For The Love Of The Streets Flyer

What Will President Obama Do About Violence?

Barack Obama fulfilled part of Dr. Kings’ dream Tuesday November 4th.  The 47 year old president-elect will be the first African-American president of the United States of America, and the first president who has spent his entire adult life working on behalf of matters that are significant to the urban community.

As a community organizer, he worked in low-income neighborhoods on the South Side of Chicago. A city where riding the bus home from school, leaving a movie theater at a shopping mall, or attending your own birthday party at a relative’s house, can get you killed by gun violence.  Blair Hold was killed riding the bus home from school; Willie Williams III was killed leaving a movie theater, and Siretha White was killed attending her birthday party at her aunt’s home – all three under the age of 21. 

In Chicago, 24 Public School students were killed b gun violence before the end of the 2008 Presidential Primary.  It’s the same story nationwide.  What will President Obama do about this violence?

In March 2008, Obama told EBONY Magazine, “There are a couple of things that we can do. We can enforce our gun laws more effectively to keep handguns off the streets.  We can set up after-school programs so that young children have a safe place to go.”

Obama intends to expand early-childhood education and improve the pay and support that are provided to teachers.  he wants to have a system to deal with ex-offenders – i.e. provide transitional jobs and social services to help reintegrate ex-offenders into society. More importantly, he wants to trace the point of origin of illegal guns, and hold the people dumping the guns into urban communities accountable.  lastly, Obama has vowed to speak directly to parents and to the youth about discouraging violence. 

Now that you know what President Obama will do about violence, what will you do?

by Cedric Dean, author

of “How To Stop Your Children From Going To Prison.”

Exclusive Interview From Prisoner To Parent

Joshua Collins is a 19 year old convicted felon, he’s serving 130 months inside a Federal Penitentiary for bank robbery. The Parent’s Lounge asked him to help parents learn from his situation, so that their children wont end up inside a Federal Penitentiary.

Cedric: Thanks for agreeing to talk with me.  A lot of parents just don’t know what to do with their children. Before we get to the solution, I want you to tell me what the problem is with our youth today?

Joshua: Manily…drugs. The type of environment that they grow up in plays a big role in their lives. Meaning that they’re either using or selling drugs.  And if they’re not, chances are they eventually will be pressured to at school or around so called friends. They see drug dealers with big money and big cars.  At home they see their parents sturggling with big bills.  At the time, selling drugs to help out at the crib sounds good, but in the end, no good things last forever.

Cedric: That’s deep coming from a young brother such as yourself. So, how do parents compete with the drug dealer that wants to get their children on the block selling drugs?  

Joshua: First of all, time is everything…And it means everything to your child.  Drug dealers just want children to do their dirty work by any means necessary, because the penalty for selling drugs isn’t the same for children as they are for adults. So, parents must help their children understand that they’re being used – and that’s why parents must take time out their day every day to show their children how much they really love and care for them. If parents can successfully show children that drug dealers don’t love them – and they really do, it will have more of a positive effect on their children’s decision making process. All parents need to do to compete is keep it real with their children, because the drug dealers ain’t going to keep it real.  They are going to testify and try to get the least amount of jail time possible – and the most money they can possibly make off of them.

Cedric: Little brother, if you were talking like this 2 years ago, you’d probably be on your way to college. Anyway, what goes through the mind of a child when he’s approached by a drug dealer with the opportunity to make $1000 a week.  or what went through your mind when you were approached with the opportunity to rob a bank?

Joshua: Most of the time, you get approached with an unrealistic scenario – like we can go into a bank and get $100,000. Now, when you’re living in government apartments, the housing authority can walk into your apartment at any time.  Your get tired of the invasion of privacy.  So you want out of the ghetto, like people in prison want out. So you do what you feel you must do to get you and your family out of the projects.

Cedric: It got you a prison cell – and that’s what we want children to see.  Everything isn’t always what it seems to be.  My last question…What advice would you give parents that just don’t know what to do with their children?

Joshua: Open up a dialogue with your children – Instead of being a parent, try being a friend. meaning, opening up a friendship that lets their children know that they can come to them about everything and anything!

Cedric: Thank, my brother. if parents want to write you or have their children write you, how can they contact you?

Joshua: My address is: Joshua Collins, #58610-019, USP Big Sandy, P.O. Box 2068, Inez, KY 41224

By Cedric Dean, author of “How To Stop Your Children From Going To Prison.”

www.cedricdean.com

Essay Contest!!

1st Annual Essay Competition

We’re looking for the best essay about “FOR THE LOVE OF THE STREETS.”

Send us your best in 500 words or less. But don’t be too long about it -

deadline is December 31, 2008.

Winner’s essay will be published on this site…www.cedricdean.com and will receive a

copy of “How To Stop Your Children From Going To Prison.”

Mail submissions to:

BDB Publishing, LLC

P.O. Box 30832

Charlotte, N.C. 28230

“The Parents Lounge”

 WHAT SHOULD YOU DO WHEN YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT TO DO?

The holiday’s are here. The economy is in disarray and the kids want everything that you don’t have the money to get. What do you do when you don’t know what to do? First, take a deep breath and gain your full composure. The following 5 tips are what you shouldn’t do:

1) Borrow money you don’t have to pay back.

2) Spend money you don’t have to spend.

3) Buy things that are wanted not needed.

4) Try to outdo other families.

5) Buy gifts for people that won’t be getting a gift for you.

 5 tips of what you should do:

 

1) Tell your children the truth about what you can and can’t afford.

 

2) Buy things that are needed.

 

3) Focus more on love than gifts.

 

4) Give your children choices about what you are willing to buy.

 

5) Spend time with your children.

 

Please email to a friend!

 

Cedric Dean is the author of “HOW TO STOP YOUR CHILDREN

FROM GOING TO PRISON.”

FOR MORE INFO VISIT:www.cedricdean.com

November is National Novel Writing Month!!

Cedric shares five tips for writing your book in a month.

1) Write Beginning And End First. Before you start writing, you must have a destination.  When you get there, you can change your destination.  It’s important to know where you are going.

2) Write a chapter-by-chapter outline. Describe each chapter in a single sentence.

3) Avoid writer’s block by letting your feelings decide what you write. For example: Your outline may be 20 chapters. Instead of writing 1-20 in order, jump around and write the chapters you feel best about. At the end, you can weave all 20 chapters together.

4) Don’t edit until you finish. Editing along causes you to lose focus. Write freely and wreckless. You can edit later.

5) Write at least 10 pages a day. In 30 days you’ll have a 300 page book.

Cedric’s November Parenting Tip

Tip – Show not tell.

Parents, stop telling your children what they are doing wrong, and show them. Telling children to STOP doing bad things isn’t enough. As their guardian, you must show them the consequences that goes with their actionis.  Saying, “stop staying out late, son,” isn’t the same as taking your son to the funeral of a child killed by late night gun violence.  Let your child see himself in a casket and I guarantee you, he’ll be coming home on time!

1 in 100 American Adults Incarcerated

Sub-title: Are Parents Part Of The Blame?

The United States has approximately 5% of the world population, but about 25% of the world’s prison population.  Recently, the Pew Center released a report revealing 1 out of every 100 American adults is in prison.  To place it all in perspective, there are states spending the same amount or more on incarceration than they do on adult continuing education systems.

Given the enormity of the recidivision rate, it’s no surprise that our great nation has crossed this shameful threshold.  Are parents part of the blame? Are parents doing enough to bring about the structure that can help keep their children from going to prison in the first place?  Or is the penal system more focused on warehousing than rehabilitation?  or is it some of both?

When was the last time you spoke to your children about their goals in life? Can your children talk to you about sex and drugs without you saying, “Just Say No”?  Do your children rarely answer their phones around you?  Are your children doing things they normally don’t do around you, like using slang and dressinglike the entertainers they see in videos?  Although these action are not fully guaranteed to mean they’re headed down the wrong path, chances are they are.  But whatever the case, you really need to sit down and have a heart to heart with your children.  Ask some pointed questions: have you ever thought about having sex? Have you ever though about smoking weed or popping pills?  Are any of your friends at school having sex or using drugs?  (If they say no, chances are they’re hiding something.)

Several statistical studies with teenagers reveal they are becoming sexually active around 5th and 6th grade and engaging in actual intercourse by 8th grade.  Another study amongst 11-17 year-olds found that 44% of the children surveyed used drugs and had friends that used drugs.  73% surveyed, say they were with friends when they tried drugs for the first time. (64% got the drugs from their friends.)

But as disheartening as these studies might be, parents must ask themselves, “What am I doing wrong?” “Am I spending too much time away from my children? Am I too dependent on the Public School system?  Do my children have too much free time on their hands? Do I even know who my children’s friends are?  Do I even know where my children are right now?

If not, count on the criminal justice system raising your children for you.

By Cedric Dean

Author: “How To Stop Your Children From Going To Prison”

Annihilation of America’s Children

In communities across the country, children are being gunned down every day.  In 2004, 2,825 children and juveniles died from gun violence, according to a report by the Children’s Defense Fund.  That’s more than the number of soldiers killed in Iraq. 

In Chicago, 20 teenagers have been killed this year; 24 last year.  Victims of gun homicides are of all races; although, more than half of all fatalities are black. 

In Los Angeles, gang members rather die heroes than statistics. Soledad Brock, a resident of Hollenbeck, in Los Angeles, lost her son Ronald Brock, 19, in front of her home.  Ronald, a U.S. Marine, was shot to death after being asked, “where you from?” by a gang member.  Seven months later, Soledad lost her other son, Angel Brock, in a gang-related hit.

Parents, we must help our children identify their enemy – “The Streets.” If they are able to recognize the snakes in the streets, they won’t be snake-bitten.

We must teach them that the streets keep them divided and fighting, one gang against the other. “You can’t live her, you can’t walk there.” These are fine examples of how the streets teach children ignorance and hatred.

Before it’s too late, teach your children the power of their will.  They must use the same “will” to do right as they use to do wrong.

Their “will” will free them from being a slave to the street “street mentality.”

By Cedric Dean, Author of “How To Stop Your Children From Going To Prison.”  (www.cedricdean.com )

Log onto my website!!!

Hello everyone!  This is Cedric Dean’s Publicist, Susie.  I’m asking that all of you – please log onto Cedric’s website at:www.cedricdean.com  – as his mission is to teach the yonger generation that it’s a mistake not to learn from his mistakes.