NEW YEAR, NEW DEAL?

Happy New Year! It’s done! The ballots have been tallied, verified, and announced. On January 20th Biden enters as the new landlord and Trump exits as the delinquent tenant. But things seem far from over. Trump is not thinking of willfully vacating. So, forget the drama and simply unleash the marshals with a court ordered eviction for negligence.  Like any of us, should not he be subject to arrest for trespassing? More so, shouldn’t his refusal to relinquish power be considered an act of mutiny, a crime punishable by death?

But let us wake up and face it; dominating the national discourse like no one before “Trump has been allowed to reshape the global office and shattered its century-old norms and traditions”. Fearing what is supposedly waiting, he even seeks pardoning himself from any pending prosecutions. Funny how they call it an “assault on the institutions of democracy” without mention of “the people these institutions are intended to protect and provide for”.

So, what have we learned and what can we do from here on out? Should focus be on what is happening in the political arena? They will continue justifying what they want. Although change of command implies a change in direction and investment – do not expect a magic fix to the current social economic hardships. Rather focus on how their actions will affect community needs and resources down the road.

There are too many details regarding what is happening and still to come. Clearly, things will never be the same. But, while we live within a politically charged matrix with many moving nuts and bolts, we do not have to re-invent the wheel. We just must get back to the basics and tighten the spokes. And that is what we have elected local assembly and counsel men/women for. They are the eyes, ears, and mouth to not only present and champion our needs, but to keep us informed as well. What we need are communities full of block associations to strengthen local community boards to enforce accountability.

Real community change starts and ends with individual families making choices that can change the “me” to a “we” able to forge common causes, like the corona vaccine and the national relief plan, to fight for. Can it be that simple? It can be!

Creating and supporting an “interactive” community newspaper like this one (Buffalo Latino Village) can go a long way. Not only would it establish a platform to exchange information, opinions, and ideas, but foster the communication and compromise necessary to maintain a focus to collectively address immediate common local concerns (e.g., loosing local small businesses not only furthers the unemployment crisis but continues to make the threat of hunger and eviction a daily reality). More so, involving residents in the operational needs of such a newspaper would not only assure circulation of pressing matters but would promote a well-needed sense of ownership, control, and personal empowerment as well.

So, come on people! Trump has been just a wakeup call. Forget the debate as to whether current circumstances are coincidental or part of a well-planned design. It is time to manifest a new destiny – one family, one community, one paper at a time.