Operation Expectation: The War Zone Called Chicago

Two Illinois State Reps, John Fritchey and LaShawn Ford are proposing that the Illinois National Guard be called in to address the prevalence of street violence. Fritchey likened the current state of Chicago to that of a war zone, an analogy even more fitting given that just as many people have been killed this year in Chicago as have troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. 113 people have been killed since January of 2010. This is a strategy previously employed in neighboring Gary, Indiana. Judge for yourself how well that turned out.

Like others, I find it interesting the current numbers are so shocking to people. The murders of young Black men and women have become commonplace for those of us who call Chicago home. I can’t think of one friend from back home who has not lost a loved one to street violence. We braced ourselves for each summer because the temperature change always preceded the death of one more of us. Now that Chicago had reclaimed the “murder capitol” title, it seems the media is once again paying attention. Still, I’m inclined to agree with Chicago Police Superintendent Jody Weis and Chicago Mayor Daley who contend that bringing in the National Guard is not the best solution. But what is the best solution? Chicago police plan to step their game up but I’m not sure that alone will solve this problem. Part of my concern is that we’ll find ourselves with a New Orleans style order–shoot to kill (in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Governor Kathleen Blanco expressed her expectation for troops to shoot to kill looters.) Still, will the presence of troops create a self-fulfilling prophecy of sorts? In doing something so drastic, treating our youth as if they are already criminals, do we run the risk of pushing them into criminal behavior through such socialization? Even if such a plan was successful, what happens when the troops leave? What Fritchey and Ford propose is a short term solution to a long term issue. Read more »

World Travelin, Ain’t Nothing Playful About It

I’ll drop terms like “nigga” and “pejorative” in the same conversation
Just so there’s no mistakin
The world I’m from
The one I live in
The ones I am just within
those I adjust within
But it’s time for me to go home now
Apply that know-how
They call book learnin
Spent 6 years yearnin
To go home
Cuz when in Rome
Speakin like the Romans do
Will never come natural
See back home
“Conversate” is as legit as “converse”
no need to rehearse what I’m sayin
cuz talking with my hands is accepted
expected even
so I’m leaving this world
of white girls who get PhDs
to articulate what Reese said last week
at the corner store
Things like
“Black girls ain’t white girls with tans” and
“if a man ever puts his hands on me, one of us gots to die—literally”
and she won’t need standard English
or critical argument to make her point
she’ll simply point to herself and know that I see my reflection
intersections and corresponding analogies
will never capture our existence
this Roman insistence
means were always deadlocked
and Hip-Hop will break down my strategy much quicker than Sun Tzu and Robert Greene ever could
5 words
“I wish a nigga would”
and should I
ever desire to revisit Rome
I’m taking Peanut ‘nem wit me
Cuz they’ll stand with me
Through tracked changes
Talking ‘bout my ish ain’t correct—grammatically
When it is
In my tongue
And while I’m not sure where you’re from Mr. Charlie
We prolly don’t speak the same dialect
And your attempts to check my speech means one of us has to back down
And my brown skin allows me to resist
The sun
That will rise and set again
Before I let you win
See where you wanna take me
I ain’t trying to go
Since we both know
The first step to dominating
Annihilating
A people is eliminating
Their language
There is no anguish
In fact I cherish
In the midst of
Triple negatives
And omitted copulas
Dropping terms like “nigga” and “pejorative”
In the same conversation
Just so there’s no mistakin…