A soldier and a child will not solve our problems.

"The Field Negro education series continues, because we are never as smart as we think we are.



I'm the girl that took the picture of the soldier and child in Baltimore that went viral. I meant to capture a sad moment, one of wasted resources and failure. Who knew that so many people think all of our race and economic problems could be solved if someone would just think to smile at a child?

The accusations of being a pot stirrer, a know-nothing liberal, and race-baiter have been coming at me almost faster than I can read them. Good. Keep it coming. You wouldn't hate me if I didn't make you uncomfortable.

Keep telling me to forget the misery and to just see the happiness. Keep criticizing me for bringing it up. Keep talking about it because that is the first step. But let's keep it real when we talk about it.


How can you look at that picture from Baltimore and think it shows a promising future? The problems leading up to this picture continue to be swept under the rug while people mindlessly smile over a picture of a child.

How about we focus on the fact that 86 percent of public school students in Baltimore get free/reduced lunch?

How about we focus on the predatory payday loan and checks cashed establishments that people in this neighborhood are subjected to, continuing the cycle of poverty they are in?

How about we focus on the fact that I took this picture on Fulton Ave about a month ago, and how it's pretty average for much of Baltimore:


I don't find my picture to be tragic because I hate the military or because I hate guns. It seems to me that 30 seconds of critical thinking would clarify that. I find it to be tragic because we don't give a damn about these communities until the destruction threatens the rest of us.

If this was a picture of a child on a field trip to the Pentagon, I'd see how it's cute. Adorable, even. But that isn't what this is. This is a community being told they are too vile and worthless for anyone to give a damn about them until they start to burn things down -- and even then, people only care long enough to be keyboard activists with uninformed opinions.

Baltimore has a lot of problems, but being a city full of people that want to loot and riot isn't one of them.

I think it's pretty clear why there was a riot on that Monday afternoon -- what did the police expect when they loaded up with riot gear, turned off public transit, didn't allow children to leave, and instigated pissed off kids? Yet here we are, painting Baltimore as a city of lawlessness.

If we're going to talk about lawlessness in Baltimore, let's talk about the millions of dollars used to settle and hide cases of police brutality.

I have watched news anchors and the Internet, in general, wonder why people felt the need to burn the businesses in the community, consequently limiting their own options of where to shop. Over my week in Baltimore, I listened to and talked to a lot of people, from those who were pro-riot to those who were pro-peace. The impression that I got wasn't that all people necessarily hate all businesses that aren't black-owned -- it's that they hate that the businesses won't pay living wages or promote people of color.

Without the ability to build capital (or even pay rent) and without the experience of being more than entry level employees, how are people supposed to start their own businesses? How will there ever be more black-owned businesses in primarily black communities?

In my opinion, the onus is now on wealthy business owners of all races in Baltimore and the surrounding area to do their part in making the city a more livable place. It's on the middle and upper middle class residents of Maryland to change the way things are run.

I saw an incredible amount of unity build up in one week of Baltimore protests -- a level of unity that is rare for any kind of movement. The revolution is here, and "us vs. them" is not going to be black vs white. It's going to the people who have hopped on board vs. those who haven't. Do not stand on the wrong side. Support the organizations that are on the ground making a difference. Support the organizations working to feed the hungry children of Baltimore and working to make the streets safe. Do not shop at places that do not allow their entry level employees to grow.

Nothing will change over night, but it's time we start working to provide education and opportunities instead of casting judgement when most of us can't even imagine what it would be like to live in West Baltimore." [Source]

Well, there is that whole interracial ebony and ivory thing. It all helps us to wrap our "post-racial" vibe into a nice little packet.

This author is obviously not playing along.

Party pooper.

*Pic from Huffington Post.

When the have- nots get resltless.

Now that those unrests seem to be over in Baltimore, it's time for the media to move on and find their next incident to drive their ratings.

This doesn't mean that there aren't the same issues remaining in that city that caused the natives to explode over the suspicious killing of a black man.

Sadly, I suspect that all those issues are still there, but unfortunately all we will hear out of Baltimore for the rest of this summer is where the Orioles are in the American East standings.

Anyway, I found a great article that addresses some of those very issues that I am referring to.

"Among the more annoying habits of a society appalled by social unrest is its casual dis of the poverty that causes it.

Discussing, dissecting and debating police violence and the angry reaction to it (now a weekly exercise) is the easy part. But the harder conversation means grappling with the devil in the socioeconomic details. One could even make the argument that, as a nation, we subconsciously prefer the endless Twitter-incubated scrap over police brutality because it keeps us conveniently removed from a much more critical examination of the tragic conditions people live in. Anything but that, right?

And yet Baltimore’s official 8.4 percent unemployment rate (pdf)—almost double the national average—still stands, at least according to the federal government’s Bureau of Labor Statistics. Deeper analysis suggests that it’s worse than the feds let on, with less than 58 percent of working-age black men between the ages of 16 and 64 being employed, according to a 2012 University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee multicity study (pdf)—compared with over 78 percent for their white counterparts and down from 73 percent in 1970. For black youths in Baltimore, the unemployment rate is 16.1 percent, 2 percentage points higher than the average national youth-unemployment rate and almost triple the overall national jobless rate.  

It’s not just Baltimore, either.

Still, politicians can cut up all they want on “thugs” as a way to appease powerful law-enforcement lobbies and panicky white voters. Or pacifying commentators can go to whatever length they think is necessary to placate ignoramus colleagues and friends who can’t understand why “black people keep burning up their neighborhoods.” Meanwhile, the majority of whites—70 percent of whom (pdf) consider racial discrimination in their local communities a nonproblem—can continue sticking their collective heads in the sand.

Despite all that, the pissy stench of poverty and hopelessness remains. The growing gulf of haves and have-nots is there, many gladly ignoring it while holed up in middle-class comfort zones.

In the case of Baltimore, how can you miss it, and how can you not want to talk about it? It’s Maryland’s largest city, accounting for 10 percent of the crab state’s population. But Baltimore also stands as a blemished statement on Maryland’s growing quality-of-life divides: 64 percent black, and a total citywide poverty rate above 25 percent (compared with the national rate of 15 percent.

 The city’s black poverty rate is just under 24 percent, much higher than the state’s black poverty rate of 14 percent.

“This is not new. It’s been going on for decades,” said President Barack Obama in a long response to reporter questions about Baltimore during a press conference alongside Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. “If we think we’re just going to send police in to do the dirty work of containing the problems that arise there, and if, as a nation, we don’t ask what we can do to change these communities, to help uplift these communities and give these kids opportunity, then we’re not going to solve this problem.”

He’s right. It’s definitely not new in Charm City, where poverty is just as prevalent today as it was in 1970—even more so in certain areas, according to a recent City Observatory report. Poverty in certain tracts of Baltimore has actually risen, with 55 areas considered “high-poverty.” Areas near locations such as the famed football and baseball stadiums are experiencing poverty rates as high...

... Baltimore’s poverty didn’t suddenly occur unnoticed or in a vacuum. Active suppression of a necessary tale-of-two-cities debate, because we’re afraid that it gives looters a pass, dooms us to perpetual failure. We can’t continue driving past and then fake confusion every time unrest occurs, especially when it has stared us down for this long. The solution must be a two-way street: We can’t expect civic control in economically traumatized areas if we’re not willing to offer a bit of civic consideration." [Source]



*Happy Mother's Day to all the Mothers out there holding it down. 

   

The revolution is brought to you by cable news.

Something about the wall to wall coverage of this uprising in Baltimore seems a little unseemly to me.

As if a community suffering is something to pontificate about 24/7 from a cozy  temperature controlled news studio.  

Gil Scott Heron, may his soul rest in peace, was wrong. The revolution will be televised.

CNN has sent their Negro du jour, Don Lemon, to the streets, to interview troll protesters in order to give that network a much needed ratings boost.

MSNBC is calling back every black host and guest that ever appeared on their network in order to help white America understand the "riots" from the Negro perspective.

Meanwhile, over at FOX VIEWS, it's just more of the same: Scare old white people
into thinking that the black bogeyman is right around the next corner.

And on and on it goes. Each network hoping to capture that moment that sparks conversation at water coolers in cozy temperature controlled offices all across the country.

"Wow! Did you see that mother smack the hell out of that kid of hers and drag him away from the rest of those thugs?" Good for her. Give that woman a medal." 

Under different circumstances that same black woman would  have child welfare services called on her by some white woman in the grocery store. Now she is a hero.

Yes, get over here right away! I saw it with my own eyes! The woman just hit her son in the back of the head repeatedly. Yes, I will wait. 

I tried to say something but she told me to mind my own f*****g business. Please hurry. I fear for the child's safety.....   

Let me stop.

"You will not be able to stay home, brother
You will not be able to plug in, turn on and cop out
You will not be able to lose yourself on skag
And skip out for beer during commercials
Because the revolution will not be televised"

Yes it will, Gil.

But enjoy the riot while it is in limited release.

*Pic from mashable.com

What would MLK do?

I was totally exasperated after reading what Glenn Beck and other right wingnuts had to say about the uprising in Baltimore.

"Glenn Beck invoked one of the biggest civil rights leaders of the past half-century to express his disgust with the violence and rioting in Baltimore yesterday. On his TV show today, Beck said, “Shame on Baltimore, shame on America.”

He lamented how yet another American city’s streets “resemble a battlefield” and told viewers, “I hate to say this, but last night, as I was writing before I went to bed, I wrote in my journal ‘Martin Luther King is truly dead.’”

And Beck’s worried that “our country will suffer the same fate” due to a lack of leadership. He used his chalkboard to explain how the local gangs, the Nation of Islam, and the SEIU are filling the leadership void. Beck ripped the mayor of Baltimore and asked what she thinks about those groups “be[ing] your leadership.” [Source]

Just reading Beck's name in the same sentence with that of Dr. King makes me want to puke.

The nerve of him and others like him! 

Thank you Chauncey DeVega for putting your emotions into words.

"Freddie Gray was killed by Baltimore's police. Baltimore's ghetto youthocracy responded with protests and an exhalation of random street violence. The killing of Freddie Gray, an unarmed black man who was a victim of racial profiling and harassment by police, is the proximate cause of Baltimore's "riot".

The deeper and more substantive causes of Baltimore's violent spasm (and Ferguson and other sites as well) are long simmering grievances and righteous anger at an American police establishment that is racist towards black Americans, and a society where its supposed "meritocracy" is broken by the colorline and class inequality.

The United States may have a black man who happens to be President; racial equality, justice, and the radically democratic transformative possibilities that Obama symbolized seven years ago have not been translated into substantive improvements in the life chances for people of color more generally, or the black and brown poor in particular.

There is a ritual that accompanies these moments of protest by black Americans, and the wholly predictable urban unrest that follows the repeated killings of unarmed black people by police.

The high priests of public opinion take to the TV, radio, and Internet and summon the memory of Brother Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to condemn black folks who are "rioting", for the latter are violating the sacred covenant of "non-violence" for which King, as one of America's greatest leaders and martyrs, supposedly died.
The man and woman on the street participates in this act of American civil religion as well. They mutter some basic understanding of Dr. King's dream, spittle accompanying a phrase about the Civil Rights Movement, as they shake their heads in consternation at the violent protests in Baltimore and elsewhere.

The high priests of public opinion on the dais, and those who sit in the pews of Dr. King and the Civil Rights Movement as civil religion, are engaged in futile acts of conjuring. They are trying to channel a weak and flattened memory of a man, one that has been reduced to selling fast food in January and February, made into an onerous statue at Washington's mall, and reduced to a paragraph that is ripped from a towering speech.

If the legacy of the real Dr. King--his radical politics, vision, and challenging words and deeds for an America sick with white supremacy, class inequality, war mongering, and hatred for the poor--was properly channeled, it would deafen the chattering classes and broad swaths of the American public.

The real Dr. King is akin to the Old Ones or the Elder Gods. They and he are not to be summoned without care, for reasons disingenuous, or to help with a fool's errand.

The impotent summoning of Dr. King in a time of crisis (with its righteous, justifiable, protest and rage against police thuggery, and a cruel State that cares more about protecting property and its out of control racist police, than in justice for black and brown Americans and the poor) is enabled by a flat and weak understanding of the Black Freedom Struggle and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s role in it.

The Civil Rights Movement contained multiple elements with often often conflicting interests and strategies for success. Non-violence was not an empty phrase: it existed and found power in relation to those who wanted a more robust, direct, and if necessary, armed response to white supremacy and anti-black hatred. The Civil Rights Movement was able to use the media in the context of the Cold War, and white elites' anxieties about perception management abroad in an era of Jim and Jane Crow, to win its incremental gains.

Brother Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. has been canonized as an American saint. At the time of his assassination and martyrdom, King was one of America's most hated and despised public figures.

In these times of troubles it is easy and intellectually lazy for people to mouth-breath some selection selectively misquoted and misappropriated from the I Have a Dream speech, as opposed to meditating on King's analysis of systemic power and inequality as embodied by his observation that "a riot is the language of the unheard".

King elaborated on the relationship of urban disorder to the struggle for full human rights and dignity for black American in his "The Other America" speech where he stated that:

I think America must see that riots do not develop out of thin air. Certain conditions continue to exist in our society which must be condemned as vigorously as we condemn riots. But in the final analysis, a riot is the language of the unheard. And what is it that America has failed to hear? It has failed to hear that the plight of the Negro poor has worsened over the last few years. It has failed to hear that the promises of freedom and justice have not been met. And it has failed to hear that large segments of white society are more concerned about tranquility and the status quo than about justice, equality, and humanity. And so in a real sense our nation’s summers of riots are caused by our nation’s winters of delay. And as long as America postpones justice, we stand in the position of having these recurrences of violence and riots over and over again. Social justice and progress are the absolute guarantors of riot prevention.

If one persists in channeling Dr. King in these conversations about the urban unrest, "rioting", and exhalations by the ghetto youthocracy (and others) in Baltimore and elsewhere across the United States in response to police thuggery, it should be done with great care.

Black Americans have a special relationship with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.. He is "ours". As such, the black community has an obligation to ensure that his memory, legacy, and wisdom are not misappropriated. Unfortunately, the black chattering classes and elites are more often than not agents and enablers of a weakened vision of King's vision as political expediency and neoliberal governmentality pay great lucre to their agents.

Since before the Founding, White America has largely been on the wrong side of history regarding matters of race and justice. Because of this fact, all white Americans should exercise great care when trying to summon Dr. Martin Luther King's memory as a means of subverting, lecturing to, or deflecting the justice claims (and anger) of Black Americans.

Both white conservatives and white liberals should abide by such a rule.

This is especially true for white conservatives in the Age of Obama, a moment when conservatism and racism are fused together by the White Right in the form of a Republican Party that is the United States' leading white supremacist organization.

As such, the Republican Party embraces herrenvolk politics, is working to roll back the gains of the Civil Rights Movement, further criminalize the poor, and has actively worked to undermine Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s dream of a better America.

If our white brothers and sisters are not willing to do the necessary work to understand and grapple with the radical Dr. King, and his role as one of the "founding fathers" of the new America that was made after the Civil War and the Civil Rights Movement, then it is best they not summon him." [More]
Don't worry Chauncey, they can never "summon" him.  He might be turning in his grave, but he would never come back for them.

"Oh, Baltimore, man it's hard just to live.."

Ever wonder why we have situations like we do now in the city of Baltimore?

I will give you a hint: We can't blame the Mayor of Baltimore. (Although, from what I hear, her leadership skills leave a lot to be desired. ) We can't blame the police chief. And we  certainly cannot blame it all on the killing of  Freddy Gray.

What is to blame for what is taking place in Baltimore, and what took place in cities like Ferguson, Oakland, and New York, is a racial climate in this country that says we are now "post racial" and there is no more racism in America.

To the people who believe this the election of Barack Obama confirms that. Some of them, as crazy as this might seem, even blame Barack Obama for the uptick in racial tensions in this country.

I submit to you, though, that it is people like Sheriff David Morgan of Florida who is to blame for our current racial state of affairs in cities like Baltimore, Maryland.

"A video from 2013 has come to light showing the sheriff of Escambiaso County, Florida, David Morgan, sputtering on nonsensically about black culture.

Morgan’s bizarre speech begins with a criticism of the term African-American with Morgan emphatically stating:

“the blacks who currently reside in the United States of America are not from Africa.”

 “I would remind black Americans that you are little less than 13% of the entire population of the United States.”  “Had every one of those people been voter eligible only 13% could have voted for President Obama.”  “If we’re such a racist nation, why do we have an African American president?” [Source]

Lord have mercy! This is a sheriff, people.

But then we shouldn't be surprised. Not after incidents like this, and this, and this, and this, and this, and...well, you get the idea.

I know one thing, this isn't only about black people in inner city Baltimore or any other city in America. Baltimore, like other cities in America, has been down this road before. But back then the civil unrest was brought on due racial injustice and civil rights violations; all triggered by the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.

Things have changed. These unrests are about poor people who feel hopeless and voiceless in a country that is increasingly becoming more divided when it comes to wealth, class, and race.

People are seeing the pie on the table and  they can't get to it.

They have to share a sliver of it that has been carved out for them, while a few people take their turns eating large chunks of it and throwing the rest of us the scraps that they no longer want.

"Hard times in the city
In a hard town by the sea
Ain't nowhere to run to
There ain't nothin' here for free"
Livin' in the country
Where the mountain's high
Never comin' back here
'til the day I die"

~Baltimore, Nina Simone~






 





  

DWB?

And now comes this from Brent Jones of the Baltimore Sun:

"The vice president of Baltimore's NAACP chapter said yesterday during a rally for taxicab drivers that his reputation has been damaged after police arrested him, claiming to have found drugs in his car. Ellis L. Staten Jr., 44, was not charged with a crime, although officers said they recovered heroin and marijuana during a search of his vehicle Thursday near Pennsylvania Avenue and Dolphin Street.Staten said he was targeted by police because of his work with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, which held an organizing meeting yesterday for city cabdrivers. Staten had no previous drug charges or criminal convictions.

Shortly before the arrest, Staten said, he was near a bus stop attempting to solicit cabdrivers to come to the meeting. Police came up to the car, Staten said, and asked him to step out, searched the vehicle and handcuffed him. Staten said he was held at downtown police headquarters for about an hour before he was released. Staten said he had never been locked up in his life and that the incident has 'defamed my character.'I'm calm now on the outside, but I'm not on the inside. I'm very troubled that this type of information would be made public but no charges filed.' Staten added that he has been in contact with a lawyer to consider litigation. A police spokesman said yesterday that the allegations against the Police Department are unfounded.'I'm not going to justify them with a comment,' Anthony Guglielmi said. Staten said the drugs that police found belonged to a volunteer who was helping pass out fliers about the rally. Kevin Logan, 44, who was in the back seat of the car, was charged with two counts of drug possession. But police said they found Staten in possession of Suboxone pills, or buprenorphine, which is prescribed to treat heroin addiction.

'They singled me out because I'm the one responsible for getting the cabdrivers together. No more perfect person to defame than the NAACP,' Staten said.'If the police had found something on me, why would they release me? I'm stunned. I'm shocked. I wasn't in possession of any drugs or anything. That's why I was not charged.'More than 100 taxi drivers attended the meeting at the Vulcan Blazers headquarters. Staten is one of the lead organizers in the NAACP's work with the drivers, who are considering forming a union... "

More of the story here.

I bet who you believe in the above story depends on a lot of things, including your life experiences. A black guy playing the race card? Or just another brotha profiled because he was driving while black? (DWB) Personally, I believe Staten. (Gee, there is a shock, field believes the black guy) And no, I am not naive enough to think that just because the guy is an official with the NAACP he couldn't be doing drugs. My problem is I considered the totality of the circumstances, and I have to ask myself; why was Staten singled out and stopped in the first place? The circumstances surrounding the stop just seemed a little fishy to the kid. But then, that's just me. To me, as I am sure it is with Mr. Staten, DWB is a way of life, so incidents like these always make me say, hmmmmmm. Unfortunately for Mr. Staten, he isn't just saying it, he is living it right about now.

"Many are called but few are chosen".

Rikyrah (who is seriously cool people in my book) and the rest of you Obamaholics won't like this post, but you all know that I have to keep it 100% with you and tell you I feel about things. Well, actually, in this case, it's not just me, it's a whole lot of my fellow Philadelphians.

Now here is the deal: seems his O ness wanted to do the whole train down to D.C. thing like his boy Lincoln and other presidents did back in the day, an inaugural train ride if you will. Just a another way for him to go into to D.C., and show some folks some love along the way. A "Whistle Stop Tour" they are calling it. (He slipped into our very chilly city last night) So far so good, right? Yes but here is the problem: His O ness is going to start his trip right here in Philly at our venerable 30th Street Station, but the station will be closed, and only 250 of his closest friends will be allowed in to see his O ness start this historic journey this Saturday.

Here in Philly, we are not feeling the "brotherly love" from a certain president elect. In fact, we are feeling a litle like red headed step children. "I am disappointed for the masses of people here in Philadelphia who would like an opportunity to show their love and affection for this family before they leave" So said one woman, Ruth Birchett, from North Philly. I hear you Ruth, it would have been nice. And to add insult to injury, his O ness will be making stops to meet and greet his adoring fans along the way in Wilmington and Baltimore. I wonder if he realizes that Philly came out for him big time, and helped him to wallop the salty one (AKA Mr. Morton) by over 500,000.00 votes. Without those big numbers from Philly and its suburbs he could not have won Pistolvania, and that was huge. Baltimore? Wilmington? Yeah okay, we will see how much time you spend in those cities come 2012.

I wonder who these lucky 250 people are? Chris Mather of the Obama inaugural committee said that they were mostly "campaign volunteers" and not "big shots". Okay Chris I will take your word for it. But how did these people get selected? What about the people here in Philly who busted their butts knocking on doors and volunteering their time for your boy? What about the folks who sacrificed their time and hard earned dollars because they believed in the change that your boy was selling? Didn't they deserve at least a shot at being in that number? "I think there is some disappointment at not being able to see him in Philadelphia....There was an e-mail going around. Some people were expecting a large public gathering." Said another Obamaholic, but alas, it was not to be. Even my buddy Seth Williams, who could be our city's next DA, and who organized the O man's petition drive in these parts, was surprised. " I just assumed there was going to be a big parade" Apparently so did a lot of other people. But as we are all beginning to learn, his O ness likes to do things his way.

Which is cool. As long as he does a good job I am sure all will be forgiven. It's just that us folks here in Philly are feeling a little slighted, that's all. But hey, we are used to it. I just hope his O ness realizes that we have long memories. (We still haven't forgiven Wilson Goode for dropping that bomb on the Move people) So have fun on your train ride O man, and pack a few cheese steaks for the trip. Hey, you need something to help you remember us. But don't worry, we won't forget you.

GO EAGLES!

Doing like "The Man".

Because I am tired of being accused of being a "race chaser", and because I have come to realize that I am like the party pooper at this post racial A -merry-ca party, I am not going to post about racism anywhere in the world tonight. Nope, I won't mention a word about the racist Prince, or the young black man who was shot in his own driveway because his whip was just too damn nice. I won't even blog about the ignorance that has been taking place in places where people should know better. No sir, not tonight, tonight the field is an eternal optimist; tonight I can see the rainbow. Tonight I want to blog about the plight of black people improving so much in A-merry-ca that whether there is racism or not it won't really mess with our mojo. We will just do like Jigga Man and brush that shit right off of our shoulders.

Tonight I want to blog about the plight of black people improving, but I can't. Not when people we elect to work on our and the countries' behalf do dumb ignorant things to mess it up for all of us. Tonight my ire is directed at one Sheila Dixon (that would be the nattily dressed lady you see in the picture above). The Mayor of the fine city of Baltimore. The land of crab cakes, Ray Lewis, and "The Wire". This seemingly unscrupulous blackguard (no pun intended) allegedly took over $15,000 in gifts that she was not entitled to. And she has been charged with 12 counts of felony thefts, fraud, perjury......let me stop, it sickens me to even write about yet another black poli-trick-ster betraying our trust. Then she allegedly even took gift cards which were meant for needy families.....*sigh*.

Oh field, come one now, you know the man always goes after the black pol. "The Man" does the same thing, but you never hear about it. Anyone who actually believes that "The Man" actually doing the same thing should excuse Ms. Dixon for this type of bullshit behavior, can let us know about it in the comments section. I don't think I want to even speak to that type of idiocy in this post. It's late, and I am pissed, so leaving a lucid post is hard enough as it is.

Oh well, I am going to get some sleep now. I need all the energy I can muster to chase my man "racism".