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Saturday, November 26, 2011

The Perception of Reality

Peace all....

Putting the finishing touches to the online exhibit entitled The 554, everything looks great, hope to be finished with it and ready to present in a couple of days, God Willing...I think you're going to like it...

Anyway, I wanted to touch a few bases with the reader here, who if one has read a few of my posts or even heard an interview, has heard or read from time to time about my disgust of the declining quality of life in my area, especially in regards to the inability to purchase produce and adequate food unless one goes to the nearest food store 10 minutes away, and if one is "underprivileged" to have meaningful transportation, then one must walk to the nearest dollar store, and get whatever they can find until one can get such means of transportation. Such is the life at the 554....




To set the record straight here, this is not the only beef I have, but it is a strong symbol of a much larger issue that we tend to overlook or even AVOID, and that is the reason why the quality of life is declining in my area so rapidly, especially with the post office threatening to close its customer service operations, just leaving a shell for local carriers to convene, along with attempts to make the local landfill here the GO TO Dump for ALL of Dallas and surrounding areas. Add the emerging police presence and Gang Units roaming throughout the area, the proliferation of liqour, the half-hearted efforts to fix the streets in the area although the people of Dallas allowed intoxicants to be sold in order to "create revenue" , the building of a prison in the locality, and the resegregation process taking place with a new name redistricting, one should understand that there is a certain belief about the people here which is the catalyst for why such events take place here.



Last week while at the library an African American woman was speaking with an White American man who apparently is trying to open a business in this area. While discussing the issue, the Black woman, who appears to be some sort of real estate agent or broker of some sort mentioned that there is a "perception" about this place that needs to be changed before this "revitalization" effort takes place here.

By the way, revitalize is a code word for gentrification. And gentrification has taken a new face now, it's no longer just the White middle class trying to oust the Blacks, but now the Black middle class is ousting the Black poor, calling it revitalizing efforts instead of what it really is, which is removing the grotesque look of "indecency" and "filth" in one's neighborhood. Which is why no one questions the occupying presence of a police, which didn't even come into existence until newer homes were being built in the area, around 10 years ago.

I strongly disagree that there is a perception about my area which disallows people to view my area in anyway except negative. I believe strongly that there is a REALITY that needs to be dealt with, not avoided, not hidden from the masses of the people by corrupt politicians, but CONFRONTED, but before confronting the reality, proper knowledge about the issue must be dispersed.



This picture looks innocent in scope, until you realize the reality behind the picture. I just found out this place which looks like any old warehouse or storage room is actually a peep show. This establishment was actually an underground event until the city of Dallas got wind of the issue, which only resulted in allowing the owner to legalize the business by getting a permit. This establishment which is actually walking distance from my home, somewhat like the prison here, but the city of Dallas is content with this establishment residing near a predominantly Black neighborhood. Never mind the consequences and the stigma that a place of pornography does to a neighborhood, especially one that has a problem with drugs and prostitution that came as a result of the truck stops built in the area, just as long as they pay their taxes and get the necessary permits.

This is a serious indictment upon a city and how it treats is so called constituents, when they feel it is ok to dump all of the unwanted things that predominantly White neighborhoods refuse to take, and go to extreme lengths to do such things. I remember going to the town hall meeting in '92 to protest the building of the prison in our area, only to listen to a prison official tell a predominately Black audience that allowing the construction of a prison will bring the prisoners closer to some of their relatives....And the Black politicians who paraded around television cameras and socking White joggers because they broke through picket lines DID ABSOLUTELY NOTHING! In fact one Black politician retorted aloud "I DON'T SEE ANY OF YOU COMING UP WITH ANY OFFERS ON THE TABLE!!!"

It's becoming more and more obvious of the intentions of many if not all of these Black politicians, yet many Blacks fail miserably to see the point. We fail to see the double dealing of these politicians to get what they want, the lies and shakedown tactics and the demagogery they display, all many of us see is the color of the skin, and despite the chicanery of these criminals we allow them to continue and let them "get a chance to get a piece of the pie."

We as humans will continue to suffer the consequences of our failure to change our reality...



Peace all...CWATIC @ http://www.realquwwa.com

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Curtis Mayfield - Pusherman

Peace all,

Had a couple of blogs on tap, but working on this website to get my online presentation took up most of library time...And I got some goodies too! The degradation of my neighborhood continues with a peep show popping up in my area!!! I guess they figure the people here are TRASH anyway, so why not contribute? Liquor all over the place, no food store, no real opportunities to take care of your priorities, dumping all of the trash over in this area, prison located near the neighborhood? What the heck is this?

I guess this song here just coincides with the rest of the trash that's available at the 554....One of my favorites from one of my favorite all time movies....lol....Take care all...Online exhibit SOON!!!

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Pete Rock & C L Smooth - Ghettos of the Mind

Peace all, trying to recover from a serious head cold...Hope to be back real sometime later in the week...In the meantime peep the knowledge.....


Thursday, November 10, 2011

Catching Recognition!

Peace all,



Working on different projects at the moment, mainly doing research for the next projected exhibit entitled Back And Forth in commemoration of Black History Month...Pssst...Don't tell anybody the name....LOL

This research has led me some very interesting reads, especially a great book I just finished reading entitled The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander. This book had my mind spinning, for I can see clearly the points the author makes about the Prison Industrial Complex, but even moreso the backlash that affects a disproportionate number of African Americans AFTER they leave the prison, which she calls "legalized discrimination" from public and private housing, welfare, employment, you name it, and mentions the pretext of the War on Drugs...which is a joke to begin with, especially when alcohol has done more damage that crack, heroin, and methamphetamines COMBINED!!!! But anyway...I'll hip you up more on that later. But the book for the most part has some very strong points, and the profiling that comes from the discrimination and prejudices against African American men, suspecting them of drugs and gang involvement.



I experienced this last week walking in my area looking for pictures to take and use in any CWATIC future exhibits I hope to undertake. I noticed a helicopter hovering over the area extensively(which is starting to become more prevalent here). As I continued to walk I saw a transit bus, surrounded by anywhere between 10-15 police cars, along with an ambulance and corporate media(OH OOOH!). Also there were additional cars hovering around the immediate area. As I continued to watch I noticed many of the policemen wore "GANG UNIT" on the back of their uniforms...You probably start thinking, oh ohhh, two helicopters, up to 20 cops at or around a bus , and a gang unit, must've been a gang fight on the bus right?

Then I found out through a newspaper that the incident involving two men who one shot the other in the leg while on the bus, and then left the bus and ran out of the bus and into the nearby neighborhood...First question...What prompted police to think this was gang related? And up to 20 police cars and a gang unit to find one individual? What does that spell for the neighborhood, who continues to see the quality of life disappearing, but an increase in police presence! And coming from my experiences of being profiled yet have NO CRIMINAL RECORD AT ALL, I know exactly what is happening...

Other books I'm looking into is American Apartheid and Nixon's Piano...Looks like good reads...I'll keep you abreast on this exhibit...Take care all! PEACE!!!

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

More to Come?(CWATIC)


Peace all,

Actually this blog was set to drop earlier this week, especially since I was reeling from the positive response of the See What I See(CWATIC) Art Exhibit, but maybe that enthusiasm turned into brief dementia, as I goofed up and apparently erased the whole frag nabbin blog, and I wrote some stuff! I mean I wrote some quality material.

OK Q, GET ON WITH IT, PLEASE?

OK. Well the crowd was pretty moderate, considering the many promises I received from those local homeys and stuff, telling me that they will support it and show up. I mean some had reasonable excuses, family emergencies, and the librarian who really urged me to take this further had a sudden death in the family, I mean, I'm not trippin' or anything like that, but some people claim to wanting so bad to see something different being presented, but yet the continuing apathy seems to rear its face.

OK Q, AGAIN, GET ON WITH IT!!!! PLEASE!!!!

OK, anyway, those who came gave glowing reviews of the event, the content of the work which ranged from the marginalisation of Black Youth in Written Off to the stigmatizing of Blacks with usage of the words ghetto and gutter to describe certain unruly behaviour in some Blacks, especially poor Blacks, as well as delving into the real meaning and the true implications of the word itself, and why do Blacks gleefully accept this terminology or apply it to others in a double standard fashion.

OOOOOHHHHH.....

Yeah...I went there....

ANYTHING ELSE?

Of course, I mean after all it was for the community, and I only scratched the surface with this. Then there was Preoccupied Territory which may actually turn into an exhibit on its own. This piece dealt with how a neighborhood can be drawn away from the machinations of those who wish to exploit them in any fashion, being distracted from everything with useless or meaningless trinkets including cell phones, texting, social networking and the Golden Age of Wireless...

YEAH THAT SOUNDS LIKE SOMETHING THAT CAN LEAD INTO BIGGER THINGS. WHAT ELSE?

Oh, then there was Blood, Sweat And Mostly Tears, which dealt with the spurious ads one may find in the local Employment Guide. I mean people were taken aback to find ads requesting those who may have been diagnosed as bipolar or having Hepatitis C to be used as labrats, I mean when did such things become opportunities for employment? And to top it off, ads advertising the giving of plasma? In an employment guide?

And then the piece de resistance, The New Gold Rush, which explains the high anticipation of the selling of alcoholic beverages in my area, turning the gas stations into overnight liquor stores, and neighboring areas into hangout spots. This was the supposed solution offered to create revenue to fix our streets, pools and library. Now the library has drastically reduced its hours, cut employees and inserted electronic check out machines...Gotta love efficiency....Now we hear the same suggestion being used to turn the nearby city dump into the main disposal unit in ALL of Dallas....Did I forget to mention we still don't have a grocery store here, and the post office is closing down its customer service center, causing potential customers to go out of their way to send packages? All of this decline of quality of life, and yet nearby neighborhoods are blossoming and money being spent on providing trolley service to gentrified areas of Dallas? OOOPS, did I go there?

YES YOU WENT THERE...

Well, someone has to...

GO ON THEN...

There were other works, and the one entitle Not Enough really captivated everyone. Guess it was the blues that got them. Then there was a collage that wowwed everyone.

SO WHAT'S THE FUTURE FOR SEE WHAT I SEE?

Only Allah knows, but I don't think this is the end yo...

CAN I SEE PICTURES?

I'm working on a slideshow of the entries to place on my personal website...www.realquwwa.com...I'll fill you in on the haps, God Willing.

SOUNDS LIKE YOU HAD IT ROCKIN' UP IN THERE, RIGHT?

The joy of it all was the children who attended, who asked questions, and finally saw someone put their area in a different light, rather than the usual corporate media stereotyping BIRTH OF A NATION-esque fashion, showing people that we are unfit of any entitlements or any justice, rather imprisonment and exploitation....I went there again, didn't I?

YES YOU DID....

Well, bout time somebody did it...And I just begun....So CWATIC @ www.reaquwwa.com

Peace all...PS...I'm coming back up there in February, go get ready Highland Hills...I wanna know what else do you see?



Eid Mubarak to the Ummah....

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