Jay Z Performs In Brick City But What About Trenton

TRENTON-- As hip hop mogul Jay Z Shawn Carter goes on tour to showcase his new album, Magna Carta...Holy Grail, in the new year, one can't but help take note that he has found some time in his busy schedule to perform in the tri-state area i.e. New York, Pennsylvania, and of course New Jersey.

Needless to say, this is good news for the local economies of Brooklyn, Philadelphia, and Newark. Jay Z's mainstream appeal will undoubtedly attract a great deal of attention and consumer spending in these areas.

Even as one celebrates Jay Z's tremendous success and upcoming tour, one has to raise serious concerns about his decision to perform in Brick City but not in Trenton. 

Now don't get me wrong ladies and gentlemen, I recognize that, yes, Mr. Carter has come a mighty long way since roaming the gritty streets of his beloved Bedstuy Brooklyn neighborhood to now being an internationally known hip hop icon. This man went from selling his music outside the trunk of his car to being a veritable household name. Indeed, Jay Z's success and prosperity is nothing to sneeze at or overlook. Even I have to admit that I, too, am a personal fan of Mr. Carter. 

Lo and behold, I vividly recall listening to many of Jigga's classic LPs, Reasonable Doubt, The Black Album, The Life and Times Of Shawn Carter, etc during my younger years and even to this day. To put it simply, the man's record speaks for itself. 

However, I do take issue with Mr. Carter deciding not to take a pit stop in Jersey's State Capital, yeah I said it, "why can't Jay Z perform right here in Trenton, New Jersey, a place he says "grew him" on his vintage Blueprint album. (Disclosure: Jay Z actually says that it was East Trenton that raised him).

Granted, both the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia and the Prudential Center in Newark are larger than Trenton's Sun National Bank Arena, but hey, there's still money to be made here in the State's Capital, don't let the naysayers tell you otherwise. Even though we face a record number of homicides this year along with a failing school system, and high property taxes, Trenton still has a lot to offer.

As a resident of this city, I can definitely attest to its strengths and virtues, not simply its weaknesses. Now of course, I know what you maybe saying to your self, dear reader, "what's this guy smokin...doesn't he know that Trenton is simply bad news, you got you're mayor under federal investigation and to top it all off when you go to the public library, you have to ask for toilet paper to use the restroom", but hear me out for a moment.

Most people may not know this, but Trenton is home to a deep and rich history. Just this past weekend, I was reminded of this history as Trenton Police required residents like myself on Warren Street to move their vehicles so that the yearly reenactment of the Battle of Trenton March could take place. For those that don't already know, in 1776, General George Washington and his army crossed over the Delaware River and defeated Hessian mercernaries in what became known as the Battle of Trenton according to the History Channel. 

Along with this rich history, Trenton is home to a number of really good people and organizations that are doing positive things, now as we speak. People like Rev. Simeon Spencer at Union Baptist Church, filmmaker and author Will Foskey, Educator Baye Kemit of the Garvey School, Special Parents Advocate Nicole Whitfield, Hip Hop Recording Artist Big Ooh, and entrepreneur Tracey Syphax are just to name a few. The efforts of these individuals may get overlooked in the mainstream press, but trust me they are moving and shaking things up here in the city. 

So I challenge and invite you Mr. Carter to take a trip to Trenton and 'show some love' to a place that helped in your own words grow you. Even though others may have written off the city doesn't mean you have to...Come back home Hov and I promise you, Trenton will show you some love...

Knock Out Game Must End

TRENTON-- So, as I was chatting with my brother this past week, I was told about a new phenomenon happening in different cities like New York and Philadelphia. Its called the Knock Out game.

Sadly enough with this game young people (teenagers) have been assaulting innocent bystanders by deliberately catching them off-guard and striking them with their fists. The aim of the game is to 'knock out' the bystander to the point they become unconscious.The assailants then post video footage of the assault online.

Victims of this sick and senseless game have included individuals like Diego Moya, a chef from Manhattan and possibly even an elderly woman in East New York. Along with these individuals Phoebe Connolly, a young lady that was biking in the Columbia Heights area of Washington, was "punched in the face" by a teenager. Connolly goes on to report that the teenager laughed after hitting her in the face. Thankfully, Connolly was not seriously injured.

According to Jeff Rosen and Avni Patel from Today.Com, the assailants involved in these attacks are even targeting women and children. They go on to report that "cases are piling up, and that police are on high alert".

Activists like the Rev. Al Sharpton and Tony Herbert of the National Action Network have both denounced the attacks calling them a form of 'cowardice'. Herbert has called on social media websites to take down videos of the attacks.

I want to join the chorus of individuals that have come forth to denounce these senseless acts of violence. I don't want this cowardice form of behavior to grow and fester. Yet at the same time, one wonders whether this aggressive behavior is symptomatic of the larger violent culture that exists in the United States. According to Mel Schwarz, a Psychology Today contributor, the United States is "easily the most violent high-income society on the Earth". Schwarz goes on to say that "when a system—individual, family, or culture —adapts to and normalizes grossly abhorrent activities, that system is terribly impaired. This condition is known as normosis, whereby we make normal that which is indeed aberrant. As a society, we find ourselves in just this circumstance".

Indeed, we as a society cannot allow things like the Knock Out game to fester and grow. I think the most important thing to do here is to first of all raise awareness on this important issue. If you don't what's going on, you can't take action. So, let's get the word out there, first and foremost. The second thing we need to do is call a spade a spade and publicly denounce this behavior, whether it be by the water cooler at work or at the barber shop or at the beauty salon, or even in the school cafeteria, the culprits behind these cowardly acts must be shamed. They must know that this behavior is not acceptable. And a big first step in that direction is to have social media sites like YouTube take these videos off their site. By doing this, we can send a loud and clear message that cowardly and thuggish behavior cannot stand in a civilized society.

Trenton...What If???

What if....

What if Trenton re-opened all five public libraries?

What if Trenton had more jobs than people?

What if Trenton had low property taxes?

What if you didn't need to ask the circulation desk for toilet paper at the Trenton Public Library?

What if the city's crime rate wasn't so high?

What if our city's mayor wasn't under federal investigation?

What if young people felt safe going to school?

What if Trenton Central High School wasn't in deplorable condition?

What if there were more churches in Trenton than liquor stores?

What if the city's Marriott didn't need a bailout?

What if the city's youth didn't loiter in front of different small businesses?

What if Trenton High had a 100% graduation rate?

What if Trenton had incentives to attract small business and aspiring entrepreneurs?

As a blogger here in the city of Trenton, I like many others am left with a lot of 'what if's'... but you know what, deep in my heart, I do believe that Trenton can get better, I can imagine a different Trenton, a Trenton where people can feel safe, work, get a high quality education, have a good time, and do business... what about you? Can you imagine a different Trenton?