The New York Times just ran a story a few days ago based on a US Census Bureau report announcing that, for the first time in American history, white folks are the nationwide minority among the newborn. In other words, us colored are birthin’ more babies than white people. So naturally, the response among some (in the declining majority camp) has been to frustrate themselves over what this means about America’s future. Does this mean that we’re now becoming a minority majority country, someone asked? And what does that mean? Should we round up all the women and children and lead them to a safe white place?

OK, first thing. If we weren’t a minority majority country for all those centuries that white folks had us by the numbers, then why should America suddenly be labeled a ‘minority majority’ country once the former minorities become the majority? Sounds to me like somebody just can’t let that ‘minority’ designation go. Gotta find some way to keep that in there, right?

Except that no. Time to face up to the new dawn, people. To those of us who have been following this issue, this isn’t exactly news. The writing has been on the walls (on the wombs..?) for quite some time now. The US Census predicts that by the year 2050 whites will not only be the minority among the newborn population but among the entire US of A population (see video above). Look out y’all, here we come.

But I’m sure the concern about what to call this latest development isn’t the largest concern among some of our more paranoid brethren. The Big Concern is what happens to White Power once the numbers decline? And does the (possible) deterioration of White Power mean that whites will become targets of revenge for all that pent up anger going back to slavery?

Who knows, man. I’m trying to leave the prediction game alone. I predicted that Obama was going to wait until after the election before he openly supported gay marriage, and that this was the best course to take. Within about a day after I wrote that post here on JJP, here comes Obama making his announcement that he supports same sex marriage, right? So enough with the predictions. But I will say that, historically speaking, just because whites are due to become the minority in a relatively brief amount of time hardly means they will switch places with the poor and dispossessed. Globally speaking, white people have been the minority pretty much forever and a day. And globally speaking, they have pretty much been running things for just about that long. Just take a look at how colonialism worked. That wasn’t the work of a majority population taking over a minority. Quite the opposite. Just sayin I think white folks are pretty good at holding their own when it comes to power.

Does this mean things will remain the same? Hell no. I seriously doubt it. The so-called minorities throughout the world – and here at home – have been paying attention to how the game is played, and I suspect there will be some rule changes taking effect. But don’t expect whites to be evicted from Wall Street anytime soon, if you catch my meaning.

As for the whole vengeful chickens full of pent-up anger coming home to roost thing, I doubt that as well. At least insofar as the non-white population rising up as one righteously angry mob to make the White Man pay for past injustices. To be honest, I’d like to believe we all have better things to do than revenge. If Nelson Mandela can come to such a conclusion in favor of moving forward, after all of the sheer hell white folks put him and his beloved South Africa through, then I believe such a necessary direction is instructive for the rest of us.

So rest easy white folks. See, that wasn’t so hard, was it?

Many believe Detroit is a violent city, is that accurate?

I think it’s grossly inaccurate. There’s a small percentage of people involved in a great percentage of the problems. And what I am very resistant to doing is bowing to media pressure to “get tough on crime,” which to me is a euphemism to crack down on these young Black folks. When you indiscriminately do that and paint everybody with the same brush, you’re going to catch kids that are not bad kids up in that web. You are going to make the mistake and over police and violate the rights of somebody that is absolutely doing nothing that deserves that. I want my department to be one … that honors the rights of the citizens of the city of Detroit. Not to be compliant with a consent judgment, but because it’s the right thing to do.

 

Do you see any correlation between youth violence and the demise of the Detroit Public School system?

I think they definitively go hand in hand … If you look at some of the socio-economic factors that play in to the issues in the city of Detroit … for instance the illiteracy rate, how high it is and people say we just need jobs in Detroit. Well, that sounds good, but if you bring a job base into the city and you have the structurally unemployed that for all intents and purposes are unemployable because the education system has failed them or we have failed them in some kind of manner, where if somebody can’t read … or do the things necessary to hold that job … or don’t have the requisite job skill, then we’re just doing a song and dance … if you travel back to October/November when people were starting to be put off public assistance and the law was retroactive, it is no mistake that my larcenies are going up. It is no mistake that my car thefts are going up. Because … these social nets that were just snatched without a transition, well these folks have got to eat. Then it becomes a matter of survival. Is it an excuse? Absolutely not. But it exacerbates what’s already a very difficult situation on the ground for our citizens.

 

Last month on Feb. 28 a story appearedin my hometown newspaper, theDetroit Free Press, detailing how homicides in my city have escalated by 25 percent since last year. Much of that steep incline resulted from the madness that has taken control of the city’s east side, which now more closely resembles the wild wild west. Within a matter of weeks a 14-year-old teen murdered his own mother and a 9-month-old baby was killed by gunfire.

From the Detroit Free Press, Feb. 29, 2012:

First it was the 48205 zip code. Now it’s the entire east side of Detroit.

Responding to yet another spate of violence in the city of Detroit, U.S. Attorney Barbara McQuade today announced a federal crackdown on Detroit’s entire east side, saying the crime-plagued area has become the most violent section in the city and warrants federal attention. Homicides in particular, she stressed, are “intolerably high” on the east side, which saw a 75% jump in homicides last year. The west side saw a 27% drop in homicides last year.

“I made it my personal resolution in 2012 to reduce homicides in the city of Detroit,” McQuade said at a press conference this afternoon, flanked by 15 uniformed federal, local and state police officials. “We will not allow Detroit to be defined by violence and homicides.”

It was at almost exactly the same point in time one month ago when Trayvon Martin was killed by some maniac self-appointed comic book superhero. You know the rest I’m sure. And like most of you (I’m sure) I want that maniac behind bars yesterday and I want justice for Trayvon. Of course I do. That’s an easy call.

But where was all this national outrage when that 14-year-old boy murdered his mother? Who among us was wearing their hoodie when 9-month-old Delric Miller IV was killed before he even got a chance to make his contribution to the world? If President Obama had a son, he may very well have looked like Trayvon Martin. But he may also have looked just like that 14-year-old boy who killed his mother. Or the 6-year-old boy who was killed by an AK-47 during an attempted carjacking. Or Delric Miller. Or…

Understand that I love and support this President. I do. But Trayvon is an easy one to claim. There are others, Mr. President. So many others. And I can assure you they aren’t quite so easy to embrace openly during a campaign season.

Where is the national march and united cry of outrage for the black-on-black murders that are tearing Detroit apart? Who do we demand justice from for all of this?

It’s because we’re used to it. There’s nothing new about us-killing us – or at least so we tell ourselves because we’ve forced ourselves to become numb to it as a survival technique. It’s that monster in the mirror. The monster is the truth, and the truth is that black-on-black crime is much newer than white-on-black crime and white oppression overall. Black folks have been chewed up and spit out by White America ever since the first ancestor was dragged off the boat in chains all those hundreds of years ago. By comparison, black-on-black crime is the baby on the block.

It’s crazy out here right now, people, and there’s no sign yet of the cavalry.

Wait. I take that back. We are the damned cavalry.

In many ways my adopted hometown of Detroit can be considered a barometer of the condition of Urban America – since, as we all know, ‘urban’ is the new ‘black’.

And if this is the case, then we really can’t wait too much longer for that slow-rising economic tide to rise us on up and outta this mess before we go down for the count. Because if we’re still holding onto the hope that it’s going to get worse before it gets better then, well…

Understand that I love this city like I’ve never loved anyplace else I’ve ever lived. And I’m not leaving. This is home, and I will always believe the best about home. This city is too damned tough for its own good, and if anyplace can weather this type of storm then it’s Detroit. But mind you, this is one hell of a storm, and it’s not getting better.

Currently we’re experiencing a rash of gun murders (homicide is up considerably from this same time last year) and many of those murders are being committed by teens. One 14-year-old teen recently killed his mother, reportedly because he felt like she was being too strict on him and wouldn’t let him party with his friends or bring home his girlfriends. I mean, what do you say to that?

From the Detroit Free Press Feb. 28, 2012:

In recent weeks, the city has witnessed the shooting death of an infant, the shooting death of a 12-year-old girl, a 14-year-old boy accused of killing his mother and a 6-year-old critically injured after being shot with an AK47 in an attempted carjacking.

The suspects in the attempted carjacking are two 15-year-olds, who will be charged as adults. Police say they went on a violent crime spree, striking five times in less than 24 hours before being arrested on the city’s east side early Monday.

Mayor Dave Bing says that the parents must seriously do a better job with their children, but are we really going to blame all this madness on bad black parenting again? I don’t have the same problems with Bill Cosby that Michael Eric Dyson does - as a matter of fact I think he makes a lot of sense on some of his points – but I do think we’ve passed the point where we can keep saying it’s all the fault of the parents. Sure, some of the parents could do a better job, but to suggest that this is overall the fault of the parents is to suggest that these parents don’t care or aren’t trying. Was the mother of that homicidal 14-year-old at fault for trying to keep him out of the streets? Really?

What about all these damned guns, man? What about the fact that Detroit can no longer afford to support anything near the size police force that we actually need? You can get as ‘creative’ as you want (a favorite approach/phrase of those who insist money doesn’t matter when it comes to fixing urgent urban problems in broke urban areas) but those who actually believe that it’s possible to do so much more with less simply do not know how to add. Conservatives love that phrase because it puts the weight back on the shoulders of those who can stand that weight the least. Simple math will tell you that if you have half the amount of gas in your car this week compared to last week, then you will be going half as far. Simple.

And the simple fact is that Detroiters have squeezed just about as much blood out of this rock as they can. And now the children are paying the price not only as murder victims but as victims of poverty. Some might say the one is inextricably linked to the other.

From the Huffington Post:

An annual report examining the living conditions for children across Michigan finds high poverty rates satewide, and even bleaker news for kids living in the city of Detroit.

The most recent Kids Count in Michigan Data Book shows a 13 percent jump in the number of kids living in poverty in the city between 2005 and 2009. It also finds that more than 80 percent of children in Detroit Public Schools now qualify for free student lunches.

Jane Zehnder-Merrell, the study’s project director at the Michigan League for Human Services, told HuffPost children in both Detroit and around the state are suffering the impacts of the long recession.

“The general situation [in Detroit] pretty much mirrors what’s happening in Michigan in terms of trends, [but] the level of economic distress in the city is much more acute than the state as a whole,” Zehnder-Merrell said.

About 51 percent of Detroit children age 17 and under were living in poverty, more than double Michigan’s childhood poverty rate of 22 percent, according to Kids Count’s most recent statistics from 2009.

The percentage of people of all ages living in poverty was 33.2, according to census data.

When will it be politically safe for Democratic politicians to have an ‘urban agenda’ again…?

A few days ago Brother Mitt was back here in Michigan- or ‘back home’ as he likes to say when trolling for votes – and he said the cutest thing; he said that in Michigan the “trees are the right height”. He also said that he loves lakes. And cars. And dogs, especially when strapped to the roof of..

OK no. He didn’t say the part about the dogs. That was just mean.

But the rest? Yeah, well…he kinda did…

This is your brain. This is desperation. This is your brain on desperation.

This is being cross-posted at Black Liberal Boomer 

I mean, you just have to wonder how Mitt Romney must feel right about now. Once the stage lights are off and the last interview for the day is through, the last campaign stop completed, what must it feel like?

And you know where I’m going with this. Here’s a man whose father,George Romney, was a governor (Michigan’s 43rd governor, 1963-1969), Republican Party powerhouse (U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, 1969-1973, candidate for the Republican nomination for President of the United States in 1968), and a bigtime businessman  (CEO of General Motors 1954-1962). Then along comes Junior, who goes on to essentially follow in his father’s career footsteps; in addition to being 70th Governor of Massachusetts (2003-2007), Romney Junior also  became successful in the business world when he eventually rose through the ranks to become CEO of Bain & Company, a company which he is said to have rescued from fiscal crisis. He later co-founded Bain Capital.

So Romney comes from lots of money. He himself has lots and lots (and still lots more) money. His dad had government experience. Junior has government experience. Junior is good-looking. Junior is clean-cut. Junior’s wife is an attractive blonde, and together they have five great-looking kids. Junior has a strong campaign organization. Junior has a fat campaign chest. Junior has a Colgate smile. I don’t know if the family has a dog, but if they do I’m sure the little feller can perform countless amusing tricks on queue and is faithful, obedient, and can recite the pledge of allegiance in six languages.

How can this guy not be running away with the Republican nomination? Even worse, how in the hell can he be losing to a black former pizza chain owner with no government experience and a three-digit laughable excuse for a campaign platform? I think it’s pretty safe to say that the Republican Party as it stands right now is essentially the rich white man’s party. This party is tailor-made for fat white cats with fat bank accounts. Even many of the hundreds of thousands of Republicans who don’t match that description at all still seem to be okay with that. Let’s just call it guilt by association.

So then why is the black guy still at the top of the polls? The black guy with hardly any money in his campaign war chest, with no real campaign organization to speak of, and who most definitely is not a rich white man? How did this happen?

At the end of the day, sure, everybody pretty much knows Herman Cain will not be allowed to pass ‘Go’ on the campaign game board. The rug will eventually be pulled out from underneath his feet and the Republican troops, such as they are, will grumblingly accept the pathetic inevitability that is Mitt. That’s why Cain is spending so much time selling his book and being entertaining is because he knows those entertainment fees are what is going to butter his bread once this charade is over. But even given that eventuality, how must it feel to be Mitt and to be running neck and neck with Engine Number 999 -after the almost-but-not-quite savior Texas Governor Rick Perry fell on his face and after the almost-but-not-quite-savior-who-never-was Gov. Chris Christie refused to be begged into the race. And both of these men were targeted by the Republican multitudes who wanted anybody but Mitt.

This may not last much longer, but it has already lasted more than long enough to make Mitt wonder this one simple question; when was being a wealthy white man in America with connections and family pedigree not enough to stave off a challenge from somebody like Herman Cain?

And then? Once Romney does get the nomination (assuming Ranger Rick doesn’t mount a 4th quarter game changer),  he’s got to go up against another brother. And this one got skillz kid!

Just what kind of an America is this, anyway?

The monument dedicated to the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is a beautiful piece of work, and I don’t think you will find many people who will disagree with that assessment. It is powerful, artistic, and long, long overdue. It was difficult for many of those in attendance not to become emotional during Sunday’s dedication ceremony.

But.

Here’s the thing, at least for me. As beautiful as the monument is, and as glad as I am that it is finally completed and has arrived at its rightful place in history as well as location, a monument has a hard time competing against a movement. And right now the month-old Occupy Wall Street movement, which has gone global (and has now landed full force in my own Detroit), is perhaps the best active reflection of Dr. King’s extended philosophy and principles that has been seen since his murder in 1968. Because although King is best known as a civil rights crusader who successfully challenged and defeated the immorality and brutality of legalized segregation, those who know the full 360 degrees of King know that his commitment to peace and justice was much, much broader than that. His vocal opposition to the Vietnam War and his planned participation in a Poor People’s March were just two examples of Dr. King’s developing belief and growing awareness in his latter years that the entire American system was polluted and corrupt and had to be reformed. It wasn’t just black folks who had to be set free, it was the entire country that was being held hostage to an unjust – and government-sanctioned – system of oppression.

Not surprisingly, a number of those who supported King in his fight against segregation balked at his audacity to challenge the American War Machine – or anything that extended beyond the boundaries of what was supposed to be of acceptable concern to black folk. President Lyndon Johnson, whose presidency was ultimately destroyed because of his mishandling of the Vietnam War, was one of those who simply could not fathom why King could not be grateful for all the president had done for black folk. Indeed he was said to be outraged – and considered it a personal affront – that King would openly challenge and oppose him on the war after Johnson had moved legislative mountains to pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964and then the Voting Rights Act of 1965 as well.

But as someone who considered himself to be a citizen of the world, not just of Georgia or the United States, King refused to accept the perverse concept that justice should only exist within certain government-prescribed boundaries. Because justice in a cage is not justice at all, but only a diversionary sideshow. And it is that revolutionary spirit of justice unbound which I believe energizes the Occupy Wall Street movement. The people know what is going on, they are fed up, and they simply refuse to lie down and take it anymore. By their sheer numbers and determination they are forcing the world to take notice, and if this momentum keeps up then, well,  a change is gonna come.

This is being cross-posted at Black Liberal Boomer and Detroit Life

Now that the Detroit Lions are 5-0, the rest of the country is watching my adopted hometown with renewed fascination and, for once, not because something else went wrong. Some are even wondering if this remarkable transformation of a perpetual underdog team could herald a new day on the horizon for the entire city. Because, hey, if the Detroit Lions are winning? The Detroit Lions? Well, then apparently anything – and everything – can happen.

Keep in mind we’re talking about a team that couldn’t even manage to win not one damned game for the entire 2008 season. Think about that for a sec, man. I mean, there’s bad, and then there’s God-awful. Not managing to win even one game in a season ranks somewhere well below God-awful. Can you imagine what would happen to the city of Dallas – hell, the entire state of Texas - if the Cowboys wrapped up a season with no wins at all? Remember what Gov. Rick Perry said they do in Texas to folks who commit certain types of crimes in his state? How he said, essentially, that if you do these things then Texans won’t lose an ounce of sleep after erasing those folks from the roster of life? Yeah, well one of those crimes is losing too many football games. Because you’d best believe if the Cowboys tried to pull that stunt of a no-win season then they would wake up one morning to find themselves bundled and strapped to a stake out in the middle of some wide open prairie, being barbequed over an open pit. Texas style.

But here in Detroit? No one ever expected the Lions to win. Ever. The only ones who held out any hope of a winning Lions season were the delusional. I would never characterize myself as a football aficionado – or an aficionado of any sport – but you didn’t have to be any kind of expert to figure out that waiting for a Lions win was like waiting for sunshine at the bottom of the ocean. Inside a cave.

But then here comes 2011 and the Lions actually started out the season with a win. And then another. And then another. And then another. And then another. And now we gotta see if they can keep the train running through this Sunday when they play the San Francisco 49ers. And what exactly are we supposed to do if they actually take this all the way to becoming…Division champs…?

Damn, dawg.

Right about now I’m anticipating it will be 85 degrees on New Year’s Eve, 2012, and I’m expecting we just might see snow next July. Because if the Lions are winning?

Don’t ever bet against Detroit.

Golly. That was close wasn’t it?

There he was, Ranger Rick, stepping into the El Presidente Coral, all granite-jawed and Texas cool, one hand on the trigger of Buck, the name of his pearl-handled six-shooter, the other caressing a bible. And the bible was caressing him back!

What was a Mittens to do? There he was, like a well-groomed deer frozen forever in the headlights, trying to decide which direction to leap towards salvation. Which policy should he abandon? Which Brand New Mittens suit should he wear? What to do? What to do? What chance did Bambi have against Ranger Rick?

Mittens. Stranded at the Crossroads of Life.

But then, just as the crowds were all prepared to cheer the blessed arrival of He Who Shall Deliver Us From the Interminable Boredom That Is Mittens, a problem arose. The first hint of this problem came when, just before he was about to deliver a major speech, Ranger Rick heard Buck frantically whispering to him. Can’t this wait? asked Ranger Rick. Buck fired off a round in angry protest and Ranger Rick quickly excused himself from the podium to be counseled by his most trusted advisor.

When Ranger Rick returned to the stage, crowds screaming and yelling in gleeful anticipation to receive their blessing from The One, his assistant noticed a slight green tinge around Ranger Rick’s gills.

“What’s the problem, boss?” he asked.

“Buck’s empty,” said Ranger Rick.

“Huh?”

“Dammit, I said BUCK’S EMPTY! THERE AIN’T NOTHIN’ IN THE CHAMBER! WHAT KINDA ROOTIN’ TOOTIN’ TEXAS COWBOY SHOOTS BLANKS?”

“Well maybe it’s not as bad as…”

“BOY DON’T YOU HEAR GOOD? MY HARD COLD STEEL DONE GONE LIMP. My cold hard stell done gone limp…”

Well the crowd went so quiet you could have heard a cotton ball landing on a cotton floor. No, no, nooooooooooo!

And Mittens? Well he just smiled and smiled…

This is being cross-posted on Black Liberal Boomer

Prior to President Obama’s presentation of his jobs plan for the nation, Rep. Hansen Clarke came up with his own piece of  legislation designed specifically to help the City of Detroit get back on its feet. Clarke, who is currently serving his first term in office after his defeat of longtime Congresswoman Carolyn Cheek Kilpatrick, has long been recognized by those who know him and have worked with him as someone who cares deeply about the city of Detroit. Granted, he can be a bit quirky sometimes, but his commitment to his community is something no one would ever argue against, and this new legislation he plans on putting forward is proof of that.

In a nutshell, what Hansen proposes is an extremely creative approach that would capture all of the federal taxes paid by Detroit residents and businesses during a five-year period and then re-invest those millions of dollars into the City of Detroit. During that 5-year timespan  Detroit would not be able to collect local income taxes, but we would be getting an estimated  $378 million per year for five years from the federal taxes, which would more than compensate for the loss.

From MLive.com

“It’s not going to cost other taxpayers anything at all,” Clarke explained. “It’s a targeted investment right here in the city, and we need jobs right now.”

The Jobs Trust would be administered by the U.S. Treasury, and any spending would require approval from both the Detroit City Council and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Before hiring new police officers or teachers, the legislation mandates that the city eliminate all outstanding deficits within the municipal government and public school system, both of which are struggling under the weight of debt and interest payments. Detroit entered the fiscal year with a $155 million deficit and DPS’ is north of $325 million.

“We realize that the strongest incentive to attract business to Detroit and keep employers here is to have safe streets and good schools,” Clarke said. “And then by lowering the cost of living we’ll attract residents and businesses because the property taxes will be lower when the city doesn’t have a debt to finance.”

Hansen has already had the chance to present his plan to the President, and based on what I’ve seen of the proposal it sounds like something I sincerely hope Obama can get behind. No doubt Obama’s first major hurdle- and primary focus- must be on promoting his jobs plan for the entire nation, but hopefully Hansen’s plan can somehow become an integral part of the jobs creation strategy. As the poorest big city in the nation, facing more economic challenges than just about anyone else, the rebuilding of Detroit could go a long way toward the rebuilding of this Southeaster Michigan region and this entire state. And a stronger Michigan has got to mean a stronger economy for the midwest as well as the rest of the country. As for those who might still argue that this plan still isn’t black enough and doesn’t specifically target the issues and concerns facing Black America, perhaps the fact that the nation’s poorest big city in America  is more than 85 percent black might help to alleviate those concerns.