LAWD
(cont. from here)
...I remember when I saw 'Boys In the Hood' back in '90 or '91. There was this scene where Cuba Gooding Jr's character had come home and was stressing because he had just been abused by this cop. It was a tense situation, and outside you could hear helicopters up in the night sky.* I had absolutely no idea what that was about; I think somehow I got the notion that they (the police?) were looking for someone- a true or alledged criminal. Back then I really couldn't fanthom what the director was trying to get across.
Now, I'm from Newark, 'Brick City'. For sure, I knew about drugs, hustlers, pissy halled projects, 'black-on-black crime'- alladat- but that whole helicopter in the sky, drive-by shooting crap was foreign to me. As far as I could tell, that was Compton; that shit those ol' crazy, greasy haired, Jheri Curl wearin' 'Niggas With Attitudes' were always goin' on about. Most definitely we had our faults, did our dirt over here on the east coast, but we kept it simple-- and real. If somebody wanted to rob you, they didn't do it from the street in a car, they came right up to you, kept it personal, and handled their business. And by god, what was up with those machine gun thingies? I mean, couldn't a regular ol' handgun do the trick well enough? They acted like they were fighting in a war or something.
Looking back, I know I and many others saw the whole gang banging as something that lived a world away, in Compton videos, and Compton movies, nothing that affiliated itself with us easterners. Flash forward 15 years...
In my vicinity, the sound of helicopters invading your air space, stolen car tires screeching by during the night, and unmistakable sounds of gun shots are common place. When we first moved here (out of extreme necessity, I assure you) such behavior was totally out of character for us. It's not like we were so far removed from it (the next town over where I had lived primarily since the 80's is ghetto, to0), yet we were. That first year my family was very shaken by all the shooting; my daughter who was then 3 used to wake up scared if she heard thunder roll.
The first time we experienced a shooting was in the middle of the night. It was some sort of machine gun. [My husband told me what it probably was, but I don't know about that stuff. I just know that there were many shots ringing out, like machine guns do on t.v.] Without thinking, or even being fully awake, we just grabbed my daughter and dove on the floor, staying down. We were scared out of our minds. ** In the children's room they were crying, and wanted to be out, right then and there- unfortunately it's not that easy.
Well, that was then. Now we hear something and just suck our teeth and keep doing whatever it is we're doing. Last month there was a shooting very close to us, and my children didn't even notice as they sat watching a television show. These are the same ones who used to wonder about every little firecracker or backfiring car. Then when my oldest came home he very non-chalantly informed me that somebody had just died down the street. He saw the EMS worker trying to revive a guy, but didn't think he made it [he didn't].
What the hell is going on?? How is it that AMERICA, the Don of all the world, who has all the answers to organize everybody else's shit, can't even control the violence in one freekin' city? Or with all this money and prestige Black folk are supposed to now have, our communities are getting not the better, but the worse for it? I mean really, can't some of the $85,000 Usher spent on his diamond encrusted self-imaged watch, the $10,000 Mariah paid for her self-imaged birthday cake, or the money Nelly spends on his bizillion pairs of sneakers go to better the communities that helped them get all of that in the first place?? And I'm not talking about prettying up a basketball court, or something. I mean putting new books or better skilled and paid teachers in the classroom; creating a food and clothing program so our children won't be hungry or indecently dressed when they go out into the world; or building a recreational center that not only acts as a haven for safe play and homework help, but teaches much needed skills like sewing, nutrition and trades so they can have an income when they grow up and won't have to continue the cycle.
Don't get me wrong, I know it's their money- I'm totally down with an artist getting paid for they do- but true artists are down for the people, not just worthless, extravagant 'things' that can be destroyed in a heartbeat [so says Marvin and me]. After all, it wasn't long ago that most of them were in the same predictament, and it doesn't take alot to be there again.
Or could it be that things are this way... by design?
* It's been a long time since I saw the movie, so forgive me if my scenes are off a bit.
**It's funny what your body and mind knows what to do automatically for survival... I can't imagine what people in Iraq, (etc) go through.
(cont. from here)
...I remember when I saw 'Boys In the Hood' back in '90 or '91. There was this scene where Cuba Gooding Jr's character had come home and was stressing because he had just been abused by this cop. It was a tense situation, and outside you could hear helicopters up in the night sky.* I had absolutely no idea what that was about; I think somehow I got the notion that they (the police?) were looking for someone- a true or alledged criminal. Back then I really couldn't fanthom what the director was trying to get across.
Now, I'm from Newark, 'Brick City'. For sure, I knew about drugs, hustlers, pissy halled projects, 'black-on-black crime'- alladat- but that whole helicopter in the sky, drive-by shooting crap was foreign to me. As far as I could tell, that was Compton; that shit those ol' crazy, greasy haired, Jheri Curl wearin' 'Niggas With Attitudes' were always goin' on about. Most definitely we had our faults, did our dirt over here on the east coast, but we kept it simple-- and real. If somebody wanted to rob you, they didn't do it from the street in a car, they came right up to you, kept it personal, and handled their business. And by god, what was up with those machine gun thingies? I mean, couldn't a regular ol' handgun do the trick well enough? They acted like they were fighting in a war or something.
Looking back, I know I and many others saw the whole gang banging as something that lived a world away, in Compton videos, and Compton movies, nothing that affiliated itself with us easterners. Flash forward 15 years...
In my vicinity, the sound of helicopters invading your air space, stolen car tires screeching by during the night, and unmistakable sounds of gun shots are common place. When we first moved here (out of extreme necessity, I assure you) such behavior was totally out of character for us. It's not like we were so far removed from it (the next town over where I had lived primarily since the 80's is ghetto, to0), yet we were. That first year my family was very shaken by all the shooting; my daughter who was then 3 used to wake up scared if she heard thunder roll.
The first time we experienced a shooting was in the middle of the night. It was some sort of machine gun. [My husband told me what it probably was, but I don't know about that stuff. I just know that there were many shots ringing out, like machine guns do on t.v.] Without thinking, or even being fully awake, we just grabbed my daughter and dove on the floor, staying down. We were scared out of our minds. ** In the children's room they were crying, and wanted to be out, right then and there- unfortunately it's not that easy.
Well, that was then. Now we hear something and just suck our teeth and keep doing whatever it is we're doing. Last month there was a shooting very close to us, and my children didn't even notice as they sat watching a television show. These are the same ones who used to wonder about every little firecracker or backfiring car. Then when my oldest came home he very non-chalantly informed me that somebody had just died down the street. He saw the EMS worker trying to revive a guy, but didn't think he made it [he didn't].
What the hell is going on?? How is it that AMERICA, the Don of all the world, who has all the answers to organize everybody else's shit, can't even control the violence in one freekin' city? Or with all this money and prestige Black folk are supposed to now have, our communities are getting not the better, but the worse for it? I mean really, can't some of the $85,000 Usher spent on his diamond encrusted self-imaged watch, the $10,000 Mariah paid for her self-imaged birthday cake, or the money Nelly spends on his bizillion pairs of sneakers go to better the communities that helped them get all of that in the first place?? And I'm not talking about prettying up a basketball court, or something. I mean putting new books or better skilled and paid teachers in the classroom; creating a food and clothing program so our children won't be hungry or indecently dressed when they go out into the world; or building a recreational center that not only acts as a haven for safe play and homework help, but teaches much needed skills like sewing, nutrition and trades so they can have an income when they grow up and won't have to continue the cycle.
Don't get me wrong, I know it's their money- I'm totally down with an artist getting paid for they do- but true artists are down for the people, not just worthless, extravagant 'things' that can be destroyed in a heartbeat [so says Marvin and me]. After all, it wasn't long ago that most of them were in the same predictament, and it doesn't take alot to be there again.
Or could it be that things are this way... by design?
* It's been a long time since I saw the movie, so forgive me if my scenes are off a bit.
**It's funny what your body and mind knows what to do automatically for survival... I can't imagine what people in Iraq, (etc) go through.
posted by mumtahanah | 7:39 PM
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