As a write in candidate for Durham Mayor, I am releasing my platform in the form of a "Street Manifesto"
Street Manifesto
We want all the people in Durham to have an equal role in charting the city's new direction and not just the privileged few.
We want an end to crime.
However, we realize that as long as there is poverty, hunger and unemployment, there will be crime. So,the city should do more to eliminate the root causes of crime. Locking up young black males and deporting Latinos is not a solution to crime.
We want an end to violence.
However, the city is not doing enough to promote peace and unity.
We want an end to the drug dealing on city streets.
However, young black males are not the ones responsible for bringing the drugs into this country. Unfortunately, it is more convenient to point the finger at the youth instead of those who are really responsible for the death and destruction on the streets of Durham.
We want an end to the stereotyping of black and Latino youth as criminals and gang members.
We understand that the criminalization of black and Latino youth has been overly hyped by the media and many jobs are created as the result of sending our youth to prison.
We want an end to youth idleness.
The city must do more to provide positive activities for our young people.
We want an end to the attempted division of the black and Latino communities.
The problem in this country is not too many "illegal aliens" but too many greedy, rich people with "out of space" ideas that don't match the current demographic makeup of America. There are enough resources to go around.
We want the faith community to become more involved in solving Durham's problems.
Church should be more than a once a week happy hour.
We want an end to homelessness.
The city should be involved in renovating abandoned buildings and turning them into homes for the homeless.
We need to take the power out of the hands of the traditional politicians and PACs (Political Action Committees) and put it in the hands of the people.
Control of Durham neighborhoods must rest in the hands of the masses and not the classes.
