Just How “Insensitive” Can a Person Really Be?

While watching the city of Newburgh’s most recent city council meeting this past Monday evening (8/9), my mind was blown away as I sat listening to the venomous remarks made by city Councilman Sklarz re: city Councilman Omari Shakur’s reaction to being arrested by the New York State Police, which occurred on Thursday, August 5th. The venomous way in which he stated that Councilman Shakur should be censured for his reaction to the way that he was mistreated by the New York State Police on Thursday, August 5th was very insensitive and very mindblowing, especially, since according to city Councilman Sklarz’s “LinkedIn” page, he worked at the “New York State Dep’t of Mental Health” for almost 24 years.(11/1981-4/2005) WOW! Evidently, working there in no way provided him with the ability to have some type of sensitivity re: an individual’s reaction to being mishandled and mistreated by an agency that in the past caused the death of one’s son. Anyone with any kind of sensibility and compassion, would understand why Councilman Shakur reacts in the way that he does when unnecessarily approached by the police. I also found it to be quite strange that the picture that the Mid-Hudson News used was from an incident which occurred on 2/18/20. WOW! I guess that they also were trying to show a pattern of behavior coming forth from Councilman Shakur when he feels that he is being mishandled by the police. WOW!

Taking into consideration the many “Black” lives that have been snatched away by various police departments throughout this country, one should be able to understand why people of color are very uncomfortable when they are followed or approached by the police.

Especially someone that has worked, and for quite awhile was head of the Human Resources Division of Mental Health Services at the New York State Office of Mental Health such as Councilman Sklarz has. Most definitely someone such as that should have some sensitivity re: matters such as this. WOW! Councilman Shakur’s sensitivity towards the behavior of police did not start with the murder of his son by the police. It began many years before that. Being a community activist throughout the years sensitized him to the mistreatment that he saw being displayed by many police throughout the years. Racial bias has “Always” been displayed by many policemen throughout the years and anyone that had a problem with that usually experienced much discomfort, which is what Councilman Shakur has been experiencing throughout the years. Also has many other African American men and women.

My “Serious” concerns about this are not just because Councilman Shakur is my son, but it is due to the fact that we have a man sitting on our city council that has no sensitivity to matters which many of us Black folks are being and have been faced with throughout the years. This man is also the treasurer of the Democratic Party which are the ones that choose who will represent us on the city council. Wow! What can I say? To think that this councilman is in a district which houses three housing complexes in which many low income people of color live, is very unnerving to me. Why? How many times has he been to those housing complexes to see, if he as their city council representative, could assist them in any way. The Newburgh Housing Authority is in his district and for quite some time they have been faced with two vacant seats on their board which has not been filled for a long time. As the city council representative for this area why has he not shown his face around here except for during election time? Anyway, time will tell about all of this.

At this past city council meeting Mayor Harvey stated that the swearing in of our new police commissioner and police chief would be on the 23rd of this month. Hopefully, a new mindset will begin at our police department. Hopefully, these two men will take a “Serious” look at the “Matrix” Final Report, which was done in 2013. This Report will give them somewhat of an idea as to if any of the suggestions and recommendations made in that report were ever implemented due to the report being an assessment of the Culture, Community Relations, Use of Force, Training, Disciplinary Practices of the city of Newburgh’s Police Department. Why not? Thousands of dollars were paid to the “Matrix Consulting Group” by the city government for the report therefore what’s in that report is very important. Taxpayers money was used to pay for that report therefore taxpayers should be concerned as to whether that money was spent in vain.

Let us not ever forget that “Black Lives” do matter and when we are being subjected to inferior treatment by one who was elected to have some sensitivity on our behalf, we should be “Very” concerned about that. If not, why not? How long are we going to remain silent towards our humanity being treated in such a disrespectful way? How long? How long? How long is “Our” community going to continue to suffer in silence? How long are we going to continue to allow ourselves to be disrespected? How long? My concerns re: this is due to the fact that throughout the years I have seen the way, that us “Black” folks have been treated in this city. Throughout the years there has been much “Silence” re: that mistreatment. Are we going to wait until another “Black” life is snatched away before we “Rise” up? This is no game, this is hard core reality. The next city council meeting should be flooded with voices of concern re: this. If not, it means that your silence is in agreement with the way that “We” are treated by the police. What is it going to take before our voices are ringing very loud and clear re: “Police” mistreatment?

The real bottom line issue to “All” of this is that the powers that be “Really” do not want Councilman Shakur’s voice on the city of Newburgh’s city council because he is bringing attention to things that they do not want attention brought to. His voice is a voice for the low income and downtrodden people of this city and the “Powers That Be” do not want such a voice to be heard. 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!