Why We Have An MLK Holiday And A Black History Month
Posted on 02/17/2016 1:00:20 PM PST by View Out West
It seems not a week goes by without hearing about the death of an African-American at the hands of law enforcement. Tamir Rice, Eric Harris, Walter Scott, Jonathan Ferrell, Sandra Bland, Samuel DuBose, Freddie Gray -- the names would be a blur except they represent real people whose lives have ended needlessly.
As a 51-year-old African-American male who was born and raised in Houston Gardens, I’ve seen more than my share of violence in our communities. Actually, I’ve seen more than my share because I’m a bail bond agent and run the family business founded by my father 27 years ago. I’ve seen up-close the faces of people who have made terrible mistakes. I’ve talked with them and gotten to know them. Whether it was a childhood neighbor or someone for whom I’m writing a bond to get out of jail, everyone who has had a run-in with the law has a story to tell. And it’s usually not what you might see on some TV crime drama.
Aside from my work, I’m also an ordained minister and in that capacity I interact with our community in a completely different way. I know fellow church members who have had terrible experiences that you will never see in the news. One 17-year-old kid was jailed after trying to retrieve his work shirt that was locked in the car of his mother’s boyfriend. The straight-A student had called the police himself for their help, but was somehow charged with interfering with the duties of a law enforcement officer. The boy never raised his voice, nor was he disrespectful. But he had the nerve to question the officer, “Why are you doing this to me?†as he was being frisked. Thankfully, he was released soon after, but there was simply no reason for him to have been arrested in the first place.
The violent crimes for which the police are accused of in the growing number of cases against blacks are heinous and I can only pray that justice will prevail. However, I also urge my fellow African-Americans to take greater responsibility for what goes on in our communities -- particularly parents. I see them every day in my job as a bail bondsman, young people who get in trouble because they were never taught personal responsibility.
I have a saying, “If you teach the parents, you teach the kids.†Parents have to understand that better, safer lives for everyone in our communities starts with them. Then they have to step up and pass it along by being good examples for our children. Programs like Say No to Drugs and Think Don’t Drink are great, but we can’t expect others to do our jobs for us. Parents must teach their kids to take responsibility for their actions and set boundaries for them. For example, parents should know where their children are. While there is nothing necessarily illegal about being out at 2 or 3 in the morning, it’s simply not a safe time for them to be out. Underage drinking? Again, parents must teach their kids what is acceptable and what is not.
I would also encourage parents and their children to get involved in our communities. There are a million ways to volunteer or otherwise invest in where we live. Let’s demonstrate that we care about ourselves.
None of us wants to live in fear at the hands of law enforcement. But citizens also shouldn’t be the instruments of their own self-destruction. The resolution to the continuing problem of police violence against African-Americans must start with extensive sensitivity training for officers. In this way, they can view us as citizens rather than their enemies in war. It is also mandatory that we begin to create a safer, more self-supportive environment in which to live.
Stop commiting crimes and you probably won’t get shot.
Honor a month? months don’t need honor. Honor the memory of MLK by not shooting up, or shooting each other, for starters.
Especially on streets named after him.
Dads are supposed to teach their sons how to deal with adult male authority.
BLACK DADS are supposed to teach their sons how to deal with adult male WHITE authority. However, the single motherhood of black girls/women is APPALLINGLY high, so the black FEMALES condemn their sons to this life because they don't MARRY the males they have children by/with.
Do these people ever ask themselves why people flock to other ethnic neighborhoods, like Little Italies, Chinatowns, Japan towns, little Havanas, French Quarters, etc. but avoid black neighborhoods (including blacks themselves) like the plague?
Flint, Camden, East St. Louis...
Oh goodie.
MMMMMMMMMMMMMMmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm....Time to channel my inner Malcolm X
GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrggggggggggggggggggggglllllllllllllleeeeeeeeeeeeee...cough.Cough.
to do so , just like other liberal positions, etc. is to acknowledge there is sliver of self responsibility, which is a thread that can unweave the fabric of the argument.
This is why they are so effective against conservatives.
Why We Have An MLK Holiday And A Black History Month
You left out Philly. the city is s cess pool of crime. Multiple nightly shootings
“probably”
That, my FRiend, is the dominant word in your post.
Do these people ever ask themselves why people flock to other ethnic neighborhoods, like Little Italies, Chinatowns, Japan towns, little Havanas, French Quarters, etc. but avoid black neighborhoods (including blacks themselves) like the plague?
Good point. Black areas should theoretically have visitors seeking ribs and soul food, and want to visit a club featuring music such as the blues and jazz.
Little Italy and Chinatown are tourist destinations. Will the black ghetto ever become such a destination????
Was the author a Black Panther, or was that Fred Hampton?
“Will the black ghetto ever become such a destination????”
Is THIS pope catholic?
(BTW - the answer is no)
The way cops act today...
Word.
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