Murderer??

I don't know how many people have heard the story of Jamar Pinkney. If you haven't you can read it by clicking here. Basically Jamar Pinkney found out that his 15 year old son molested a 3 year old girl. He made his son strip naked and marched him to an empty lot where he ordered his son on his knees and executed him. He did this after hearing the pleas of his son and his wife. I believe the father could not live with having a child molester as a son.

As I've stated on my other blog I do not believe a human should decide the life and death of another human being, not matter how heinous the crime may be. Can I say I wouldn't do the same thing in this man's shoes? I don't know. He may have been in a temporary state of insanity. I could never imagine if my son was spineless enough to take advantage of a toddler. Who knows what type of monster this boy could have grown up to become (assuming he wouldn't have had some type of therapy or intervention).

The person I feel for the most in this situation is Lazette Cherry, the mother of the boy and wife of Jamar Pinkney. She has basically lost her son and husband in the blink of an eye. She has gone on record as saying:

"I called and told his father this isn't something you sweep under the rug,"

Even though she did the right thing by telling her husband, in retrospect I would imagine she probably wishes she told her husband at a later point or in a different manner. This is a sad situation because essentially two lives have been lost over two senseless acts.

Do you think Jamar Pinkney was wrong for taking the law into his own hands? Would you have done the same?

THUNDER COLLINS, HIS TALENT IS HIS CALL

American essayist, philosopher, and poet Ralph Waldo Emerson once said "Each man has his own vocation; his talent is his call. There is one direction in which all space is open to him."

The substance of this quote can apply to nearly any aspect of life and in any profession. Doctors, lawyers, engineers, barbers, sports whatever the profession, an individual realizes they have some degree of talent and then work to develop their skill set. The athlete who works hard becomes a world famous player and the best in his sport. The doctor who works hard becomes a world renowned surgeon.

Lebron James, Michael Jordan, Johnny Cochran.............. what do they all have in common? All had talent and developed it to be successful. Far more important than developing their talent is the fact that they were fortunate enough to not get in their own way while developing that talent.

What do I mean by this? Far too many times we have witnessed people who have talents one can only dream of; yet they are unable to get out of the way to allow the talent to blossom.

Thunder Collins was a University of Nebraska running back. As a  high school senior he rushed for over 1,110 yards. He was a Junior College All American and was recruited by several large universities.

Today, Thunder Collins is a convicted killer sentenced to life in prison with an additional 110 years for other counts. Thunder Collins provides a prime example of how we get in the way of our talents and close the space that Emerson spoke of.

Thunder Collins (Univ of Nebraska), Lawrence Phillips (Univ of Nebraska), Cecil Collins (LSU), and Maurice Clarett (Ohio State) are all bad exmaples of young black men with endless potential and are all currently incarcerated. Why is this?

If a man’s talent is his calling, why are their life changing obstacles placed before him that prevent him from reaching his calling?

THE GRAY AREA PART III – THE GIFT AND THE CURSE….WHAT’S WORSE?

Preface
I am only trying to bring light to things that may seem gray to people. I am in no way trying to bash the practices or views of others. The views below and in the Gray Area Series have been compiled over the years. They have previously been expressed by me and those around me, both male and female. I am currently dating and things are going very well.

Have you ever wondered, “What’s the best way to tell a woman I’m not interested?” Or ladies, have you ever wondered the same in terms of a man? I don’t think there is an easy way to say no, but there is a hard way to say yes. Saying yes with intentions of doing the opposite is a very hard way to say yes. True, sometimes, no isn’t good enough, but I was always brought up…no means no. Weren’t you?

Let’s extend this “No” for a moment. If you’re looking for a job, and a recruiter calls you and tells you about this job that seems interesting on the surface. You ask additional questions and then you tell the recruiter to set you up for a phone interview with the hiring manager. Once the manager calls you, you make a quick assessment and determine 1) you’re not interested and would rather wait it out for something better 2) you’re interested.

Let’s examine the above with the following assumptions:
This job matches or is better than what your resume would offer you
The company is not a fortune 500 company
The benefits of this job a far greater that any of your previous jobs
You’re currently unemployed
You have no complaints with the look and feel of the company’s website.

~You’re not interested and rather wait it out for something better
If you haven’t had a job in a few months or have been from job to job over the last year, why would you pass on a job with so much to offer? Why would you feel more inclined with justifying why you’re not working, when you’ve had this opportunity come along? (Haven’t you heard this before, “there aren’t any good available women around.” “There aren’t any good available men around.”)

Well, it’s obvious that those who pass up on this job are so used to the state their in, they don’t recognize the difference between the genuine gold in front of them and something that’s gold plated. True this job isn’t with a Fortune 500 company, but you won’t have to be stuffed in a small cubicle with your manager watching your every move. With a Fortune 500 company, you won’t be able to access the internet and you’re only allowed 30 minutes for lunch. But, hey, that’s the life of those employed by some a fortune 500 companies. That’s what you want, right? Or, that’s what you deserve?

The company wants you...but you’re not interested anymore. I’m sure you would tell the recruiter “No, I’m not interested in this position.” Correct? And if he keeps asking you about the job, you would continue to tell him no, right? No ambiguity there. Maybe you would tell him you’re interested, and when the company calls to make you an offer…you wouldn’t answer right? Would you? Have you?

What’s worse, saying no, or saying yes and really meaning no? Let’s not speak of things we don’t really want…like a good woman (fellas)….like a good man (ladies). Let’s not say we want a Good Company when we really want a Good Fortune 500 Company. Let’s not say no and mean yes or say yes and mean no. A yes, is a yes, and a no is a no…there’s nothing in between. “No” Gray! I’m sure the company who wants you would appreciate it (wink wink).

Blackboard Experience: It Takes a Village to Raise a Child

Some of the stories that I share are for inspiration, overall uplifting and celebration of things that people may do in the black community that may get overlooked. I try my best to bring light to these great contributions or achievements from people. However, some of my stories comes from absolute outrage or an experience that really compels me to share what I see, think and thought at the time that this was going on.

ATLANTA WEEKEND OCT. 30 – NOV. 1

On Saturday, Oct. 31, which was Halloween, I went to a Halloween party. This party was nothing special. It was just normal everyday costume party. Nothing ridiculous or out of the ordinary happened. It was my experience stopping at the gas station that struck a nerve in me. I stopped at the gas station to get a pack of gum. As I was walking into the gas station, I noticed there were about 5 to 6 black kids hanging out around and in the convenience store.

 Now, to some people, this may not be a big deal but to me, it was an extremely big deal. This black male who was between 17- 21 years old by my guess asked me if I smoked weed. Initially, I thought that he was looking for weed and then I realized that he was trying to sell me weed. The first time he asked me I did not turn around because I did not think he was talking to me. Then again, when I was leaving out, he asked me again. I answered short and abruptly,

“Nah dog.”

As I was walking out I noticed two girls were part of the five people hanging around. I was not able to determine if the cashier was black or some sort of foreigner. However, I did notice that the glass between him and I was at least 4 inches thick.

 These are some questions I begin to ask myself:

WHY

Why is this kid in a convenience store owned by a foreigner hanging out in the store and not buying anything and trying to sell me weed? It is 9:00 pm or a Friday night. Isn’t there a School Halloween Dance, football or basketball game going on? Isn’t there a girl you could take to the movies? Couldn’t you be at a job? Isn’t there something else you could be doing with your time? Also, what were the girls doing there? Are they trying to hang around the guy that is selling weed? Is that cool?

HOW

How did this become something to do for this kid? What motivates him to hang at a store away from home? Is he hanging away from home because his parents will be upset at home if they caught him selling in the neighborhood? Is his parents even around? How can’t this kid be doing 100 other things?

WHEN

When did this become acceptable? When did people who own stores allow people to loiter in and around their property selling weed? Doesn’t that affect their business? Are they scared to tell this kid something because he may cause harm to them?

WHAT

What should I have down? Should I have tried to talk to him and ask him his situation and offer him help? Would he have looked at me driving a Toyota Camry and said, “What the hell will I listen to him for?” Would he have gotten upset with me if I tried to interfere?Well, I don’t know because I walked out without a word or even a look. I went to my party and although this was on my mind, I still had fun and followed my normal routine.

Here are my questions to you:

Should I even be complaining about this considering that I did or said nothing?

Are we responsible for this disturbing behavior?

Can this pattern of behavior be stopped and if so, how long will it take?

Lastly, the collective thoughts of people who may think about these things are extremely important to me. If you have any comments or concerns or anything on this matter, please comment because it takes a village to raise a child.

"It takes a village to raise a child" originated from the Nigerian Igbo culture and proverb "Ora na azu nwa" which means it takes the community/village to raise a child. The Igbo's also name their children "Nwa ora" which means child of the community. It has been in existence in Africa for centuries.

Thanks,

Dario Mobley