Justice...PLEASE !

Is he not justified to have a little emotion pouring out from his soul ? Do you think he is not a human being ? Do you believe he has had any pleasant days over the last 27 years ? How do you think you would feel if you were put in his situation ?
In 1983 an 18 year old Michael Anthony Green was charged and sentenced to prison for a rape that he did not commit. He was given a 75 year prison term for a crime which he did not commit. However the fact that he was innocent and the accusers faulty identifying him as the perpetrator did not save him from the prison term. The advancement of analyzing evidence through the development of DNA and the act of bringing a piece of evidence to the equation that was left out of the trial 27 years ago are the two things that allowed Michael Anthony Green to become a free man. This new found freedom was to become his reality initially on July 29, 2010. However he was denied his release to the free world due to the fact that his attorneys and the judge agreed that he was too emotional to attend his bond hearing. Now this brings me to the question of "How would you feel if you were wrongly accused of a crime that you did not commit and was imprisoned for 27 years ?" This man was 18 years old when he was incarcerated; barely an adult. He has missed a great portion of not only his life, but also the life of his loved ones, even missing the funeral of his mother. He missed all of these things due to the fact that he was incarcerated. 27 LONG years. Nobody can begin to imagine the things that he witnessed within those walls on a daily basis. The simple fact that he was sane enough to continue to fight for his justice and not resort to physical harm of himself or others, even suicide shows the fight and sanity that this man encompasses. Now these things factor into one source of his "anger" that he displayed vocally en route to his bond hearing. Now another factor is the fact that he stated prison guards tightened his handcuffs and shackles and threatened him on his way to the court room. The prison guards were treating this INNOCENT man as if he were a slave. There he was, proven innocent of a crime which he did not commit, yet he is still treated in the same manner in which a serial killer is treated; and he was disrespected on top of that. I fully believe his statement about how the guards treated him; he has no reason to lie about the treatment, he didn't lie about his innocence. In our society we have glorified the interactions between law officials and civilians. There have been many video reality shows which have shown motorist pulled over by police officers acting completely disrespectful and making threats to officers which have resulted in no type of penalties or offenses being levied against the motorist. Michael Anthony Green is in a totally different situation and is sequestered to another day in prison for expressing an emotion. This was not right and this will never be right. The day of freedom came on July 30, 2010 for Michael Anthony Green. He was officially released from prison on that day. Although he will never be able to get the time back that he lost as an innocent inmate, he is able to take a single step to normalcy that was taken from him 27 years ago.

R.I.P. Lorenzen Wright

Another senseless killing. True enough, nobody knows the details of any of the events which have transpired, but we do know one thing ; Kids lost their father, brothers and sisters lost a brother and parents lost a son. The unfolding of the tragic death of Memphis native Lorenzen Wright further reiterates the problems which have plagued this city for sometime now : CRIME ! Lorenzen Wright was a native son of the city and he did what every kid that picks up a basketball aims to do; HE MADE IT ! Lorenzen Wright took the honest road to his life's goals and he was blessed to be able to do what he loved doing for a living. The one consistent thing about Lorenzen Wright was that he never forgot where he came from, he loved his city. This was evident in the fact that he gave a free basketball camp to the youth of the city of Memphis. FREE ! This very gesture shows where his heart was in regards to being a stand up sincere person in the community. He volunteered his time and efforts to ensure that the kids of this wonderful city of Memphis were able to experience, only if for a week a sincere love from a fellow Memphian that made it and that had not too long ago been in their shoes. He was blessed to have the opportunity to not only represent his city on the collegiate level, but also on the professional level as well as one of the "Original Memphis Grizzlies." Although his career took him to play professionally in Los Angeles, Sacramento, Cleveland and Atlanta he was and always be a Memphis Hero. There are three basketball Gods within the city of Memphis; Larry Finch, Anfernee "Penny" Hardway and Lorenzen Wright. These three individuals are the ones that come to mind when Memphis basketball is mentioned not only within the city, but around the country. They were the representation of the city of Memphis when it came to basketball, especially before an NBA Team was brought to the city.
There are so many questions that will never be answered or understood. The only thing that people can choose to do from this tragedy is learn from it or not learn from it. By learning people can see that violence does not solve anything; violence is an endless cycle. Nothing comes out of violence but hurt and sometimes with the hurt comes retaliation which continues the cycle. By not learning crime will continue and there will not be a common ground for a right or wrong decision due to the fact that people will be reacting rather than thinking.
During this time of sorrow we all must pray for the family and especially the kids. There are now 6 more kids in the world that will grow up without a father. Everybody remember the love Lorenzen Wright showered over the city and lets all do the same thing.

R.I.P. Lorenzen Wright

I have a question : Do black people value themselves and each other ? If so do blacks value themselves as much as they did 40 years ago...20 years ago...even 10 years ago ? If not why is there no value ? This is a sad question to have to ask, but it is a question that has to be asked do to the fact that there is not a valid reason for why the value of a group of people has degenerated so much over the last few decades. The world has changed for the better in regards to opportunity for all people of this world; yet it seems that black people as a whole have regressed instead of progressed along with the accommodating changes of the world. I challenge any and everybody to answer this question that I have. It may be the spark needed to provide hope for the future generations of blacks not only in America, but in the world. The biggest change that can obviously be seen in the value or lack thereof is in the family structure. During the 1960s and 1970s up through the 1980s the black family was the one stable structure within the community, along with the church. This stability allowed for their to be a common denominator between taking the wrong path in life and taking the right path in life. A household that had both a mother and father within its structure allowed the opportunity for a child to see how he or she should ACT and this in turn embedded the importance of structure within the child's head unknowingly. A child that knew he had to answer to a mother and father understood the importance of decision making and how their decisions and actions affected the consequences which they incurred, whether positive consequences or negative consequences. This cycle led to stability being visible in the black family for many years; children are going to repeat what they see, both good and bad. Somewhere along the line the structure was infiltrated by an outside subsidiary that subliminally led to the devaluing of each other by black people. Lets think about something : There was a time in history where segregation ran the United States of America. This was true on all levels; socially, judicially and financially. Here's another thought. During the times of segregation, civil rights movement and black oppression from the time of post slavery (1863- 1970) there were a plethora of black owned business, homes that contained "MARRIED" mothers and fathers and overall a generally healthy sense of "Black Love" & "Black Pride" that was prevalent everywhere in the black community. Keep in mind these positives within the black community were evident despite the social antipathy displayed by races other than blacks towards blacks. There was a sense of "VALUE" that despite the visible obstacles that was common place during that time period. Fast forward to 2010; Segregation is not legally accepted, there is equal opportunity for all races (in general) to pursue social, educational & economical opportunities. Yet the value blacks have for each other as a people is on the negative side of the number line. In 2010 there are less black owned businesses than there were 40 years ago. Blacks make up less than 20% of the US Population but make up more than 50% of the prison population. The percentage of single mothers without a father in the picture is raising their children is more than 50% (in the 60s & 70s nearly 70% of black households were led by married couples) in 2010. The black on black violence is not necessarily limited to physical violence; there is a such thing a mental violence and destruction which has played a major role in the destruction of the value blacks have for each other. This mental destruction is visible in not only music, but in television and also in print. The simplest example can be seen in music. Music from black musicians from any time period prior to the late 1990s focused on uplifting each other, having fun, being positive and enjoying life. Although not all of today's music has strayed from this "Structure" the majority of this music prevalent in by today's black artist focus on the vices that have led to the destruction of our people and the "devaluing" of our race ; Sex, Drugs, Robbing, Murdering and being IGNORANT has become a staple of a lot of our music. Being continuously fed this type of diet will result in a product which we have today within our community: kids that don't value education, having more focus on obtaining drugs, jewelry or instant money, people that feel sex is needed to be cool and excepted, and the belief that women are objects rather than essential pieces to the stability of a family. EXCUSES seem to flood they black community in 2010. During the 50s, 60s and 70s there was a valid reason for blacks to make an excuse for not excelling but excelled in spite of. Today we have too many that make excuses and become enamored with the ideas of these excuses for why they are not excelling and reaching goals (if there are any goals set). I feel that blacks have to get back to loving each other and uplifting each other DESPITE ! This will lead to the return of structure within the community and this will lead to more positivity and more PRODUCTIVITY.

Time Heals, Time Reminds, Time Enlightens & Time Passes

Have you ever taken the opportunity to sit back and think about yourself and simply take a complete inventory or yourself ? There are many times when this is necessary for a person in their life, whether they are at a crossroads in their life, trying to decide which direction he or she needs to take; and there are other times when when a person is about to embark upon a new journey in life, whether it is a positive journey such as a new career, new hobby, new love interest, or a new void in life, such as the loss of a loved one or the ending of a friendship or relationship that had become a big part of your life. Then there is the unplanned self analysis : The analysis that takes place when you hear a particular song, see a special person, smell a specific scent or see a certain movie. This analysis allows you to really be in touch with your innermost most thoughts, thoughts that you didn't even know existed within your soul. All emotions, thoughts and actions are triggered by some type of starter. When these types of analysis take place a person is able to personally witness how they have been able to come full circle within a TIME in their life. Heartache, learning processes, past experiences that have prepared you for the moment your are currently at and for where you may be in the next 30 seconds in your life are all things that TIME Produces. Its is up to a person as an individual to determine if they will allow TIME to be their friend, their anchor or their springboard.

20 years ago today, the world of college basketball lost a star, but the "Heavens Above" gained another star. Eric "Hank the Bank" Gathers died of cardiac arrest during a collegiate basketball game. Gathers a star forward for the Loyola Marymount Basketball Lions was on the cusp of realizing his life's athletic ambition ; A career in the NBA. At the tender age of 23 years old gathers suddenly died from a heart condition which triumphed over him after he scored on one of his trademark dunks. Gathers passion for success and drive to succeed is what makes his story so inspiring, yet so sad. Hank Gathers was a living testament of the old cliche' "You have to find something in life that you are willing to do for," and Gathers found this in basketball. A communications major, Gathers had his track to success not only outlined athletically on the basketball court, but also academically as he was a regular summer intern for the KTLA as a newsbroadcaster. His career planned before him, his life was a testament of not only how to plan life to be successful and set goals, but also as to how not to take one day for granted, and maximize all of your life's opportunities and ambitions. Remember Hank "The Bank" Gather.

The "Cold" Blooded City Of Memphis

The temperatures have not reached no more than 35-40 degrees in the city of Memphis over the last few days. There have been ample warnings about potential snow storms and freeze warnings thrown from the meteorologists of the various news outlets not only in the city of Memphis, but nationally. Tonight the city of Memphis is on the eve of what has the potential to become an extremely, bitterly cold snow storm that is supposed to blanket the city tonight and remain for the next couple of days with temperatures dipping down to the single digits by this weekend. This week alone has produced 3 deaths that according to police reports have been weather related (Hypothermia). I'm guessing these weather related deaths have led the city to take drastic measures, which in this case means putting up "TENTS" that will help shelter the homeless from these frigid temperatures that the city of Memphis and surrounding areas isexperiencing. This is a plan that while has good intentions behind it, is an ultimate fail for the city in addressing the needs of the homeless during this most needed time for shelter. I propose that the city of Memphis opens the dormant venues, The Mid South Coliseum and The Pyramid as temporary Shelter for the homeless during this dire time. This step of resolution would offer the city a chance to help the homeless tremendously while getting a positive use out of both buildings. This is something that does not have to become a permanent effort, but could definitely become a temporary BENEFICIAL UPLIFTING for the City of Memphis. There has been so much negativity in this city this venture would allow for a positive opportunity for the city to come together and be of aid to the less fortunate. Lets take a look at would could possibly happen if we do not use accessible means to help the homeless. You have many individuals that commit crimes to go to jail and receive a place to sleep, take warm showers, and eat. This is costing tax payers of the city millions of dollars annually. In many cases, homeless people do not have anything to lose by going to jail, but they can gain more than they had by committing a minor offense and going to jail. For one they know that they will be out of this horrid cold weather. This approach may be beneficial to the homeless but once again it is costing the tax payers. If the tax payers are going to go in debt, let the tax payers at least go in debt with tax dollars being paid on these two venues (The Pyramid and The Mid SouthColiseum) being used to (A) aid the homeless and ( B) potentially minimize pre-meditated crime from homeless people trying to obtain shelter.

The "Cold" Blooded City Of Memphis

The temperatures have not reached no more than 35-40 degrees in the city of Memphis over the last few days. There have been ample warnings about potential snow storms and freeze warnings thrown from the meteorologists of the various news outlets not only in the city of Memphis, but nationally. Tonight the city of Memphis is on the eve of what has the potential to become an extremely, bitterly cold snow storm that is supposed to blanket the city tonight and remain for the next couple of days with temperatures dipping down to the single digits by this weekend. This week alone has produced 3 deaths that according to police reports have been weather related (Hypothermia). I'm guessing these weather related deaths have led the city to take drastic measures, which in this case means putting up "TENTS" that will help shelter the homeless from these frigid temperatures that the city of Memphis and surrounding areas is experiencing. This is a plan that while has good intentions behind it, is an ultimate fail for the city in addressing the needs of the homeless during this most needed time for shelter. I propose that the city of Memphis opens the dormant venues, The Mid South Coliseum and The Pyramid as temporary Shelter for the homeless during this dire time. This step of resolution would offer the city a chance to help the homeless tremendously while getting a positive use out of both buildings. This is something that does not have to become a permanent effort, but could definitely become a temporary BENEFICIAL UPLIFTING for the City of Memphis. There has been so much negativity in this city this venture would allow for a positive opportunity for the city to come together and be of aid to the less fortunate. Lets take a look at would could possibly happen if we do not use accessible means to help the homeless. You have many individuals that commit crimes to go to jail and receive a place to sleep, take warm showers, and eat. This is costing tax payers of the city millions of dollars annually. In many cases, homeless people do not have anything to lose by going to jail, but they can gain more than they had by committing a minor offense and going to jail. For one they know that they will be out of this horrid cold weather. This approach may be beneficial to the homeless but once again it is costing the tax payers. If the tax payers are going to go in debt, let the tax payers at least go in debt with tax dollars being paid on these two venues (The Pyramid and The Mid South Coliseum) being used to (A) aid the homeless and ( B) potentially minimize pre-meditated crime from homeless people trying to obtain shelter.