Page 5 - Florida Sentinel 6-12-18

Columns
FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN
(USPS 202-140)
2207 21st Avenue, Tampa Florida 33605 • (813) 248-1921 Published Every Tuesday and Friday By
FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHING Co., Member of National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA)
S. KAY ANDREWS, PUBLISHER
C. BLYTHE ANDREWS III, PRESIDENT/CONTROLLER ALLISON WELLS-CLEBERT, CFO
GWEN HAYES, EDITOR
IRIS HOLTON, CITY EDITOR
BETTY DAWKINS, ADVERTISING DIRECTOR HAROLD ADAMS, CIRCULATION MANAGER TOYNETTA COBB, PRODUCTION MANAGER LAVORA EDWARDS, CLASSIFIED MANAGER
Subscriptions-$44.00-6 Months Both Editions: $87.00-Per Year Both Editions.
Opinions expressed on editorial pages of this newspaper by Columnists or Guest Writers, do not necessarily reflect the editorial stance of The Florida Sentinel Bulletin or the Publisher.
aising a child is tricky
these days. They are a lot more advanced than we were at their age. So the tra- ditional methods used on us way back when probably won’t register the same way.
Just telling your son or daughter not to do some- thing because it’s wrong or will bring them trouble isn’t going to cut it anymore. The call of the streets is far more powerful and alluring than the fear of any potential ram- ifications.
And, since there isn’t a proven way of stopping them from going out and experi- encing it for themselves and no one wants to be the par- ent receiving the call from central booking at 4 a.m. or asking the community for help with burial expenses, the best thing, it seems, would be to prepare our kids for what they’ll eventually experience once they decide to stay out long after the street lights start flickering.
The following are the ten most important pieces of ad- vice to give that child already headed in the wrong direc- tion. It is a shame that this is even necessary. But what else can we do?
10.) Never Trust a Motor-mouth: Not only are these individuals super annoying, but most of the time they’re talking fast be- cause they’re trying to beat you out of something. And, since people who talk this much usually end up reveal- ing too much, it would be wise to keep them out of your business.
9.) Avoid Beefs That Involve A Woman Or Money: I don’t think there are any two issues on Earth that have filled more prisons or graveyards than these two things. To stay out of either, I suggest you pay whatever you owe, don’t lend to those who can’t pay and if you run across a female who lacks the
capacity to keep it real, let him have her and consider yourself lucky that you were able unload a problem you didn’t need.
8.) Knowing The Law Makes All The Differ- ence: I can’t stress this enough. If you must be in the gutters and alleys, you have to know the rules of the game. That means under- standing things like the value of keeping a valid driver’s li- cense when you’re behind the wheel of a car and what officers can and can not do when you get pulled over. Most people never learn the law until after the fact. Stay a step ahead and it will save you a lot of time and cash.
7.) Be Cautious Of Mimes: These are people who are too quiet. The exact opposite of motor mouths. Never forget. The guy who doesn’t speak stays in deep thought and is always plot- ting. His silence is part of his strategy. He tries not to draw attention so that he can make moves without being no- ticed. People like this are ex- tremely intelligent and very dangerous. Sleep on them at your own risk.
6.) Stay Away From Stupid People: These are usually individuals from your old neighborhood. They don’t know how to act in public and will always get you involved in something that either ends in a fight or jail. Be cool when you see them. But keep it pushing.
5.) Always Protect Yourself: S.T.D.’s are run- ning rampant. And antibi- otics are becoming more and more useless. Condoms should be your new best friend. And now that they have H.I.V. home testing kits, you shouldn’t leave home without one of those either.
4.) Never Ride In A Car Too Deep: I know hanging with your friends is
cool. But nothing spells trou- ble more than a car full of young people cruising. If there are 4 or more individu- als in a car, chances are, somebody is going to have a gun, drugs or both. And when you get pulled over, unless that person is willing to take the hit, everybody’s going down. It’s always safer to roll solo.
3.) Do Your Home- work: Whether it’s a new love interest or business partner, always research the people who you choose to keep close to you. This is very important when you start making power moves be- cause you don’t want any surprises down the road when the pressure comes and your life is in their hands.
2) Get A Good Lawyer: Living in the streets also means coming into contact with members of law enforcement. If this is the life you want it’s always a good thing to have a litigator on your team. Trust me. You are going to need one unless, of course, you get pinched by the Feds. If that happens, it doesn’t matter who you hire, your little butt is going to prison.
And, finally, the num- ber one thing to remem- ber when running with the wolves is to keep your cool. Never, ever utter the phrase “F—- THAT S—- !!” during moments of frus- tration. Everything that comes after you say those words is going to end badly.
Once you make that statement it means you’ve thrown caution to the wind, you don’t care what happens next and now you’re about to do something that you’re probably going to regret for the rest of your life. Instead, breathe deeply, Woosah, and think before you act.
This is pretty much all anyone can tell you. Hope- fully, it works out for the best. If not, at least you can’t say you didn’t know what was coming when you de- cided to make the jungle your new home.
Reality On Ice is © by the Florida Sentinel Bul- letin Publishing Com- pany. You can contact Mr. Barr at: cbar- ronice@gmail.com.
10 Tips For The Kid On The Brink
POSTMASTER: Send Address Change To: Florida Sentinel Bulletin,
P.O. Box 3363 Tampa, FL 33601 Periodical Postage Paid At Tampa, FL
C. Blythe Andrews 1901-1977 (1945)
C. Blythe Andrews, Jr. 1930-2010 (1977)
Voting Rights Used To Continue The Punishment After Prison
t baffles us sometimes why academicians even
bother to conduct research.
Why bother when politicians don’t read the reports, just ignore them, or think the research is fake news?
For example, Florida researchers long ago discov- ered that allowing ex-felons to register and vote re- duces the recidivism (re-arrest) rates. Even after a person has completed a prison sentence and is no longer on probation or parole, America still refuses to allow him or her, the right to vote.
In fact, committing any felony in America is a life sentence of refusals for jobs, refusals of the right to vote, and refusals of the right to fair housing . . . all rea- sons why many ex-felons end up being re-arrested.
In fact, an estimated 2.2 million Black Americans were among the 6.2 million Americans (35 percent) who weren’t allowed to vote during the 2016 election because they had a felony conviction. More than 21 per- cent of the felons who are prevented from voting in the states of Florida (21%), Kentucky (26%), Tennessee (21%), and Virginia (22%) are Black.
No doubt, politicians use those figures to keep felons from voting. After all, Black “imprisonment rates have consistently exceeded” those of whites since the Civil War era.
Data for the period 1850 to 2002 shows that states with greater nonwhite populations have historically been more likely to bar convicted felons from voting than states with proportionately fewer nonwhites.
However, a Virginia governor who reinstated the voting rights of 173,000 ex-felons before he left office in January 2018,was quoted saying, “Because the U. S. criminal justice system disproportionately incarcer- ates people of color – African Americans are incarcer- ated at a rate five times that of whites – this translates into a disproportionate number of minorities unable to vote.
Therefore, the disproportionate impact of voting laws on Black Americans and other minorities is one of the most important reasons ex-felons should have their voting rights restored immediately after complet- ing their prison sentences.
After all, it’s the right thing to do.
R
I
TUESDAY, JUNE 12, 2018 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY PAGE 5