"Grown Folks" always talking smack!!

SO!!

I started a block club here in Roseland community in May. Keesha and I canvassed the neighborhood in an effort to enlist people to bring about change in our community. Directly following our first meeting; I met with Alderman Beale regarding some of the problems that residents here are facing. I got results in one week. We got a community owned camera that is recording drug activity that will be used in court cases against offenders. We've had assessors out to see how our curbs can be raised to to prevent the flooding in our area. We got the Alderman to give us a vacant lot that we requested. The trees have been trimmed, the streetlamp wattage increased, and a few other things.

At the next meeting, (we've got a total of 7 members), I began planning a Juneteenth celebration to be held on June 16th. This celebration will be held in honor of the boys and men of this community and will also be used as a tool to do the same thing Juneteenth had done on June 19, 1865. It will be used to posed the question, "What do we do now?" I'd hoped that people would be enthusiastic about revitalizing our community, but so far I've met a hefty set of road blocks on the path to freedom.

Right from the beginning, I'd written a press release, visited places on my 20 minute break at work and gained the support and committment of resources from places like Hyde Park Art Center, Boys and Girls club, Boy Scouts, and others. Alderman Beale was supposed to be here to dedicate a garden to our community so that we could build the W.E.B. DuBois Uplift Community Garden. Members of the community were supposed to provide music, entertainment and more!

In the past couple of weeks, I've been calling to confirm the attendance of various people and organizations. Out of a total of 15 forms of entertainment or resources, I've only got 8 left. The rest of them backed out this past week. Also, after confirming with Alderman Beale's office TWICE, I've been told (yesterday 6/13) that they're not sure if he's gonna come. I've got to call his scheduler today to make sure that he has time. We were also told that they can't provide road barricades for us because they don't do that anymore, 'Maybe we can call the CAPS program at the police department and get some crime scene tape'. We're like "Uhhh, NO, why the heck would we want crime scene tape at something that's supposed to be uplifting to our people!?" YOU KNOW WHAT I'M SAYIN'??? Keesha was calling people to remind them of what we're doing this weekend. We got the numbers from the list of people who signed up to be a part of the block club as we were doing our canvassing. You know what the general consensus was? "Awww, noooo, the street is gonna be blocked of?" or, "I hope people don't trample all over my grass" or, "well, I don't think that's gonna work to get people involved". It's been a hellish nightmare of stupidity from the very beginning.

With all of this said, you may be wondering why I'm writing this. For one, Keesha has been verbalizing what I've been thinking for a few days now. That is... 'One monkey don't stop no show!'. She is telling me this and I don't think she realizes how close I am to the edge when she says it. Everytime she does, it reels me in and makes me remember why we started this whole thing. I know that is probably in the plans of blacks and whites to do whatever it takes to make us quit. But, I'm no quitter. I REALLY want my people to have and do better. I want better for these innocent babies. I don't want the records to show 34 deaths of CPS students next year, or to be an even bloodier number over the summer. We all have blood on our hands people, and I won't continue to pretend it's not there or stop trying just because the road becomes stony.

The other reason I'm writing is to say this. You know how multitudes of people are blaming the youth for all of the violence and destruction in our communities? Well, I already KNEW it wasn't all their fault. But I want to be the first adult to say, look at the example that's being set by adults! Look at the fact that we as adults talk really loud, but don't say a damn thing. Look at the fact that trivial BS like grass, parking and 'being tired' keep us from making a way for our youth. Don't talk about what they're not doing when you're not doing anything yourself!

NOW, what?!?