Hey Family!

I think I found that of all the Young Black Men who are being monitored under close surveillance and waiting to be busted range from ages 18-25. And did you know that the government gets paid $35,000 a year to put young black men behind bars?! And that also leads me to believe this is where they get money from to build more prisons across the nation. That is pathetic.

But my point is, I think that thos happening because Black Men ages 18-25 have nothing to when they get out of High School. They are too old for the Rec Centers and the Boys and Girls Clubs (not to mention they are no longer boys by then), college is too much for them (not to mention some of them have families that cannot afford to go to college), I thought about suggesting the military, but you see what they are doing to Iraq (not to mention the fact that once you are in, they do not let you out), and they are not accustomed to being in church (not to mention their parents do not and did not take them). And you cannot tell them to go to the basketball courts every single day. Most of these young men come from single parent homes where single parents cannot see and do everything.

Then we have the streets, clubs, bars, malls, and every place where tragedy easily occurs and melee's break out. I am trying to think of a way to prevent that; I am trying to think of a place where they can go and stay out of trouble, and a place where law enforcement can stay off of their backs. I am saying this after fianlly being sick of seeing nothing but young Black Men just hanging out on the corners and in front of corner stores doing nothing. They will just talk, abuse drugs, and all that other stuff that leads them to Cell Black A-1.

My question to you is:


HOW CAN WE END THIS? WHERE CAN THEY GO TO STAY OUT OF PRISON?

Cedric Denson

HOW CAN WE END THIS? WHERE CAN THEY GO TO STAY OUT OF PRISON?

IRAQ!

after the November elections they will be going to Iraq in large numbers.

two birds with one stone, eh?

I fine it to be on point that many young black men are jailed and heavy monitored
what can we do to help curb some of this from happening is step up as big bruthas
and help guide these young men from our communities by showing them the work
force which will take up lots of there time , guide them in a direction of respect ,
teach them to know they are somebody and worthy help them start a clean up
crew for the inner community get them in summer programs like the YMCA ! if
some are from broken homes , single parent homes , fatherless homes we as men
can be a line of defense to help these young men to a future before they get lost
in the streets and surely trouble will find them .

:thanks:

For both of your concerns. It just shows how much interest we take in ending this epidemic with Young Black Men going to Prison.

Cedric Denson

A person has to want to change in order to change.

If they cannot get past that first sentence that answers your question.

Young black males have been sent to jail for cheap prison labor (currently pennies a day) since the end of slavery! WEB Du Bois recognized this trend back in 1903 (he wrote about this subject in the Souls of Black Folk). This is reflected in the unequal & unjustice differences in prison sentences between whites & blacks. It is a fact that whites are arrested in both greater numbers & more often than black people. However blacks receive both a higher number & percentage of prison time...it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out why! We as a people have to recognize this and stop playing the prison game. The gov-ment doesn't need that much of a reason to lock black folk up, so let's not give them any reason!

Right. They may be too old for rec centers and Boys and Girls Clubs... but what about jobs (it can be as simple of helping an elderly person around the house), libraries, volunteering at afterschool programs, and becoming mentors themselves.

Right. They may be too old for rec centers and Boys and Girls Clubs... but what about jobs (it can be as simple of helping an elderly person around the house), libraries, volunteering at afterschool programs, and becoming mentors themselves.

Not every Young Black Man in the community can afford a job. Not all of them are capable of getting jobs. Not every single mother has the right resources. We need to help them out. When they graduate from High School, not all of them have parents who can pay for them to go to colege, and with Europeans having all the power, they don't want to hire black folk. Let's stretch the amount of Black businesses in America, and I think we will be just fine.

Cedric Denson

Cedric I couldn't agree more. Everyday I see young Black men who routinely stand on corners and sell drugs. It's sad to see that this is all they felt they could resort to; that this is all there was for them. Even the young Black brothas that I work with resort to selling drugs. It isn't always enough to have the job because the economy sucks, the pay isn't enough and benefits are scarce. Everytime I talk to them about stuff like this the majority of them say that this isn't something they would be doing if they had the choice between this and college, assuming college could be afforded and persued. There's this guy I know that just graduated from college, (a really good one at that) has been pounding the pavement and giving his all but still hasn't been hired. He's an extremly bright person and the field he majored in is in demand. How no one has hired him yet I'll never know but it just seems like no matter how much you follow the rules, nothing is guaranteed. Selling drugs and hustling is what they resort to.

No one wants to go to war just to get by. Prison has nothing good about it. So where do our brothas go? And our sisters for that matter.

I, for one, have tried everything and college just is not affordable. It's ridiculous that it costs so much. But I'll take on 14 jobs before I stand on anyones corner. I almost enlisted in the Marines but after talking to a recruitment officer I can't do it. It's not worth it. So I really can't say what could help our young people. Persistance is all I can come up with.

I honestly believe that a good alternative to helping young brothers out is to get them involved in programs such as AmeriCorps where they can make a difference, travel the world, earn money for college, experience life and possibly find themselves in the midst of their travels. Of course, you have to find something that young black brothers are interested in to get them involved. I'm not sure how programs like that work, but if these brothers could spearhead something that they're passionate about and really focus and stick to it, it may make all the difference.

When I graduated from high school, I took the military route, but it's not a matter of them not letting you out...you have to know what you want, get it, and get out. I've seen too many people get stuck in the military lifestyle without accomplishing anything or moving forward in any way. They get so used to the military taking care of them that they're terrified of the idea of standing on their own two feet. So they'd rather stay in and have that comfort of a regular paycheck than get out and put in work.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Not every Young Black Man in the community can afford a job. Not all of them are capable of getting jobs. Not every single mother has the right resources. We need to help them out. When they graduate from High School, not all of them have parents who can pay for them to go to colege, and with Europeans having all the power, they don't want to hire black folk. Let's stretch the amount of Black businesses in America, and I think we will be just fine.

Cedric Denson

Can't afford a job? Not capable of getting a job? Sounds like you"ve already given up on the brothers. And no, not everyone has parents that can afford to send them to college. That's why there are scholarships, grants, etc.

Also, I have found that brothers who volunteer for organizations tend to stay out of trouble more so than their street corner hanging counterparts.

I just see some much talent wasted out there on the streets. I talk to some of them, and they tell me that if "people" do not want them on the streets, then "somebody" ought to find them something to do. I hate to say it, but too many of these young brothers don't WANT to do anything. They would rather sit back and wait for a hand out. Whatever happened to the days of lemonade stands, or when young brothers would go door to door and offer to mow the lawn or shovel the snow? What happened to Black men taking younger brothers under their wings, and teaching them something, be it a sport or a trade...... We need to take responsibilty for our own and stop waiting for "somebody" to do "something."

But, it has been said before, and I'll say it again, for the third time.. You have to want to change. If you don't want it, no amount of cajoiling, nitpicking or arguing will get you there.

It's true, in order to change, each of us must first want to change. In order for change to take place we must know what to choose between....this or that. Who creates the list of choices?

It's true, we must own up to the choices we make in life for each of us follows a simple path--we are born, we learn, we become, we die. But the travel on this path is not the same for everyone and these experiences greatly influence the choices we make.

It's true, there may not be any "acceptable" excuse for engaging in "illegal" activity, but we must never be afraid to question the system that determines what is legal and what is illegal. Our minds are manipulated every day to believe what is "right" and what is "wrong." We judge others and ourselves based on society's beliefs.

Prisons are designed to capture and hold all those who are not afraid to break the rules, go against the status quo or blatantly show the system that they don't want to follow the other "good sheep". Because of society's influence on us, we think something is wrong with these people; they are "bad" and deserve to be punished for the choices they made because they dare to be different.

We don't want our people imprisoned. We want them to remain "free" like us. We want them to be on the free side of the prison walls and to be good like the rest of us. We let them know how disappointed we are in them--just like the system. We remind them that they made some bad choices--just like the system. We criticize them for wanting something that an average paying job won't give them. We teach them how to keep the dream but instead of paying cash for the dream, to borrow money from a bloodsucking banking institution to get what you want, and many times what you need. We pray for them while we stay up nights unable to sleep trying to figure out how to pay our bills. We cry for them, but who is crying for us?

We believe something is wrong with them, yet we don't have a clue as to how to "fix" the problem and maybe that's because many of us are in "prison" too, we just haven't broken the "law".

Queenie :spinstar:

Can't afford a job? Not capable of getting a job? That's why there are scholarships, grants, etc.

It's funny that you mention Volunteering for Organizations to earn scholarships, because I just got my $1,000 Volunteer Scholarship last week, and in a matter of days, I am putting it in the newspaper.

But on with my point.

I say that they cannot afford jobs because white power is all over the place, and just ask how many white businesses besides the supermarkets and fast-food restaurants will hire Young Black Men. We Black Men are the most feared group of people in America, and also the most hated. I see it in white society everyday. With that being said, that proves that we are not wanted in the employment businesses. That is why we need to stretch out the amount of black-owned businesses in this country. And you were right, they do not want to get jobs. They do not want to get jobs because they are not taught how to fill out applications, they do not exercise their references, they are not taught to dress appropriately. They do not learn this stuff on the streets. The majority of us are expected to become drug dealers, All-American stars, and what have you.

At a track meet last year, I was talking to someone (white) about how I wanted to go on to college and become a Computer and Information Systems Manager, and volunteer my time in schools to work with children. He ignored that, and just started talking about my athletic performance, and told me about how I can go on to college and run track and become a great athlete. However, let me tell you that I do not take my athletic performace for granted. I mean of all the College Track & Field stars, How many of them go on to make big money? Not many.

Brothas are on the streets, on the Basketball courts, on the front porch rolling dice and what not. Which ones are in the house studying for tests? Or reading books with their parents? Or even getting involved in their little brother's schoolwork? Not many. While we are on the courts B-Ballin', and watching Music Videos, the white boys are in the house reading, studying, and helping dad around the house. We need to step up.

By the way, not every young brother meets the standards of Scholarships. Getting to school everday, sitting in class, and getting homework done is too much of a problem. The white boys outnumber us with scholarships.

Cedric Denson

Get a JOB!
:hearthis:

Get a job where? McDonald's, where they are tolerated and not celebrated?

At the time of this thread, I started it in light of the fact that this country does not want our young men working for them. They want us to buy from them, but not work for them. Where can they go to be appreciated, besides becoming another rapper, drug dealer, gang member, etc.?

CD

Have you ever heard of a college education or vocational training? You brothers need to quit making these weak *** excuses, pull your pants up and take advantage of opportunities that are there..superficially, yes, those "opportunities" are there. but at the end of the day, those "opportunities" are only good for getting someone into a position where they can "take advantage of" an "opportunity" to continue the system that has us right where we are today. where's the "value" in that? (besides; brother cedric is in college!)

"where's the "value" in that?"

At least a job helps to pay the bills and is a viable option to a life of dope debbling, dope addiction and "thug life"..

I'm not about to accept excuses form these young dudes who then wanna blame Elders for their condition...

They need to get out there stop making excuses and find a decent J.O.B. or develope some legitimate entrepenurial skills...there are way too many college/university scholarship/fellowship programs out there for me to believe there are no options..

Not only am I in college, but I am faced with a wall of challenges while I am at college; in which at the end of the day, I am going to be just as strong and perseverant as many other people!

When you say "decent job,' what do you mean? You're supposed to be taken advantage of, tolerated, and then say at least I was able to pay my bills? When we have a community full of elders who can work with us to create jobs? It takes a joint effort. If the elders and younger people can get over their differences, come together, and work together to BUILD something, you won't be talking about excuses, and I won't be talking about a lack of support. Believe it or not Brother Omo, not every elder is as strong, considerate, and dedicated to change as you are. If we had more elders like you in the community, I don't think this thread would have been needed! Can you say the same about the young brothas here on Destee?

I am not trying to argue with you, or insult you; As a matter of fact, you said you made it through your younger years are you are still here.......what are you still here for? I am pretty sure you are not living day after day to PUNISH young people for not doing what they need to do. You asked us if we are men of 'action,' well are you a man of action? Because if you are, at least you are SETTING the example for us. Not too many elders set the right example.

Have you taken the time to sit down with any young men and ask them what their situation is? Why they won't go to school, earn an education? Sit down with one of them and discuess scholarships and fellowships with them?

Believe me, it will make a difference.

I used to think that my peers were so dumb, crazy, and ignorant, until I sat down one-on-one with them and began listening to them. I have sat down with elders, asking them about their situations, and what got them where they are, and I have much respect for those certain elders. The ones who hang on the streets and completely ignore me, they are another story. Reach out to them, and watch and see how many reach back. I will tell you personally, if I met you one-on-one in person and spoke to you, we would not be speaking to each other like we are now.

Once again, reach out to them, and see what happens.

CD