THE PASSING OF MY MENTOR

 

 

 

 

 

 

I had the great honor to salute my mentor's time on this Earth and give condolences to the entire Payne Family for their loss. God give save passing to the soul of Donald Payne and thank you for all the work you had accomplished as a politician in Congress. 

 http://politic365.com/2012/03/06/kendrick-meek-reflects-on-passing-of-rep-donald-m-payne/

 

 

 

http://www.theroot.com/blogs/blogging-beltway/new-jersey-rep-donald-payne-has-died

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/06/donald-payne-dead-new-jersey-congressman-cancer_n_1323513.html

SHARPE JAMES OF NEWARK GUILTY, DIRTY AND KNOWINGLY CORRUPT

OK lets get this thing started, I use to live in Newark, New Jersey just over the Hudson River and have had family and friends there as well. I even worked there for a short time so my experience with the city is personal and professional. As a citizen of the city I made it my responsibility to KNOW the city, its history, its economics, the politics and its people. Much like New York City, it is composed with many ethnic and cultural groups but UNLIKE New York, it is an extremely segregated city. My experience there not only had a major impact on my life but its current make up not only prompted me to turn away from becoming a part of the World of Politics but on the other side of reporting it and or exposing the underbelly of it. The atrocities in Newark, New Jersey also was institutional in gaining me recognition as a Poet in winning my first Writing Award for a piece called OPPORTUNITY, detailing in verse, how the City of Newark had destroyed generations of its youth over the years. If Denzel Washington portraying an American Gangster, Sharpe James is America's Pimp.

Blacks over there, Latinos of here, Whites on the outskirts way over there, the poor in the center in the Projects and Portuguese, Asians and Italians beyond the underpass past the trains and the west Indians on the boarders on the extreme opposite side of town, Newark is a social experiment on How To Not Run An Ethically Diverse City. With it’s Lightning Rod History and Controversy, Newark still maintains a “fear” mongering form of policing where patrols on the boarders of the city keep those people that might be from the city, from crossing over into their own. What I always experienced while living and working there was as close as Newark was to New York City, specifically Manhattan; it was more Southern in style than Northeastern. Newark, New Jersey; the major hub for transportation, shipping, manufacturing, economic advancement, education and music was more like Chicago IL., Baltimore Md., Charlotte NC., Atlanta Ga. than a Brooklyn NY, Boston Mass., or Hartford Ct. Even with Newark’s history as being a city built by Immigrants, it also has had a long account of being corrupt in its politics. What always amazed me was that in its downtown area, at any given time, you could not find a movie theater (unless you wanted to choose between two Porn Theaters), no Ice Cream Shops or Bakeries, no places to get simple Computer supplies or Electronics, no Bookstores, very few Restaurants, no Hardware and Home Supplies shops and I can go on with a listing of "have-nots" that any small town would have but not the largest city in the state of New Jersey. This lack of Private and Public investment for the past 40 years is what tittered Newark on the brink of being a ghost town way before the Bush Administration's Big Score. The state of the city existed in this type of limbo through several presidents; Ford, Cater, Reagan, Bush, Clinton, Bush and only until recently has the cycle broken with the aid of Newark’s present Mayor Cory Booker. For all accounts, Newark was a Ghetto City and that was what it existed as under the combined leadership of two mayors and 40 years.

So why was this? There are many reasons which date back since the later 1960's. Some would argue the White Flight into the suburbs, others would argue the lack of know how by Black Leadership that filled in the void of those that left. Still others would argue the unstable economy that had befallen the City but residents of the City of Newark will tell you that the perpetuation of the city’s misery to be with two men selling and carving out the spoils than an entire Federal and State economy; former mayors Kenneth Gibson and Sharpe James. I would blame it on Black Loyalty at its worst.

I had recently posted on my blog the concerns I had about Black Loyalty (THE FATE OF BLACK LOYALTY). In this posting I discussed the pitfalls of Black Americans voting for political candidates just because they look like them and or use all the words of Hope and Change layered in Sermon and Gospel while wearing the Cloth of a Politician. As part of this analysis I used the current state of Newark as a grand example as to what happens when Black Politicians go BAD and Newark, New Jersey has had some BAD Politicians.

Concentrating on the TOP thrones of political responsibility, the mayor is always the figurehead that ultimately gets the hardest look. Looking at almost 20 years of non-transparent management under Sharpe James’ rule, the state of the city had grind down to almost a complete halt with its high crime statistics, corruptions, government abuse, misappropriation of funds, personal and family favors, money laundering, document and witness tampering and the list continue. What more, as the city continued to descend into near bankruptcy, the city was facilitating no-bid contracts, property sales, tax abatements and pushing Imminent Domain upon the city home owners while raising taxes to offset the cheap land that Developers where receiving without challenge. You had Councilmen and women with budgets that would just disappear into thin air without question. Newark was the place to learn, live, profit and love “Dirty Politics”.

What makes this act so shocking is that one would deem this to be the actions under a Republican Administration (President to Governor down to the Mayor) and yet these actions were all from a Black Democratic Mayor whom had won over a previous Black Democratic Mayor, Kenneth Gibson, who did the very some thing for nearly as longs as James. In essence, one mayor past the baton of corruption to the next to continue the raping, robbing and pillaging of the life force and livelihood of a city with the majority being the Black population. A city, which fought in the late 60’s to remove the gangster-type politics that segregated and oppressed a people to only replace it with another (with the help of corporate, special interest and ex-Newark officials whom had moved up in the Private and Public sectors and still had an investment in gutting out the new GAME that was to be Newark Politics). Think clearly then, you enter into a city where the evidence of riots still remain in public sight, where you allow fortune 500 corporations to exist at the center of your city and are allow to practice a "no-hire" practice for the residence within your city, where you allow (under the guise of Imminent Domain) State and County Universities and Colleges, Catholic Organizations, New Jersey Port Authority, State Hospitals and Manufacturing and Pharmaceuticals and Private Developers to expand into the city maintaining a "no-hire" status for its citizens while gifted with the prize of Pay No Taxes. And as each group gutted out the City of Newark, you heard the rallying call of Sharpe James calling these changes THE NEWARK RENAISSANCE.

I made this statement publicly and in writing, which had gotten me in some hot water, not because I was being a racial or radical, but because my words went out and also included Barak Obama:

"I am a skeptic in all things POLITICAL. For Obama, my concerns are his UNKNOWNS. There are many Blacks in politics that are doing great things and there are many that use their positions to line their pockets. Initially they (Black Politicians) all are inspirational and agents of CHANGE. As Black people, we end up on the loosing end when BLACK politicians go BAD or CAN'T do right by Black people due to political promises and pre-conditioned obligations.” – Shazza Nakim from the Blog: Field Negro

My words were not anti-Obama or anti-Black Democrat (as Obamaholics see the World, the statement read between the lines as being Pro-Clinton) the words spoke from a simple truth of past evidence and repeated examples of mismanaged government, not only of Black Politicians, but all Politicians globally. The politics of Newark, New Jersey isn’t unique to just that city but is does show a pattern in many predominately Black cities with Black Politicians at the helm. We can make claim to the same argument that those surrounding Mayor James and Gibson did this but reality the people's lack of the truth, their lack of ownership, false loyalty, lack of transparency, active participation, human nature and a Politician's bid to be like other political officials. The direction one needed to deal with Black Cities (and YES I will make the claim that a predominately populated city IS a BLACK CITY when the majority residents are BLACK) in a uniquely different way than non-Black Cities. Sharpe James has only done what other politicians have done and like those that were TOO greedy, felt they were TOO powerful and got TOO sloppy, he walks out in MUCH SHAME AND RIDICULE.

So what is the end result, does the City of Newark get back its Billions of lost revenue and government funding dedicated to rebuilding it back to its past luster? Do the children reclaim the loss of broken schools; poor education, undo their drop-out status, get off the streets and back into the classroom of the schools that were either closed or condemned, decrease the incarceration numbers because the after-school programs and summer work programs will be re-financed? Do people get to reclaim their homes lost in the vicious cycle of TAXATION? Do you mandate that those people who purposely set fire to their homes and businesses for Insurance in order to leave the city and add to the decay? Do you make accountable the Corporations that had systematically denied employment to Newark residents for generations thus keeping the unemployment rates consistent and steady? Do the city now balance the budget by cashing in all the Planes, Trains, Yachts, Cars, Private Mansions, Manors and Vacation Homes paid for by the tax payers? Do the people of Newark get back the KICK BACKS the Mayors signed off and granted to Developers for years? How about the subsidized resources given to businesses outside Newark with no return back from where it came from? A person can scream to Heaven, “MY GOD” with the type of abuse that had gone on unfettered all because of Black Loyalty in the City of Newark.

I do not like to wish Bad Luck and Ill Will on anyone and yet like Al Capone, the notorious Gangster of Chicago, if the best the FBI can get on Sharpe James is his hooking up his Side Piece on  with STEALING MONEY AND OPPORTUNITIES from the citizens of Newark, just like generations of other corrupt Black and Brown politicians were doing under his watch, THAN I AM SATISFIED WITH IT. My soul isn’t full with the justice but I think the people of Newark will have a sense that some HIGHER POWER is reminding them that "Not All Devils Go Unnoticed".

THE FATE OF BLACK LOYALTY

This election has created a major rift within the Black Community. The affects aren’t quite evident as of yet but it is there. Look at it as the BIG PULL BACK of a tsunami wave. That one wave that rolls back about one or two miles then rises up fifty feet to then crash and destroy everything in its way. I wrote an observation of a Harlem altercation over one BLACK man’s support of Hillary Clinton over Barak Obama (I'm Gonna Kick Your Hillary Lovin Ass). The scene was centered upon members of the community physically beating up a man who worked for the Hillary Clinton campaign based in Harlem. I will admit, based upon the tensions in the air, the history of the community, the legacy of activism plus the fact that many people felt betrayed by Bill Clinton’s presence in the community and the economic incentive he brought in relation to the continued political and financial down turn of Black and Brown people in Harlem, any reminder of the OLD GUARD would be seen as being a JUDAS to one’s race. It did not matter if the man was exercising his right to choose or even work for a candidate of his choice; he was in enemy territory and as a result, paid the price.

It’s been a few weeks since then and I really didn’t concentrate on that event until now. Since we are entering into the last round of Preliminary votes to determine who the Democratic Presidential candidate will be, words and actions for or against one candidate over the other is quickly becoming more than just a debate of words but THREATS to more than just the livelihood of people, particularly Black People and Black Community Supporters.

I have stated on many occasions, not only is the United States venturing into new territory of Political participation, so are Black people in America. The ability to effect this type of Political change has not been seen since the days of American Reconstruction, an era no one Black person alive has experienced but was the foundation for Black Intellectualism which sprung wells of purpose and direction for generations. Black people did not just talk about politics; they SPOKE to it in ways that was NEW and exciting, the inaugural seeds for inclusion in modern America growing into Black communities or at least the potential of it.

The drawback of this inclusion of political vigor was that many were not necessarily searching for all the required information and or only accepting information from bias sources. Taking this part of past history and applying it today. the price for accepting bad political advice diminishes any person voting and the process limits where one can find the complete information needed for future consideration. Granted, Black people are still behind the starting line and slowly inching toward the “Merge Here” lanes of the Information Highway, they are, however, are quickly moving to get into the flow with the help of Black youth and those few that have taken advantage of technology and willing to get the information out to an information starved community. As a whole, like all things involving Class and Black America; those opportunities are slightly below the National average. Just the nature of knowing HOW the political machine works is below average enough, almost POOR. So while this campaign continues to CHANGE and TRANSFORM a Nation, America is on the other side of the ethnic line while others are looking to Black People to catch up with their numbers at the same time they are looking for their active VOICES. Not saying that WHITE America and other ethnic groups are better as a whole, but it is statistically true that other groups, by their numbers, positioned themselves in AMERICA as practicing their political participation more efficient and more effective for their community needs with better results. This meaning, ethnic groups POLITICALLY know when to be heterogeneous in living the American Dream and homogeneous then voting as a BLOCK for a desired goal for Self and Community. The closest Black Folk have come to this phenomenon was the 1960’s and even then, Blacks were not monolithic enough to move forward as a block to effect complete CHANGE. So when Michelle Obama says that, "for the first time in my adult life, I am proud of my country because it feels like hope is making a comeback", her words reflect not only her political history but her social reality in relation to her History as a Black person living in America. The Civil Rights Movement transformed an OLD America but it did not evolve enough to move with a continuing advancing America. To question this as a non-White experience and you know that the naiveté of it is rooted in one’s lack of knowledge of Black struggles. To question it as a White American, you sense that the question comes from a rejecting and or resisting the importance of Black "struggle". So that there is no mistake or clarity issue for those reading this with a Conservative or Republican slant, I define “struggle” as, a means by which Black people pushed for equality and fairness Politically, Economically, Legally, Socially and Ancestrally to be on par with those Groups that have benefited from constraining Blacks as a whole from evolving in America as human beings with full citizenship. This would include individuals, groups, businesses, religions and countries.

I define “struggle” this way because too often I have been asked by WHITES and challenged by Conservative BLACKS that Black people in America should be Proud to be in America. If not for the “sins” of America, Black people as a whole would still be in Africa and not part of the Greatest Country in the World. To which I quickly remind them BOTH, “So who holds PRIDE for all those hundreds of thousands of Africans thrown overboard during the Trans-Atlantic Middle Passage? What you seem to be arguing is much like kidnapping 300 people in America and sending them all by plane to Europe and half way over the Atlantic Ocean the plane explodes or crashes. When asked my reaction, I respond that they all should be happy they had “experienced” what it was to fly on an air plane.”

This type of response would be in total IGNORANCE, total ARROGANCE and ultimately a total DISCONNECT with people’s lives and history, their family and their potential. Especially since the practice of African slavery extends beyond 500 years with America constituting the worst of its practice. The nature and existence of America is in the writing off people's existence as insignificant no matter who they are. This is why I use the word, ”struggle” because it takes work to CHANGE the perception of people who do not SEE, even when the limitation of vision comes from within one’s Race.

So as Black folk continue to “struggle” through this election, we are finding not all are familiar with the terms and terminology that comes with a complete understanding of elections and government. Blacks that are new to the process (be it a young generation with a lack of history to base sound judgment upon or an older generation plagued with apathy and betrayal) all are not astute in the thought process just to prepare, judge, question and finally decide on issues and or candidates. I basically refer to this as missing the prerequisite VOTING 101’s course. Distressingly so, this is also an American phenomenon (excluding the foreign born and naturalized citizens for most often they come from countries where voting is not a Right and once in America their responsibility to voting is exercised as strongly as their Faith).


As an educator, the lack of the basic understandings of the American political structure is not due to any malignant force or hidden agenda group (or maybe so); it has more to do with the direction the American educational system had evolved into. The moment ETHICS, GEOGRAPHY, PHONICS and CIVICS were removed from the core curriculum of schools, the need to know “the what and the who” of the REPUBLIC became moot. Couple this with age and complacency and you have several generations of Government Illiterates pulling leavers for unfamiliar names with unfamiliar agendas come election time. With Black folk leaving the line, thus leaving all other Americans behind a BIG 8Ball to move from behind. Although History is fundamental for understanding American’s past, it is Civics and Ethics, which makes clear it’s present.

There are many reasons why it is important to question everything about voting and our candidates. Politicians have for years come to Black communities with promises of contributions and economic incentives only to fall short of many. Elections have placed political pawns that depend upon the PORK from Top Government to skim while giving the gristle to the reserved few. Black communities have seen career Politicians live out several generations of stagnation only to leave in shame and scandal. Many of these Politicians enter with a genuine interest in Civic Duty and grow into self-satisfied Political Royalty throwing crumbs to a hungry community. Wrap it all in the traditional clothe of Spirituality and you have bonifided stereotypical Leader of Blacks as oppose to the Self-Proclaimed Black Leaders for an extended lease on a community. And yet, this can only happen when a community has a HANDS OFF approach to their voting and voting knowledge.

For years you had Politicians in New Jersey’s largest city of Newark plunder and deprive the citizens of improvements and social gains. In a period of over four decades, the city had two mayors, Kenneth Gibson and Sharp James, each holding on to that title without CHANGE or challenge. The mantra for each was that of Change and Hope and Renaissance but it was all code for VOTE FOR ME BECAUSE I LOOK LIKE YOU. And Black folk did. This, for years, was the standard TOP DOWN way of doing Politics and a sure way to guarantee the success of the DREAM KILLING MACHINE and deter any “Excitement of the New”. No one could challenge the establishment because no one KNEW how or even if they could. No one knew the rules. No one knew what the mayoral title and responsibilities entailed. In not knowing, no one questioned how a Mayor of the largest city of the State can simultaneously hold a seat on the NJ State Legislature or questioned if it was a conflict of interest for the City of Newark. So when a community doesn’t know the basics, the VOTING 101’s, voting and politics, government becomes a perpetual machine that is self sustaining and hostile to its citizens. Long story short, a gentleman OUTSIDER, by the name of Cory Booker who no one knew, arrived with EXCITEMENT AND A MESSAGES OF HOPE AND CHANGE. No one initially trusted or wanted to take a chance on the unknown, untested Politician. Who was this Man who wasn’t even a Newark native? Words where exchanged and the politics got ugly but after his second attempt, Booker eventually replaced Sharpe James as the Mayor of Newark (who is at the time of this posting is under indictment for several charges of impropriety).

Booker, a schooled Politician with a DOWN TOP style of governing, is now working to undo almost 40 years of political abuse. Part of that undoing is bringing People to the table and making sure they understand the inner workings of the Government, the very basics of how a City works. The task is great and the issues deeply rooted as well as his criticisms on the time and speed of his results but it had to be done and can only be done with the help of the people.

The moral of the story; knowledge of the political system, no matter how basic, is a community’s saving grace. Unfettered “passion” can do more harm than logic because even in the absence of logic, COMMON SENSE should kick in and rule. But in the rare cases of the absence of logic and common sense, PASSION can be a "wicked bed fellah" if the people serving up the EMOTION, also controls the OCEAN. It was passion that kept the previous mayors in office, it was trust, which grew into Hope, and then CHANGE to move the city forward; SLOWLY, to get this one in the driver's seat.

What Black folk currently lack with this new found Political energy is "Sophistication". I say this meaning that when you compare the Latino vote (which is near 15% of the Nation’s population, surpassing the 13% that make up Black Americans), there are inherent differences, which should be acknowledged, but the major social and economic concerns are shared with Black Americans. The diversity within the Latin communities speaks volumes and yet when it comes down to voting, as a collective, their vote always comes with DEMANDS, even from their own Latin Officials. Demands that regardless of the region of the Americans they come from; the Caribbean, Mexico, Latin America, South America, the boughs of New York, the barrios of LA, the end result is “all Latinos” move that much closer in closing the Brown “struggle”. How does this affect Black folk? Well, it depends.

There is no doubt many of the social achievements of Blacks have benefited many other People of Color. Many of those benefits have opened the door for whole groups to move quickly to the front for social and economic gains. The only difference when it comes to voting is that Black folk traditionally VOTE for the Rights for “ALL” and other groups vote for benefits of the “Group”. While Black folks are politicking for fair and affordable housing, education, equal opportunity in employment, other group’s vote for the zoning for specific businesses within their ethnic communities, language inclusion, Green Card and VISA extensions, Grants dedicated for specific cultural reparations that will collectively aid in the growth of their community. It doesn’t matter that Blacks win fair housing because the result will benefit all communities (Asian, Black, Latin, White) but those groups politicking for economic gains win for their communities WITH the additional benefits of fair housing. Blacks fall short with their GAINS and often see the small gains of other ethnic communities as SELECTIVE TREATMENT and not their POLITICAL SAVVY. Again, like the Latin vote, no politician will get it without a solid DEMAND by them. To Black folk, this may appear unfair and showing favor, especially when all groups benefit with their demands and in the end, it shows how much Black folk are slow at catching up in their Voting 101’s.

This political practice from other ethnic groups (LATINS, ASIANS, EASTERN EUROPEANS) has clearly defined their “Sophistication” to the politician and Political Party Groups. Politicians know going in that they are not loyal to any one Party. Bi-partisan is a fantasy for what is real to non-Black folk is WHO IS IN THE MAJORITY. It is in their lack of LOYALTY which lies their political POWER. Black Americans aren’t there yet. In the 1960, Malcolm X prior to his assassination preached to Black people in Harlem that as a collective, the Negro should change his political affiliation to Independent. This would allow the Negro to be courted by both Republican and Democrat. This would also place the Negro in a position of bargaining and thus economic positioning within his own community to own property, expand business and self-determination from under White domination. Almost 50 years later, the idea maybe slightly different, but Black people are on the precipice of getting it.


Continue to THE FATE OF BLACK LOYALTY pt.2