Looking for Peace.....in our thoughts.

Our thought process is an incredible machine that if it could be built I can imagine all the lights and monitors and with only one switch that turns it all on or off.  It takes only one simple thing to set off a series of thoughts and it can go in many directions but we have to consider what will fuel it.

When you think about Peace what are the images you have in your head?  Some of us might think about our childhood or a summer vacation that was a week-long but was so much fun it felt like a whole month.  But do we ever find a Peaceful image of ourselves doing something for someone else?  I know church groups will do a week of service every so often or colleges will do a drive for coats during the cold months.  I’m not referring to those moments I’m talking about your daily life when you come out of the subway and find yourself with someone begging for food or money.  Now that may not seem a Peaceful moment to anyone but the thought you have right there will determine how you will feel about someone or something.  I sometimes sit and watch people when I’m out and about observing how people react to people asking for money or food.  Most women will grab a hold of their purses tighter and men usually pull on their suit jacket or coat away from the individual.  I’m not a saint in all of this I have done the same in the past.

Afterwards I always get upset with myself for the reaction and I promise myself not to react that way again and that’s the image and memory I have of that interaction.  So now when I do come across someone begging for money or food that feeling kicks in and I find Peace with myself because I was able to correct a poor reaction I used to have. I will respond to their request or return the God Bless you to them and most importantly I did not disregard them. Does that Peace transfer to the person begging for food or money?  Well some of you may never find out if you never leave the comfort of your home and get on the streets!

I’ll admit that sometimes the people that are begging for food or money are not the best smelling and it shouldn’t be expected since they don’t have money for food or shelter so why do we get bothered by it?  Would it be right to get upset that a burger joint doesn’t have a lobster option for dinner?  Of course not so why do we react that way?  Is it more of a projection of our own feelings about how we really view ourselves?  Are we disgusted with ourselves for allowing others to suffer in that way?  I’ve seen people twist their faces in disgust when passing a homeless person and half a block away be very welcoming of someone with a Green Peace shirt on asking for help.

Some years ago there was a pastor on the West Side of Chicago that ran a shelter for men out of the church he had.  If you wanted to stay there you had to follow some rules like attend Bible class, go to the nightly service, clean around the church and shelter, basic things like that which is fine.  The one rule to really stay in the shelter was that one had to go out on the street with a box of candy to collect funds for the church.  The pastor would go to Sam’s club and buy the candy in bulk and send the men out every morning to collect the funds on the streets of Chicago.  What most people didn’t know was that they were required to sell each candy before coming back to the shelter otherwise they were not allowed back into the shelter.  At some point the news got wind of it and reported the story which the pastor denied but as of today that shelter is no longer on the West Side.

There are different ways to view all of this and this posting can go on almost forever just about this one subject but I want to take you back to the image of Peace.  

Do I need to go into a church or any Holy Temple and find it there?  

Do I need to read the Bible or any Holy Scripture to find it there?

Do I need to tell people that “Jesus loves you” to find that Peace?

Why can’t we find that Peace within the faces of each other?

We spend so much time going in circles about what others may think of us, what we’re wearing, how we can brag about the money we “have,” about how we have traveled the world, who we know, or how “holy” we are that we lose the simplicity of Peace. 

When people emerge from the subway everyone is usually looking up and it’s almost as if they were on their way to a new beginning in their lives and the opportunity for it is waiting at the top.   Right at the top standing there with their hand extended or a cup in their hand is a human being asking for help from other human beings.  “Extra change…got some change you can spare…God bless you” Is a usual quick speech and we brush past them not giving them the respect of eye contact or acknowledgment but we give them a space in our memory of what to avoid.  We make it to work and already stressed that you had to pass that person to get to work your boss charges past you without a ‘Hello good morning’ and starts barking at you.  How does it feel to get brushed off like that?  Not a good feeling I’m sure of it so what are YOU willing to do to change that?  Elect a politician to bring the change you have the power to do on a daily basis?

My Sister, Monica, is someone that has had to deal with many things in her life.  Growing up as a first generation Latina in this country during the 1970’s and 1980’s was a challenge I’m sure let alone being the oldest.  I admire her because regardless of what she has had to deal with she keeps her head up because she holds an image of our grandmothers that are resting now, in her heart.  Strong women that had to deal with a lot of issues themselves and she finds Peace in their images.  What she may not know, but she will now once she reads this, is that when I think about family and the Peace I find in it I see her smiling face.  My parents are still alive and I love them dearly but my Sister and I have a great relationship and her smile makes me smile and her laughter makes me laugh even harder.  I do love my Sister with all my heart and I find Peace in that…she may not be Jesus Himself but she brings a Peace to me that is unique and fulfilling.  That is one of my thoughts of Peace and there are many others that are just as close or closer but I felt this one now as I’m writing this posting on her dining room table.

We can’t miss opportunities to create images of Peace for ourselves or for others and when we carry titles within society, religious organizations, companies, and within our families we HAVE to come through with promises we have made.  Any time we say we will do something and back out of it because it seems complicated or too much trouble we created an image of dislike for those involved.  Then the battle to remove that image is a struggle because we will associate that action with that image for a long time and refer to it anytime we have a similar event.  Every day that we choose to not follow through with our titles and pledges we have made for ourselves we hurt and disregard where people are at in their lives.  I understand that we all have our roles to play and I champion that but when that role is critical to the function of other things and you place a break on it then you have created the biggest disservice to your name and title if you hold one.  

All the while there’s someone out there with their hand extended for help…

Peace/AMOR

Gerardo

Looking for Peace.....with a politician?

Today Gov. Quinn is giving his Budget address as I write this Blog but many of his suggestions have already been published by the news.  What are the first cuts he is going to make?  Well are you surprised that it’s on social services?  One of the things he’s doing, as a tactic I’m sure, is to close the Tamms Supermax state prison.  Everyone that is a “liberal” in IL agrees with that one because Tamms is a harsh prison and so much it violates UN human rights standards.  Let’s look at the social services part.

Part of the social services he is suggesting for cutting is mental Health facilities.  Pres. Regan did something similar back in the 1980’s and the homeless population grew.  Many of the homeless back then were Vietnam Vets that had some serious mental health issues from seeing so much killing and suffering.  Many homeless today across the country are also military vets and to think that they fought for what they thought they believed in only to be abandoned by that belief is beyond my understanding…read that again I know how it looks…

Every single time a government structure has a financial issue the needy are always the first ones to suffer for the mistakes of those that could care less about people in need.  I say that in a general sense because if politicians REALLY had the heart to care for the people they would be on the news everyday talking about what needs to change.  Or writing a Blog about the inside workings of it all and how we can change that.  Most politicians will be interviewed and say ‘well we have to sacrifice here and there were all taking a hit…’ as they adjust their obvious expensive suit.  Politicians should be dependent of public health care, public schooling, and public transportation because having private health care, private education, and a driver, sometimes depending on who it is, or a NEW car is not the reality of all the people they serve.  I’m sure that if they needed to depend on public resources as a condition of public service we would have a completely different type of politician.

OK enough bashing of our pseudo Royalty…so social services is the backbone of many communities and while their schools are falling apart, potholes are not being filled, street lights not working, and no viable business initiatives are begin started in the community people have to hold on tighter.  What are the expectations of our Brothers/Sisters within these communities?  We all know the story of the ONE athlete or pop star that came from the broken home and community and “made it,” is that all we are hoping for?  ONE single achievement from every community so that we can shove it in people’s faces and say “but they did it!?” 

I was just talking with someone and they were telling me about their frustration with a friend that is really going in the wrong direction blind as can be!  After hearing the rant I laughed and said “that’s like Vince Vaughn in the movie dodge ball where he says ‘I learned that if I don’t create any expectations I’ll never be disappointed’ that’s sad.”  Is that where we are at with our communities in need?  

I’ve yet to meet someone that is hungry, poor, lacks education, and lives out on the street by choice but many people believe that some of that is by choice.  We can never compare where we come from as the standard for living or achievement.  What we can do is keep true to the promises that are made by Law and the Constitution of this land unless it has changed and I’m unaware of it? 

This is why voting is important because it’s the beginning of a process to correct whatever needs correction.  In Illinois our 4^th Governor is going to prison next month and we quickly elected the Lt. Governor as his replacement.  What we didn’t do as a community is challenge the then Lt. Governor on not being a proactive elected official to prevent actions taken by the Governor at that time.  His answer to “where were you in all of this?” was “I haven’t spoken to the Governor in over a year” and NO ONE found that to be disturbing.  If an unemployed person doesn’t report every month on their job hunt and show proof their check is stopped…I did say I was going to stop bashing them didn’t I?  It’s a bit hard because it’s hard to watch a human being disregard thousands of people to save some money…

Our expectations need to be higher for everyone.  My nephew is going to be 22 years old this year and as he was growing up one thing I tried to instill in him was that his job was to reach higher than I was able to.  Imagine if I placed that on him but never supported his ideas, loved him unconditionally, corrected him when he was wrong, etc…I wouldn’t be able to get upset if he didn’t reach beyond me. 

We can’t expect our children to become well educated when asbestos and/or lead tiles are STILL on the floor of kindergarten, 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd grade class rooms!  Or that they have limited books or the real kicker, Teachers are usually given a code for copier machines to limit their ability to make copies.  What if the limit for the month is 45 copies but the Teacher has 45 children in class and needs to make that many copies every week?  I worked as an Assistant Store Manager at an office supply store and many times I would have Teachers run in to make copies and I’ll be honest many a time I would under charge them or if I could just tell them “Thank you for being a Teacher the copies are on me.”  Those Teachers would tell me that they were paying for those copies out of their own pocket so my logic is that because of the lack of public funding for public schools that office supply store as a corporation was obligated to provide some sort of relief.  Now if this gets back to my previous employer then it does but I couldn’t do what Gov. Quinn is doing now and looking at people in need with a blank stare and shrugging my shoulders as if it shouldn’t matter to me.

How do we hold accountable a Governor that is opening the doors for unrest within communities that are desperately seeking peace? 

I tell people time and time again that when you hear a gunshot don’t get completely upset at the “gang member” get upset over the fact that kid doesn’t have a solid foundation to understand what they are doing is wrong. 

Marching down the street chanting “Stop the killing!” doesn’t make the impact that you are being told it does.

Electing politicians that you can hold accountable does make an impact.  

Occupying a school to prevent it from closing its doors does create an impact. 

Challenging businesses for their low wages and unfair hiring practices does create an impact.

Challenging the Mayor at home does create an impact.

Walmart has opened doors in Chicago, a Union City, and hires people at minimum wages and most of their employees are part time.  People are happy to just have a job and that’s where we are at now just enough to be OK so others can be better off.  If you disagree with what I have written that is perfectly OK and everything I’ve said has been reported on before so it is not out of my own imagination. 

Back in the 1860’s some people felt that it wasn’t OK for other people to have to work as slaves so others can be better off but it seems like it has become OK again.

Peace/AMOR

Gerardo

Looking for Peace.....with information.

Last year in Chicago a member of the Manic Latin Disciples (MLD) shot two little girls (he was taking aim at some alleged Latin Kings in the park and missed) in a park while a public meeting with the police was going on.  The Superintendent said that he was going after the whole gang and basically declaring war on the MLD’s for this shooting and will treat all other gangs the same way.  I agree with the need to arrest and prosecute any individual that commits a crime what I do not agree with is a declaration of war against a group of mostly teenagers.

Some of you might strongly disagree with me and I can see why it’s not hard to get upset over a shooting of two little girls and in no way am I disregarding them.  What I am trying to point out is that the shooting is on a long list of consequences to a variety of societal ills.  Did that MLD have the right to shoot at anyone? No. But what we do have to consider is why did he find it necessary to take a violent action towards someone he doesn’t know and how did that handgun find its way to him.

Let’s step out of Chicago for a second and look at other violent acts around the world…lets pick Mexico as an example.  Tens of thousands of people have suffered from a declaration of war against the drug cartels that started in 2006.  I remember watching the Spanish language news and they were reporting on the war against the cartels and at the mic was a young Mexican military woman that expressed her desire to bring the fight to the cartels.  So the War begun and quickly questions of who was supplying the cartels with weapons was on everyone’s minds.

Fast forward to 2012 and news emerges of a handgun, one of several, that was used in a fire fight against Mexican military belonged to one of the most famous CIA personal of all time, Maj. Gen. William B. Donovan.  A .40 caliber handgun with a plaque on it not only has his name on it and said it belonged to him but a decommissioned inventory code is written on the side of this handgun as well. How did a CIA handgun end up in the hands of a cartel crew member?  Reports say that at least two thousand illegal weapons cross the border into Mexico every single day from the USA.  Here is the link to the story and it is in Spanish: http://www.cubadebate.cu/noticias/2012/02/20/narcos-mexicanos-usan-armas-de-la-cia/

Back to Chicago, How did this MLD get this handgun?  Well there are plenty of legal ways of getting a handgun as long as you don’t have anything hanging over your head it’s pretty easy.  Or you can cross the border into Indiana and go to a gun show and not even leave the parking lot and get your hands on not only a handgun but maybe even some ammunition to go along with it.  Unlike Mexico, where it is against the law for its Citizens to own any kind of guns, here in the US we like to have the ability to own one.  So where do we draw the line on accountability? Some people like to go as far as the gun makers and some like to end it with the shooter.  Recently it’s been more about the shooter and other people have their opinions on why that is and it goes everywhere from race to class and all over the place.  I think 90% of the perspectives are valid but for argument sake let’s look at this from a basic plot point of view.  MLD gets a gun under the thought of protection, from who is a whole other conversation later this week, MLD decides to go driving around with others to challenge his perceived enemies.  They pick an area they believe will produce the best results in using said handgun and find a park that the LK’s hangout in.  MLD makes a couple of passes to make sure they have an advantage and find their spot to make their stand.  MLD jumps out of vehicle and begins to shoot in general direction of who he thinks are members of the Latin Kings.  People run and duck for cover but at the end of the shooting two innocent little girls are shot instead.  MLD realizes that he has made a mistake and jumps back into vehicle and they take off.  Trying to avoid to get caught the driver is obviously driving as if he is being chased and creates a bigger scene and someone notices the vehicle and plates and reports it.

All of that happened within a few minutes and the first obvious reaction is hate for the shooter and I do not blame someone for having those feelings.  The reaction of the police is to do their jobs and find the shooter but what they shouldn’t be doing is creating public policy.  What I mean by that is if the Chicago police department declares war against a group of people then there is NO absolute way that the perceived criminal will ever get a fair trial.  We elect public servants to communicate to the general public what the desires of that community is not the police.  I’m not bashing the police what I am doing is identifying the fact that we ALL have our roles to play and we should stick to them.

I’m not making any excuses for this MLD or for the Latin Kings what I want to also do is point out that if we want certain things to stop happening then we need to take a larger look into why it does happen.  To declare war on a group of youth is as ridiculous as the Mayor of Chicago declaring war on Canada!

The police force in Chicago is used for many things when it should just be focusing on policing the city for violations to established Law.  We indirectly look towards the police to show us what it means to be a law abiding citizen, as a role model for “at-risk youth,” counselor in emergency situations, the model citizen, etc…  That’s too much to expect out of the police force simply because they are human beings as well with real life problems and obstacles of their own.

Our youth need a stronger voice and I believe that they have a valid VOTE in our society to find solutions to some of our heaviest problems.  We can’t use the excuse of “but they won’t understand the complexities of international law” or “We can’t spend time explaining tax law to them.”

If people say those are valid then do we say that it’s too complicated to explain why it is necessary for a drug dealer in Humboldt Park Chicago to continue to sell drugs so they can supply food and shelter to their family? You can’t say it’s not the same because we cannot dismiss the experience of other people based on our lack of that experience.  To be honest it’s all really a mess so explanation on any level is welcomed and needed because we ALL need to learn.

The MLD’s are rumored to be giving up their members quickly to the police to avoid an all-out prosecution of the entire gang.  On the face of it many may say ‘good then maybe they’ll stop’ but what people don’t see is that when you do that it creates many more opportunities for violence.  The idea is to break this cycle of violence not just make it jump track so it’s out of YOUR way.

Peace/AMOR

Gerardo

Looking for Peace.....on Lower Wacker Drive.

This morning I got up at a time that is foreign to me 6:30am and I say that because I haven’t been a morning person since I was a teenager.  The purpose was to take a drive to downtown and take the streets that go under the city to look for homeless people and homeless I did find.

I proudly worked for the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless back in 1996 and enjoyed every moment I was there and met great people as well.  Before this job I had never gone down to Lower Wacker but always heard about how people lived under there.  Wacker is a snake of a street and is the only street in Chicago that has addresses that represent every direction without it ever cutting off.  Wacker was an amazing effort by Chicagoans in 1926 and if it wasn’t built that area of down town might not look as tall. 

Lower Wacker is now a way to cut through downtown traffic, where trucks unload their deliveries, and home to many homeless people.  I didn’t see as many people down there this morning but I know at night it becomes a lot more obvious of how many people actually live down there.  As I drove around I spotted several people still sleeping in their boxes or simple on the sidewalk under an air vent from one of the buildings that releases the buildings warm air.  The city has obviously moved a lot of people out of the way by placing high wrought iron fencing around dock areas and such.   

I took a turn into what seemed an alley and once I got to the end of it all that sat there was a police car with no one in it.  I turned around and realized I had not noticed the two men sleeping on the sidewalk they look to be in their mid to late 40’s African American men keeping warm as best they could.  Then the thought hit me ‘how did I drive past them and not notice them?’ Is it because somewhere in my mind I expect to see people of color sleeping on the sidewalk?  What was it about them that I didn’t notice?  Or what does it say about me that I drove past two human beings and didn’t notice their despair.  As I drove past them again one of them stood up to look at me and I smiled and acknowledged his existence. 

There’s tens of thousands of homeless people in the city of Chicago and it doesn’t necessarily mean that they live on the street because if you’re on a different couch every so often at different friends’ houses you are homeless.  What is it in our society that we think it is OK for someone to not have shelter of their own?  I know some people will say that they have seen well abled body people begging for money so they don’t see what the obstacle in their lives is. When we have those types of thoughts we are not considering the fact that we all do not receive the same respect, opportunities, and education across the board.  It’s not saying that a certain group has be treated in a special way or anything but simply if we all live on this land we should ALL receive the same opportunities as the next person. 

How do we reach some of the people that have been neglected in our society?  Some of us take on social service jobs and attack the issue from there.  Others become lawyers and/or law enforcement and feel that might be the best way to approach it.  Some work with their churches to fill in the gap where possible and all of it is valid we just need to learn how to function as a whole rather than competing against each other. 

I continued to drive along different parts of Lower Wacker looking for people and as I kept seeing people I realized that many of them had a look of determination on their faces.  I’m curious what it is they are determined about, is it to stay alive? Is it to show they are not scared?  Is it the image of the Almighty Creator God Himself letting me know that they are His people?  I’d like to think it is the latter…

So what do we do then? 

Basic needs are the first priority because without that there is no amount of motivational speaking that will fill the void of an empty stomach!  It is a violent act to not feed someone that is hungry.  It is a violent act to ignore people that are in need of shelter.  It is violent because in a time of desperation people will do whatever it takes to meet their needs.  Many years ago I was in downtown eating at a Bar and Grill when we see a homeless person hitting the window trying to get some one’s attention.  As we look up to see what is going on the homeless man backs away from the window and throws a brick at it.  Thankfully it didn’t go through but the man stood there and someone at our table went out to see how he could help him.  The homeless man said that he would wait for the police because he knew he would end up at Cook County jail and most likely spend the winter there.  When asked if that’s what he wanted the man said yes because he was tired of being told that there wasn’t any more room at the shelters. 

How can we plan hosting global events in the City of Chicago when people are not being feed or sheltered?  There’s always money to fix the sidewalk in front of a local politicians house and there’s always money to spend on special pet projects in an Alderman’s Ward but there is never enough money for schools, teachers, parks, shelters, or a soup kitchen.  Why do we turn our backs to those in need close to us?  But run to the need of many outside of our land?  I’m not saying we shouldn’t help other countries but it is a bit difficult to convince people that it’s better to send hundreds of millions of dollars overseas than to use on its own people…or is it?

Hate, violence, anger, racism, and many other isms need to be addressed directly so that as a society we can move forward until then we have to keep trying as hard as we can!

Peace/AMOR

Gerardo