King of the ‘hood:
Exposing the Myth of Self Inflicted Self Destruction
Min. Paul Scott
“Was it the bullets that took you/or was it the situation society put you ?”
Blown Away Remix (Saigon and Sticman)
April 4, 2015. Minister Malcolm Mosiah King was in Memphis to receive the annual Tupac Shakur Peace Prize. After years of hard work, he had finally negotiated a truce between the rival gangs in the city. Unfortunately, King never made it to the ceremony. As he was leaving his hotel, he was killed in a drive-by, allegedly, by a gang member who mistook his black power fist salute for a gang sign….
This week marks the anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King. Although, he accomplished many great things from addressing economic inequality to opposing the Vietnam War, for most Americans he is known ,simply ,for telling black people to love white people and ignore 400 plus years of slavery and oppression. In recent weeks this dream has been echoed by entertainers such as Common, who suggested that if the descendents of slaves just extended the right hand of fellowship to the descendants of their former slave masters, all would be right with the world.
But what about asking the black kid on the block to forgive the dude who shot his homeboy last month. Or even the kid that accidently stepped on his new white Jordans or the Brotha who merely gave him the wrong look at a stop light ? In 2015, we need a “Dr. Martin Luther King of the Hood,” to bring a message of peace and unity to these streets.
Though rarely discussed, the downside to King’s message was that too much attention was paid to loving white folks and not enough to loving our black selves.
Without a doubt, the issue of Black on Black crime is one of the most pressing issues of the last 20 years, as many conservatives are quick to remind us when the world’s microscope is focused on some form of white racism , whether it be a radio talk show who disrespects black women, a college frat boy who does an impromptu N word laced freestyle or a trigger happy cop who shoots a black child down in the street. The cries of “well, what are you doing to stop blacks from killing other blacks” drowns out any intelligent discourse regarding the matter at hand.
The issue of Black on Black violence is not that simple.
Unlike white racists, it’s not like the average black kid wakes up on a mission to go out and kill the first black person he sees. So, mixing the idea of White on Black violence with Black on Black violence is like comparing Jack Daniels to Kool Aid. Unfortunately, this weak comparison often leaves even the most educated, culturally conscious black person without a snappy comeback, as the talking heads at Fox News and other right wing spots have mastered the art of being right and wrong at the same time.
So, where do we start healing our own community.
First, we have to put the concept of black self hatred into the proper historical context. This is an area that very few have dared to tread except a few authors like the late Dr. Amos Wilson who gave us the outstanding work “Black on Black Violence: In the service of White Domination.” Contrary to popular belief, Black on Black violence was not imported from Africa. Despite the often parroted idea that “Africans enslaved other Africans’” the truth is that the “slavery “ that existed in the Motherland was more akin to the feudalism that was going on in Europe than chattel slavery . It must be clearly understood that the Black on Black violence happening on the streets of America today is a direct result of the legacy of the Trans-Atlantic slave trade and the demonizing of the Black image.
Secondly, we have to clearly understand that Black Murder Inc , is the phattest cash cow in America. Our self destruction generates billions of dollars, annually, and if Black on Black violence ceased to exist today, there would be a lot of rich people on welfare tomorrow. This is because of the cannibalistic nature of Capitalism. To borrow from the funk philosopher George Clinton “America eats its young,” and uses their left overs to fuel the prison and social industrial complexes.
Finally, we have to come up with a new strategy that goes beyond just blaming the victim.
In Durham NC, some artists have gotten together to launch The Closed Eyes Project to force people to open their eyes to the root causes of Black on Black violence. During the week prior to the anniversary of the assassination of Dr. King, they are asking that artists, activists and scholars across the country unite to form a new Stop the Violence Movement, similar to the Hip Hop movement of the late 80’s.
 | |||||||
Preview by Yahoo
| |||||||
After, all Dr. King didn’t die so we could kill each other, did he?
Min. Paul Scott is founder of the Messianic Afrikan Nation. He can be reached at info@nowarningshotsfired.com Follow on Twitter @truthminista