MANSFIELD: Have We FINALLY Had Enough?

By Mansfield Frazier

As I write this, President Obama is preparing to make the fourth visit of his tenure to families and loved ones of deceased gunshot victims. Unfortunately, if the past is any indication, this visit won’t be his last.

While experts say the number of mass shootings has remained fairly stable at 20 per year over the last few decades, that figure is not very comforting to family members who suffer tragic losses due to gun violence. In the midst of our national mourning of the death of 27 folks (20 of them small children) in Newtown, CT, another shooter opened fire at a crowded shopping mall in Newport Beach, CA, a few days later, firing off 50 rounds before being captured by police. In spite of what the experts tell us, these incidents certainly seem to be coming faster and faster.

Of all the industrialized nations in the world, America has the most deeply ingrained gun culture… a culture that manifests itself not only in seemingly random violence perpetrated by deranged young men, but also by trained police officers, such as the 13 who fired 137 rounds into a vehicle containing two unarmed individuals. In America — for some — firepower solves all problems.

And for those gun lovers who contend we really don’t have a gun problem in this country (they persistently and loudly shout “guns don’t kill people, people kill people”), consider what David Sessions recently wrote in The Daily Beast: “In Britain in 2008, there were 39 gun murders; in the U.S. in 2009, there were 9,146 — that’s right, even adjusted for our larger population, the American rate is 47 times higher. Japan’s recent gun bans have virtually eliminated gun murder in their country. In our country, the states with the strictest gun laws have the lowest rates of gun crime.” Yes, people kill people… but most effectively with guns.

Speaking to the nation after the tragic Newtown killings, President Obama finally signaled a willingness to take on the strongest lobby in America, the NRA, when he said “… we’re going to have to come together and take meaningful action to prevent more tragedies like this, regardless of politics.” But this will be more than a notion.

To gun nuts those were fighting words. Their contention is they have to stay armed to the teeth to fight off an imagined totalitarian government bent on taking away their rights… as if their assault weapons would be any match for the tanks and planes these mythical troops would employ.

But maybe, just maybe, this time the American people have finally had enough; maybe 20 dead schoolchildren is the tipping point. Maybe Americans will finally become fed up with gun violence, even in inner-cities where youth of color kill each other at an alarming rate — with guns made plentiful by NRA lobbying efforts.

But even if the worm has turned, changing America’s gun culture is not going to be a fast or easy accomplishment. But leadership on this issue has to start at the top; the president has to use his bully pulpit to initiate and animate this conversation. As a society, we can start with having a conversation about violent video games. While we can not ban them due to First Amendment Rights, we can strongly urge caregivers to monitor the games impressionable minds have access to. In some cases — perhaps this one — something as simple as a fifteen dollar trigger lock might have averted disaster. Additionally, we require vehicles (and even pitbulls) to be insured… why not firearms?

When then-Senator Obama announced his candidacy for the presidency, he did it from Springfield, IL, in honor of his political hero Abraham Lincoln. If Barack Obama truly aspires to the greatness of the 16th president of our nation then he’s going to have to be willing to take on the same southern hatreds and intransigence that led to the Civil War… but this time not over slavery, but the widespread possession of guns.

But Lincoln, in his Gettysburg address, left words Obama can use if he indeed takes up this struggle: “…these dead [children] shall not have died in vain.”

 

DIY Heaven

The tagline for the Home Repair Resource Center (HRRC) is “…fostering diverse and sustainable neighborhoods through well-maintained homes.” And the good news is this 40-year-old Cleveland Heights institution — which has helped generations of homeowners in that suburb — is currently in the process of going countywide.

Due to how HRRC was previously funded, these fine and dedicated folks — under the able leadership of Executive Director Kathryn Lad — in the past could only help residents of Cleveland Heights with home repairs. But what first appeared to be a minus has turned into a plus: When block grant funding for their programs began to dry up, the organization had to find other, outside-the-city funding. They’ve been able to accomplish this in a modest manner, but the real upside is now the organization can offer almost their entire multitude of services to any homeowner in the county. And the offering is substantial.

For instance, say you really don’t care to try to master a home repair yourself… even though HRRC offers complete guidance. They also give classes on everything (they even have a miniature home set up inside their classroom which serves as a teaching tool) so that even if you don’t do the work yourself, you understand it and know exactly what a contractor should be doing… which is very comforting. Additionally, they maintain a list of qualified and experienced contractors that have solid reputations. It’s virtually impossible to go wrong on any home repair with this organization’s assistance and guidance.

In addition to education on home repairs, they also help arrange financial assistance (for Cleveland Heights residents only, sorry), run a repair program for seniors, loan tools for a very modest fee, offer foreclosure intervention services, provide women-only classes, give assistance with rehabilitation projects (including correcting code violations), and maintain a complete library of videos that provide step-by-step guidance.

In spite of the foreclosure crisis home ownership remains the cornerstone of the American Dream. But, indeed, everything you own… owns you. At the end of the day you and you alone are responsible for your property. That’s why the help offered by this organization is so critical.

If a new homeowner wasn’t raised to do home repairs (and they don’t teach shop in most high schools these days… which is a complete shame), they simply have to learn, or at least learn how to make sure the repairs are done right when a contractor is hired. With the help of the folks at HRRC there’s no longer any excuse or reason to fear. And the great thing is, the entire staff is as warm and welcoming as “Casper, the Friendly Ghost.”

Home Repair Resource Center: 2520 Noble Rd., Cleveland Heights, 216.381.6100 or go to http://www.hrrc-ch.org.

 

137 Shots Update

Attorney General Mike DeWine’s response to ACLU attorney James Hardiman’s request for a special prosecutor was that he doesn’t have the power to name one in the case begs the question: Then who does?

Already actions that could be viewed as a cover-up of sorts are occurring in the case. Critical gun-shot residue tests have been completed on the two victims (tests that determined if either of them fired a gun) but the results are being kept from the public. Why?

It’s a real safe bet that the tests showed no residue was found on the hands of either victims… because, if traces had been found, authorities would have rushed to release that information, so as to justify the killings. But I suppose the attorney general thinks the citizenry concerned about this incident are too dumb to see what is transpiring.

And speaking of the citizenry, it’s worth noting that blacks are not the only ones concerned with the killings. Some whites also realize that all Greater Clevelanders suffered a huge black eye from this incident, which has already become part of the folklore of American history. Just imagine if you (be you black or white) were planning to move your family here for a new job at one of our premier institutions… This slaughtering of two unarmed individuals just might cause you to change your mind.

From Cool Cleveland correspondent Mansfield B. Frazier mansfieldfATgmail.com. Frazier’s From Behind The Wall: Commentary on Crime, Punishment, Race and the Underclass by a Prison Inmate is available again in hardback. Snag your copy and have it signed by the author by visiting http://www.neighborhoodsolutionsinc.com.

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