Sol Collective on a Sunday

Truth be told this is the first time we've stepped into this realm of art, culture, and activism. We have been wanting to make the journey for quite awhile now but always put it aside for "one day". Once you step into the building you will greeted with the current display " Whose World Is This" photography exhibition presented by Native Children. Exhibition runs March 12 - 31st at the SOL COLLECTIVE.

{ LIL SPEEDY THE GHETTO HIPPY }

Every second Sunday of the month is PLUGGED an open mic night where you can jam, dance, spit lyrics and kick back with like minded people and simply enjoy the vibes. My son wanted to give it a shot and I'm proud he got up there and spread his message through lyrical poetry. It truly was a night of collective souls!

A great surprise was in store for us that night. I was humbled to be in the presence of such legendary greatness. When he was presented my son and I immediately stared at each other wide eyed as we realized this is the closest we will ever get to the late and great Bob Marley. Ladies and gentlemen I present to you Devon Evans of "Bob Marley & The Wailers".

A Heavy Heart

 A lot of terror and lose of life has happened this past Friday. As the world is globally coming together in mourning over the terrorist attacks on Paris my heart is heavy for my own little town and community. Don't get me wrong I feel for what has happened in Paris but tragedy also struck so close to home that day.

While me and my kids were waiting on our pizza to take home and enjoy with a movie, just a few blocks away a car full of Grant High Football players who were on they're way back to the high school for pre- game pep talk got shot at. The driver passed away and the front passenger sustained a gunshot wound to the arm. These young men our my son's high school peers. My heart breaks in a million pieces for the families and community in whole.

On Friday nights we can sit in our backyard and see the stadium lights glowing into the mist. You can feel the beat of the band as the drums pound away and echo through the streets. Play by plays can be heard you know which team is winning and whose making the plays. But as night rolled in on that Friday the 13th, there was only silence. A deafening silence felt to the core. The only vibe of the Grant Pacer's was on the news.

This shit happens all the time here! Just last week we got an automated call from the high school that a student was detained from walking on campus with a weapon in his backpack. Turns out it was a gun. He got caught with the gun, and mostly likely toted it around everyday until it was discovered. The youth around here have to be on alert every second because anything can happen at any given moment. These streets are taking our babies at a rapid rate no matter how they are raised in there homes.

I write and give the blogging community a slice of our life on our little urban homestead. But in all honestly once I hit the corner we're in a war zone . A war on drugs, gangs, junkies, authority figures, poverty, you name it......this is the ghetto. And yes I said authority meaning the cops jamming up my son , questioning him & running him through gang files when all he is doing is skateboarding with his boombox. The context of this post is all over the place, but to sum up my heavy heart ...... I've had enough! I'm at a lost, we can't move, we sure as hell cannot stay. So what am I or anybody in Del Paso Heights who wishes for a better tomorrow to do?