I'm Ready for Change, but With Real Trust

There is little doubt that Cuyahoga County government could stand some changes that would lead to improved efficacy. There is just as little doubt that it won’t happen until and unless Blacks buy into the proposed changes. But for that buy-in to take place there has to be a degree of trust built up between Blacks and the power structure, just as there has been trust built up between the Democrats and Republicans who have joined forces and are currently sending up trial balloons to see if the winds of change are indeed ready to blow across the mighty Cuyahoga.

There's a feeling extant that some elder statesmen in the Black community are not buying into the change notion, and will actively work to obstruct what the proponents of said change call "progress." The question in their minds is, will it be progress for everyone? These Black elders have seen so many promises made to their community, and quickly (or slowly) broken over the years, that it's indeed difficult not to pay heed to their cautions and skepticisms.

If done right, fairly, and honestly, changing county government could be as great a thing for Cuyahoga County, including the Blacks who reside here as well. I’m ready for change, I’m ready to trust, but I’ve got to see some of our concerns and issues addressed before I’m willing to make a commitment to that change — and most Blacks that I know feel the same way. While the leaders of the change movement are all honorable people, it’s those other people who wield so much power in the county that many Blacks have suspicions about.

For far too long Black concerns have largely been ignored at the county level of government (not to say that the state and feds haven’t blown off our concerns too (they certainly in many cases have) but those political entities don’t need Black support to make any changes, whereas the county does) and no one should be surprised if we want to know “what’s in it for us?” before we adopt the “change” mantra.

The problem for Blacks is one of parity and fair treatment. When it was discovered that Sheriff Gerald McFaul [pictured] doles out very lucrative contracts to 36 property appraisers (a few of whom are not even licensed) the question in the Black community immediately was, “I wonder how many of the 36 were minorities?” Four were females, and I’ll leave it to your imagination as to how many were people of color. Is “zero” really a number? What about “zilch.”? Or “nada,” as in “nada one of them was Black.” Typical, oh so typical of county politics; will that part change too under the new rubric?

Blacks comprise close to 30 percent of the population of Cuyahoga County, but what percentage of the county workforce is Black? Has anyone (other than perhaps County Commissioner Peter Lawson Jones and a few fair-minded county administrators) ever seriously asked that question?

When Black contractors go down to the commissioners’ meetings, and, out of sheer frustration, yell and scream like madmen, does anyone ever bother to see if their charges of exclusion from a fair share of construction contracts on county jobs has any validity? I know for a fact that at least some of the charges are valid; years ago I used to work in the building trades.

In 1970, the first program to integrate the building trades was put in place; I was one of the first to go into the program since I was already a certified master steam pipe welder at the time (they couldn’t use the old “he’s not qualified” excuse in my case). I’d learned the craft while working at the Illuminating Co for nine years. Why is it that now, almost 40 years later, various programs still haven’t made much of a dent in terms of forcing the building trade unions to allow minorities in on a fair basis? Trust me, the work doesn’t require rocket scientists, virtually anyone they are willing to train can learn to do it.

Do any of these change proponents realize how tried and frustrated Blacks are at driving past construction sites in our communities and seeing nothing but White construction workers? Will they do anything about the setting up of Black front companies by the big White contractors to assure that things continue as usual? Everyone knows all of the dirty little tricks that have been played for decades to keep minorities locked out, and we’re damn tried of having to fight them every goddamn day. We have families to feed too, you know.

If Blacks are willing to back a change in county government, will that new form of government assure (no bullshit excuses accepted this time) that minorities will at last be treated fairly and equitably, or once our support is no longer needed, will it go back to business as usual — virtually all of the work going to the same “Good ‘Ol White Boys’ Network”?

We Blacks want even more change. How about real change in the criminal justice system while we’re at it? About six years ago a Black man named Michael Green was released from prison after serving eight years for a rape he did not commit. DNA tests proved who the real perpetrator was, a man that was already in prison for another rape, and he ultimately confessed to the crime Green served time for. Now, the state has a fund set up to compensate wrongly incarcerated individuals, yet the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s office fought tooth and nail to deny Green his rightful compensation (something they didn’t do in a similar case when the person released was White) … and not one damn county official stood up to say: “this is wrong.”

Then, a few years ago there were the two cases of drunk drivers who went the wrong way on highways and killed innocent people. The black woman got 20 years, the White male (with a slightly worse driving record) got six years, and the prosecutor was the same on both cases. And this is called justice?

And now we’re supposed to believe that the same people who remained mute in these instances are going to stand up for fairness for Blacks now? Based off of past mistreatment, please excuse us if we Blacks need just a little more assurance.

Fast forward to last week: After years of county judges refusing to implement a drug court (which have proven to be successful all over the country, and right here in Cleveland at the Muny Court), when they finally did agree to start one, what do they do? The presiding judge picks the most acerbic, least sympathetic judge on the bench to run the drug court, and then, when the program fails (as it surly will under his stewardship), they can always say “well …you know, you just can’t help those people, they’re animals.” Uh, we do know how the game is played… we’ve been victimized by it long enough.

Black lives and futures have been little more than political footballs, a people to kick around as elected officials climb to higher and higher office by posturing as “tough on crime,” (read: stepping off in Black folks asses and shipping them off to prison) while sending White youths home with little more than a scolding for committing the exact same petty drug offences. Yet, we’re supposed to “trust.” No shit?

I want better, more efficient county government, I really do. I’m a firm believer that when one party rules exclusively, it eventually becomes prone to fraud, excess and abuse... that’s why we have a two-party system in America, to provide checks and balances. I really want to trust also.

But I need some answers, some guarantees before I sign on and encourage other to do likewise. One good place to start would be to do a study on how many county employees (and building trade union members) are minorities. At least then we’d have a starting point to judge and gauge any future changes, progress and improvements by.

Of course it could be that county officials are too afraid of what those numbers would look like. But for “change” to take place, we have to start somewhere.

How about with the truth?

From Cool Cleveland contributor Mansfield B. Frazier mansfieldfATgmail.com
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