.
A blood stain spreads on the ground marking another tragic end. Today some mother wakes up, goes to the bathroom and contemplates ending her life. The wail of a mothers cry and the ambulance sirens are so frequent they often blend into one.
One continous wail,
of agony,
of pain
of death..
This is Chicago.. Where the wind is heavy and the streets are deadly.
This is Chicago, The big city in the middle. Middle of the country
Middle of a war..
I'm a product of this great city. Preschool all the way to high school. Left and then came back and finished college in this city. I lost my virginity in this city. Fought in this city. Found love in this city. 34 years in this city. I've seen lots of the city. But the shit that's happening now..
I don't recognize this city. The city of Chi has now become the city of die..
WELCOME TO LIL BEIRUT... HOME OF THE BITCH MADE RESPONSE TEAM!!
Now some of you are wondering what the hell is the Bitch Made Response Team (BMRT henceforth). Well let me tell you. BMRT's exist in all places where people overreact to the simplest thing. My girl dumped me. I'm gonna kill dat bitch. Did you just look at me. You's a dead mutherfucka now. AYE JOE!!!!, I KNOW you just ain't disrespect me like that.. You get what i'm saying now. BMRT'S are scum. They are lower than bacteria. These fucking bastards don't care what they do or who they kill. Their instant reaction is to pull a gun and shoot. Ergo Bitch Made Response.
Pundits across the nation are now beginning to take notice to the violence in the Chi. With this new attention comes the all the talking heads (media for those not familiar with the term) saying what the issue is and how to fix it. More cop's on the streets, more jobs, a better economy, less guns... The list goes on and one. Yet all their suggested fix's are nothing more than band aids to the real issue.
How do you change a culture of hopelessness. No matter how many cops you put on the damn streets, no matter how many people you put to work or keep in school, it doesn't matter. All you're doing is putting a band aid over the issue. These cat nowadays just don't care.
Let me break it down to you why (in my opinion) none of the immediate suggestions will work
More cops: Criminals will just move to where the cops aren't. There will never be enough police officers to do what folks to help. Yes its the polices' job to stop crime and catch criminals. We're talking about prevention. Cops are typically a reactionary measure. Yes they deter crime but only in those who actually care about consequenses.
More schooling (better schooling): The folks out committing these crimes aren't in school. LITERALLY these are TYPICALLY drop outs.They didn't care for school. They didn't want to be bothered with classes and teachers.
More Jobs/Better Economy Lets be honest here. The majority of the BMRT are not the sort of folks you want employed at your company. Yea I said it. The only economy they are worried about is the street made economy. BMRT aren't concerned with working for someone else, making an honest living starting at the bottom. They want the quick buck. The fast dollar.
No matter what way you cut it the root of the issue is Hopelessness..
None of these solutions address this issue. So the question is how do we address it? How do we cure a culture of hopelessness. I honestly have no clue. I know its wrong for an intelligent black man to say that i've given up hope on the current crop of younger men out these days. Yet i'll say it. The current generation of 18-23 year old's is just done. Once you hit a certain age, the only thing that will get through to you is a catastrophic event. Other wise you're pretty set in your mental make up.
It's the younger kids we need to focus on. Those kids that are looking for some point of focus. Someplace to turn to in their time of need. These younger kids are the ones we need to save. Those without homes. Hell even those with homes need our attention. They need safe havens, places away from predators and pedophiles. Haves or love and peace. Education and hope. They need mothers and sisters and brothers. Aunts and uncles. Grandmother and grandfathers. . Most importantly they need FATHERS... They need MEN in their lives.
If we want to stop a new generation of the BMRT from ever being formed we as MEN must step up. we have to be there, as a presence. A TRUE presence in the lives of our young kids. We have to stop letting our women raise our little boys. No offense to the single moms doing it on their own but you can't TEACH an little boy to be a MAN. There's no class in school that teach's manliness.
It's a learned trait. It's a viewed trait. It's that hard love when he fucks up. It's that stare when he hurts himself. It's being there on the first day of school. There at night to tuck him in. That first pair of cleats when he trys out for the team.
It's being there.Always. When a MAN is there so is HOPE. Just the simple fact that he's around gives you peace. When a MAN is involved a little boy never gets to the point of hopelessness. Simply because a MAN will teach him which fights to fight. HOW to fight those fights When to walk away. Most importantly he will teach how to avoid being a member of the BMRT.............
PEACE!!!!
Sorry for the length of this.. Had a lot on my heart today...
