Richard Taylor rejects the idea that Chicago needs military presence.
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Richard Taylor lost a mentee to random gun violence and witnessed shoot-outs on the expressway, yet he remains optimistic about his city, despite mainstream personalities calling for the National Guard.
The shootings and killings in America’s third largest city have garnered national attention and an unwanted nickname: Chiraq.
Taylor, who launched a campaign called Taking Back Chiraq – wherein he’s aiming to combat the mainstream noise with positive images and stories – tells me “Chicago is not a warzone.”
Some may look at Taylor, a 26 year-old best-selling author and motivational speaker who lives a few miles from President Obama’s Chicago home in Hyde Park, and claim the reason he doesn’t see a warzone is because of his privileged lifestyle.
Taylor, however, will quickly set the record straight by saying “I didn’t always live on the Southside, I grew up in Inglewood.”
Not afraid to fight, Taylor took martial arts lessons as a kid, and still engages to some degree for fitness reasons. He doesn’t carry a gun and luckily he’s never been mugged.
“I pay attention to the crime sheets and reports; and I’m conscious about being in certain areas at certain times of the day. But at the end of the day, I survive this city by walking by faith… by being a beacon of hope.”
Though he’ll admit the question “how do you survive Chicago?” is fair given the national narrative, Taylor reiterates that “Chicago is not a warzone” and questions the motive of the media.
“Who are you really keeping informed? What’s the motive of the media when all they talk about is violence and corruption? The entire newscast in Chicago is dedicated to killings, weather and traffic… maybe a three minute inspirational story near the end of the broadcast. When this is all the media is showing, people feel it’s the only way to get recognized.”
To the surprise of many, Taylor believes an improved, more asset framed media culture in Chicago could help turn the tide.
“Imagine if someone like me had a five minute inspirational segment on the local news and young black boys and girls saw themselves represented in a different light.”
When asked what’s one law he would draft to solve Chicago’s violence problem, Taylor replied:
“I would draft the keep love present law. I would re-create martial law and make it mandatory that each neighbor, on each block, takes at least an hour a day to spend time with the youth standing on the corner. Bringing the National Guard won’t solve the problem, and it’s too expensive. The solution cost much less, but people aren’t willing to give love. The cost of really cresting changes is time and love.”
Thanks for reading. Until next time, I’m Flood the Drummer® & I’m Drumming for JUSTICE!™