Community Archives - Page 21 of 38 - Buffalo Latíno Village

CRIME, PUNISHMENT, AND JUST-U.S. (Part 2 of 2)

CRIME, PUNISHMENT, AND JUST-U.S. (Part 2 of 2) “Nobody has a more sacred obligation to obey the law than those who make the law (Sophocles).” Yet, like children building sand-towers with constancy and then destroying them with laughter … some delight in laying down laws and even more in breaking them. Such conditions have come to thwart the individual moral compass; crossing all races, cultures, ages, and economic classes living in urban, suburban and rural places, Crime Has No Limits! Whether it be white collar (for entrepreneurial economic gain and fame) or blue collar (often from facing long term inescapable economic deprivation), whether physically violent or property related, crime has become good business for merchants, insurance companies and other institutions. “But it is when your spirit goes wandering upon the wind, that you, alone and unguarded, commit a wrong unto others and yourself” while chasing CAD (the automated Capitalist American Dream) when finger pointing public officials while negating personal accountability to both community needs, and efforts made by local supportive services. Were our communities like the 1630 Massachusetts Bay Company, requiring a public loyalty pledge from its members? (Oath of a Free Man *). Were our community members like the Young Lords, the Black Panthers, the Guardian Angels, and the picketing Catholic Marxist Priests of the 60’s able to break from racial, economic, and political divides to put local issues in local hands regardless of police and local official intent and reaction. Things simply got done! In addition to protests, abandoned buildings were taken and renovated, official offices were stormed and held hostage, food and medical supplies were distributed, educational after school initiatives were made available and crime was given a NIMBY (Not in My Back Yard) NOTICE as community self-affirmation steadily flourished. While organizing to minimize potential clashes, arrests and rioting, such actions eventually got a wide range of official address. Even the local police temporarily initiated CPOP (officers walking the beat) and PAL (police athletic league) projects in N.Y.C. to facilitate community rapport on a first name basis. Unfortunately, Reagan’s poorly planned and executed “War on Drugs” project of the 1980’s changed priorities and a dramatic growth in crime ensued. Fellow citizens, history affirms resident anger without hate yields actions with positive results. Oppressors can muffle the drum and loosen the strings of the lyre to distort your community cry for help, but who shall command God’s skylark not to sing the truth? To make ends meet, especially among the young middle and lower economic strata, crime has become fundamental to the individual “get the most for the least effort” notion of the American dream. And unfortunately, until community cries out NIMBY, racial economic disparity in punishment for alleged crimes will continue for Just-U.S. to continually accept. So, cry NIMBY for all and not JUST-U.S. Note: Read more of Joe Yrizarry’s work, go to 2bspoken.blogspot.com, where you can interactively dialog comments with the columnist. (*) The “Oath of a Freeman” was a loyalty pledge required of all new members of the Massachusetts Bay Company in the 1630s. A supposed original printing of the document surfaced in 1985 and was touted as the oldest surviving print in the United States, but it was later revealed to be the work of forger Mark Hofmann. Read More From This Writer All Post Food Government Health Interviews Lower West Side Business & Economic Development Peace People CRIME, PUNISHMENT, AND JUST-U.S. (Part 2 of 2) August 16, 2021/No Comments POST TITLE (CAPITAL) Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus Read More CRIME, PUNISHMENT, AND JUST-U.S. (Part 1 of 2) July 16, 2021/No Comments CRIME, PUNISHMENT, AND JUST-U.S. (Part 1 of 2) How ironic! While preparing to celebrate Independence Day, America owns the world’s Read More HOUSING TERMITES June 16, 2021/No Comments HOUSING TERMITES The apple does not fall far from the tree, just as Feudalism had kings, nobles, vassals, and lords, Read More Load More End of Content.

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A note to our Buffalo & Erie County Community: “LATINOS AT THE TABLE”

Community, Education / Buffalo Latino Village

I have always served my community, and I have the history to share with Buffalo. I am well versed and informed on social and political issues. This experience has taken me to other parts of the country speaking on local, state, and federal issues. I am pleased with the development of the Latino Speaking Bureau, it gives me the opportunity to share my knowledge, information, and journey with our young people in the college and university communities. My many years of community involvement has prepared me for the challenge, a challenge to educate young minds of things they cannot learn in the classroom. I am confident, bold, and articulate with my subject matters. With the Latino Speakers Bureau, there is now no need for the inner circle or status quo to handpick their favorite speaker or consultant, but an opportunity to book Latino speakers from a pool of the best for your event or conference. I have worked on the west side since the 1980s, dedicating my professional career to the growth of the Puerto Rican community, socially and politically; taking a break in 2003 to recuperate from a long-time illness. But I never retired. During my so-called “break”, I aligned myself to the PUSH organization, an organization involved in creating affordable housing and fighting gentrification. My association with PUSH gave birth to PUSH Silver (giving the elders a voice). I strongly believe that we have to give a voice to our story and not wait for others to rewrite our story to fit their needs or agenda. My life has really been a great journey, bringing me the Puerto Rican-Latino Committee, PUSH, Hispanic United of Buffalo, Buffalo Latino Village, and my political campaigning to help Latinos get elected to public office; and using the PUSH platform, I have travelled outside Buffalo and the state, going on a speaking tour addressing issues such climate change, gentrification, affordable housing, Systematic Racism, and protecting the environment. I have over forty years of travelling on this planet, working with people who truly want to make a difference in the quality of life for all Americans – Black, White, Latino, Asian, etc. As a woman, I look forward to the Speakers Bureau promoting the strong Latina leadership to address the role they have played in our community, especially the leadership displayed by the Latina Woman’s League Thanks to the Buffalo Latino Speakers Bureau, I hope our local public and private sector, including our colleges and universities, will reach out and book us to tell our story, to educate you, and to share our experience and information about the reality of Puerto Ricans/Latinos in Buffalo, NY. Have an event or conference coming up, support diversity, and book one of our Latina speakers. Email us at latinospeakers@gmail.com. Read More From This Writer All Post Art Books & Poems Business Community Education Entertainment español Food & Culture Health Interviews Military & Veterans Peace People Politics NOTAS DE LUZ VELZ August 24, 2022/No Comments NOTAS DE LUZ VELZ la nueva legislación para la justicia climática en el estado de Nueva York! Siempre cariñosamente conocido Read More A note to our Buffalo & Erie County Community: “LATINOS AT THE TABLE” July 24, 2021/No Comments A note to our Buffalo & Erie County Community: “LATINOS AT THE TABLE” I have always served my community, and Read More ¡CÓMO DONALD TRUMP HIZO MAL PUERTO RÍCO, Y MÁS! May 24, 2021/No Comments ¡CÓMO DONALD TRUMP HIZO MAL PUERTO RÍCO, Y MÁS! Lea cómo Donald Trump y sus compinches hicieron mal a Puerto Rico. Read More Load More End of Content.

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HEART OF THE CITY

Community / Buffalo Latino Village

HEART OF THE CITY When I left Buffalo for Florida eleven years ago, I was looking for a new life elsewhere but also hoping for the best of my hometown. I still have family and friends that call Buffalo home, and although I rarely make it back to the “City of Good Neighbors,” Buffalo is always on my mind. This last month, primary elections were held throughout the state of New York, and although the New York City mayoral election dominated national news regarding the Empire State, to my surprise, as I went to bed on that primary day, a little blurb came across my social networking newsfeed regarding the Mayoral primary back home. The unthinkable happened; long-time incumbent Byron Brown had been defeated by a political unknown most folks outside of close circles in Buffalo never heard of. Now I know this publication has supported the campaign of India Walton, and I will be honest that I did not pay much attention to the race. I mean, why should I? Mayor Brown was a deep-seated incumbent who damn near ran unopposed for the last few elections. The more I think about it, however, the more it made sense. When I was last in Buffalo, this past fall, I marveled at how much has changed but, shook my head at how much remained. Buffalo, for all the progress that has been made, in downtown and the waterfront, seemed to have forgotten the people and neighborhoods that make up Buffalo’s rich collection of faces and cultures. If one were to look at the layout of the city of Buffalo, which uses a baroque street layout, one could see how the grid was designed to city main arteries and streets reach the heart of the city’s downtown. City Hall is the heart of the city, which makes the people who live on those arteries the red blood cells that feed life into the city. Unfortunately, when heart is failing, the whole system fails. Driving around the city back in the fall, the further I got from downtown, it became apparent nothing in the neighborhoods really changed. Wherever I went, lower west side, upper west side, areas on the east side and even riverside, the place looked the same as when I left eleven years ago. To this I ask, what has Byron Brown done for the residents? Buffalo was in dire need of a heart operation, and it looks like the people have spoken and made it happen. Now, I am not saying Ms. Walton is going to cure all the issues the city’s neighborhoods have, in terms of being forgotten and ignored for bigger businesses downtown. There can be complications with any heart procedures. The grass is not always greener on the other side, but it appears that Byron Brown was only watering one spot of the lawn. Let us see if Ms. Walton has a green thumb. I do not know much about her; however, I do wish Ms. Walton the best of luck and hope she surrounds herself with a good team of people who will listen to the lifeblood of the city. Otherwise, Buffalo will be back where it was these last 16 years, pumping blood into a lifeless heart. Read More From This Writer All Post Business Culture Food Government Health Interviews Lower West Side Business & Economic Development Medical Music Our Community Peace People Sports HEART OF THE CITY July 18, 2021/No Comments POST TITLE (CAPITAL) Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus Read More DOCUMENTARY FILM UPDATE AND THE PUERTO RICAN STATUS DEBATE June 18, 2021/No Comments DOCUMENTARY FILM UPDATE AND THE PUERTO RICAN STATUS DEBATE My intentions with this film are to cover different bullet points Read More JUSTICE NOT SERVED May 18, 2021/No Comments JUSTICE NOT SERVED The Derek Chauvin Trial resulted in the surprising guilty verdict of the former Minneapolis Police Officer who Read More Load More End of Content.

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