“You’ve damaged yourself. You damaged another person. You damaged your peers. And quite honestly, you’ve damaged your own race,” said Philadelphia’s Black Mayor Michael Nutter to Philly’s Black kids, who are believed to be largely responsible for flash mobs that meet and ransack stores, steal, or just loiter. Some flash mob participants have even beaten people up, it’s reported; however, these attacks are not meeting the criteria of hate crimes because the issue of race as a motivating factor are much more subjective. But there are many Whites that believe Philadelphia’s media is being too careful about accusing the Black kids of committing hate crimes.
Mayor Nutter continues: “If you want Black folks, if you want White folks, Latinos, Asians or anybody else to respect you and not be afraid when they see you walking down the street, then leave the innocent people who are walking down the street minding their own damned business – leave them alone. Cut it out.”
The problem is that Mayor Nutter oversees a city that has cut funding for programs that keep Black kids off the streets and out of trouble, especially at a time when these kids are not working and have nothing else to do. I’m sure most are glad school is now back in session. Most statistics place Black youth unemployment around 40 to 50 percent. And Mayor Nutter, besides initiating a curfew for those 22 and under, is finally getting out and participating in weekend bowling and some other activities that some community leaders are facilitating to get the kids off of the streets.
But why didn’t he go mingle with the kids when the problem started?
Well, he was too busy keeping Philly’s establishment happy and safe.
My name is Walter Hilliard III. I have a B.S. degree in Public Administration and a Masters in Psychology (specialty in Media Psychology). I’m currently seeking publishers for a book focusing on Black Self-Destruction and two inspirational eBooks, having already published a multitude of articles in several different newspapers and magazines over the years. I’ve been a head basketball coach on the high school and college level, and taught success classes at a private college, created numerous community and college programs focusing on leadership, mentoring, college awareness (for inner-city kids), and employment and training. And I have worked as an employment and training manager, family therapist, behavior specialist, college retention specialist, juvenile detention center treatment supervisor, and a contractor, facilitating relationship and marriage education groups for couples.
The purpose of Universal Soul Power is to confront negative media messages about African Americans, proliferate positive messages about the Black community, and inspire all those who are part of the universe, but especially African Americans, through my inspirational writings.
The truth is that most African Americans haven’t lost their Spiritual Souls, yet (although some of us behave like we’ve lost our minds), but we have lost our “Soul” — that NewRhythmandBluesyContemporaryHipHopSoul that allows us to be compassionate, productive leaders who recognize what really matters in life and live our lives beyond fad terms like “Swag,” instead embracing more fulfilling concepts like being Calm, Cool, and Collected, and knowing what they are all about: being your “growing self,” dancing to your own Life Drum, in tune, on beat, unfazed by fear, and leaving the world a better place when they move on.
Now dat’s Real Soul, and dat’s whatum talkin’ ’bout!
Walter L. Hilliard III
By Walter L. Hilliard III
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