Family, Friends and Miss Betty Next Door

There’s a lot to be thankful for this Thanksgiving Day.

And yet, so much to be thoughtful of.  Particularly where it involves your homes, neighborhoods and quality of life in Brooklyn.

Have the chickens come home to roost?

Are you and I paying for sins committed in the past that would continue the perpetual cycle of engineered social prosperity and targeted predatory profiteering?

Or have we failed to mature politically, socially and economically in our stewardship of Home, whether we lease or own?

If you’re living in Central Brooklyn, then we’ve failed to explain some important points to you.  Such as;

1. Home is a defined Economic, Social and Political interest
2. Politics are the means for realizing the highest Standard of Living
   
3. Churches and other Social Institutions advocate on behalf of those affected by conditions as the community’s voice
   

I know the above hasn’t been discussed with you and there’s no conspiracy as to why the conversation hasn’t occurred.  You see, it’s all rather simple when you think about it.  You just forgot what Mister Rogers taught you about the neighborhood.

If your living in central Brooklyn after purchasing your home or leasing your apartment, you thought the work was done before you arrived.

So, it only made sense that in your first few months, as you come and go from your new place, it’s always a beautiful day in the neighborhood.

After while, you realize there’s been more days than not where it wasn’t so beautiful in the neighborhood and make the mistake that everyone else did who had the same experience.

Ignore it.

Now I’m not going to ask you to shoulder the whole burden for why your block, your community or your neighborhood isn’t so beautiful right now.

Rather, I’m going to ask you to do one simple thing that will take 5 minutes at most.  I want you to visit either of your neighbors next door and wish them a Happy Thanksgiving on Thanksgiving Day….and thank them for being your neighbor.

They’ll appreciate the unselfish act and see you in a different light.  Soon greetings and salutations evolve into thoughtful conversations (and a few moments of gossip if your lucky).

Eventually a block association either forms or is restored and the local Precinct Captain and his Lieutenant for Community Affairs attend meetings and pot lucks.

The local Firehouse Chief would conduct fire safety courses and allow the neighborhood children to tour their facilities.

The local politicians attend your events and identify with your needs and begin to seriously lobby on your behalf.

Corner Grocery Stores would stop posting ads for cigarettes, malt liquor beverages and barely clad women.  Food Stores would begin to carry the products you seek in the quality you expect.

Children would trade loitering on corners and outside buildings in menacing manners for a recreational facility that also offers career development and job training.

And…..

Well, I could go on but I’ll leave it there.

You know what to do this Thanksgiving Day!