Yes indeed, it is as Michelle says, "Our children, like every other race,
our ours from the womb to the grave." I believe that is exactly what Mr.
Plante, and possibly Mr. Terrill meant. Families should take responsibility
for their children what ever their ages. If you brought them into the
world, you should care enough to keep them straight. I get so tired of
hearing someone say that "my child is so unruly and out of hand that I just
don't know what to do." How about what ever is necessary! We need to
empower our community's families with both our expectations and our support.
I brought up three sons in the heart of the worst drug community in the City
of Minneapolis. Right off Chicago and Franklin. My kids never had any
doubt about what would happen if they, like many of their friends, started
to deal drugs. The least thing they had to fear was the cops. That absolute
sureness that I, and my family, CARED enough to do what ever was necessary,
what ever it took, and where ever they went, was what it required to make
sure they did not follow that path. If I knew my 29-year old son was dealing
drugs today, I can assure you that he would still expect that I would come,
what ever it took. Those single mothers who are not personally strong
enough, or who do not have someone to fill that role, should be able to call
on her community, her church, and even her Minister to do what is needed.
The problem is that we have isolated people and families, and made them
powerless in that isolation. Our community needs to expect better from not
only our children, but also from our community leaders.
I remember when community Ministers had enough conviction in their beliefs
that they were not above grabbing a young man or woman who was the child of
a mother in their congregation on the street corner. Grabbing them and
telling them about their responsibility. That still goes on. I have
witnessed it many times from Robert Cook across the street, and a couple of
times from Reverend Solomon in my own community. We need communities to care
enough about their young people to do what ever is necessary to stop those
young people from living lives of crime.
Just tonight we witnessed examples of both non-caring by a family and very
real "caring" by a community. Five older teenage young Black women decided
to beat and rob a small Somali woman for no other reason than she was Somali
and vulnerable. They viciously assaulted and robbed the woman before we
could get out the door and across the street to save her. The criminal
girls then fled around the corner to 1004 East 22nd Street and went inside
where several of them live with one of their mothers. The only reason that
the Somali woman was not very seriously injured, as was the stated intent of
this group, was community members (who did not even know this Somali woman)
running out of their doors yelling to help her.
It took fifteen minutes to get one of Minneapolis' too few police officers
to the scene. (Very good, very caring police officers I might add.) What
would have happened if we had not run out in indignation to save that woman?
If we had simply hid in our house and called the police? Would she have
been beaten to death?
Several of us followed the perpetrators to their house at 1004 East 22nd
Street. This, and a willingness by community members to bring the police
officers to that house, and to personally act as witnesses, allowed two of
the girls to be arrested. The mother NEVER came out, even when the
perpetrators were being put into a car and hauled away. And yes, in this
aggravated situation I believe the mother should be held for criminal
neglect of a juvenal.
By the way, Robert Cook was there tonight, as usual. Robert also believes
that it takes a "Village" to raise a child. Fortunately Robert is part of,
and a leader in, our little Village. I do not even have to look, I know
that when there is trouble on my block that Robert will be there. One of
the most powerful forces we have in society is "Righteous Indignation"! It
is time our Religious leaders took a little "Righteousness" out of their
churches, and brought it into the community. It's time they brought the
"Righteous" members of the congregation out into the community to say, "We
will not allow this evil to claim even one more of our children."
I am sorry, but if I find a poisonous snake in the bed with my babies I am
going to chop that snakes head off! Even if it is an endangered species! I
will not wait for excuses about it being in the nature of the snake and that
the "snake" is just seeking "Opportunity". Our community should feel the
same about the drug gangs that attempt to enter the "beds" of our children.
Clearly the police are given so few resources, by an elected administration
that does not seem to care, that they are unable to deal with many of the
problems on our streets. It is time for the mothers and fathers, the
elders, the ministers, and the real community leaders to simply say "NOT IN
MY HOUSE, and NOT IN MY COMMUNITY!
It is time we start taking back our communities one house and one block at a
time. If we do not allow drug dealers and gang members to live among us they
will have no place to go or cover to hide in. This does not mean giving up
a child. It does mean caring enough to do what ever is necessary to HELP
that child. It does not help a child for the community to look the other
way and allow them to become a hardened criminal that can not be saved. We
need to start daring to care enough to save our own children. It is time our
communities leaders and families cared enough to make that stand.
Jim Graham,
Ventura Village
"It is always an utter folly to underestimate the lure and attraction of a
great evil. The whitened bones of their victims litter the highways and
byways of mankind's history. Stopped only by the few willing to pay the
ultimate price and make a stand."
- Toe
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