Why I, an FOI, am not in Ferguson Protesting (A Report from the most active and dangerous part of the Battle Field – the Streets) I just returned home from another night in the dangerous streets of Chicago, the killing fields. A contingent of FOI went out to one of the most active “ganglands” right now in South Side Chicago, an area whose central amenity is a neighborhood park dubbed “Murder Park” for self-explanatory reasons. The neighborhood is currently suffering from a particularly “turned up” cycle of tit for tat “gang” violence that, most recently (last weekend) took a beautiful 16 year old Sister with a bullet to her head, and in retaliation a 17 year old Brother was shot 8 times while he had his 3 year old child in his arms. The Nation of Islam has been mediating between the two sides trying to put the brakes on this out-of-control spiral. We entered this dangerous neighborhood – at night – not to grandstand or even to “have a presence.” We went to do “door-to-door combat”. That’s right. Our weapon, however, was pure LOVE for our people and the urgent desire to STOP THE KILLING and see our children LIVE. As I led my particular unit door-to-door, I disarmed each resident with Love when they courageously decided to open the door after looking out and seeing me and the Soldier with me. Elderly Brother and Sisters, young men and women, babies and pittbulls - I encountered them all. I told each household that I had the pleasure to engage that we are the Nation of Islam and the Honorable Brother Minister Farrakhan has sent us all here to your neighborhood to tell you that HE loves you deeply and that WE love you and that HE and WE have reached the “Enough is Enough” point regarding the burying of your and our children in this community. I told them our desire to help stop this cycle of violence and how THEY can help US (NOI) help US (Black people of the community) stop the violence and death. They were each and every one relieved, hopeful, proud, and aw-struck, but also scared - for them and for US. They shared with us their fears – even the fear of grown MEN to step outside their gated front yard at that hour. And many of them admonished us with trepidation: “Y’all be safe out here.” The reason for the fear for themselves and for us was because, at THAT hour of the night, the ONLY ones outside in THAT neighborhood were the young Hittas, the shooters responsible for the cycle of violence. And some of those Hittas saw us I’m sure, as did the police units that tailed us from a distance. I’m sure we even talked to some of those Hittas as we approached the young men hanging out. But we fear nothing but Allah. We the FOI had entered the Valley of Death out of the love of our people and the hunger to stop the slaughter of our children, and we left that Valley of Death safely, leaving hope and some guidance behind us. I and those FOI with whom I soldiered tonight were not in Ferguson protesting the unjust and tragic murder of our Brother Michael Brown because we were in the killing fields of Chicago (Chiraq) trying to arrest the violence that resulted in 7 killed and 29 wounded since Friday alone. We were at the homes of our suffering people, imprisoned on their porch out of fear. Many of you Facebook and Youtube critics of the Nation of Islam got it waayy twisted. You foolishly think that my work is limited to the lectures you view online or the writings of mine that you download. You don’t know about my REAL work and our – the NOI - REAL work in the streets, the very streets that YOU fear to tread. We are going to the homes of our suffering people. Most of you Social Media, lecture circuit and Blogtalk Revolutionaries cannot relate. However, you sure can criticize and talk a lot of ra ra bullshit. But know this: until YOU start volunteering to enter the very Valleys of Death were our people are actually dying and come up out of them safely having left hope and guidance behind, I’m not hearing a damn thing you got to say. I’m just being honest. So yes, I pain for my Brother Michael Brown and desperately want justice for him. And if there were something that I could do that could make a difference, I would do it in a heartbeat. But Brother Michael doesn’t need me in Ferguson protesting. There are enough of you there doing that. On the other hand, there are comparatively VERY, VERY FEW people in the streets of South Side Chicago trying to arrest the cycle of violence that takes our people away by the hundreds every single year.
Posted on: Thu, 21 Aug 2014 04:59:53 +0000
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