Poverty Still Not A Priority

Poverty has been an issue that has been given a lot of attention by H.I.P Wire and quite frankly it seems as if we have not given enough attention to this topic.  If you look through our archive of blog post you will see poverty from all angles and sides for this is an issue that strikes all Americans.  Poverty seems to be on everyone’s minds except the 1% and the government, which seem to have an immunity that no one else shares.  The problem is that these elected government officials have contracted a proverbial case of amnesia, which seems to have removed the fact of how they got into office.  Both Democrat and Republican have removed the core of their constituency from their agenda.  This is an outrage that should not and cannot be tolerated if we as American Citizens are to have hope for any type of positive future.  Recently an article titled “Missing in Action”: Congress Ignores America’s Poverty Crisis was published by Huffington Post.  This article gives various examples of how America’s poverty rate has continued to increase to levels that have not existed for decades.  The article also speaks to the fact that our government has ignored this issue and currently does not have poverty on its agenda.  One thing that is for certain the general public cannot simply decide to forget about poverty and our government should not have the option either.  Please click the link above or read some of our earlier post for a more in-depth look at this issue.

The Sequester and People of Color

The Sequester at this point is not news.  We all have been inundated with the deadline and how many Americans will loose there jobs if Congress does not act and stop this travesty.  What has not been discussed is which Americans the Sequester will affect the most.  The recent article Top 10 Reasons Why People of Color Should Care About Sequestration gives a clear picture of who will be affected the most.  With many things in our country those who can least afford economic setbacks are usually the first to be affected by them.  Please click the above link for an in-depth look at how the Sequester will affect people of color.

The Forgotten Tragedy

The following comes from the Newsletter “The Black Star Project”.  This insightful take on Chicago gun violence begs us to look at the tragedy that has been unfolding within one of our nations largest cities for the past year.  This article also makes us look at the way gun violence is covered throughout our nation with comparisons between three mass killings and the shocking 513 murder victims from Chicago of which 108 were youth or minors.  Please read the below article and take a hard look at the names and ages and decide whether or not the issue of gun violence is truly a priority in our country.

From “The Black Star Project”

While the nation mourns victims of mass killings in Newtown (27 victims), Aurora (12 victims), Milwaukee (6 victims) in 2012, who will mourn the 505 mostly Black and Latino murder victims in Chicago killed in 2012, including 108 youth and children? 

 

Here is the tale of violence in Chicago in 2012: 

2400 shootings

505 total murders

319 shootings of children

108 murders of youth and children 

19% increase in murder rate 

The Black Star Project mourns 

the 505 deaths of mostly Black and Latino Chicago citizens of America in 2012

Below we honor the 108 youth and children 

killed in Chicago in 2012

NAME                       Age    Date         Community             How Died 1) Devante Watts 19 12/30/2012 Roseland Gunshot  2) Junior Estudillo 19 12/30/2012 Irving Park Gunshot 3) Neriyah Beller 4 12/29/2012 North Lawndale Arson 4) Joshua Davis 18 12/25/2012 West Englewood Gunshot  5) Kentan Scott 15 12/20/2012 Austin Gunshot  6) Jeffrey Stewart 16 12/9/2012 Humboldt Park Gunshot  7) Porshe Foster 15 11/26/2012 Chicago Lawn Gunshot  8) Christopher Jacobs 19 11/22/2012 New City Gunshot  9) Name Unknown 19 11/21/2012 New City Gunshot  10) Emilio Palomo 16 11/18/2012 New City Gunshot  11) Sergio Oliva 15 11/15/2012 Chicago Lawn Gunshot  12) Taylor Fitting 16 11/12/2012 Roseland Gunshot  13) Darrell Austin 19 11/9/2012 Calumet Heights Gunshot  14) Rodney Stewart 17 11/8/2012 Ashburn Gunshot  15) Travis Henry 19 11/3/2012 Englewood Gunshot  16) Tre Henry 19 11/1/2012 Washington Park Gunshot 17) Devin Harris 19 10/31/2012 Austin Gunshot 18) Earl Cunningham 18 10/30/2012 West Pullman Gunshot 19) Patrick Robinson 18 10/30/2012 Roseland Gunshot 20) Terrance Johnson 17 10/20/2012 Rogers Park Gunshot 21) Terrance Wright 18 10/19/2012 South Deering Gunshot 22) Jamiere Brown 18 10/14/2012 Washington Park Gunshot 23) Modell McCambry 17 10/13/2012 Woodlawn Gunshot 24) Jonathan Williams 17 10/8/2012 South Shore Gunshot 25) Derrick Davis 17 9/28/2012 Calumet Heights Gunshot 26) Francisco Merino 19 9/27/2012 Lower West Side Gunshot 27) Dejuan Jackson 17 9/26/2012 Oakland Gunshot 28) Thaddeus Tucker 18 9/22/2012 West Pullman Gunshot 29) Muhammed Kebbeh 19 9/15/2012 Chatham Gunshot 30) Julia Duda 2mo. 9/15/2012 Belmont Cragin Child Abuse 31) Jesus Garcia 17 9/8/2012 Gage Park Gunshot 32) Joseph Coleman 18 9/4/2012 Greater Grand Crossing Gunshot 33) Jalen Strogner 17 8/31/2012 New City Gunshot 34) Aaron Gaithan 19 8/26/2012 Woodlawn Gunshot 35) Aaron Gaithan 18 8/25/2012 Greater Grand Crossing Gunshot 36) Jamal Clayton 19 8/24/2012 Greater Grand Crossing Gunshot 37) Lucian Dreux 17 8/24/2012 Greater Grand Crossing Gunshot 38) Alejandro Valdez 15 8/21/2012 Chicago Lawn Gunshot 39) Jaime Ruvalcaba 15 8/21/2012 New City Gunshot 40) Alonzo Powell 18 8/18/2012 Austin Gunshot 41) Taylor Diorio 17 8/18/2012 McKinley Park Gunshot 42) Derrick Baker 18 8/18/2012 West Pullman Gunshot 43) Richard Johnson 18 8/17/2012 Austin Gunshot 44) Emonie Beasley-Brown 3wk. 8/15/2012 West Englewood Child Abuse 45) Anthony Brooms 19 8/14/2012 West Pullman Gunshot 46) Donata Gooden 19 8/12/2012 Austin Stabbing 47) Tony Dunn 19 8/8/2012 Woodlawn Gunshot 48) Sameer Barakat 19 8/5/2012 Albany Park Gunshot 49) Cornell Ferguson 16 8/2/2012 Humboldt Park Gunshot 50) Johnqualus Turner 16 8/2/2012 Humboldt Park Gunshot 51) Quincey Simmons 18 8/1/2012 Austin Gunshot 52) Iyonna Davis 1 7/28/2012 Roseland Trauma 53) Douglas Bufford 16 7/25/2012 South Shore Gunshot 54) Aleixi Johnson 17 7/23/2012 South Deering Gunshot 55) Akil Partee 19 7/21/2012 Austin Gunshot 56) Jamauri Askew 16 7/19/2012 Auburn Gresham Gunshot 57) Nathaniel Gonzalez 16 7/19/2012 West Englewood Gunshot 58) Martin Tejeda 16 7/12/2012 Gage Park Gunshot 59) Zachary Berrios 18 7/6/2012 Pullman Gunshot 60) Ricardo Alcantara 18 7/5/2012 Archer Heights Gunshot 61) Adeniyi Adesida 18 7/5/2012 Austin Gunshot 62) Demetrius Tribett 19 7/2/2012 Greater Grand Crossing Gunshot 63) Myrion Currie 19 7/1/2012 West  Garfield Park Gunshot 64) William Cook 19 6/30/2012 Chicago Lawn Gunshot 65) Lenard Trust 17 6/30/2012 Kenwood Gunshot 66) Heaven Sutton 7 6/27/2012 Austin Gunshot 67) Tyquan Tyler 13 6/24/2012 Woodlawn Gunshot 68) Antonio Davis 14 6/22/2012 Englewood Gunshot 69) Henry Soyege 19 6/18/2012 Uptown Gunshot 70) Shakaki Asphy 16 6/16/2012 West Englewood Gunshot 71) Romelo Golden 17 6/13/2012 South Chicago Gunshot 72) Joseph Briggs 16 6/9/2012 Chicago Lawn Gunshot 73) Jamal Lockett 16 6/2/2012 South Shore Gunshot 74) Ivan Alanis 13 5/29/2012 Uptown Gunshot 75) Marley Collins 19 5/28/2012 North Lawndale Gunshot 76) Jaleel Beasley 19 5/27/2012 Near West Side Gunshot 77) Jaylin Johnson 18 5/26/2012 Roseland Gunshot 78) Jeffrey Triplett 17 5/26/2012 North Lawndale Gunshot 79) Nazia Banks 12 5/19/2012 South Chicago Gunshot 80) Alejandro Jamie 14 5/18/2012 Brighton Park Gunshot 81) Donald Rankin 16 5/4/2012 West Pullman Gunshot 82) Armaney Cotton 2 4/14/2012 Englewood Child Abuse 83) Roberto Luna 13 4/7/2012 Brighton Park Gunshot 84) Jalen Armstrong 18 4/6/2012 Chatham Gunshot 85) Brandon Miles 19 4/5/2012 Austin Gunshot 86) Cedric Bell 16 3/26/2012 West Englewood Gunshot 87) Aliyah Shell 6 3/17/2012 South Lawndale Gunshot 88) Anthony  Scott 19 3/16/2012 West Ridge Gunshot 89) Johnny Vargas 19 3/15/2012 South Lawndale Gunshot 90) Gustavo Reyes 19 3/14/2012 West Lawn Gunshot 91) Joshua Williams 16 3/8/2012 Chicago Lawn Gunshot 92) Chris Wormely 17 3/1/2012 South Deering Stabbing 93) Albert Guyton 15 2/28/2012 Chicago Lawn Gunshot 94) George Howard 15 2/27/2012 Washington Park Gunshot 95) Damion Rolle 14 2/21/2012 Greater Grand Crossing Gunshot 96) Jamal Harris 19 2/19/2012 South Shore Gunshot 97) Edgar Delgado 17 2/18/2012 Avondale Gunshot 98) Deshun Winfert 15 2/5/2012 Chicago Lawn Gunshot 99) Anton Sanders 15 1/20/2012 Rogers Park Gunshot 100) Devonte Pippen 18 1/19/2012 Chicago Lawn Gunshot 101) Kurtis Stanton 19 1/17/2012 Washington Heights Gunshot 102) Omar Vargas 17 1/14/2012 Mckinley Park Auto Crash 103) Cory Campbell 18 1/10/2012 Auburn Gresham Gunshot 104) Christian Peggs 18 1/8/2012 Greater Grand Crossing Gunshot 105) Valentin Bahena 17 1/8/2012 Belmont Cragin Gunshot 106) Mark Watts 15 1/4/2012 West Englewood Gunshot 107) Nicholas Camacho 19 1/2/2012 Albany Park Gunshot 108) Christina Thomas 6mo. 1/2/2012 Englewood Child Abuse

Can Someone Say Boycott?

This years Presidential election in many ways will be one for the history books.  For the second time in as many Presidential elections, Americans turned out in record numbers to choose the leader of our nation and at the same time made history by re-electing the first president African-American President in post-constitutional America, but there is another historic events lurking just beneath the surface of things.  Prior to what turned out to be one of the most contested elections in modern history several American businesses vowed to layoff workers and raise prices if President Obama was re-elected and the day of reckoning has come.  Many of those “American” businesses have followed through with their threats and laid-off workers while others are threatening to raise prices on their products.  One such business owner, John Schnatter of Papa John’s has threatened to slash workers hours and increase prices due to the “Affordable Care Act”.  There are several company’s threatening the same action.  The issue at hand is whether we as American citizens should support companies that threaten the lively hood of fellow Americans based on the results of our political process.  This seems to be some sort of political-backlash because the process did not work in their favor.  At no other time in the history of our nation have such things happened.  How far are the Corporate American Honchos willing to go to assert the fact they want a republican controlled government?  At some point we must stand against the corporate machine and hit them where it hurts; their pockets!  For a list of companies that have made these threats follow the link: http://www.theblaze.com/stories/how-many-businesses-have-announced-closings-or-lay-offs-since-obama-won-a-second-term/

A Real Look At Poverty

America’s issues with poverty have been in the spotlight over the past weeks simply because we have a heated election season taking place, but for those that live in and have been living in poverty it is an issue that normally sees little attention.  Sure there is a stated poverty level that is monitored and tracked every year, but as the following article states there are over 30 million Americans who hover around this poverty line and do not qualify for government assistance nor do they get attention from the private sector that continuously uses their labor and keeps them under-employed.  We currently have a multimillion dollar businessman running for President who has yet to address the wages of American workers, however he is quick to speak about the increase in food stamp benefits.  You can put as many people back to work as you want, but until the American worker is paid a living wage it will not make a difference.  The 30 million plus will only grow to an even larger number that will continue to go unnoticed by Corporate American Greed.  How can we as American citizens elect a man who is proud to proclaim his business sense, but yet has no plan to increase wages for American workers?  Please read the following article for a more in-depth look: http://money.cnn.com/2012/10/24/news/economy/americans-poverty/index.html?iid=HP_River

America’s Prejudice Acknowledged

America seems to be finally acknowledging what most African-Americans have known for decades, that prejudices still exist in our country. A recent poll published this week by the Associated Press shows that most Americans harbor racial prejudice against African-Americans whether they recognize it or not. This prejudice seems to come in direct relation with the election of President Barack Obama. The bigger question is whether these same Americans had these feelings before our President was elected or did his election create them? What are your feelings in regards to this issue? Please read the following article and let us know what you think. Click the following link:
http://m.apnews.com/ap/db_289563/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=cGixjazt

And Now A Cop Has Threatened The First Lady!

In what would seem to be unthinkable, a D.C. Police officer has allegedly threatened to shoot First Lady Michelle Obama. This is the sign that our country has reached the lowest point during the Obama’s first term in the White House. Sure we have had the President interrupted during his State of the Union speech, he has been publicly called racial slurs, but never has a government employee threatened to him! Something has to be done right now to stop this blatant disrespect! If you do not see the wrong in this, I would love to hear your explanation. For more I depth information follow the link: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mobileweb/2012/07/12/dc-police-officer-michelle-obama_n_1669513.html?icid=hp_front_top_art

No Unemployment Benefits?

In what could possibly be the worst political decision in decades we find our nations top political leaders tittering around the notion of eliminating the Federally funded unemployment extensions. As we all know state funded unemployment only last for 26 weeks, which equates to a little over 4 months. With record high unemployment in most urban centers we could be headed for the worst economic climate since the great depression. Many economist have already concluded that there are more unemployed African American men now then any other time period since the “Jim Crow Era”. How can we as a nation allow such rampant disenfranchisement in the public and private sectors of employment? Not to mention the fact that those who were employed and are now receiving unemployment benefits may lose those benefits in a climate of economic uncertainty. I do not think the American people nor our politicians can afford the fallout if these benefits are allowed to wither away. For more information follow the link: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/wp/2012/07/05/is-this-the-beginning-of-the-end-for-federal-unemployment-benefits/?Post+generic=%3Ftid%3Dsm_twitter_washingtonpost

Bobby Jindal Said What???

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal has been known to voice his opinion about President Obama and his administration in the past, but now he has taken it to far. In a recent interview on Fox News, of course Gov. Jindal stated that the Obama administration’s success is food stamps! It is no secret that the Republican Party is not fond of social programs, but how can a man whose parents came to America as Indian immigrants be completely against the very thing that assists many immigrants that arrive in this country? Social programs do not just cover food stamps and welfare. They also assist the elderly, new immigrants, as well as children. For me it has become clear that many of those who identify themselves as conservative republicans have disassociated themselves from their own past. They have forgotten how social programs have either helped friends or family in the past and only associate with a class of people they have newly formed relationships with, the 1%. For more information follow the link:http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0712/78095.html

What’s Wrong With A Free Education?

This could possibly be the most divisive piece of political news that we of the Hope Initiative Party have laid eyes on to date.  Republican political leaders in the state of Michigan want to block a piece of legislation that would grant all Michigan high school graduates free tuition to any state funded public college or university.  This bill would grant any given student $9,600 per year for tuition, which is the median amount for public colleges in the state.  Of course republicans argue that the state cannot afford such a measure, however the democrats have devised a plan to close tax loopholes that have existed for decades to cover the cost.  The fact that republican party leaders are not willing to even explore the measure shows us that they are completely against any type of measure that could possibly promote social equality.  Tuition for colleges and universities are at an all time high in this country and so is the need for subsidy, so why not assist those individuals striving to better themselves and their communities?  Why negate an individuals possibility for a bright future without first testing the waters?  Michigan republicans surely did not hesitate when granting Corporations higher tax cuts, while increasing personal tax rates on the poor and working class.  This type of political behavior seems to be a common chord among republicans across the nation.  A deliberate attack on those individuals who have been deemed the 99%.  The major question is whether or not the 99% will continue to politically allow these tactics to continue or exhibit their political might and create change for the good of the nation and not just their political affiliation.  For more information regarding the bill please follow the link: State Republicans Set To Block Free College Tuition Plan