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The saying is “All politics is local” and that goes for the politics of the much-heralded stimulus package as well.  When folks on the ground hear numbers like several billion dollars here, a couple of hundred million there, the question arises, “how do we get our share?”
We thought one of the best ways to answer that was to ask someone who knows how the system works and the person who knows better than most is Mr. Bill Lynch, president of Bill Lynch Associates, Deputy Mayor in the Dinkins Administration, campaign manager and political consultant/lobbyist extraordinaire.
What can community groups do to access the stimulus dollars we keep hearing about?  “You can’t assume it’s automatic, the operative word is “shovel-ready.”  By “shovel-ready,” Mr. Lynch is not just speaking about construction jobs, he is speaking of programs and proposals that address many different areas.   “We have to be sure the programs are there and we have to be diligent in how that money is spent by the state and local government.  That it doesn’t get chewed up in the traditional places, like police and fire.  Not that those things are not important, but things that are important to local communities.”
How do we agree on what has to be done and then how do we translate that into programs that are fundable?   Suggesting there is no need to reinvent the wheel, Mr. Lynch said of existing nonprofits, “Most community programs have always been what I call ‘shovel-ready.’  That might be a misnomer as we talk here, there are plenty of community programs that have been written and are on the shelf and never get funded.  It’s time to pull it down, shake the dust off of it, and get it ready to be funded.  And then go advocate for it to City Hall or the State office.  Or the governor’s office.”
Speaking regarding how to advocate effectively, Lynch said to always keep in mind, “It’s the squeaky wheel that gets the grease.”  It was reported in the past that Mr. Lynch has said he wasn’t a salesman, but from his advice on advocacy, he knows how to direct them.  He said of the nonprofits, “They have to be down at City Hall, making their argument.  Or up at the State building right now, making their argument.  Or talk to their local legislators again making their argument, about where that money will go, once it comes into the state.”
Since all politics is local, work has to be done to ensure the stimulus package is local as well.  “I say talk to your Councilmember or State representative.  Write to the governor or the governor’s people.  Write to the mayor.  It’s the squeaky wheel.”
But there are times when an individual sees a situation that needs to be addressed, where action needs to be taken.  At those times, working alone is not the answer, says Lynch.   “The first thing to do is organize.  Find others who would be or are affected by it.  Bring them all together.  An example would be people in a housing project all being affected by the same problem.  I’d try to get them all together to advocate with me to deal with the problem. Go to the Assembly or the Senate at the State level and also they should coalesce with others.  For example, say a number of people in your area are union members.   You would say, “Let’s go see if they will join with us.”  I’ve seen that happen a number of times.  They might be transit workers, so you get the Transit Workers Union involved.  They might be members of 1199, so you get 1199 involved.  All of that forces attention.”
Is it better to approach elected officials as partners in your concern, rather than as antagonists?  “Absolutely.  If you go to an elected official with a couple of hundred neighbors and friends, the official is going to say, “How can I help you?  How can I join this?”
Why is it with so many Black-elected officials, there has not been a similar advancement of the masses of Black people?  “Just because there is an African-American in office, it doesn’t mean political power has shifted automatically.  I say when you see an African-American in those offices, they’re more sensitive to the problems of Black communities.  But at the same time, they’re being pressured by other parts of the community.”  It’s not that white political power has diminished, “it’s that ours has increased,” says Lynch.   “So it is not as easy as you think to make things happen.  And I think a lot of times what happens, people in the African-American community say, ‘Well we’ve got our person there, so we don’t have to do anything.’  No, you still have to be diligent, and keep the pressure on.  Even though they are from your community, you still have to keep the pressure on.”
You mean even with Barack Obama as President, we can’t just sit back and wait?  “No you can’t. When he talks about everybody having to be involved, he’s talking about us too.”
How can we ensure that African-Americans get the jobs that are coming into the communities?  “Again, be diligent. You have to insist that it happen, it’s not going to happen automatically.   If you’re not there watching, if you’re not standing in line to see what’s going on, when the dust settles you’ll be there scratching your head and wondering what happened.  If you make the assumption you’re going to be taken care of, that’s a bad assumption. There is no guarantee just because someone of color has been elected that they’ll take care of you.  The potential is better that way, but they do for those who keep the pressure on them.”
How has the Obama election affected the thinking of politicians?  “I think it’s still too early to tell.  A lot of people are taking a look at what he put together.  What the outcome will be is still up in the air, he’s only been in office two months.  Still trying to figure out how he raised that much money.” Last words regarding the stimulus package, “The community has to be diligent about insuring that the stimulus money gets down to the grassroots level.  If they’re not diligent, it’ll slide away and they’ll wonder what happened.  It’s like everything else.  If you take your eye off, it’ll go someplace else.”

Bill Lynch: Power Broker
Bill Lynch Associates is consultant to Councilman John Liu in his bid to become Comptroller and the first Asian to be elected citywide and also for Cy Vance, running for Manhattan District Attorney, now that Robert Morgenthau has given up the ghost before he became one.  Lynch said the Liu race was “very important for the kind of coalition I’ve worked for all my life.”  This race has an historical significance as well for Lynch.  “I was involved with David Dinkins as the first citywide African-American candidate, Freddie Ferrer, although he didn’t win, as first citywide Latino candidate.  And now we’re with John Liu as the first citywide Asian candidate.”
Over the years, Lynch said the work of bringing a nonwhite candidate to citywide office does not get easier, “but I think now people are more accepting of candidates of color.”
In the mayor’s race, Lynch says, “ We’re supporting Bill Thompson, he’s not our primary client,” such as Liu or Vance, for whom Lynch Associates act as general consultants and run the show, recommending strategy, pollsters and personnel.  “For Thompson, we’re just one of the consultants.”
During the interview, a call came in.  Apparently, Patrick Gaspard, political director at the White House, had asked Lynch for recommendations for a position, “and your name came up,” Lynch told the caller, who was returning his call.  “Are you interested in working for Obama?  Good. Send me your resume and I’ll forward it.”    Later, we asked Mr. Lynch about Gaspard, and he said, “I consider him one of my protégés.  I recruited him in 1988 to work with Jesse Jackson, he worked with us in City Hall, and we’ve stayed in touch ever since.”

40 Women, 40 Years of Philanthropyby Darrion J. Beckles
Brooklyn, New York- When the phrase 40/40 is mentioned aloud, you may envision the swag social venue in Midtown Manhattan, run by the famous rap mogul – that‘s not the case in Bedford Stuyvesant.  Forty/forty now brings about thoughts of activism, philanthropy, feminism.  Forty years, forty women.

Forty, in the first instance, is a reference to the fortieth anniversary of Hattie Carthan’s 1960’s eco-cause becoming a neighborhood fixture- the Magnolia Tree Earth Center.

Last month, at a Von King Park celebration it represented also the remarkable determination — years of duty — by forty remarkable women philanthropists, who through their tenacity and hard work, are improving their communities forty-fold, women who, like the late Hattie Carthan, show love to their community through endless hours of activism and community service.
On Monday, March 29th, community legends like Mary Von King (activist and the wife of the park’s late namesake, Herbert Von King), Mama Leah, Mother Olatunji, and Alma Duke Carroll, as well as thirty six other queens on the community activist front were “immortalized” on the theater’s wall of living legends> And deservedly so.

They nurtured their neighborhoods with care and attention, and for that, before an audience of loved ones and supporters, they were honored.   The event, Von King Park’s 2nd Annual Women’s History Month Awards and Hattie Carthan award ceremony saluted sisters, mothers, wives, co-workers and friends. Two days before women’s history month came to a close, teachers, principals, executives, gardeners, council representatives, non profit women, corporate women, and community activists came from near and far to cheer and celebrate in “You Go, Girl” fashion. Broadcaster Ann Tripp delivered of New York soul station WBLS delivered a beautiful keynote urging women to be at the forefront of delivering messages of activism for a better earth.  It was an event prepared for the seasoned activists, but was powered by the spry enthusiasm of the future philanthropists. The youngsters weren’t just there to observe; they were involved.  Preparing a scrumptious brunch buffet for all of the award winners and guests, and entertaining the audience with a five course serving of spoken word doesn’t even begin to describe their level contribution.

Recipients and organizers sang praises for the youngsters, who that day, dispelled the stereotype of the aimless -minority- youth.  Honoree Carroll, community organizer, said she believes in the important of keeping the lines of communication between young folks open -and strong- with those who have been there before. There was a broad consensus in Von King Park’s Eubie Blake Theater that the torch, when passed, will be in capable hands, athlete Mary deSaussere told us.  They have proven themselves.  “Give them guidance, structure, and nurturing, you’ll have a solid foundation,” said ten -year volunteer and event organizer Charlotte Renee Mial, who was given one of the highest honors of the afternoon for her own work with the youth as head of the Culinary Arts Program..

In addition to the 40 women being awarded, four of Bedford Stuyvesant history’s most revered women were given high honors and acknowledgements:  education activist Almira Coursey, neighborhood and brownstone preservationist Ruby Ford, the Honorable Lucille Rose, the city’s first black woman Judge, and community icon and larger than life Brooklyn legend Hattie Carthan, the environmentalist.   Sidney Moshette accepted for the late Almira Coursey and announced there’s talk in the air of naming the Von King park ampitheater after Mrs. Coursey.  The award was named appropriately after one of Brooklyn’s toughest activists.   In Hattie Carthan’s day activism was as simple as taking action when your favorite tree is being threatened.  Many of these ladies were born and raised in a time of fire hoses, segregation, lynching, cross burnings, and segregation- America‘s apartheid era.  Every woman receiving the award sees Mrs. Carthan as a shining example.  She was the woman who planted the seed that allowed them to grow as community leaders, so it was an honor for them to know that they were following in the footsteps of one of the village’s greatest, most active philanthropists.    Lois Alma Gilliard, known throughout Brooklyn as Mama Leah, is a volunteer arts instructor, civil rights solider and community matriarch. She offered words of wisdom for the future forty as the crowd filed out of the auditorium: “The women that are here will just not sit back now; they will let this be an opportunity to be energized and refueled and not necessarily view anything different than what they have been doing.”
The event was about giving back to the community.  And that is what the creative mind behind the event, Charlotte Mial, did by organizing and composing the day.  It was her idea to involve the youth in the event preparations in celebration of the community heroes.  Recreation specialist Larry Banks, a composer and drama coach, and Center Manager Lemuel Mial recorded Banks’ original song, “Woman,” for the honorees; and John Llanos, a former archaeologist,  created -by hand- 40 vases without even the thought of credit or compensation. Both the CD’s and hand-signed Vases were available in gift bags, along with copies of March Essence Magazine and Vogue’s now historic issue with First Lady Michelle Obama on the cover. The givers received their just due from those who cherish and appreciate giving.

The atmosphere of the day was full of hope, enthusiasm, gratitude, excitement, pride and positive energy.  There was a subtle electricity in the air as recipients, guests, friends, families, supporters, and observers put it to a greater power in speech and in prayer for another forty years of excellence from the women of Brooklyn.  But as one of the award winners exclaimed before and after the stage was cleared, “if it aint in ya, then it cant come out.”The spirits of Hattie Carthan and Mr. Von King watched on, with a smile, with confidence, seeing their work gave birth to something wonderful.   (Darrion Beckles is a Brooklyn-based writer and community news reporter. He can be reached at  warriorscribe@gmail.com )

After a few moments passed by, several white males walked into the room and examined their    anatomy.  In many cases, the examination of these human specimens leads to much debate over who is promised to receive the next available Black or Hispanic person to work the field.  On some occasions the white males would attempt to lure the men of color by telling them that they would be under better conditions if they were placed in their care.  After the man or woman is picked, they are then put out in the field to carry out the difficult and extremely dangerous job that they were chosen for.  In many cases they are seriously injured and sometimes they lose their lives. 
Although those who are responsible for them are aware of the hazards that are associated with their tasks, little is done to ensure their safety or correct the conditions that cause their harm.  For all practical purposes, the actions of those who put them in this circumstance indicates that these Blacks and Hispanics are dispensable.  
The scenario that was just laid out is not a rendition of a slave auction taking place during the 1800s.  It is instead the cruel and sad plight that plagues the daily life of  Blacks and Hispanics who perform undercover work for the New York City Police Department.  This climate contributes to many of the serious injuries and sometimes death of undercover officers.  The answer to how and why this 21st-century slavelike condition still exists could only be understood by taking a close look at the job of an undercover officer. 
In many cases the initiative to become an undercover officer has much to do with how career advancement is carried out in the American law enforcement community.  New York City is only one example of what takes place in all of our nation=s police agencies.  There are two primary tracks an officer could take to advance through the ranks of law enforcement. One way is to take a promotional examination to become a supervisor and the other is to following the investigator route, which leads to becoming a detective.
If a police officer decides to take the detective route to advancement, he would be assigned to one of the police departments many investigator units. 
Out of the list of units he could be assigned to, the two most dangerous are those that require officers to work undercover to rid our communities of guns and drugs.  It is in these two assignments that American police agencies= dark racist secret is lived out. 
There are three ways that a police officer can be assigned to one of these two units. He could be either a supervisor, an investigator or an undercover.
Out of the three positions it is the role as an undercover that is the most dangerous.  That officer is responsible for being in close proximity with the often-armed drug or gun dealer.  Eighty to ninety percent of the officers who are assigned to be undercovers are either Black or Hispanic, while the opposite is true for those who are assigned as supervisors or investigators. 
It leads many to ask why don=t Blacks and Hispanic apply for an investigator position in these units or choose one of the less dangerous detective path assignments.  The answer lies in the racist actions of the police department.
 When Blacks and Hispanics attempt to choose other assignments they are told that all that is available is the role as an undercover.  
During the interviews process for entry into the two units that buy guns or drugs,   supervisors fight over having the Black or Hispanic officer work the streets for them reminiscing of how plantation owners bid on a newly arrived slave buck. 
Not only is the assignment of an undercover extremely dangerous, they also work under correctable hazardous conditions. Under humane conditions an officer should not spend more than three years being an undercover.  Although this recommendation was put in place by the police department, many undercovers are buying drugs or guns well over these number of years.  They also are forced to continually purchase  guns or drugs in the same areas where they have been already identified as being police officers.  This increases the risk of being injured.
Another area of danger is the listening device that is used by the undercover to call for help when an assignment has gone bad.  Although modern technology has produced several technological advancements in improving communication, the police department has not made these improvements available to the dangerous assignment of undercovers.  On far too many occasions an undercover=s calls for help is not heard.  This leads to serious assaults and some cases possible death. 

The police department justifies their assignment of Blacks and Hispanics to the dangerous assignment of undercovers by stating that only this group can successfully infiltrate  the illegal world of dealers of drugs and guns.  This reasoning is a terrible indication of the imbedded racism in how police agencies fight crime.  Although a successful undercover operation is welcomed in communities of color, the small amounts of drugs and guns that are recovered are only the tip of the iceberg of what is possessed in affluent communities.  If there are no undercover operations taking place in all areas of the city then the police department is ignoring a large portion of criminal behavior.  FBI stats have long shown that drugs are used just as much in white areas of the city as in communities of color.
In addition, some of the less dangerous undercover assignments such as Vice enforcement,  which includes gambling and prostitution, takes place in Black and Hispanic communities.  Yet, the overwhelming numbers of officers assigned to these units are whites.  In many cases when Black female officers are assigned to units such as the Vice unit, they only remain there for three months to be decoy prostitutes.  After the three months are up they send them back to uniform assignments to avoid having to promote them to detectives. 
Because police work has an inherit amount of danger associated to it, it is imperative that the nation=s police agencies do all that they could to alleviate harm to officers assigned to protect us.   The concern for this must be ensured for all men and women in law enforcement, including Black and Hispanic officers.

Members of the Legal Services Staff Association (LSSA) with support from members of other UAW locals will picket their employer, Legal Services-NYC, an Thursday, April 2lst at 5:30pm in front of its main office located at 350 Broadway (6etween Franklin and Leonard Streets) prior to the meeting of the Board of Directors of LS-NYC.  Members are protesting the firing of Bill Henderson, longtime union representative and Senior Attorney at Bedford-Stuyvesant Community Legal Services. Mr. Henderson was fired after numerous acts of retaliation against him by Victor Olds, the director of this Long- troubled program.
Since Mr. Olds was hired in March 2007 all but one attorney, including managers, have left the program leaving only one experienced attorney on staff to serve a community with one of the most concentrated poor populations in New York City. Mr, Henderson, a family law attorney with over 20 years of experience, was the target of numerous adverse actions by Mr Olds which lead to the filing of pending Unfair Labor Practice charges with the NLRB and grievances pursuant to the Collective Bargaining Agreement between LS-NYC and LSSA. LS-NYC Executive Director Andrew Scherer summarily denied each of the grievances which now must be decided by an arbitrator.

LSSA President Gibb Surette said “It is outrageous that LS-NYC management has engaged in an anti-union campaign at Bed-Stuy Legal Services further depriving this community of desperately needed services in these harsh economic times.”