Our Time PressThe Local Paper with the Global View

Most New Yorkers probably don=t believe what=s happening in downtown Brooklyn. They just cannot understand how a big developer could actually draw up a project that would completely change a community without first consulting the people who own homes, rent apartments, and send their children to school in the area.
It sounds like something that Saddam Hussein would have done in a Kurdish community or the way American troops would treat a Baathist area. These residents cannot believe that their Mayor, their Boro President and their Speaker would support the developer=s plan without first coming to the people who voted them into office.
A television host interviewing State Senator Velmanette Montgomery and Councilman David Yassky thought for sure that these two representatives of the area had been consulted. So when Montgomery remarked that neither the developers nor the elected officials pushing the plan had spoken to her the interviewer clearly thought that she was not being quite truthful. So he turned to Yassky and asked him whether he had been consulted. Yassky, somewhat reluctantly, admitted that no one had as yet spoken to him.
The interviewer was definitely stunned. He expressed absolute amazement that the drawings and plans for the area had been completed and were being presented as a done-deed to the people who live in the community and to the people who were elected to represent them.
Even if the project had been perfect, and improved the community in every way, Bruce Ratner and the politicians owed these residents the respect of consulting with them through the officials who represent them. Ratner would never dare to pull a stunt like this in the communities where Gifford Miller, or Mike Bloomberg have their homes. It just wouldn=t happen, and it shouldn=t be happening in downtown Brooklyn.
It should come as no surprise to these residents that Borough President Marty Markowitz is a major promoter of this project. Marty is absolutely true to form. Quick. Think of something Marty has done in the area of Education, Housing, Homelessness, Jobs, Crime. This Borough President wasn=t elected because of substance. He was elected because he is a great entertainer. In more than two decades as State Senator Marty always put entertainment first with nothing else second. His colleagues in Albany often complained that Marty spent most of his time and energy into arranging his Concerts. So the Ratner project is perfect for Marty. This is his dream. He can move his concerts from Wingate Field to the new stadium where he will strut in splendor in his white tuxedo.
On the other hand Councilwoman Tish James has already proved to be a serious elected official and has passed her first test with flying colors. She never hesitated to support the residents of her community and we do not believe that her predecessor James Davis would have been as steadfast and reliable. Regrettably, most of the politicians who were willing to sign petitions and join the demonstration to prevent Assemblyman Clarence Norman from being indicted for grand larceny and extortion were not there to stand with Brooklyn residents whose community is being hijacked. The message is that although these politicians will join forces to protect each other in trouble, they disappear when the time comes to support voters who are under attack.
There are other troubling messages. Footnotes is always concerned about the integrity of elected officials who align themselves with major developers or who have problems supporting community activists against big money. Maybe its being cynical, but we always wonder whether secret deals are being cut behind the scenes for campaign support, and contracts for loved ones. We have heard stories about elected officials and contractors connected with elected officials who made millions off of Metro-Tech. It makes us think that former City Councilman Angel Rodriguez was not one of a kind, and that downtown residents should be keeping a very close watch on Brooklyn=s elected officials.

APractical and reasonable solutions were not planned. We can=t achieve anything just by talking about the problems.  If you don=t have the answer at your fingertips, give some information as to where to get it and follow up on it. We have to use our library, bcome an expert in that area of interest and make a collective difference.@
Richardson also said  that we must think collectively about everything we do. AWhat we can do collectively can make the difference. It=s not a >me= issue, but a >we= issue. >We= must be economically independent as a collective to stop gentrification.
Richardson covered some crucial the statistics. ALet=s take the Administrative Children=s Services (ACS). The status is 70% black that are taken from their families. There=s the criminal and jail system population which is 85% black and Hispanic.  There=s the U.S. military and the homeless. Both disproportionately black.@
Jerry Muhammad, Nation of Islam, credited Elijah Muhammad with saying that gentrification is a form of genocide. A We=ve lost our property, our lives, and our livelihood through the use of words. If you have the knowledge of selfYthen you become an Aindependent being@ and therefore, refuse to allow white criteria to be the vehicle, which defines who you are. You have a Adependent identity@ when you use something derogatory (ex., nigger) and incorporate it as something good.@
Muhammad stated, AWe must ask for reparations in order to give the Caucasian the opportunity to atone for what they have done. We also want land, because we want full and complete freedom, because we have never been free in AmericaCjust a freed slave. Because they never gave back what they took, the damage done to us keeps us hating ourselves and keeps us from rising as a people.@
Attorney Malik Zulu Shabazz, national chairman of the New Black Panther Party for Self-Defense, president of Shabazz Real Estate emphasized, AWhites are taking over black communities with a process called gentrification. Everyday realestate deals are going on and we are not at the table. We know nothing about it. We must become property owners, we must invest.
AOnce  I spend my money with the white man, that money is gone versus spending money on property. I spent too many years out of the real-estate business.  I was talking black power and making the white man rich. Let=s not think the game is being played fair.@
Shabazz urged, AJoin an anti-gentrification coalition. Get involved and change the political process. Move from being tenants to owning some property. It is not just about gaining an immediate profit. Land is the basis of independence.
AWhen you have equity in the land, you have a much more powerful position. If you don=t deal with politics, politics will deal with you. We should have been on this (gentrification) years ago. Gentrification isn=t over til, it=s over. It only speaks to the urgency of what we have to do.@
Pastor Anthony Mann, Baptist Temple Church, stressed understanding the process of enslavement. AAfrican-American@ is not a word we should be using. We had civilizations long before enslavement.  We have got to stop coming from that Aold-time@ religion.  We must stop looking at others as God and respect each other as individuals.  Who cares about religion! It was given to us to keep us in line.
Pastor Mann also said that we need to stop saying we don=t need therapy. AWe must get into a spiritual realm before we can get into any war. Until we stop being dysfunctional, we can=t make rational decisions. Don=t believe that people with the same color are always with you. We have learned to hate and hurt ourselves on a subconscious level and we have become immune to it. We have to first love one another. This process is not going to be an overnight thing.@
Pastor Mann implored, AOwn something!, Cause it=s going to be valuable. We must own land! We must look at technology and computers. This is a global market. We should not have to ask the white man for nothing!
Minister Kevin Muhammad, Nation of Islam Mosque #7 said, ALand is everything.  Stop buying the jewelry and material things and get some land! You have everything on your ass, but you have no assets.@  Minister Muhammad insisted that, AWe must pool our resources and learn to trust one another. Learn, study and become successful in everything we do.@
Self -examination is what is called for.  AWhat can we offer someone? What can we bring to the table? We need to have something! We have to get into property acquisition now!@ 
Dr. James McIntosh (psychiatry), a student of the late John Henrik Clarke, defined gentrification as corruptive, deceitful and nothing more than colonization.

In his keynote address, Councilman Charles Barron, said the gentrification workshop was Aright on time.@  Councilman Barron doesn=t believe it is a form of genocide as it relates to killing, but does believe re-gentrification or gentrification is another name for racism. AThe white people know many of us can=t afford the high housing prices. Most black people=s income is in the $30,000-$35,000 range. Much of the housing is priced at $600,000 and up, therefore you can=t afford to buy a home. We are never eligible and that is where the racism comes in. They don=t kill youC they just price you out!@ Councilman Barron explains what re-gentrification means. AGentry@ means elite. ARe-gentry@ means to bring back the elite.  Re-gentrification means they were here before and now want it back, whereas gentrification means to move the elite in. The white population wants to come back to the inner cities and reside close to their businesses. This causes a displacement of the people who already reside there. We must fight it! Continue to organize and mobilize (collectively) around this issue. We need the power equation in New York to change because white men have too much power in this city. There needs to be a balance. We must make sure HPD (Housing Preservation and Development) changes their policies regarding affordable housing, quality and availability. Their (HPD) income requirements for purchasing a home are too high.
HPD, which is the largest developer of affordable housing in the nation, has provided over $5.6 billion toward rehabilitation and construction of housing.  (HPD) plans to spend at least a billion more. Half of that funding for should go to low-income people.@

Gentrification  is not an automatic occurrence just because whites and upper- class move in to a lower class or lower income area. There are certain conditions to be met in which gentrification takes place. First, there has to be a displacement of original residents in order to attract those who have a higher standing (elite). This is accomplished by making it unaffordable for the low-income people. Many of the upper-class people are attracted to the area. Second, there has to be a physical upgrading or renovation to increase property value and bring more business into the area or communityC thus attracting more affluent people. Third, there has to be a change in character or flavor in a neighborhood in particular that no longer caters to the original residents, but now caters to a more affluent clientele.
To  understand the reasons why and how something takes place is one thing, but it is truly a genocide to embrace or ignore that which is bringing us down and preventing us from becoming mighty. We must take and hold on to what is rightfully ours and what has been with us for generations. We have come too far to stick our heads in the sand and pray the problem away. We have come too far to be self-important and egotistic. We can=t afford to be.
Artaymis Ma=at
for Acquiring AEquity in the Land@

Philip Rinaldi said they already emailed the photos.
>Nothing But The Truth= is a rich lesson in South African family values. If there is only one play you see this year, make it  this   one playing at the Mitzi E.Newhouse Theater at Lincoln  Center. The play is written by and stars the phenomenal South African playwright/Tony-award winning actor, John Kani.
It is a story filled with lessons in African tradition. It brings one back to the ways of the village and the respect that is supposed to exist in families, between a parent and a child. The play focuses on so many important subjectsClike how parents will favor one child over another and the resentment it creates in the child who is less favored. A resentment that is finally allowed to come out when the favored child has passed away.
ANothing But The Truth@ is also about forgiveness, not just of one person towards another, but for a nation of people to forgive a massive group of murderers. Kani looks at the anger in his character, Sipho=s heart, over the murder of his son Luvuyo, who was shot by a white cop because he was a member of the resistance in South Africa. Sipho not only harbors hatred for the cop, but his own younger, now deceased brother, who was part of the resistance against apartheid and who his son modeled himself after. Kani helps the audience to understand the pain of the Reconciliation hearings that took place in South Africa. During the hearings, people who murdered those in the resistance, confessed their deeds and were granted amnesty.
Of course, a subject like this is a very powerful topic. Kani=s handling of the presentation is admirable. He shows both sides of the coinCthat of the native South African, in this case Sipho=s grown daughter Thando (passionately played by South African actress Warona Seane), who says that it is important to grant amnesty so that the nation can heal. Thando=s views are dramatically opposed by her deceased uncle=s daughter Mandisa (stunningly portrayed by South African actress Esmeralda Bihl), who comes to South Africa to bring her father=s remains for burial. Mandisa is an outsider, born and raised in London and feels that revenge is the way to go. Someone must be punished. Kani gives fair play to both sides of the issue, but in the end shows that forgiveness is important more for the forgiver than the one being forgiven.
Sipho is a strong character, who is stern in his beliefs. His niece is the stranger who comes in and doesn=t understand the ways of her father=s people and culture.
Still another issue in the play is who were the heroes in South Africa during apartheid? Were the heroes those who stayed  home and maintained things or those who fought for the resistence from outside of South Africa and we=re exiled for their role in the struggle?
Kani took time out to talk about the many levels of the play and his view on some of the topics he addresses. AOur country and our people are quite aware that those who stayed and left made significant contributions to the freedom of South Africa. Those who stayed kept the flame of freedom, those abroad influenced decision makers abroad to put pressure on South Africa. Some went into military camps and battles from outside the country. However, there was a tendency for those who went abroad to talk the loudest, because they fought. When wars are over and struggles are won, a word of thanks would be appreciated especially to those that held the home and communities together,@ said Kani.
Writing this play, helped Kani to heal from the pain of his younger brother Xolile, a poet of the struggle, being shot and killed in 1985. In the play Sipho talks of an elaborate funeral for his father and how the funeral was turned into a political rally because his brother was exiled and could not attend. He shares how he felt his brother caused the family not to get to say goodbye to the father properly. In talking about this scene, the playwright shared that the funeral he describes, which took hours and showcased over a dozen speakers and thousands of mourners, was actually his brother Xolile=s funeral.
AWriting the play and performing it, when we first opened July 4, 2002, in South Africa at the Marketplace Theater in Johannesburg, gave me a great sense of relief and calming down. I realized that my brother died so that I could be free and I should remember him with great pride and fondness,@ said Kani.

One of the greatest moments Kani has had in performing the show happened prior to opening night. Before the dress rehearsal in South Africa, he got a call from former President Nelson Mandela, who asked if he could see the show that night. AThere=s a powerful political landscape, but what I=m pleased about John is your focus on the family,@ said Mandela to the playwright.
The show will play at Lincoln Center through Jan. 18. You may want to try to see it more than once to truly grasp all that is in this amazing piece. It will leave you emotionally drained, but very enlightened.
Kani plans on taking the show on an international tour next fall and in between traveling, performing it in all the communities in South Africa.

A day of entrepreneurship, networking and a showcase of talent was presented in November by Matthews Hats and Showcase, two local women-owned businesses. Owners Merrill Matthews and Ms. Jacqueline James collaborated with friends, family and business associates in a community business expo.
Belinda Cruz, 38, came to the event not knowing what to expect. It was not long before she realized that the event was very informative. There was a great opportunity to network with different types of people and find out about the latest business that have developed in the black community. For example, OBK  (On Bended Knees) is a company founded by Arielle Johnson, gospel talent coordinator. She was honored that day for her creativity and persistence in bringing gospel talent shows to popular restaurants like Justin=s and Windows Over Harlem.
Other businessmen and women set up their displays to show and sell their unique ideas and products. Exhibitors included Matthews Hats, Diana Smith=s Uhane Lomi, Sandy Baker, Gureje, Global Creative Nutrition, Linda Linsey Home Accessories, Leroy=s Framing, Mama=s Love, Carol=s Daughter, Debo=s Fashion and Shash House.
Ms. Baker, who has been creating and selling jewelry since 1971, said that she doesn=t usually sell through a  Ashowcase@. But events like this one was something to look forward to because she really enjoys Athe mix of people and the uniqueness of the goods offered.@  
There was a wide range of products and services including: Mama=s Love offered baby-shower gifts such as noneatable diaper cakes; massages by Ms. Smith, a licensed massage therapist; tips on healthy eating by Valerie Lee; a personal chef and unique fashions of hats, bags, clothes.
Unlike other business expos, this event not only gave entrepreneurs the opportunity to gain exposure, it allowed singers, poets, dancers, actors and models to show their talent. The program, hosted by actor Kim Weston-Moran, had something for everyone. There were drummers, a group called Songhaidjeli. They had people out of their seats participating in singing and dancing as they gave a little history on drums. Gospel singers and praise dancers performed as they gave honor to their faith. The DJ gave a mixture of music as the models  presentedx fashions. A dramatic presentation of ASomething Positive,@ directed by Cheryl Byron, was performed with actors wearing colorful costumes that included  Ms. Merrill  Matthews= hats. It was an event to remember, Ms. James best explained it as a day of Alove, networking and God.@ 
AIt is good to see black  people coming together and supporting each other,@ said 45- year-old Jeremiah Dueno who brought his family to the event. He enjoyed the Acomfortable atmosphere,@ he recommends others to bring their family to the next event. Darren Harvey in his late 20=s   said that this was his first experience at this type of event and hope that they do it more often.
The outcome has been a success  and the date for the next show will be announced. It will be sometime in the spring around Mother=s Day. To find out more information about the next event call Merrill Matthews at (718) 859-4683 or Ms. James (718) 778B8145.
   
By Iris Hoskins

AAt the same time [post-Civil War], America was giving away, through an act of Congress, millions of acres of land in the West and midwest. Which meant that it was willing to undergird it=s white presence from Europe with an economic incentive, but it wouldn=t give an acre of land to people who had been in this country 244 years in slavery. Not only that! The nation provided low interest rates so that these people could mechanize their farms. Not only that! Today, many of these people are receiving federal subsidies not to farm. And these are the very people telling Negroes they ought to pull themselves up by their own bootstraps. All  I=m saying is that some truth must be told here. It=s nice to tell somebody to Alift yourself by your own bootstraps@. But it is a cruel jest to say to a bootless man that he ought to lift himself up by his own bootstraps. And it=s even worse when he gets a little boot from the one standing on the boot and telling him to lift himself by his own bootstraps@ –  Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
The memorial event for brother Arthur Kinoy on November 16th was a wonderful event. The St. John the Divine Episcopal Church Synod House was standing room only. Through singing, poetry, speeches and personal stories, the life of this great man was re-created for all to remember, for all to be reinspired to carry on the struggle for justice and human freedom.
But Larry Hamm, leader of the People=s Organization for Progress in Newark, N.J., made one of the most incisive observations of the afternoon. Looking out over a room that was multicultural but predominantly white, he related two experiences from the day before when he had spoken, first, to about 600 black people in the morning in Newark and then, later in the day, to about 400 mainly white people in a Newark suburb. Both events concerned progressive causes.
Larry reflected back to the movements of 30-35 years ago and how little progress, to any significant degree, has been made since that time as far as building genuinely multicultural, activist unity. He challenged all of us present that if we really wanted to honor Arthur=s legacy we would be about building a broadly based people=s movement that brought together the full strength of all our various cultures and communities, black, brown, red, yellow and white.
I=ve rarely heard any white activists oppose this point of view. We all want to build multicultural unity, to have our organizations be more Aintegrated.@ But the problem is not in the wanting, it=s in the doing.
One thing we can do if we have a serious interest in breaking down the barriers is to support the issues and initiatives that are important to communities of color. Reparations, for example, has become a major issue to large numbers of African-Americans over the last several years.
Martin Luther King=s words above help to explain why. Those of us who are white should be, at a minimum, open to giving serious consideration to this issue, not be knee-jerk in opposition because it=s unpopular among most whites. More of us need to come out to rallies and events in support of reparations.
We need to be present at other events organized by people of color.  Two days ago I went to a demonstration in support of the on-going struggle in Vieques. One of the people I saw there, a Puerto Rican man who has been active in the Green Party for a number of years, was glad to see me, knowing of my involvement with the Greens, but he shared with me his disappointment that I was the only other one at this event.
The peace movement is still predominantly white despite the fact that the strongest peace sentiment, as is true on almost all progressive issues, is to be found in black, brown and other people of color communities. There is a critical need for more people within that movement to speak up in support of conscious efforts to undertake outreach to and forms of action which can better connect us to organizations and grassroots people in communities of color.
Could the Presidential election year 2004 be a year that we take some important strides forward? Perhaps. One initiative that my organization, IPPN, is getting off the ground in combination with other groups is a 2004 Racism Watch. The stated purposes are:
-to strengthen and make visible an explicitly multi-cultural environment and network which understands the obligation to confront racism whenever and wherever we find it; -to generate political energy and excitement as widely as possible among communities of color which will translate into growing involvement in the actions undertaken by groups part of this project, as well as heightened political mobilization on election day; and, -to educate activists and non-activists of European descent in the U.S. about racism and all of the various overt and subtle ways that it negatively affects and undergirds ourselves as well as our political/economic/social system.
Our hope is that through various forms of visible and determined action against racism throughout the 2004 electoral period, including demonstrations at the election campaign offices of candidates whose statements, positions or campaign ads are particularly offensive, we will help to make racism a major issue in 2004. And we will find ourselves at the end of the year, no matter who wins office, with a stronger activist network of groups and individuals who see education and action to challenge racism as integral to their day-to-day political organizing.

There are many issues that our various progressive efforts are addressing and that we need to continue to address. But our real power to effect change, fundamental change of the kind we all need if we are not to be constantly on the defensive, will not come about until we experience the strength that comes from a truly multicultural, pro-equality, independent and democratic rainbow movement. We must hold fast to that vision and take all possible and necessary steps to make it so.
Ted Glick is the National Coordinator of the Independent Progressive Politics Network (www.ippn.org). He can be reached at futurehopeTG@aol.com or P.O. Box 1132, Bloomfield, N.J.  07003.
(From Future Hope)