How God Gave Me Back The Color Red

Sounds like a strange title why would I or anyone lose the Color Red? People lose certain colors in a lot of Urban Communities which we call da Hood. You lose certain colors usually Red, Blue, or Black depending on what Gang is in the neighborhood you live in. The CRIPS controlled my area since 1986. The CRIPS wear blue. Their enemy is the BlOODS who wear Red. The gangs used to strictly enforce the No Red Rule but that stopped about 20 years ago. This affected everyone.

My Friends Tammy and Gisele at the Free Store Gisele is the tallest one and the Second Lady of PA

Now for me a former member of the CRIPS the BLOODS were my enemies and we called them SLOBS and they called us CRABS. Wearing the Color Red in the Hood meant you were Set Tripping and that was disrespectful and could cost you your life. 

This is my friend Jen 

I retired in the 90s but those attitudes remained. Once a CRIP always a CRIP was my attitude.

Then Jesus came into my life in the form of City reach Braddock and Swisvale and another woman who became my mentor, an artist and a strong woman of God. I began working on my anger and grew in bounds but continued to hold on to my dislike of the color red. My best friend Jennifer knows not to buy me red. 

Pastor Chris at City Reach Swissvale

On September 8 I got baptised and although I 

continued to fall short in the sight of God Daily I was growing in my faith.

Last Tuesday while shopping at the Free Store I found a beautiful red sweater with Bling Bling on it. I picked it up without thinking and wore it to a conference on Thursday. 

On Friday, I went to The Hollander Project, run  by my friend and the 2nd Lady of PA Gisele Fetterman, for a Coat Drive. I looked through several coats but they either wasn't warm enough or they didn't fit me. I finally found my coat it was warm and it fit but it was RED. I got it anyway.

The next day I realized that two times that week I wore Red and didn't think about that life I lived. I had moved on to being the daughter of God and the BLOODS were no longer my enemy. 

The Arkwardness of Social Distencing in Public

It's the end of April and we have been Social Distencing for six weeks now. Masks are now required in PA and everyone is wearing them.

Going Grocery shopping has changed now everyone has PPE on. You no longer go up and down the aisle both ways anymore it's now One Way. This is like coming to a intersection when one driver waves the other one through.  People are getting better at Social Distencing but unlike with a cart no one has the Right of Way. Most people wave the other through and then both people back up if your coming down or move to the left if your going east to west.

I was at my daughter's house on Friday. We've been together since the Shut Down began. I was coming down the Steps the same time the cable man was coming in and neighbor was leaving her apartment to let the Cable Guy. We all had masks on our faces. We all took a step back as we figured it out. I said "Strange times" to the both of them. 

" But blessed to be here," 

I said "Amen" and we parted. 

There is always a line now outside of Walmart and the Larger Giant Eagles. They let 50 customers in and Everytime one or two people leave they let you enter.

This is our life at the moment and on the most part I see Americans doing the right thing and staying home. We will get through this together.

Before Everything Went Crazy. Life the Day Before and During a Pandemic

March 11, 2020

The day before things went Crazy was an ordinary Wednesday. I went out to get a new phone and a pair of pants and Tennis shoes. I didn't know then that in Two weeks both the Cricket store and Cititrends would be closed a week later. 

As I was walking my son Jamel called me to ask me if I we're going to be home I would be there later, I informed him.

My grandson Jeremyia

A couple hours later my son My daughter in law and 3 year old grandson came to visit we went to eat and then to Walmart ending up at my daughter's house. It was the first time I saw the new apartment. Then I said good bye to my children. I did not know I would not see my son again since then.

We knew about the Corona Virus and were growing more concerned. That day I thought about Small Groups the night before and talking about it. I told my group of my Church Family that I would be Self Isolating because I am high risk. 

On Thursday March 12 Governor Wolf announced that we now had 3 Unconfirmed Positive cases of Covid 19 also known as Corona Virus. 

The Health Secretary Dr Rachel Levine introduced us to something called Social Distancing. We were told we ought to stay home in order to flatten the Curb.

Woodland Hills announced that the schools will be closed until Monday. The next day they were closed until the end of March then April 

  

Downtown Pittsburgh during peak Weekend Hours.

I got as much food as possible so I could shelter. I also got cleaning products. Something told me to buy toilet paper so I brought enough for 30 days. I didn't know that soon it would be impossible to find Toilet paper and Hand Sanitizer as well as cleaning products. 

My Mentor Carol went to Argentina and ended up quarntiened there. She had to deal with Military keeping an eye on them and worried about how she was getting home. She didn't leave Argentina until April 4. I worried with her and prayed.

On Sunday March 15 I went to church. I didn't know that would be the last time we would see each other. We didn't hug that day and that was the first time we streamed the Sermon.

 The rest of the week most of us began Social Distencing and learning a whole new lifestyle.

 

Remembering Wilkinsburg-Mass Shooting In the Hood.

March 9, 2016 was a very warm day in Wilkinsbug PA,  about 2 miles from the City of Pittsburgh. So warm you can cook out.
At 11 pm shots rang out in Wilkinsburg nothing unusual Wilkinsburg is the hood.  Eight people were shot including a pregnant woman.  Six people including 4 women,  1 man, and an unborn baby boy.  They werent just shot they were slaughtered.

One man stood in the back alley behind Britney Powell's house and fired a hand gun as the victims ran to safety the second man shot them down with an AK 47 on the porch less than a foot away from safety.  In a few seconds three of Jessica Shelton's children were dead and two of her nieces were dead and her unborn grandchild.

The Suspects were caught,  nothing lights a fire under people's butt quicker than an International story in your County. Cheron Shelton, no relation to the victims, was angry because he believed one of the Survivors of the shooting and the brother of Brittney, Mike,  and Netta Powell, shot and killed his best friend and he saw an opportunity to hurt him by killing his loved ones.  They are still down the County jail awaiting trail. They will now spend the rest of their lives behind bars for nothing. 

RIP Netta Powell, and Unborn Baby,  Brittney Powell,  Tina Shelton,  Jerry Shelton, and Shada Mahone.

I promise you that I will never let anyone forget you.  

What the Church can do for the Hood

I am a new Christian who is growing iny faith.  I attend City Reach Swissvale when Im not working and I attend Small Groups which is Bible Study.  This church fits me because not only people like me welcome there they are a big part of the church.  Former Drug addicts,  the Homeless,  and Former Dealers, Prostitutes and other Street people.  Most people like me are not sure we are welcome in most churches because we have pasts and we were sinners.  I found this church because they do Outreach in my community.

When a person turns from a life of sin and degagration they know their is a God but they may not know where to find him.  They also do not know how to act. I still cursed a lot and got into figjts constintly but I had a desire to change.  I found people both from my church and my Mentor who lives in Maine to help me get rid of my anger and they tought me the bible.  I had to go through Santification which was a real difficult  process because you have to change.   I began reading the bible and learning about God's grace. To a former Street gang member God's grace sounds so wonderful.

There is a lot of need in the Hoods of America for churches to come in and do outreach and preaching.  Mainly what the people need to see and feel is loved.  Remember love is one thing we dont receive very often.

The Moral Crisis in the Hood

My mentor is teaching me about Morals and Morality. She feels that the Hood has lost the morality.
This is true once our Communitties were flooded with Guns and violence morality went out the door.

I remember the days before Drugs ruined my hood.  First of all,  if you did something wrong the adults in the Community told you about it and then told your mama.  We knew we bet not talk smart to Mrs Jenkons because Mama would tear our butts up twice.  This tought us respect for our elders. Today Young Sisters wanna beat up Mrs Jenkins instead of teaching the child respect she taught her child that he will get away with disrespecting adults.  Im all for defending your kid if hes innocent but most of the time they arent.

The Unwed Birth rates in the hood is 75% and since it started rising in the early 70s has increased.  These numbers dont reflect unmarried couples who remain together or Co Parent the child, as far as fatherless children go.  Sometimes a child has no father because the man left and chose not to be in the childs life a child may have had a father but lost him to homicide or his father is behind bars.

Children are being taught that its OK to use profanity even before they start school.  The children cant read or write yet but they can cuss like a sailor.

We have abandoned Faith all together replacing God and Church with Love and Hip Hop.  Church is where we learn morals and values.  The kids are learning their morals from Youtube and TV.  Children like adults

Because we have lost our sense of right and wrong for the third generation we are now in a critical stage of our existence. We may not survive as a people.

The Quiet Before the Storm

Last Tuesday around 8 45 Pm I heard all these sirens rushing past my house in North Braddock PA they were heading towards East Pittsburgh. I paid little attention to the Sirens because this is the hood there is always sirens in the hood especially in the Spring and Summer.  Then I got on Facebook and the first post I see is from my niece who posted that the Cops Killed a kid.  My heart sank because we had already had 9 murders in the City most of whom were unsolved now a child was killed by the Police. This was not a good thing. The Community and the Police have always had a strained relationship and recently there have been some improvement in that relationship, but this could set that progress back. 

A Police officer shot a 17-year-old boy who was running from the car. The boy had no weapons and witnesses stated that the cop was roughly speaking to the Jitney driver he had in hand cuffs.  He did not tell the two passengers not to run but as soon as they got out of the car he shot without yelling stop or saying anything to the young man. He shot him three times in the back.  His name is Antwon Rose Jr and he was from Rankin.

The Officer stated that he stopped the car because it matched the description of a car involved with a Shootout/Drive By and he could tell this was the car because of the Bullet holes in his car.  This is a discrepancy because how can it be a car involved with a Drive By but had bullet holes.  If the car had bullet holes, then that would indicate that there was no Drive By but a shootout.  I know the area where this shooting took place its on a corner about three blocks from my house.  They are notorious for shoot outs that occur daily. The Hood says that it was a shoot out but of course the media states Drive by so some citizens of Allegheny County can make Racist remarks on media pages.  However, as Journalists you would think they would want to report fact.

The Protest began Wednesday in Downtown Pittsburgh which was peaceful. Later that evening the Activists from the Community organized a Protest starting at the police station in East Pittsburgh that caused the Parkway East to close for several hours.  The Parkway East is part of the highway system in Pennsylvania. They also protested at the PNC park at a Pirates game and over at the South side of Pittsburgh. The protest at the South Side was majority white. 

The People here are emotional and hurting because it is bad enough we have young people in the community shooting and killing each other and to have someone outside of the community shoot one of our children in the back is unbelievable.  Nothing says your life doesn’t matter more than the people who are PAID by your tax dollars either by Property taxes or by your rent, shooting a teenager from your community, in the back.  Like we chanted at the Protest. “Three shots in the Back How are You gonna justify that?” The Police is already trying it and they have John and Jane Redneck saying “He was a killer” The person shot was treated and released and as I said before was a shootout people are going to get shot.

Yesterday was the funeral for Antwon Rose Jr, held in the Junior High School that he attended as a 7^th and 8^th grader.  There was a long procession of cars of people who were there to say good bye to the Honors Student who wrote a poem about Violence in the Community. He was afraid of being murdered by someone in his community. He had no idea that he would be murdered by someone who should have protected him.  Yes I said he was murdered being shot in the back means you murdered someone who was no longer a threat.  This is no different then being shot in the arm pits that means you had your hands up.  However, the Police will always win when it comes to this. They lose when the community loses faith in them again and NO CRIMES get solved.

The past seven days, the local media has gotten more wrong about the stories than correct. The District Attorney, who already has a strained Relationship with the African American Community, announced that he wouldn’t be making an announcement before the family buried their 17-year-old son. He said he would make the announcement soon but since he is a Democrat who lost a state wide Primary to the Current Attorney General because of his fractured relationship with the black community in Allegheny County.  The people in this community reached out to the communities of Philadelphia and Harrisburg and all over the State of PA and let them know that he ignores us and our issues. He lost in a landslide.

So here we sit we know that if the announcement is the Officer is cleared then the streets of my neighborhood will erupt first followed by one hood after another until this city is on fire.  We know this because the ONLY thing to cause a riot is POLICE BRUTILITY and especially what the community views as a cold blooded murder.

We have not gotten any word about when or if he will announce today because he will more than likely not give to much of advanced notice and will try to hold off as late as possible. We always hope and pray that there is no riot but its been a long time since 1992 and this community is ready to blow.