" Westbound on 95th "

On a cold January night in Chicago , I began to head out to grab a few beers with a few friends of mine at a local bar . As I began to head out I noticed numerous bands of youth just hanging out seemingly with no particular purpose . I stopped at a service station to pick up a pack of cigarettes . As I came to the cash register , a young boy maybe 12 or 13 pulled me aside and asked me the question . " Excuse me sir , do you think you can buy me a few blunts ". being a parent myself with a child not much younger than this boy , I peered into his eye's for maybe 3 seconds before I Sternly replied , " Hell No", as if he were my son . " "And what the hell are you doing out at this time of night anyway", as it was well after the city's curfew for kids his age . I left the gas station and set out Westbound on 95th , coming up to a Mcdonald's that seemed to serve as the local hangout spot for the kid's in the neighborhood .There were maybe 20 kids just hanging , loud music blarring , and such . Traffic began to slow to a crawl about a block up . As I inched down the street , police lights could be seen and sirens heard . There's always been a lot of confused brothers and sisters toting the custumary 40 oz. . Three black males were being seached two seemed calm , one needed a little extra attention , yelling and screaming at the police , not knowing or even caring about the consequences . Finally past that drama I began to come by the Lowden Homes Public Housing facility . It was bustling with activity , Wait a minute , why is that guy pulling his car over to talk to that little girl who looks all of maybe 14 years old . There are at least a half a million women here in Chicago , Negro please !!! I must have seen that a least a half dozen times in a three block stretch ..Continuing on I came across a field that when I was a youth , me and my friends used to play football and baseball on . It seemed that the only action going on ther was illegal in nature at best . All said in about a one half mile area I witness what some would call our kids being kids , or some even say expressing our blackness . I would think that after all that we have been through , something would have clicked by now . I always make it a point to tell young people about our struggles not only as a race , but as a nation . I swear sometimes in certain parts of this city that there is a serious case of arrested development . My father told me that in the sixties after Martin Luther King Jr. was assasinated , whole parts of this city began to burn down . I guess that gave some brainiac some sort of satisfaction . Guess what , those portions of the city that were burned down are just now being rebuilt , 40 years later . When will all this madness stop . It's almost as if there has been a 40year hangover in some parts of our community . Some Fathers have stopped teaching their sons that education is the key, instead to go out and hustle . Some mothers are teaching their daughters to sleep with whoever as long as long as you get something out of it . A whole bunch of us have no regard for authority . Ingnorant behavior has become acceptable and envogue . I pray for our children , is there not some way other than this way . They seem lost , uninspired and confused . Cutting classes because they think it's cool , disrepecting our elders , and disrespeting themselves by their actions . We will not have a positive outcome as a whole unless we go through some sort of cultural modification . Almost every thing that comes on the t.v. or radio , suggest some form of ignorance or undignified behavior . We need whole accountability , Parents need to talk to, and teach their children about respect and dignity . T.V. and radio execs need to be held accountable for the media they allow to poison our childrens young impressionable minds . We must all do our part . It doesn't take a lot . Most of our children just want someone to talk to . When will attitudes , and bad behavior yield to a positive outlook and unity , When will it all come together When will things began to change , "West bound on 95th ".