You know what I continue to notice?

We are becoming immune to senseless killing. In a span of 10 days here in Atlanta two people have been struck by a stray bullet. Last week it was a black mother of three. While braiding one of her daughters hair in their living room a bullet came flying through the window and struck her in the back. Dead on Arrival. Earlier this morning (October 27, 2008) a 19 year old black man was hit by a bullet while he slept on his sofa. Dead on Arrival. And, we all know about the latest atrocity to plague the landscape of Chicago: Jennifer Hudson's mother, brother, and nephew slain. Killed by whom? We all know the answer to that question will be: A Black Man.

One of the neighbors after hearing the mumbles of why Jennifer's mother continued to stay in the dreadful 7000 block of Chicago's Southside stated, "Mrs. Donerson did not won't to leave her neighborhood. She loved it here." Loving a crime invested ghetto is nothing new. The attachment is un-detachable. At times it (da hood) stays with us even if we do eventually own a home in the Hampton's e.g. Keyshia Michelle Coles. You know the old saying, “We can leave the ghetto – but we cannot take the ghetto out of us.”

How I wish Jennifer’s mother would have abandoned that hateful black community. Lord, if only she would have gotten fed-up with the gun shots. Gun shots, by the way, several people reported that they heard on that tragic morning – but were unmoved by what is all too common in the hood: Gun Fire!

Isn’t it ruefully telling when no one runs for cover anymore after hearing semi-automatic weapons pop-off? I remember when I use to go to Aggie Fest (a former A & T State University Spring Party) it never failed for some black fool to pretend he was in the Wild Wild West. When we heard the shots back then we ran. Ran for cover and after the commotion ceased we would look for the injured. Nope, not these days. We are sadly accustomed to the mayhem: No one came a running for Jason and Darnell after the bang-bangs!

Mayhem takes me back to my original point: Where is the disturbance? Where are the lawful disorders and/or protests? Why aren’t we, BLACK PEOPLE, blog complaining about this? Are we so far gone that we ignore the death of our future? Or, is it that we are just USE to the local news that we tune into? Yeah, that’s it we are in-tune with the Shadow of Death that lurks in our neighborhoods. Step by step. Stride by stride. Quiet. But armed and ready to YELL in resistance as soon as a white man calls Barack Obama a Sambo.

Written by Brian E. Payne. Inspired by Julian King.