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Good Trouble, On Purpose: Yonkers Rallies for John Lewis with Power, Poetry & Policy By Larnez Kinsey

AJ Woodson
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Good Trouble, On Purpose: Yonkers Rallies for John Lewis with Power, Poetry & Policy By Larnez Kinsey

The Setup

Thursday, July 17, 2025 – 6:30 PM – Van der Donck Park, Yonkers
Beneath the open skies of Van der Donck Park, beside the Hudson and just steps from the Yonkers Riverfront Library, over 175 people gathered not for a performance, but for a purpose. The Good Trouble Rally for Justice was part of a national series honoring the life and legacy of Congressman John Lewis, a giant of the Civil Rights Movement whose legacy continues to push us toward truth, action, and transformation.

Organized by the NAACP Yonkers Branch #2188, under the leadership of President Kisha Skipper, in partnership with NYCD 16/15 Indivisible and co-founder Eileen O’Connor, this event wasn’t just a call to remember, it was a call to reignite.

A Run of Show Like No Other

This wasn’t a program with clear lines between “youth” and “electeds.”
It was a beautifully blended composition, a communal rhythm where elders and emerging voices moved in seamless harmony.

From the very first words, the audience was held in sacred space, opened by Rev. Margaret Fountain-Coleman, who grounded the event with an invocation that called in our ancestors and challenged us to move with intention.

Youth Voices: The Synthesizer of the Night

The young people weren’t here to fill time; they were here to speak truth. And they did that with clarity, conviction, and culture.

  • Kory Skipper-Miller, just 10 years old, started the engine. With a voice already known across social media for his powerful advocacy, he reminded us that youth activism isn’t waiting, it’s already here.
  • Destiney Bella Kinsey, 11 years old, filmmaker, co-director of “Rise & Stop Bullies,” told us what time it is: “Clean your lens. Adjust your glasses.” Her words sliced through bias like sunlight through fog.
  • Dana Peña, 17, on her way to Baruch College to study Political Science, stood fully in her purpose: “Community starts with us.” Not when we’re older. Not when we’re asked. Now.
  • Alexander Hall, also 17 and a proud member of Groundwork Hudson Valley, carried it home: “We’re here because we can make a tangible impact in real time, at any age.”

These four didn’t open the evening; they orchestrated it. Their words weren’t warmups; they were the movement.

Building with Elected Officials

While U.S. Congressman George Latimer was unable to attend in person, he sent a representative who stood in solidarity with the community and reaffirmed his commitment to public safety, equity, and youth-led transformation.

The evening also featured appearances from:

  • NY Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins
  • State Senator Shelley Mayer
  • Assembly Member Nader Sayegh
  • Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins

They didn’t just take the mic. They stood in the moment.
They bore witness.
They heard the challenge.

And then… Joanne Robinson-Boettcher stepped forward.
A longtime NAACP leader, truth-teller, and community force, her words didn’t just inspire, they ignited.

She didn’t give a speech. She gave us an assignment:

“Speak up. Speak out. And let them know you represent us. We are the reason they have money in the bank. Only you can make the difference. Your voice is to be heard, right here, right now, and forever.”

With conviction ringing through every syllable, she reminded us that our presence is power, and our silence is no longer an option. That wasn’t motivation, that was mobilization. You could feel the crowd shift. This was the moment where inspiration became instruction.

Community champions like Mujahadeen Muhammed, Steven Siebert, and Diana Sanchez followed with ground-level truth, reinforcing what Joanne made clear: we’re not just residents, we’re the reason. And we have every right to rise, speak, and shift this city.

My Offering: Good Trouble, On Purpose

As a poet, mother, healer, and someone who moves daily through the underbelly of systems designed to forget people, I carry stories that don’t always get told, but always need to be heard. I wasn’t born in Yonkers, but this city has wrapped me in love like family. It felt only right to offer this poem as both reflection and fuel, for the elders who still fight, the youth who won’t wait, and the communities who keep daring to rise. Good Trouble lives in us. And it was an honor to speak it into this soil.

Good Trouble, On Purpose By Larnez Kinsey

They don’t silence us ‘cause we loud…
They silence us ’cause we light.
‘Cause when we speak,
the truth got teeth.
It bites.
It builds.
It breaks chains.
And it doesn’t beg for permission to breathe.

See…
Good Trouble isn’t rebellion.
It’s ritual.
It’s resurrection.
It’s the grandbabies of the Black Panthers
and the prayers of Puerto Rican abuelitas
still rising like incense through project hallways.

Good Trouble is sacred.
Like the hands of a mother who still shows up
with a busted heart
and a bag of snacks
for every child that ain’t hers,
but is.

‘Cause in YO?
We don’t wait to be called community.
We become it.

This isn’t noise.
This is North Broadway blues
turned battle cry.
This is nods on the 6 bus
and side-eyes that say “I see you.”
This is Harriet in our heartbeat
and Baldwin in our bones.

This is not protest,
This is prophecy.
This is what happens
when kids from School 13
start testifying truth
with chalk on concrete
and elders at Grace Baptist
still pray with fire in their throats.

Good Trouble is knowing.
Knowing you were never meant to just survive.
You were born to disturb the waters.
To speak when silence feels safe.
To heal out loud,
in spaces they swore we were too broken to bless.

We are not broken.
We are beacons.
We are not shadows.
We are scripture.
Living.
Breathing.

We are our ancestors’ sacred psalms,
moving through concrete and memory.

So let ‘em look confused.
Let ‘em call us radical.
We just remind ‘em
we were never supposed to wait our turn
we were meant to turn the table.

Because this isn’t just resistance.
This is remembrance.
This is Grandmas with gold teeth and gospel grit.
This is corner store prophets
and healing in the garden plots.
This is tambourines in council meetings.
This is Black girl joy in a system built for our silence.

So no,
We won’t sit quiet.
We baptize sidewalks with our stories.
We speak names they tried to bury.
We walk in rooms they boarded up
and leave ‘em blessed and broken open.

We are not the echo.
We are the origin.
The storm.
The psalm.
The reason your grandmama still hums at the stove
like freedom is so close.

This ain’t chaos,
This is calibration.
This ain’t noise,
This is new alignment.
We the sound of the shift.
The breath of the bridge.
The Good Trouble
they prayed would never come.

But here we are.
On purpose.
Unbought.
Unbossed.
And undeniably divine.
On mission.
And right on time.

From This Moment to Many More

If you weren’t at Van der Donck Park that evening, know this: exactly what was needed happened. You were with us in spirit. The energy is now travelling, moving through fingers typing, pens writing, voices rising in living rooms and schools.

This is the lull before the leap. The recalibration before the march. The meditation before the movement. And Yonkers? You showed up & showed out. With rhythm. With legacy. With purpose.

Final Word

This rally, this reckoning, was never about what ended.
It was always about what begins.

Yonkers didn’t just honor John Lewis;
Yonkers embraced his question:
“If not us, then who? If not now, then when?”

And the beautiful truth, here on these streets, is:
verging toward good trouble doesn’t wait.
Because good trouble made this city.
And this city, she claimed us back.
On purpose. In purpose.
In sweet, sacred sync.

Lawler Announces He Will Run For Reelection Instead Of Challenging Hochul For Governor.

AJ Woodson
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Lawler Announces He Will Run For Reelection Instead Of Challenging Hochul For Governor.

Congressman Mike Lawler announced on Wednesday that he will now be running for a third term in New York’s 17th District in the 2026 midterms, forgoing a bid for New York governor.

“After months of deliberating over this and really working through it, I’ve decided the right thing to do for me and my family, and my district is to run for reelection,” Rep. Lawler said. “My seat was determinative of control of the House back in 2022 and again in 2024,” he added.

Lawler had been considering a gubernatorial run, among the Republicans looking to challenge incumbent Gov. Kathy Hochul in next year’s statewide election. But he said in an interview Wednesday morning that he intends to stay in the House representing the 17th Congressional District.

According to multiple sources, Lawler, who previously stated he was the best candidate to take on Governor Hochul, met with President Donald Trump last week for about an hour in the Oval Office, in a not-so-subtle attempt to clear the field for upstate Rep. Elise Stefanik to get the GOP nomination. Trump and Lawler discussed his seat as key to keeping the House of Representatives red.

“While I fundamentally believe I am best positioned to take on Kathy Hochul and offer New Yorkers a real choice for Governor, I have made the decision to run for re-election to the House and continue the important work I’ve been doing over the past two and a half years,” Lawler shared in a statement with Fox News Digital Wednesday morning.

In making his rounds in the media after his announcement, Lawler couldn’t resist taking a shot at Hochul

“There’s no question Kathy Hochul is the worst governor in America,” Lawler told “Fox and Friends.” “But after months of deliberating over this and really working through it, I’ve decided the right thing to do for me and my family, and my district is to run for reelection. My seat was determinative of control of the House back in 2022 and again in 2024. I’m one of only three Republicans that won a seat that Kamala Harris also won. Keeping the House majority is critical if we are going to continue to move this economy in the right direction.”

Lawler has been a growing star among New York Republicans since the former assemblyman defeated powerful incumbent Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney (D-NY) in 2022. Lawler was the only New York Republican re-elected in 2024 — and won in a district also carried by Kamala Harris.

Epstein Is a Distraction. The Real Question Is: Who Killed Dr. King?

DAMON K JONES
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Epstein Is a Distraction. The Real Question Is: Who Killed Dr. King?

As headlines swirl with rumors about Jeffrey Epstein’s “client list,” the American public is once again being led into the media circus of speculation, memes, and political baiting. But let’s be clear: the Epstein drama, as salacious and disturbing as it may be, has become a convenient distraction from a much more consequential truth—one the federal government has tried to bury for over 50 years: Who really killed Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.?

On July 21, 2025, the Trump administration declassified over 230,000 pages of files related to Dr. King’s 1968 assassination. These documents included long-sealed FBI memos, CIA records, and details from the covert MURKIN investigation. This move came under Executive Order 14176, signed in January, mandating the release of documents related to the assassinations of MLK, JFK, and RFK.

What those files reveal isn’t just of historical interest—they are evidence of a coordinated, state-sanctioned campaignto surveil, discredit, destabilize, and ultimately eliminate one of the most powerful voices for justice in American history. This wasn’t passive observation. It was strategic warfare. And now that the files are public, we must go further. We need to know the names—the specific individuals in the CIA, FBI, or any elected office who signed off on the plan to neutralize Dr. King. Who gave the orders? Who authorized the surveillance? Who coordinated the psychological operations? And ultimately—who made the call to kill him?

The same FBI that now postures as a guardian of civil rights once labeled Dr. King a threat to national security. He was stalked, wiretapped, psychologically harassed, and sent anonymous blackmail letters urging him to commit suicide. This wasn’t the work of fringe racists. This was the United States government. And the question that still haunts these files is whether the government or its proxies were directly involved in King’s death.

Yet the mainstream media’s response to the release of these records? Minimal. Tepid. Evasive.

Instead, they pivot back to Jeffrey Epstein—an admitted sex trafficker whose suicide conveniently closed the case just before trial. They replay old photos of Trump at Mar-a-Lago, repeat tired speculation, and treat the phrase “Epstein client list” like a hashtag rather than a legal reality.

Let’s pause right here.

Even Epstein’s own lawyers have stated there was never a formal client list. The Department of Justice, under both Democratic and Republican administrations, has confirmed this in writing. And just this week, Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen—his enemy, not his ally—stated publicly that in 11 years of working side-by-side with Trump, he never once saw or heard the name Jeffrey Epstein. Not in the office. Not on the phone. Not in Trump’s world.

If Trump were on some client list, you can be sure it would’ve been leaked, weaponized, and plastered on CNN by now. The media had no problem slandering Trump with half-truths and anonymous sources for seven straight years. But suddenly they’re protecting the integrity of redacted court filings?

The Epstein spectacle has become a distraction masquerading as accountability. It’s political theater. Meanwhile, the actual documents proving the government’s psychological warfare and surveillance on a peaceful civil rights leader barely make the news crawl.

We’ve waited decades for transparency, and when it finally arrives, the country changes the channel. Why? Because the real truth is more uncomfortable than any island scandal.

Bernice King herself called for the release of the Epstein files—but we must be cautious not to fall into the trap of moral equivalence. The destruction of Black leadership through COINTELPRO, the suspicious circumstances around Dr. King’s death, and the ongoing suppression of truth are not tabloid stories. They are the foundation of distrust in this country’s institutions.

The public deserves full disclosure—not just about Epstein, but about the assassination of Dr. King, the government’s role, and why it took over 50 years to admit what many Black Americans already knew in their bones.

Let’s stop chasing shadows and start demanding truth.

The question isn’t just who Epstein trafficked.
It’s who silenced the dream.

Emotional Politics — Logical Failure is the book you need.
In this bold and unfiltered work, Damon K. Jones delivers the hard truths many are afraid to say out loud: Black America has been loyal to a system that has failed to deliver. We’ve mastered symbolism but forfeited strategy. We show up to vote, but not to fund. We speak out, but rarely build. And the result? Speeches instead of solutions. Visibility instead of victory.
This book is not about left or right. It’s about logic over emotion. Power over performance. It’s a call to wake up, re-strategize, and use our political currency with purpose.
If you’re tired of being used, overlooked, and sold out—this book is your blueprint for change. Your voice is powerful. Your vote is valuable. But your money, your mindset, and your political clarity are what will make the difference.
Read the book. Share the message. Challenge the tradition. And let’s finally start getting what we pay for

The Statue of Liberty’s Hidden Truth: Originally Designed to Signify the Abolition of Slavery

AJ Woodson
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The Statue of Liberty’s Hidden Truth: Originally Designed to Signify the Abolition of Slavery

In celebrating the life & legacy of the late Malcolm Jamal-Warner, my cousin Michelle shared a clip of a podcast, hosted by Malcolm Jamal-Warner & Candace O. Kelley called Nah: In Case You Missed It. The episode shared with me was titled “The Hidden Truth About the Statue of Liberty.” The featured guest, Dr. Joy DeGruy talks about how she visited the Statue of Liberty (Liberty Enlightening the World) on the behest of her good friend Floyd V. Myers and expressed that most people do not know that the Statue was originally created to symbolize the end of slavery. “The broken chains at her feet tell a hidden story—one that America tried to erase.”

She explained that what most people do not know, especially since it’s not taught in school, is that the Statue of Liberty features broken shackles and chains at her feet, symbolizing the end of slavery and the abolishment of bondage in the United States. While many associate the statue with immigration, her original design and symbolism focus on emancipation from slavery. The broken chains, though subtle, were intended as a powerful statement by the statue’s designer, Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi, and his French abolitionist collaborators, to celebrate the end of slavery after the American Civil War. 

Dr. DeGruy, author of “Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome: America’s Legacy of Enduring Injury and Healing” spoke of seeing the original design for the Statue of Liberty in France, which included broken chains and shackles in her left hand. However, this design was changed before the statue was completed, and the chains and shackles were placed at her feet instead. (The episode is available to watch below).

In 1865, Édouard de Laboulaye, a French political intellectual, activist, and staunch abolitionist, was a strong supporter of Abraham Lincoln and the Union cause during the American Civil War. He admired Lincoln’s leadership and the ideals of freedom and democracy that the United States represented, particularly after the abolition of slavery. He proposed gifting the United States with a statue honoring the centennial of America’s independence, the abolition of slavery, and the long-standing friendship between the two nations. French sculptor Auguste Bartholdi supported Laboulaye’s idea and, in 1870, began designing the globally recognized statue, “Liberty Enlightening the World.”

The sculptor, Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi, intended to represent this with broken chains and shackles in her left hand. The decision was made to move the broken chains to her feet, and her left hand was given a tablet instead. This was done, in part, to make the statue more palatable to a wider audience and to avoid reopening old wounds from the Civil War era. The sculptor compromised by placing the broken shackles and chains at the statue’s feet, hidden beneath her robes, as a subtle nod to emancipation while avoiding overt confrontation. 

Bartholdi was told the inclusion of overt symbols of emancipation would be seen as potentially reopening wounds from the Civil War and Reconstruction, and faced resistance from American financiers who were crucial for funding the statue’s pedestal

While there has been some pushback to the claim, I am reminded of the quote, “History is written by the victors,” which reflects the idea that those who win a conflict or achieve power often control the narrative of the past, shaping how events are remembered and interpreted. 

Let’s look at the time. The pedestal of the Statue of Liberty was completed in April 1886, and finally, on October 28, 1886, President Grover Cleveland oversaw the dedication of the Statue of Liberty in front of thousands of spectators. Just 21 years after the Civil War, which was fought in the United States from 1861 to 1865.

On June 19, 1865, Major General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, and announced the end of slavery in the state, fulfilling the Emancipation Proclamation, which had been initially issued two and a half years earlier on January 1, 1863. Issued by President Abraham Lincoln, it was a presidential proclamation that declared the freedom of slaves in Confederate territory during the American Civil War.

So the idea that the sculptor, Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi, intended to represent and symbolize the end of slavery with broken chains and shackles in her left hand, but a decision was made by Americans in power at the time to move the broken chains to her feet, and her left hand was given a tablet instead, was done, in part, to make the statue more palatable to a wider audience and to avoid reopening old wounds from the Civil War era, is not that farfetched.

A quick Google search will show various websites making the same claim, including opinion editorials and letters to the editor published by the New York Times, Liberty’s Broken Shackles, Like Toes, Are Hard to See in 1999, and New Statue of Liberty Museum Illuminates a Forgotten History in 2019.

On The New York Historical Society’s History with David Rubenstein, Rubenstein explores the history and evolving symbolism of the Statue of Liberty in his series “Iconic America: Our Symbols and Stories,” which includes a New York Historical Society segment. The series examines the statue’s origins, its representation of liberty and immigration, and its connection to American values and conflicts. A related “History Minute” video from the New-York Historical Society delves into the hidden chains at the statue’s feet, symbolizing the nation’s struggle for racial equality, (see video below).

Meanwhile, as expected, other websites are claiming to debunk what they write off as a myth. But one thing that cannot be hidden, no matter how hard they try, they can not erase the fact that there are shackles at the base of the statue on her leg as she appears to be stepping forward out ofthe bondage of slavery. Like the toes of the statute, there is an attempt to hide the broken shackles under her long, flowing robe, but if you look hard enough, you can still see them.

In Ken Burns’ 1985 PBS documentary, The Statue of Liberty, the film explores the history of the statue, including its symbolism of freedom and refuge for immigrants. The documentary notes that Bartholdi, the sculptor, originally planned to incorporate broken chains in the statue’s left hand, but they were ultimately replaced with a tablet. However, the broken chains and shackles were moved to the statue’s feet to symbolize emancipation and freedom, according to the Statue of Liberty — Ellis Island Foundation. 

While the statue was a gift from France, American financiers influenced the final design by requesting the removal of chains held in her hand, replacing them with a tablet. The focus on immigration, highlighted by the poem “The New Colossus” added later, has often overshadowed the statue’s original purpose as a symbol of emancipation. 

The reason most people do not know of the original intention of the the statute symbolizing the end of slavery is because not only is that not taught but the shackles and chains at her feet are not easily visible to visitors on Liberty Island because the Statue stands on a 154 foot tall pedestal, which effectively obscure the broken chains at her feet. But as Dr. Joy DeGruy eloguently stated, these are “the lies we were told and [here is] the truth that sets us free.”

We are in the process of extending an invitation for Dr. Joy DeGruy to appear on an upcoming episode of Black Westchester presents People Before Politics Radio to delve deeper into the topic.

Brett Hankison, Former Kentucky Officer Who Shot & Killed Breonna Taylor Sentenced To 33 Months In Prison

AJ Woodson
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Brett Hankison, Former Kentucky Officer Who Shot & Killed Breonna Taylor Sentenced To 33 Months In Prison

The sentence was a sharp rebuke to the Trump administration, which had requested he serve only one day behind bars.

The lawyer for Breonna Taylor’s family announced Monday that former Kentucky police officer Brett Hankison, who blindly fired 10 bullets into her home (three of which traveled into an adjacent unit) during a botched raid in 2020, has been sentenced to almost three years in prison.

On March 13, 2020, the 26-year-old emergency medical technician was shot and died during a failed narcotics raid that the Louisville Metro Police Department had approved. Last November, Hankison, 46, a Louisville detective at the time, was convicted of deprivation of rights under color of law during the execution of a search warrant on her home that led to the tragedy.

Hankison will not report directly to prison, with U.S. District Judge Rebecca Grady Jennings saying during Monday’s sentencing hearing that the Bureau of Prisons will decide when his sentence begins, according to The Associated Press. His prison sentence will be followed by three years of supervised probation.

The Justice Department had requested in a sentencing memo following Hankison’s conviction that he be sentenced with time served, which would be just one day in prison, followed by three years of supervised release.

District Judge Rebecca Grady Jennings, who handed down the sentence, criticized prosecutors for making a “180-degree” turn in their approach to the case and said political factors appeared to have influenced them. Jennings said during the hearing that a sentence of no prison time for Hankison “is not appropriate,” according to The Associated Press.

His first trial on those charges ended in a mistrial in 2023. In November, a second federal jury convicted Hankison of violating Taylor’s civil rights but acquitted him of violating the rights of her neighbors. 

Taylor’s mother, Tamika Palmer, several other family members, and Kenneth Walker, her boyfriend at the time, all spoke in court to ask the judge to impose the maximum penalty.

“A piece of me was taken from me that day. You have the power to make today the first day of true accountability,” Palmer told the judge.

Speaking to reporters outside the courthouse Monday, Taylor’s mother, Tamika Palmer, said U.S. District Judge Rebecca Grady Jennings “did the best she could with what she had to work with.”

“There was no prosecution in there for us,” she told reporters.” There was no prosecution in there for Brianna.”

Asked whether the sentence represented justice, Palmer said: “We got something. I don’t think it was a fair sentencing, but it was a start.”

In a brief statement to the court, Hankison apologized to Taylor’s family and friends and said he would have acted differently if he had known about issues with the preparation of the search warrant that led police to Taylor’s home that night.

“I never would have fired my gun,” he said.

Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who helped Taylor’s family secure a $12 million wrongful death settlement against the city of Louisville, had called the department’s recommendation “an insult to the life of Breonna Taylor and a blatant betrayal of the jury’s decision.”

Crump was at Monday’s hearing and said he had hoped for a longer sentence but was “grateful that (Hankison) is at least going to prison and has to think for those 3 years about Breonna Taylor and that her life mattered.”

Afterward, before a crowd outside the courthouse, Crump sounded a familiar chant: “Say Her name.” The crowd yelled back: “Breonna Taylor!” And he and other members of Taylor family’s legal team issued a subsequent statement criticizing the Justice Department.

“While today’s sentence is not what we had hoped for –– nor does it fully reflect the severity of the harm caused –– it is more than what the Department of Justice sought. That, in itself, is a statement,” the statement said.

When Compassion Becomes Complicity: The Price of Sanctuary Policies in the Real World

DAMON K JONES
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When Compassion Becomes Complicity: The Price of Sanctuary Policies in the Real World

A federal officer lies in a New York City hospital—shot in the face and arm by a man who never should have been on our streets. His name is Miguel Francisco Mora Nunez, an illegal migrant with multiple arrests, active warrants, and a deportation order that was never executed. He is the product not just of poor individual choices—but of policy failure at every level of government.

And now, that failure has drawn a line in the sand.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams condemned the violence, calling it an example of a “broken criminal justice system” and acknowledging that violent migrants are “tarnishing” the image of those seeking the American Dream. But what Adams didn’t do—couldn’t bring himself to do—was name the very sanctuary policies that kept this shooter protected. The ones his own administration supports. The same policies that tied the hands of law enforcement and released a known public danger back into the community—multiple times.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, joined by federal border and ICE officials, had no such hesitation. “Sanctuary cities,” she said bluntly, “are sanctuaries for criminals. Hard stop.” And for once, the rhetoric matched reality.

Mora Nunez had been arrested four times in New York and Massachusetts for assault, robbery, kidnapping, and intimidation. At every turn, local policies shielded him from ICE enforcement. These aren’t isolated flaws—they are the logical result of a system that values political optics over public safety. When police are prohibited from coordinating with federal agencies on deportation detainers, when jails become revolving doors, and when violent crime is excused in the name of social justice, the public pays the price.

Mayor Adams is trying to walk a tightrope—blaming “bad migrants” while preserving the political sanctity of New York’s sanctuary status. But in doing so, he avoids the hard truth: You cannot denounce violence while continuing to protect the violent from consequences. You cannot uphold justice while denying federal agents access to jails where repeat offenders await trial. And you cannot claim to care about your community while enabling policies that let career criminals prey on it.

This is not a debate about immigration. It’s a debate about enforcement. The United States welcomes legal immigrants every day. But when ideology trumps law, and when empathy becomes an excuse for inaction, the cost is measured not in votes, but in victims.

As federal agents prepare to “flood the zone” in sanctuary cities, including New York, some will cry foul. But the louder question—the one echoing from hospital rooms, street corners, and grieving families—is this: How many more people must be hurt before we stop shielding criminals in the name of compassion?

Mayor Adams said the system is broken. He’s right. But the break began when we replaced law with leniency, and justice with justification. It’s time to fix it. Not with slogans. Not with press conferences. But with policy.

Because no officer—on duty or off—should ever have to take a bullet for a bureaucracy’s failure.

📘 “Tolerance Is for Cowards”
A Blueprint for Extended Policing & Community-Led Public Safety

By: Damon K. Jones
33-Year Law Enforcement Veteran | Advocate | Community Reformer


This isn’t another opinion piece—it’s a frontline truth from a Black man who wore the badge, saw the failures, and is calling for change.

✅ Exposes the political cowardice behind bad policing
✅ Challenges Black leadership and silence in the ranks
✅ Introduces a bold strategy: the Extended Policing Strategy (EPS)
✅ A must-read for officers, policymakers, activists, and citizens ready to act—not just talk


🔗 Get the book today 
📍 Bulk orders available for community forums, police academies, and workshops
📩 Book Damon K. Jones to speak: www.damonkjones.com or contact Black Westchester Magazine 

The Platform Obama Never Used: Why Black Boys Still Wait for Masculine Leadership

DAMON K JONES
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The Platform Obama Never Used: Why Black Boys Still Wait for Masculine Leadership

The crisis facing Black boys in America isn’t a lack of representation—it’s a lack of masculine, spiritual structure. They are not failing because they aren’t exposed to diversity. They are failing because they aren’t rooted in discipline, purpose, and divine leadership. And the unfortunate truth is this: the man who had the greatest platform to speak to that crisis refused to do so.

Barack Obama could have used his presidency—and his post-presidency influence—to restore the cultural image of the Black man: not as a caricature, not as a stereotype, but as a leader, builder, and protector. Instead, he consistently elevated narratives that had little to do with the unique challenges facing Black boys.

Read: The Silent Crisis: Deprived Masculinity is a Mental Condition Among Black Men

Take his recent comments on Michelle Obama podcast, youtube show, where he said:
“One of the most valuable things I learned as a guy was I had a gay professor in college… who became one of my favorite professors… and would call me out when I started saying stuff that was ignorant. You need that… to show empathy and kindness. And by the way, you need that person in your friend group so that if you then have a boy who is gay or non-binary or what have you, they have somebody that they can go, okay…”

This was during a discussion on fatherhood and male mentorship—a moment that could have been used to speak directly to the needs of fatherless Black boys, or to the restoration of Black male responsibility. But instead, the conversation veered toward identity politics. Again.

It’s not that diversity doesn’t matter. It’s that Black boys are not getting what they need. They don’t need to be softened. They don’t need emotional validation at the expense of structure. They need to be taught how to be fathers, husbands, protectors of the community, and defenders of the faith. And for that, they need masculine role models—not token symbolism, not inclusion narratives, but real men who embody spiritual authority, economic stability, and moral conviction.

Read: The Mental Health Crisis Among Black Men Is a Crisis of Dependency, Lost Masculinity and Purpose

In my 33 years in law enforcement—working at the Westchester County Department of Corrections—I’ve seen this problem up close. Time after time, when programs are brought in to speak to incarcerated Black men or at-risk youth, it’s not Black men doing the talking. It’s white women. Or Black women. Well-meaning, yes—but missing the point. Then, when a woman tries to speak directly to these boys, they call it “mansplaining.” But you wouldn’t need to “mansplain” if you had men talking to the boys. The scriptures teach us: Iron sharpens iron. That’s the problem—we’ve removed iron from the process. We’ve ousted Black men from mentoring, training, and correcting Black boys. And Obama’s repeated remarks reflect that same agenda—one that undermines masculine leadership by replacing it with emotional messaging.

When Black men didn’t support Kamala Harris during the 2020 primary, he labeled them sexist and misogynistic, ignoring the reality that many of us are looking for policy, not pageantry. We want political solutions that strengthen our ability to lead families, run businesses, and protect our neighborhoods. Instead, we were dismissed as a problem for simply demanding to be seen.

And now they wonder why they’re losing men—especially Black men. It’s not because we’re anti-gay. It’s not because we’re misogynistic. It’s because our masculinity is never affirmed, never prioritized, never respected. In fact, it’s treated like a threat to be managed. And that message—repeated over and over—has done real damage to the mental, spiritual, and psychological development of our boys. They’re growing up in a world that tells them they’re dangerous by nature, and disposable by design. And no one seems to care.

Read: Why are Black Men Invisible and missing from the National Health Care Agenda

In Jesus and the Divine Black Masculinity, I make it clear: masculinity isn’t a flaw to be fixed—it’s a calling to be fulfilled. Our standard isn’t set by entertainers, influencers, or sanitized political slogans. It’s set by Jesus. A man of unwavering discipline, moral clarity, spiritual authority, and sacrificial leadership. He didn’t compromise truth to be accepted. He didn’t shrink back to avoid offense. He stood, spoke, built, and bore the weight of responsibility. That’s the example our boys need. And if we truly claim to follow Christ, then why aren’t we training our young men to be like Him?

Obama had the chance to be that kind of leader. He chose instead to be liked. But we can’t afford to follow that path. Because if we don’t raise our boys in the image of God, the world will raise them in the image of dysfunction—and then monetize their confusion.

This isn’t about exclusion. It’s about restoration. It’s about calling Black men back to their God-given identity—not to please culture, but to rebuild it.

🔥 Black Men, It’s Time to Reclaim the Blueprint. 🔥
The world is confused about manhood—but Jesus wasn’t.

📖 Jesus and Divine Black Masculinity by Damon K. Jones is not just a book—it’s a spiritual blueprint for men who are tired of being told who they are by broken systems, failed culture, and empty politics.

This book is for the man ready to:
✔ Lead with purpose
✔ Provide with power
✔ Protect with love
✔ Walk in divine order

If you’re a Black man, father, mentor, or leader—this is the book you’ve been waiting for.
If you’re raising or guiding young Black boys—this is the foundation they need.

💥 Stop chasing validation. Start walking in your calling.
💥 Stop surviving. Start building.

➡️ Order your copy of Jesus and Divine Black Masculinity on Amazon today.
Step into the role God designed you to lead.

Success Is Not a Stopping Point: How Yesterday Can Rob You of Tomorrow

DAMON K JONES
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Success Is Not a Stopping Point: How Yesterday Can Rob You of Tomorrow

Title: The High Cost of Living in the Past

One of the most consistent obstacles to progress isn’t lack of opportunity—it’s the refusal to outgrow outdated thinking. In a culture where emotional storytelling is often prioritized over productive results, many individuals remain trapped—not by external barriers, but by their own attachment to the past. This includes both their pain and, perhaps more dangerously, their past successes.

There is no shortage of people who believe they’ve “made it” simply because they have more than someone else. But being relatively better off is not the same as realizing your potential. In fact, past victories often become the excuse for future complacency.

Progress Is Forward-Minded, Not Rearview-Minded

Clinging to failure as identity is destructive. But clinging to victory can be equally damaging when it becomes a crutch instead of a foundation. A trophy shelf is not a blueprint. And too often, people overestimate the value of where they are because they compare it to where someone else isn’t.

But your standard should never be another person’s lack—it should be your own potential left untapped.

This kind of thinking—“I’m doing better than most”—is precisely what keeps people from becoming great. It fosters entitlement, erodes discipline, and breeds stagnation.

Many people remain surrounded by friends, environments, and ideologies that reinforce a fixed identity. Some are celebrated within their circles for doing “just enough,” and that praise becomes a ceiling. But elevation requires friction. If no one around you is challenging your current level, then you’re not in a growth environment—you’re in a comfort zone.

And comfort zones are where dreams go to die.

If your friends cannot hold you accountable to higher standards, they are not partners in your success—they are participants in your delay.

Complacency Masquerading as Contentment

There is a widespread tendency to confuse being “grateful” with being stagnant. Gratitude should inspire action, not replace it. Just because you’re not where you used to be doesn’t mean you’re where you’re supposed to be.

The enemy of excellence is not always failure—it’s often the satisfaction of being slightly above average.

People who live off their past accomplishments rarely build anything new. They substitute memory for momentum and mistake being “better than before” for being the best version of themselves. Meanwhile, time keeps moving—and so do the opportunities they no longer qualify for.

In economics, what matters is not what you once earned—but what you’re producing now. The same is true in life. Yesterday’s wins don’t exempt you from today’s work. In fact, the higher your past achievements, the greater your responsibility to keep building.

Progress requires present action—not past applause.

If you’re still talking about what you did five years ago, you’re already behind. Greatness isn’t achieved by beating others—it’s achieved by beating the version of yourself that was satisfied too soon.

Your past may have shaped you. But only forward thinking will elevate you. Let go of what’s behind—good or bad—and start building what’s next.

Regulation Is Not Redemption: How the GENIUS Act Will — and Won’t — Help Black America

DAMON K JONES
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Regulation Is Not Redemption: How the GENIUS Act Will — and Won’t — Help Black America

President Trump’s signing of the GENIUS Act — a landmark bill to regulate U.S.-backed stablecoins — has sent shockwaves through financial markets, crypto circles, and policy think tanks. For Black America, the question is not whether this is “historic” legislation — the question is whether the outcomes will matter more than the optics.

In the logic of Thomas Sowell, good intentions are cheap; consequences are everything.

The GENIUS Act lays out a framework requiring that all stablecoins be 100% backed by U.S. dollars or similar safe assets. It sets up licensing systems, regulatory clarity, consumer protections, and dual state-federal oversight. The political class calls it a breakthrough. But breakthroughs are only as useful as the people prepared to use them.

Let’s be honest: the communities least likely to benefit from this new digital currency law are those who’ve been left behind by every other financial innovation before it — and that includes large segments of Black America. Without ownership, this legislation becomes little more than another tool to expand the influence of Big Tech and Big Banks under the guise of innovation and inclusion.

If Black entrepreneurs, banks, or fintech startups don’t already have the legal firepower and capital required to launch federally compliant stablecoins, then who will dominate this space? JPMorgan. PayPal. Meta. Google. The usual suspects. The ones who already dictate how our communities bank, shop, borrow, and — increasingly — think.

What’s more troubling is the quiet consolidation of economic power this bill accelerates. As more systems go digital and more payments rely on blockchain-backed coins, the communities that are unbanked, underbanked, or digitally illiterate — disproportionately Black — will fall further behind. They won’t just be left out of innovation; they’ll be priced out of participation.

This is why we must change how we view finance and money in Black culture. Our leaders have failed us. Our pastors have failed us. Finance is not a foreign concept — it is foundational to scripture. King David understood it. King Solomon mastered it. The Proverbs 31 woman knew how to assess goods and conduct trade. Wealth, land, stewardship, debt, equity — these are all biblical principles. Yet we’ve failed to teach them through our faith traditions. We spiritualized poverty and ignored prosperity. And now, as the world pivots to digital assets, real-time transactions, and borderless economies, we are behind — again.

That’s not to say this law offers no opportunity. For those with foresight, discipline, and resources, the GENIUS Act could mark the beginning of a new era. Black-owned financial institutions could explore issuing their own compliant stablecoins. Community investors could pool capital in new, blockchain-secured cooperatives. And cities with high Black populations could use this regulation to power new forms of peer-to-peer banking, credit unions, and remittance systems.

But that would require a culture shift. It would require moving from protest politics to production economics. It would require financial literacy over emotional symbolism, and capital investment over perpetual complaint.

More importantly, it would require us to stop confusing regulation with redemption.

There’s a long pattern in American politics: a new law is passed with great fanfare, and Black America is told it’s a “game changer.” The real game doesn’t change because the same people keep holding the ball. The GENIUS Act, like welfare reform, education funding, or the Civil Rights Act before it, won’t change the balance of power if we don’t control the institutions that shape outcomes.

If Black leaders want this moment to matter, they must stop chasing seats at someone else’s table and start building our own. Technology is just a tool. Stablecoins are just code. But power — economic power — comes from ownership, not access.

Trump’s bill gives us rules. It doesn’t give us wealth. That part is still up to us.

Emotional Politics — Logical Failure is the book you need.
In this bold and unfiltered work, Damon K. Jones delivers the hard truths many are afraid to say out loud: Black America has been loyal to a system that has failed to deliver. We’ve mastered symbolism but forfeited strategy. We show up to vote, but not to fund. We speak out, but rarely build. And the result? Speeches instead of solutions. Visibility instead of victory.
This book is not about left or right. It’s about logic over emotion. Power over performance. It’s a call to wake up, re-strategize, and use our political currency with purpose.
If you’re tired of being used, overlooked, and sold out—this book is your blueprint for change. Your voice is powerful. Your vote is valuable. But your money, your mindset, and your political clarity are what will make the difference.
Read the book. Share the message. Challenge the tradition. And let’s finally start getting what we pay for.

Download the Free eBook: The Black Tax Pivot: How to Survive and Thrive Under the Trump Cuts

In this bold and urgent guide, discover how the latest tax reform can become a turning point for Black America — not a setback. The Black Tax Pivot: How to Survive and Thrive Under the Trump Cuts breaks down the Trump tax cuts in plain language and shows how strategic thinking, entrepreneurship, local control, and financial literacy can transform our communities from consumers to producers. This is not just about taxes — it’s about reclaiming economic power, ending generational poverty, and building a future we control. Whether you’re a working professional, small business owner, pastor, or parent, this free eBook is your blueprint for navigating change with vision and purpose. Download now and learn how to play the game — or get played.

Fighting Fentanyl or Repeating History? What the HALT Act Means for Black America

DAMON K JONES
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Fighting Fentanyl or Repeating History? What the HALT Act Means for Black America

In July 2025, President Trump signed the HALT Fentanyl Act, a bipartisan measure that permanently classifies fentanyl-related substances as Schedule I drugs and imposes a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years for possession of 100 grams or more. It was hailed as a necessary step in fighting a deadly epidemic that has claimed over 100,000 lives annually. On the same day, Trump declared Mexican drug cartels to be foreign terrorist organizations.

But when the headlines fade and emotions cool, we’re left with a policy that feels eerily familiar: tough talk, harsh penalties, and no real investment in prevention. This isn’t a new direction—it’s the 1994 Crime Bill in a new suit.

That infamous crime bill, authored by then-Senator Joe Biden and signed into law by President Bill Clinton, promised to restore order during a wave of crime and drug addiction. Instead, it laid the foundation for mass incarceration, devastated Black and Brown communities, and widened the gap between punishment and justice. Today, some of the same voices that now claim to champion equity were instrumental in building the very system they now pretend to oppose.

Let’s look at the facts.

Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that has killed tens of thousands. But who is using it the most? Data shows the highest overdose rates are among white Americans, particularly in rural and suburban communities. Yet, overdose deaths among Black men aged 35–54 have skyrocketed, especially in cities like Philadelphia, St. Louis, and Chicago.

And still, the HALT Fentanyl Act provides no new funding for addiction treatment, mental health care, or community-based recovery programs. It simply revives the old “lock them up” model that has failed us for 40 years.

What makes this even more dangerous is Trump’s simultaneous declaration labeling Mexican cartels as foreign terrorist organizations. That raises a critical question: Will the U.S.-based gangs that work with these cartels now be designated as domestic terrorists? Because the truth is, Mexican cartels don’t operate in isolation. Their supply chains run straight through American neighborhoods via long-standing partnerships with domestic gangs.

And yes, some of those gangs are Black.

Groups like the Gangster Disciples, Vice Lords, and Black P. Stones in cities like Chicago, and even subsets of the Bloods and Crips in California and New Jersey, have established drug distribution relationships with cartels like Sinaloa and CJNG. These aren’t ideological alliances—they are economic partnerships. The cartels supply bulk fentanyl, heroin, and cocaine; these gangs distribute them locally. These American crews are the street-level arm of a transnational criminal enterprise.

This bill will directly impact Black communities just like the 1994 Crime Bill did—only this time, the consequences may be worse. From a law enforcement perspective, once individuals or groups are officially labeled domestic terrorists, the rules of engagement change. We’re no longer talking about local policing or narcotics units. We’re talking about federal counterterrorism task forces—and potentially even military involvement. Surveillance laws, detention protocols, and prosecutorial powers all expand dramatically under terrorism classifications.

And here’s the million-dollar question:
Will many in Black communities welcome it?

We can’t pretend otherwise—because in neighborhoods across the country, these gangs have held a stranglehold on daily life for decades. They’ve driven up homicides, intimidated witnesses, recruited children, and erased any sense of safety. Despite the endless press conferences and community task forces, the influx of illegal guns into Black communities—most often used by these same criminal gangs—has not been stopped. Local police departments are overwhelmed or politically restrained, and elected officials have failed to deliver real solutions. In that vacuum, some residents have begun to think it may be time for federal agencies to use different tactics. For families who’ve buried their children, for seniors who live in fear, and for parents trying to raise kids between gunfire and grief, the idea of a heavier federal hand doesn’t feel like overreach—it feels like long-overdue relief.

But the question isn’t whether intervention is needed—it’s what kind of intervention will bring real change without repeating the failures of the past. Because when terrorism laws are turned inward, the danger is not just that we crush gangs—it’s that we crush communities alongside them. History has shown us what happens when the federal government goes to war in Black neighborhoods with a broad brush and no exit strategy.

The logic behind the HALT Act mirrors the same flawed thinking that drove the 1994 Crime Bill: punish the supplier, ignore the addicted, and criminalize the conditions that create demand in the first place. It is policy based on optics, not outcomes.

If we were serious about stopping the fentanyl crisis, we’d pair targeted law enforcement with massive investments in education, health care, economic opportunity, and addiction recovery. But seriousness isn’t the goal. Political performance is.

Real reform isn’t about appearing tough—it’s about being effective. And effectiveness requires nuance, investment, and accountability. The HALT Fentanyl Act offers none of that.

So let’s stop pretending this is progress. It’s a policy rerun. And just like before, it’s Black America who will be asked to pay the price for everyone else’s political theater.

📘 “Tolerance Is for Cowards”
A Blueprint for Extended Policing & Community-Led Public Safety

By: Damon K. Jones
33-Year Law Enforcement Veteran | Advocate | Community Reformer


This isn’t another opinion piece—it’s a frontline truth from a Black man who wore the badge, saw the failures, and is calling for change.

✅ Exposes the political cowardice behind bad policing
✅ Challenges Black leadership and silence in the ranks
✅ Introduces a bold strategy: the Extended Policing Strategy (EPS)
✅ A must-read for officers, policymakers, activists, and citizens ready to act—not just talk


🔗 Get the book today 
📍 Bulk orders available for community forums, police academies, and workshops
📩 Book Damon K. Jones to speak: www.damonkjones.com or contact Black Westchester Magazine

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