"Cold Term"

....all the things,the objects,the cold freeze of the cemetary while passing.I think of the people there.White inside outside on horses trotting ignorantly;there is so much pain for our blackness,yet so much beauty there.If we would only think to what our beautiful selves would make of this world.....we would be steaming,turning blackouts over the heart of our city;allowing our love to hover,waiting for our lives to arrive at ecstasy.
....why can't we love each other and be beautiful?Why does our beauty corner each other and spit poison?Why are the beautiful not living together and understanding each others trials?........tell me why are the beautiful not walking with their arms around each other,laughing softly at the comedy of black beauty?;I know I've roamed a thousand miles searching for myself,trying to salvage my black beauty.....and yet still in the silence,staring at my people,looking at all the death of this black beauty,I can't help but wonder....why are the beautiful divided like myself?-unknown
"I'd rather be straddling the fence than to be caught in the devils backyard"-James Doe 1776

Role Models

Given my background (ex-drug dealer ,ex-stickup man,ex-con and not to mention a ninth grade dropout)most people (suburbanites and urbanites alike) would say I'm not qualified to be a role model or some sort of mentor to their youth,but I beg to differ.Given the state in which our world sits in,I may even be over qualified.Take a child that comes from a drug infested neighborhood with no recollection of his parents being there in even the smallest capacity.He or she has then been subjected to a world whereas they will live in survival mode for probably the rest of their lives (hence drug dealers and strippers and potential drug addicts) I've learned after doing some research that the younger generation responds better to ones they can relate to and who can relate to them.So I say truly if we DO NOT begin to raise our children, then Ray Ray,Shaniqua,Rick Ross and Nikki Minaj will,if they havent already begun;my eight year old son recently came to me and asked if I would take him to do a fake drive-by.If he had of been eighteen he might've been out doing a real drve-by.When I tell you I literally shed a tattoo tear,I mean this is how my son views me?Then what is the world saying about me?; A wise man once said it like this,"If you and your daughter are ridin in a car listening to music that refers to her as any and everything but a child of God,chances are she'll think of herself as just that.(a superfreak,a ratchett so and so or a bad you know what)But this not only applies to our little girls,but take a look at our little boys.Theres the very alarming possibility that he may end up in someones institution or graveyard by age 25;so the reality is simply this,we have allowed any and everything including ourselves to transform the innocence of our children into products of a world that tells them they're nothing more than freaks and thugs;surely we have a duty if not an obligation(espeacially if you've lived a little bit of life and been somewhere)to be atleast something other than a old freak or over the hill convict thug.We have to try our best to be role models or some sort of examples of real men and women.(I now nominate myself to join the few MEN and WOMEN that has chosen to do this{1st Timothy  4:12-16}-James Doe 1776

Black man,gun in hand and standing over a dead body.From the prosecution of the state to the to the pissed off eye of the people,that man is GUILTY!......I was taught to believe some of what you see and all of how your heart feels.If three people witnessed a traffic accident,all most certainly,two of the three would disagree on how the accident occurred.I would say at the least we are individuals,creatively designed by God to not only see but feel the world just a little bit different from one another.The things that trouble me may not trouble you,my many concerns may be of no concern of yours and vice-versa.Trust that your higher power will give you the insight to see past the surface of life.To weed out the fakes and phonies even in the instance of one conversation.I may like how you said it but don't believe what you say;therefore we have to go with the facts and not what we want to believe because its convenient for us.As so-called Christians or at the very least,productive people of society,we have a duty to follow truth.There's an old cliche that says:"dont judge a book by its cover",I say:"understand a crook and his struggle".Even if I have to defend my past actions for the rest of my life,its ok.Just dont judge me according to your personal views or what "It" or "I" look like.Base your conclusion on my works,whether they be big or small,whether they are made public or not.Understand that I have an obligation to stand upon my six(love,life,loyalty,knowlege,wisdom and understanding),to bare my cross upon my back and to do so unto my death,and by living this way,you and the world should know that I stand for truth.(Acts,chpt. 26 verse six)-James Doe 1776

Lets begin....today I want to speak about the state of the woman and the responsibility given to her by men who only wanted the fun in the sun and not the aftermath of that momentary sexual affection.I would hope that we all can agree that women raising children alone is an injustice not only to the child but our society as a whole.Unfortunately some (men) are not physically here to help,protect and provide for their offspring,so I will be centering on the ones that are.Past generations have showed us that the primary parent in the home is the woman,who often times have been referred to as mother and father.I'm not saying this is an impossible feat,but given that she has to play two roles,her child(ren) would most likely lose out on some essential life skills,maybe even some love.I personally wont profess to be the Cliff Huxtable of the hood,but I will acknowlege that my children need me as much as they need their mother.The truth of the matter is,we as men have walked away from our families without rhyme or reason and certainly without a concience.I will even venture to say that blunts,alcohol and the streets have truly altered or murdered any chance of us having the rational thought of being fathers.Time after time we attribute this to our so-called oppressor,shifting blame and falsely justifing our cowardly actions.In closing I would like to say this,our sons are killing one another because of the examples set before them,no structure,no guidance.Our daughters are allowing these same boys to impregnate them,leaving our communities in what I like to call a cesspool cycle.(Men),quit leaving our women to swing the hammer and bake the bread.(Child Support) requires quite a bit more than making monthly payments(Hold your head up woman,you are appreciated)-James Doe 1776

Introduction to T.H.U.G.W.A.Y.

My brother (Joe King) and I established T.H.U.G.W.A.Y. Ministries in 2009 after both joining a church.Ironically though they were seperate churches in two different cities,their names were the same,New St. Mark,this to us was a revelation.We also began preperation for a book entitled "Hostile Witness".I being born and raised in Detroit where i survived a life of drugs,jail and bullets decided to dedicate the remainder of the life that was spared me to GOD and to raising my two children.With the help of my brother who also experienced as much tradgedy,heartache and pain as myself,that sparked what would become T.H.U.G.W.A.Y.(True Hereos Under God Working All Year)With this ministry we will show our personal transition from street thugs to Gods thugs as well as address issues plaguing our families and communities in hopes that we're able to make a change even if its only in the minds of two.I ask that you join us in this crusade and maybe just maybe we can begin to build and save lives-James Doe 1776