Why Bother?

People, I am tired.  I am tired of rallies.  I am tired of marches.  I am tired of speeches.  I am tired of singing.  I am tired of the lame excuses.  I am tired of the lame leadership.  I am tired of the police department. I’m tired of YNN, CNN and Fox and I am sick and tired of my people.

Every time a young man or young woman is gunned down in the streets we want to march.  We want to hold a “Stop the Violence” rally.  We listen to speeches by Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson and Adam McFadden.  We take over city intersections and hold up signs, we hold marches up and down the streets.  We implore the police departments to do something about what is going on…but we refuse to do one thing.  We refuse to stand up to the terrorists that are causing all of this mayhem in our neighborhoods.  We refuse to let these terrorist; (because that’s what they are, TERRORISTS), we refuse to let them know that we can and will stand up to them.  We will turn them into the police.  We will testify against them in court.  And we will defend ourselves against them and their weapons of mass destruction.

This is my disclaimer: I am a three (3) time felon.  I went to prison for selling drugs in my community.  I was the worst type of drug dealer because I would recruit your child to do my job for me.  I never sat in a spot, some kid did.  And now I have been home for three (3) years, without selling anything on any street.  And I’m telling you, my people to tell.  When neighbors called the police on me or showed their displeasure with me being near them, I moved.  In neighborhoods or streets where nobody said anything, I stayed.  You know your cousin shot that boy.  You know your home girl is planning on cutting that chick after school.  You saw on Facebook who did that robbery.  Don’t just sit there and do nothing…say nothing.  Let them know their behavior is unacceptable, let them know they can’t and won’t continue to get away with things like this.  Let them know what it feels like to be  ostracized for acting a fool.  And if that doesn’t do the trick…dial 911!

Parents, legal guardians, stop going to court screaming and shouting about how your baby never hurt anybody.  It’s a lie and you know it.  You know he was out there robbing folk and now you want to cry because somebody shot him.  Stop it!  Pastors, stop holding these funerals for known gang bangers and hustlers.  You know better, talking about he’s in a better place.  No he’s not, he’s in hell.  I believe in hands and feet.  I was told and I tell my son, “I will kill you before I allow the streets to”.  I didn’t start acting up until I was good and out of my mother’s house.  I made choices to be in the streets after I was gone.  I wish my son would come home with someone’s drugs to sell, I wish my son would join a gang, I wish I would find out my son was out wildin’ downtown or at the beach or in school.  I wish his mother would call me and tell me he disrespected her in any way.  Hands and feet.  Or like Lil’ Scrappy says “I wanna put my paws on ’em”!

Wives, girlfriends, baby mamas of these mens children, stop taking your children to these prisons where you are poked and prodded and violated just to see this man behind bars get angry with you because you didn’t bring all the things he wanted in a package.  Is he locked up for defending you or the kids?  Is he locked up because he was wrongly accused of something?  Or is he locked up because he was out in them streets doing what he had no business doing because he “had no choice”?  Children don’t need to see the inside of a prison.  Children don’t need to have “click-clicks” of their father because he refused to look for honest work.  He refused to stick around and raise his children.

I was going to write about men not doing their jobs.  And let’s be clear; we are failing miserably.  But bigger than that, we are failing whole communities, whole families.  Institutions are being built on the backs of our stupidity.  In July of this year, the 2,000th soldier died during the “War on Terror”.  That’s 200 deaths a year by soldiers fighting in a war. (Whether you agree with it or not).  In that same time period, in 3 major cities(NYC, L.A. County, Chicago) and Rochester, NY, there have been 12,562 homicides.  90+% of them committed by and committed against black and hispanic males.  Please look at those numbers again.  There have been 6.25  times more murders in 4 cities than there have been in a decade long war.

NYC 2003-2011-3237
L.A. County 2007-2012-4168
Chicago 2003-2011-4770
Rochester 2003-2011-387
War on Terror-2001-Present-2,000

Terrorism is alive and well people and it’s right here in our own backyard.  It’s upstairs sleeping in a room that you pay for, sleeping in a bed you bought.  You pass him every morning when you go to work…he’s on that same corner and he’ll be there when you get off.  You know who they are, hell, some of you condone and encourage it.  Going to peoples houses to fight with your daughter.  Getting out of bed to take your man to handle some beef he got himself into.  Stashing the gun when they use it to harm someone.

It’s time to stop marching, shouting, singing and following.  It’s time to take tangible action.  These people have no fear because they believe we fear them.  They know they have us shook right now.  We walk on by, we mind our business, we see no evil and hear no evil.  I know it’s hard to stand up to a bully, especially one with a gun but it’s the only way we’ll be able to stop going to these funerals like the one for Montre Bradley who stood up to fake ass gangsters who were trying to take what he had worked hard for.  2 of the “alleged” robbers have been caught, one is still on the run.  Somebody knows where he is.  Somebody knows what his name is, who his mama is, who he hangs with, where his favorite weed spot is.  Somebody knows something.  There is no reason this hooligan is running the streets free.  If you are not a part of the solution, you are condoning what is going on.  Stop it!

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Comments

  1. Emperor Cole says:

    This is a very good blog article. I agree more people really do need to take an active stance in what is going on around them. All the marching and rallies in the world when somebody in some far away place gets shot but nobody seems to care when it is the kid from a few blocks away. The media shouldn’t dictate what people think is “outrageous” and parents need to get a better handle on there children before it is too late.

    1. Franchise says:

      We wore hoodies for Mr. Martin but here in Rochester there has been a number of homicides and we have not done nothing. The kids are still killing each other and we are stripping funding for after school activities. Our graduation rate is pathetic and parents want to complain and blame it on the teachers. Meanwhile when there is a parent teacher conference nobody shows. We have to be accountable for our own neighborhoods. That’s where it starts.

      1. Infinite7154 says:

        This is exactly the issue Franchise. It all starts at home. If reading isn’t important in the home, it won’t be important in school. If respect of authority is emphasized in the home, it won’t be practiced in society. The home is the first teacher.

    2. Infinite7154 says:

      We have to nip things in the bud in the house before we let them loose into society. If you can’t get anyone to baby sit your kids because they’re bad, you have to look at how you have been parenting. And you have to look at making changes before they get older and more disrespectful.

  2. Will Smith says:

    wow infinate you gone done did it now, but truth is truth. Does any one know the statisc number on kids who grew up in a home where the momma and daddy raised them right they graduated from school but still became thugs, gangstas or drug dealers? I dont know it but im willing to bet its really low or next to 0. This ties into one of my earlier comments on another post of yours. If we the people having these kids who go out and run the streets and shoot people deal drugs, take resposibility of our kids and raise them right what do you think the outcome will be? Do you think the number of thugs will out number the amount of kids graduating and getting jobs if we do are job right from the start? I dont think it will, I know its a cliche but every thing starts at home. I wonder what would happen if the law was like this, every time your kid comments a crime the parent does the time lol?

    1. Infinite7154 says:

      It really does start in the home. And it’s not about single parenting vs traditional parenting. It’s about parenting period. Being accountable for what example you provide. Being available to these children. Not depending on the tv or xbox or worse yet, the “friends” to raise these children. When there is no self worth or love of self, there can’t be a love of community or anyone else.

  3. Emperor Cole says:

    It is a strange cycle that is all linked together. They cut funding for after school programs because they complain about budgets but in the inner city that is done to make sure there is now a bunch of kids who will roam around and get into crime and other malicious things because there is a high percentage of irresponsible parents– this keeps the police employed and earning money and fills the prisons which are owned by private companies.

    Parenting and discipline starts at home and people do know what type of stuff there kids are into when they get a certain age– so that old “he ain’t never hurt nobody” line just doesn’t work these days.

    1. Franchise says:

      You Hit it on the head..So my question to you is does the city, state and government really want to clean our streets? Why are all homicides glorified on TV but when or if they find the killer(s) its never that big of a story. They never highlight the positives in the community. There are no truancy officers no more and now they are saying 20%-35% of all middle school kids skip school too. so they starting earlier and earlier.

      1. Will Smith says:

        This is just my opinion although it may just be how things are, I believe the government ( eroupeans lol) so statistics every t to see where they them selfs gain money and lose money this cutting certain budgets to get the result they want. Such as cut after school programs kids have nothing to do but get in trouble possibly commenting a crime that lands them in jail so the prisions stay filled which in return creats jobs for them ( eroupeans). Thank about it they dont cut funds for DSS, congress dotn take pay cuts, as a matter a fact no government agencie takes pay cuts. Please tell my why does a judge get paid the way they do for god sakes they just sit there and listen to what someone has allegedly done. Look we gone pay taxes no matter what, the one things we should never take money from is the schools. This very place can assist in the raising of our children also keep them occupied doing something productive instead of giving them a door that can lead to them being the next breaking news on our local news channel. I do believe there is plenty of blame to go around but like we have said it all starts at home. Once we conquer this then we need to rally for reasons other then some young child being fatally hurt after 9:30 at night.

        1. Emperor Cole says:

          This is true. They cut school funding on purpose to set these actions in motion. They know the parents are working 2 and 3 jobs and won’t be there when the kids goes off out into the world. And nope they don’t ever cut DSS or congressional payroll. All the cuts come at the expense of the poor and middle class.

  4. kurtis says:

    Truth be told in reality nobody can control violence point blank …

    1. Infinite7154 says:

      You can’t control it but you don’t have to condone it. You don’t have to accept it. You don’t have to tolerate it. And you definitely don’t have to glorify it.

    2. Emperor Cole says:

      You can’t “control” violence but if there were more opportunities and hope for poor people I’m sure they would think twice before becoming violent and taking a life and throwing their life away.

  5. Nellie216 says:

    Great blog. As it’s been said, it BEGINS at home. If our children have failed, it’s becuase we, as parents, have failed them. The fault BEGINS at home…where we failed to properly teach them, failed to appropriately discipline them, failed to uphold our responsibility of raising “not perfect but descent, respectable/ful, moral/value having, right instead of wrong doing, wiser-choice making, hopeful instead of helpless, made aware that there’s so much more to and in this life rather than it’s cool to take a life” children. CHILDREN ARE PRODUCTS OF HOME (PARENTS). So now, out in the streets (if that’s where they end up) they cut up (violent, skipping school, using/selling drugs, having sex not thinking about pregnancy or deceases, etc.) and the community turns its back…picking up the fault. Reminding me of the blog…”It Takes a Village.” As a whole we are failing. Infinite…believe…I took my daughter for a walk, and along it, I saw a large group of girls acting foolish and fighting on a side street…I kept walking. I sure did….straight ahead to the cop that I saw sitting at the very end of the block (that they didn’t see)…and I TOLD. We have to STAND UP as parents and as a community, because it’s just ridiculous all across the board.

    1. Infinite7154 says:

      We had a whole “Stop Snitching” campaign run rampant through neighborhoods across America a few years ago. The problem is, nobody can properly define “snitching”. Here it is: If you are a citizen, you are TELLING. You are performing your civic duty to protect yourself, your property and your community. If you are a criminal and you try to get out of doing time by telling on someone else, that is snitching. If you aren’t doing sh*t you have no business doing, you can’t get snitched on.

      1. Nellie216 says:

        Exactly!

  6. Jamie says:

    As a single mother of a 6 year old boy born and raised in the city I am getting chills by reading this article and the comments that follow! Such wise words!! I’d only like to add that part of the solution entails EDUCATING our children. Being a young mother I’m a firm believer that just telling your kids something wont cut it. My son, 6 years old mind you, will see a group of teens up to no good and say, “Mommy, I’d be at home studying if I was them…..never gonna have a good job if you don’t work for it”. These kinds of statements make me a proud parent for my son is displaying the above mention MORALS and VALUES I’ve worked hard to instill. Children needs to learn actions have consequences, positive and negative, bottom line.

    1. Infinite7154 says:

      Thank you for understanding what I’m saying and not taking offense. I don’t want to judge, I want to educate on better options. And your boy is right, they won’t get a good anything if they don’t work for it. Somebody has to be teaching our young and not so young people that the things they are doing/have done don’t work anymore. There is no more get rich or die trying. You can make as much money at a regular job as you do standing on the corning AND get paid overtime. We have to show there’s a better way; that’s all I’m really trying to say.
      BTW: My son’s name is Sheldon