Cut the Bull: The Man Who Would Be Mayor

Now I had no grand delusions about being mayor of Durham. Mayor Bell winning, especially after gettin' props from Obama, was a no brainer for everybody. (Except for maybe Councilman Stith.)

Even if I would, by some miracle, have won the election, ya'll know that I would have been impeached before the next council meeting.

(Holding up the Black Power Fist at the inauguration wouldn't have set to well with some folks)

But what I hoped to do was raise the issues and maybe put all of that "get tough on crime" talk into a proper perspective.

I wonder do the citizens of Durham know how close they had come to living in a police state?

Although there has been a lot of talk about gangs in Durham, in reality, there are really only two gangs that run America, the Democrats and the Republicans and they ain't sharin' power with "nobody."

What is unfortunate is that black youth and the less affluent are still pretty much in the same boat they were in before the election.

The poor will still be poor and the voices that aren't heard, still won't be heard.

Yeah, I was able to raise some issues in the media and on a couple of debates but for the most part I was the victim of a media black out.

As usual, as far as the News and Observer, Independent, News 14 and WRAL go, I am the invisible dude.

"Maybe if we ignore him, he'll just go away"

But it's not really about me, it's about what I represent:

The Black man who is not afraid to point out the obvious: In 2007 Black folks still ain't free.

My hope is that maybe I inspired some young black brother or sister to get involved in this community and not accept second class citizenship. Maybe I inspired somebody to speak out against injustice and things that they see are wrong in Durham.

No, I didn't win but at the end of the day is Durham a better place because of people like me who raise the tough issues?

You're darn right!

So I conclude the 2007 Cut the Bull Campaign with my new rap...

"In Durham they say we gang bang

Herald Sun/Observer it's the same thang

'less we're shootin' they don't know our names

Guess that's the only way we gain fame"

Word to tha mother.....

The Hip Hop Howard Beale has left the building....

Cut the Bull: Response to Barry Saunder's Column

Just read News and Observer's star columnist, Barry Saunders, piece about the NAACP forum last Monday. Yeah, he referred to me as a "no shot" candidate.

Councilman Thomas Stith has raised over $100,000 and with today's Mayor Bill Bell/Barak Obama connection. I definately am the underdog, to put it mildly.

But the kick in the teeth is that Saunder's story is my first "real" mention in the metro News and Observer in about two years. Not to mention the virtual "blackout" of my campaign by the paper. Not that the N@O is known for covering too much in Durham that doesn't include dead bodies and bloodshed...If I put on a red and blue bandana, pull my pants down and start callin' myself Killa P-Dog, maybe I would at least get an honorable mention...

However, that ain't as bad as WRAL virtually yankin' my mic out of the speaker at the NAACP debate. While Bell and Stith were able to wax poetic about their visions for Durham, WRAL just briefly showed me moving my mouth. (Guess the camera man couldn't find a way to block me out of the shot since I was sitting in the middle so he did the next best thing; cut the sound.

But it ain't over 'till it's over..Never under estimate the "none of the above vote."

But back to Saunders...Ya know, I ain't really a politician, I'm a writer...

And Saunders strikes me as a gamblin' man, so let's do this...

We have an old fashion rap....I mean writer's battle...Saunder's column vs No Warning Shots Fired.com ...Old School vs New School...Corporate vs Underground...and if I win I get his spot at the News and Observer...

It'll be fun. Kinda like Kanye West versus Wonder Mike from the Sugarhill Gang....

OK , I'll kick it off with a KRS One lyric:

Ya know what ya need to learn
Ol' school writers don't always burn
You're just another writer who's had his turn
Now it's my turn!

Cut the Bull: TRUTH Minista Paul Scott in Mayoral Debate

There will be a forum involving the Durham mayoral candidates at the downtown Durham Co. Public Library this Monday Oct.29th at 7PM. TRUTH Minista Paul Scott will make a rare appearence, along with the other candidates Mayor Bill Bell and Councilman Thomas Stith.
Please come out and show your support.

Cut the Bull: Durham's Mayoral Wrestlemania

As the "candidate non grata" in Durham's mayoral
election I have a few quick observations based on the
Wrestlemania-like performances of Mayor Bell and Councilman
Stith.

There is an old African proverb that says "when two
elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers." In
Durham, the elephants are Bell and Stith and the grass
is the citizens of Durham, especially the children.

I sit back and observe this fighting and I ask myself,
"Weren't these guys playing on the same team?"
It's like Jake Delhomme and Steve Smith getting in a
slugfest on the field after losing a game while the
fans are screaming that we need a new team.

Maybe, tomorrow's headline should be " Bell and Stith
Clobber Each Other with Fiddles, while Durham Burns."

Alas, in the end, this election fued is just like professional
"wrasslin.'" As much as Nature Boy Ric Flair and the American
Dream Dusty Rhodes would yell at each other and smash each
others heads with chairs, at the end of the day it was just a
show to dupe the gullible fans into buying more wrestling tickets
or in this case, getting the people of Durham to vote for them...

Cut the Bull: Street Manifesto

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.