Wandering In A Political Wilderness

   

 

The apex of African American political power in Chicago was the election and reelection of Harold Washington.    The Mayor Sawyer vs. Alderman Evans debacle politically rendered the African American community to Humpty Dumpty status.  

Thirty years later we wander in a political wilderness.  African Americans are pretty much done in the city of Chicago.  No messianic leader will lead us to some political promise land.  I'm not saying we should not vote, but we should focus our attention on better educating low income African American children.

Marc Sims

marcsimschicago@gmail.com

Chicago's Crime and Violence

Crime and violence in Chicago's low income African American neighborhoods will not end until the majority mothers and grandmothers are taught how to properly raise their children.  You may disagree but we African Americans need to end this daily drama of crime and violence.

We could ask the police to come into our homes and arrest our sons, grandsons, and nephews and send them to prison.   We could ask our local government to raise our taxes to fund tutoring and mentoring programs for our boys.   We could also ask charity organizations to go in the homes of young mothers and teach them early childhood development.  There are many things we can do but are not doing.

It all comes down to good parenting.  Many working class and most low income parents have to be taught how to become better parents.  Millions of African Americans became productive citizens because they had good parents, that sent them to good schools, and made sure they were well behave children who got good grades.

The challenge is to marshal the resources and programs that will teach mothers and grandmothers how to raise well behave children who receive good grades in school.

Marc Sims

marcsimschicago@gmail.com

You Never Want A Serious Crisis To Go To Waste

The closing of schools in African American neighborhoods is an opportunity for African Americans to dramatically reduce the crime in our low income neighborhoods. Parents are rightly concerned that their children will have to cross street gang boundaries on their way to and from school.  So I think parents should demand that Mayor Rahm Emanuel, CPS CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett, and Police Chief Gary McCarthy walk their children home from their school every day until the street gangs are removed from their neighborhoods.   

As Mayor Rahm Emanuel, CPS CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett, and Police Chief Gary McCarthy walk through the neighborhoods they will find out where the gangs live and will them legally have arrested.   The young men who want to give up the ganged banger life should be helped to move out of the state of Illinois.   The young who say they want a job should be helped to get a job.  However we must understand every potential criminal is in grammar school right now.

The best long term way to dramatically reduce the crime in Chicago is the help low income women raise well behave boys who read at grade level.  

"You never want a serious crisis to go to waste. And what I mean by that is an opportunity to do things you think you could not do before."

Rahm Emanuel

Marc Sims

marcsimschicago@gmail.com