Shit, if anybody is “chaff”, you're just as much chaff as they are.

Sister Karen Klimczak (you can google her), was murdered a number of years ago in Buffalo, NY, in Hope House, a place for men coming out of the justice system who needed a place to live, work and a chance to get on their feet. Hope House is right across the street from a city hospital where many people who were shot in street fights were taken and she was also chaplain and ministered to families and victims. For several years before she died, she did such a thing there — not for black on black homicides but for all homicides — posting the days since the last homicide in Buffalo on a HUGE white dove sign right in front of her house where the ambulances passed by. It had a HUGE impact on the city. . .
http://wwwimage.cbsnews.com/images/2006/04/19/i...

Put a counter that documents the number of Black people killed at the hands of another Black person and broadcast it on every TV station, have it as the header of every black themed website, etc.

And the same can be done for those who are sentenced and incarcerated.

No matter where you are in this country, it needs to be shown how our population is diminishing due to violence and prison.

And I love Geoffrey Canada's vision and spirit, too.

then i like geoffrey canada's spirit, that we need figure out and to do “whatever it takes,” no matter how hard. he's the guy from the harlem childen's zone. he starts education with parents before their children are even born and has education workers out there doing regular neighborhood visits and door knocking to get people involved.

Solutions that I see working in our neighborhoods:

JOBS, not just any “red shirt” jobs but meaningful work. We hire and train teenagers who go out and offer free high quality after school programming in the areas of the city most in need of educational resources. Another strategy we use is hiring young people of color from all over the city— across schools, ethnic groups, neighborhoods and their performance in school (we actually actively hire mostly youth who are not necessarily thriving in school).

Old school but still effective are TEAM SPORTS that mix up young people from different neighborhoods and housing developments that have beefs. New school are collaborative MULTIMEDIA PROJECTS between groups of youth that are in conflict with one another. To pull this off takes someone who lives in the neighborhood and has developed relationships with the youth. OGs ( street “saints” who often have been pretty impressive “sinners” in the past) are often very effective. . . because they speak from experience and have credibility.

In youth development, what we know works to catalyze change in general are CARING ADULTS and the chance to BUILD SOMETHING — be it a robot, a team, a budding entrepreneurial business, a video, a street mural. . . the aha feeling of “I can do that!” is infectious. When there is a critical mass of caring adults who are committed over the long haul in a community, then change CAN be catalyzed.

and simply the truth.

Can this become a commercial or a PSA, broadcast on networks over and over and over, until it becomes embedded and a part of our conscious……picked up especially by those networks whose target audience are Black people….I wish.

Violence, death, oppression has become normalized and many of us desensitized. We are beyond “ENOUGH!”

I'm so upset that this series ends @ #4. It's not enough. So many unanswered questions. I'm left hoping for more updates and positive outcomes. Its a beautiful sight to see such complex issues on TV.

Anyway. Yes, the principal and assistant principal are real heroes to me. Strong caring black men working with our kids!!! Fantastic. I don't know a series that is more honest or more inspiring. Hopefully, we will see many many more.

I grew up in a planned community in the suburbs. So in that respect it does not reflect my childhood. However, he does capture my work experience searching with hope for the answers to our common social ills.

What can I say about Corey Booker?! I have hope and faith in Barack Obama, because he has Corey Booker as a role model.

Effective solutions: There is a program called the Parent Leadership Training Institute based out of Connecticut- founded by a woman named Elaine Zimmerman. It teaches parents, caregivers, etc how to use the government & community networks to create a better life for children. Each participant is taught about servant leadership and mentored to complete a community project of their choosing. The Connecticut folks have several “branch” programs around the nation. There is one in Alexandria, VA. Fantastic outcomes & transformations.
The Connecticut website http://www.cga.ct.gov/COC/plti.htm
The Alexandria website http://www.plti-alex.org