In the American Prospect Paul Waldman explains how to sort through the assortment of scandals coming out of Capitol Hill.  The trouble for Republicans is that one scandal reaches to the top levels of the administration, but it’s the one where no actual malfeasance occurred, while the one involving genuinely scandalous behavior doesn’t get anywhere near the White House, at least from what we know so far.  Read More

The IRS witch hunt is just a part of the game

Monday, President Obama weighed in on the alleged targeting of conservative nonprofit groups by the Internal Revenue Service, calling for a full investigation into what he said would constitute “outrageous” conduct. That’s one way to put it. Here’s another: depressingly normal. For much of the last century, abuse of the IRS for political ends has been the rule, not the exception. Under Republican and Democratic presidents alike, the IRS has gone after communists, students, black activists, young conservatives, and mainstream political rivals. Here are some prime examples: Read More

Poster created by Bailey for Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Poor People’s Campaign, 1968 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Today in history the Poor People’s Campaign arrives in Washington, DC.  Where are we in terms of combatting poverty in America.  The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities weighs in.

According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, “With President Obama and lawmakers of both parties vowing to achieve further deficit reduction, the stakes are high for low- and moderate-income Americans.  Moreover, as weexplain in a new paper, if deficit reduction targets programs that provide supports and foster opportunity for low-income families, the adverse effects could be felt for decades — and not just by the low-income families and individuals who receive this assistance.”

Give the Lady What She Wants (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Lena Horne was and always will be an American icon.  Lena Calhoun Horne was born 1917 in Brooklyn, New York.  Today’s generation probably don’t know much about the famed Cotton Club dancer and singer, who broke racial barriers in the entertainment and film industry.  When I learned of the death of Lena Horne it brought back fond childhood memories.  Although the era of Lena Horne’s popularity was decades before I was even born I knew who she was and what she stood for.

It was a weekend at my Aunt Cookies house where I first was introduced to Lena Horne.  We popped popcorn and gathered in the living room to watch movies.  My cousins and I thought we were going to watch the latest films to come out on VHS but when the tv screen displayed a black and white film we all interrupted with protest.  My aunt then gave us a Black History lesson which marked our impromptu black film education.  We would spend weekends watching films like Stormy Weather, Carmen, and Harlem Is Heaven.  I remember looking at the black actors and actresses with amazement.  They were beautiful and the elegance dispelled any misconceptions I had about our contribution to society.  I thought that back then all black people were poor and living in the South as maids and butlers.   I was intrigued and wanted to know more about our history.

I started to ask more questions and one day while visiting my grandmother I learned about Lena Horne the activist.  As usual I asked my grandmother to pull out her old pictures and she would tell me stories about her childhood.  I told her about watching Lena Horne at my aunt’s house and she told me how Lena Horne was more than just an actress.  She told me how she performed for the soldiers and noticed the black soldiers sitting in the back.  She said Lena made them come up front.  She told me about the Jim Crow South and segregation.

The scene where Mrs. Horne is standing on the stair case singing Stormy Weather, with billowing storm clouds in the background will always be my first image of an elegant black movie star.

English: Greater Cleveland, Ohio (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Amanda Berry, Gina Dejesus and Michelle Knight, Rescued After Disappearing A Decade Ago

The story of three missing young women on the West side of Cleveland, Ohio didn’t end like many other missing person cases.  Amanda Berry, Gina Dejesus, and Michelle Knight went missing from their families and friends for almost a decade.  As the world watched the valiant rescue of these three women from the home of Ariel Castro, many wondered how was this able to go on undetected for so long.

The deterioration and high crime rates of urban communities fighting to recover from a failing economy, the housing market crisis, and spiked unemployment rates become a feeding ground for predators to prey on young girls and the most vulnerable.  It is more than a missing persons protocol, it is fostering an environment that enhances the quality of life of its residents and believes in investing in the humanity of people.

Does the Abandoned Housing Crisis in Cleveland Create an Environment Where Predators Can Thrive?

Ariel Castro is the most recent predator in the spotlight but he is not alone.  The Imperial Avenue killings, where eleven women were lured into the home of Anthony Sowell and then murdered sent chills throughout the greater Cleveland community. Imperial Avenue can be described as a place where urban decay has taken over much like Seymour Avenue where Amanda Berry, Angelina Dejesus, and Michelle Knight were held captive.  These two streets are not much different than many other streets in Cleveland, Ohio.  In some neighborhoods on the East and West side there are more abandoned houses then there are occupied ones.  Prostitution and drug trafficking are rampant on streets like this.

Just this past March a string of rapes in Cleveland’s East side threaten the safety of a community still healing after the arrest and conviction of Anthony Sowell.  The bodies of two women were found in the Mount Pleasant neighborhood followed by the abduction and attempted rape of another woman, who was dragged to an abandoned house in March of 2013.  It has been only two years after the serial killings on Imperial Avenue and the wounds of a community still healing are sliced opened again.  Does the vacant house crisis in urban cities like Cleveland create environments where vicious predators can thrive?

Do Foreclosures Cause Crime?, a study from the Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, New York University and Furman Center for Real Estate and Urban Policy, New York University findings suggest that foreclosures do lead to public order crimes and violent crimes.  The study also defines several factors that might increase the payoff of committing crimes and decrease the likelihood of getting caught.  The abstract from the study describes these factors as:

 Reduced property maintenance by foreclosed owners may serve as a visual signal of increasing disorder and decreased monitoring by neighborhood residents. Residential turnover precipitated by foreclosure may further weaken the informal social networks that prevent crime. Vacant foreclosed properties may provide opportunities for more serious and lucrative crimes.

Does Cleveland Have the Potential to Become A Great City Again?

I went home for an extended visit back in 2011and I was astonished at the number of blighted houses taking over blocks and blocks of the East and West side communities in Cleveland, it looked like a war zone.  I thought how could the city allow so many vacant and boarded up homes to say up in communities where people are still living.

I was excited about my visit, hoping to move back home and be closer to family but unfortunately that was something that couldn’t happen.  I drove down my old street to see the house where I grew up and it was abandoned.  As an independent journalist and blogger I documented my findings with a video camera and as I drove around my old neighborhood it was shocking.  It wasn’t a place anyone should have to live.  It wasn’t even a place that belonged in an American city.  The images were reminiscent of a war torn country the only thing missing was the war.  During my stay I visited a friend who lived on the West side, blocks away from my old high school, Lincoln West.  I thought maybe the West side of Cleveland may have faired a little better after the housing market crisis but it had not.  I had seen enough and even cut my trip short.  I thought to myself this is not the place I remembered from my childhood, the place where I could ride my bike through the neighborhood, or walk to local recreational spaces—like Forest Hill or Gordon Park.  Later that day I took my daughter to the Cleveland Metropolitan Zoo and I knew I would have to tell my mother the disappointing news that I would not be moving back home.  Although all of my family is in Cleveland I can’t in good conscience bring my daughter back there to live.

It is not just the blocks of abandoned homes but it is also the mood.  I know Cleveland people are tough and they are fighters but they need help from the local, state, and federal government.  This is a situation that will undoubtedly become worse unless something is done soon.  The families, women, men and children of Cleveland deserve better.

According to the City Mayor Statistics cities in the rustbelt are steadily decreasing with Detroit and Cleveland leading with the greatest population loss.  Cleveland can make a come back but it will have to adapt to current and projected population numbers.  As the the trend reported by the US Census Bureau suggest a continued decline in the number of people residing there, the city will probably need to undergo a significant restructuring.  Downsizing may be the solution to save the now struggling city.

Resurrecting Dry Bones

According to the Cleveland Plain Dealer Anthony Sowell’s home on Imperial Avenue was condemned and demolished.   Now only if city officials can manage to find a remedy for the city’s 12,000 or more abandoned houses plaguing the East and West sides.  An article written by Cleveland Plain Dealer’s Brent Larkin describes the challenges of neighborhoods going bad throughout urban cities in Ohio because of abandoned houses.  Larkin says in the article, “Cleveland of course is by far the most damaged of Ohio’s large cities. Empty houses — between 10,000 and 12,000 of them — are destroying a once-great city from within. Some neighborhoods are almost lost. Others aren’t far behind.”  It is no secret that blighted houses diminish the value of communities and erode the quality of life of its residents.

It seems as though the obvious solution would be to address the vacant housing crisis first and then develop a strategic plan to rebuild and restore a ‘once-great city’.  If the city of Cleveland wants to attract thriving businesses to boost the job market and the economy it will have to start by making the city remotely safe.  Of course this cannot happen over night but life can be breathed back into this city.   City officials and deal makers often think the most logical solution is building things like casinos and eateries but the most important thing would be to conserve the quality of life of its residents.

A 2008 study conducted by the Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs, Cleveland State University, Cleveland Neighborhood Development Coalition, and Rebuild Ohio has outlined several re-use strategies for vacant and abandoned property.  Some of the strategies would only serve as a band-aid and only deter the problem for a little while.  Others would take time, time the residents don’t have.  There needs to be an immediate strategy to improve the overall condition of Cleveland neighborhoods along with the hopes of its residents.  Bureaucracy and empty promises will leave this city for dead.

Housing code enforcement was one of the strategies listed as one of the most important for containing and preventing decay.  The Anthony Sowell house was condemned and demolished.  It was first cited with housing code violations and when those violations could not be fixed the city ordered it to be demolished.

Another strategy described in the study was taken from the city of Buffalo, where the city’s challenge was to “ readjust or “right-size” the city’s physical and built environment to mirror the city’s and the region’s existing and projected population.”

The first course of action in my opinion would be to enforce a housing code strategy that first distinguishes between vacant and abandoned houses.  Abandoned houses should be demolished, especially in seriously decayed areas.  Next a tiered classification strategy should be implemented for vacant homes, offering homeowners options such as rendering a cash value for the property to investing the equity of the home into coop apartments or businesses, where residents and the public/private sector enter into partnerships.  A similar plan is also suggested in the study called, “Opportunity Housing:  A Public-Private Partnership”.

The next strategy would be to re-size or readjust the physical region of the city.  The purpose of the re-sizing or readjusting would be to decrease landmass to fit the current and future projected residential populations.  The first stage of this strategy would be to annex perimeter neighborhoods to become apart of bordering cities and counties.  The next stage would be to assess current land use and future housing and business market needs.

It is obvious that the city of Cleveland needs a short and a long-term strategy for its vacant and abandoned housing crisis.  It is a crucial step for the safety and future success of a once-great city.

The 10-Minute Talk Podcast is a ten minute—topic driven talk podcast.  The show will explore a variety of topics and almost nothing is off limits.  This is storytelling at its best, spontaneous, and exploratory.  The show will be hosted by Shannise Jackson, a local independent journalist and educator.  Airtimes will primarily be daily twice a week, every Wednesday and Friday at 5PM.  For now our home will be on the Soundcloud.  We will feature guest from the local Charlotte community and communities across the globe.  All shows will focus on one topic and all guest will be expected to talk for ten minutes about that topic from their perspective and understanding.

The Polaroid is a vintage throwback to an era of instant photos.  The instant camera was just as popular as the iPhone is today, some even say Apple borrowed its original rainbow apple logo idea from Polaroid.

As a journalist I use a variety of mediums to help tell a story, whether it is a video, text, photo, or audio I edit and work with these mediums digitally, using some type of technology or computer program.  We have the capability of sharing our images with just one click and that is awesome within itself but I remember sitting down with my grandmother and looking through dozens of photos.  I would sit for hours listening to compelling stories of the past, our family’s history.  There was something so special about physically touching the photos and watching the expressions on her face as she remembered.

I thought it would be kind of cool to get my hands dirty and create a story using images from a Polaroid that have been manipulated physically in some way.  I discovered a really cool site that showcases creative projects using Polaroids.  The site is called photojojo.

You can find the Polaroid camera at garage sales, thrift stores, or online at Amazon and Ebay for relatively cheap prices but the film for the camera is not cheap.  Polaroid discontinued the camera and the film cartridges.   You can oder film online through This Is Our Truly Impossible Instant Film, PX 70, which may run you about twenty bucks for 8 photos.

I will be creating image transfers with PX film and showcasing them here on SCP.  Maybe you have an old Polaroid that you have been waiting to use.  Try the image transfer project and share your artwork with the SCP community.

English: Will Smith and his wife Jada Pinkett Smith with their children Jaden and Willow at The Nobel Peace Prize Concert 2009 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

In Psalms it says, “As arrows are in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one’s youth.”

The accuracy and force that an arrow has is largely dependent upon the aim and strength of the archer and the integrity and caliber of the bow.  -Steve Higginbathm

Mrs. Jada Pinket-Smith has caused much angst with her philosophies on parenting and the diversity of black magazine covers but I must say the Smith children are pretty freakin cool.

I think it is the job of parents to be very purposeful in how they raise their children. Teaching them early how to overcome obsticles, persevere, and be true to their own voice are a character traits they will need for the rest of their lives.

In an interview with theGrio’s Chris Witherspoon Smith responds to the criticism on how she raises her children. She says she is raising her children to be giants at whatever they choose to do in life. Critics feel power couple Will Smith and Jada Pinket-Smith have pushed their children, Jaden and Willow into show businesses to soon.

Jaden Smith is making his debut in the music industry and has a movie coming out this summer with his father Will Smith.

I recently saw a post on Facebook with a link to Jaden Smith’s music video. I was impressed, not only is it good music, but it seems very much his own. My daughter is a big fan of Willow Smith, we listened to “I Whip My Head Back Forth” quite frequently when it first came out. What I find so cool about the Smith children is their music represents the perception of the world through the eyes of adolescence, is for their age group and seems authentic to their creative style.

Jaden Smith will be starring in sci-fi flick with his dad Will Smith. After Earth, is set 1000 years in the future.  Jaden Smith plays Kitai a futuristic ranger whose aircraft crashes on a now hostile planet earth. Kitai is stranded along with is father Cypher, played by Will Smith. I saw the trailer and it looks like a must see block buster.

You don’t have to agree with everything they do but it is apparent they are very hands on parents who are purposely directing their children to be excellent at whatever they choose to do.

Check out the clip of the movie trailer, After Earth.

Paisely and LL raise a good point, where do we start and will we ever be able to reconcile race issues in this country.  Grant it, Paisley and the people who represent him may have ulterior motives for this odd match-up and the delivery of the message does come across very naive.  It reminds me of the time I went into a retail store.  My four year old happened to be with me at the time.  I was immediately asked to check my bags at the counter upon entering the store, mind you my MacBook Pro was in my bag at the time and I didn’t want to relinquish my expensive piece of gadgetry.  I frequent this place of business at least several times a week and I have never been asked to check my bags.  I have never even witnessed anyone else being asked to check their bags.  I was going to comply but the way the store clerk addressed me, with such indignation and hate.  I asked to speak to the manager and I explained to her that this store is in my community and that it is their job as a business to treat customers with respect.  My daughter didn’t understand why I was angry.  I didn’t yell or curse at the manager but I spoke fervently.  As we walked out of the store my daughter asked, “Why did you talk to that lady like that mommy?”  “I love all people, mommy.”  I tried to explain but she is a child and naive.  She believes the world will welcome her everywhere she goes with open arms.  She hasn’t learned yet how to interpret unwelcoming glances when you are the only brown face in the room.  Yes, she should accept all people but she should also know that all people will not receiver her, and that it is very acceptable for her to voice any injustice or mistreatment she experiences.

Does LL Cool J believe reconciliation is that simple even after hundreds of years of injustice, mistreatment, brutality, and inequality?  I am talking about the reconciliation of a nation not just an exchange between two individuals.  I do think the process starts with discourse and the song most certainly has created that.

How else will a Southern country boy like Paisely learn and understand the complex underpinnings of systematic disenfranchisement?  He learns from a rapper named Ladies Love Cool J. LMBO!

If you haven’t heard “Accidental Racist” here it is, enjoy!  Let us know what you think by leaving a comment below or on our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/StreetCornerProphet.

It is National Poetry Month and we will be sharing poems and poets all this month.  Today we recognize Amiri Baraka, one of the most significant American poets of the 20th century.

Amiri Baraka

(I mean I think I know now what a poem is)

A turning away…

from what

it was

had moved

us…

A

madness.