What The Heck Does 'It's OK to be Black in Orlando' Mean Anyway?
- Details
- Category: Politics
- Published: Monday, 02 November 2015 22:17
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by Lawrence A. Robinson
You have probably seen them or heard about those embarrassing signs popping up in the Black neighborhoods of Orlando with the statement, 'It's OK to be Black in Orlando'(sm) and vote for Paul Paulson for Mayor. Some Black people are embarrassed by the signs and say that they don't need to be told 'it's okay to be Black.' They want to know who the hell Paul Paulson think he is, telling people 'it's okay to be Black?'
Why does he think he can give us permission to be Black? Who put him in charge, that he can grant
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that kind of favor? WHAT???!!!
Well, the truth is that Paul Paulson is not trying to give Black people permission to be Black. God has already done that. Paul Paulson is just thinking out loud and wondering why are Black leaders not working for their Black constituents? He wondered if they were scared?
Paul Paulson knows that Buddy Dyer rules his 'City Kingdom' with an iron fist. Buddy uses the eminent domain laws, code enforcement rules, police brutality and other methods to keep the citizens in their place, especially the Black citizens.
Maybe some of the Black leaders are timid and worry about being victimized or they fear retaliation and intimidation if they don't go along with King Dyer's plans. We all know what happen to Commissioner Patty Sheehan. She complained about King Dyer treated the council like a rubber stamp. The criticism later boiled up at a City Council meeting. Sheehan said she risked retaliation by complaining, as the Dyer administration had previously withheld funding for street lighting and street repairs in retaliation for "no" votes.
Former Commissioner Daisy Lynum chimed in: "Now, it is an environment where if it's not your district, you don't ask questions about it — even if it's something big,"
some content from this Orlando Sentinel Article:
Is this the reason why Black politicians don't support the Black community, because they are scared of retaliation from the powers that be?
The Jews support their own. The Chinese support their own. The Koreans support their own. Are Blacks too timid in this Orlando environment to support their own? Hmmm...
I think that some of our leaders need to be told that times are-a-changing and they should actually do the job that they are supposed to do without fear, because it's okay to be Black in Orlando.
It's okay for Commissioner Regina Hill to demand more resources for her Black constituents. The Performing Arts Center, Soccer Stadium and Citrus Bowl are in her District 5, but her Black constituents can't afford to frequent those places. It's okay for her to demand money for housing. Thanks Regina.
In Orlando, it's OK to for Black politicians to be aggressive about doing positive actions for their Black constituents. Maybe Sam Ings and King Dyer could have spent a little money on local Black businesses in District 6 instead of bringing in Walmart and allowing them to take that entitlement money back to Arkansas.
Why are the Black communities and districts in such a poor condition when compared with other areas? Dyer takes from these districts because of the weak leadership in those districts and our leaders are quiet. Paul Paulson said that it's okay to be Black in Orlando.
Why are we timid about being Black? Why won't we show positive aggressiveness in our actions when we are dealing with our own community? Why are we so scared? It's OK to be Black In Orlando, isn't it?
Stand up, be Black.
Related:Mayoral Candidate Paul Paulson Says, 'It's Okay To Be Black In Orlando'
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What does it mean? It means that Black people will get the respect of the city administration team with Paul Paulson as Mayor. Paulson will never cut the vendor hours during the FAMU/BCC game like Dyer did. Paulson will never build a fence down the middle of town to keep NBA fans from buying from Black merchants, like Dyer did. Paulson will remove the stumbling blocks that keep us from advancing so that we can move forward. Paul Paulson will create a real citizen review board with real power to stop the police brutality in Orlando. Paulson will work with Blacks to promote Black business ownership. Paul Paulson will push Black leadership to grow Black businesses.
What does 'It's OK to be Black in Orlando' mean? Here is a comment from a resident.
Yes, it is all right to be black in Orlando. Being black means family, being united, being fearless, being informed, being connected, being loving, being ambitious, being free, and being your brother's keeper. Yes in fact being BLACK IS NOT ONLY OK IT'S A BLESSING, A gift, a mindset , it's the very fiber of this country we built. Thank you Paul Paulson for your insight. It's sad when the white population says something we should have said a long time ago and our feathers get ruffled. But we go on day to day like we are not the Black folk the media talks about WELL NEWS FLASH BEHIND CLOSED DOORS OOOHHH YES YOU ARE. Let us as Black people change the perception by our actions and act like we know because we seem to have forgotten. If you haven't, help your brothers and sisters out and STOP acting better than you are. We all no matter your education level, career choice, or lack there of represent each other. I'm not offended just like BLACK LIVES MATTER.THEY ALWAYS HAVE!!!
It is okay to demand improvements for your community like they demand improvements for theirs. It is okay to demand a better education for our kids. It's okay to demand that a fair number of Black school principals and teachers in our schools teaching our kids.
It's OK to openly support Black business which is different from supporting minority businesses.
Paul Paulson understand that the Black population makes up about 30% of the residents and Blacks should get 30% of the pie.
Yes, 'It is okay to be BLACK in Orlando.' Now, everybody say it, 'It's OK to be Black in