Page 6 - Florida Sentinel 7-31-20

The Florida Sentinel Editorial Board Endorses:
Representative in Congress District 15
Jesse Philippe
State Representative District 70
Atty. Michele Rayner
Clerk of Court
Kevin Beckner
Tax Collector
Nancy Millan
Board of County Commissioners District 1
Harry Cohen
Board of County Commissioners District 3
Thomas Scott
Circuit Court Judge Group 9
John Schifino
Circuit Court Judge Group 19
Michael Scionti
Circuit Court Judge Group 30
Helene Daniel
Circuit Court Judge Group 31
Greg Green
Circuit Court Judge Group 39
Wendy DePaul
County Court Judge Group 7
Bill Yanger
School Board District 1
Steve Cona
School Board District 3
Alexandra Gilmore
School Board District 5
Henry ‘Shake’ Washington
School Board District 7
Jeffrey Johnson
Answer ‘No’ to any Tax increases
Sheep Don't Belong In The Jungle
Over the last 50 years I don't think anything has become more common in the Black community than vio- lence. Along with death and taxes, for most of us who spent time growing up in inner cities, exposure to some form of bru- tality came with the territory.
When I think back, one of my earliest memories in life is that of a man being kicked in the head while laying on the Scott Street sidewalk in old Central Park Village. I was too young to remember who I was with at the time or where I was going. But I'll never forget the sight of the blood pouring from that man's skull mixing with the rain water sitting next to the curb.
That recollection crossed my mind the other day while I was watching the news and seeing stories about the gun vi- olence that has, once again, erupted across the United States. And, as is typically the case when shooting deaths skyrocket, Black people all over are desperately trying to figure out how to make the madness stop!
Of course, the cry for a cease-fire is nothing new. Preachers, city officials, police
chiefs and even rappers have been attempting to get the "stop the violence" message out for decades.. But, unfortu- nately, those pleas are often made in vain because many of the ears they are trying to reach have gone tone deaf.
The problem, that may be impossible to solve at this point, is that the perpetrators wreaking all of the havoc sim- ply don't give a damn.
Catchy P.S.As (public serv- ice announcements), gun buy- back programs and rap songs promoting peace are largely ineffective due the fact that the people pulling the triggers don't pay attention to com- mercials, laugh at the idea of selling their sticks (guns) to the cops and could care less about some corny rapper's positive lyrics.
Their only concerns, for the most part, are their own self- interests. And anyone who gets killed in the midst of that pur- suit, our sons, daughters, fa- thers, friends etc.., are merely considered collateral damage.
With this being the case, asking them to simply "stop," comes off as an exercise in fu- tility. This is mainly due to the fact that, just as the lion has no
sympathy for its prey, those who view their neighborhoods as hunting grounds are just as indifferent to their potential victims.
Since none of the strategies that have been implemented over the years have been suc- cessful at taming the wild, it seems as though the best way to keep our loved ones alive going forward is by giving them better instruction on how to navigate the wilder- ness.
That means spending more time drilling into their heads the perils that come with tak- ing the fast lane to riches, going into greater detail with our daughters on how to spot born losers who are prone to violence; warning our sons about the dangers that come with being involved with shady females and strippers who tend to always be clicked up with robbers; and, most im- portantly, giving them the wis- dom behind why sharing all of their business (especially any- thing financial) on social media is never a good idea.
Of course, even if this ad- vice is adhered to, it probably won't end all of the bloodshed that we witness. But, hope- fully, it will go a long way to- ward reducing the number of easy targets who appear to be unaware that they're running the streets blindfolded.
Reality On Ice is © by the Florida Sentinel Bul- letin Publishing Com- pany. You can contact Mr. Barr at: cbar- ronice@gmail.com.
Editorial
The John Lewis Bridge
In Selma, Alabama, a bridge in mention has a spotted legacy. Named in honor of a card- carrying Ku Klux Klan member and the site of one of the bloodiest Civil Rights clashes in American history, the so-named Bloody Sunday Massacre, the Edmund Pettus Bridge still stands defiantly if in name only, representing a time of hatred and mockery when vestiges of antebellum America brazenly raised its ugly head.
Well, we believe as does millions of people worldwide would agree, that the name of the Edmund Pettus Bridge must be changed. The new name should be the John Lewis Bridge. And as it is changed, there is another corresponding thought to consider.
This is the best time for us to call upon Congress to amend the United States Consti- tution to include the language of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 in order to stop its future expiration. The Voting Rights Act was signed into law in 1965, and was set to expire in August 2007, but was reauthorized for another 25 years. The act has undergone several enforcement-related amendments through the years.
Today, Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has refused to hold hear- ings or move a Voting Rights Amendment submitted by the House almost a year ago. Re- ferred to as “the most critical and powerful opponent for protecting American voting rights,” McConnell stated in his memoir book, “there’s no need for Congress to restore part of the law struck down three years ago, ... a provision that required states to receive federal permission before making changes to voting rights procedures.”
McConnell’s actions alone are proof of the need to make the Voting Rights Act an amendment to the United States Constitution.
Therefore, the residents of every state in America should petition his or her repre- sentatives to request that their state support changing the Voter Rights Act to a Consti- tutional Amendment. This alone would be a healing bridge between our nation and its Black population, and would be the most meaningful honor to be bestowed upon Con- gressman Lewis.
PAGE 6-A FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY FRIDAY FRIDAY, JULY 31, 2020