[AsburyPark] Re: For the record Oak
Jim, I really like your thoughtful, smart posts. I hope that some of your ideas become implemented in Asbury Park. The comment about breaking windows on Cookman is scary to me, but not that fantastical-I think that gentrification can sometimes bring violence. Sometimes when I hear fire trucks in Asbury I wonder if it's another riot like in 1970. I think that free college and health care for everyone would really help end poverty, crime and unemployment. I was on unemployment for awhile and other than a few workshops on job application tips, they don't give you any training to get a new job, change careers, etc. I am a white college graduate with tons of experience, who was out of work. Think about what's it's like to be a black man without a high school diploma trying to find a job in this recession and you can almost feel the frustration and anger building up. Asbury Park has so many issues affordable housing also helps out a lot. Rents over $1000 a month when minimum wage is $7.25 an hour is just unmanageable-and if you don't get health insurance at work you can't afford to buy it privately (it costs at least $300 a month for bare bones for one person), so you don't get checkups and you also can't afford really healthy food, which makes you more likely to get sick, which makes you miss work and then lose your job, house, etc. The only people who can get Medicaid are those who have kids. Something has to be done to change these issues. There are many people working on them, but life is hard for so many in this country. --- In AsburyPark@yahoogroups.com, Educating for Justice jim@... wrote: Dave (Oak), First let me say that I always have enjoyed the posts you have put on here as well as the off-list conversations we have had. Second, I clearly struck a nerve with you with my last post and I am ok with that. You ask if I write for self-promotion, to cause one to reflect, etc. I write to provoke thought, discussion and action. I write, discuss, teach, and act on things that make people uncomfortable - that¹s my life, it is who I am. I didn¹t want to get into a pissing match with you on here, but you keep pushing, so, here are a few comments, these are in no particular order, just off the top of my head. 1. You said that I was against surveillance cameras being deployed in AP. That is 100% false. In exercising due diligence on an important issue (which I always did during my service on City Council) I raised the question of the potential violation of civil liberties with regard to cameras. I did not object outright. Once my concerns were allayed by the experts who presented to us, I wholeheartedly supported and pushed for their deployment and I lobbied Sean Kean hard for state dollars to make it happen. 2. With regard to the cameras, you asked, ³where did the money go?² I asked this question many times in a much more general sense with our $36 million dollar budget. This is why I pushed for budget hearings. When we had them, I was the only council person there for the full 8 hours - Loffredo came for 45 minutes. I also went down the Department of Community Affairs in Trenton and begged them to stop giving us money until we had real fiscal accountability. I also pushed for a citizen¹s budget committee. It eventually was formed (I was excluded) and became a bureaucratic shell game with Terry Reidy stalling both the committee members and the City Council. Ask Rita Morano how it went. 3. Coming back to the issue of what to do about the violence, which is in part what started this exchange, here is an example of what could be done. When Tylik Pugh was murdered outside the middle school, I pushed to get $250k of the community development fund (money from Asbury Partners) set aside so that community groups, centers, churches, etc. could come to the Council with programs to help stem the violence. All I wanted was an earmark and a commitment to hear out people who were on the frontlines and then potentially fund what they would present to us. The result? I could not even get a second on my motion to put it up for discussion. 4. I really don¹t think that people have a clue about what is brewing among the poor and disenfranchised in AP. Let me give you a few anecdotal stories from my time on Council: * I attended the wake of a young man that was gunned down in our streets. After the wake, I drove four of the young man¹s friends home. I knew two of them from coaching rec basketball, so they felt somewhat comfortable speaking with me. I asked them what they thought about AP and the direction it was going. One of them said to me, ³You don¹t think we know what¹s going on here? All these new people moving in just want all the poor black people out of here. Redevelopment? Not for us. But I can tell you this. If they don¹t make us a part of it, it may get to a point where we¹ll burn the whole fucking thing
[AsburyPark] Re: For the record Oak
If they don¹t make us a part of it, it may get to a point where we¹ll burn the whole fucking thing down. Maybe if we march down Cookman and break some windows and scare some of these white people, then they will listen to us.² Did you share this with the police? That sounds to me like a threat to commit violence. I understand there is anger, but threatening to burn the whole fucking thing down is very serious. Yahoo! Groups Links * To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AsburyPark/ * Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional * To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AsburyPark/join (Yahoo! ID required) * To change settings via email: asburypark-dig...@yahoogroups.com asburypark-fullfeatu...@yahoogroups.com * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: asburypark-unsubscr...@yahoogroups.com * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
[AsburyPark] Re: For the record Oak
--- In AsburyPark@yahoogroups.com, Educating for Justice jim@... wrote: After the wake, I drove four of the young man¹s friends home. I knew two of them from coaching rec basketball, so they felt somewhat comfortable speaking with me. I asked them what they thought about AP and the direction it was going. One of them said to me, ³You don¹t think we know what¹s going on here? All these new people moving in just want all the poor black people out of here. Redevelopment? Not for us. But I can tell you this. If they don¹t make us a part of it, it may get to a point where we¹ll burn the whole fucking thing down. Maybe if we march down Cookman and break some windows and scare some of these white people, then they will listen to us.² I dare them to do it. All the money in the world and bullshit coddling will never cure that mentality. Time for tough love. here will always be a subsection of society like that. There has always been. It transcends race, religion, etc. There has been and is plenty of help out there. Seek it. How's Spring Lake? Yahoo! Groups Links * To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AsburyPark/ * Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional * To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AsburyPark/join (Yahoo! ID required) * To change settings via email: asburypark-dig...@yahoogroups.com asburypark-fullfeatu...@yahoogroups.com * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: asburypark-unsubscr...@yahoogroups.com * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
[AsburyPark] Re: For the record Oak
Thoughtfully said. --- In AsburyPark@yahoogroups.com, Educating for Justice jim@... wrote: Dave (Oak), First let me say that I always have enjoyed the posts you have put on here as well as the off-list conversations we have had. Second, I clearly struck a nerve with you with my last post and I am ok with that. You ask if I write for self-promotion, to cause one to reflect, etc. I write to provoke thought, discussion and action. I write, discuss, teach, and act on things that make people uncomfortable - that¹s my life, it is who I am. I didn¹t want to get into a pissing match with you on here, but you keep pushing, so, here are a few comments, these are in no particular order, just off the top of my head. 1. You said that I was against surveillance cameras being deployed in AP. That is 100% false. In exercising due diligence on an important issue (which I always did during my service on City Council) I raised the question of the potential violation of civil liberties with regard to cameras. I did not object outright. Once my concerns were allayed by the experts who presented to us, I wholeheartedly supported and pushed for their deployment and I lobbied Sean Kean hard for state dollars to make it happen. 2. With regard to the cameras, you asked, ³where did the money go?² I asked this question many times in a much more general sense with our $36 million dollar budget. This is why I pushed for budget hearings. When we had them, I was the only council person there for the full 8 hours - Loffredo came for 45 minutes. I also went down the Department of Community Affairs in Trenton and begged them to stop giving us money until we had real fiscal accountability. I also pushed for a citizen¹s budget committee. It eventually was formed (I was excluded) and became a bureaucratic shell game with Terry Reidy stalling both the committee members and the City Council. Ask Rita Morano how it went. 3. Coming back to the issue of what to do about the violence, which is in part what started this exchange, here is an example of what could be done. When Tylik Pugh was murdered outside the middle school, I pushed to get $250k of the community development fund (money from Asbury Partners) set aside so that community groups, centers, churches, etc. could come to the Council with programs to help stem the violence. All I wanted was an earmark and a commitment to hear out people who were on the frontlines and then potentially fund what they would present to us. The result? I could not even get a second on my motion to put it up for discussion. 4. I really don¹t think that people have a clue about what is brewing among the poor and disenfranchised in AP. Let me give you a few anecdotal stories from my time on Council: * I attended the wake of a young man that was gunned down in our streets. After the wake, I drove four of the young man¹s friends home. I knew two of them from coaching rec basketball, so they felt somewhat comfortable speaking with me. I asked them what they thought about AP and the direction it was going. One of them said to me, ³You don¹t think we know what¹s going on here? All these new people moving in just want all the poor black people out of here. Redevelopment? Not for us. But I can tell you this. If they don¹t make us a part of it, it may get to a point where we¹ll burn the whole fucking thing down. Maybe if we march down Cookman and break some windows and scare some of these white people, then they will listen to us.² I shared this story with my colleagues and said that we should have community development, crime prevention, etc. on our Council agendas EVERY MEETING. I said that the City staff should be working on this stuff around the clock. The result? Nothing. When the young man was chased down the street and shot in the gutter outside the Westside Community Center, Susan Maynard came to the next City Council meeting and said, ³This is just the beginning. I am seeing Red (read: the Bloods) like I have never seen before. You better get a handle on this or it¹s going to come back to you.² She was dismissed as an alarmist. * I always laugh when people both in AP and outside AP say, ³It has to start with the families.² They are clueless. They simply have no idea of the harsh reality that exists. After the rash of shootings a few years back, I was invited by a teacher to visit AP High School to listen to the kids and hear what they had to say. (Remember, this was the time when the school board president told me to stay out of the schools.) I went to one class and met three really troubled young men. One had a father in jail, he had another 10 years on his sentence for stabbing a guy in the neck. His mother was an addict. She was now shacked up with the 26-year-old brother of his classmate and they all lived together. This is a bit extreme, but it is not
[AsburyPark] Re: For the record Oak
Thanks Jim. I've been up late the past two weeks ever since that kid that got carjacked. I usually stop in to say hi to my kids when they are working. But the real reason is - I go down to check out what's happening in the immediate area. They work late. Then my daughter goes out in AP. They forget their surroundings. So needless to say the other night when she told me of her encounter, I was pissed. As I said, your well educated, ALWAYS responded to a comment - or pissing match - and you were visible in AP - even if you weren't welcome. Give you credit there. Thanks again. dd --- In AsburyPark@yahoogroups.com, Educating for Justice jim@... wrote: Dave (Oak), First let me say that I always have enjoyed the posts you have put on here as well as the off-list conversations we have had. Second, I clearly struck a nerve with you with my last post and I am ok with that. You ask if I write for self-promotion, to cause one to reflect, etc. I write to provoke thought, discussion and action. I write, discuss, teach, and act on things that make people uncomfortable - that¹s my life, it is who I am. I didn¹t want to get into a pissing match with you on here, but you keep pushing, so, here are a few comments, these are in no particular order, just off the top of my head. 1. You said that I was against surveillance cameras being deployed in AP. That is 100% false. In exercising due diligence on an important issue (which I always did during my service on City Council) I raised the question of the potential violation of civil liberties with regard to cameras. I did not object outright. Once my concerns were allayed by the experts who presented to us, I wholeheartedly supported and pushed for their deployment and I lobbied Sean Kean hard for state dollars to make it happen. 2. With regard to the cameras, you asked, ³where did the money go?² I asked this question many times in a much more general sense with our $36 million dollar budget. This is why I pushed for budget hearings. When we had them, I was the only council person there for the full 8 hours - Loffredo came for 45 minutes. I also went down the Department of Community Affairs in Trenton and begged them to stop giving us money until we had real fiscal accountability. I also pushed for a citizen¹s budget committee. It eventually was formed (I was excluded) and became a bureaucratic shell game with Terry Reidy stalling both the committee members and the City Council. Ask Rita Morano how it went. 3. Coming back to the issue of what to do about the violence, which is in part what started this exchange, here is an example of what could be done. When Tylik Pugh was murdered outside the middle school, I pushed to get $250k of the community development fund (money from Asbury Partners) set aside so that community groups, centers, churches, etc. could come to the Council with programs to help stem the violence. All I wanted was an earmark and a commitment to hear out people who were on the frontlines and then potentially fund what they would present to us. The result? I could not even get a second on my motion to put it up for discussion. 4. I really don¹t think that people have a clue about what is brewing among the poor and disenfranchised in AP. Let me give you a few anecdotal stories from my time on Council: * I attended the wake of a young man that was gunned down in our streets. After the wake, I drove four of the young man¹s friends home. I knew two of them from coaching rec basketball, so they felt somewhat comfortable speaking with me. I asked them what they thought about AP and the direction it was going. One of them said to me, ³You don¹t think we know what¹s going on here? All these new people moving in just want all the poor black people out of here. Redevelopment? Not for us. But I can tell you this. If they don¹t make us a part of it, it may get to a point where we¹ll burn the whole fucking thing down. Maybe if we march down Cookman and break some windows and scare some of these white people, then they will listen to us.² I shared this story with my colleagues and said that we should have community development, crime prevention, etc. on our Council agendas EVERY MEETING. I said that the City staff should be working on this stuff around the clock. The result? Nothing. When the young man was chased down the street and shot in the gutter outside the Westside Community Center, Susan Maynard came to the next City Council meeting and said, ³This is just the beginning. I am seeing Red (read: the Bloods) like I have never seen before. You better get a handle on this or it¹s going to come back to you.² She was dismissed as an alarmist. * I always laugh when people both in AP and outside AP say, ³It has to start with the families.² They are clueless. They simply have no idea of the harsh reality that exists. After the
