Shark Tank, Jersey Style (#Fownderslive @ Red Bull Arena Newark, NJ)

Last night I had the privilege of attending a business workshop organized by Fownders, Newark. Fownders is a non-profit business incubator determined to make Newark a major hub of entrepreneurship.  Unfortunately, I couldn't attend the entire event since I have a day job but the business pitches I heard during their "shark tank"-like competition gave me a lot of hope that not only does Fownders have the right idea but there is a wealth of untapped talent in the Brick City.  Below I've listed a few of the companies that made their pitch last night.  I've limited it to the ones that really impressed me with their ingenuity and the compassion they displayed in choosing which problems they're working to solve.  For the full list, search #Fownderslive on Twitter.

1. BlastChat:  http://whatsblasting.com/

Jhamar Youngblood has a unique solution to those god awful group texts.

“I could go on Facebook or Twitter and post, ‘Who wants to play?’ but my friends don’t check their accounts all day, and they probably follow over 100 to 5,000 people,” the Dartmouth graduate student said. “So posts go missing—less than 10% of tweets or Facebook posts are seen by followers or friends—I couldn’t get in touch with my friends in real time.”

He also thought about texting, but that presented a similar problem of having to copy-and-paste the message.“I could text the same message 30 times. There had to be a more effective way to get in contact with all my friends in real time with one message,” he says.It was here that Youngblood got the idea for Blastchat, an iPhone application he says will make “mass communication as easy as possible.”Blastchat allows users to send a message to a group of contacts. Through the app, messages are delivered to other users, but though they are notified of the message and respond to it through the Blastchat app, the conversation with the individuals from the group actually takes place in the iPhone’s iMessage app. --Blackenterprise.com 5/26/2015, Blastchat Creator Jhamar Youngblood Stives to Simplfy Group Communication, Joel Lyons

2. SafeHalo: Unfortunately, they don't seem to have an online presence yet but the idea is simple, much needed, and brilliant.  In a nutshell, they're a "buddy on demand" service modeled after Uber.  It's meant to prevent sexual assault and robbery by allowing you to call for one of many "Halos" or volunteers to walk with you when you feel unsafe on your college campus until you reach your destination.  The Halos are vetted with a thorough background check and basic training in behavioral psychology (the pitchman's words not mine) so they can also see possible threats before they happen. Each Halo would also carry a device that would track their movements much like Uber tracks its vehicles, from a central computer. The company is designed as a stop-gap measure, providing a little more peace of mind without having to involve a uniformed officer.  People taking care of people before the police ever have to become involved.  This was my favorite idea of the night.

3. New Pearl: Also no online presence yet but the idea is to use a siri-like proprietary algorithm called Pearlo to help small businesses become more efficient without needing a high degree of technical knowledge like what's required for using IBM's Blue products.  Targeted at mom and pop shops rather than large firms, the idea is that you would describe your business process (employee hiring, payroll, taxes, transportation, etc, etc) to the program with a voice interface (English only for now) and it would determine not only if you're doing the process efficiently but suggest how it could be streamlined.  In theory, this would allow small business to focus on growth more quickly instead of wasting months or years on cleaning up inefficient practices.

4. Fitsy: Again, no online presence.  (Should have realized this was a theme considering most of these companies are still in the pre-launch stage.)  The founder of this company is a member of the famous MMA, Gym American Top Team.  He fell in love with the sport so much he decided to share his experience with everyone by allowing top trainers, not limited to MMA fighters thank god, to share their workout routines with their customers directly for a nominal fee.  No infomercials, No home gyms.  If you want to know how NFL Linebackers train for the season?  The app puts you in touch with an NFL Trainer who can sell you a step by step video on the regimen he gives his players.  Yoga?  Tai Chi?  Martial Arts? Crossfit?  All will eventually be found on the app when it launches.

5. T.R.A.C.E.R. by Momentum Mechanics: http://www.momentummechanicscorp.com/
A more developed firm presenting an idea that's meant to protect both law enforcement and civilian alike by providing real-time GPS driven data that would eliminate faulty eyewitness testimony in police-involved shootings.  Ironically, the creator, Adam (didn't catch his last name) was inspired by the events in Ferguson, Missouri surrounding the death of Mike Brown.  A major sticking point about the casee that was never cleared up was just how many times Brown was shot and when the shooting began. With T.R.A.C.E.R., as soon as an officer unholsters his weapon, the device implanted in the weapon would be begin transmitting data in real-time to a 911 center and not only give other officers his or her location and vitals but how many times the weapon had been discharged.  Backup could be sent within seconds without anyone radioing in.  Though he didn't mention it, an added benefit is that neither party has much time to create fiction that would line up with the facts.  A video option is also being considered when the product is finally rolled out.  Though the idea was presented as a tool for law enforcement safety, I think this could also expose a lot of dirty cops and make the streets safer for everyone.

6.  AriseAlarm: The $10k winner of the night.  Arise's premise is simple.  It's an app that acts as an alarm clock that you can't snooze until you retype a positive affirmation into the phone.  For example, say you're deep into the Word and a quick verse in the morning helps you really get motivated.  You set your alarm for @ 6:45am and instead of rolling over and hitting the snooze button, which sends most people into an even deeper sleep, the alarm will keep going until you type out, "Love is patient, love is kind, it does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud."  Or if FDR was your hero, only "There is nothing to fear but fear itself," typed into Arise's screen will silence your phone.  Maybe I'm slow but the power of positive affirmation isn't something that resonates with me yet.  People swear by it, though, considering the overwhelmingly positive response to the pitch from the audience and obviously the judges.  Maybe they're on to something.

It was awesome being around so many creatives and so many business minded young Newarkers who aren't afraid to follow their dreams and think outside the box.  Thanks to Fownders, Newark for organizing the event and a special thank you to Sirius XM's Karen Hunter (Twitter: @KarenHunter, Facebook: www.facebook.com/karenhunter, instagram: Karenhuntershow) and her "Tech Tuesday" segment, without whom I would have never heard about of any of this.  Newark's future is bright and companies like Fownders are going to helping to keep the city in the spotlight.  Shine on!  Brick City Stand UP!


For more information or to partner with Fownders, please visit www.Fownders.com
follow them on Twitter (@Fownders) and on Facebook: www.facebook.com/Fownders

Are You Not Entertained?: Just Thought You Should Know 8/5/16

Dear GOP,

You're getting exactly what you deserve.  8 years of petty criticisms of the President, made up threats about immigrants being evil incarnate, the god awful racism not so cleverly disguised as constitutional loyalty (looking at you Birthers), the crusade against education/intellectualism, and the need for your base to be afraid of everything (even their own shadows because they're black) has finally culminated in this absolute farce of a Presidential campaign.  For the first time in our history, we may end up with 3 major political parties in this country because I don't see how moderate Republicans can possibly reconcile their views with their Presidential nominee and his minions.

Trump supporters, I want you to take a good long look at your candidate.  I mean a real look.  Think about the reasons you support him.  It certainly isn't about policy, he hasn't presented one that wouldn't cost more money than it saves. It's not because of his business acumen.  It doesn't exist.  Ask Atlantic City, NJ.  It's not because he's not a criminal like "Crooked Hillary".  She's been cleared of every charge leveled at her by every single Republican-led tribunal/witch hunt the GOP can think of.  Trump, on the other hand, is still in the midst of multiple lawsuits involving possible fraud.  Oh, and he might be a child rapist.  Not kidding.  Is it his superior values?  The values that he thinks permits him to routinely insult anyone who disagrees with him?  Oh I know, "he tells it like it is!"  Except when he's talking about having met Vladimir Putin and then says that he didn't.  Or that he saw a video of Obama personally paying the Iranians and then he says he was mistaken.  Maybe he was straight shooting when he said he would build that wall around us and then admitted he wouldn't?  The #NeverTrump Republicans, who I respect, though I disagree with their vision, at least had the spine to stand up for their principles.  The rest of the party leadership simply fell in line behind this pompous, entitled, ignorant windbag and it may have not only cost them this election but their party's future.  Among voters younger than 30, Trump is polling 4th, behind Hillary Clinton, Gary Johnson (Libertarian Party), and Jill Stein (Green Party).  Think about that.  The nominee for the 2nd biggest party in the country is polling behind 2 people most of the country has. never. heard. of.  The 18-year-olds who are voting for the first time this election are looking at your nominee as the representation of your party and would rather vote for 2 people who are almost guaranteed to lose. Most people stick with the first party they vote for and the upcoming landslide is probably going to render your party irrelevant for the next 50 years.  As much as I despise Trump and what the GOP has become, that isn't a good thing.

Look, the truth is that the core values of the GOP aren't that crazy.  It's founded in the idea that people can take care of themselves if the government should just get out of the way and let us work. Neighbor helping neighbor instead of depending on handouts from Washington.  And there are valid criticisms of our current system.  Money in politics is a problem.  Even Bernie Sanders agreed with Republicans on that.  NAFTA was a disaster for the American worker and there are many non-college educated people who need work.  But too many times those frustrations tend to be expressed as outright racism when the reality is the answers to your frustrations are a lot more complicated than "blame the non-whites"  Our issues can't be boiled down to a few angry tweets and an agenda that's stuck in the nostalgia of yesterday's America.  On a personal note, I'm part of the first generation of African Americans who full rights as a citizen are legally recognized by our government, these are the good old days for me!  The world has changed. You can thank your conservative news outlets for not telling you just how much and what you can do to keep up instead of feeding you a steady diet of things to hate and fear. If you've been eating up Fox News, The Blaze, and Breitbart for the better part of the last decade, all it's gotten you is a pseudo-intellectual who claims to be your voice but has never been anything but an elitist 1% his entire life.  He's never not  been rich so how can he possibly be your voice if he doesn't even speak your language? Trump is the literal embodiment of the ugliness that has infected the principles of the Republican Party.  I would wear out my knuckles on my keyboard if I listed the times he's proven that he's not just a bad candidate but a genuinely bad person.  It's ironic that it took him slandering a Gold Star Muslim family, a religion he's vowed to ban from our country, to get people to finally see it's him that doesn't represent American values.  His nomination is direct evidence that the Republican Party is broken.  So broken that they're willing to trot out a racist demagogue in the vague hopes that they can re-take the White House by appealing to the very worst American fears.  We've reached the point where the house they've built is no longer safe for any American to reside in.  The roof is leaking, the foundation is shot.  The lessons of 2012, which called for inclusion and moderation, have been outright rejected and the results have been predictably disastrous.  If the party leadership continues to ignore the evolution of our country, its only natural that America will eventually ignore them.  Completely.

...Til Next Week!

You can read more about the "Growth and Opportunity Project" that was supposed to transform the Republican Party into a more inclusive party here.

Black Mirror: Just Though You Should Know 7/22/16

 

Based on a true story...

 

Sorry for the late post.  I almost didn't write anything this week because I don't like sounding like a broken record. However, the spectacle we saw at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland only reinforces what most of us who are not swooning over Donald Trump's unconfirmed net worth (release your taxes, Donald) have been saying since he started his campaign. His leadership style is more in line with a dictator than a president.  He is a narcissist, whose first second and last concern is his own profitability and notoriety. Why else would you as a husband allow your wife to be embarrassed the way she was on the podium?  Though if we're being honest, his acceptance speech had even more falsehoods than hers did.  So there's that.

The real reason that I put fingers to keys this week, though, is this guy...

Sheriff David Clarke...oh wait...!

Whoops!  Sorry folks, wrong photo!

This guy...

Milwaukee County Sheriff David A. Clarke Jr. (Photo: wkow.com)

Watching his last two public appearances, an interview on CNN in which he tried to intimidate Don Lemon and his speech at the Republican National Convention (link) left me wondering, what happened to this man to make him hate himself so much that he uses his position as an elected Democrat (yes he's a registered Democrat) to reinforce willful blindness to the suffering of his own people?  Rather than write him off as a sell-out Uncle Tom, which I'm reluctant to do since I've long advocated the idea that it's black people that define blackness and not the other way around, I thought I'd highlight some of the things that might motivate someone to turn his back on his people.  

Notoriety:

There's an old saying that a dog biting a man isn't news but a man biting a dog is.  African Americans are surprisingly very socially conservative.  Even as a 1st generation West Indian American, I see that most of them believe in the family values, limited government, and personal liberty Republicans constantly drone on about as if they invented them.  Who wouldn't want the freedom to not be stopped, frisked, and questioned because of what you're wearing or the neighborhood you're walking in?  The divide between us and the GOP is that they seem to think only their base is entitled to these rights.  Naturally, that doesn't sit well with us.  So when one of us jumps ship, he/she goes from being just another "plantation" dweller (isn't that such a nonracist way of opening dialogue?) to being "smart", "a truth teller", and "one of the good ones."  Suddenly, you're special.  Acceptance from a group that's long told you your entire existence is "less than human" and whose approval you've been culturally conditioned to seek is powerful.  It's not just African Americans either.  Former Louisiana Governor and failed Republican Presidential Candidate Bobby Jindal and current South Carolina Republican Governor Nikki Haley have benefited politically and financially from "assimilation" even if it meant throwing their own culture under the bus.  Obviously, not every non-white Republican subscribes to this mindset.  Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) and Former Secretary of State Colin Powell walk in conservatism and self-awareness without compromising their heritage though now it seems the more extreme your views are, the more spotlight you receive.    

Spotlight:

Speaking of the spotlight,  would anyone outside of Wisconsin have heard of Sheriff Clarke if he was towing the Democratic party line?  How about Jesse Lee Peterson?  Omorosa Manigult if you never watched "The Apprentice?"  Stacy Dash if offbeat comedies and late-night B-movies aren't your thing?  How about Trump spokeswoman and failed congressional candidate Katrina Pierson? Being a willing surrogate for racist propaganda can earn you a lot of money. Each of the aforementioned "conservatives" has a warm seat waiting for them on any Fox News show, anytime they want it.   There's a lot of financial security in being able to rationalize racist viewpoints and obviously, the degree to which some people's consciences are eased is directly proportional the number of zeros in their paychecks.  Perhaps some of them fear a return to poverty more than they love themselves.  

Cultural Conditioning: 

There are a few unwritten rules about being black in the United States if you want to thrive (by unwritten I mean no longer codified in law).  The first is that if you want to succeed you have to work twice as hard as everyone else.  Your blackness is already seen as 2 strikes against you so excellence is the only way to even have a chance at success.  If you're average, you're already dead in the water.  The second is that unless you're good at a sport or other form of entertainment, good diction aka "talking white" will get you much further than "talking black."  For you non-Americans/Canadians that means speaking any form of ghetto slang English will usually bar you from getting a job that pays a real living wage.  Third is that you must know history.  "History" being European history or world history from a European perspective.  You must know basics like America was discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1492 despite the fact that he found a native population that had been thriving and repelling European attempts at colonization since at least 1000 AD.  You must know that America gained its independence from Britain through the cunning tactics of George Washington without help from anyone else.  Especially not a Native American/black guy named Crispus Attucks who was the first American to die in the Revolutionary War.  You must also know that the only role African Americans played in the building of our country was carrying the terrible burden of slavery that they couldn't free themselves from so white men fought the Civil War to free them.  There were never any attempts by the slaves to free themselves and after the war was over, blacks were free to do as they wished with full rights as equal citizens granted immediately.  In all seriousness, with these socially accepted "rules" in place it's not hard to imagine a black person being inherently ashamed of who they are and seeing assimilation into "white" culture as a step up. It's ingrained into our "education" from day one.

Men like Sheriff Clarke are always a hard pill to swallow for those of us that want to see us thrive, connect, and put this racial crap behind us.  Instead of using his position as a vehicle of change, he uses his blackness and his badge as a shield for racists.  There are other police chiefs that are being fired for standing up for their communities but he selfishly chooses to join the chorus of criticism of a people that have historically never been given a fair shake.  He, and people like him are respectability politics taken to an extreme.  They are a cruel twist on the old saying "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em."  Like Kevin Durant, however, instead of being hailed as a hero for joining a winning team, you've only proven that you're not built for the fight and would rather take the easy path to victory.  I hope the perks of being a Republican shill are enough of a comfort to you at night, Sheriff Clarke, and that you never take your uniform off because we both know the first thing everyone sees when you take it off.  Oh?  You don't know what everyone else sees?  Ask Senator Tim Scott.  He'll fill you in.

 

...Til Next Week.

That Ain't Love...

 

Gavin Long expressing admiration for Micah Johnson, days before he would imitate his crimes (Photo: Heavy.com)

After watching videos posted by the Gavin Long and reading the "manifesto" of Micah Johnson I'm convinced that the only things they had in common were a crushing sense of isolation and exposure to training that allowed them to carry out their murders. Initially, I thought this might be a case of fellow veterans not getting the mental help they needed before they went off the rails but the more I see what they've written, what they've said, and the lives they led I see a pattern of selfishness. Shooting those officers wasn't about black liberation. Their actions are no different than Dylan Roof who wrapped himself up in the American flag, called himself a patriot, then proceeded to murder 9 people in a bible study. Or Anders Breivik who murdered 77 people, 69 of them children, in the name of protecting his country. Or Nidal Hassan, the Army Major who murdered his own troops supposedly in defense of Islam. These people aren't heroes willing to do "what's necessary." They're arrogant narcissists who think they and they alone are willing to do what others will not. It never occurs to these murderers whether who their targeting is actually responsible for their grievances or the hypocrisy of taking defenseless, often unsuspecting lives in defense of whatever crackpot ideology they believe in. In the end, they're nothing more than perpetually selfish children who think their view of the world is the only one that matters and they're willing to kill to prove it.  Can you think of a better definition of a narcissist?

Montrell Jackson's last social media post before being killed by Gavin Long. (Photo: Abc7.com)

Despite what certain media outlets are peddling, Johnson and Long don't represent Black Lives Matter, they don't represent any black men I have the honor of calling friend, and they damned sure don't represent me. Real martyrs sacrifice themselves to save the lives of other people not set off a political bomb that accomplishes nothing but increase scrutiny on an already overpoliced people.  They've helped no one.  They've done nothing but given the media yet another reason to deflect, blame, dismiss and even justify heavy-handed police tactics against black people.  As my favorite group Little Brother would say...if this is love, I don't want to see hate.

How to end #Blacklivesmatter: Just Thought You Should Know 7/15/16

2016 has gotten off to a really shitty start.  I say "start" loosely since we're in middle of July but the shitstorm of fail we've been going through feels like its not quite done with us yet.  As far as bad weeks go, its hard to top the week Prince died but with another terror attack in France, an attempted military coup in one of the largest countries in NATO, and cops in Dallas being killed by snipers, this week tried its damnedest to take the crown.  Don't get me wrong, there were some positive stories too but when the lowest point in the week isn't the deaths of more than 100 people innocently celebrating a national holiday in France, even the New Day would be hard pressed to find a silver lining.  This week I thought I'd examine just where Black Lives Matter is going as a movement and what would it take for it to abate.   

#Blacklivesmatter

There have been a lot of accusations thrown around by both sides of this debate.  Black Lives Matter has been called a "terrorist" group by numerous media outlets that I won't give the dignity of being mentioned here and likewise Black Lives Matter and their supporters have launched that same charge at our nation's police officers.  As always, the truth lies somewhere in the middle and no one has tried to step in and ratchet down the rhetoric because they're too busy trying to use the moment to push an agenda or get ratings.  If we're being honest, officers tend to get a overzealous when dealing with black people, no matter our social class.  They're less patient, less likely give us the benefit of the doubt, and much more quick to use force on us to gain compliance...and those are the good ones.  There are many departments that blatantly racially profile, harass, and brutalize African Americans.  These are facts.  Conversely, If the police force (en mass since we've been dealing in broad brushes all week) were really a terrorist organization on the level of the KKK, there would be a lot more dead black bodies in the streets.  Most of the egregious police misconduct we see on television are against poor blacks in poor black neighborhoods, where violent crime tends to be higher.  Naturally, officers who've never lived in the area and probably have never been exposed to this type of environment, are on edge.  They don't know the people, culture, mindset, nor do the people make it easy.  Granted, the modern police force started off as an organization of slave catchers and I already mentioned how officers tend to mistreat black people so the attitude is historically justified.  However, all that being said, "fuck the police" isn't helpful to anyone either.  Most officers do their jobs well and are not putting on the uniform every day with the sole intention to harass and murder black people.  Ticket quotas combined with decades of cultural conditioning are probably more responsible than a bunch of individual "rogue" racists in uniform for the current broken state of the relationship.  Most of them, like their civilian counterparts, don't even realize they're racists.  But even with all that on the table, I firmly believe this problem is solvable.  We need the police.  Their function in society is vital, which is why it is imperative that their applicant screening process, psych evaluations, and accountability steps must be impeccable.  But they can't do it alone.  Policing at its best is a joint effort between officers and the people they protect.  The cops can't arrest the people making our neighborhoods unsafe if they don't know who these people are.  Without reliable intelligence, law enforcement is forced to operate blindly with disastrous results.  There are several accepted aspects of police/community culture that must change for real reconciliation to happen.

Silence really does speak volumes.

Break the Blue Wall of Silence

As a veteran of the Army Reserve, I understand brotherhood.  I understand the power of instantly understanding what your fellow soldiers have been through to get where they are and to be instantly understood.  You want to protect your brothers (and sisters) against unfair treatment.  However, this practice has often stood as a shield for people who's racial biases, bully mentality, and misogynistic attitudes should disqualify them from wearing the uniform.  Too many of these "officers" use the law as a tool to harass, intimidate, and humiliate whoever they wish and until recently, their fellow officers remained silent about it.  We've already seen cracks starting to show in the wake of the deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile. Good cops are finally fed up and starting to speak out against their prejudiced and corrupt colleagues.  In addition to the high profile cases of racial discrimination, we've also seen far too many cases of sexual abuse from officers.

Victims included unsuspecting motorists, schoolchildren ordered to raise their shirts in a supposed search for drugs, police interns taken advantage of, women with legal troubles who succumbed to performing sex acts for promised help, and prison inmates forced to have sex with guards.
The AP's findings, coupled with other research and interviews with experts, suggest that sexual misconduct is among the most prevalent type of complaint against law officers. Phil Stinson, a researcher at Bowling Green State University, analyzed news articles between 2005 and 2011 and found 6,724 arrests involving more than 5,500 officers. Sex-related cases were the third-most common, behind violence and profit-motivated crimes. Cato Institute reports released in 2009 and 2010 found sex misconduct the No. 2 complaint against officers, behind excessive force.
Cases from across the country in just the past year demonstrate how such incidents can occur, and the devastation they leave behind. -- Matt Sedensky and Nomaan Merchant, 11/1/15, Associated Press: Hundreds of officers lose licenses over sex misconduct

The police are the only public service that gives its employees the power to end another person's life if they deem it necessary.  Doesn't it make sense that the people they hire should be as free of prejudice as possible?  Do good cops want these maniacs representing them? Are these really the best candidates we can find?  If so, that's a bigger indictment on our culture than any North Korean propaganda film. 

When 'keeping it real...' is suicide.

"No Snitchin'" must end.

I lost a man I considered my brother to the bullets of a crazed drug addict on November 25, 2001 .  We came from a rough neighborhood and when you live in rough neighborhoods, meeting friends with spotless criminal records is hard.  As a matter of fact, when your neighborhood is over policed, schools are poor, and employment options are few, having a criminal record isn't as big a knock on your character.  It's expected.  It's what whether you go locked up for jay walking or got lock up for murder that matters.  Living in isolation isn't an option if you want to live a semi normal life so you talk to people, even if they've been to jail or sell drugs.  I was lucky enough to have gotten out of that environment through some extraordinary sacrifices by my mother but my God-brother couldn't so he had to deal with who he had to deal with.  Unfortunately, that post Thanksgiving Sunday night, my 18 year old God-Brother was walking home from his new job and decided to chat with one such individual.  Not long after, they were approached by a man wanting to buy drugs. My God Brother's friend was a known dealer so this wasn't out of the ordinary.  During the course of the sale, the addict decided he didn't want to pay for his purchase and produced a revolver.  My God brother ended up on his back and choking to death on his own blood at the bottom of dirty basement stairs, shot in the chest 5 times, while both the dealer and the killer fled the scene.  Both were eventually caught about a week later and the addict was charged with murder, his 3rd felony strike.  The drug dealer, in jail on an unrelated charge, was the prosecution's "star" witness as the only other person who knew what happened that night.  I attended the trial, determined to get the truth of why my friend was dead.  When the drug dealer finally testified, it wasn't his description of the last moments of my brother's life that hurt the most.  It was the during the defense's cross examination that we found out that the drug deal had committed an armed robbery 3 weeks before and the local PD failed to arrests him.  Had he been caught, none of this would have happened.  I initially blamed the police for not doing their jobs, for neglecting yet another young black man's death.  But I know the kind of people who live in the neighborhood we grew up in.  I know because its the same attitude I had as a teenager.  Too many instances of disrespect and outright abuse between us for anyone to say anything to the police.  Even if that meant an armed robber remained free.  The only thing that accomplished was another member of our family being robbed of his future.  Sometimes, the first step to rebuilding a relationship is taking a leap of faith.  We know which officers have no interest in engaging us as a community and which do.  Use those connections and return the respect you're given by making the officers who actually care look good so they can become the people in charge of setting the tone for community relations.  We can weed out the bad cops the same way customers weed out bad employees, build a record of complaints so long they can't deny the pattern of misconduct.  Keep filming, keep exposing them, and keep them from getting another job.  Fighting fire with fire only proves them "right" and costs more black lives.

"Broken Windows" was used in post invasion Iraq with disastrous results (Photo: Wired.com)

Broken Windows Policing/Stop and Frisk/Ticket Quotas Must be Abolished
For folks who are screaming at their screens right now asking about Chicago and why I'm not speaking as vehemently about the black deaths instead of bashing the police?  Simple.  Gang members and criminals didn't take an oath to uphold the law and represent the highest ideals of our judicial system.  It's a false equivalence.  A straw man argument.  It should go without saying that the police should be held to a higher standard as taxpayer funded peacekeepers.  Honestly, anyone who doesn't think that's fair should ask themselves if they'd like to be treated the way the people of Baghdad were treated during the American occupation because that's exactly what "broken windows" policing and "stop and frisk" are.  In theory, broken window focuses on aggressively enforcing petty crime to deter more serious ones, restoring trust, reducing fear, and increasing pride in a community.  It was initially successful in Iraq but that was because Iraqis knew that the local police were backed up by the heavily armed American military.  Eventually, that fear gave way to rage as civilians refused to talk to Iraqi police or American MPs, allowing Al-Qaeda to kill at will.  Since our departure, crime and terrorism are worse than ever in Baghdad.  In New York City, which credited the practice for it's dramatic drop in crime during the 90s, it's become another excuse to use already low income people as source of municipal revenue.  The proof is the dramatic reduction in tickets written during the NYPD "protest" against Mayor DeBlasio last summer.  There was no corresponding rise in criminal activity during the down period inadvertently proving most of the officers have become little more than uniformed backdoor tax collectors.  Stop and Frisk compounds the issue by treating innocent young men of color as criminals regardless of actual guilt or innocence.  You cannot build a trusted network of neighborhood intelligence when you don't make the distinction between civilian and criminal.  Now, just as in Baghdad, police all over the country are being targeted in retaliation for years of abuse.  Good cops are paying the price for years of ineffective leadership, stat padding arrests, and racial profiling.

Where does it end?

It ends with the end of racism.  We got a glimpse of what that America would look like in the weeks after 9/11.  I can't remember any other time in my lifetime that we were all Americans.  No hyphens.  We're not where we were before the 60s but we clearly have a long way to go.  I used to believe that as the older generation died out, they would take their prejudices with them.  Unfortunately, we're seeing the same old battles play out among people my age who didn't live through the civil rights movement, proving poisonous ideas are just as hereditary as eye color.  We shouldn't be surprised though.  Racism didn't die out with the end of the Civil War, either World War, nor the Civil Rights movement.  We've seen small steps though, taken after each generation, slowly repealing explicit legalized racism and with the legal restrictions on education and housing lifted, more African Americans than ever are rising into positions of leadership.  We must remember though, that these leaders are still forced to work within a system that constrains how quickly they can effect that change and how entrenched the social barriers are to that change.  It's like trying to chip away at a glacier with an ice pick.  Killing cops won't help.  Ignoring police misconduct won't help.  But don't just take my word for it...ask the US Department of Justice, who've made the same recommendations I've just spent the last few paragraphs blathering about.

Resource Guide for Enhancing Community Relationships and Protecting Privacy and Constitutional Rights

After-Action Assessment of the Police Response to the August 2014 Demonstrations in Ferguson, Missouri

Community-Based Approaches to Prevention: A Report on the 2014 National Summit on Preventing Multiple Casualty Violence 


...Til Next Week!

Take Care of Yourselves...

Evil flourishes when good men do nothing (Photo: TheGrio.com)

Every time I try to write some dazzling piece about how angry I am or how unfair this is to the families of Alton Sterling and Philande Castille or how something needs to be done, I find myself getting distracted.  If you read this blog regularly, you know I'm not one to shy away from any topic but this week I am not only at a loss for words, I am at a loss for strength, I am at a loss for meaning, I am at a loss for anything resembling the solar furnace of anger that the response to these killings deserves.  Instead, I find myself playing a video game on my cell phone or watching a YouTube video or watching the scenery outside my office or thinking about my upcoming date with my wife. Anything to not have to think about how the fuck this could have happened again.  And again, the usual sides take up the usual positions, each living in their own little echo chamber, spouting the same talking points over and over again like a broken 45 that keeps playing the same half a lyric until you you want to take the entire stereo system and toss it out of your 3rd story window and smile with child like delight as its broken and mangled frame brings the promise of blissful silence.  Except we know that silence will never come.  Not as long as every time something like this happens we rely on cultural conditioning instead of critical thinking to produce solutions.  I grew more and more frustrated with myself for not having the discipline to simply do what I need to do and stop pussyfooting around until I realized that it's not a lack of discipline stopping me.  

I'm self medicating.  

I've heard many in the activist community, talk radio hosts, other writers, and friends of mine sum up their feelings about this week, and 2016 in general, in one word.  "Enough."  Ironically, I realize now that there are some people who avoid the news for this very reason.  I used to chastise them for not wanting to pay attention.  I looked down on them for sticking their heads in the sand like an ostrich and leave themselves just as vulnerable for their lack of knowledge.

"Just because you don't want to hear it and don't want to deal with it doesn't mean it won't affect you!"

After the gut punch of these back to back senseless murders, I empathize a little more, now. They reached their breaking point years ago and for some of them it physically hurts to watch it happen over and over and over and over and over again with no recourse, no plan of action to stop it, no power to change it, and no direction to escape it.  Who in their right mind would be eager to watch the savage deaths of men that could easily be your son, nephew, brother, uncle, cousin, or father?  So, like so many others, I've unconsciously taken steps to either guard my heart or at least try to balance some of the emotional damage with false senses of video game victory, which ironically is what the results of our labor feel like in real life. False victory. The majority of officers who violate the rights of Black Americans go unpunished.  Most white criminals are treated as moral individuals with momentary lapses in judgement that need to be understood rather than vilified as poster children for their race's immorality like their black counterparts.  It's tempting just to shut it off, walk out of the room and make it all go away.  Unfortunately, if we do that, we only give ourselves a false sense of security at best and a disadvantage on the issues that matter the most at the worst.

  

I guess the point of all this rambling is that I've come to an unexpected consequence of being "woke." Battle fatigue.  It really does take a team of people willing to lift each other up to continue the fight, to speak out, to protest, and to demand change because the cause is bigger than anyone of us and its impossible to fight this battle alone.  To the people who have chosen to stand in that gap and position themselves as part that team, thank you.  Writing this blog weekly, I have a newfound respect for people who do this every day.  To the folks that read this blog who put up with my bloviating, sometimes holier-than-thou, writing, I thank you. This space is intended to inform my readers on things they may have missed as well as provide a place for me to download the thoughts I cannot verbally express.  If you choose to follow in the footsteps of activists, remember that all that fire, passion, and energy can burn you out more quickly than you'd like and taking care of yourself and your mental health is priority number 1.  

Facebook Video Shows Another Officer Involved Shooting in Minnesota

VIDEO: Roseville, Minnesota Officer Involved Shooting

In the wake of the horrifying Alton Sterling videos, a new video posted to a now deactivated Facebook account shows the aftermath of another officer involved shooting, this time in Falcon Heights, Minnesota.  According to the video, the incident began when the couple was pulled over, for a broken tail light.  The victim then told police that he was licensed to carry a weapon and that it was currently on him.  According to his girlfriend, who recorded the video, the victim was complying with police commands, reaching for his license and registration, informed the officer that he was doing so, but was still shot 4 times.  The unidentified Minnesota patrolman seemed to blame the bleeding victim for his injuries, repeatedly yelling that he "told him not to reach."  Officers then took the girlfriend, who was still recording, into custody where her emotions got the best of her and had to be comforted by her daughter, who looked to be no more than 10 years old and witnessed everything.  Condition of the victim and the names of the officers involved is still unknown at this time.

Will update this post as more information becomes available...

Update...the victim, who unfortunately died of his injuries, has been identified by a relative as Philando Castile, 32, an employee of the St. Paul school system.

Full details in the Minneapolis Star Tribune

If You Want Something Done Right...Just Thought You Should Know 7/1/16

Dumervil decided to take matters into his own hands (Photo: TMZ.com)

LB Elvis Dumervil, Baltimore Ravens Gives Back

Athletes giving to charity in the face of tragedy is nothing new, but when it comes to his ancestral island of Haiti, Ravens Linebacker Elvis Dumervil isn't taking any chances.  The NFL star partnered with New Story Charity to personally oversee the construction of 58 new homes in Bercy, Haiti, a small rural village 14 miles north of the capital, Port-au-

Prince

.  Dumervil's presence isn't a publicity stunt or a photo-op either.  After a massive earthquake devastated the already impoverished nation in January 2010, Dumervil was among the first to call for donations only to see that money either squandered or stolen by charities like Wyclef Jean's Yele Haiti, The Red Cross, and US Government agencies like USAID.  Less than half of the estimated $13 billion dollars donated to the relief effort actually reached the people who needed it the most and that wasn't a mistake Dumervil wanted to repeat. 

"I don't know how much was actually given to those people, but not all of it," Dumervil said. "Now I'm in a position with my own capital resources to negotiate with certain people and make sure that I can put action to my words and start doing things from my standpoint before asking people for money and help for the cause." -- Jason Hensley, Elvis Dumervil, Ravens' No. 58, building 58 homes for Haiti earthquake victims, ESPN.com

 He and New Story completed 24 of the 58 homes this weekend and hope to build at least 250.  The Baltimore Sun also reports that Dumervil is encouraging his teammates and colleagues from across the NFL to join the cause.  Haiti can use all the help it can get.  Amnesty international estimates that 85,000 people are still homeless as a result of the 2010 earthquake.  The National Palace, one of the most beautiful buildings in the country and a symbol of national pride since 1920, was destroyed by the earthquake and its ruins sat for more than 3 years before it was finally demolished in the fall of 2012.  The Earthquake was just one of the many disasters to have hit the country this century.  In 2004 Hurricane Jeanne swept over Hispanola.  While the more prosperous (and therefore more prepared) Dominican Republic suffered relatively light damage, the storm overwhelmed Haiti's infrastructure, causing massive flooding and mudslides.  Over 3,000 people were killed and more than 250,000 were left homeless.  In the immediate aftermath of the 2010 earthquake, the worst cholera outbreak in recent memory ran through the makeshift relief shelters and soon spread nation wide.  Even worse, the U.N., the people most responsible for helping Haiti get back on its feet, may have actually been the ones to unwittingly infect the populace.

Help make Haiti Great Again

Why does it matter?

Clearly, not everyone has the capital to push forward projects like this nor does everyone have the inclination to revisit their roots of poverty and struggle but when moments like this happen and a vehicle is created to help those who need it the most, it must be acknowledged and supported by people like you and me for it to do the most good.  People who gave their hard earned money to the charities I mentioned above will obviously be skeptical but New Story and Mission Hope Church have been doing this without publicity and fanfare for years with a proven track record of accomplishment. The addition of an advocate like Dumervil can only mean good things for organizations who have been already doing so much with relatively little support. 

What Can I Do About it?

You don't have to be an expatriate Haitian or a 1st generation born abroad to have compassion for Haiti.  I'm not Haitian nor do I have any ties to its diaspora but I am a West Indian and a member of the larger African diaspora and watching how much this country has been disrespected, abused, and ridiculed despite the fact that they were the first country to cast off the yoke of colonialism and slavery I almost feel obligated to give back.  I realize some people will see that as a reason not to give but they aren't who this appeal is for.  Elvis has opened a door.  It's up to us to walk through.

You can contact, donate, and/or read about Mission of Hope and New Story Charity through the links below.

https://www.newstorycharity.org/

http://www.mohhaiti.org/

...Til Next Week!

Brexit, Black Republicans, and Faith: Just Thought You Should Know 6/24/16

I love and appreciate you Pastor, but I think you're wrong.

What do you do when your spiritual leader's politics are not congruent with your own?  This week as we mark the anniversary of the Emanuel AME Church massacre, I find myself at a special crossroads. My pastor, Rev. A.R. Bernard Sr., pastor of Christian Cultural Center in Brooklyn, NY, revealed this week that he is part of an "evangelical advisory committee" for the Republican presumptive presidential nominee, Donald J. Trump.  Pastor Bernard and 19 other evangelical leaders, including the ultraconservative former Minnesota congresswoman Michele Bachmann, met with Trump on Wednesday in New York, at his request, to discuss various matters of faith and policy before a larger meeting with over 1,000 church leaders.  While not giving his explicit endorsement (it was not required by the Trump campaign to sit on the board surprisingly) Pastor Bernard says he came away from the meeting "impressed" with Trump's sincerity and seemingly dismissed some of Trump's verbal flip flops as him being merely "inarticulate."  He appeared on several news talk shows including Roland Martin on NewsOne , Fox & Friends, and his weekly guest spot on Sirius XM  to explain his position but, and I say this respectfully, I personally find that position troubling.

Trump presents one of more uncomfortable tables for the Christian conservative movement to come to in recent politics. It’s not only his personal story that poses problems, filled as it is with unscrupulous business practices, two tumultuous divorces, and prior liberal leanings on topics like abortion. It’s his current policy portfolio, too. The two immovable pillars of Trump’s presidential campaign are opposition to undocumented immigrants and a fierce rejection of refugees from the Middle East. Those happen to be two of the occasional break points between the religious right and the Republican Party.  -- Trump's New Evangelical Advisors Neither Love Him Nor Hate Him.  They Just Want Him To Listen, Sam Stein, Huffington Post 6/22/2016

Pastor's argument on SiriusXM (unfortunately I can't post the link but it's 6/24/16 edition of "The Armstrong Williams Show" On Demand if you subscribe to XM) is that the neither the Democrats nor the Republicans have done anything for the African-American community so maybe something different is required.  Disappointingly, I heard the usual talking point trotted out to explain why Pastor Bernard, as a card carrying Republican, would be open to a candidate who has spent most of his public life living in opposition to the very values he lives by as a man of faith.

"He's not your typical Republican."

He also made the argument that evangelicals must make character compromises sometimes for candidates who do not have the sterling family record of a Barack Obama, who is still as scandal free as the day he was the elected.  To be fair, he doesn't explicitly defend Trump's most outrageous ideas, like banning Muslims from entering the United States, but he walked a fine enough line with his words to avoid outright condemning Trump for anything.  He didn't hesitate, however, to criticize Hillary Clinton for her husband's infamous "3 strikes" legislation that sent black incarceration rates soaring and on Roland Martin's show, bring up Bill Clinton's infidelity as a moral measuring stick to contrast Trump.  Both are notorious womanizers but neither of those points, in my opinion, can be tied to Mrs. Clinton since she wasn't even a politician in 1994 when 3 strikes became law and penalizing her candidacy for the sexual sins of her husband is wrong.  There are plenty of other, more legitimate criticisms, like the debacle in Beghazi during her tenure as Secretary of State, the e-mail scandal that won't go away, lying about coming under sniper fire in Yugoslavia, voting to go to war in Iraq as a Senator in 2002, and using racism in her campaign against Barack Obama in 2008. 

Look a Sniper! (Photo: Washingtonpost.com)

Neutrality is something Pastor doesn't believe in.  He likened it to being dead in the opening monologue to his radio show this week, but I'm not sure if Pastor realized not only the level of backlash he would receive, but how even granting an audience with Trump, a man who tried to openly sway the black vote earlier in this campaign by meeting with 100 black pastors and failing miserably to get their endorsement, would influence his congregation.  To reiterate, Pastor has not given Mr. Trump his endorsement but there are people who would vote for a cactus if their pastor stood next to one.  Conversely, mistrust of the church is at an all time high and while I'm sure he sits on that advisory board to preach a prophetic word to a potential president, Pastor's party affiliation (R), Trump's track record, his fellow pastors doing things like buying jets at their congregation's expense, and covering up immoral scandals, have even the most devout believers questioning the motives of their leaders.  Does that mean he shouldn't have met with Trump?  If you asked me yesterday I'd have told you he should have slammed the door in his face.  Today?  I can understand why you would want to be at the table in the unlikely event he does become President.  Being an advocate for issues specific to people of color is essential in the halls of power where we are too often forgotten about or subject to laws that are based on stereotypes, not reality.  It probably just disgusts me that it might be Trump's table in November.

Trump retweeted falsehoods like this repeatedly during the primary

Trump is loathed by most people of color and except for the few he finds useful to further his own agenda, the feeling seems mutual.  All of his African American outreach efforts up to now have come across as pandering rather than actual engagement.  Changing that was Pastor's stated goal for attending.  However, Trump's pattern of behavior suggests that not only will he ignore what these Men of God have to say but he'll use this meeting as a wink and a nod to evangelicals across the country without having to actually change anything about himself, his policies, or his politics.  For the latest examples just look to his statements about the Orlando night club shooting, where he made sure to take credit for "being right" before he offered any condolences to the victim's families.  Yesterday, he held an hour long press conference, praising the success of Brexit while touring his golf course, as a win for Britain because it mirrored his own plan for the United States.  Brexit, or British Exit, if you weren't aware, is a referendum in which the UK voted to leave the European Union.  Their decision to leave the organization after 43 years, unfortunately, was driven largely by opposition to the EU's immigration policy of accepting Syrian refugees and the short term economic pain will be excruciating for the working class Brits who voted for it.  We saw a small taste of that economic pain yesterday when the British Pound crashed post vote, instantly wiping out years of national wealth.  Long term, Britain has an even tougher road ahead as the current Prime Minister, David Cameron, immediately announced his resignation effective this October.  His successor could possibly being the bigoted former mayor of London Boris Johnson who was a leader in the campaign to leave and is literally the British version of Trump.  Also, they're now directly competing with the EU for foreign trade agreements and their young adults will now require visas to work anywhere else in Europe which will ultimately cost them even more jobs, likely sending their economy into a deep recession.  There is evidence to suggest that most voters didn't truly understand what they were even voting for as the Washington Post reported that the most Googled phrase in England yesterday was "What is the EU?"  Maybe it is  a preview of what will happen if Trump is elected. Anti-intellectualism at its finest, folks.  Are we going to allow racism to rob us of our future too?

The fact that the Donald is close enough to the Presidency that the man I look to for a spiritual perspective felt the need to grant him an audience is nauseating.  It's as if people expect Donald Trump to morph into a respectable presidential candidate when he's shown again and again and again and again exactly who he is.  It's the crux of his appeal.  I understand the desire for change.  I understand that there are millions of people angry with the direction this country is going right now.  I felt it when I pulled the lever for President Barack Obama in 2008.  More specifically, I understand that the Clinton's track record when it comes to black folks is spotty at best and the "lesser of two evils" thought process we usually use to decide is tougher than ever before.  I'm not sure what the solution is, but I know Trump's policies would be disastrous for the country economically, socially, and politically.  Starting a trade war by taxing imports, building a wall along the Mexican border, and trying to extort payments from our allies will not bring the secure manufacturing jobs of the past back to our shores.  Globalization, as the UK will find out, is something you can't turn back the clock on.  Attempting to do so, instead of preparing for the economy you actually live in, is literally cutting off your nose to spite your face.  Ironically, this is when I would listen to Pastor to see what his views were but after this week, I realize that maybe the bigotry and isolationism is exactly what the people want.  Maybe the dream of a multi-cultural society is just that.  A dream.  Maybe, I really just need to pray for God's will to be done, ensure me and my family are OK and stop placing my faith in anything or anyone other than Him. 

...Til next week.

Resurrection of "The Land"

Queen James.

Man Child.

Flopper.

Complainer.

Choke Artist.

Scared of the Spotlight.

Joey Crawford's favorite player.

Bitch ass Nigga.


LeBron James has been called everything on this list, and some that aren't fit to retype here, for years. Long before Michael Jordan's Hall of Fame speech immortalized him (again), LeBron's tears were the gold standard of professional failure.  It wasn't as widespread as MJs meme (another way his haters can say he doesn't measure up to His Airness) but every time James' teams were eliminated in the Finals, the memes came.

At least he can say this meme is something he started before MJ...

"The Decision," no matter how much he tried to downplay it, was the worst decision of his career.  It  turned the local-kid-does-good narrative into that arrogant ex-best friend you loathe because he ditched you for cooler friends in high school.

"He took the easy path!"

"Michael would never join Magic!"

"Miami bought their Championship!  They didn't build it the 'right way'!"

And there goes Cleveland's economy

Clearly not prepared the level of vitriol he received, some of it outright racist, James tried to turn the tables on his critics and embrace the villain role.  Unfortunately, instead of thriving on the hate like Reggie Miller once did, he buckled, his play suffered, and there was much joy in Whoville when the over-hyped 2011 Miami Heat fell flat on their faces, losing to the Dallas Mavericks in 6 games. James eventually did win championships in Miami but they both seemed hollow.  His first title came in a lockout-shortened season against an upstart (a nice word for inexperienced) Oklahoma City Thunder squad. Arguably, he only won his second because Ray Allen decided to take his talents to South Beach too.  The 2014 Finals, a rematch with San Antonio, would be an absolute disaster.  It seemed as if  even Father Time joined the ranks of LeBron haters as he battled cramps (no seriously), a diminished Dwayne Wade, and Ray Allen's shot leaving him at the worst possible time (9-22 on 3pt in the series). The formerly "ancient" Spurs exposed the Heat's inability to replenish their roster with young talent. LeBron decided falling in 5 games to a team they'd barely beaten the year before was writing Shakespearean sonnets on the Heat's locker room walls.  If he wanted to leave a lasting legacy, it wasn't going happen in Miami.

Announcing your return to Cleveland while wearing a Miami Championship ring?  Oh LeBron, you never learn.

By some miracle, Dan Gilbert and LeBron James decided to try again.  James knew he owed Cleveland (the people not the franchise) for putting them through hell both on and off the court. Never has one man been so instrumental in the revitalizing of a city's troubled economy as LeBron has been to Cleveland, which is why this relationship between player and city is so special.  He's more than just a sports figure in Ohio, a responsibility he now seems to understand and embrace.  He realizes what he'd done and was going to put everything he could into making amends.  However, they say you can't truly go home again, and while most Cavs fans embraced the return of Akron's prodigal son, many Cleveland fans still carried the sour taste of his exodus in their mouths.  Many still weren't convinced that he would stick around this time either, considering he only signed a 2-year contract that expires after this season.  Nevertheless, the Cavs front office picked up right where they left off with James, allowing him to once gain have input on personnel, forcing the trade that sent  Andrew Wiggins to Minnesota in exchange for Kevin Love.


Queen James.

Man Child.

Flopper.

Complainer.

Choke Artist.

Scared of the Spotlight.

Joey Crawford's favorite player.

Bitch ass Nigga.

Now you officially can add "Legend" to the list.  His performance in the last two NBA Finals (his 5th and 6th consecutive Finals, by the way) ends all doubt about his place among the greats of the game.  The promise of the St. Marys High School phenom that was going to change the game?  Fulfilled.  The debt owed to the city of Cleveland for taking his talents to South Beach?  Paid.  Those crying memes?  Jordan can keep those.  The only crying pictures about LeBron that matter will be these...

From one championship-starved franchise to another, this one's for you Cleveland!  Even if you did use 4 ex-Knicks to do it :)