R.I.P. Zach Hallback

3 Responses to R.I.P. Zach Hallback

1. 

   Heber Brown, III on January 16, 2008 at 10:41 pm

   From Jay Gillen – Baltimore Algebra Project Advisor:

   Dear Friends,

   Thank you for the many loving messages and offers of help. The young people are unquestionably beautiful in their support, sensitivity and kindness towards each other, quiet and loving despite the thousands of tragedies they suffer through. My comfort is in believing that the love and gentleness will win through in the end, and overwhelm all violence. We have had several circles to discuss feelings, and are arranging individual counseling for a number of young people, following up on your many suggestions.

   A viewing for Zach will be held on Friday from 3-7 p.m. at the Chavis Funeral Home, 2007 Eastern Ave.

   The funeral is scheduled for 9:30 a.m., Saturday at Israel Baptist Church, Preston and Washington.

   Again, many thanks. Jay

   Reply
2. 

   Rev. C. Solomon on January 17, 2008 at 12:47 pm

   Eventually the black community will have to come together and organize its own national police force, community courts and vigilante groups, and provide more economic opportunities for its own community members if not the larger society. Why?

   It is the only way, as I see it, that we are going to solve the problem of crime within our indigenous communities, by solving the problem first within our collective psyches. As a community, we understandably often fail to trust the duplicitious and frequently racist government criminal justice agencies, whose perambulations are often based on race, or the color of one’s skin.

   And we often feel empathy for these poor victims who were raised in single-family households or poverty-stricken areas.

   Some years ago some members of the LAPD were known to use the acronym ‘NHI’, upon approaching crime scenes where blacks were involved. NHI stands for ‘no humans involved’. All of us have witnessed the treatment of blacks in the media, when the LAPD (LA in this context stands for Lower Alabama) happened upon purportedly ‘non-human’ blacks!

   Having our own trustworthy criminal justice system with agencies that our citizens can trust and will respond to; and knowing that we have created economic opportunities for everyone, should liberate us from our own schizophrenia, and guilt about punishing black criminals. Besides, let’s face it – some of our black criminals are not poor by any stretch!

   Afterwards, we can without any guilt, go after the bad elements in our communities, who are wealthy and those who might be underemployed, or those who would have been denied access to the unequal opportunity structures of the nation at large – just as many of us in the larger community have experienced at one time or another during our lifetimes.

   The community can then be assured that our agencies have detained and taken certain individuals off of the streets – and members of the community can feel free to turn them in, not because they are black, but simply because they are criminals. And the latter can be assured that the criminals will receive fair trial and equal treatment under the law and in prison!

   My deepest regards to the surviving family-members of this modern-day martyr!

   Reply
3. 

   Heber Brown, III on January 18, 2008 at 6:55 am

   Great comment Rev.!

   I love the idea of an independent agency and you address well the concerns that many in the Black community hold regarding turning over Blacks alleged of a crime to a system that we know is unfair and unbalanced.

   My only concern is that what you propose is such a large idea. How do we break it down in manageable pieces and what are the first steps? One of my observations from the Millions More Movement in DC was that the vision that Min. Farrakhan laid out about having building our own nation within a nation (with various agencies) was right on point, but the division of labor and strategic first steps were not pinpointed.

   I’d be interested in seeing successful models of what you describe from other places in this country. This may help point the way for us in Baltimore and others who are struggling with this issue.

   Reply