What are the problems in our community and what could we do to solve them?

Man, there’s so many problems with my community, but it’s the day-to-day bullshit people stay in.

Family drama, hanging out with people that they hate, talking all that shit, fighting, all that stuff. It all leads to a lack of self care, and makes it really hard to talk to each other because everyone is primed to fight.

Even the bus driver started yelling at me because he thought me asking a fare question was me trying to argue.

I come from a quiet (not that normal) household, so people where I’m from notice that I’m not about that bullshit; yelling and constantly talking that shit and making pointless enemies.

I’m about my fucking business, all that stuff I mentioned erodes away the community. We aren’t going to progress if we keep cutting each other down for our flaws, wanting to take a different path or having family feuds over small disagreements.

The amount of fuckery out there is amazing. There’s also a lot of anti-gay, anti-intellectual, pseudo-science bullshit that floats around as well. The same shit like “Black people don’t do ________” or “Why are you going to school, degrees are pointless” - you know, that kind of shit.

Where I’m from, folks constantly scrutinize you for wanting to get your shit together, and they project their own self doubt on what you want to do with your future.

There’s just too much baggage, and I’m not fucking with it.

There’s so many things I can wish for for my community, but all of the past experiences and the current experience of living among abandoned buildings and lots full of trash has made me lose hope.

A little kid got shot and killed a few blocks away despite there being signs saying “We must stop killing each other” being posted in some people’s yards.

Fuck.

/r/Blackfellas Thread