Queens,
The time has arrived for you to ascend to your respective thrones. Those who have ruled before you have led the people onto the path of destruction and ruin.
They have called good evil, and evil good. They have convinced the masses that violence is entertainment, and have purposely planted the seeds of a great moral malaise into the soil of your land. Your Kings have begun eating the first fruits of this wicked harvest. - Ujuzi
WAYCROSS, GA -- It's the type of news you don't expect to hear coming out of an elementary school.
Nine third grade students suspended at Center Elementary in Waycross for an alleged plot to attack their teacher.
"This plot was uncovered at the point that something dangerous was brought to the school," says Lt. Dwayne Caswell with Waycross Police.Police say the students were hatching a plan to harm their teacher Friday morning. They even brought items from home to carry out the plan.
"They had a broken steak knife, a crystal paper weight, toy handcuffs, several items and tape and stuff," says Lt. Caswell.
Early Tuesday, the Waycross Police Department released photos of some of those items. They include the knife, handcuffs, and gloves.
Ware County School officials say a classmate told the principal about one of the students bringing a weapon to school. The discovery was later made that more students were in on the plot. The school says it’s a matter they are not taking lightly.
"Some might say 'They were young and in the third grade and how serious could it be?', but anytime our students' safety or our teachers' safety is compromised we obviously have to take that very seriously," says Theresa Martin with Ware County Schools.
The school district says all the students are suspended until further disciplinary action is decided.
"We continue to do what we always do which is work to make our students aware that this is not appropriate and we ask our parents to help us. The whole saying that it takes a village to raise a child is very appropriate at this time," says Martin.
Police say no criminal charges will be brought forth against the students.
The District Attorney is handling the case and students will most likely face juvenile charges of Unruly Child.
I am reversing myself about the judge's decision in my last post. At this point, I will back anyone who does ANYTHING to stem the tide of senseless violence in the black community. This is simply out of control! Clearly, our direction is wrong, which means that our direction-setters are wrong. We can not continue to shrug, say "it's the parents, " and amble away while our culture feeds and nurtures a domestic terrorist mentality in our children.
You can not tell me that these children did not learn this kind of evil scheming from adults in our community. We need to understand that we have people in our midst, in our communities who are black but NOT our brothers and sisters. They have no sense of community. They have no empathy. They are predators and killers... and they teach the innocent and the impressionable to be the same.
This is your business, and your concern. A knife or gun in the hand of an unparented child will kill you just as dead as one in the hand of hardened criminal. And let's face it folks, a growing number of our kids are showing a level of violence and evil cunning that we did not think was possible. Guess people were wrong when they said that exposing them to the gangification and of the black experience was harmless.
In order for the Black community to change course, we must immediately re-evaluate everything we believe to be true about what we are doing, and test it for veracity and practical value. Frankly, we have a whole lot of crackpots who have convinced black folk that the marketing of violence, misogyny, nihilism, gang-glorification, is "just doing business" and the hatred that they are spewing into our collective consciousness is harmless.
When will we take the blinders off and see that the seeds of self-genocide have been sown? Are we going to mindlessly dance and 'drop it like it's hot' while our own black folk finish the job that the enslavers, the lynchers, and the KKK couldn't accomplish?
My Queens, it is time to take the wheel from the people who are driving us into a ditch. We need to correct them, stop them, and hold them accountable.
I DECLARE THE BLACK PASS OFFICIALLY REVOKED.
It's time to call people on their crap.
- We need Bishops who will create a new paradigm of 21st Century parenting, both "in home" parenting and community parenting. Write your books! Start your blogs! Preach your sermons! Do your video lessons! Do SOMETHING... because the stuff that a whole lot of folk are doing is not working.
- We must TAKE BACK our culture from hollywood and the music industry. We must openly challenge the people who say that we aren't affected by the glorification of criminalization in our culture.
- We must take another look at where we place our resources for community uplift. Is it toward education, feeding the poor in body, mind and spirit? Or is it going toward fancy galas, award shows, showy clothing, and opportunistic marketers of our culture.
- We must create newer, more relevant organizations that prioritize the truly urgent needs of the black community. Black on black violence, quality education, quality interpersonal relationships, self worth and esteem, all come to mind. We can do this.
I have too much to say and too little time.
What do you say? What are the first steps in reversing the course of violence in the Black culture? What should happen to the children in this story? What, if anything, should happen to their parents?
27 comments:
I now "get" why your blogs are different from all the others out there.
Most people print stories like this and review all the details so that people can enjoy the horror just like driving by a car accident.
But this post is a call to action. By the time it was over, I didn't feel hopeless and defeated. I felt courageous and ready to do something. I am a pawn but I would be happy to help any bishop with the parenting for the 21st century task.
Amen, I completely agree. This is a complex problem that needs a complex solution on multiple levels. Everything is energy and what the mind focuses on is more apt to be created in the physical.
I hate to say this but many of us believe that we are NOT supposed to do anything bc this is a sign of the time that Jesus is coming back soon. Many think we are supposed to pray and wait for God to deliver us.
That's why we should ponder religion as well. It is time that we explore the more esoteric aspects of Jesus' message. To many of us are passively praying and waiting for God to come out of the sky and solve this problem for us. Kabbalah and other esoteric thought forms teach that God has both masculine&feminine aspects and violence is a symptom the power (masculine) aspects of God being out of balance in the minds of people.
If God didn't descend directly out of the sky to deliver us from slavery or Jim Crow, God is not going to magically drop down out of the sky and stop the violence?? I would think God is working through the hearts of true followers.
Yes, we need to take control of the media but I see all of this as an attack on the family.
I would encourage everyone to look a little deeper, too. Shakuntala Modi, MD's: "Remarkable Healings: A Psychiatrist Discovers Unsuspected Roots of Mental and Physical Illness" gives fascinating details on how spirits/demons inspire individuals to commit violence, get diseases and wreak havoc on the environment.
I'm functioning as a rook, but do I need to wear the hats of the pawn or knight?
I'm ready too, SheCodes.
I think my first action is to become a big brother/mentor and make sure that I commit to the child with whom I become involved that I will be there for the long haul as long as they and their parent(s) will have me.
I sincerely beleive that whatever happens (as you've said before), the particular movement is a revolution of the heart. For me, my revolution of the heart started in September 2007 when I had first enountered you.
That response you wrote on WAOD should be copy written, published and widely circulated.
Thanks for this post shecodes.
This has gone way out of control and you are right Sister Shecodes we must do something about it. I want you to know as a Black Man that I pledge my support to the cause. I suppose at this stage in my life I would be the Knight in our galactic Chess game of survival.
I also agree with you about that judge in Atlanta. We need more brothers and sisters who are willing to do something to save these children. We must support people like Bill Cosby who many people don't seem to like because of his blunt message. Well they need to get over it because the man has shown his support and dedication to the cause of helping and educating children for many years. To me his comments are purely out of love for his people.
As a middle school teacher I continuously strive to find ways to help these young souls to find the right path for themselves and I will continue to do so.
Far away as I am, I can only offer to be a pen pal to several girls.
Being the civic-minded person that I am, I've begun the application process to Big Brothers Big Sisters, and I am especially requesting a Black Little Sister. I think our kids need to see, know good examples and role models that look like them.
As far as the parents, the justice systems needs to start making examples of some of these parents. I know there are some parents out there that will say "I did the best I could, but my child still went astray." I'm not a parent, but I can imagine how frustrating that could be. However, there are parents out there that are NOT doing the best they can @ parenting, and an example needs to be made of them soon.
Rev. Lisa Vazquez: I enjoyed reading your POV about how the Black church/ministers are viewed nowadays. I think that more and more people don't want to hear the Word, they just want to hear about prosperity, but the Bible teaches of both.
Too much hate is also another problem.
Young children demonstrating such misogyny - WELL, says clearly going to the Parent(s) won't help. Something vital was missed. It may not be the fault of that Parent(s) - but it did come out of that home. On Church, if "Church" was the answer for these kids - they would not have done it in the first place. Something is UNRESOLVED and has resulted in obvious mental illness. It has presented defiantly and so they will be held RESPONSIBLE. But I am convinced that each one of these boys are SICK - even the ones led into the deed. All are SICK. Very sick to want to kill and actually PREPARE to kill the Teacher. Barring that she has caused them to be enraged with her (through embittered berating; through sexual assault; through exposed hatred of them) - so sad but there ARE teachers who really hate their students and show it - there is no plausible excuse or solution for these boys displaying this level of mental deterioration. If they were not PUSHED to be so so angry - then they ARE mentally sick to be sure!
@miss: Thank you. I never really intended to become a blogger, but I was inspired by the great women online. What we are doing is not virtual, it is real. With our keyboards and our convictions, we can change things.
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wsense4u said:
I hate to say this but many of us believe that we are NOT supposed to do anything bc this is a sign of the time that Jesus is coming back soon. Many think we are supposed to pray and wait for God to deliver us.
That is my major beef with the church. That mentality is completely unscriptural. Don’t make me have to go off quoting scripture and preaching on my political blog! Hmph.
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@blkseagoat:
Awww… don’t make me have to get misty eyed up in here! It truly does take a revolution of the heart. That is what the church is supposed to do, by the way. I guess we are going to need to light that flame for black women if the church will not.
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@Rev. Vasquez:
When you say that the church has become more of a refuge, I have to totally agree. (I come from a long line of pastors) I also think that a few churches are realizing that they have to become more than they were in the past – they have to become father and sometimes mother to a generation of young people who are unparented.
I see the next wave of activism coming from the internet. It is the most powerful communication tool on the planet, even more so than television and radio. Plus it’s practically FREE. A wise pastor would jump into it with both feet.
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@mrshadow33:
I didn’t know that you were a teacher! Thank you for being on the front lines as a knight. We need to get a teacher’s blog going, because I have discovered that quite a few of you are in education.
It’s time to write curriculums designed to turn children away from the insanity that they are being taught at home.
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@miriam,
There is so much more that you can do. Do not think so grass roots.
You are an excellent writer… how about writing children’s books, where black children are taught conflict resolution, self esteem, and what to do if they are abused? Just throwing ideas out there.
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@randi,
I’m hearing you. Does anybody know if it’s constitutional to force people into parenting classes/therapy in situations like this?
I also think that the children need to immediately be put into some kind of therapy for crime/aversion treatment. There is something deeply wrong when they can move past the imagination stage and actually collaborate to execute something this vile.
And what the heck are they doing in special ed, if they can be this organized?
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@Rev Vasquez,
Those ideas have my motors running. I want to revisit this in another blog post. Are you a part of the blackwomensnetwork? Send an email for an invite if you are not.
TAKE ACTION. The list of actions that are available to each of us was so clearly laid out by blackwomenblowthetrumpet. Shecodes outlined the strategy, the maneuvers and many of you have rightly discerned the problems. Now we must each take decisive action. Talk to others, share the vision, build allies, letters to the editor, lobby your representatives, demand accountability from black leaders. Let's not just talk let's TAKE ACTION.
Blessings
TAKE ACTION. The list of actions that are available to each of us was so clearly laid out by blackwomenblowthetrumpet. Shecodes outlined the strategy, the maneuvers and many of you have rightly discerned the problems. Now we must each take decisive action. Talk to others, share the vision, build allies, letters to the editor, lobby your representatives, demand accountability from black leaders. Let's not just talk let's TAKE ACTION.
Blessings
I don't know what to make of this story. I work with children on a daily basis as a substitute teacher and so I know that they are capable of some things, but this goes beyond anything I would've imagined. I think our children are in a state of emergency because we as adults are out of order. How can you expect the children to "know how to act" if the adults don't? There are a lot of parents out there who are not doing what they are supposed to do. So I think it is up to us, the adults who have our priorities in order, to act as mentors to the children who lack guidance and love from home. But we have to do more than mentor children individually. We have to hold those people accountable who make millions from marketing violent misogynist images into the minds of our young people. As someone who works with elementary and middle school kids, I can say that they are definitely affected by it. Children absorb everything around them.
@BlackWomenBlowTheTrumpet [AKA Rev. Vazquez AKA Lisa *Smile*]:
All I can say is "Wow!" in response to your list of concrete actions that we can take. Thank you! From looking at your list of ideas, I see that I've got a lot of homework to do.
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@Shecodes:
You're quite right in noting that we, as a people, need to seriously re-think some things. I believe that we're going to have to move beyond a LOT of comfort zones that we've created for ourselves. Be they political, religious, ideological, or simply "this is imposing on my free time" comfort zones.
We're also going to have to take a look at some ugly & drastic answers in order to stop generating additional legions of evil community members. Let me give some ugly examples that I've been debating with friends:
[1] If female crack heads are willing to accept $50 or $100 in exchange for being sterilized, I say pay them the money. I say pay them with a quickness.
[2] If children have to be removed from their parents, we need to re-think the "wisdom" of placing them with their grandparents & other relatives. First of all, the grandparents probably already failed as parents---after all, they're the people that raised the abusive/negligent parent.
Secondly, some situations are an ethical indictment of every adult in a family. For some situations to get as far out as they are, other relatives must have willfully turned a blind eye to the problems. Forget them. They are part of the original problem.
[3] Maybe we need to bring back orphanages. It's not just individual families that are toxic & evil. There are entire neighborhoods within the Black community that fit that description.
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@WSENSE4U:
Oh, yes. There is evil in the world. Too many of us forget that. Thanks for the book citation.
Peace.
Wow. I have so many thoughts going through my head right now, it's crazy. First, I think we need to be committed as a people to face situations head on. When I forwarded the email re: the Dunbar Village situation, someone (a dude) who had it forwarded to him by my church friend send a response basically going all around Miss Laura's house; he couldn't stay focused on what the actual problem was, and basically defended Sharpton, or tried to make the situation about gentrification, and not protecting a black woman and her child. My point it that we have to be honest about what's going on in our communities, and not let people weasel out of dealing with things honestly.
Regarding our youth. I'm not trying to blame everyting on "hip-hop", (I'm 29 years old, and like some hip-hop) because I know that every generation had it's music that the older folks did not like, but I think that the fact that there is a whole industrial complex basically co-signing and making profitable black youth rebellion is a huge part of the problem. You can get a record deal to cut albums showing how much of an ingrate you are.
We need to take back our minds; not let anything that whatever industry wants to implant into our mental space in. Those who have knowledge of psychology need to share with people what we know about the effects of taking in certain images, what this is doing to our children, and talk about alternatives--music, movies, and activities one can do instead of all the negative. Another big issue is that--and I think I'm correct about this--black children watch more hours of tv than any other group of people on the planet. That's having a big impact on us. Our minds aren't being properly developed, and we aren't being exposed to the right things.
I think every church, civic or social organization needs to circle the wagons, rally the troops, and recommit themselves to doing the work of healing our community. I don't know about making parenting classes mandatory by law to people who have not had their children formally taken away, for civil liberties implications, but I think there is nothing wrong with churches or other orgs offering parenting classes to members, much like mandatory couples counseling before being allowed to marry in the church.
I think everyone needs to use whatever skill, ability, knowledge, degree, certification they have to help black folks. If you know about parenting (or some other issue), make your own newsletter and distribute it to people who need it.
Sorry this was so long.
-BlackL7
Sharifa said:
"We need to take back our minds..."
~~~
Agree 100%
This may or may not be new stuff but:
One thing some folks do is get a small amount of money from various interested neighbors, then pay a well known speaker on parenting to come and lecture in their home. Or they get someone to speak on keeping a home or marriage or whatever.
This is usually done every first of the month.
I've noticed that just going to these lectures makes me a more self conscious parent -especially if the speaker is moving.
We can replace the speaker with a firey minister who can do more w/o the supervision of folks who don't want that fire.
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I want to say get rid of the TV, but I won't; but how about creating DVDs that can compete (?) with the sitcoms but its focus is on family improvement, morals, character traits, etc.
Are we allowed to put the best of YouTubes on DVD?
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The goal here is to slowly remove the mainstream media attraction and let ppl know that there's a whole world for them on the internet.
A world that is actually informative, and pro-BW, etc. and not just distractions.
hi all-
i think we are seeing the fall out from children having children. when daycare centers went into urban high schools one did not need to be a rocket scientist to know that bad times were a coming. bad times are here! on many fronts, however, i am going to focus on black women and children. when i feel led i will address others. i am not sorry!
as much as people want to hem and haw about how hard it is for the males to grow up fatherless; equal time is not given to the females. so who is parenting these children. no one. obviously. and how would they know how to parent? 30 something grandparents? ok???
i stand in total agreement that each of must do something where we are according to our gifts. this situation is not hopeless. we are not the descendants of those that survived the middle passage only to succumb to this...
we are on the right track! Lisa i love the way you inspire and give very specific ways to make a difference. i believe you are an answer to my prayers. i have been talking to God about the fact that people would do more if they knew what to do. shortly thereafter you showed up:-)
all of those waiting to be saved should remember that faith without works is dead. faith+action=salvation!
mentacide should not be taken lightly either. when we realize what we are seeing it will allow us to proceed with compassion. at least for me. i am so thankful to have been given grace. but for grace, i know without shame that i have seen who i may have been on the news so many times...speaking of which, turning the tv off could only help matters...ever notice that the people that make this stuff don't allow their children to watch it. that is purposeful, i believe.
i really love you all for blessing me, each in your own way, without knowing it encouraging me to move forward...powerfully.
Shecodes, you too showed up after i had a talk with God and wrote down the conclusions i reached after our conversation in the form of my first blog.
the men that show up and stand up make me cry. i am so appreciative and encouraged. i tend to be mushy so i will continue to let you guys know at your house(s):-)
i stand firmly in faith on the truth that this mission is divinely inspired and we...win! yay!
blessings in abundance to all,
focusedpurpose
Wow. And I mean wow. It is time for people the pay attention to their actions and how they/we are raising our children. They are learning it from somewhere...
I personally think you are making a classic mistake.
Taking an EXTREME RARE instance of something and making a connection to existing social problems.
To be sure AMERICA is a VIOLENT nation with a HISTORY of using violence and celebrating violence, but again, this KNEE jerk reaction that what these children did is indicative of "deeper" problems is JUST not based on reality.
The OVERWHELMING majority of black children are NOT violent WILL NOT engage in VIOLENCE(except for the occasional "fights" that children have).
Violent people are a VERY small percentage of our population.
I Fear in your desire to protect bw.
You are starting to "racialize" criminal behavior.
It seems if you are starting to view every "act" of crime or violence no MATTER how rare and unlikely as "proof" of the pathology of the black race.
Addressing American social problems as "black racial problems" doesn't actually lead to solutions, but IT DOES justify racist thoughts and opinions.
You are incorrect, anonymous.
We do not believe that only blacks are violent people. We believe that most of the physical violence inflicted against blacks today is by black people. Significant difference.
We are not here to solve the larger (and genuine) problem of violence in white and other communities. Those are battles for other people, and those issues should be raised and waged.
Feel free to be afraid of our 'protection' of black women. You should be afraid. Because anybody who harms one of our own is going to pay a heavy price from now on. Period.
Additionally, you must not have been reading this blog long. The premise is that non violent, law abiding black people are the majority, and that it's this 'fear of what white people will think', black protectionism of the minority of 'criminally minded' black men (endangered species) -- that has paralyzed the natural self-policing mechanisms in our community.
Moreover, anybody who can not see a certain level of pathology in our culture (whether it's black, crossover mainstream, or lily white) is completely out of touch with reality.
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