the School District, all social service agencies, Health Department and the Peoria Police and I don't presume to begin to understand what it takes to manage a city, however, the recent murder of Monterrious Dillard, which was followed up by the retaliatory shooting at Taft Homes appears to be just one more glaring example of entire families spiraling out of control here in Peoria. Another glaring example, was the murder of the Billups child who was shot in his head, during a drive by, while he was sleeping. Much of the crime that we are seeing in the streets and in the school is not only gang related - it is familial.
We may be witnessing instances of not just the children being violent, but so is the mother, the father and the extended family. Local pastors are starting to be concerned about having funeral services in their church, because the probability of violence during the services.
The streets of inner city Peoria continue to be in chaos, yet all our city leaders can focus on is the facade. It appears that some people in this town hate black boys so much, that if they ever got a chance to put their hands on them, they could beat the life out of them. While families mourn their dead children, some are rejoicing as black boys are gunned down in the streets, as evidenced by this quote from a local blog:
"These stories always put a smile on my face. That's one more piece of **** now off the street. Bring on the families airbrushed RIP t-shirts paid for the link card's cash assistance -- funded by paycheck. Have you ever noticed while driving around Peoria and you see Cornelius or Demetrius or Tai-Shawwn or Little Ray-Ray walking down the road and he's turning his head with his eyes glued on you as you approach and drive past him? These ghetto ****s are so paranoid that they give "watch your back" it's literal meaning."
As the chaos in the streets continue, we can certainly expect the children who live in the inner city and matriculate in inner city schools to continue to show signs of being traumatized. We can expect that they will be acting out, as evidenced by the calls to the Peoria Police by District 150 Schools on Monday. During the time that I was listening, I heard five calls.
It's past time for an emergency meeting, Mr. City Manager, a meeting about the quality of life of the children who reside in this community. It's a quality of life that cannot be improved by a Peoria Promise, museums, a hotel, a new Zoo, or one experimental charter school.
Our inner city is in crisis, yet the only people who appear to be outraged enough to do anything about it are those that are filled with disdain for the very children who are caught in Peoria's vicious cycle of poverty.
As a home owner in the inner City of Peoria who is feeling over taxed; as a black mother with hard working children; as an African American mother who blogs about failing schools and the dying inner city, I see you Mr. City Manager...
I see you managing to find a way to turn garbage into streets, now let me see you clean up those very same crime riddled streets. I think we can agree, its going to take a lot more than a special toter from PDC.
