What Would Chisholm Do?

  

    I'm feeling especially inspired after talking to voters about the upcoming mayoral election. Almost everyone who stopped talked with me seemed to have a since that this election was an important one.

     Two conversations in particular stood out to me during my outreach. One was with a short elderly woman whom by her accent I could assume to be West Indian. Growing up in Brooklyn, and watching the media it would not be inclined to vote for the first openly gay mayor. The woman looked up at me after she heard me say the Name Chris .. before I could say Quinn she said "Oh the gay one?" I immediately assumed that this woman would not be interested in signing a petition to get Chris on the ballot let a lone vote for her in September and November. To my surprise the woman signed the petition. She looked at me and said "The lady wants to be Mayor.. the rest is none of my business. While she never said she was affirming of LGBT lifestyles I left with a great amount of respect for her. She asked me " You like her?" We talked for a second, the woman began to walk away and she turned around and said " I have a good feeling about her." I said "I know, me too" smiling.

   To me it wasn't just a conversation, over even just about this Mayoral election. This conversation was so inspirational because I learned a lot about the assumptions I make. I also learned to be patient and to realize that progress is happening within communities of color regarding accepting LGBT people.

    Another conversation that stuck with me was with a mother. She told me that she feared for her son's life because she heard the mayor say that he wanted Black and Latinos stopped and frisked. She told me that she wanted a mayor that would oppose Black and Latino young men being targets of the NYPD. I smiled when she said "We need a black woman, another Shirley Chisholm." If Mrs. Chisholm was alive today what would she say about stop and frisk?

"The Boys"

I wanted to discuss something that has been on my mind lately- the police and their targeting young people of color. Since returning to New York I have been stopped by the Police several times and I have had friends who have been booked for  the most petty crimes mostly possessing a small amount of marijuana. I have a few thoughts. While I respect the the officers who risk their lives to make our neighborhoods a little safer I can't help but feel targeted and racially profiled when I see a police cruiser pull up to me closely or when an officer questions me. What frustrates me even more is the fact that I remember when you would be tough out of luck trying to find a Police officer for help. I remember when the community tried to work with the police to make our streets safer. It seems to me that the only reason we are getting this attention now because our neighborhood (Bedford- Stuyvesant, Brooklyn) is becoming increasingly gentrified. This makes me to have the feeling that the police is not there to serve people who look like me and make our community more safe but to target us because of course we are the problem in the community right?

I mean every young black man can't be a criminal. Maybe to them we all look alike. I cannot tell you how many times I got the line "We're looking for someone that matches your description." When they stop us of course they ask to see our identification. Which leads to another issue to many of us are not walking around with proper identification. Once, were stopped even if you have the smallest amount of marijanna your going to be arrested. What I find unfair about this is that it seems that we are the only ones being targeted. Are we the only ones who smoke? Why aren't the young artist in my neighborhood being stopped.

Now I know there are some youth who are up to no good but I also not a lot of good kids who are victims  of the system. Who are just looking for a place to hangout. Who are not bothering anyone and who may just happen to have small amount of drugs on them. It's not just us who smoke weed. I feel like my peers are being criminalized before they even have a chance make something of themselves. Let's face it the odds are against us. If we really want safer streets stopping every targeting us isn't going to help. If it was it would of already.

As someone who has grew up in poverty and in the foster care system I know how easy it is for youth to turn to the streets as a safe haven. I'm conflicted because I too want safer streets but I know that nobody chooses to hang out on the street over night. No child wakes up one day and just chooses to skip school and smoke pot.  I'm angry because the Police is suppose to be a partner to out neighborhood not just there to lock up my peers. If we invest the same time, money and energy we invest in stoping and frisking into education, community centers and day cares I know we can turn our neighborhood around. Maybe these youth would find somewhere to go instead of hang out and get into trouble. Then maybe I could walk around my own community and feel like the I'm not a criminal. I believe that the police department can be an ally and not an enemy but in order for that to happen there has got to be some changes.

I wana know what y'all think.

Jay