Home > Blogs > Post Content

Open Letter To Young Warriors In Chicago (98 hits)

Dear Young Warriors fighting the wrong wars! Killing each other is definitely played out. Being hurt from the lost of a love one was never cool.

Dear Young Warriors fighting the wrong war! I know that feeling, that frustration with life and needing to take it out on someone, any one. But....

We chose the dumbest things to go the hardest for. I remember seeing deaths over 8 ball jackets, Fila sneakers, and name plate chains. Deaths over "he say, she say"!!!!! "I'm from this block or I'm from that block", or "my moms n pops is f*cked up now the whole world gotta pay"!!!

I remember feeling like I was the hardest "n*gga" breathing. And I couldn't wait to prove it. But let's think. What are we really proving?? And proving what to who?? Everybody knows Chicago breeds the strongest of the strong but I just feel, me, being ya brother from another state feels your pain as if I grew up with you in ya very own household.

You have the ability and mindpower to change they way we are looked at. Look who's watching us young warriors, look who's throwing us in jail constantly, look at the ignorance in the world. Look at the racist dogs who love to see us down. Loving to bury us in the ground or in jail where we continue this worthless war on one another.

Young warriors.... We are WASTING more and more time. We gotta get on our jobs and take over the world. Cuz this movie left the theaters years ago, Juice, Menace, Boys n the Hood , Blood n Blood Out, Belly!

When we see each other why do we see hatred? Why were we born in a storm, born soldiers, WARRIORS....and instead of building each other up we are at war with each other.. May the soul of this young person find peace with the almighty. I'm with you young warriors. You're me and I'm you. But trust me! you are fighting the wrong war.

This sh*t sucks !!

-Nas

Posted By: Steve Williams
Tuesday, September 29th 2009 at 1:35AM
You can also click here to view all posts by this author...

Report obscenity | post comment

Share |

The other Black in America?
Tuesday, September 29th 2009 at 1:46AM
Steve Williams

The Hope From Obama. We Off That?

In the same city, the same windy city, where young Barry Obama walked through the streets to organize a community…the same city where Walter needed a Refrigerator to win a Super Bowl…the same city that in ‘68 made students run for their lives…the same city that needed Common Sense to understand the Twisted rhymes of a rapper…a city whose doors were opened up by Mr. West…a windy, cold city that we call “The Chi.” In this same city, Chi-Town, The Windy, The Chi, Chicago --- this same city…has been brought to her knees…and we fall right there with her.

My body shakes. My skin tightens. My head aches. My eyes tear. My heart hurts. Because on the streets of the Chi, we witnessed hope lost. We witnessed the result of a heavyweight championship match. Ali vs. Frazier. This was no “Thrilla In Manila” or “Rumble In The Jungle” – this was a defeat that pains every bone in the body. A defeat of humanity. A defeat of our people. A defeat of our nation. A defeat of our hope.

I remember sitting on the steps of an abandoned house in Little Rock, Arkansas in 2002, having a conversation with Leifel Jackson, better known on the streets as “OG” aka Original Gangster. I was there to produce a film for HBO about the 10-year street war between the Bloods and Crips in Little Rock, which at one point had a higher murder rate (per capita) than LA and New York. Leifel, the leader of the Crips and who had a federal number for 10 years, was back in the hood, trying to uplift his people in a positive way. And during that conversation, he said to me (and I will never forget it), “a hopeless kid in America is the most dangerous kid in the world.”

And now I wonder, after watching that video – what happened to the hope from Obama? I look at these young people running around the streets and beating each other up, and I see a reflection of myself. I feel I am as much at fault as they are in the tragic killing of Derrion Albert. What have I done to contribute to young people in this country having NO HOPE? I read yesterday that the unemployment rate for 16-24 years old (not in school) is 52%. FIFTY TWO PERCENT. And with that knowledge, how do we even question this type of behavior. If you have no hope, then what do you live for?

After only 8 months in office, are we already running out of hope? Is that all it took? Or did ever really have it? Maybe it was just about rockin a t-shirt or throwin a poster on your wall? Whatever hope we thought we had, WE OFF THAT.

However, I am going to take this moment to look deep inside myself and ask myself whether I really want to help make our future better. This is not about one man, in one office, in one house. This about is our generation taking control of that four letter word, and creating real opportunities for all. We know when we watch that video, that that is not the America we dream of. That is not the America we fought for. That is not the America we built with our bare hands. That is not the America we are proud of. That is not the America that we want to be.

I ask you, what America do you want? And are you ready to do something about it?

-Michael Skolnik

GlobalGrind.com Political Editor
Tuesday, September 29th 2009 at 2:12AM
Steve Williams