Prayer Vigil Today for
Young African-American male
shot and killed

The other night I wrote about the Scar of Racism left in Doyne County Park when after five years or more years of effort the local politicians and a few people in the neighborhood were able to aroused enough fear of African American males in the neighborhood, blaming them for anything that happened or did not happen they were able to get the county to take down a basketball pole, backboard and rim to prevent youth and young adults from playing full court basketball in the park.

Yesterday I noticed a remaining basketball pole was bent over in the park. The two boys playing basketball did not know what happened but after talking to the WE Energy people I found out they had hit the pole with one of their trucks. They said the county parks were aware of it and would repair it. Today when I went to the park the pole, backboard and rim were completely gone leaving only another scar of racism on the asphalt. I asked the same WE Energy Workers what had happened and they said the County Park came by and removed the pole, board and rim. I asked why and they said that the basketball board in the rim was a ‘cause of troubles’ and that is why it was removed.

This was the final proof I needed to confirm that the five plus years work by politicians and few neighbors was not about safety of neighborhood but about preventing African American basketball players from using the park to play basketball, full or half court. These few people that have scared so many with racial hatred cannot possible blame the WE Energies on African American basketball players but it is the these young adults that were blamed for not repairing the rim.

Since the full court basketball rim was taken down July 7th blaming basketball players for gun fire in the park, an incident on July 4th that police records show had nothing to do with basketball playing, the purveyors of fear of African American males have tried to take down all the basketball poles, backboard and rims. With We Energies hitting a pole they have succeeded in taking down two of the four rims.

I wrote an email today to Milwaukee County Park officials, County executive and Mayor of Milwaukee saying today’s removal of the pole, rim and backboard, blaming African American basketball players was the last straw. I am old and do not want to organize a civil rights action or legal action against the County. But I must. If we allow racism to be used to fear and segregate people we will only segregate more people and this will lead to more violence.

African American young adult males are criminalized, cannot find jobs, experience poverty and poor excuse and have a high death rate. Just today I was at three prayer vigils for young adult males who were shot and killed in North Central Milwaukee, the most racially segregated area of Milwaukee, the most racially segregated.

Tonight the Mayor and Police Chief were on TV throwing insults, “they are not men” to persons responsible for shooting and injury two youth in a van in North Central Milwaukee. Calling a few young African American young adults names and insulting them will not stop future violence. Unless we get at the sources of such an environment one rim at a time it will continue. May the three young men shot and killed on the street rest in peace and may their families find comfort in faith and hope. But I pray for the Police Chief, Mayor, County Executive, Parks People and local politicians so they were realize that playing the blame game, stereotyping young men, insulting them will not solve the root cause of violence. An environment where young African American men can get jobs, get a good education, have decent housing with beds stove and refrigerators, find it easier to be good, get healthy food and play basketball without fear of rim being taken down can be the start of change in the environment. It is hard enough to be poor and black why make it harder. The scar of racism was doubled today at our County Park.

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