THE WHEEL SPEAKS ON 2013 – An Endangered Species Black Like Me?

1. 1
THE
WHEEL
SPEAKS
ON
2013
–
An
Endangered
Species
Black
Like
Me?
Youth
and
being
exuberant
is
a
part
of
the
journey
referred
to
as
growing
up
in
the
60’s
&
very
early
70’s
I
simply
loved
being
a
kid.
Where
I
live
in
Jersey
City
New
Jersey
on
a
block
called
Bergen
Avenue
with
Clinton
and
Communipaw
Avenue
on
each
side.
What
a
place
to
live
as
a
young
boy
we
played
for
hours
and
hours
every
day
traveling
from
the
houses
all
day
of
each
friend
picking
one
another
up
every
weekend
especially.
And
literally
within
the
radius
of
the
three
mention
city
blocks
it
was
nothing
but
pure
unadulterated
fun.
We
of
course
played
sports
on
the
neighboring
adjacent
side
blocks
where
the
traffic
wasn’t
quite
congested
like
Sacket
Street
or
in
the
lot
we’d
play
stickball
or
in
the
summer
when
it
snowed
tackle
football.
Disappearing
from
our
homes
for
hours
and
even
in
those
of
civil
rights
and
known
racism
I
can
honestly
say
I
was
never
scared
when
we
played
in
the
streets,
and
my
mother
felt
safe
as
well
allowing
her
three
boys
the
reasonable
freedom
we’d
exercise
distance
wise
from
home.
Just
as
long
as
we
as
a
collective
group
together
as
brothers
be
accountable
and
made
in
home
like
many
of
our
friends
at
a
time
or
should
I
say
universally
when
the
street
light
came
on
(especially
during
school
nights).
On
the
weekends
or
the
summer
of
course
we’d
be
allocated
more
time
to
stay
out
but
at
least
then
a
parent
was
comfortable.

2. 2
As
a
kid
it
was
marvelous
and
overwhelming
feeling
of
happiness
each
and
every
day
just
laughing
and
playing
with
my
friends
everyday.
Next
door
in
the
entire
building
505
there
was
the
Chandler
family
and
if
I
named
everyone
of
them
I’d
have
to
write
a
full
chapter
lol
I
loved
the
entire
Chandler
family
my
partner
in
crime
back
then
was
Nathanial
aka
Tanny.
Or
in
507
we
had
the
Benjamin
family
or
the
Caldwell’s
Simms
and
Mincey’s
I
would
literally
walk
straight
into
every
apartment
in
that
building
too.
I’d
be
welcome
freely
to
eat
or
do
anything
I
wanted
as
long
as
I
was
on
my
best
behavior
of
course.
And
in
my
building
503
the
Williams
brothers
Harry
aka
Hamburger
–George
aka
NY-­‐Gary
aka
Nike-­‐Jerry
aka
LA
and
big
Eddie
aka
Buzz
Prioleau
was
like
my
big
brother
along
with
Charlie
Chandler
back
then.
Closely
knit
family
a
parents
dream
come
true
not
having
one
minute
ever
to
have
to
worry
about
your
child
but
of
course
mine
still
did.
Imagine
having
3
boys
all
one
year
a
part
in
age
from
one
another
the
fears
my
mother
probably
lived
with
everyday?
We
did
absolutely
everything
together
and
I
mean
everything.
We
had
the
same
friends
played
the
same
sports
and
at
times
my
brother
even
stole
a
girlfriend
or
two
of
mine
lol
but
we
did
it
all
together.
At
night
we’d
all
converge
on
the
steps
of
the
Miller
Branch
Library
and
fraternize
listening
to
music
at
a
very
moderate
level
respectfully
talking
singing
snapping
jokes
and
playing
chess.
Yes
all
of
the
boys
young
and
old
Bobby
Stewart
who
was
always
a
chess
wiz
beating
people
almost
twice
his
age.
Jessie
Jackson
being
a
great
player
then
as
well.
People
coming
from
all
around
at
our
meeting
place
one
big
family
nothing
but
young
black
teenagers
the
best
time
of
our
lives.
A
place
where
we
all
cried
like
the
following
day
when
our
big
brother
Alan
Chandler
died
I
remember
who
I
couldn’t
stop
crying
for
over
a
month
everyday
me
and
Tanny
were
heartbroken.
I
remember
Herman
Chandler
giving
me
a
quarter
every
time
he
saw
me
no
matter
what
or
Odell
Chandler
calling
me
asking
me
about
school
in
the
middle
of
a
ball
game.
Or
me
and
Dereck
Aycox
reciting
Bugs
Bunny
episodes
word
for
word
spontaneously
and
laughing
as
the
rest
of
our
crew
thought
we
was
crazy
the
best
times
of
my
entire
life
I
thought
it
would
never
change.
But
one
day
it
did
I
remember
maybe
being
about
12
I
think
and
we
were
playing
baseball
on
Sackett
Street
near
the
lot.
A
man
appear
from
a
van
that
had
stalled
out
apparently
running
out
of
gas
right
in
the
middle
of
our
game.
He
ask
us
all
to
help
him
push
the
van
to
the
side
we
all
compiled
he
then
produce
the
keys
holding
them
up.
He
then
ask
“who
here
is
the
oldest”
Nate
aka
Tanny
replied
“I
am”
the
man
then
appointed
him
in
charge
of
the
van
stating
he’d
be
back
soon
to
get
in.
Only
one
I
repeat
only
one
door
work
throughout
the
entire
van
it
was
so
funny
it
became
our
unofficial
club
house
and
after
two
weeks
there
it
was
the
main
hangout
for
the
boys
in
my
age
range.
Especially
since
the
older
teenagers
didn’t
always
include
us
in
everything.
And
on
one
night
while
seemingly
every
kid
in
our
neighborhood
was
inside
the
van
the
police
came
down
the
block
with
lights
flashing.
It
was
like
a
fire
started
kids

3. 3
jumping
out
of
one
window
on
the
passenger
side
remember
the
doors
were
not
working
screaming
and
hollering
and
pushing
it
was
comical
all
until
the
police
approach
the
vehicle
and
they
did
something
I
have
never
forgotten
about
my
entire
life.
As
Greg
Chandler
I
believe
tried
to
exit
the
vehicle
one
of
the
Caucasian
police
officers
place
his
gun
on
the
side
of
his
head
while
he
was
exiting
the
window
and
said
loudly
“make
one
more
move
nigger
and
your
dead”.
The
pandemonium
was
unbelievable
kids
screaming
and
crying
begging
the
cop
not
to
shoot
our
friend
as
his
partner
a
police
officer
who
we
knew
who
was
African
American
(Mr.
White)
looked
on
then
he
implored
his
partner
to
holster
his
weapon.
Then
the
Caucasian
officer
order
ever
single
kid
who
hadn’t
escaped
the
van
to
lie
down
face
first
on
the
pavement
on
the
street
with
the
flood
lights
of
the
police
cars
pointed
directly
at
us.
Lined
up
in
a
row
maybe
about
8
to
9
kids
ranging
from
ages
11
years
to
14
years
old
with
their
faces
on
the
ground.
The
only
thing
I
could
think
of
was
the
beating
I
knew
my
mother
was
going
to
give
me
as
my
brother
Brad
kept
saying
it
over
and
over
again
from
a
distance
on
the
side.
Then
suddenly
as
I
look
to
my
left
to
the
main
street
Communipaw
Avenue
while
in
tears
laying
on
the
right
side
of
my
face
I
saw
a
green
colored
Le
Sabre
slow
down
and
then
back
up
and
stop.
My
worst
nightmare
had
become
a
reality
my
mother
had
arrived
on
the
scene.
The
first
words
that
came
out
of
my
mother
mouth
not
evening
knowing
her
own
son
was
on
the
ground
was
directed
right
at
the
police
officer
she
knew
Mr.
White
was
“what
in
the
hell
are
all
these
young
black
kids
doing
on
the
ground
in
the
middle
of
the
street”
telling
Mr.
White
you’d
better
get
these
kids
off
of
these
ground
right
now,
Mr.
White
was
a
bit
tentative
of
speaking
up
to
his
partner
who
was
obviously
a
racist
but
if
you
know
my
mother
of
course
she
had
no
problems
speaking
up.
By
then
she’s
already
notice
I
was
one
of
the
kids
on
the
ground
and
not
one
time
did
she
say
anything
was
motivated
because
of
me
it
was
because
she
was
protecting
every
single
child
on
the
ground
at
gunpoint.
She
curse
the
officer
out
so
bad
and
threaten
officer
White
like
there
was
no
tomorrow
and
finally
White
got
his
partner
to
release
all
of
us.
My
mother
told
everyone
to
get
home
in
the
house
asap
and
told
me
“when
I
get
home
you’re
going
to
wish
you
went
to
jail”.
She
stayed
behind
I
was
told
reading
the
riot
act
to
both
the
officers
having
no
regard
about
what
they
cared
or
said
she
was
only
worried
about
the
children
not
just
hers
each
and
everyone
that
laid
on
the
ground
at
gunpoint.
Our
children
in
this
society
today
all
of
them
in
particularly
African
American
children
are
all
being
held
at
gunpoint
one
wrong
move
comment
or
gesture
and
in
an
instance
their
lives
can
be
taken
away.
Is
it
a
child’s
fault
today
that
he
growth
spurt
today
is
accelerated
because
of
what’s
injected
into
food
products
today
and
the
kid
has
the
body
of
a
mature
adult?
Is
it
the
fault
of
a
child
that
when
he’s
wearing
a
garment
like
a
hooded
sweatshirt
that
an
insecure
man
might
view
it
as
imposing?
But
the
question
that
must
be
ask
most
importantly
is
should
a
child
be
victimized
or
targeted
just
because
he
is
of
African
American
decent?

4. 4
Our
children
are
an
endangered
species
and
black
like
me
it
is
true
but
I
am
wondering
if
every
man
of
African
American
decent
who
can
speak
up
will
speak
up?
No
more
pictures
or
headlines
no
longer
speaking
as
a
politician
or
standing
with
one?
No
longer
doing
it
for
a
brand
or
for
favor
doing
it
for
simply
one
reason
and
that
is
because
it’s
the
right
thing.
I
know
African
American
men
who
are
doing
well
who
simply
don’t
care
at
all
about
where
they
once
may
have
lived
and
currently
may
even
have
family
living
their
still.
Living
for
themselves
exploiting
their
own
people
and
that
makes
it
so
easy
for
anyone
to
do
anything
harmful
to
us
when
we
are
cognizant
or
even
acknowledge
the
fact
that
we
are
now
truly
living
as
if
we’re
an
endangered
species.
Our
children
are
an
endangered
species
and
black
like
me
but
sadly
I
wonder
how
many
of
us
even
remember
that
we’re
black?
Pray
for
the
family
of
Trayvon
Martin.
And
always
in
my
hometown
#prayjcpray.
Respectfully,
THE
WHEEL
(The
Way
Humanity/Hudson
Expects
Everyone
to
Live)