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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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My first reaction when I saw some media was "why are they glorifying the life of a thug?". I heard the same question from multiple people. But then I remembered the slogan often tattooed "Only God can judge me".
No matter what their life style was, they left behind people that loved them and their demise leaves a void in many lives. Even gangs have to cope with their grief. Several years ago the former king Party Store had a large mural with angels and tributes to all of the community. There were names of elders, leaders and those who died by gang violence side by side on an equal setting.
There are huge roadside memorials and RIP tributes on walls. Rip slogans are on car plates and the cars themselves. The young even make you tube videos that express their sorrow of the death of a comrade.
We have to remember that no one really knows why some decisions are made and why an individual becomes a drug dealer or other kind of criminal. For many in the street life, death has simply become a part of doing business. The gang is part of or all of their family. They swear to be loyal to their second family and to coldly exact vengeance. They must at least appear to be fearless because they will certainly die if they display fear.
However, if this city is to survive the media cannot broadcast every candlelight vigil and portray this violent lifestyle as one that to be emulated. We must end the violence.
Old Irish Blessing
Death leaves a heartache no one can heal, Love leaves a memory no one can steal. |
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Sat Oct 26, 2013 6:32 pm |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Mass incarceration conference brings panelists, concerned citizens to Flint church
William E. Ketchum III | wketchum@mlive.com By William E. Ketchum III | wketchum@mlive.com
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on October 26, 2013 at 3:01 PM, updated October 26, 2013 at 6:36 PM
FLINT, MI--This weekend, hundreds of people gathered at a Flint church to learn more about how mass incarceration continues, and how to fight it.
About 200 people went to Woodside Church and Middle College on Saturday for part of a conference, "Addressing the Incarceration Epidemic." Greater Galilee Baptist Church, Joy Tabernacle, Motherly Intercession, Mott Middle College, Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Flint, and Woodside all teamed up for the event.
The weekend's events began on Friday at Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Flint, with a showing of the film "This House I Live In."
Saturday's program began with a continental breakfast, , an opening prayer, and a performance of "Elm Park 1955" by Flint storyteller La'Ron Williams. Williams talked about where he grew up in Flint in Elm Park, at the height of civil rights movements and Jim Crow laws, and compared the past to the present.
After Williams's performance, the church hosted a panel discussion with four speakers using their professional experiences to give context and information about the root causes of mass incarceration, and the impacts they make in communities.
The speakers were Shirley Cochran, executive director of Motherly Intercession; Rodd Monts, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union and the School to Prison Pipeline Project; Janice Gooley, a recent retiree of New Paths and Michigan Department of Corrections; and Richard Renfro, of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition.
Cochran spoke of her organization's work with incarcerated mothers in jail and prison, and Monts gave a legal perspective and shared information about how school suspensions and expulsions coincide with crime. Gooley shared insight on her work on helping prisoners transition back into society after serving their sentences, and Renfro spoke about his work with the Internal Revenue Service Treasury criminal investigations, and why he thinks that marijuana, cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamines should all be legalized.
Renfro said the alcohol prohibition in the 1920s is similar to illegal drug issues now, and that after 20 years of working in the business and mentoring youth, he came to the conclusion the four major illegal drugs should be legalized to "take power out of the hands of these criminals." The money should be focused on health initiatives and more pressing crimes, he said.
"I saw we were spending too much times in slums and ghettos, working young black guys. Sometimes, you can't into college, can't get a job, can't vote in some states, can't get housing. I've had people in my family, personally, that I know, do time in prison—not for drugs, but for other stuff. I have an understanding of what prison does to you, especially when you get locked up for small time drugs. What's the purpose?"
"(Mass incarceration) is an issue that everyone shares passion about addressing," said Latrelle Holmes, who pastors Greater Galilee Baptist Church and works with Big Brothers Big Sisters as the director for the Mentoring Children of Incarcerated Parents program. He was the master of ceremonies on Saturday. "There's a real sentiment from this community that we need to look at changing the policies and directions as a pertains to incarceration."
After a brief lunch, an afternoon session showcased a video called "Our Turn To Dream" and hosted another panel that focused on efforts to eliminate mass incarceration and lifelong negative consequences for people who have been incarcerated.
The panel included Kayla Mason, who works with Harriet Tubman Center as a lead organizer, and Youth Voice; Laura Sager, executive director of Citizens Alliance on Prisons and Public Spending; Harry Wilson, executive director of the Michigan Council of Crime and Delinquency, and Sandra Girard, a representative of the Criminal Defense Attorneys of Michigan.
Afterward, LeonEl-Alamin, Timothy Miller and Roy Fields gave a presentation about the 3R's: Refine, Reform, Rebuild. Saturday's event ended with a call to action for next steps.
The discussion continues on Sunday with a speaker during the church's morning service.
Holmes said Woodside Church's Social Actions Committee, which is chaired by Cliff Turner, came up with the conference's idea after reading "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander. The issue, he said, hits home for Flint and Genesee County residents.
"In Genesee County, you've got better than 5,000 youth who have a parent that's in prison. When you consider the pop is a little over 420,000, that's 10 percent of those youth that's there. The rates of recidivism among that population is high," Holmes said. "The rate of barriers that a parent's incarceration provides is definitely relational to Genesee County because our educational system is fractured in the county. ... The culture of the possibility of a young person getting incarcerated is high with the high poverty rates and crimes."
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Sun Oct 27, 2013 3:36 am |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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This concept of mass incarceration is over simplifying the issue. On a regular basis I see videos and photos of children, sometimes very young, throwing gang signs. They are taught this in the home and sometimes from those who have never been incarcerated.
There is a culture that needs to be broken. A man recently killed came from a family of drug dealers, both parents and other relatives. Was it any wonder he was also arrested on drug charges and weapons charges? Will his children have a different life. Most of the drug charges were reduced down as were the weapons charges. He only went to prison after his fifth arrest.
As long as gangster rappers make millions and rap to glorify the life, this violence will continue. In Flint we have a history of segregation in our schools and other life aspects that have led to much of the factors contributing to the violence. In the past people could graduate and get a job in the shop. With the development of industrial cities as "rust belts' and the lack of decent paying jobs, the culture has declined. |
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Sun Oct 27, 2013 3:48 am |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Inner city violence: A contributing cause and probable solution ...
www.examiner.com/article/inner-city-violence-a-contributing-cause...
An analysis of preliminary police data by RedEye indicates Chicago ended the first quarter of 2012 with 118 homicides, the worst first quarter for homicides in
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Inner-City Schooling: Exposure to Violence - University of …
sitemaker.umich.edu/mitchellyellin.356/exposure_to_violence
~ Exposure to Violence ~ Exposure to violence among inner-city youth appears to be associated with a particular pattern of negative outcomes.
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Crime: The Inner-City Crisis - Dave Kopel Website
www.davekopel.com/CJ/Mags/InnerCityCrisis.htm
Gun control is not merely a phony solution to inner-city youth violence ... a fetish which allows them to ignore the more intransigent causes of American violence, ... |
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Sun Oct 27, 2013 4:01 am |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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University of Michigan
~ Exposure to Violence ~
Exposure to violence among inner-city youth appears to be associated with a particular pattern of negative outcomes. (Ng-Mak, Salzinger, Feldman, & Stueve, 2004) Among these outcomes include decreased school performance, decreased membership in extra curricular activities (i.e. sports, academic teams, band), increased association with gangs, drugs, and violence and subsequently decreased level of academic achievement.
It is because of these sorts of possible outcomes that educators of inner-city youth need to be aware of and prepared to deal with the potential repercussions of being exposed to violence. Not only are inner-city youth exposed to violence, but they are exposed to high level of community violence (Ng-Mak et al., 2004) which could desensitize the student to the consequences of violence and sometime lead to violence or bullying in school, and in attention or inability to concentrate at school or at home. Such consequences of being exposed to violence and acting out can lead to suspension or expulsion from school. When a student is suspended or expelled they not only get behind in their school work, but they are forced to stay at home during the day which could lead to more exposure to violence or in some cases a lack of want to attend school again because of the outcome previously received. If a student is repeatedly suspended from school, they are put at higher risk to become deeper involved in violence because they can become discouraged from re-attending school even when the suspension is over for fear of future suspension. (Maruyama, 2003)
On the other hand, when children are exposed to violence they can become anxious or apprehensive instead of violent themselves. Such feelings can interfere with a child’s ability to pay attention in school or at home, which can interfere with his/her ability to learn in class or complete homework at home. Researchers assess children’s academic ability through various kinds of tests. Attainment tests measure the level of ability a child can attain. Assessment tests measure the level of knowledge a child currently has. These two types of tests can be used in conjunction with classroom grades and levels of school completed to give researchers an idea of the possible level of academic success a student can achieve, and the current level the student is at. (Swartz & Gorman, 2003)
The combination of outcomes from exposure to violence on children can be detrimental to the educational achievement of those children at risk. For those who not only worry about getting to school safely each day, but them sit in class and wonder if siblings or other family are alright, attending to the material being presented could be tough. This can cause limited learning abilities because of an inability to focus on the task at hand. It has been suggested that inner-city children are presented with two conflicting options – one involving gangs and violence and the other involving school and achievement. (For more information on the conflicting codes of conduct, visit Streetwise Science)
Therefore, if inner-city youth are being exposed to high levels of violence outside of school in their local community environment it can seem normal
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However, inner-city children are not only affected by the violence in their community – although it can have a lasting impression. Inner-city children are also burdened by a lack of positive after-school resources – including neighborhood centers, academic teams and school athletic teams. Such a lack of after-school activity options can lead to more time spent in from of the television or playing video games - both of which have been found to expose children to high levels of violence and affect the way children view violence. (
For more information on TV violence and its effect of children visit Media Violence: Exposure and Content)
For further information on the effects of all types of violence on children, please visit Newsflash
Contact Information:
Sarah Mitchell-Yellin
E-mail: smitchie@umich.edu |
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Sun Oct 27, 2013 4:05 am |
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twotap
F L I N T O I D
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| Shed all the tears you want for these thugs and the family's that so miss them Myself I feel for the Flint citizens who are trapped in areas controlled by these gangsta punks. The shootings, break-ins, rapes, home invasions and the fear of just going about the normal day to day activity's most of us take for granted. Every time one of these scumbags gets taken out makes the world a brighter, safer more livable place. |
_________________
"If you like your current healthcare you can keep it, Period"!!
Barack Hussein Obama--- multiple times. |
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Sun Oct 27, 2013 8:42 am |
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