#tospeaknoevil

There used to exist a universal set of laws and polices throughout the "United Streets of America", with one of the most recognized being that women and children were "off limits"... Well recently in Rockford, Illinois a young woman was struck and killed by a stray bullet while at home with her four children, with last year almost to the day an entire family including the children were murdered... and just last night a young teenager's life was taken.

Seemingly "outta control" crime is what happens when rules and regulations no longer exist on the streets, not only are innocent bystanders caught in crossfires but intended victims that should have never been targets. The hierarchy of street structure and gang [culture] was effectively dismantled in the 90's mostly due to the "war on drugs" and the void is still being felt today. If you were "in" the streets you had to obtain permission to strike first or in retaliation to a perceived injustice, and the streets knew everything... we didn't talk, but we knew.

But this isn't about the "good ol' days" because in all honesty they weren't all that good, instead I'd like to explain an aspect of the climate of fear in our community.

In many hoods, most events and actions are permissible unless they happen to you or someone you love. That's why for the most part the City of Rockford has become desensitized by the increase in violent crime. Because if it isn't around your front door, it's more of an issue of "them". And that's where I'm going with this. If it's been made acceptable to continuously commit violent crimes, that means everyone is a potential target [including you]. Let that sink in for a moment, because in Rockford or almost anywhere you don't necessarily have to be doing anything "wrong" to become an intended victim within a culture of violence and fear.

A very important issue is response and timing, in reference to the recent tragedy in Fairgrounds, buying children Christmas gifts to help make them feel better during the mourning of their mother is a beautiful gesture, but if we're honest it's mostly superficial in it's approach and being used as a way to absolve our city as a whole of doing the real work of [community policing] and developing communal responsibility. If all we're going to do in Rockford is buy gifts and pray, we might as well just stay in the check out and prayer lines... because another tragedy and violent act is on the way. While this observation doesn't mean that the children don't deserve to have a joyful holiday, the best gift would include efforts that her killer is brought to justice.

A solution is that we have to make the violence against our citizens the most expensive act on earth, not zero tolerance in a court of law but absolute awareness and increased responsibility on our streets. There are roughly anywhere between 15-20 police officers on patrol during peak hours, protecting over 150,000 people. And we're expecting our new police chief to magically make all of the crime disappear. But if we knew that the safety in the city was our responsibility as well, we'd stop looking outside of ourselves for the savior within ourselves. I know many of us who would like to become actively involved have been made to feel powerless and inadequate, based mostly upon our individual levels of experience, education and socioeconomic positioning. But I'm here to tell you that while Rockford isn't Castle Greyskull "We Have The Power".

There's an unwritten code that's often used to justify the ineffectiveness of policing in the hood, and it's the one of silence and [no snitching]. But silence in regards to an act of violence against a woman or child is cowardice, while on the other side snitching means you were apart of the crime and are now willing to divulge information in hopes of reduced punishment. The thing is, we can handle much of the business ourselves [proactively] by becoming more involved in our neighborhoods and communicating with elected officials-community leaders throughout the city.  When we handle our own business we need less police, which is better for everyone. And to be clear, I'm in no means suggesting comic book style vigilantism, but we can't hope to "take our city back" without placing everyone who would be against that progress on high alert.

The West Side of Rockford, Illinois as it stands is under siege, while big businesses and even bigger buildings are going up, the quality of life for many local residents is going down. What we should understand is that if the City of Rockford were a publicly traded corporation posting [consistently] record losses in profit, the CEO/Mayor would have been removed by the Board/City Council by demand of the Shareholders/Constituents a long time ago. A particularly relevant analogy since we've been asked to use the "business approach" to Transform Rockford...

It's time that we look at the City of Rockford as a [Chain] that's only as strong as it's weakest link. We've gotta get out of our churches, boardrooms and basements and into our streets.

Be fearless,

Ferguson was a test. Charleston was a test. Brooklyn was a test. Baltimore was a test. And now, Chicago is "bracing" for war against it's citizens on the bloodiest urban battleground in America.

We are being closely monitored, our actions and responses are being carefully cataloged. The main stream media has been baiting the region for over a week, sending subliminal suggestions of anger, frustration and now fear over the release of the video containing the Officer Jason Van Dyke involved murder of 17 year old Laquan McDonald.

The shootings of the five unarmed Black Lives Matter activists in Minneapolis, the beating of the unarmed black man during the Donald Trump rally. The prison industrial complex along with many other state government systems benefit from war, but this latest controlled series of militarized mass confrontations will be like no other.

The City of Chicago has unique access to resources that with the exception of NYC or Los Angeles not many other cities can call upon. A State of Emergency will be announced, The National Guard will be called to duty and all around the country citizens will choose sides.

The events of unrest over the past year have provided a blueprint of governmental control. Many now are speaking of end times and the beginning of The New World Order, possibly even the reality of World War III. The civil unrest was initially sold racially as white versus black, recently and with the introduction of the refugees religion against culture, and now law over lawlessness. People are going to hurt, some are going to die. But a revolution in some form will take place, it has been made almost inevitable. As it was written in text thousands of years ago.

We've had the pleasure of attending several actions over the past few months in and around the Carolinas with members of The Tribe, and with each encounter we've found them to be knowledgeable, gracious, passionate and determined to get free. There was a charter bus ride a few weeks ago to Shaw University in Raleigh that really stands out because it was cold and pouring down rain; the interesting aspect is that the morale never wavered and our message stayed it's course. The Fight For 15 was that message and it was delivered in splendid fashion.

Fast forward to the sunrise of June 27th and Bree Newsome, a member of the activist and civil rights group The Tribe, decided that enough was enough and climbed atop the flag pole at the State Capitol in Columbia, South Carolina. The action didn't damage the flag or the property of which the flag was held in anyway, and the protest was well planned with a support system and legal team already in place. The civil action was not done to claim an offered reward from anyone, but to physically stand up against systemic racism and for the people in this country that have no voice. This was done as an act of non violent resistance, and nothing else.

Black women have been doing the work for years, and we salute you. @BreeNewsome

Bree, you are brave sister and the efforts of The Tribe will be made apart of history. #FreeBree

Get Free,

The Rockford Housing Authority didn't invent poverty in the City of Rockford, Illinois. It also doesn't command a physical army to distribute the drugs and weapons throughout its properties that so many law abiding citizens fear will spread throughout the city by default. But instead of strongly advocating for the eradication of poverty and substandard housing for every resident of Rockford, many have taken to town hall meetings, social media news outlets and neighborhood committees to protest in favor of "poor people" remaining in their exact housing conditions and locations. Why not attack the root issues of poverty and crime? Because that's too much like right... it seems appears easier to attack the organization charged with ensuring that the programs work for the people they are responsible for helping, than it is to attack the system responsible for ensuring that people remain dependent upon the system.

We aren't hearing a collective "Why don't we try to clean up the entire city?!" Instead the idea of anyone that isn't already in a certain tax bracket or currently live in a "better" part of town, is somehow a social outcast that should be imprisoned within a specific area of a controlled environment.  

What's surprising is that the many of the same organizations that are trying to sell the idea of transforming the city into something greater for everyone, have been eerily silent in comparison to the hundreds if not thousands of citizens opposing the RHA's upcoming proposal being re-submitted to the city. While we're not saying that the plan will be a good or a bad thing because right now it's just a plan, most of the people against the proposal are attempting to use statistics to disguise racism and classism as their collective motivation for opposition, and that's what the organizations campaigning for community support should absolutely be against.

It's becoming increasingly clear that the problems in Rockford today didn't originate from the loss of jobs, but instead as issues of race and class. Who do you people think you are? Because a great many of those openly spewing racial hatred are active in their churches weekly and claim not so see color, so that means that those with the yard signs and using racial epithets via social media, are either liars or they're fake and no different from their recent ancestors that also claimed to be such God Fearin' Christians. Just know that a city so deeply rooted in racism won't "transform" or move forward into anything regardless of it's PowerPoint campaigns, instead it will regress.

Get your sh*t together Rockford.

Between A Rock And A Hard Place,

I don't know if a city that doesn't actively cultivate the abilities, ideas and interests of it's citizens, is a city that can call itself transforming. Rockford is a town right now with a bad rep, kind of like you've heard a few things but still seems cool enough to find out for yourself. And that's when the local establishments and events geared towards everyone but the people that look like you, begin to make you question the city's commitment to becoming a great place to live and work for everyone not just those it feels worthy enough to accommodate.

People have asked why is local art primarily a "white thing" in Rockford? The creativity of the poor and disenfranchised is all but nonexistent in an area with so much cultural diversity, the City of Rockford claims to support the growth of community but if the entire community isn't welcome, how and when are we ever going to remove the stigma and fear of those who look and act differently than us? Where is everyone's music, food and culture being celebrated together in Rockford? With so much segregation, it's no wonder why people are apprehensive when venturing "too far" across either side of the bridge.

Our city doesn't have to be separate to be safe, there are literally tens of thousands of citizens of all ages, colors and creeds that would support a unified effort for the city to begin loving itself again. When our children have ran out of resources, programs and events on "our" sides of town, they begin growing with a subconscious feeling of inferiority and the illusion of inclusion is set in place of knowing they are welcome and can thrive anywhere.

If Rockford truly wishes to rid itself of it's ever increasing socioeconomic and race related rhetoric, it will begin to include everyone in everything. Not just the groups of rich people that have had the ability to invest in downtown and outer corridor building projects, and definitely not just the politicians. But imagine that you've been driving an old beat up car, keeping it clean and taking care of the way it looks might not be a priority as long as it runs... well Rockford is getting beat up and isn't running very well. But we've been too busy trying to convince everyone else that it isn't rusty, smelling funny and making weird noises instead of actually making our city run better from within.

How can we expect our neighbors to care about where we live and work if those elected and in charge of making it run well are only in it for themselves? I'm sure you've asked yourself why are so many bad decisions being made by the city that are obviously not in the best interest of those that live and work here, but if you ask that question too loud you'll be asked "But what are you doing to help Rockford...?" We've all loved things that weren't good for us, sometimes that's even included people, but for many of us Rockford is still home. When will it begin to love us as much as we love it? Because that's where a lot of the frustration and pain is coming from. The good people of this city want to live in a great city, can we begin to build an entire community of Rockfordian's that want the same thing?

Our city can not become great with one side of town living in fear of the other, and the increase of crime can not be allowed to spread "everywhere". Our local leaders have to begin looking out for what's best for the entire town, not just for their friends and those with political clout. If a chain is only as strong as it's weakest link, Rockford can't be allowed to break.

Do The Right Thing,

Rockford, Illinois is a war zone... the 164th most populous city in America is also by several nationally published polls the "2nd Most Dangerous Small City in America". There was an estimated 12 shootings last night in a town with a little over 150,000 residents, crime was reported as being down with statistics favoring the trend on paper but the reality for many citizens is the complete opposite.

While feelings can't be quantified fear can be made extremely profitable, many people would say there is a feeling of fear and danger that surrounds certain areas of the city. The police are being held accountable in many circles for not doing their jobs, while Mayor Morrissey says the Governor wants to cut $7.5 million from a fund that supports the city budget. He says if that happens, the city will have to cut 40 police officers, 16 public works employees, and about 15 other city workers... He said that would have a devastating effect on our safety. Really?

But let's talk about our feelings shall we? Especially since the feeling of safety or rather the "feeling of safe" is a relative term, some people living and working in certain areas of town feel differently than others but many agree that Rockford is becoming increasingly unsafe. The presence of police officers may give a particular family a feeling of security, while others one of fear. But I'm not sure the 12 shootings last night have anything to do with the ability of local police officers to effectively do their jobs, meaning I don't blame them.

Anyone can observe and form an opinion, but if your observations include your version of the truth or rather the interpretation of that version, those with little to no power to change what everyone hates about the city become your greatest critics. The "But what are you doing to change Rockford?" questionnaire being passed around like cheap booze is mostly echoed by citizens who don't care enough to even vote. The failing infrastructure is blamed upon the citizens as is the high unemployment and poverty rate. The city has attempted to raise the collective moral by funding/marketing t-shirt and civic pride campaigns in an effort to either effectively shame or religiously convert those that have the audacity to voice that something is dangerously wrong in the city.

Locally, preachers have held hundreds of hands and concerned citizens marched countless miles, I'm certain dozens of meetings were scheduled addressing the shootings this morning alone. My point is that the increasing reality of fear in the city I once called home, can't be washed away by thinking positive or squandering meager resources to appease those who feel you just aren't doing enough to change what you didn't create. Anyone with half a brain knows why the city is doing so poorly, but those directly responsible for it's current state of affairs don't seem to even care. You may feel differently and that's your prerogative, but demanding that people ignore or to think themselves into an effective solution is dismissive, especially since violence doesn't require a vote. But those we've elected have the power to create jobs which would benefit the thousands of poor and disenfranchised workers, build infrastructure making the city look and better increasing overall esthetics and functionality; fund programs as an alternative to mass criminalizing the youth because there's "nothing to do".

I've read a few dozen "Pray 4 My City" posts via social media this morning, but prayer without action is apathy and without works is dead. In my opinion demanding a Cease Fire solely through spiritual channels is no different than praying away a terminal illness while ignoring your doctors "orders". I know, Jesus is a healer but bullets... I'm saying all of this to say the current state of affairs in the City of Rockford seems to be deliberate, but watch the tens of millions of dollars soon be appropriated into the municipality budget because the city needs more officers and heavier equipment to quell any further threats from local combatants. People will soon literally begin to beg for the restoration of order. In any state, certain areas are ‘securitized’ and by definition removed from the democratic political process. In an emergency situation – in short of war or terrorist attacks – the security sphere ‘invades’ the sphere of democratic politics. An autocratic security force or ‘security state’ appears to act in parallel to the regular democratic state, and this duality or ‘dual state’ was described by Hans Morgenthau in 1955. After September 11, domestic terrorism has become an instrument to 'securitize' what used to be public in an effort tilt the ‘dual state' balance in favor of the 'security state'.

Please understand that the crime in Rockford isn't out of control, it's being controlled. I won't go so far as to say by whom but if the millions of dollars that have already allocated hasn't made a dent in the statistics, what impact will a prayer vigil have? In closing, African Americans are the only citizens in this country that are held to a higher standard in terms of seeking justice and equality, "Black-on- Black" is used in the defense and justification of police brutality against African Americans because since Blacks kill each other they don't deserve the protection afforded to Americans that do not. The "Black-on-Black crime" moniker is racist rhetoric functioning under the guise of concern for the state of Black America. People of all races, Blacks included seemingly love to discuss how not killing your own and being more respectable will alleviate the effects of racism. The term, which originated in the 1980s, cites Black people as a problem as opposed to poverty, poor educational opportunities, proximity and other factors that lead to increased crime rates within all communities -- regardless of color.

You can love Rockford and hate what has been allowed in Rockford, if we can't openly discuss the problems plaguing the city... Gary happens, Detroit happens as well as Ferguson and countless other examples of ignoring the truth. We can't Transform 12 shootings in one night into anything but what it is, just as acting like they didn't happen won't bring anyone that lost their lives back from the dead.

Regular everyday citizens are being strapped with the burden of change in Rockford, but if you can't afford to donate a unicorn to the cause or a member in good standing of the circle jerk band, you'll be accused of being a complainer and not doing nearly enough to "save" Rockghanistan. The question you might want to ask is if Rockford actually wants be saved?

There's A War Going On Outside,

Moral Monday. Black Lives Matter

Charlotte. North Carolina