When the village fails…

“I grew up with them boys, they don’t deserve to be in jail for all them years. She made it up, It never happen”. The young baby face boy who had only been in high school for a couple of weeks were referring to the crimes that occur summer 2007 in Dunbar Village, a housing project where he grew up and currently resides. The boys were his friends, people he had known all his life. The immigrant Haitian woman and child who lives were torn apart due to these boys were inconsequential in his world, the only meaning they have were that they were the ones who took his friends away. His statement resolves all guilt from the young men and their actions, while placing the blame solely on the victim. Swallowing hard I look deep into the eyes of this young man, who was the same age of some of the assailants of the crime who ages ranged from 13- 18 years old. Was I looking at somebody who could have possibly participated in these crimes? When hearing about the horrific crime that occurred in Dunbar Village and the number of assailants, one can’t help but wonder why didn’t any of the 10 males try and stop the crime or even turn themselves in? How can anyone be a part of the sadistic actions that were committed? Someone had to be a voice of reason; someone had to know that this was wrong and needed to be stopped. Perhaps the blame lay on the assailants intoxicated state or the momentum of the crime along with mob mentality. But this young man was sober and alone and didn’t see the guilt that lay in the young man’s hands.  This boy was has long reached the point in his life where he can differentiate between right and wrong. He has a mother, sister and according to him a girlfriend would he be ok with someone commenting the same atrocities on them. This boy who sees nothing wrong with a brutal attack on a woman and her child, only sympathizing with the assailants, he is sadly like so many in our community. When this story first broke, a certain level of disgust and outrage is expected from the residents of the community, but there was none instead there was anger from the news coverage of the crime. “So a lady was raped. Big deal,” resident Paticiea Matlock said with disgust. “There’s too much other crime happening here.” (AP, 2007) How a woman could declare the rape of another woman no big deal? How could she not feel for another human being that shared her same neighborhood? Where was the empathy for a fellow poor, black woman in America?

Dunbar Village is a neighbor jaded by experiences of poverty, crime, murder and rape. The stories of the people in this housing project are share a theme of hurt, betrayal and abandonment. Their voices and pain often overshadowed by the pretty beaches and bright Florida sun, angry because it takes a brutal rape for people in their city, state, country and world to know that they are there, that they are hurting. So they will stand and try to protect their boys and the name of their community because even if it means disregarding the pain inflicted on this poor Haitian immigrant woman and her son.

2 years later four of the ten men have been convicted of the crime, with more arrest still to come. Dunbar Village now has better security including a working gate and surveillance camera. Plans are under way to destroy the 60 year old housing complex in hopes to build a safer affordable housing community. Sadly the wounds are still present in the victim and the community has or will ever get over this crime. When there are a thousands of community similar to Dunbar Village, who residents lack the same access to opportunity, share in the epidemic of fatherless children, drugs and crime run rampant all making for the perfect conditions to create children to inflict this type of terror on their communities; What do you do to stop this from ever happening again. What is our responsibility in this? What are you going to do?

-Just Tab…but hopefully inciting just the change this world needs.

*I purposely didn’t go into the exact crimes that were committed in order not to glorified or inflict any more pain on this woman and her family then needed. For more information on the crimes you can visit http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/content/local_news/epaper/2009/08/28/0828dunbar.html*

Just Believe…

Like most Americans I get my life lesson and advice from popular culture. This past Sunday, I was watching “The Wiz” and I was struck by the realness of the message. So please indulge me for a bit as I talk a little bit about what I learn from “The Wiz”.

Most people are familiar with the story of “The Wiz”, the African-American version of the beloved classic American film “The Wizard of Oz”. “The Wiz” was first produced on Broadway in 1975. The 1970’s was the height of the Black Power Movement, “Black is Beautiful” and everybody (that was hip) was rocking the Afro.  Blacks were nappy and happy! A time when even Michael Jackson rocked the dark skin and fro. As African-Americans / Blacks (or whatever was the politically correct term at that time) begun to embraced their blackness the only logical thing to do was to throw some “blackness” on a white classic. Of course, this is the antithesis of Afro centrism. Why redo a “white” American classic when you can just do a completely original Black show? I guess Broadway and Hollywood wasn’t ready for “Medea’s Family Reunion” or “Medea goes to Jail” in 1975. Back to the point, “The Wiz” was highly successful on Broadway, winning two Tony awards. It brought a little uptown Harlem flair to the downtown audiences. Allowing the upper crest of white America to be entertained by an all black cast that they would never associate with in public unless to prove there liberalism. While the film was a favorite in the black community, it wasn’t as commercially successful as it staged counterpart or the original “Wizard of Oz”.

My Quick Synopsis: Dorothy and her dog Todo gets lost. Ends up far away from her Harlem home. Kills a witch and get some fly silver shoes. Goes to find the Wiz for help going home. Along the way she picks up some friends who are lacking/ looking for something as well. Tin man needs a heart, the Scarecrow needs a brain, and the Lion needs Courage. The foursome journey on the yellow brick road to see the Wiz and get their wishes granted. After some difficulties getting to the Emerald City, they met the Wiz. He sends them on a near impossible assignment, they succeed. Come back; figure out that Wiz is a fake! Disappointed, because how are they going to get their wishes granted now?

 

This is where the lesson/ sermon come into play. Dorothy shows her friends that they have always had what they have been looking for inside themselves.

While Dorothy did such a good job explaining to her friends the beauty they had within them, she failed to realize the power she had inside of her. “If You Believe” performed by Glinda the good witch reminded her that “No one can change the path that you must go, believe what you feel, know that you are right because the time will come around when you say it’s yours. Believe in yourself right from the start, Believe in the magic that’s in your heart”. 

As I was watching the film on Sunday those words really resonated in my soul, yes I have a soul. I was spending too much time trying to convince people of the plan, mostly because I wasn’t totally convinced myself. There are times when you have to stop doing things just because it’s what’s expected and follow whatever dreams that’s in your heart. If God/ The Supreme Deity/ Allah/ Buddah/ Oprah /whoever planted it inside you, it’s there for a reason so until we really believe we can achieve our dreams it will never manifest itself into being. It’s easily to forget how much confidence and just having faith can contribute to success. I can get anyone I want, not because I am so attractive (but I am), intelligent (I’m the smartest person I know), charming (have you seen my smile) or funny (I am occasionally) but because I am so confident I can pull most anyone.  When I approach someone it’s already ingrained in my head that they want me bad, the belief is so strong they believe it too! Don’t believe me? As you read this you are having an incredible urge to call me and express your undying love and adoration for me. It’s ok, you don’t have to call. I already know! My task now is to use this same confidence and belief in myself I use in my pimp game to achieve my dreams and ultimately success as I define it.

 

And that was just from “When you believe”, I have about another 13 pages on how “Home” impacted my vision for the future and for myself. But I won’t bore you with that. 

I can barely remember the sermon the pastor preached on Sunday, but the message that I am applying to my life this week is coming from “The Wiz”.

So Tabians, Ease on down the road and don’t you carry anything that might be a load, don’t let nobody bring you no bad news and just believe in yourself, you are a lion the greatest one of them all (next to me).