Critical Thinking For Black Folk - Saving Tinker Field For Martin Luther King: Should Blacks Really Care?
- Details
- Category: Politics
- Published: Sunday, 08 March 2015 16:33
by Lawrence A. Robinson
There is a snail at the bottom of a 30 foot well.
Everyday it climbs up 3 feet.
Every night, it slides down 2 feet.
How long does it take the snail to reach the top?
Oh, one more thing, the well has 15 feet of muddy water.
Now use 'Critical Thinking' to solve the puzzle.
There has been a lot of conversation on social media of late concerning the future and the fate of Tinker Field. Why is this such a big political issue in Orlando right now and how does it affect Black people?
How did this become such a hot topic? Who put Tinker Field on the front burner in Orlando? What are
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the arguments to destroy it? What are the arguments to save it? It is in the Parramore area. Could that be the reason Blacks are so involved in these discussions, even getting the president of a local SCLC to go on television suggesting that it be saved. Why?
How did the fate of Tinker Field become so important to Black people all of a sudden?
Tinker Field is located in District 5 which is newly elected Commissioner Regina Hill's district. Tinker Field has been neglected for many years through the previous commissioner Daisy Lynum 16 years of disservice to the community. Sam Ings, Commissioner for District 6, largely ignored everything in his own district and certainly didn't touch anything in Daisy Lynum's area.
Mayor Buddy Dyer either ignored district 5 and 6 or he actively participated in hurting everything in both districts. Mayor Dyer seems to want to destroy Black folk economical progress. Neither Daisy Lynum nor Sam Ings fought Dyer for anything positive for the Black community except for a few crumbs here and there like back packs for kids and scrubs for street side, but no real opportunities according to the residents that I talked too while going door to door.
Buddy Dyer was up for reelection in 2012. Community activist and perennial thorn in the side of Mayor Dyer was candidate Michael Cantone. Michael Cantone ran a campaign that seems totally focused on destroying Buddy Dyer. Mr. Cantone had the help of some Black leaders who understood that Mayor Dyer never had intention of helping or supporting the Black community.
Michael Cantone, even though very visible and very active and sometimes had positive influences in the community, was swatted away like a fly by Mayor Dyer. Some say that since he lost the election to Dyer, Mr. Cantone has a vendetta against the Orlando Mayor.
When Buddy Dyer wanted to make changes to the size and shape of Tinker Field, Mr. Cantone orally jumped all over the Mayor as he has done since he lost the election. One day while Cantone was lashing out at the Mayor over the Tinker Field issue, someone in the crowd said that Martin Luther King had spoken there. That statement seems to have created a theme and all of a sudden Michael Cantone had something that Black folk could rally behind.
With his blog and his media savvy coming into play, Cantone took that statement and ran with it. Black folk got behind the idea of saving Tinker Field because Martin Luther King had spoken there and therefore it has historical value for the Black community. This whole concept took on a life of its own. The Black pastors got behind Cantone's rallying cry and the local SCLC got behind him and even the other local SCLC got behind him. Cantone stood tall leading the Black people to justice with the help of Martin Luther Kings images and Tinker Field.
Mike Cantone at this point believed that Commissioner Regina Hill was working with the Mayor so obviously she became his enemy also and now wants her to fail along with Dyer. Other enemies of the Mayor and Commissioner Hill got on board with Cantone's false 'Save Tinker Field/preserve MLK's Orlando Legacy,' thingy. Many joined Cantone but they really don't know why.
Commissioner Sam Ings who has done nothing for his district, saw an opportunity to show the people that he really has a backbone, so he jumped on the 'Save Tinker Field' bandwagon. Then a few other elected officials got behind Cantone and Ings.
The 'Crowd Mentality' had taken over. Cantone found people who were actually at the Dr Martin Luther King Speech that day 50 years ago, and wheeled them out to give statements of grandeur about how Dr. Martin Luther King was bringing salvation and Civil Rights to Orlando via Tinker Field.
A movement was born. Black people rock, Cantone and Ings got a rallying point, and they shouted, WE MUST SAVE TINKER FIELD BECAUSE DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING MADE THIS SACRED GROUND BY STANDING ON THE MOUND, ugh, THE BASEBALL MOUND, AND WE MUST SPEND $10 MILLION AND KEEP IT FOR ETERNITY.
And that is why Blacks support saving Tinker Field. There really is no logic or thought behind it. Michael Cantone thought it was a good idea at the time. That's all.
So now, you are wondering what does all of this has to do with the puzzle, right? If you accept the obvious answer, you would probably be wrong. And what does the muddy water have to do with it? Maybe nothing. Maybe it is just a diversion. What does saving Tinker Field have to do with housing, jobs, education and opportunities for the Blacks in Parramore? Maybe Nothing. Maybe it's just a diversion.
Let's do some critical thinking and put a few facts in the mix.
Dr. Martin Luther King did come to Orlando and did actually speak at Tinker Field. There was so much opposition to his visit by local Black pastors and Black leaders, that he said Orlando Negroes are not ready for Civil Rights and that he would never return to Orlando again.
Dr. Martin Luther King was telling the truth then and much of that statement is true today.
Let's not be fooled by this diversion. They want to spend upwards of 10 million dollars to restore the venue as a historic site, when for the last decade or so they have allowed it to fall into ruin.
I also got caught up in the hype to save Tinker field in the beginning. When I really thought about it, it doesn't make any sense to me. I just don't understand why Black people will expend energy to save Tinker Field for historical purposes and support spending 10 million dollars to do it.
If they really wanted to promote Black history, the Wells Built Museum is only a few blocks away from Tinker Field and has also been ignored. A one million dollar influx into Wells Built will do wonders a thousand times greater than a $10 million give away to Tinker Field.
The people in Parramore really need housing and jobs, and opportunities far more than a plaque on the ground commemorating the spot where MLK stood proclaiming 'You Orlando Negroes are not ready for Civil Rights.'
Maybe we can do something for Civil Rights and show MLK that we have evolved, learned and that we are not only 50 years older, but 50 years wiser. Let's not fall for the okie dok.
I really don't have a problem with THEM saving Tinker Field. Black folk's time could be better spent trying to improve other areas of our community than time spent on saving Tinker Field. If they feel that saving Tinker field is time well spent, I say let them go for it. I won't oppose that effort. Blacks need housing, jobs, education other opportunities and saving Tinker Field will not improve any of those needs.
I have a problem with Blacks expending energy trying to save Tinker Field. We should walk away.
Think about it. #criticalthinkingforblackpeople