Page 5 - Florida Sentinel 11-15-19

Editorial/Column
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Prisons Can Make People Crazy, Too
P. T.S.D. (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) is real. But what a lot of people don't know about the debilitating condition, that is typically associated with sol- diers who've seen the horrors of military conflict, is that it also affects another population of individuals just as in-
tensely... former convicts.
In prison, this mental dys- function goes by a number of far less clinical names. Some of the more popular ones used to describe people who appear to have gone off the deep end include burnt, fried, cooked or
toasted.
While these labels would-
n't be found in any journal on Psychology, and would most likely be considered highly in- appropriate in a professional setting, they all denote the same thing... an individual who cracked under the pres- sure of a highly stressful envi- ronment.
For the average person who has never been incarcer- ated, it's probably hard to imagine prison being compa- rable to a warzone. But, the
fact of the matter is that, minus the explosions and con- stant gunfire, a majority of high level prison yards can be as dangerous as any battle- field.
The constant tension that comes with having to deal with a thousand different personal- ities (all of whom believe they are slicker and smarter than you), practicing restraint while enduring routine disrespect from cops, navigating daily disagreements that always carry the potential to turn deadly and being forced to continuously think for the next man or woman in an attempt to avoid catching an assault charge, make prisons some of the most volatile places on Earth.
Force a person to deal with all of these factors on a regular basis for 5 years or more and it shouldn't be surprising to dis- cover that the strongest of minds could begin to develop a few fissures.
When people discuss the high level of recidivism that occurs, after former inmates are released back into society,
I don't think enough attention is paid to the role P.T.S.D. plays in the delinquent behav- ior. If it is understood that a soldier can act irrationally fol- lowing his exposure to ex- treme mental trauma, why is it so hard for lawmakers to ac- cept the idea that a person who endured emotional hard- ships, while being held captive for an extended period of time, could also suffer a similar psy- chological breakdown?
Even though the soldier volunteers to sacrifice himself for the business interests of the United States and the in- mate is forced to sacrifice him- self to the prison industrial complex for the sake of corpo- rate, profit it doesn't change the fact that, at the end of the day, both experiences can se- verely twist an individual's view of reality.
If there was really a desire to stop crime and keep streets safe, the logical thing to do would be to address this issue by allocating more funding to- ward eliminating the disease instead of continually putting policies in place that simply combat the symptoms. But I guess, to those benefiting most from the problem, ignoring the facts and looking the other way makes much more perfect "cents."
Reality On Ice is © by the Florida Sentinel Bul- letin Publishing Com- pany. You can contact Mr. Barr at: cbar- ronice@gmail.com.
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The Legend Of Otis Anthony
istory will judge Otis An-
thony. Will it be kind or will it be caustic? Will it extol the fact that – other than the late Alton White and Robert Morrison, Otis Anthony, under Mayor Sandy Freedman, would become the closest to be Tampa’s first Black mayor, having served as Freed- man’s Executive Assistant?
Or, would it dredge up
strained relationship maintained
between Anthony and a disenchanted boss who was never impressed by Anthony’s politics or his poetry? But, was it Otis’s proclivity to sound like the Last Poets that rankled Freedman, or was Sandy Freedman’s major problem with Anthony the fact that he had more in common with Jack Kerouac and Bob Dylan than with Andy Young or Thurgood Marshall?
Otis was a true warrior without question.
To be sure, Otis Anthony was well at home with the likes and philosophies of M. L. King, Jr., W. E. B. DuBois, and even the Honorable Elijah Muhammad. Otis spent countless hours to increase awareness of Black History, working to change Buffalo Avenue to Dr. M. L. King, helping Black businesses secure con- tracts during the Super Bowl and desegregate the Gas- parilla Krewe, getting people to the polls to vote, establishing the collaborative African American Coali- tion and other community projects and goals.
But what many others found difficult to swallow was the fact Otis Anthony – “young, gifted and Black” – was an undeniable, unapologetic Dreamer, equaled only by his articulate and unconditional love for Black people, locally, nationally, and around the world.
Set his soul the spark of Langston Hughes and you’ve got a 24-karat gold Tampa Native Son.
As we’ve said earlier, only History will judge Otis Anthony.
But whether its conclusions are good or ill, one thing is certain: Otis Anthony is a hole in a bucket of water that will never be filled.
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OTIS ANTHONY
One More Day
If you can see the change you want to experience in your mind, you can manifest that change in your life. Don’t quit! Keep holding on one more day, every day until your change comes.
mpowered Greetings. You have made it one more day, one more week and one more month to November. Spiritually speaking, November is said to be a month of rest. If you’ve been trying to work it out by yourself, for yourself all year, I want to implore you to turn it over to Jesus and let Him give you rest. He will work it out!
Listen, I’m not saying give up, but I am saying give it over. The things that you’ve been toiling over month after month can be rectified in one more day. There’s a story of a
man named Joseph that was sent to prison for something he did not do. Others around him were set free. I am sure it left him wondering when his time was going to come, or even if his time was going to come. Instead of him getting mad, bitter and disillusioned about his fate, he held on one more day until his release came. I’m not sure who this column is for, but hear me when I say, don’t you faint! Stand strong ONE MORE DAY! Your release is coming.
The Bible says that Caleb was 40 years old when he spied out the promise land. However, it wasn’t until he was 85 years old before he was able to possess it. I’m not sure how long you’ve been waiting, but I am sure that in spite of the delays, that doesn’t mean you’re being denied. God is yet working on you and on your
behalf to get you positioned for the promise.
In one more day, if you wake up in the land of the living, you will have the opportunity to step into your set season of rest. In one more day, there could be a strategic turn around in your life that takes your business from being in the red, to being in the black.
In one more day, you can go from being broke, busted and disgusted to being bountifully blessed. In one more day, you can rise up from your bed of affliction and walk into wholeness in your health, inclusive of mind, body and spirit.
In one more day, you can go from a meandering ministry to one that is thriving because it’s winning souls for the kingdom, as God begins to add to it daily.
Whatever you need could be manifested in ONE MORE DAY! Will you believe that with me today? If so drop me a message or post on social media that simply says...ONE MORE DAY!
To request Selphenia to speak or train at your upcoming event call (813) 603-0088.
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