What is it for?
This morning, a young elderly couple living on Etting
Street, woke up to go get their prescription from the CVS on the corner two
blocks away from the house, only to find that it had been burnt to the ground
as a result of yesterday's events.
An elderly man living just off Westwood Avenue headed out to the corner
story to get some milk, only to find out it was also closed, because of
yesterday's event. It took a young,
latchkey kid, from the other side of town, four months to get used to catching
the bust through Mondawmin Mall just to get over to Digital Harbor, where he
enjoys going to school everyday, verses the previous school he attended, where
he felt left out like an outcast, and today he is waking up with no where to
go!
These are some of the challenges that Baltimore wakes up to
today, in the aftermath of what took place last night, but I ask you, what was
it all for?
I mean granted, I
understand we all want justice for #FreddieGray, but can someone please tell me
how rioting and looting a CVS then setting it on fire, along with a corner
carry out store, and then breaking into Mondawmin Mall to steal clothes and
shoes bring justice to Freddie Gray's memory and his family.
CVS had nothing to do with the
incident, in fact they came into the area and build an affordable and
accessible pharmacy and retail store that did not other wise exist, and good
luck trying to get the developers back if the building was a total loss.
The small business owners of the corner
carry out, I am sure, probably put their last into opening that store at the
end of the block, for the local area to use, but now that is gone, and I am
sure that insurance will only cover a portion of what they really lost.
But what was it all for?
To get a few bags of toiletries from
CVS, some lunch meat and bread from the store, and a few shoes and clothes from
the mall, none of which having anything to do with Freddie Gray.
I can remember back in the day, while attending Woodlawn
Middle School (1989-91) the cafeteria raised the cost for lunch and snacks,
and the student body got together, and organized a strike and a walk out at the
school, and it was very affective. However, we would never have even though
about destroying the school, the teachers and staffs auto, or even dare
consider doing any harm to the police.
But the kids today, and the generations today, have a lack of respect
for adults, and authority, which gives them a rebellious spirit of no fear, and
causing them to cross lines that previous generations would not even dream
of. But what is it for?
The Bible says in 1 Thessalonians 5:15, "Get along
among yourselves, each of you doing your part. Our counsel is that you warn the
freeloaders to get a move on. Gently encourage the stragglers, and reach out
for the exhausted, pulling them to their feet. Be patient with each person,
attentive to individual needs. And be careful that when you get on each other’s
nerves you don’t snap at each other. Look for the best in each other, and
always do your best to bring it out."
But what is it for? Right now, all the attention and the
spot light is on the City of Baltimore, and everyone is watching, so what that
means, are people are now going to flock to the area to push and promote their
own agenda claiming to be for the good of the city and the people and have
their best interest and that of the Family of Freddie Gray at heart but they
don't. You see in my experience, you have to learn the actual condition of the
people in order to offer the proper solution, and that ca not be learned in a
weeks time in front of cameras and the media. In this case, as in many others, you cannot effectively help
until you know the problem. I
mean, its just like asking the doctor to call in a prescription for your
sickness, without visiting the doctors office to get a diagnoses and as a
result, we have lost a generation, and its continuing to die as we speak, and
yesterday that was clearly evident.
You see, for me, yesterday did nothing more than to shed a
light on the lost generation stating nothing more than, where are our
leaders? Where are those who would
teach right from wrong, and respect and discipline? Where are those to show how to effectively get your voice
heard, with out offensively causing a problem or being a part of the
issue? We have too many of our
leaders chasing after the spotlight, and not enough of them on their knees
praying to God on what direction to go.
Let's face it, this city has been building up to this point for years,
and it did not happen over night, or with the Freddie Gray incident. But long before and our God has been
calling this city as well as this country, back to becoming a nation of prayer,
as it was built upon in the beginning, but just like Mosses, God has told our
leaders to speak to the rock, with prayer and fasting, and instead, some of
them have chosen to strike the rock instead, and maybe that is why so many of
them are being exposed, because just like Mosses, you can not go into the
promise land with disobedience.
Life and death has always been in the power of the tongue,
and until such time that we learn to use it properly, we will continue to have
these issues. We need to fall back
and begin to speak to our youth, but moreover, we need to listen to our youth
because they are crying out for leadership and guidance, not for attention as
some would have it be, because if not, what is it for. So my call to action today is for the
true leaders in this city, that have a voice and a platform to use, I simply
ask you this, what, is it for!
Be Blessed
Read: 1 Thessalonians 5:15-28
