The recent death of Derrion Albert is no doubt a tragedy. His death is a sign to those of us who claim to represent the force of good in our community have yet to conquer the ills that plague the Black community. After reading and watching some news reports on this I’m alarmed to hear the proposed solutions offered by some community “activists" and others. Two in particular stood out to me. The first being the parental responsibility argument and I also heard a reverend say that the national guard and military forces should be brought in to keep the peace. The Military? Given the history of police
violence against the Black community do we want the military, who have bigger guns and better killing capabilities and are more efficient killers, policing our community?
There is no doubt that parental responsibility is a major factor. When people ask “where are the parents?” that is a very credible question. But, what will you do when you learn the answer to that question and if the parents are unavailable, then what? What’s the point of asking the question if there isn't action to follow? When I was in high school I had friends in my neighborhood who had mothers who were prostitutes or drug addicts. Their fathers were either absent or present, but only in the physical sense of the word meaning they were around where we could point at him and say “that’s your dad” but that was about it. So who becomes responsible when parents choose not to rear their own children?
I submit to you that WE are responsible. If not for moral/religious obligations, then for your personal well being and the well being of the community at large.
We as descendants of Africans have forgotten that “ it takes a village to raise a child”. The community is the next in line to take over when parents fail in this obligation. When the community fails to do so, two things usually happen 1.)That child doesn’t become a productive citizen rather that child becomes a destructive human being to himself and others 2.) When this person does become destructive they don’t leave to destroy some other community, they usually stay and destroy their own community. The chicken always comes home to roost, to reference Malcolm X.
Therefore, it is in everyone’s best interest to contribute something: money, time, or resources to provide a pipeline of support to help neglected youth. Both Muslims and Christians are also responsible. I have read multiple scriptures from both the Holy Qu’ran and Bible that places the responsibility of the well being of the orphans on believing people. An orphan is a child that has lost their parents or a child whose parents have abandoned them. Most forget the latter part of that definition. The best solution as far as I am concerned is best worded by the recent theme of the Nation of Islam which states that “we must accept responsibility to build our own communities." Because as in the case of the untimely death of honor student Derrion Albert, we will continue to suffer the terrible consequences of doing nothing and the alternative is much worse. By giving the government the green light to police our community will lead to the extermination of these misguided youth which is also what will happen if continue to fail in our responsibilities. Peace.
2 comments:
OMG is all I can.. The footage was very emotional. Your right it takes a village to raise a child. How could these children do such a thing. Children are a different breed now a days and in my opinion that is because we have babies having babies and you also have parents who are working two or three jobs just to get ends meet so they are not around or you have those parents who just don't give a shit. This type of thing needs to stop. We as a people as a community as a neighborhood need to take a stand.
I honestly got chills when watching that video, mixed with disgust. I have my own views on violence and killing, but i certainly despise murder.
I've seen fights like this first hand myself, to the point where a young man was struck in the head by an aluminum bat and later passed away. This reminds me a lot of that incident.
I don't honestly believe fights and conflicts will ever be stopped. Violence has been apart of human history from the beginning, every culture, every race has had their warriors, wars, and acts of violence.So honestly I'm not shocked about seeing a large fight take place, but it going as far as a young man being murdered shows the real problem. so as previously stated: how do we prevent senseless murders such as this from taking place within our community? Involving the Nat'l Guard is one of the worse ideas I've heard. I do agree with both writers in saying the community is a part of the solution. So as individuals we must remind ourselves of our responsibility to leave a positive impact on all those we encounter. Whether it be left in our actions or words of advice, I believe that's where it all STARTS. Speaking to a young girl/boy you see on the street...anything...simply caring about others and showing that concern through actions, no matter how 'small' has an influence. and that's where it all starts.
The killers of that young man should face the same punishment as any other murderer, a life sentence. Prayers go out to the victim, his family and friends, and prayers go out to those that killed him too.
I know many people dislike law enforcement, especially given the history with the police and blacks. BUT times are changing, and while improvement is still needed, how do you expect it to happen? I actually promote aware black men and women pursuing careers in such fields. If you want something done or changed, become directly involved. Why is this important? maybe if there were officers who truly cared about what happened in communities such as this, they would have been on the scene quicker, and could have prevented the murder from occurring..but, i also admit that's just speculation.
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