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Report on Philly's 10000 Men Movement kick-off event
by
alice johnston and frank fucile | 10.23.2007
Philadelphia's 10000 Men Movement aims to revitalize black communities and combat violence through a massive do-it-yourself community building campaign. Recognizing that, in the words of Police Commissioner Johnson, "locking people up is not the answer," speakers encouraged the assembled men to engage in the community and support a black economy.  The Mothers  Africa Unite  The Crowd  Commissioner Johnson  Ambition Late morning before the kick-off event for Philly's 10,000 Men-- Call to Action local black merchants geared up for what they expected to be a big day, and when noon rolled around, the crowds did not disappoint. They were gathered together to address the problem of violence in black communities. The atmosphere around the Liacouras Center on the campus of Temple University vibrated with lively discussion, drumming, and street corner preaching both religious and secular. Biker crews and Baptists mingled in line, passing by a man and his grandsons trading donations to their after school program for license plates that read "God is good every day." Most notable about those present to informally address the gathering crowd was a proactive do-it-yourself approach to the rehabilitation of black communities. Peace Ombudsman Edgar Lee age 78 of West Philadelphia was representative, handing out flyers for the New World Development Corp. which encourages "Grass roots neighborhood responsibility and problem solving" through block meetings with young people. People waiting for the event to start did not know what would happen at the meeting or beyond, but they had a good feeling about it. They felt that their opinions would be respected. Rider Rudy, the Lone Wolf, looked forward to putting in his two cents at what he called "a chance to gather mature individuals to see what we can do with this problem." And the men were personally invested. One man responded, "I got six teenagers on the streets," when asked why he was there, and many others brought their sons with them. With the DIY spirit of folks looking out for their own came a feeling of hope. Fay Dawson, mother of a murdered son, Vincent Woodson, felt that the event had promise, "You can feel it in the air," but qualified that statement with "I hope they are not here under false pretenses. They got to do something after this day is over." At the press conference, organizers spoke with passion about their collective commitment and then turned directly to the camera so to speak, challenging the media to get behind the event and make sure "our children hear the word." They said they would defy naysayers, referencing for one the widespread pre-event opinion that they couldn't come up with 10,000 men (if they didn't they certainly came very close). They also responded to the general pre-event focus on civilian patrols, shifting the focus towards other fronts in what was characterized as a "war on violence"-- the event literature included a complete guide to Philadelphia school system events for example. The event was more like a recruitment fair for programs to counteract the isolation of young black men than the start of a citizens police force. A large proportion of the men attending the kick-off event had been incarcerated and were looking to move on; the "It's a New Day" slogan must really mean a lot. This movement offers an alternative to violence, through mentors who will use local organizations to create relationships with young people, rather than another attempt to police violence. And while the focus of the organizational push is not about sending unarmed citizens into harms way on some misguided vigilante kick, who could know better how to safely create a positive male presence on the streets than the people patrolling where they live. City patrols will be divided by sector so that neighbors are looking out for neighbors, knowing the histories of local characters. This has much more potential to encourage conflicts to be resolved in a nonviolent way than bringing outside authority figures who often have little personal connection to local residents and are supposed to make the streets safe with guns and state powers. This isn't an excuse for the police to bail on their responsibility to serve and protect Philly's violent neighborhoods. The overarching theme of the whole event was that policing and incarceration alone can't solve the problems. Nothing raised the energy in the crowd more than Bruce Crawley's economics lecture on opportunity, inequality, and the importance of supporting the black community by shopping at black owned businesses and developing a black economy. He also addressed how a shift in hiring practices could make it easier for ex-convicts to reenter the workforce. Clearly the crowd was interested in work. The potential could really be felt in the air. It's also the movement's response to both sets of money questions. How do they fund the project? According to Collins' rebuttal in the Philly Daily News, "The finances are evolving from private donations at present," and as long as people are wiling to donate their time, the needs of the project do not overwhelm the combined support of Charlie Mack and company, churches and black organizations, and some help from t-shirt sales. How will they address the root problem of young men who don't see legitimate economic opportunity? This same black community's growth into an increasingly self-sufficient economy; enterprise and employment. Next week will see the first smaller neighborhood meetings, the first test of the staying power of this movement. Much is unknown about how this project will progress; its major strength lies in its willingness to adapt. However it progresses, for the men hugging each other at the feet of the Mothers in Charge as the assembly closed, this event felt like the right step for right now. |
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Comentarios
Who was there
Submitted by Alice Johnston (no verificado) on Vie, 10/26/2007 - 8:39amAC--
Here's the list of organizations partnering with the 10000MM. Long list, but I can't find it online so I'll type it. . .
100 Black Men of Philadelphia
12 Club
215 Coalition
21st and Norris Committee
ABO Haven Inc.
African Amer. Alumni Assoc. Lasalle Univ.
Amachi
Amongst Men, Inc.
Anderson & Associates
Avenging the Ancestors (ATAC)
Ayuda Community Center
Barach Baptist Church
Barristers
Berean Institute
Bibleway
Big Brothers Big Sisters
Black Acheivers
Black Doctors Association
Black Economic Empowerment Network
Booth & Tucker Law Firm
Boys & Girls Club of Philadelphia
Boys & Girls Club of Caring People Alliance
Boys & Girls Club --Germantown, Mariana Bracetti, Nicetown, Sullivan AC Program, West Kensington, Wissahickon
Bright Hope Baptist Church
Brown PArtners
Brown's Family Shop Rite
Christian Stronghold
Citywide Youth Leadership Agency
Commission on HUman Relations
Concerned Black Men
Deliverance Evangelistic Church
Dynamic HR Groups
ES Collection
Ex-Offenders for Community and Empower
Family Care Solutions
First District Plaza
Freedom Christian Bible Fellowship
Grand Hank Productions
Greater Exodus Baptist Church
Greater Philadelphia Urban Affairs Coalition
House of Umoja
Jada Creative
Kappa Alpa Psi
Keepin It Real Tour
Laborers Local 332
Larry Farmbry and Associates Law Office
Lomax Companies
Men of Wynefield
Men United for a Better Philadelphia
Mothers in Charge
Mt. Airy Church of God in Christ
Mt. Caramel Baptist Church
Nation Alliance of MArket Developers
Nation of Islam
New Covenant Church of Philadelphia
Nicetown CDC
NOrth Philadelphia SDA Church
Nu-Juice Foundation
One Day at a Time
PA Department of Health
PA State Rep.
Peace not Guns
Penn Memorial
Philadelphia Sherriff's OFfice
Poetry in Motion
Put it Down
Rainmakers
Rev. Joe Williams
Reverend Shine
Sharon Baptist Church
South Philly Block Captains Association
Sunrise of Philadelphia
Taller Puertoriqueno, Inc.
The Church of the Redeemer Baptist Church
The Community Education Alliance
The Enterprise Center
The National Association of Health Services Executives
Triumph Baptist Church
Universal Companies
Universal Institute Charter School
West Philadelphia Enterprise Center
White Rock Baptist
Yesha Ministries
And growing. . .
thanks for this report back
Submitted by AC (no verificado) on Mié, 10/24/2007 - 6:39ami'll be interested to see how this progresses into the smaller neighborhood meetings.
i'd be interested to see the list of groups there or speakers.
there is so much potential here politically as well. what if this group could be directed into taking over their local wards. or advocate on a massive level for equal school funding, services etc.
Great article
Submitted by Steve (no verificado) on Sáb, 10/27/2007 - 10:24amThanks for reporting on this, keep up the coverage!!
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