Throwing Stones

Raise your hand if you knew the creator of The Wire was a white guy...........right. What's even more mind-blowing is that this is the first time I've watched this series in its entirety. Pretty dope to say the last. As much as I hate to see black people perpetuate stereotypes, it provides a window into lives of those right in our cities & towns. The stigmas of violence, drug abuse, immorality...commonplace for a large portion of our community. Detroit went filed for Chapter 9 today. A city that birthed GM and Motown, down the pooper. That city mirrors a wasteland. A barren tundra of despair and destitute and void citizens..a modern day Gotham City sans Bruce. A family mourns the loss of their son at the hands of a man who grabbed the law by the hair & collar, left to interpret it the best way he saw fit...bailed out by Conservative media and coloreds who seem numb and lacking sympathy towards the victim, his family and loved ones. Trayvon & Darius in very identical situations, both unarmed, posing no life threat, slain. Their lives in a most untimely and lackluster manner snatched from their bodies in an instant. Who is protected under this law we abide by? If I were a cop, I'd definitely be McNulty. He's got the charisma of a pimp and the confident resolve & calmness of Phil Ivey. A son didnt make it home today to rummage through the fridge and leave his dirty shoes & socks all over the house. A young man never made it back home to finish his saved campaign of Black Ops he'd been taking a break from in order to court a young lady. A brother's life was cut short before seeing his sister off to work, dropping her off at her job on the way to the gym for some run to 16 with friends. It's not just about who's lives are publicized in the media, creating polarizing views and hateful words to be thrown back & forth like hand-piles of Easy Mac and stuffing. Although the evidence of racial profiling is quite clear, these victims also represent the hundreds and thousands of children who are the victims of rape, abuse, neglect, trafficking, addiction, malnutrition, bullying and ultimately violence everyday. We don't have enough digitized film and RAM to illustrate the horror that adolescents are faced with today. Trayvon Martin is only a microcosm of the harsh reality youths are faced with and have to endure everyday. The hearts and minds of all of us must change. I suppose that's more of the reason why I dedicate myself to service everyday. Anyone telling you that they're in it for financial gain is a crook pimping the system. Aint no real money in nonprofits until you get to 'Manager of' this or Director, CEO, COO, whatever...But a life driven by personal & financial gain is a life lacking substance, apathy and compassion for the lives of others. I've had opportunities and lessons learned in my life over the years that I will forever be grateful for. But the reality is that right up Jefferson, is a community of people who lack the resources & capital available to take advantage of such opportunity. And so, I serve. Outside of that, I love interacting with people who I don't already know, for those that I do know by now are pretty boring and suck the life out of me (joking). To conclude, there are ways to enact change and to stir up emotion in others for the greater good without giving way to rioting, looting and more waves of senseless violence. Trayvon & Darius are gone and they aint comin back...but the real crime is committed by us who sit by allowing for precious time to through the cracks while letting the lives of these young men and the myriad of victimized youths' lives be lost in vain. Larry Elder, author, radio host and a successful, well-spoken & opinionated public figure currently living in South Central Los Angeles appeared on Piers Morgan the other night, discussing the ramifications of the Trayvon Martin verdict. His views are echoed by a growing number of African-Americans as well (I follow @GOPBlackChick on Twitter and she is a handful). Interesting to state the very least. But if you are in opposition of any of their views, what are you doing to create an opposite force of actions and views?