It’s time to stand up and shout, ‘No more!’

 

This is a very trying time for the African Americans in Minneapolis. First let me start off by saying there are two very important things missing that allow this tragedy to happen. First is the love of God at the center of many of our people, and second is the outright hatred of ourselves.

I believe we as a people need to get up every day and say, “I like me” and say it until the day we believe it. Then get up every day and say, “I love me.” It is impossible for a Black man to love anyone if he doesn’t love himself first. The absence of God and love itself is at the root of all this evil behavior.

We inflict pain on one another like a monster Frankenstein preying on our people. We shoot and kill one another like were James Bond 007 with a license to kill. We don’t have permission from a court of law or the federal government — we are illegally putting our people to death.

Many of us have become outright cowards to this issue as we ignore the murder of a three-year-old child and a five-year-old child. These children were not gang bangers or some hoodlums. Murdered…gone from North Minneapolis. We have no concern that their murderers, these monsters, are still walking around our communities.

These two little boys should be playing with their cars and trucks. Playing at the park, they should be riding their tricycles, and the men should ensure that that’s happening in our neighborhoods. We as men should be shouting at the top of our lungs, “NO MORE!”

We are committing crime every day — the crime being murder. We are now standing in pools and rivers of the blood of our people. Parents don’t want to bury their children. Have we forgotten that? Are we now comfortable burying our children every month?

I’m not crazy. I know many of us have family members we just can’t talk to. The majority of our people can be saved or spared. Learn to have zero tolerance on crime, violence, and drugs, recognizing that this struggle begins in your home.

Mothers and fathers must if possible take a position — if possible. I know for a fact that many of the parents of the children are so far removed from reality it may not be possible. Where families don’t have strength, the other family members must circle the wagons.

Yes, I’m talking to you grandparents; I’m talking to you aunts and uncles, sisters and brothers, and the cousins, too; all of you who care, I’m talking to you. I ask that you help that family. Ain’t no more time to talk about what she ain’t doin’, and there’s no more time to call her children “Bebe’s kids.” It’s time for you to stand up on behalf of that blood you say you love.

It’s as simple as this. We don’t need you to fight all the drug dealers. We don’t need you to fight all the gang bangers. We need you to just get yours out of the streets of Minneapolis. If each of you gets your kid, that’s one less we have to deal with, one less to go to prison, one less to be a walking drugged-up zombie, one less to be face down in an alley, discarded like a piece of trash.

After all my years of service to the African Americans of Minnesota and across this country, this situation pains me the most. However, I must admit to you, this is the African American people’s last movement.

Let me break it down to those who only see hopelessness. We fought the battle of slavery and won. We fought the battle of Jim Crow and won. We fought the battle of the great Civil Rights Movement and won. We are 3 and 0 in this battle, but we’ll be removed, erased and exterminated if we do not create the final movement.

I want to take a moment and talk to the elders and working- class people of our community. There is something you can do to make a difference right now. Many of you ride the buses around Minneapolis and St. Paul. When you are on the buses and chaos begins, when there is cursing and fussing and kids using the N-word as loud as they can, I’m asking you to stop that language in front of these citizens and elders and children, saying, “Young man, young lady, your language is appalling and disrespectful!” Stand together — don’t just ride that bus in silence.

To the single-parent mother, stop ignoring your child — protect them! Don’t allow meetings in your house where your child and his or her friends are discussing hurting or murdering another child. Mother, you’re the first person to tell your child to pull his pants up over his underpants and lay down the law.

Your child is depending on you, and you are responsible to him or her to provide food, shelter, clothing and shoes. You stand up and take control, Momma.

To you men who are trying your best to be fathers to your children — and I know many of you are not — but to those who are, stand close to support that mother and child. Help keep that child on the right path, and where you, Mister, have to be stern, you be stern with your children and their mother.

In closing, remember I love Black people. I love us when we’re up, and I love us when we’re down. I may not love all that we do, but I do love my Black people.

Look for me to have another real talk with you real soon.

Love, peace and power.