The headline above is from a prescient post in 2017. Read it to see some of the things in Chicago that also will have to be pulled down, renamed, destroyed and forgotten because they insulted someone.

Obviously, it has gotten worse in the past three years thanks to the out-of-control black lives matter movement.

Here, I’ll repeat the forgotten words of reconciliation that Lincoln spoke in his Second Inaugural Address:

With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation’s wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.

Amen.

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www.dennisbyrne.net 

My historical novel: Madness: The War of 1812

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A mural of George Floyd.

Let me start by saying I am not against the police or for the cancellation of animated children television shows like Paw Patrol, but what I believe must stop is the constant glorification of the police. One of the biggest problems as an African American is entering a courtroom at -100 with a police officer’s word against yours.

Too many judges give the police the benefit of the doubt. Too often the police word is accepted as the truth even with little to no evidence. As was the case a few years ago, when I had to fight a ticket against a cop who told too many lies to count. My evidence or what I had to say did not matter because according to the judge,”Why would a police officer lie on you?”,well, many police officers lie all the time. Not every police officer is honorable.

I have met too many police officers who have treated me like crap. And I am not talking about the time when several Chicago police officers held their loaded gun to my head for no reason after accusing me of every crime they could name. Even when I was a kid growing up on the south side of Chicago, I had incidents where a police car would drive up and start following me, as the police officers would make fun of my weight by calling me fat or some other name. 

To most white people, they see a police officer killing a black man on television and think well that was one bad apple and most cops are good people. I can’t argue whether most cops are good people or not, but I have met a lot of bad cops over the years. I have received tickets for things that would make most people laugh. Heck, a few years ago, I had a good laugh with a couple of police officers about a $25 ticket I received. Even they could not believe the ticket because the ticket was just plain silly, but understand why I received the ticket. I was riding in the backseat of a car late at night and the car was pulled over by a police officer who wanted to know why we were in their neighborhood so late at night. The officer spent ten minutes asking us questions to figure out why we were out so late and why we needed to be in the area without telling us why he pulled us over. So right before he left, he made up a cheap violation to ticket me to cover-up his harassment. He said I did not have a seat belt on in the backseat of the car, which he noticed from over 50 feet away in the dark.

To be honest, the ticket incident was just a waste of my time. Some other more serious incidents I have had with the police are just plain sad and involve a lot of verbal abuse and threats of imprisonment for basically doing nothing. There are times when walking to a store means being stopped by the police and having to get questioned like a criminal.

Being an African American, I can tell you something many people never think about. Many businesses I frequent tend to think I really want to steal something. Even if I shop at a store for years and have never stolen anything from them. They don’t look at it as I am not a thief and am a good customer. They look at the situation and say they were there to stop me from stealing. I really wanted to steal something, but they were there to stop me. I would say the worse racism I have experienced has come from the police, CVS pharmacy, Citibank, Walmart, Freshline Foods, Ultra Foods and Service Merchandise.

To me, many police officers believe they are doing a good job in preventing African Americans from breaking the law with their constant harassment, which is something that the editors of Live PD and Cops likely used to edit out.

The media are too close to the police and many won’t ask the questions needed to hold them accountable. For all the Chicago media reporters living in nice penthouses downtown or in million-dollar homes in Hinsdale; it still took the effort of a freelance journalist to get the Laquan McDonald murder video released by the police. Our local media, like the judges, too often believe the police statements on shootings without looking at the details that led up to the shooting, which is part of the problem. Then the media wonder why the protesters are attacking them and their news truck.

WGN news van is spray painted by protesters.

The over glorification of police officers have led to many police officers feeling invincible. They see how many police officers have gotten away with murder and the television shows like Live PD making them look like the good guys to the point where many officers feel they can do no wrong in the eyes of a District Attorney, judge and jury.

The protests our nation is experiencing is rooted in the anger of decades of being mistreated and watching our loved ones and friends wrongfully die at the hands of the police.

I will never condone the looting and rioting but I understand the anger many African Americans and others felt when they saw the video of the police officer murdering George Floyd. The officer murdered Mr. Floyd while knowing he was being recorded because he has seen several police officers get away with murdering black men. He likely felt and knew that charges would not be brought against him. If so, no jury or few juries in the United States would convict him of murdering a black man even if convicted a judge like Vincent Gaughan would go light on him. He is by the way a police officer. One of the good ole boys.

The looting that followed the George Floyd protests devastated some Chicago neighborhoods and parts of other cities, leaving residents there even more desperate for basic services during the pandemic. A scattered police presence across the city left pockets open for looting all day without officers responding in many areas on the South, Southwest, and West Sides. But on the North Side, where protesters marched through the streets Sunday evening, dozens of officers walked alongside them protecting stores.

Whitney Hampton, the managing partner of Hampton Real Estate and Investments brokered by Aprogeny Global. Hampton, emotionally impacted by watching businesses in her community burn to the ground, knew at that moment, her mission was clear. While the mission of her real estate office is to help millennials create legacies of wealth by making homeownership a reality in 90 days or lessen – her new mission is to help rebuild her community in lieu of current events as well. In addition to hosting a weekly podcast, Wealth Building Wednesday, monthly newsletters, and quarterly homebuying seminars she has reallocated her focused to her community. Like the true leader she is, Hampton has identified the need and created the solution to help. Feeling overwhelmed, and although none of her businesses had been damaged, Hampton could only imagine what the business owners would be feeling.

Having very little faith in how the government would assist the businesses, she decided to encourage others by posting on Facebook, that if you are a black-owned business and have been negatively impacted by the riots, she would help you! The post was shared over 95 times. Ppl started calling needing help and ppl started calling want to help by any means necessary.

To date, Hampton and her team have boarded up over 20 black-owned businesses in just 2 days. So many black professionals taking off from there normal businesses to say they want to support and the support has been amazing! Hampton extends a special thank you to Lutalo McGee of Ani Real Estate who immediately asked how he could help and got funds and feet on the ground. Shymane Robinson, Shavahnna Hunt, Barry Johnson, Kelvin Russell, Perdure Carter, Kevin McEwen Sr, Lamont Elleb, Phenetta Eubanks, and so many others have committed themselves to be leaders for this initiative.

“I have shed tears with business owners whose businesses are beyond repair. We have all laughed, cried, smiled, and grunted. It is hard work but we are full of joy doing it. I feel beyond hopeful, that we will not only survive this, but we will thrive after this.”; said, Hampton.

Young people from ages 8-18 have come out in large numbers to support. Our ‘seasoned’ members have been full throttle with assistance, and of course, the millennials are leading the charge. We all have a role to play in shaping our future.

This is what #Unity looks like!!

Now that looting has stopped Hampton and her team have turned their attention to seniors who are unable to find grocery stores nearby. To date, they have provided groceries and toiletries to 200 seniors. The list consists of bread, eggs, milk, coffee, water, juice, fresh fruits and vegetables, grits, biscuits, chicken, hot dogs, ground beef, pancake mix, syrup, ketchup, mustard, bbq sauce, spaghetti and spaghetti sauce, tissue, paper towels, dishwashing liquid, bar soap, cheese, bacon, and sausages. The grocery stores were severally damaged due to looting.

Their next move is to assist a single teenage mother’s home with groceries, baby items, and clothes.

Stay up to date on more initiatives here.

Follow Whitney Hampton

Here’s the skinny:

Maple & Ash

Brunch at Maple & Ash (8 W Maple St), served alfresco on the patio at 10am – 2pm, will take place Saturdays & Sundays through the warm weather season. They will be rolling out their new “boozy cart” that will cruise the patio to get the party started with special cocktails and shots

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So, it’s been approximately 12 weeks since our worlds turned upside down. This crazy Covid-19 virus that came from China that would only infect about 15 people then magically disappear has now infected over 2 million in the US alone. And cases are spiking again after our “phased reopening plans” have started to be put into place. No – wait – it’s the protests that have caused the spike!! Not the millions of people that refuse to wear a mask, social distance and follow any other protocol to help reduce the spread. But I digress.

Back in March when this all began, we all had quite a different perspective on where we would be three months from then. And here we are. I believe that we are in phase three of the “When You Put it That Way” phases of Covid-19. They are as follows:

Phase One:

We just start hearing about the alarming number of cases, particularly in Italy, that are spreading. It’s really, really scary. The US only has a handful of cases and we are assured that it will stay that way. However, alleged experts warn that we need to “shelter in place”. We need to stay home, not go to work, close schools, close businesses, eat at home 7 nights a week and not leave our houses unless absolutely necessary. Early on the CDC does not recommend mask wearing even though any idiot can figure out that a mask could protect you at least a little.

So, we hunker down and try to embrace the new normal. We get to spend more time with our kids (not me, they are grown and gone) and we order tons of new toys, PUZZLES and all kinds of FUN things to keep us all busy. We start working remotely. We realize for women anyway that wow! We don’t have to wear make-up! We don’t have to wash our hair! We can wear sweats every single day while working (or not, if you are me and suddenly watch your business die a quick death). And for the Dads out there they get to spend all this quality time with their kids, get to really know them. It’s a pause for the world, a reset so to speak. It is so strange for us not to see anyone outside immediate family, we miss hugging people, shaking hands. We are all finding ways to be creative and tolerate this new way of life. We break out the old cook books. We can order our groceries for delivery or pick-up no problem! If we have to go to the grocery store we mask and glove up, we are warriors, we will survive!  We are saving so much money on going out, gas, clothing, shopping. This is kinda cool!!!

Phase two:

It’s been about 4-6 weeks and a certain thickness is overcoming waistlines as people eat their way through days. They begin to worry that they will gain the “Covid-19” pounds. Businesses are realizing that if something doesn’t change soon they may go under. People have filed for unemployment in record numbers. Loans are begged for. Mortage payments are suspended. The kids are getting restless but do enjoy having mommy and daddy around. Mommy and daddy are drinking more at night after the kids are down to sleep. They are sleeping later and becoming less structured. Couples without kids are spending too much time together and bickering a bit. The phrase “absence makes the heart grow fonder” is becoming a dream for some people.

In a stunning move , the CDC now recommends masks for everyone. Volunteers everywhere are sewing them. Stores that are selling them online can’t sell them fast enough and are ordering 1,000 at a time. Toilet paper is non existent. Grocery delivery and pick up times are about a month out. We are forced to shop and are now getting more irritated if someone is not wearing a mask. We’d like to punch them. We are angry if someone passes us in the store and doesn’t stay six feet away. People ignore the one way aisle signs. Workers are wearing masks below their noses. We are getting our groceries home and spending an hour wiping them all down with homemade disinfectant since there is never any available. Alcohol sales are through the roof. Oh, and Xanax prescriptions. We have no idea when things are going to change.

Phase three:

Despite nothing changing regarding a cure or a treatment, phased reopenings are happening everywhere to get the economy back on track.

Our sweat pants now fit like leggings. The kids have succeeded in making us lose our minds. Couples are realizing that they were never meant to be together or could never live without each other, no middle ground. Restaurants and bars have opened and the term “social distancing” has gone in the toilet. Retail stores have opened and are bad mouthed if they require a mask. Those people just go elsewhere where they can spread their germs. Those jigsaw puzzles we bought in phase one are being set on fire. The toys we bought the kids are in a pile with all the other toys they used for five minutes and grew tired of. Stores are left with masks they can’t sell because everyone has now apparently bought the 2 layer and now should be four.

I am waiting anxiously to see how we will enter my version of phase four, I don’t think it will be pretty. The only bright light is that if there is still a shortage of toilet paper, we will have plenty of leftover masks.

We shall see.

“Iraq War veteran Cotton, however, appears to get a thrill out of envisioning combat soldiers like him beating up civilians. Following up on Twitter, he called for ‘No quarter for insurrectionists, anarchists, rioters, and looters.’ Or as Trump himself has put it, ‘When the looting starts, the shooting starts.’ In military parlance, ‘no quarter’ means killing. On Twitter, fellow Iraq War veteran David French cites the U.S. Army’s ‘Commander’s Handbook on the Law of Land Warfare,’ to the effect that such orders constitute a war crime. Cotton may have used the phrase purely for its political shock value. Also, however, maybe not. Times staffers also objected to his assertion that ‘cadres of left-wing radicals like antifa [were] infiltrating protest marches … for their own anarchic purposes.’  The newspaper’s [New York Times’] own reporting, citing FBI and police sources, says there’s no evidence of that.”                        [Gene Lyons in today’s Chicago Sun-Times]

The protesters, he says, too violent have gotten.

They threaten our nation like once did bin Laden.

To deal with these groups

He would send in the troops

And call for “no quarter” says Senator Tom Cotton.