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Monday, December 17, 2012

Stop The Violence Rally At The Statehouse

List of Demands on Behalf of All Trentonians List of Demands on Behalf of Trenton Residents to the State of New Jersey

      Unforgiving weather elements this morning (dreary,cold and drizzling) was a start to what turned out to be an interesting day at the Stop the Violence Rally at the NJ Statehouse in Trenton NJ. Clergy, mothers and other relatives of murder victims, politicians, activists and just your average everyday Trentonian endured the elements and gathered together to peacefully petition our state government for help to stem the tide of violence that has been a growing tsunami in Trenton.

     Government wasn't the only people being petitioned today, clergy, mothers and other relatives of murder victims, politicians, activists and just your everyday Trentonian -- pointed out that they are not doing enough and must step up and do their part as well. We can only ask the government for so much, we, and not alone -United- will be the ones to bring this City back from the brink.

     As this Whiteboy passed out the above flier alongside Black Panther Divine Allah and hearing him comment within earshot "here, we are running to the White man," I thought to myself, 'he may have to eat those words when Cory Booker unseats Chris Christie from the Governors Office next year,' or at least I hope. As my thinking was distracted by race thoughts, retired Trenton Police SRGT Carol Russell stepped to the podium and used the one thing that stops everyone in their emotional and physical tracks and brings all people of all ethnicity's and faith's together...Poetry.

     "Unless you've lived on my street and eaten my government cheese" read one of the lines in the poem. As a poet myself I felt the words. I understand the power of the written and spoken word and apparently so did the other 60 or so people in the crowd because they stopped everything they were doing to listen. Carol Russell is quickly becoming one of my most favorite people, I am a big fan of her messages.
 
    One Pastor suggested that leaders of all religions and faiths are not doing enough work outside of their house of worship. He is spot on with that! Gangs are men who control boys, take the boys away and these gang leaders (so called men) will die off or go to prison.

     You really want to hurt a street gang type criminal organization? Combat their recruiting efforts. Take our boys and girls out of their grips. Most gang leaders will let a young soldier otherwise known as a young boy or girl out of their grips if they find God, any God. I am no fan of organized religion but in this sense, it can save lives, not just the life of the young gang recruit but the lives of those people the recruit may be forced into taking for one reason or another. Our clergy in Trenton should be on every street corner everyday doing God's work not remaining placid in the comfort of their own home and congregation.

     My opinion is that gang members are Urban Terrorists and should fall under the purview of Homeland Security and that Homeland Security should provide more federal resources (money and manpower) such as funds to bolster our police force with real Trentonians who have actually lived here for more than 10-years. Gangs are Terrorist organizations who make their communities feel unsecured and they are operating right here all over the United States of America so they are clearly Homeland Security's responsibility, not just here in Trenton but everywhere across our homeland. I am not downplaying what occurred in Newtown Connecticut when I state that 'if all of Trenton's murders occurred in one day, in one moment of time rather than over the course of a year----we would get more attention, add up all of the years and we would be under Marshal Law.'

     Race quickly came to mind again as I ran into my old friend DJ Juice. Back when we were 17-year-old's we started a rap group called 'Equality' the concept was a White rapper and Black DJ and our music would be about racial harmony, this was the late eighties so things were even worse back then, race-relations wise. We performed a couple of shows and there was a buzz that Profile Records was interested in us but I parted ways with him to join the Navy. I bought him the Technique 1200's he went on to become famous with making hip hop mix-tapes, so I have a clear conscience, he did his thing without me.

     Race was also brought up as it was suggested that a great abundance of White people outside of  Urban environments could care less about the violence that plagues cities like Trenton, that they are either detached or a scarier hypothesis, that they see it as gang members killing gang members or poor people killing other poor people or non-White people killing each other so ..good...it's none of their concern, Trenton is no Newtown.

      As I pondered the hypothesis a 60-something-year-old White man approached from the lower end of West State and I extended my arm with flier in hand asking him to "keep Trenton in mind today" and he responded by shoving my arm, hand and flier back to me stating "I don't care about why you are here today and I don't give a fuck about your rhetoric" to that this Whiteboy retorted "go fuck yourself you piece of shit" as the man walked gingerly by all of the Black people in his way and as I turned from the man I saw Divine Allah staring into my eyes with a broad smile on his face, yup, even at a positive event negativity will breed negativity.

Some video of the event is below, the battle continues at the Board of Education meeting tonight at 5:30PM.............Peace Trenton.


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