State Rep. Speaks Out About Baltimore
BY BUDDY NEVINS
State Rep. Shevrin Jones, D-West Park, is speaking out on the situation in Baltimore and what it reflects about society.
Jones, 31, says he posted this message on his Facebook page on Tuesday morning not as a state representative, but as “a member of a crying generation.”
Read it.
See what this Broward County neighbor of yours, a clearly frustrated young(ish) African American leader, is saying:
April 28th, 2015 at 8:59 am
I watched with horror and disbelief at the events in Baltimore this weekend and last night as I did Ferguson last year. Why are the police standing by while peoples lives are ruined by senseless violence and thugs acting out some personally perceived vendetta against the police who may have had to arrest them, jail them, arraign them and prosecute them at some point in their lives? Could this happen here in our home town? What would be the reaction of the authorities here? Would it be similar, standing by while our neighborhoods burn? What is the rational? What is the strategy? What is the ultimate goal of this new police technique or appeasement. Are we simply preserving the lives of the hoodlums and thieves while good small business owners lives go up in flames or out the door in thievery? While the peace and security of the neighborhood gets destroyed? What is the line that must be crossed before the police will act? The bigger picture of perceived oppression, lack of opportunity, and abuse from the powers that be makes some good talking points, but it has been proven that the glass ceiling has been shattered for those of color and diverse ethnic backgrounds. Ones trajectory in life is dependent on the individual taking personal responsibility for his/her education, skillset, assets and the personal baggage we create along the way and how we deal with it. The last part of my last sentence being the most important part of this diatribe. There are ways to be assertive with out being offensive. Many people learn the first part of that idea with out giving much thought to the second.
April 28th, 2015 at 9:05 am
Buddy,
Are you trying to say the post is bad? Or that he is angry? Maybe you are reading this wrong. Personally, I think it’s a good post, and the young man should be praised for speaking the truth.
FROM BUDDY:
I absolutely don’t believe his post is bad. I think it is refreshing for a politician to post his unvarnished beliefs on this tragic situation.
April 28th, 2015 at 9:11 am
I hope he does not condone the violence that erupted over the past few days.Dr. Martin Luther King chose to lead a peaceful revolution. Many of the rioters were not even from Baltimore. The real people of this great American City were protesting in a peaceful manner. Is everything fair for black Americans? No, but burning down their city and destroying the new area which was helping to revitalize the worst part of the city goes up smoke, totally destroyed. I guess that showed everyone how repressed they are.
April 28th, 2015 at 9:31 am
Shevrin certainly makes a point about a generational issue. Pointing fingers does nothing. Rioting out of outrage is one thing. It is dangerous, but sometimes the only way to be heard. But looting, burning of property, people, cars, etc. Is stupid. It brings attention to the looting, burning, and assault on people, not on the societal problem which clearly is rooted in history in this and other communities. Using this as a rationale to explain the plight of people does not justify it. It exacerbates the outrage outside the realm of what the problem started out as and does nothing towards a solution. We need real dialogue between people. THAT can move us to solutions.
FROM BUDDY:
It is sad but true: It is the riots in Missouri and now Baltimore that got media attention for the problem.
April 28th, 2015 at 9:37 am
Glad their “Crying Generation” took care of that 7-11 & CVS. Now we all can begin to heal.
Trying to figure out who is the bigger idiot: The Mayor of Baltimore or Jones.
April 28th, 2015 at 9:54 am
Lets be blunt, the black leadership in places like my city of ft Lauderdale and county Broward, are useless. While every other group, racial, sexual, religious, ethnic tries to “build upon” large events in wealthier counties like miami-dade’s art Basel n white party n book fair, the black leadership in ft Lauderdale n Broward does nothing! I mean why is there no Broward art basel/miami beach Ft Lauderdale African-American fair? Why aren’t we having a book fair linked African studies fair? Nigerian universities publish great studies on Africa but you never see them in ft Lauderdale or Broward. I mean why don’t Black cities’ and county Black elected officials have high school n college interns to educate Black students about politics n government. Why is there NEVER in ft Lauderdale or Broward county an item for discussion about high unemployment in Black neighborhoods? What is the point of having Black county n city Commissioners who only care about outside investors’ Panthers subsidies and swsping ft Lauderdale public lands open to all on the beach to restricted private controlled projects you know won’t employ Blacks except to seep the floors. I mean this Black elected official never proposed any educational or employment initiatives or has the press failed to report them! Let-s see a Black art Basel proposal from the black leadership at a minimum before the next round of Blame whitey crap!
April 28th, 2015 at 10:13 am
Rep Jones,
Think locally, not globally.
Did you stand up and call out Alan Jean when it appeared he may have been linked to ECO hit pieces against Jara McLawrence, a man color in your generation when he ran for Judge?
http://www.browardbeat.com/attack-ad-traced-to-dui-judges-campaign/comment-page-1/
http://www.jaablaw.com/uncategorized/you-make-the-call/
How about Alain Jean running Jonathan Kasen against a black Judge Ian Richards? Did you call him out for doing this and ultimately causing the Broward Judiciary to lose one of its few black members and also of your generation?
Rep Jones, those such as yourself and other elected officials in gerrymandered fiefdoms of Broward need to step up and do more to get people of color elected in other areas of Broward.
The real issue of color here is not black or white, it is green. This is because all or most black elected officials, campaign workers and others will sell out one of their own for money from white elected officials, donors or candidates.
FROM BUDDY:
The bottom line here and in Florida is that African-Americans don’t vote. If they voted in large numbers they would get more attention from politicians and the power structure.
As the great political philosopher Eddie Cochran once wrote: “Well, I called my Congressman and he said quote
‘I’d like to help you son, but you’re too young to vote.'”
April 28th, 2015 at 10:47 am
These riots always take place in Democrat cities. The police stood by because the Democrat mayor told them to give the destroyers some space to do their thing.
If riots are the languages of the unheard, then it is the Democrats in charge who are not listening. And why should they? They will always be voted for by the blacks in huge majorities, without ever delivering any changes. Democrat politicians want to keep poverty and racial strife because it gets them elected without having to cure those ills. If poverty and racism were to disappear tomorrow, there would be less need to vote for a Democrat. They are Poverty Pimps.
Democrats don’t listen to blacks because they don’t have to. Blacks will vote for them anyway. Republicans don’t listen to blacks because no matter what they do, blacks won’t vote for them, so why waste the time and effort.
Blacks need to think for themselves and not follow the herd. There are ways out of poverty and many have found them. Blacks must also realize that, at the end of the day, they are responsible for the conditions they live in.
April 28th, 2015 at 10:49 am
I keep hearing over and over this statement “riots are the language of the unheard”. There is no rationale when you set fires, destroy other’s people’s property, destroy city property(police cars etc). No what has happened in Balitimore is wrong. Those that participated both whites and Blacks should be arrested. Residents no mater where they live should not live in fear. I am also sick of some residents in Ft.lau using this unrest to their own agendas. make no mistake we here in Ft.lau will not put up w. this unrest. Simply ,the Mayor would declare “martial law” and myself and other business owners would stand down and protect our business and city. We will refuse to lose. Whatever it takes, it takes, and if push comes to shove so be it. This was a travesty last night in Baltimore. Shame on th e officals in Baltimore. PS Chaaz Stevens you are a piece of shit. J.Joseph(city clerk) we got your back. She made a mistake which was quickly corrected, and acknowleged. This heathen(Stevens), needs to go(now). Sorry Ms.JOseph. Come to her aid Mayor Seiler….
April 28th, 2015 at 11:40 am
Former Maryland Congressman AND former NAACP President Kwazi Mfume basically admitted on TV this morning that 4 decades of government efforts since MLK was assassinated have done little to empower inner city black youths.
He rightly said, as did the owner of the Baltimore Orioles, that the main problem is these youth see no future. There are no jobs for them.
Baltimore used to be a manufacturing town but cheaper foreign goods caused multiple factories to close. And the new white color investment and insurance industry booming in Charm City – think T Rowe Price – need much more highly trained employees than can currently come out of those inner city schools.
And today, and for the foreseeable future, those jobs will become even less available thanks to the surge of illegal immigrants taking most of the entry level jobs in which those youth could have started their work careers.
Both political parties are to blame. The Dems have spent billions of tax dollars on social programs which Mfume admits have been wasted. The Reps continue to back the Chamber Of Commerce wishes for access to a cheaper work force including supporting Obama’s amnesty plans.
It was encouraging to see the local West Baltimore clergy and their minions trying to do their part last night to help tamp down the anger. And it was especially good to see at least one mother literally grabbing at the hoodie on her son’s head and trying to turn him around from joining the out of control youth.
But until our government leaders focus on protecting American workers and American jobs and creating a path for black youths, the tinderbox of potential violence in the inner cities will not go away.
April 28th, 2015 at 11:50 am
So where is the anger, the white rage, when drunken sports fan tear down a city?
Tear down that fucking place … too bad a corporate CVS got nuked … there’s 200 more down the block.
April 28th, 2015 at 12:06 pm
You are right Buddy, African Americans do not vote.
Do you think that it is only whites that wish to suppress black voters? Back elected officials, pastors, campaign workers, etc want to have blacks who vote do so only for those on the Black Voters Guide or the numerous palm cards financed by white candidates and consultants that flood the black community during the election.
Hopefully the up and coming generation of black elected officials like Rep. Jones will work towards not only getting blacks out to vote, but also encourage them to be an educated voter and not sheep following a palm card.
April 28th, 2015 at 2:12 pm
I don’t think that the destruction in Balmore could take place here in the land of Stand your Ground. If the police refuse to protect property in most areas of Florida, the armed citizen will do the job for them. With over a million CWP holders in Florida, we have better protection from being unprotected by coward leaders who let law breakers run like wild animals.
April 28th, 2015 at 2:44 pm
Black voting sometimes works this way:
Voter to often elected black official,”What can you do about the drugs in our community?”
Often elected black official, ” I’d like to stop kids dealing drugs, but their Mama’s wouldn’t vote for me anymore.”
A sad, but true story. And the drugs roll on.
And the often elected black official smiles.
April 28th, 2015 at 4:37 pm
The damage done to the community in Baltimore is nothing compared to the damage done to the Broward County on a daily basis.
Huge swaths of Broward are underdeveloped economically because stores like CVS, Publix, and Target will not set up shop there. Winn Dixie, Kmart (before its downslide), and Walmarts have closed in areas like Lauderhill, Margate, and Oakland Park because of losses in inventory to theft. It has been only a very few years since a shopping center with a grocery store opened on NW 7th Ave and NW 6th Street.
Stores will not open and remain in high crime areas. People will not shop in areas known for crime. Jobs are not available because of the shortage of businesses.
Economic stability and safety of all citizens make a strong community. The need to build that strong community starts at home, literally and figuratively.
April 28th, 2015 at 10:20 pm
Friends,
An elected official telling it like it is. Imagine that. There’s hope for us yet. Discuss.
Angelo
April 29th, 2015 at 12:38 am
@#13 Not here –
Exactly. I do not own a weapon unless my anger would count when confronted in my house (!!) but I know S FL would not be keen to looting and street mayhem in the tropical heat.
The issues are so deep and large in Baltimore I won’t go there.
Will people ever realize that f*$&ing themselves leads no where?
April 29th, 2015 at 7:54 am
@15. After Baltimore, why would any chain store risk a high crime neighborhood?
The mayor of Baltimore was on TV saying that she worked hard to get a CVS in that neighborhood. The losers are not the cops or white people because it is the residents who have to go miles to get prescriptions filled because they have no CVS anymore due to thugs.
April 29th, 2015 at 2:49 pm
How refreshing to hear from a politician who speaks his mind and doesn’t worry about the affect on his career?
April 29th, 2015 at 3:09 pm
Alain Jean works with candidates he supports, regardless of race. He turns down more election work than he takes because he is primarily a lobbyist.
He is color blind. You, sir, are a racist.
FROM BUDDY:
I have known Alain Jean for years. I agree with this Browardbeat.com reader. Alain Jean is color blind.
April 29th, 2015 at 4:43 pm
I do not condone the rioting and the looting in Baltimore City. These are not solutions.
But at the same time, I do not condone people using the rioting and the looting as an ex post justification for what happened to Freddie Gray. The logic goes that the police get rough with people because they are acting like thugs. Some have offered this as an explanation for what happened to Freddie Gray.
This suggestion should be rejected out of hand. Let us be clear: The police took Freddie Gray into custody, broke his neck, severed his spinal cord and killed him. And what we are witnessing now is about Freddie Gray, but only in part.
This young man’s death was the catalyst. Baltimore is and long has been a city on edge. Thousands of children have lead poisoning. The schools are dysfunctional. The police are corrupt. There is chronic unemployment is certain communities. People are rioting about Freddie Gray and police brutality, but they’re equally rioting about hopelessness. This is not an excuse and I do not condone it. But it is a fair explanation.
FROM BUDDY:
Before attending Georgetown University Law School, Jonathan Pollard was an English teacher in a Baltimore, MD high school. He currently is a Fort Lauderdale business litigation attorney who is active with the debate team at Boyd Anderson High, Lauderdale Lakes. He is now working with other local schools to expand debate programs.
April 29th, 2015 at 9:59 pm
Discuss this Angelo….
April 30th, 2015 at 3:13 pm
I agree Alan Jean is not a racist. He doesn’t see black and white, just green. Running races for rich white candidates like Mike Satz, Judge Rosenthal, Judge Porth and Jonathan Kasen pays much better than working candidates of color who usually have far less money.
April 30th, 2015 at 3:19 pm
At power line n sunrise is a shopping center that could easily be renovated but instead. Winn Dixie is replacing Black cashiers with machines. Less jobs less income for my Black neighbors less money to spend and who is going to spend money here? While my old neighborhood on north federal highway by coral ridge just got the new burger 21 on the site of a former affordable building where working class Blacks could get housing so that they could jobs in coral ridge mall or offices on east Oakland park boulevard. Forget Baltimore what about here in ft Lauderdale with a commission of one Black from w. Ft Lauderdale and 4 old white guys, Three if them lawyers from East ft Lauderdale who never see Blacks or poor or working class people except twice a month in city hall
April 30th, 2015 at 9:01 pm
@21 – The police took Freddie Gray into custody, broke his neck, severed his spinal cord and killed him.
You know this how? You are the problem, not the police.
May 1st, 2015 at 9:14 am
I believe the last time a White man died while in police custody in a police vsn was a witness to kirov’s murder in st Petersburg Russia in 1934. Maybe the nazis beat
a pacifist socialist or Jewish war veteran or conservative like von Kahl too death in one between 1933 and 1945 otherwise deaths in police vans just seem to be confined amazingly to two males in Baltimore in this century. That should outrage all Americans regardless of color Mr lamberti is a criminal – a tasteless and frankly stupid nomme de plume
FROM BUDDY:
You are always entertaining, Count. I bet the reference to Sergey Kirov, the Communist Party boss of Leningrad who some believe was killed on orders from Joseph Stalin, goes over everybody’s head except maybe Sam Fields, who was a doctoral student in Soviet history.