racial profiling. The broad definition allows that you utilize race and other factors; ie. geography, dress, location, age and other factors to profile certain individuals. People who don the style of baggy, saggy jeans are more likely than not, young black males so this would give the police ammunition to approach young black males. Why? Because they fit the description and by wearing these saggy jeans, they are breaking the law.
So maybe the police chief has bigger hopes in mind. Maybe while taking these young black men off the streets for such a petty crime they will find drugs or some type of other criminal activity afoot during their harassment of these males. Just something to ponder!
Michigan police chief: Wear saggy pants, get arrested Flint’s top cop calls it ‘immoral self-expression,’ but others fear racial implications By BRYN MICKLE Newhouse News Service Published on: 06/27/08
This city’s new police chief is saying no to crack.
Interim Flint Police Chief David R. Dicks announced this week that officers will begin arresting people wearing pants or shorts that sag too low, exposing rear ends. “This immoral self-expression goes beyond free speech,” Dicks said in a statement released Thursday.”It rises to the crime of indecent exposure/disorderly persons.
” It’s a style that irks many — a few cities nationwide have outlawed the rear-revealing pants (the Atlanta City Council proposed a ban amid much debate, but the plan was ultimately tabled). However, the order also raises serious questions about how it would be enforced, whether it disproportionately targets young black men and whether ultra-low riders should be considered constitutionally protected.
Is Dicks going too far?
Greg Gibbs, an American Civil Liberties Union attorney in Flint, said how people wear their clothing is a form of expression but cautions that not all of those forms are protected by the Constitution.
“The issue is: Does it violate the First Amendment?” Gibbs asked.
Some Flint residents are all for busting those who go bottoms out. “It’s overdue,” said Sam Berry, 73, of Flint.
Gwendolyn R. Allen, 72, of Flint agreed: “It’s so disgusting … It’s disgraceful.” Claude Carter, 49, of Flint sees the issue differently, though. He said wearing pants in that manner is a fad — not a crime. “I see young and old wearing their pants that way,” said Carter. The crackdown on buttocks is an apparent response to “significant” complaints from citizens, according to Dicks. Under the chief’s orders, any sworn officer who sees “sagging/exposing buttocks” will have probable cause to make an arrest under the city’s disorderly person ordinance — a misdemeanor punishable by a $500 fine and three months in jail.
Flint NAACP President Frances Gilcreast is no fan of the style but worries about police focusing on young black men.
“My concern is how (the policy) will be applied equitably,” Gilcreast said. Some Flint police officers, however, aren’t too sure how they will enforce it. “What about ‘plumber’s crack’?” said Keith Speer, president of the Flint Police Officers Association. In the past, Speer said, officers would issue warnings if too much skin was showing but reserved the handcuffs for full moons. “Most of the time, if they’re wearing sagging pants, they’re also wearing boxers,” he said. Memo notwithstanding, Speer doesn’t expect any big changes in how officers handle the issue. “It’s like issuing a memo telling officers to enforce the law,” Speer said. “Are we going to get a memo every time somebody complains?”
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Wednesday, June 25th, 2008

This piece comes to us from an intelligent young brother who is concerned about not only himself but the world around him. With a critical eye, he looks at the Sean Bell situation from the perspective that he too is Sean Bell. We must continue to encourage our youth to be brave and valiant in their efforts to speak out about injustices and to challenge the status quo. I AM VERY HAPPY TO SHARE THIS GENTLEMEN’S WORK WITH YOU.
THE CASKET
This casket I’m in.. Old and tarnished..
Made just for me…
Sun creeping away. My eyes now at the ends of my fingerprints..
The walls weak from holding my mass.
Patruly, pipe tobacco and camphor ripping my nostrils, leaking from these old worn out walls the stifling smell whispers to me..
Remember those old guys you used to call pop, uncle, grandpa..
Dead and gone…
Soon u might be comin’ along.
The world u livin in is da world they got killed in.
Life taken; stolen, buried and rewritten…
Jumped out he had a gun. 50 shots den he is done..
Blood spillin’ on dees brown hands screaming peace. Holding, white flags in the air.. Waving, screaming, PEACE..
Life taken stolen buried and rewritten..
See dis casket dat u in…. its drowned in da system.
Submerged in…. bleach, washing away the truth..
In waters subjective enough to leave not one speck of brown skin above it..
Suffocating……
Your head only sinks.
Ever wonder why the water is so black.
Can’t see past your brother. Your sister your pops. ©ÙzzØ we all trapped in dis casket.. Dis one big box..
Tags tatted on da walls.. Olu A.k.a…….
But what does your Aka stand for when I might not breathe another day.
What does your aka stand for in this casket of marked men?
Your aka is just a joke to them.
Its like smearing I’m a loser on a wall to them.
A marked man can’t speak.
And u are marked man. So pleaze believe.
Dat Ur word. Is powerful. If only in numbers.
If life gives u lemons den u have to make limes.
©ÙzzØ a marked mans words… Don’t fit between the lines.
A marked mans words don’t fit into the system.
©ÙzzØ a marked mans words come from a different tradition.
Pleaze listen cuzz a man will never be forgiven.
For changing a system. Dat da whole globe is livin’ in.
Oludare Bernard

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