Recently I experienced an event that gave me pause that I shared with family and friends. I’d like to now share it with you.
Friday afternoon I was on public transportation on running errands after a meeting. As the train approached 63rd Street, it stopped suddenly throwing all the passengers forward with a start. The train sat on the track and eventually the motor stopped and the lights went through the train until we could disembark at the front. There were about 15 other people on the last car with me. We got our things and began trudging forward complaining about the CTA (Chicago Transit Authority).
When we got off the train at the front, we were met with people on the platform pointing, talking and making an overall commotion. We began asking what was going on. It seems a man took a running leap and jumped in front of the train to his death. When we got off the front of the train and look down at the track, parts of him were visible and his blood was on the front of the train. Fireman, police officers, CTA officials were swarming the tracks moving us all along and telling us that shuttle buses would be taking us south. Northbound trains were stopped as well. Our train had to be backed up so this man's body parts could be removed. Needless to say, we were amazed, shocked and speechless. The poor train conductor was doing his job but you could tell he was barely keeping it together. I would imagine he won't be driving a train for quite some time, if ever.
This is the second time I've been on a train and someone committed suicide by jumping in front of it. I keep wondering what could be so bad that one would end his life. Then I think about the times I've considered suicide myself, when I was so low I had to reach up to touch bottom. I don't condone it but I understand.
This unknown individual made an impact on a lot of people today. Everyone on that platform was bidding goodbye to strangers, blessing each other and just being kind to each other. The last time I experienced something like this was Sept. 11th when I was living in NY and standing in the street when the second tower fell. All of us in the street that day were bonded by a shared tragedy. Friday felt like that.
We live in such a fast paced world inundated with noise and images. People sit across from each other and text instead of talking. Television babysits our children, news is more entertainment than actual news, people are famous just for being famous and we’re disengaging from each other. How can we know if someone is in pain? How can we know when we are in pain? We self-medicate with food, drugs, alcohol, sex, internet, texting and we don’t stop and listen. We don’t hear because so much of our time is taken up with the cacophony of the sounds around us. I didn’t know that man but I can imagine that he felt there was no one to hear him, no one to share his pain. So he did the one thing he knew would stop the pain. And I wonder if he thought as he leaped from the platform if maybe there might be another way. Now he will never know.
I’ve prayed for that man and his family every day since Friday. I think to myself what could have been so horrible that he would take his life. I realize that many of us have contemplated suicide on occasion. I certainly have. Then I thought about the people I’d be leaving behind and how much grief it would cause. Yes, we grieve when a loved one passes but we recognized death after a lengthy illness or a sudden accident. But how do you process suicide? You think how that person should have come to you. That person should have prayed or gotten counseling or maybe gotten drunk. There is just know way to understand why a person would take his life.
There are no answers. There are only questions that will never be answered. Still this experience has left me aware of how easy it is to take life for granted. It’s easy to look at someone and believe he or she has it all together. Take a moment to tell someone you love her today and then give yourself a great big hug. Reach out to someone you haven't spoken to in a while and catch up. You might be just what that person needs. And you may find that you may get something in return you didn’t know you needed. Someone will love you right back.
SOCIAL ISSUES | POLITICS | RACISM | INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
Sunday, January 31, 2016
Sunday, January 24, 2016
Calling It Out
The 88th Academy Awards ceremony will be televised Sunday, February 28th and I will be watching as I have for the past 50 years. There is a rule in my home that no one speaks to me once the show begins. I prepare special hors d’oeuvres, open a split of champagne and enjoy Belgium chocolates. This is one of my favorite events of the year.
13 Black men have been nominated for best actor. Four have won. 10 Black women have been nominated for best actress. There has been one win. 14 men have been nominated for best supporting actor. There have been four wins. 19 women have been nominated for best supporting actress. Six have won.
Three Black men have been nominated for best director. None has won. Four Black people have been nominated for best adapted screenplay. Two have won. There have been three nominees for best original screenplay. None have won. This year, the screenplay for Straight Outta Compton was nominated but it was written by four White people.
Even the music categories have been sparse. There have been eight nominations for best score and two wins. 27 nominations for best original songs with six wins.
The first Academy Awards were presented May 16, 1929. The awards show was first televised in 1953. The first Black person to be nominated was Hattie McDaniel who won the Best Supporting Actress award for the role of Mammy in Gone with the Wind. On the night of her greatest triumph, she still had to bear the insult of being seated in a segregated section. Although no longer segregated, not much has changed. Why would it?
After more than 400 years on this continent and all the contributions Black people have made here, we are still waiting for the White man’s approval and acceptance. At what juncture will we (Black people) recognize that neither is coming.
It has been made abundantly clear century after century, decade after decade, year after year, month after month and day after day that we are never going to be fully accepted. There is never going to be parity. We will never be treated equally and fairly. If we could accept that, we could go on about our business and stop pressing our face against the glass begging White society for a place.
Sounds harsh, I know. But even if we don’t acknowledge the history of Black people in the country, let’s take a look at today. Young Black men are being killed at an alarming rate by the police. Many of those police officers are being granted a pass by grand juries who say those officers were justified in killing unarmed Black men. 12 year old Tamir Rice was killed by a police officer while he was holding a toy gun. Would that police officer have shot a 12 year old White boy brandishing a toy gun? Absolutely not. Black males, no matter their ages, are seen as threats to society.
President Obama has been the most disrespected president in modern times. From a member of Congress shouting “You lie!” as he gave a State of the Union Address to the constant questioning of his birth, he has endured a level of insolence that no other president has had to endure.
Black people have only been voting less than 50 years without impunity and now several states are attempting to turn back the clock and make it difficult for Black people to vote. Schools in major metropolitan areas are merely pipelines to the prison industrial complex.
Black people have more health issues but less economic opportunities than Whites. Our image across the world is that of the thug Black man and the angry Black woman. Black men are viewed as the scariest and Black women are viewed as the most unattractive. With all this, why would we believe the Oscars would be any different?
It is time to stop. Every system in this country (economic, political, educational, and religious) was created by White people for White people and it’s about time we recognize that. If we recognize that fact, it would make life easier when there is disparity as with this year’s Oscar nominations.
Black people, I’m not advocating putting our heads in the sand. We should do everything possible to make sure laws are passed that ensures our civil liberties. We should protest when the police are granted a free pass to murder our youth. We should let this country and the world know that we will not stand for racism in any institution or system that we support with our money, our time and our votes. But we must stop begging White people to accept us and to play fair. It hasn’t happened in over 400 years and unless there is divine intervention, it isn’t going to happen anytime soon. We cannot change the racist institutions that run every aspect of this country. But we must be unashamed to call it out when we see it.
Remember sometimes it’s do-do, sometimes it’s ka-ka and sometimes it’s shit. Call it shit when it’s shit and do so loud and clear. You can only change a thing when you acknowledge a thing. It’s time for the U.S. to acknowledge its’ shit.
13 Black men have been nominated for best actor. Four have won. 10 Black women have been nominated for best actress. There has been one win. 14 men have been nominated for best supporting actor. There have been four wins. 19 women have been nominated for best supporting actress. Six have won.
Three Black men have been nominated for best director. None has won. Four Black people have been nominated for best adapted screenplay. Two have won. There have been three nominees for best original screenplay. None have won. This year, the screenplay for Straight Outta Compton was nominated but it was written by four White people.
Even the music categories have been sparse. There have been eight nominations for best score and two wins. 27 nominations for best original songs with six wins.
The first Academy Awards were presented May 16, 1929. The awards show was first televised in 1953. The first Black person to be nominated was Hattie McDaniel who won the Best Supporting Actress award for the role of Mammy in Gone with the Wind. On the night of her greatest triumph, she still had to bear the insult of being seated in a segregated section. Although no longer segregated, not much has changed. Why would it?
After more than 400 years on this continent and all the contributions Black people have made here, we are still waiting for the White man’s approval and acceptance. At what juncture will we (Black people) recognize that neither is coming.
It has been made abundantly clear century after century, decade after decade, year after year, month after month and day after day that we are never going to be fully accepted. There is never going to be parity. We will never be treated equally and fairly. If we could accept that, we could go on about our business and stop pressing our face against the glass begging White society for a place.
Sounds harsh, I know. But even if we don’t acknowledge the history of Black people in the country, let’s take a look at today. Young Black men are being killed at an alarming rate by the police. Many of those police officers are being granted a pass by grand juries who say those officers were justified in killing unarmed Black men. 12 year old Tamir Rice was killed by a police officer while he was holding a toy gun. Would that police officer have shot a 12 year old White boy brandishing a toy gun? Absolutely not. Black males, no matter their ages, are seen as threats to society.
President Obama has been the most disrespected president in modern times. From a member of Congress shouting “You lie!” as he gave a State of the Union Address to the constant questioning of his birth, he has endured a level of insolence that no other president has had to endure.
Black people have only been voting less than 50 years without impunity and now several states are attempting to turn back the clock and make it difficult for Black people to vote. Schools in major metropolitan areas are merely pipelines to the prison industrial complex.
Black people have more health issues but less economic opportunities than Whites. Our image across the world is that of the thug Black man and the angry Black woman. Black men are viewed as the scariest and Black women are viewed as the most unattractive. With all this, why would we believe the Oscars would be any different?
It is time to stop. Every system in this country (economic, political, educational, and religious) was created by White people for White people and it’s about time we recognize that. If we recognize that fact, it would make life easier when there is disparity as with this year’s Oscar nominations.
Black people, I’m not advocating putting our heads in the sand. We should do everything possible to make sure laws are passed that ensures our civil liberties. We should protest when the police are granted a free pass to murder our youth. We should let this country and the world know that we will not stand for racism in any institution or system that we support with our money, our time and our votes. But we must stop begging White people to accept us and to play fair. It hasn’t happened in over 400 years and unless there is divine intervention, it isn’t going to happen anytime soon. We cannot change the racist institutions that run every aspect of this country. But we must be unashamed to call it out when we see it.
Remember sometimes it’s do-do, sometimes it’s ka-ka and sometimes it’s shit. Call it shit when it’s shit and do so loud and clear. You can only change a thing when you acknowledge a thing. It’s time for the U.S. to acknowledge its’ shit.
Sunday, January 10, 2016
Naysayers Be Damned!
At the end of each year, we see lists from various media outlets naming the celebrities lost during that year. 2015 was the first year in recent memory that I didn’t attend a funeral for a family member. Instead I mourned the loss of someone so close to me, so dear to me that the words are difficult to write. I lost my dad.
My father is very much alive but suffering from dementia among other illnesses. In late October, I had to place him in a care facility because I could no longer care for him. Visiting him several times each week is unpleasant but very necessary. It helps the staff know he has family who cares about his well being and will be looking out for him.
Some days he’s in full control of mental faculties. Other days he thinks he’s in a prison and needs to escape or he’s in a casino with no money and wanting to gamble. No matter his mental state, it’s difficult to see the man I’ve worshipped my entire life unable to walk, unable to control his body and not in his right mind.
My husband is facing the same issues with his mother in Mississippi. He’s there back and forth staying months at a time caring for her, straightening out her finances and going back forth to the emergency room when necessary. This is no small feat given the closest real hospital is a little over 40 miles away from her home.
It's a very interesting turn of events when you as the child having been cared for by your parents now suddenly become the caregiver. There is no preparation for that transition. Even when you watch your parents become less mobile, you are unprepared when they become more childlike day after day.
My husband and I talk daily about our respective situations and wondering when situations will change. We are aware that neither parent is going to get better. We know that both parents could be in their current states for weeks or months or years. We know that it is important for us to keep communicating with each other, supporting each other and loving each other. And we know that we have to keep telling the naysayers to piss off when they start talking.
You know the naysayers. Those people who have no understanding of what’s going on but deride you for putting your parents in a home. Those people who won’t have to face similar circumstances but feel free to comment on your circumstance. Those people who don’t visit or rarely visit, don’t offer to help but are quick to ask why you can’t seem to find time for social gatherings or lengthy phone calls.
My dad has several friends who’ve visited him once since October. When I’m at the facility and calling them so he can converse, they shuffle him off the phone and then text me that they’re unable to talk. My cousins have also visited just once and when I ask about follow-up visits, the silence greeting my question is deafening. Yes, I know the excuses beginning with the ever present "I'm busy." Guess what, nobody is that busy. Is it difficult seeing someone who was once so vibrant sitting in a home in a wheelchair? Absolutely! But that no excuse either. Having visitors helps him mentally and physically. And if that person is important to you, you'll suck it up and find the time.
His wife sees him daily and often calls me to complain about how abusive he is when she visits. Of course he’s abusive. He knows he’s not at home. He knows that his independence is gone. He no longer has an edit button in his brain so he curses and fusses about his situation. He’s angry and he takes it out on the both of us. I’ve learned to not take it personally because he’s where he needs to be for 24-hour care. She, on the other hand, says she doesn’t have my strength, can’t let it go and ends each visit in tears. She says her doctor tells her to stop getting emotional or she’ll have another stroke. Me, I’ve already had one stroke and I’ll be damned if anyone including the father I love so dearly, will cause me to have another one.
In Mississippi, my husband is going through a similar situation. He has relatives who live two hours away but won’t come and relieve him so he can rest. When his mother gets sick, they call him knowing we live more than 800 miles away when they live the next state over. They won’t come and care for his mom so he can come home to make his doctor appointments. I’ve rescheduled doctor visits and medical tests. I pray he can come home before his health problems get the best of him. He had two seizures and the local hospital told me if it happens again to take him to the medical facility in Meridian. That’s the hospital more than 40 miles away. It was hard enough when I was with him. I fear for his health now that we in different states.
You may be wondering why I’ve decided to write such a personal blog post. I’m posting because I want others to know if they are in a similar circumstance to have the courage to do what is necessary even when the naysayers start talking. Do what you think is best and do it without guilt. It’s taken me these past few months to get over the guilt of putting my dad in a home. If I hadn’t, we’d both be in dire straits. There is nothing wrong with caring for yourself because you can’t help someone else if you’re not well. Realize that doing the right thing is sometimes the hardest thing you can do. Don’t apologize for your choices. Only you have to deal with them.
And tell the naysayers to go to hell.
My father is very much alive but suffering from dementia among other illnesses. In late October, I had to place him in a care facility because I could no longer care for him. Visiting him several times each week is unpleasant but very necessary. It helps the staff know he has family who cares about his well being and will be looking out for him.
Some days he’s in full control of mental faculties. Other days he thinks he’s in a prison and needs to escape or he’s in a casino with no money and wanting to gamble. No matter his mental state, it’s difficult to see the man I’ve worshipped my entire life unable to walk, unable to control his body and not in his right mind.
My husband is facing the same issues with his mother in Mississippi. He’s there back and forth staying months at a time caring for her, straightening out her finances and going back forth to the emergency room when necessary. This is no small feat given the closest real hospital is a little over 40 miles away from her home.
It's a very interesting turn of events when you as the child having been cared for by your parents now suddenly become the caregiver. There is no preparation for that transition. Even when you watch your parents become less mobile, you are unprepared when they become more childlike day after day.
My husband and I talk daily about our respective situations and wondering when situations will change. We are aware that neither parent is going to get better. We know that both parents could be in their current states for weeks or months or years. We know that it is important for us to keep communicating with each other, supporting each other and loving each other. And we know that we have to keep telling the naysayers to piss off when they start talking.
You know the naysayers. Those people who have no understanding of what’s going on but deride you for putting your parents in a home. Those people who won’t have to face similar circumstances but feel free to comment on your circumstance. Those people who don’t visit or rarely visit, don’t offer to help but are quick to ask why you can’t seem to find time for social gatherings or lengthy phone calls.
My dad has several friends who’ve visited him once since October. When I’m at the facility and calling them so he can converse, they shuffle him off the phone and then text me that they’re unable to talk. My cousins have also visited just once and when I ask about follow-up visits, the silence greeting my question is deafening. Yes, I know the excuses beginning with the ever present "I'm busy." Guess what, nobody is that busy. Is it difficult seeing someone who was once so vibrant sitting in a home in a wheelchair? Absolutely! But that no excuse either. Having visitors helps him mentally and physically. And if that person is important to you, you'll suck it up and find the time.
His wife sees him daily and often calls me to complain about how abusive he is when she visits. Of course he’s abusive. He knows he’s not at home. He knows that his independence is gone. He no longer has an edit button in his brain so he curses and fusses about his situation. He’s angry and he takes it out on the both of us. I’ve learned to not take it personally because he’s where he needs to be for 24-hour care. She, on the other hand, says she doesn’t have my strength, can’t let it go and ends each visit in tears. She says her doctor tells her to stop getting emotional or she’ll have another stroke. Me, I’ve already had one stroke and I’ll be damned if anyone including the father I love so dearly, will cause me to have another one.
In Mississippi, my husband is going through a similar situation. He has relatives who live two hours away but won’t come and relieve him so he can rest. When his mother gets sick, they call him knowing we live more than 800 miles away when they live the next state over. They won’t come and care for his mom so he can come home to make his doctor appointments. I’ve rescheduled doctor visits and medical tests. I pray he can come home before his health problems get the best of him. He had two seizures and the local hospital told me if it happens again to take him to the medical facility in Meridian. That’s the hospital more than 40 miles away. It was hard enough when I was with him. I fear for his health now that we in different states.
You may be wondering why I’ve decided to write such a personal blog post. I’m posting because I want others to know if they are in a similar circumstance to have the courage to do what is necessary even when the naysayers start talking. Do what you think is best and do it without guilt. It’s taken me these past few months to get over the guilt of putting my dad in a home. If I hadn’t, we’d both be in dire straits. There is nothing wrong with caring for yourself because you can’t help someone else if you’re not well. Realize that doing the right thing is sometimes the hardest thing you can do. Don’t apologize for your choices. Only you have to deal with them.
And tell the naysayers to go to hell.
Sunday, January 3, 2016
2016 - It's Already Started
Happy New Year my friends!
We're only a few days into 2016 and already we've lost the unforgettable Natalie Cole and actor Wayne Rogers who played Trapper John on the TV show "MASH." We're wondering who is next since we all know celebrities go in threes. The Republican-led Congress wants to begin its session trying to repeal the Affordable Care Act and we in Chicago are hoping Rahm Emanuel leaves office quickly and quietly since he's been under fire since last month. The Midwest is in the grip of arctic temperatures while the South is battling floods. Oprah's partnership with Weight Watchers has sent WW's stock soaring. Awards season is officially underway. And we are now in the throes of presidential campaigns and primaries. Can you believe it's only January 3rd?
It's hard to know where to focus when so much is going on in so little time. Fortunately, we don't have to deal with it all right now or deal with any of it at all. We can't bring back the dead although we can surely mourn their passing. We certainly can't do anything about the weather so the best we can do is deal with it. Unless you're planning on joining Weight Watchers or you own stock in the company, Oprah partnering with them is good for her and for them but it doesn't mean a thing to the rest of the world (unless shadowing Oprah is part of your life). Awards shows are fun to watch but there's only one I watch religiously and that's the Oscars. That leaves the ever present, totally distasteful and reprehensible government posturing.
There's been a lot written about the Republican candidates for president. There is the very visible and vocal Donald Trump, the unpredictable underdog Dr. Ben Carson, the legacy candidate Jeb Bush, the underrated Ted Cruz and the establishment favorite Marco Rubio. There are other Republican candidates but these seem to be the current front runners going into the February primaries. The Democratic field is much less crowded with only two recognized candidates, Hilary Clinton and Bernie Sanders. I don't know about you but I feel the pickings are slim. There's no candidate I'm impressed with. There's no candidate saying what I need to hear. There's no candidate who seems to care about the issues that are important to me. I'm as disheartened as I've ever been in a presidential election year. What scares me is that I'm not alone. There are millions who feel as I do. That bodes badly for the primaries and is downright scary when it comes to November's general election. Voter turnout has been low in recent years. In addition to apathy, there is the feeling that our votes don't count. However the most discouraging reason for low voter turnout is the poor selection of candidates we have to pick. People who need to run for office don't because it's become too expensive, media scrutiny has become intrusive and too much attention is spent on hype instead of substance. Could you imagine someone like Harry Truman being elected today? Not hardly. His plain spoken manner, his directness, his lack of a college education would make him undesirable in today's classist, racist, highly scrutinized world. Yet he has been widely recognized as one of our great presidents. It's a damn shame that we will not elect the president we deserve in November. Then again, maybe one of these wretches is precisely what we deserve.
Chicago has been making news year after year because of gun violence. However in addition to Chicago joining other cities in the total disregard for the lives of its Black citizens, scandal after scandal involving our police department made 2015 a banner year for horrendous headlines. Early this year, the Guardian, a British newspaper, broke a story about a secret warehouse that has been used as a secret detention center for Black Chicagoans. In late fall, a video was released showing a police officer gunning down an unarmed Black man in the street. 2015 ended with two people being shot in a domestic disturbance. The 55 year old grandmother was "accidentally" shot through the door just as she was about to open the door to admit the police. The second victim was a mentally ill 19 year old college student. Police Superintendent Gary McCarthy resigned amid protests by many are asking for the resignations of Mayor Rahm Emanuel and States Attorney Anita Alvarez. The U.S. Justice has begun an inquiry into the police department and Illinois state legislators are considering allowing recall attempts of the mayor. Politics in Chicago - you gotta love it.
Recently I heard tv talk show host Michael Strahan say he was taught to be a "when" guy and not an "if" guy be his father. Therefore in that spirit, I'd like to be a "when" woman and have high hopes for 2016. I expressed my doubt in the political process and what we have to look forward to in our presidential election. I'm clearly jaded about justice finding its way to Chicago. But hope springs eternal and I'm going to be that "when" woman. When we find that candidate who unites us all, when we find that person who embodies a real spirit of inclusivity, when Rahm Emanuel is gone and we get a mayor who believes in justice for every Chicagoan and not just those who live north of Cermak, when we learn that it doesn't hurt to treat each other with respect and not distain, what a wonderful world this will be.
May 2016 be your best year yet!
We're only a few days into 2016 and already we've lost the unforgettable Natalie Cole and actor Wayne Rogers who played Trapper John on the TV show "MASH." We're wondering who is next since we all know celebrities go in threes. The Republican-led Congress wants to begin its session trying to repeal the Affordable Care Act and we in Chicago are hoping Rahm Emanuel leaves office quickly and quietly since he's been under fire since last month. The Midwest is in the grip of arctic temperatures while the South is battling floods. Oprah's partnership with Weight Watchers has sent WW's stock soaring. Awards season is officially underway. And we are now in the throes of presidential campaigns and primaries. Can you believe it's only January 3rd?
It's hard to know where to focus when so much is going on in so little time. Fortunately, we don't have to deal with it all right now or deal with any of it at all. We can't bring back the dead although we can surely mourn their passing. We certainly can't do anything about the weather so the best we can do is deal with it. Unless you're planning on joining Weight Watchers or you own stock in the company, Oprah partnering with them is good for her and for them but it doesn't mean a thing to the rest of the world (unless shadowing Oprah is part of your life). Awards shows are fun to watch but there's only one I watch religiously and that's the Oscars. That leaves the ever present, totally distasteful and reprehensible government posturing.
There's been a lot written about the Republican candidates for president. There is the very visible and vocal Donald Trump, the unpredictable underdog Dr. Ben Carson, the legacy candidate Jeb Bush, the underrated Ted Cruz and the establishment favorite Marco Rubio. There are other Republican candidates but these seem to be the current front runners going into the February primaries. The Democratic field is much less crowded with only two recognized candidates, Hilary Clinton and Bernie Sanders. I don't know about you but I feel the pickings are slim. There's no candidate I'm impressed with. There's no candidate saying what I need to hear. There's no candidate who seems to care about the issues that are important to me. I'm as disheartened as I've ever been in a presidential election year. What scares me is that I'm not alone. There are millions who feel as I do. That bodes badly for the primaries and is downright scary when it comes to November's general election. Voter turnout has been low in recent years. In addition to apathy, there is the feeling that our votes don't count. However the most discouraging reason for low voter turnout is the poor selection of candidates we have to pick. People who need to run for office don't because it's become too expensive, media scrutiny has become intrusive and too much attention is spent on hype instead of substance. Could you imagine someone like Harry Truman being elected today? Not hardly. His plain spoken manner, his directness, his lack of a college education would make him undesirable in today's classist, racist, highly scrutinized world. Yet he has been widely recognized as one of our great presidents. It's a damn shame that we will not elect the president we deserve in November. Then again, maybe one of these wretches is precisely what we deserve.
Chicago has been making news year after year because of gun violence. However in addition to Chicago joining other cities in the total disregard for the lives of its Black citizens, scandal after scandal involving our police department made 2015 a banner year for horrendous headlines. Early this year, the Guardian, a British newspaper, broke a story about a secret warehouse that has been used as a secret detention center for Black Chicagoans. In late fall, a video was released showing a police officer gunning down an unarmed Black man in the street. 2015 ended with two people being shot in a domestic disturbance. The 55 year old grandmother was "accidentally" shot through the door just as she was about to open the door to admit the police. The second victim was a mentally ill 19 year old college student. Police Superintendent Gary McCarthy resigned amid protests by many are asking for the resignations of Mayor Rahm Emanuel and States Attorney Anita Alvarez. The U.S. Justice has begun an inquiry into the police department and Illinois state legislators are considering allowing recall attempts of the mayor. Politics in Chicago - you gotta love it.
Recently I heard tv talk show host Michael Strahan say he was taught to be a "when" guy and not an "if" guy be his father. Therefore in that spirit, I'd like to be a "when" woman and have high hopes for 2016. I expressed my doubt in the political process and what we have to look forward to in our presidential election. I'm clearly jaded about justice finding its way to Chicago. But hope springs eternal and I'm going to be that "when" woman. When we find that candidate who unites us all, when we find that person who embodies a real spirit of inclusivity, when Rahm Emanuel is gone and we get a mayor who believes in justice for every Chicagoan and not just those who live north of Cermak, when we learn that it doesn't hurt to treat each other with respect and not distain, what a wonderful world this will be.
May 2016 be your best year yet!
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