Keeping One’s Faith Has Never Been Easy, Even Today

It is 6am in the morning and I still have not been able to fall asleep! Wow! All that I have been watching and listening to throughout the night on television has almost brought me to total exhaustion. Wow! I am 81 years old and I have “never” seen things going on to the degree that they are going on now.

I was not here on this earth during “slavery”, but there is no way I can understand how my forefather’s could have endured that “madness!” No way! They had to have had “faith” in God because there is no other way I can see how they could have made it through such a degrading time, such as “slavery” had to have been. Evidently in their heart and through their voices they were singing “the Lord will make a way somehow!” Yes! Yes! Yes!

What I see going on right here in Newburgh is causing me to feel heavily burdened within my heart. What I watched and listened to on this past Monday evening as I heard each one of our city council members vote to implement an action which would enable them to be able to undue what the voters wanted when they voted in the last election was showing that they feel that they, not the voters, are in control. Wow! Then to top it off to hear councilwoman Monteverde call councilman Shakur a “moron” was the straw that broke the camel’s back for me. Anyway, also hearing about how some of the people down at “Safe Harbor” feel about how they are being treated left a very deep heaviness within my heart. Being charged $300 for the installation of an air conditioner in their window. Wow! They are afraid to speak out, for fear of being evicted. Wow! Anyway, I will be taking a closer look at this in the very near future.

Getting back to what’s going on throughout our country, as it pertains to the nationwide behavior of our police, is very mind blowing. Truthfully, I do not see how this can continue on without it causing a mass explosion to happen throughout this country. When is this “madness” going to end? What is it going to take to bring it to an end? What will the results of this George Floyd trial bring forth? Two more police murders have happened just a couple of days ago. “Lord have mercy!”

The “real” sad part about what’s going on in the city of Newburgh is that it has “always” been going on. Newburgh has “always” been a very “racist” city. Throughout the years it has been that way. But truthfully, it has “always” been that way throughout this country. Wow! In the past years in the city of Newburgh there were some faith-based voices crying out such as Rev. Burton, Rev. McClearn, Rev. Jones and a few others, but today it’s not the same. Could it be because many churches are participating in the HUD programs for “faith” based organizations, which may limit their doing so? I’m just asking? Why? Because I do not hear those “strong” voices coming forth from church based organizations any longer that I used to hear. Nor do I hear too much coming forth from the NACP. What’s up?

Go to the HUD website and check out what other cities are doing for their low-income residents and then compare that to what the city of Newburgh is doing. For example, check out what HUD offers through their “youthbuild” programs and see what other cities are doing with that. Anyway, I guess that one is wondering how did I start out with what’s going on re: our police to winding up with what’s going on re: HUD programs? The reason is that it’s “all” tied in together.

Also, because what’s going on throughout our country and also here re: the police is “very” painful and I needed a distraction. But truthfully, the “distraction” is also “very” painful because comparatively the city of Newburgh has not used HUD funds in the way that many cities throughout the country have done to “seriously” address “poverty!” Why not? Why not? Why not? Give some “real” serious thought to that question and then maybe you will realize what “really” has or has not been going on to “seriously” address “poverty” here in the city of Newburgh! For example why has not the city of Newburgh “seriously” used HUD’s “youth build” program in the way that some other cities have? Go to the HUD website and check out how other cities have used that program? Maybe if our youth had more positive stuff to do there would not have been so much “violence” coming forth from them.

This week’s column is a “cry loud & spare not” column because my heart is “very” overwhelmed right about now. “Lord have mercy!”

“Time is winding down!” “Time is winding down!” Time is winding down!”

God is not mocked, one will most definitely “reap” what one has or has not sowed!

Wake up! Wake up! Wake up! Wake up! Wake up! Wake up! Wake up! Wake up!

This is “Lillie’s Point Of View” and I’m just having my say, now you can have yours! Peace!