Here's one way to look at it:
The people that are currently in the system are broken. They grew up in a dysfunctional home, they dropped out of high school, got involved in drugs, got arrested a few times and have felony convictions on their record. One way to look at it is that it's too late for those people.
Maybe it's better to forget about the people in their 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s and beyond. At this point the only sensible thing they can do is join the military, if they can pass a psych exam.
It sounds cliche, but it might make more sense to focus on the youth. The adolescence and teenagers that are still enrolled in school and haven't been arrested yet. I'm talking about kids between the age of 10-17. There's still hope for them, especially if they haven't been arrested yet.
Some people just aren't cut out for school. The military is the best option, or they can join a union. What they can't do is sell drugs because they'll just end up in prison.
I had an idea, not saying that it will solve the problem but it could help. Back in the 1980s there was something called proposition. It was a law in Massachusetts and there were similar laws throughout the country. Basically it cut taxes and the schools suffered the most. They used to have music programs where elementary school children would learn how to play an instrument. They cut funding to that so kids in the 80s didn't learn music theory the way kids in the 60s and 70s did.
It might not seem like much, but if people like Jay Z, Dr Dre, Master P, Oprah, Russell Simmons, etc. could pool their money together to reinstate music in schools, maybe the kids that aren't into academics (history, math, science, etc.) could learn to play instruments and stay busy with a guitar, piano or saxophone rather than dropping out and smoking weed, which leads to harder drugs and eventually jail...or death. I know when I was in school I wasn't really into academics, but if somebody handed me an instrument and told me that I have to learn how to play it, maybe it could have made a difference.
Kids who are physically bigger have a shot at getting an athletic scholarship via football or basketball. But physically smaller students don't see an athletic scholarship as a realistic option. Perhaps if they mastered an instrument they could get a scholarship for music.
Just an idea.
Great idea.
I the only problem with it is the parents and parental involvement and our control of the imagery the kids see.
I dont want to be the sadsack around here...but when i go back to help ...alot of the parents are just not around.
i understand all the reasons.....and they are legit because thats their truth. but the thing that irks the shit outta me if the men.
All these men missing from the households yet you can find niggas on almost every corner. niggas out doing nothing but waiting for trouble.
the solution is offers these kids hope thru allowing them to dream and promote that dream.
how can a kid dream about anything more than a black man on tv crying "they killed my boy" or cops chasing a black dude or hearing how men aint shit and a woman can raise a man until their child has a kid and the chick does the same and then its time to beat the bitch ass.
bruh...alot of our kids are lost mentally before they can form proper thoughts. most of our kids see toxic communication and often times with no consequence of very drastic consequence(abuse).
what can they really strive for or want in life if thats what they are surrounded by?
then you have the niggas who claim to want to help but they only really want a following. i told yall about the arguments i used to get into down there.
niggas really trying to say im not from the streets so i cant say shit to they kids in the inner city.
my thing is this, i grew up in the inner city and i didnt see people who thought like me. not every kids looks up to the local doe boy or pimp or gangster or some nigga who could play a sport...some kids get lost in just those options. but what about those kids who dont think like that? so we just forget them. i always had more kids approach me after one of my visits ..because they didnt want to ask questions in front of their freinds and look corny.
I am forever thankful i had a dad to look up to. i had a positive image of what a man was.
alot of these kids dont.
every example i mentioned above was someone trying to protect their image or present a certain image.
all of it toxic.
so the solution is to show our kids we can be more than what we were told we can be.
these kids already have real world experiences that most adult dont.
they know how to survive in harsh environments.
so teach them something and they can excel....
simply because in their world....the wrong decision can cost them their life.
but in corporate america...the wrong decision can cost you your comfort.
i rather our kids lose comfort...something they already know how to navigate...so it will be easier for them to build back up.