25 thoughts on “I Hope They Blow Ferguson The Fuck Up Tonight”

1. The thing that most people fail to realize is that education has got to be in the forefront of every individual life beginning at day one regardless of where one is in society. This starts at home with parenting teaching self control, self awareness, self worth, and self esteem. Teaching these qualities would help a lot and it gives that child the chance to strive for success. We are all not going to make at the same time, but it the effort that one put into trying to be the best person they can be regardless of economic situation. When people see that you are trying to do better help is given to you. Remember we can be our worst enemy.

2. so ….. Looting and Destroying Muliple Small Businesses Was The Answer? Burning The Grocery Store Down In Your Neighborhood Was The Answer?

   1. That is the samething I said. What did looting have to do with the cause? Nothing. Some of the the business that were destroyed were owned by blacks. People who are looting because they feel like stealing, which is one of the reasons we can’t get ahead. People doing dumbass shit.

      1. You hit the nail on the head. The Grocery Store was family owned and had been in the community for 56 years. The Little Casears was one of 3 owned by Little Casears first black franchisee…. How does the dude carrying the Flat Screen TV down the street help change and the perception of people across the country?

3. I woke up and thought y’all were having a deep conversation when I saw 19 comments lol. I started scrolling and my jaw dropped. Dean…bruh. You gotta chill a lil bit.

4. @Dean. The examples that you mentioned all have this in common for their emergence, strong, sustained leadership that suffers no ignorant persons. Add Singapore and Hong Kong to the list of once basket cases that have risen to stardom with little natural resources. Black America suffers, in part, from grossly failed leadership, whom many called Poverty Pimps. That includes Jesse, Dyson, Sharpton, and Farrakhan (see Chicago). We also suffer from relying on and placing faith in government. When we need to look to Frederick Douglas and tell them to leave us alone, good and bad, save for equal justice. When we stop sharing in the legal plunder, reduce our reliance on govt until we no longer need it for anything save justice, and above all, stop putting fools over us or allowing fools to become self-proclaimed leaders, we’ll be much better off.

5. Lurker here who reads daily. Great blog Jamari! This comment goes out to Dean tonight…

   Dean i under stand your frustration but you are doing way too much. You are coming off very overwhelming and preachy with these comments. You are on a lighthearted blog and calling for some kind of activist rally. This is not the place for this. Your opinion has been shared, but now it’s time to leave it alone. Subconsiously many black people are fed up but until we all come together as a unit, your rants will fall on deaf ears. Back in the early days with the Malcolm’s and the Martins of the world, we all worked together as a strong unit but unfortunately in this decade, we are segregated and will continue to be until we stand together as a people. You have to try and speak to the youth without sounding like you are scolding them. Just my opinion and thank your for listening.

6. Brave, I won’t chill. I will act. I will do. I will lead. You should too. And here’s why: We must realize that we are in an emergency situation and we need to treat our current condition like an emergency. It’s an emergency when 1/3 of black men between the ages of 20 and 30 are in prison, probation, jail or parole. It’s an emergency when “An estimated one-third of black male Americans will spend time in state or federal prison at some point in their lifetime—more than double the rate from the 1970s and more over five times the rate for white males.”–The Brookings Institute. It’s an emergency when the black unemployment rate is 11.4 percent in August 2014. It’s an emergency when the recent black male high school graduation rate is 52% and when the recent total black high school graduation rate is 68%. (This apparently means that the recent black female high school graduation rate is about 84%. This means that one-sixth of black females do not graduate from high school!) It’s an emergency when 72% of black children are raised in single parent households. It’s an emergency when 40% of the male prison population in the United States (of about 2.1 million) is black and blacks are only 13 % of the US population. It’s an emergency when the black infant mortality rate is more than twice as high as the white infant mortality rate and when it is higher than some third-world countries. It’s an emergency when the black HIV infection rate in some areas is higher than some third-world countries. It’s an emergency when the blacks account for 44% of new HIV infections and 44% of all Americans with HIV. See http://kff.org/hivaids/fact-sheet/black-americans-and-hiv-aids/ It’s an emergency when “leaders”—black and white, African American and otherwise–hardly lift a finger to do anything about these dire situations. In fact, they hardly mention these abysmal facts and often sweep them under the rug. To them it’s business as usual. Now, that’s an emergency!

7. Jamari, I love and respect you too. But I’m not waiting for you. In fact, in response to the thousands of emails that I sent out (the same email that I sent to you) some people have responded and based on their responses, we have developed about 50 or so specific, concrete and doable action items that have the prospect of strengthening African Americans psychologically, sociologically, culturally, economically and politically and therefore putting an end to such killings and sufferings.

   My frustration is that these marchings, protesting, rallying, and even rioting have not worked and will not work. (Except perhaps when used strategically, which by and large they are not.) They are by and large the functional equivalent of masturbation. That is, they feel good and accomplish little or nothing. My frustration is that a better way is being “overlooked” by some or many for a path that leads to no where (or in a circle).

   Again, we have strength–an income of more than $1 trillion a year. But no matter how much money you have, you’ll be poor if you waste your money. What we need to do is collaborate, cooperate and work with each other to strengthen ourselves psychologically, sociologically, culturally, economically and politically. At one time China was weak but now China is feared respected and has the world’s second largest economy. If they can do it, so can we!

   But “masturbation” will house or feed or clothe or educate or protect anyone and “masturbation” will not make politicians accountable and “masturbation” will not get us from under the foot of white racism, white supremacy and the legacy of slavery and Jim Crow. The Chinese didn’t engage in “masturbation”. They took action, concerted action. Thankfully, the “less fun” and “drudgery” of the about 50 solutions (concerted actions) that we have developed can and hopefully will. So help me God.

   I again sent you my email tonight. You have my email address. I invite and encourage you to respond.

   1. Dean, you gotta chill.

8. i wrote my opinion on it.
   my tiny little opinion on how i felt.
   you are lookin for a leader to take charge and fight the battle.
   i’m not that fox.
   you are obviously that person.
   this is what you are passionate about.
   i can feel it in your words.

   …so what are YOU going to do about it?
   why don’t YOU take charge?
   don’t blame us or me.
   thats not fair at all.

9. dean…
   i love and respect you…
   your comments are always good,
   but why don’t YOU not wait for me and YOU do something about it?
   don’t wait for me.

10. Change Can Be Made
    It is not written in stone that African Americans will always be at the bottom of the barrel. And we don’t have to be. “Without vision the people perish.” With vision the people can flourish. The right leadership can provide the right vision. Look in the mirror. Leadership begins at home!

11. LEADERSHIP BEGINS AT HOME (Beyond Mike Brown and Ferguson, Missouri)
    Leadership begins at home. This email is my part and is a call for you to do your part to stop the killings of black persons like Trayvon Martin, Mike Brown, Oscar Grant and Renisha McBride and improve the future of African Americans (the descendants of Africans enslaved and brought to America).

12. What Must Be Done
    The bulk of the heavy lifting to uplift a people and solve the problems of African Americans must be done by African American individuals and organizations acting every day in small and large ways to change and make change. It’s difficult but doable. The alternative may be another 400 years like the last 400 years or worse. For the ills that plague African Americans there are solutions. But what can be done by black individuals and groups? That’s where you and I come in. This is my and your opportunity to take action and help shape solutions. Leadership begins at home.

13. ACTION COUNTS
    Action counts. Some time ago, I wrote a 3 point black agenda for the federal, state and local governments and politicians to address the problems of African Americans, which problems are economic, psychological, sociological, political and cultural and include weakness in income, assets and employment. (If you don’t have my 3 point black agenda, ask I will send it to you.) My 3 point black agenda for the federal, state and local governments and politicians to address are: 1. Penal-Industrial System Reform, 2. Immigration Reform that helps and does not harm African Americans and 3. A Presidential/Blue Ribbon Commission to detail the effects of slavery and Jim Crow on the descendants of Africans that were enslaved and brought to America (African Americans) and the effects of slavery and Jim Crow on others. Essentially who benefited and what benefits were and are being received and who was harmed and what harms were and are being received. This is not a call for reparations. It is a call to tell the truth and is the American equivalent to the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission which took place after the end of Apartheid. But federal, state and local governments and politicians cannot do it all to solve the problems that confront African Americans—summarized as being economically, psychologically, sociologically, politically and culturally weak.

14. TALK IS CHEAP
    There has been much talk about the killings of Trayvon Martin, Mike Brown, Oscar Grant and Renisha McBride and other black persons. “The statistics are sobering: one African-American is killed either by law enforcement, security guards or stand-your-ground vigilantes every 28 hours. And that’s to say nothing of the shocking frequency with which black men are imprisoned compared with their white counterparts.” (See http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/08/11/1320607/-If-I-were-black-in-America-there-s-a-decent-chance-I-d-already-be-dead?detail=email# )
    And there has been a lot of hand-wringing, finger-pointing, protesting, shouting, marching and rioting but there hasn’t been much action to prevent such killings. After each of the killings the “scene” is replayed over and over again! And it seems that the “scene” is set to be replayed repeatedly well into the future. Progress is not being made. Talk is cheap.

15. Weakness Is the Problem
    As long as African Americans are weak economically, psychologically, sociologically, politically and culturally, they will be marginalized and abused by the powers that be. That is the way of the world. That the strong take advantage of and abuse the weak is a story as old as the Bible and European colonialism in America, Africa, Australia and Asia. But even the strong are deterred by consequences. The police force of Beverly Hills does not abuse its residents because the people of Beverly Hills are rich and there will be consequences.

    Strength Can Be Achieved
    And just like an “80 pound weakling” can go to the gym and lift weights to get strong so that he can deal with bullies, African Americans can strengthen themselves economically, psychologically, sociologically, politically and culturally and so not be abused and killed. It’s possible. In fact, it has happened before. A few examples of accomplishing the difficult but doable—the near impossible with good leadership and diligence and effort: In 1776, the US opposed the greatest military force in the world—the British Military–and won. After World War I, Germany was on its back and was forced to pay reparations. The German people felt humiliated. Twenty years later Germany (with its Italian and Japanese allies) came close to world conquest. In 1948, the long dream of Zionist–a Jewish state for Jews that had suffered oppression in Europe for centuries–Israel was born. For much of the 19th century and into the 20th century China was the victim of imperialism by the Western powers and the Chinese were not feared or respected. In 1960 China’s economy was a basket case and it wasn’t much better in 1980. In 2014 China’s economy is the world’s second largest and the Chinese are feared and respected.

16. The Genesis of the Problems
    (There is substantial evidence that the bulk of the problems faced by African Americans—economic, psychologic, sociologic, political and cultural–are due to the legacy of 250 years of slavery and 100 years of Jim Crow. [If you want further information on this, ask and I will send it to you.] First, we know that African immigrants of similar African descent do not have the problems of African Americans. In fact, they do better than African Americans or other Americans measured by socioeconomic achievement. They are at the top of American socioeconomic achievement! Second, we know that people also of similar African descent with similar histories of slavery and systematic discrimination—African Cubans, African Peruvians, African Brazilians, African Venezuelans, etc.—are also at the bottom of their societies. And it should not be a surprise. Slavery stripped Africans in the Diaspora (those of African descent) in the USA, Cuba, Peru, Brazil, Venezuela, etc. of their names, histories, languages, traditions, customs, etc. and replaced that with dysfunction to make a better slave and after slavery replaced that with legally-sanctioned or by custom and practice second-class citizenship to oppress and marginalize [including Jim Crow]. In any case, no matter the cause of our house being in a mess we are 100% responsible for “clean-up” of our house because we live there. The first step in solving a problem is to acknowledge that you have a problem. It’s time to roll up our sleeves and get to work. Leadership begins at home.)

17. I know what to say, Jamari. As you may recall, recently, I wrote to you to an email and asked you to respond. The email that I sent to you was my request that you work with me to solve the problems that plague African Americans.

    The email included this: THE CALL TO ACTION
    Therefore:
    1. Please immediately make a list of your top 5 or 10 or more concrete action items that can or should be done by private African American and other black individuals and/or organizations to uplift a people and stop the problems (the “madness” noted above) and immediately email that list to me. The list should be action items (that is specific—not general) things—black individuals and/or organizations can or should do—- and not goals. The goals are to strengthen African Americans economically, psychologically, sociologically, politically and culturally. For example—as an analogy—for the goal of losing weight an action item would be to cut out or lessen sugars. Another action item for losing weight would be to cut out or lessen carbohydrates. Another action item for losing weight would be to increase activity/exercise by things such as walking more. Action items are specific prescriptions that black individuals and/or organizations can or should follow—like a recipe—to accomplish the goals. They are not vague. They are not the goals. They are the specific, discrete and concrete (separate and distinct and perhaps even small) steps that if followed will accomplish the goals. (Many small steps—action items–put together will build a house or bake a cake.) Again, I want the steps. I want the recipe–ingredients and cooking instructions.

    2. Also, what action items can or should be done to make adoption of the list something that will sweep the nation?

    3. What should this effort be called?

    4. What should the list be called?

    5. Etc. (Anything else that you believe may be helpful)

    Please respond immediately and within one week of receipt of this email. If you have further ideas, send them later. I will compile and edit the lists that come to me and I’ll be in further contact with you. If you have any questions, please contact me. Thank you.

    I received no reply from you. It seems that it’s easier and perhaps more enjoyable to talk about problems than to work on solutions. Frankly, I have sent the same email to many African Americans—thousands and I have not gotten hundreds of responses to say “Great. Let’s focus on implementing solutions.” The most common response has been “crickets”.

    IF BLACK PEOPLE WANT THINGS TO CHANGE, THEN THEY HAVE TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT AND NOT JUST TALK ABOUT IT.

    I may publish here excerpts from my email to you so that others can get a flavor.

18. I really hope none of y’all expected them to charge Darren Wilson. I’m not angry or saddened because I didn’t expect anything to happen. This is just lather, rinse, repeat. Instead of all the protesting, we could easily fix this problem but black people don’t wanna listen. You all can keep sitting around waiting for white people to throw us a bone, I’m done being down over this shit.

    1. Okay so, whatchu mean???? Fighting the white folk and shit ? If so, I’m here for it!

       1. It wouldn’t require any fighting of the white folk whatsoever.

19. I don’t really have much to say on the topic. Witnesses retracted their statements, admitted they lied, and some didn’t even witness the shooting at all. With that combined with the forensic evidence, it was going to be hard to indict him.

    1. ^i went from talking about that fine dude in the last entry,
       to crying legit tears when i was writing this one.
       sheesh.
       i’m getting soft out here…
       that shit hurt tho.

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