Think Before You Ask A Black Person If They “Condone” Riots.

In the past few years an unprecedented amount of video evidence regarding police brutality towards POC has surfaced. With each jarring reality check a new movement has been gaining steam— and fast: the Black Lives Matter movement, a demanding of the end to police brutality, the for-profit prison system and many other forms of oppression dispersed onto black people in this country. Just as with any other movement in history, there were protests, and those protests in some instances have grown to riots.

Protests are typically well received by those even moderately socially conscious, but riots are a different story. Riots scare people, and rightfully so. It reminds the public of the true fragility of society; it borders on a concept of lawlessness that’s typically reserved for the movies. Riots expose this country to the world, and even worse— itself.

So what is it about the riots that cause debates? Some say they detract from the movement, others cite the fact riots tend to occur in black neighborhoods and it’s counterproductive, but what it really comes down to is one thing: violence. Riots are violent, it’s quite literally in the definition. The rioters typically aim for property damage, stealing and fires in most instances— while the police shoot rubber bullets, tear gas, beat, and even possibly kill as of recently. Let’s not forget which side the real violence comes from. But they’ll argue that it’s justified because of the rioters.

It all comes down to that one question: do you, a conscious black person in America, condone violence? It’s an insulting question. A question that can only be answered with a little education.

The last official lynching recorded was in 1968, the same year Martin Luther King was assassinated. You only have to be 48 years old to have been alive for it, just to give scope as to how truly recent that is. However, some argue the true last lynching took place in 1998 when three white men chained James Byrd to the back of their pick up truck and dragged him through Jasper, Texas. However I’d argue the lynchings have never stopped. What’s even worse is that they’ve been televised. The point is, my history in this country has been violent from the first slave to be kidnapped to this moment as I’m writing this— and quite frankly, myself and many others are tired. But honestly, I cannot expect for my white peers to fully understand.

Triggering would be a mild word to describe the videos the world has been exposed to over these past few years. I try my absolute hardest not to watch them anymore because it started to take a toll on my mental health. But it’s not just videos of police shootings that trigger. Media dating back to slavery, the Jim Crow era, etc. effect myself and many other black people the same way. My senior year of high school in a history through film class we watched the film Amistad, and the imagery was hard to swallow.

My heart was racing. I was nervous, I felt sick. I started to look around the room and realized no one but me truly felt the weight of this movie. Some people were texting or talking and I was sitting there filled with anxiety as if I’ve witnessed the torture on the screen before— you’d think it was PTSD. This isn’t unfounded either. Epigenetic Inheritance is the idea that factors from your environment (including trauma) can affect the genes of your children.

A research team at New York’s Mount Sinai Hospital conducted a study with 36 jewish men and women who had experienced the holocaust including concentration camps in some form. It was found that the genes of their offspring had been altered, and this alteration been linked to stress disorders as well. So, imagine how African American DNA has been affected from 500+ years of a very violent oppression? What’s worrying is how the trauma of constantly being exposed to viral lynchings of those who look like your brother, cousin, aunt, dad, YOURSELF has further altered our genetics.

Oppression is violence, every factor of it. That violence has left our DNA stained, it holds the trauma of being kidnapped, lynched, hosed down etc. What I’m getting at is—our entire traceable ancestry in America has been shaped by violence. So when you ask me if I support or “condone” violence it’s telling of your disconnection to the true nature of what is at hand. Angela Davis touched on this in a 1971 interview. There is no way to want violence and be conscious of my history—we’ve seen enough. However, in regards to violence in riots inspired by my oppression, my disdain for violence is irrelevant.

These riots are not about whether or not I condone violence, it’s about whether or not I condone my oppression (hint: I don’t). I do not personally believe politics as usual will make the change that’s so desperately needed. Considering this country’s foundation is based off of the genocide of a native people and the enslavement of another, simply trimming the branches isn’t going to work—the roots are rotten.

Riots have been a part of nearly every major movement of marginalized people in history, it’s a part of the process of liberation and in retrospect those rioting are often looked at with admiration. I do not have any want for riots or violence—but, if I was told it would take some serious riots  to cause an end to over five centuries of emotional, physical, economic and genetic warfare against my people…is there honestly an option? Many people think this is a “radical” point of view, but hopefully you can come to understand that it is simply logical.

Homelessness in Arizona’s Valley

Homelessness is an epidemic across the United States. National Alliance to End Homelessness states an average of 17.7 of every 10,000 people in America are without a home. Many are questioning what can be done to prevent, or at the very least decrease homelessness. While overall homelessness has decreased over the years, many US cities are still struggling with the matter, including Phoenix, AZ.

Arizona is ranked number 17 in the country for overall homelessness. With just over 2 percent of America’s population, Arizona holds over 6 percent of the country’s homeless. An Arizona Department of Economic Security (DES) report found that nearly one percent of Arizona’s population received support for homelessness in 2015.

Maricopa County holds 61 percent of Arizona’s population, but an estimated 71 percent of the homeless population. While this isn’t surprising considering homeless populations tend spike in metropolitan areas, the question of what can be done to alleviate the homeless burden on the county remains.

There are a plethora of factors behind homelessness. From drug abuse to poor job markets seemingly any misfortune can lead to a person being without a home to call their own; but there are three major factors, besides job loss, that contribute to homelessness: domestic violence, mental illness and substance abuse.

A report commissioned by the DES found that a quarter of Arizona’s homeless population cited domestic or family violence as a reason for homelessness. Women cited domestic violence as a reason behind their homelessness four times as often as men did. This comes as no surprise as women overall are three times as likely to experience domestic violence than men are.

The same DES report found that approximately 16 percent of the homeless in Maricopa County became homeless due to mental health issues. People affected by mental health have a particularly hard time with employment. Research done by the University of Manchester found that 61 percent of working age adults affected by mental illness are unemployed.

Rates vary depending on specific diagnosis; 20 to 25 percent those diagnosed with major depressive disorder are unemployed compared to 80 to 90 percent for those diagnosed with schizophrenia. Along with high unemployment rates those diagnosed with a mental illness are twice as likely to be affected by substance abuse, another major contributor to homelessness.

A quarter of the Maricopa County homeless population cited substance abuse as a direct cause for homelessness. More specifically, 11 percent cited drug use while 16 percent cited alcohol. However, these numbers have been said to be inaccurate due to those made homeless by substance abuse generally having shorter stints of homelessness.

These are just a few of the reasons behind homelessness in Maricopa County, and unfortunately there are more causes than solutions leaving many asking how this can be solved.

“We have not fixed the problem at this point in time so we don’t know,” statewide homeless coordinator of the DES Alfred Edwards said. “The most successful interventions to date are being utilized and we have made significant strides in reducing homelessness but we do not have a fix at this point.”

Some of those successful interventions are at risk however. In May 2016 the Housing and Urban Development Department (HUD) made significant cuts to programs including shelters and other services for the homeless. Transitional-housing organizations rely heavily on HUD grants to operate and were sent into crisis when the HUD abruptly eliminated grant funding.

“We’d regularly have families wait one to three weeks before having access to our program, now they are having to wait three or four months,” said Alyssa Palmer of Save The Family, a transitional-housing organization that provides housing and other services to homeless families in Maricopa County. “Because of that same concept, shelters in this area are at their maximum capacity and now about 50 new families are slipping into homelessness each week.”

Lack of space in shelters is a rising problem in Maricopa County.

“We’re almost always full,” said Doug Barnes who serves as the mens director for House of Refuge, another transitional-housing organization. House of Refuge is faith-based, meaning that they cannot receive government money. Even with lack of space and funding, Barnes says there is a high success rate. “If they stay up to four months or longer, our results improve substantially.”

While transitional housing organizations report great success, those ready to leave homelessness face problems outside of their control. “In Arizona, as well as across the nation, there is a shortage of Affordable housing,” Edwards said. This epidemic makes the fight against homelessness harder to win, due to it forcing even more families into homelessness—and making it harder for people to get out of it. “Without affordable housing individuals and families become homeless.”

There is Light in the Dark: #TransLawHelp Connects Lawyers With Trans Individuals

There is light in the dark. The results of the 2016 election has continued to put strain on Americans, and while time heals all wounds— I’m afraid 48 hours isn’t enough. This election was personal, marginalized communities watched the manifestation of their oppression turn every place hope resided a bitter red. It’s going to take time to heal, to organize and act but take solace knowing the ball is already rolling.

Twitter user @dtwps created the hashtag #TransLawHelp to connect lawyers with trans individuals who need guidance through the process of legally changing their gender—and it’s all pro bono.  This is investment in change, and it’s vital to the success of any marginalized group. Its vitality stems from one fact: marginalized groups are more likely to be low-income—especially trans individuals.

15 percent of trans individuals report making less than $10,000 a year, making them four times as likely to live in poverty than the general population. The disparity is even more dramatic for trans POC. 28 percent of Latinx transgender individuals report incomes less than $10,000 a year, and for Black trans individuals that number increases to 34. 1 in 5 trans individuals report having been homeless; once again that number balloons for trans POC. Latinx trans individuals  are 27 percent more like to experience homelessness than the general population, for Black individuals that rises to 41.

The economic inequality the LGBTQ community faces—especially the trans community— is criminal at best. Lawyers are expensive, and many who need one do not have the resources to attain one. The trans community does not know what policies may come their way in the coming months, setting their gender in stone provides some possibly much needed defense. This hashtag is important. This hashtag is saving identity.

Besides its tangible positive impact, #TransLawHelp brought hope. Trans lives, like many others, feel as if they’re in a state of limbo. LGBTQ suicide prevention hotlines reported record highs, parenting groups are reporting suicides; like many others, the trans community feels as if it is under attack. This of course is not a new feeling, and is certainly not untrue.

Trans individuals experience violence unlike any other demographic in America. Trans individuals are 3.7 times more likely to experience police violence than their cis-gendered peers, that number balloons to six for transgender POC. Transgender women are nearly two times as likely to experience sexual violence than the general population.

There have been over 40 documented murders of trans individuals reported since the beginning of 2015. Of those 40, 67 percent were transgender women of color.However, this data is not completely accurate. Due to limitations there is currently no way to know just how many trans individuals have been murdered for being nothing more than themselves. Researchers suggest this number is much higher in reality. Numbers don’t lie, this is an attack.

This country has elected a bigot with a Vice President who supports directing federal funding to conversion therapy. Trump however has given relatively mixed signals regarding his stance on the trans community.  Trump recently expressed he feels that trans individuals have the right to use any bathroom they choose. This of course is a huge shock and very confusing coming from a man who ran his campaign on discrimination—and chose someone who believes one can electrocute someone’s sexual identity away— as his running mate.

There are hard times ahead and now more than ever we need to play smart. #TransLawHelp is playing smart. The plight of the trans community is all but invisible to the general public, if liberation is the goal then that liberation must include them and their goals as well. We must invest in progress with not just money, but time, healing and listening. I sincerely hope to see more tangible support like this in the coming months—we’re going to need it.

Accept the American democracy for what it is— a sham.

You’re fooling yourselves continuing to believe in this democracy. I’ve believed this for some time, but November 8th, 2016 I and many others were proven right. Now, I do want to stress that if you are a straight, financially stable white male this does not apply to you, the system built for you is still working diligently for your success. But for all other demographics out there, you are putting yourself in danger putting your trust in politics as usual. It baffles me you’d defend this process, when it just moments ago shat out Donald Trump on a silver platter. Accept that this is a democracy built on white supremacy.

The other day, I compared this election to the civil war. There’s white liberals, right-wing white-power conservatives and minorities are forced into a near undebatable side. Some might think “Oh, slavery was abolished! That comparison is good!” Not exactly. See, regardless of how obviously necessary the abolishment of slavery was— black people still chose the lesser evil. The evil of slavery does not erase the evil of reconstruction, the Jim Crow era, the war on drugs, the crime bill etc. When the Union won, the black community wasn’t given freedom, but 150 years of progress.

So now you may see why that isn’t a positive comparison, I’m not interested in my great-grandchildren fighting for liberation. Now, it’s important to realize that this time the Confederacy won. If my past victory looks like 150 years of struggle, I’m not interested in seeing a loss.

Donald J. Trump is the president of The United States for the next four years. Not only that, but the senate and house are republican lead—and let’s not forget about the Supreme Court justices to be appointed by Trump. This system of government was designed for “checks and balances” meaning all factions essentially keep each other in check. So what happens when all factions have the same dangerous agenda? This isn’t a game.

Our newfound republican government has four years to do as they please all while the strongest anti-progressive movement in decades strives. This does not stop after four years, this is decades of damage. I simply cannot imagine a reason to put trust in this democracy at this point, especially considering ‘hosting Celebrity Apprentice’ is actually one of the few high points on our president’s résumé.

This is all thinking domestically, of course. Let’s talk about foreign policy, where even more power is given to Trump. The world right now is not stable, I don’t believe in fear mongering but I do believe in facts. America is a country whose imperialism has led it to being involved in every foreign affair that involves oil within six degrees of separation. Donald Trump now has power over these involvements. The Middle East, of course, is what comes to mind when thinking of the dysfunction abroad, but there’s so much more. There will be problems domestically, but the sheer amount of foreign innocent life on the line here is mortifying. Oh, and Trump damn near idolizes Vladimir Putin—our government has been compromised.

Besides all these reasons why this will need to be a revolutionary period, the simple fact Trump was elected speaks volumes. Faith in democracy is faith in the people— well, the people voted and the system did the rest. Come to terms with the fact that this is not “unAmerican”, historically it is on cue—reminiscent of how the Nixon era was a direct response to the Civil Rights Movement. This country has always fought back against true tangible progress; I don’t want to hear about being positive, staying persistent or trusting in this system.

My little sister immediately comes to mind. She, a 14-year-old black LGBT girl, woke up on November 9th being told that a man who has attacked every characteristic of her being has been elected president. How can anything I say to her speak louder than this election? It can’t. The weight of this hits me in a way I wasn’t prepared for; it hurts me in a way I wasn’t prepared for. I don’t want this for her… I don’t want this for anyone.

So for the sake of those who aren’t old enough to drive themselves to the rallies, or those who don’t have the resources to have their voices be heard— stop putting your faith in a system founded on patriarchal white supremacy. Stop pretending that this imperialist empire is any different from those of the past. Stop believing that a country that elects a president without the popular vote is a true democracy.

I believe in the right to vote, but I do not believe it will grant my or anyone else’s liberation. I believe in democracy, just not America’s. While exit polls show Hillary won the youth by a landslide, I’m not interested in waiting a generation for change.We may not know the answer, but that does not mean that this is it. Please, challenge your teachings.