When Will Hood Lives Matter to John and Jane Q Public

During the mass shooting in Las Vegas, a young man in an accusing tone basically asked me of I had ever been in a mass shooting. I live in the hood of course I've experienced a lot of gun violence. In 2012, during an afternoon street shootout a bullet wizzed by my head. I was walking to the store school busses were unloading and two young men began firing at each other from cars. I was lucky I didn't get shot that day. I have lost friends and children I watched grow up. I have held in my arms mothers who lost their sons or daughters.

It is due to this that mass shootings affect me. I have no tolerance for politics about anything when this happens. I always end up feeling some kind of way that anytime this happens the gun control issue comes up. If every Liberal in the United States would be as impassioned about violence in the hood we may be able to solve this issue. If Liberals and Conservatives would march with us during peace March's we would know that you care. Most people in the hood say this about those outside the Hood. It comes from Boyz in Da Hood. "Either they don't know they don't show, or they don't care about what goes on in the hood". Ice Cube said this in 1991 and 27 years later it still is relevant. I have been online for nine years preaching about this and unlesse they are from the hood or they are Conservative, people read but they either are afraid of being labeled racist or they do not know what to say. People are silent. Conservatives are called racist so they are more free to speak out. This is a warning to Liberals if you do not stop ignoring us we will not vote for you. We are getting tired and trust and believe Republicans will come to our hoods and they will care and you will lose us. Do not take us for granted anymore.

Every year in the US we lose thousands every year to gun violence in the hood and thousands more are injured. That is 100 times more than all the mass shootings put together. When are people gonna care about our lives?

Hood lives matter and we are dying. Please care about us.

Can't we all get along?

I live in the hood, which is very violent.  I like to keep politics off my page but I am going to make an exception because of all the foolishness going on. I am talking about the NFL and the Taking a knee during the National Anthem and the ignorance one side of the aisle has due to this issue.  Now of course, not all Conservatives are bone heads who seem to always protest anything that they perceive has to do with the other side believes. What they fail to understand or just don't care that a lot of Conservatives were and still on the side of the knee benders. What they also fail to understand is in this country we have the right to peacefully protest.  That's right we all have the right to protest.  So of course the President became involved and because the man lacks social skills and is a bigot he began requesting that team owners began firing the Football players. Now if we were talking about tennis or NASCAR I might have remained silent but since you decided to go after the NFL, most of whom, are from the hood then I have to speak up. Conservatives are quick to tell the NFL players what to do with their money because they are not from the hood so they wouldn't know that often times these players support their entire neighborhoods not just their families. I suggest the Conservatives that say this. Put their money where their mouth is or sit down somewhere.


I have both Democrats and Republican friends on fb and personally I identify as Non Partisan because I find that most Political people are a little dense when it comes to their parties and usually never take the time to listen to others or respect another person's point of view. Neither the Left nor the Right are respectful to the other and both seem to enjoy calling each other horrible names this makes us look silly to the rest of the world no matter what they tell us.


During last season at the height of the Police Brutality scandals, Colin Kaepernick decided he needed to take a stand or actually a knee during the National Anthem.  This made the Conservatives, who by the way Protested every time President Obama opened up his mouth , very upset because they seem to be ignorant about what this Country stands for. They put pressure of the NFL owners who refused to sign the trouble maker.  This led to a lot of African American men boycotting the NFL, which I didn't agree with we do not know why they didn't hire him. Of course the Conservatives began to defend the NFL again I am not sure why they did this. This was not going anywhere the NFL lost some people but still other players were taking the knee.


This prompted the President to tweet "The NFL owners need to fire any Son of a bitch who disrespects our flag and our country." I guess he didn't understand that no one likes to have their mother called a bitch and many became offended. This prompted every player, coach, and owner to take a knee or refuse to come out until after the anthem like before 2009.
 Well guess someone should have told the imbecile that President's are supposed to keep their mouth shut and their opinions to themselves unless it is about politics.  He doesn't understand the power and position of the President. The President is supposed to be able to unite the Country not further divide it. Guess what happened next the entire Country were to busy fighting over this nonsense instead of dealing with a Major hurricane in Puerto Rico. The President didn't seem to know that Puerto Rico is part of the United States and he is their President too.  Yet he and his supporters do not understand why minorities do not like him and think he is a racist.


The Pronoun "our" to a lot of people in the African American communities when people say "our" flag do not feel included in OUR because that flag permitted slavery at one time. That flag said "your three fifths of a human being in our eyes.  That flag said "your only a slave here not a citizen with any rights.  Little kids had that flag ripped out of their hands during the 50s by adult whites because they were not citizens.  So not everyone has warm fuzzy feelings about that flag because this country hasn't always been good to minorities not just African American but all people of color and truth be told to Poor Whites who also suffer discrimination.


This is the same President who defended the White Neo Nazis in Charlottesville VA and insulted the Klan Protestors. This is the same man who wants the hood to love him but then insults us at every turn.  This is a man who wants us to give him a chance and maybe he would but he is to busy being an out of touch, divisive, racist who only wants to create division and not bring us together. The man doesn't love his own party members because he is to busy insulting them.


What the President and anti Protestors do not understand is that what is so special about this Country is our freedoms. I have never in my life heard someone who went to fight for our country say "I'm fighting for our flag or I'm fighting for our Anthem (which also celebrates slavery) but I do hear them saying "I'm fighting for our freedoms." The most important is the First Amendment which says:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.<sup>[     


I wonder if the President and the butt hurt people know that the right to peaceably assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances. Maybe if they understood that then maybe calls to run over Protestors with cars will stop. Maybe calls for people to leave this country for disagreeing with the President or Congress will stop. 


I am just tired of all the nonsense man if everyone got this riled up over the violence in the hood we will be cooking with gas.</sup>

The Day all the Social Workers Came

Today was a busy morning. I knew my Social worker and my nurse was coming. My daughter starts straightening up the Living room I asked her who was coming. She told me her social worker was coming. I laughed and said "mine too" we both started laughing.

Last year, when I was facing homelessness and was hospitalized the second time in two weeks I told my nurse what was going on and she called the hospital social worker. She came to see me and I told her what was going on. She got back to me and told me my medical insurance company had a combination of medical and social workers that would be able to help me.
I was assigned a nurse named Tina and a social worker named Jerry. I was in a hotel when I met them for the first time in my house. Children and Youth Services removed us to the hotel we just came to get some things and spend the day. We put in applications for places and went to church that evening.
Over the next several months they helped me with medical appointments and with furnishing my home. I also have a nurse that helps me figure out my health problem which is Sarcoidosis, an autoimmune disease. They have been a real blessing.

My daughter has an infant who is Seven weeks old. She has been enrolled in The Healthy Start Program, a program that tries to prevent infant mortality. They are the ones who helped my daughter decide to breast feed. They checked my granddaughter and she's right on time developmently speaking.

I don't always need them but I'm glad I have them.

Spending the Day in a crowded ER

I needed to go to the Emergency Room via Ambulance to Presbyterian Hospital in Pittsburgh. The ER was extremely busy that I never did get a room. The rooms go to people who are critical apparently there were a lot of Traumas. I actually did not mind not having a private room first of all the people who needed it needed more privacy than me its hard to feel sorry for yourself when they bring a man in who was in a terrible accident and was unconscious passing by you. I would close my eyes and pray for each and every person. The doctors and nurses were great and professional. They are all heroes last night.

The male nurse couldn't get blood out of my veins and didn't want to stick me a million times so he asked a young Nursing Assistant to help. He blew a vein and so did she. She was able to give blood. Both were apologetic. I informed them that my veins are stubborn and tough and that I ain't mad. I've had this conversation a million times before.

I spent a good deal of time moaning about being stuck in the ER again to my friend Carol Douglas.

I didn't have a blockage and my Gallstones weren't blocking the Bile Duct. I was given cab slips home and pain pills before so I was high upon leaving the hospital.

This is not an Inner City hospital it is one of the best Hospitals but to be honest the Inner City hospitials are just as good. Yes Presby may have the best doctors but all hospital Personnel are the best from doctors on down to Janitors.

I made it home safe and sound.

Facing Homelessness and a high priced political event in one crazy mixed up week

Gisele Fetterman and I 

A common statement in the hood is "It bes like dat in the hood sometimes." A face book memory yesterday because I posted it a year ago yesterday. The status said Only I have one day of facing homelessness and attending a fancy Political Function in the same week.  Yet that is what happened. On September 15, 2016 I was facing homelessness due to problems with a slum lord. On September 19th I was invited to a political event at the Fetterman loft for Josh Shaprio, a candidate for PA Attorney General. Despite what was going on in my own life I wanted to hear what he was going to do for my people.

Candidate Josh Shapiro

I had never been to any political function before and I was nervous possible but I left work and headed home to change. I had no water then so needed to wash up from a jug and heat from the microwave. I got dressed and walked down the street to the next block to the loft.

I was full of self doubt after all I was just a girl from the hood not some rich or middle class woman from the Burbs.

They served Prime Rib I remember thinking that rich people didn't salt their food. It was very nice though and I got to ask the candidate where he stood on the high murder rate in the inner cities. I respected that he didn't lie to me.

Josh Shapiro and Fetterman

I officially became homeless on December 1, 2016.

Walking down the Hood looking at the stores.

My Co worker and I were picking up snacks for the staff.  As we drove down the Street we were laughing about all the stores and things you will find only in a hood.  You will always see is a Save a Lot but never see a Whole Foods.  You see the same three phone companies in every hood and they are always close together. Cricket, Metro, and Boost Mobile.  There are also several cell phone businesses that have a lot of other inexpensive phone companies.  We do not have Verizon, Sprint, or ATT.  We have several stores that sell pop, candy, chips, blunts, and Cigarettes. In these stores, several of them have food like pizza and fried chicken.  They also sell Triple Beam scales and tobacco pipes and grinders which most people use for illegal drugs.

When you walk down any business district in most hoods you will find 1 or more of the following stores. Family Dollar, Dollar Tree, and Dollar General.  You will see several check cashing places and ACE has a reloadable card that you can get your pay check direct deposited to and even get your pay up to two days early.  Places that sell fried chicken and fish also does quite well in the hood.

Rent A Center and other places where you can rent to earn are also on every block.  Rainbow, Citi Trends, and other low priced clothing stores are right at home on the block.  Hair places where you can buy weave is on every corner and also barber shops and beauty shops.  Since you can be a barber and an ex con at the same time with no issues.


For the people who do not have cars people in the hood rely on Car Services otherwise known as Jitneys.  They are always located in one hood or another although they are not as common as when I was child because of robberies and homicides.


Yes the hood has unique businesses but this is what is sold in the hood.  We laugh at what we have and don't have because it is funny to us but in reality that is what is important in the hood.

Why do you care about the hood? We are set up to die anyole way?

I am asked by some people from the Hood. "Why do you care about the hood?" They begin.  "Ain't nothing you can do about it anyway because we are set up to die any ole way?"  I explain to them that I care about what is happening in the hood and its time someone speak out on our behalf. They, like other's have stated.  "Only people who care about the hood is the people who live here. The rest of America either don't know or don't show that they care about the hood."  This is a common belief in the hood.  I also used to feel this way. However, I no longer believe this.


In 2008, I was a strong supporter of Hillary Clinton, and as she started losing her Primary I joined a forum for Hillary Supporters.  I never expected what was to happen next. I told everyone I was from the hood and actually began to become very popular.  I met my best friend, a Republican, on that site.  She and I were outsiders on a forum where most of the people were life long Democrats.  I voted Democrats most times but not always and I tended to vote for the person I thought would be the best for the Hood.  I always voted because people died for the right for me to cast that ballot.  Jen was the first Republican I had ever really met.  She was the Least Racist person I ever met and she didn't hate poor people.  She and I remain best friends to this day.  I began to think if the media can lie on Jen maybe the Republicans didn't hate poor people and people of color. 

I became face book friends with a lot of  people both Democrats and Republican and what I found were racist people on both sides of the aisle and that most people in both parties are good people. I also found a lot of people who were concerned with the hood and poor people in general.  However, most of them blamed the other for what was going on. "Its the Democrat's fault they run the Cities."  I guess they forget the Poor Rural whites who's lives are not so much different than the people in the hood.  Why do they over look that? Because the Poor Whites are live in areas where the Republican's control.  Its the Republicans fault because they are so racist and they hate the poor." Forgetting that Bernie Saunders and many other Democrats believe that all blacks live in the ghetto forgetting that there are millions of white people who live in the Hood and they are no different than the blacks that live there.  Democrats ignore Urban issues because they listen to middle class black people who tell them that their is no such thing as "Black on black crime" and for them to talk about it makes your party a racist.  Apparently according to some members of Black Lives Matter, random white people come into the hoods of America to shoot unarmed black people.  I do not know where that crazy theory comes from but we do not appreciate it.  Object to the name Black on Black, Urban Violence is more that blacks killing other blacks.  Its also Latino killing Latino, Asian killing Asian, and white killing white.  CRIPS are multinational and are in all 50 states even in states where there are no black people. I have warned several Democrats that they are playing with our votes and that we do not like being ignored or discarded.  It is very unfortunate most people fall in line with party politics instead of what is good for poor people. 

I have found Republicans to be very interested in what is going on here but they are often to concerned with the life of the unborn instead of worrying about the people already here. Its hard for people in the hood to worry about people having abortions when so many of our little kids, teenagers, and young people are adults but of course they don't think so.  I really just wish both sides would listen to the people who live in these neighborhoods before they listen to others who have never lived here or who moved out in the 70s.