On the cultural front, Detroit has been a leader in urban sounds, literature and the visual arts – from the blues, gospel, jazz and Motown to the Broadside Press. Today, the city is at the forefront of hip hop.
This forum of expression to 21st-century youth sometimes points out the brutally negative aspects of society. Other times, it gives leadership to the causes of social justice and peace.
Although many of the youthful artists must be commended for finding ways to become relatively more independent of the entertainment industry than their elders, the challenge is that some are also imitating the exploitative economic system and values of greed that they denounce.
Is there a way out?
The revolutionary African psychiatrist and writer Dr. Frantz Fanon said that each generation must define its own struggle and then either implement it or betray that cause.
For those who have or may choose the path of social justice and peace, there are many issues confronting youth and their families from Detroit to Dar es Salaam to Porto Alegre that need to be resolved: How do we create communities in which men and women, their children and elders respect and love one another? How does a neighborhood or a nation become self-reliant and maintain control of its economy and politics in an era of globalization by giant international corporations? How can we clean up the environment in the neighborhood, on the job and around the globe so that it is safe and healthy? How do we put NEIGHBOR back into the HOOD so that we fill the planet with communities of prosperity and love? How do we empower those communities from the ground up so that they are the source of policy based on justice and peace rather than endless crime and war? How can we transform the education systems so that graduates know how to live a healthy and satisfying life that conforms to the needs of our brothers and sisters of the planet rather than to the needs of a single, wealthy class or rich nation? How do we prepare for a world of peace and justice rather than just make a living? How can we eliminate poverty and disease in a world of overwhelming wealth of resources and technology?
The Committee for the Political Resurrection of Detroit offers a list of 14 ideas for youth and their elders everywhere to consider about their own communities:
CPR’s 14 Point Program:
1. We want a living wage OR an adequate, guaranteed income for all residents.
2. We want people’s control of the police. That includes the oversight of hiring, firing and disciplinary procedures.
3. We want neighborhood self-determination. This includes community participation in all the decisions about priorities and the annual budget. We want Detroit control of city resources, and we say no to privatization. The decisions made in the various communities shall be binding on the City Council, county and state governments. This is our path to building alternative governance and is a pre-requisite for ward voting. We also want the complete restoration of the Citizen District Councils and their budgets. We want city-financed attorney fees and independent counsel for neighborhoods fighting against big outside developers who want to make fundamental changes to market-rate housing.
4. We want affordable, quality housing for all residents regardless of their ability to pay. This includes the right of all residents to have utilities and water. In the interim, we want city buildings to be used for homeless shelters when they are not being used for official business.
5. We want publicly owned utilities, water and any other energy source that is essential for human life. We say no to privatization of city services.
6. We want locally owned businesses to be the priority of policy makers.
7. We want quality health care for all residents regardless of their ability to pay, as well as a clean and safe environment on the job and in the community.
8. We want first-class, affordable public transportation for all communities regardless of the ability to pay. We want all elected officials and their staff to ride the bus at least once a week.
9. We want a peaceful city and a peaceful world. We promote conflict resolutions and community service in lieu of prison for non-violent offenders. We want sufficient numbers of quality substance-abuse and mental-health clinics for all that need them. Since we cannot obtain regular, accurate and fair information from the corporate-owned media about national and international issues, we want the local, county and national officials to hold regular hearings about such affairs. Those hearings will seek to inform the residents about the budgetary impact on local finance and the impact on world peace. Upon the conclusion of the hearings, a vote should be taken that will be binding on the elected official in his/her official representation.
10. We want an elected school board. A first-class public education is a human right for all residents.
11. We want campaign-finance regulations that will either provide funds for all candidates or limit spending so that all candidates will have the same amount of money for the elections.
12. We want a city that integrates the works of local artists into our daily lives.
13. We want to promote urban agriculture to the level of providing food for local residents. There should be a study of other cities utilizing these methods of food production and city financing of local residents to raise food in their communities. We should expand the farmer’s markets throughout the city.
14. We want to join hands with other peoples around the world who are fighting for justice and peace.
A better Detroit and a better world are possible!
~ Charles Simmons,
Publisher, Hush Your Mouth!