Guest Post: Urban Gun Violence

Guest author: Rachel Loyd loyd2292@yahoo.com

Gun violence is an epidemic that cripples urban communities throughout America. We mainly hear about it in Chicago, New York City, Detroit etc., but gun violence hits smaller cities as well.

I was born and raised right outside of Chicago in Evanston, IL. When I tell people I’m from Evanston, they automatically think of green grass, wealthy neighborhoods and Northwestern University. Not the problems like drug trafficking and violence that have been brushed over by the government. I’ve lost high school friends to gun violence. My own brother has even been shot. Unfortunately, because the shootings in Evanston don’t happen as frequently as Chicago shootings, the problem is ignored after the shootings calm down again.

When I discovered there was a chain of shootings in Champaign, which is a small town highly esteemed for its university, like my hometown, I wanted to do something about it. I wanted people to know that even though Champaign has a renown institution and wealthy areas, it also has a population of people who are suffering from the urban gun violence epidemic. These short videos are just a glimpse into the effects of urban gun violence.

Even though shootings slow down in the winter, they will resume at a high rate this summer, as they do every year. Let’s remain proactive about saving lives and strategize before the summer plague hits again.

 

What is so funny? Oh Yeah….The Political Stage- Guest Post by Nathaniel Gordon

Black politics in America has become an ongoing joke. The ability, intelligence, and sincerity of politicians is constantly put into questions as black politicians get elected in black communities that have very few options to choose from. As the political field becomes more complicated and the individuals become more educated it appears as if black politicians are playing the same game now that they played forty years ago with their constituents, “Vote for me because I look like you”. The problem is that just because a person looks like me and comes from the same place as me does not mean that they have the same interests as me.

To quell any issues in advance I do not possess self-hatred of myself and my race as a black man, but I do possess I high level of disdain for black politicians that continuously make financial and career gains at the expense of the individuals they are expected to represent and protect. As the issue of competent black politicians becomes a growing concern it must be considered if it is the fault of the black politicians for not doing anything or the black voters for continuously electing these individuals.

The black community has the same concerns as any other group in America; education, healthcare, security, financial stability, and a concern for the safety of their families. What is it that makes the black community less capable of achieving things that other communities receive? It is the involvement of the people (or lack thereof). I sincerely blame the people for electing officials that continuously do nothing, If the people continuously elect officials who do nothing for their communities that means that the voters are either incompetent, they just do not care about their community, or they continuously fail to recognize those who are most incapable of representing their concerns and ideals.

The list of corrupt black politicians in American history is long; the Ford family of Tennessee, Kwame Kilpatrick, Jesse Jackson Sr., Jesse Jackson Jr., and Al Sharpton just to name a few. The good that these people have done is questionable in relation to the profits and career advances they have made because of their positions. However, the harm that these individuals have perpetuated is great as well. The Ford family of Tennessee has constantly been charged and convicted of corruption charges while representing black constituents of Tennessee. Kwame Kilpatrick thought it was more important to represent his personal interests of partying, enjoying strippers, and driving Escalades than to focus on the infrastructure of Detroit. Jesse Jackson Sr. has shown constant moral flaws and stories filled with lies throughout his career. Jesse Jackson Jr. has recently been convicted of corruption. I offer a question to you all. Would you hire a person with a perm, no work experience, and a conspiracy to sell cocaine charge? Regardless of your answer Al Sharpton has the same qualities and a great deal of people believe that he is fit to represent Black America.

The success of black people as a whole in politics must begin with the black community. An educated voter, regardless of race, is a problem for a lying politician. A true and honest politician will encourage you to educate yourself and come to them with a legitimate argument against or for their position.

Ask yourself, when is the last time a politician asked you to educate yourself about an issue? When was the last time you were given legitimate knowledge instead of propaganda? When was the last time a politician addressed an issue without public pressure or in a non-election year? When was the last time you legitimately demanded more of your elected officials? When was the last time you were given a solution instead of an excuse?

About Nathaniel Gordon:

Born in Chicago
Graduated from Jones College Prep in 2001.
Graduated from Alcorn State University in 2005 B.A. In Poli-Sci and B.S. In Psychology.
Graduated from University of Mississippi School of Law in 2008.
Owner and Principal Attorney of Law Office of Nathaniel Gordon, specializing in Criminal Defense.

 

The Bureaucrat- Guest post by C. Chavis

I serve as the man behind the curtain – the mysterious figure with a very quiet but present voice. I am simply a servant to those that I inform. The most audacious of public figures become emboldened after counsel with me. The general public seeks answers from my expertise. I am supposed to be the knowit-all smart alec at your convenience.

In the same breath, I am not a friend or a partner. I have only two loyalties – to know what I know, and to know more and better than the person seeking advice. This existence isolates me. In the mist of battle between two opposing forces, I am the collision point of advancement. I am the gravity to the floating concepts. I am in a peculiar place, where I am asked to meet dreams and introduce them to reality.

I am the bureaucrat. I am the errand boy – the person that does all the dirty work – all the clean up. It is my job to understand all the rules that govern decisions made in my realm. I am the artist. I craft the rules so that they provide protections commanded by the general public. These same rules are demonized as “hoops” and “red tape” by that same public.

That’s me: the bureaucrat. The little person: a probably underpaid and perceivably over paid staff person who knows the rules better than his boss, and his boss’ boss. The prestige of the position is nothing luxurious. An antigovernment sentiment represses the importance of this position while seemingly diminishing the responsibilities of advancing the public good to rudimentary tasks and procedures based around issuing permits.

Day-to-day tasks require bureaucrats to defend codes and rules that were adopted for the general health, safety, and welfare of the public. I am to be the first line of defense. It is my role to check extreme action and to mitigate extreme consequences of those actions. Today’s society generally cheers the fire fighter that runs into the burning building, while demonizing the fire inspector who enforces the “bureaucracy” of building construction standards. A comprehensive thought should acknowledge that bureaucratic preventative measures are also a critical service.

While used as a term of belittlement by outsiders, the title of “bureaucrat” and the notion of “bureaucracy” are derogatory terms among those that carry the burden of protecting the integrity of regulations. The title, “bureaucrat,” has the stigma of a do-little, red-tape, hoop creator who will only cost enterprise and businesses additional resources – financial or otherwise. The external and internal critique of bureaucratic positions deteriorates the deserved respect of the professional training by the engineer, doctor, lawyer, and architect whom also happen to be defenders of regulations.

So then the question develops, “How should professional bureaucrats reassert themselves as essential and laudable components in society?” To this, I will refer to the loyalties of a bureaucrat cited above. I should be most knowledgeable, not for the sake of being pompous and arrogant but to be of the best service to the public. Bureaucrats should not allow themselves to be reduced to permit pushers.  As guardians of regulatory codes, we should aim to keep the rules relevant to advancing technologies, evolving culture, and most of all the vision of the public, which the codes are there to protect.

It is my belief that if I, as bureaucrat, remain proactive and thoughtful in my service to the public then I could change the perception of the position I hold and the perceived hardships of regulations. These are the things that I consider everyday as I walk into a public office where the doors behind me don’t restrict anyone from walking in. Whoever walks through that door, it is my job to be of grade A service to them – even if they hate that they are required to visit the smart alec, paper pushing, red-tape, hoop creating public servant. I am at your service – the bureaucrat.

Chris Chavis is in the professional field of Urban Planning. He specializes in Land Use Zoning, Land Use  development, and Community Revitalization. He attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where he earned a Bachelors of Art degree in Urban & Regional Planning. After three years of working in local government as a Land Use Planner, he pursued and obtained a Masters of Environmental Planning & Design (MEPD) degree at the University of Georgia in Athens. Now as a working professional, Mr. Chavis is attempting to use urban planning as a social justice instrument for all communities. By doing so, he hopes to revitalize distressed areas and help developing neighborhoods implement the visions of their futures.