holt - Blogs - TheBlackList Pub2024-03-29T06:17:53Zhttps://www.theblacklist.net/profiles/blogs/feed/tag/holtMark Allen says that Ronald Holt received a "symbolic" appointment as new CAPS head and must overcome how Daley & Weis' decisions set him up for failurehttps://www.theblacklist.net/profiles/blogs/mark-allen-says-that-ronald2010-06-09T16:21:00.000Z2010-06-09T16:21:00.000ZMark S. Allenhttps://www.theblacklist.net/members/MarkSAllen<div><div style="font-family:'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif;font-size:14pt;"><div style="font-family:'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif;font-size:12pt;"><h1 class="entry-title" align="center"><font size="4">Mark Allen says that Ronald Holt received a "symbolic" appointment as new CAPS head and must overcome how Daley & Weis' decisions set him up for failure</font></h1><div class="entry-header pkg"></div><div style="display:block;float:left;margin-left:0px;" id="share-tools-wrapper" class="pkg horizontal-share"><h3 id="share-tools-title"></h3></div><div class="entry-content"><p align="center">MARK ALLEN TALKS -- Ronald Holt Must Overcome Chicago Mayor Daley's "Symbolic" Appointment as new Director of Chicago's community policing program</p><p align="center"></p><p align="center">I called Ronald Holt and congratulated him on accepting the appointment by <span style="border-bottom:#366388 2px dotted;" id="lw_1276093544_0" class="yshortcuts">Chicago Mayor Richard Daley</span> as the new Director of the C.A.P.S. (Community Alternative Policing Strategies) program, and how he was going to need tremendous support to overcome the decisions of <span style="border-bottom:#366388 2px dotted;background:transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%;" id="lw_1276093544_1" class="yshortcuts">Mayor Daley</span> and Chicago Police Chief Jody Weis have made that currently makes Holt's position one that is currently founded in "symbolism" versus one of substance.</p><p align="center"></p><p align="center">Despite crime being down under the tenures of Former Police Chief Cline and Starks, the things that made the <span id="lw_1276093544_2" class="yshortcuts">community partnerships</span> with CAPS then so strong were seriously and negatively impacted by the decisions of Daley and Weis and the high profile name of Ronald Holt is supposed to remedy those decisions and rebuild thre former success and strength of the CAPS program.</p><p align="center"></p><p align="center">Ronald Holt has worked so close with the community in the streets and has seen first hand that the tensions in the streets and police have grown so distant to the point where they don't fear direct confrontations with the polcie themselves and proved recently with the attempted robbery and murder of <span id="lw_1276093544_3" class="yshortcuts">Chicago Police Officer</span> Thomas Wortham IV; Holt has seen where a lot of good parents in the community have allowed the desperate economic conditions have drawn them and many of the children into the gang, drug, and other illegal street economies trying to make ends meet for them and their families; and Holt has seen first hand how their just are not enough "hands-on" resources coming out of CAPS like it was years ago, and surely knows that its going to take more than just words and good intentions to rebuild CAPS.</p><p align="center"></p><p align="center">With Holt's knowledge of these realities, he has to know just how much of an infusion of renewed community relationships, partnerships, attitudes, and resources from public and private resources it's going to take for him to be successful in his role as the new CAPS Director, and the community and media must report properly on the reality of what Holt is going to face so that later he cannot be accused later of not being able to use his high profile status to overcome the negative insurmountable odds and environment that the past decisions of Daley and Weis have left Holt to start with in his new position.</p><p align="center"></p><p align="center">And for Holt, can he maintain the active working relationships with current Mayoral and Police critics people like myself, <span style="border-bottom:#366388 2px dotted;" id="lw_1276093544_4" class="yshortcuts">Phillip Jackson</span> of <span style="border-bottom:#366388 2px dotted;" id="lw_1276093544_5" class="yshortcuts">The Black Star Project</span> and Peace In The Hood, Wallace "Gator" Bradley and other community leaders and activists who still keep connections with various <span id="lw_1276093544_6" class="yshortcuts">street organizations</span> who used to trust in the leadership and rapport with former Police Chief Dana Starks and former CAPS leaders and with those relationships CRIME WAS DOWN.</p><p align="center"></p><p align="center">It will be a challenge to rebuilding needed community and street relationships as to whether many of those street alliances that has worked with Holt with his private crime intervention initiatives will be welcome into the new outreach of the CAPS proceses. A lot of us have seen and know why CAPS had better relationships, what had forced people away, and what Holt will need in rebuilding those and new relationships for CAPS success and growth foir the serious challenges ahead of Holt.</p><p align="center"></p><p align="center">I can already attest to the difference in CAPS new leadership in that I have had in that I have already had two extensive conversations with the new CAPS Director in 48 hours of his appointment for dialogue that I can ever recall having with the former CAPS director. But again, the initial conversations I have had with Ronald will not be able to be of substance if he is handicapped by the environment left by the former negative staffing and <span id="lw_1276093544_7" class="yshortcuts">program budget cuts</span> of Mayor Daley and the hierchy of police personel staffing of Chicago Police Chief Jody Weis. Ronald Holt and all the promise his appointments can represents deserves the proper support to succeed and become more than a ":symbolic" appointment.</p><p align="center"></p><p align="center">Mark S. Allen</p><p align="center">Associate Editor of The South Street Journal Newspaper; Board member of The Chicago Gospel Music Heritage Museum; Founder/President of The <span style="border-bottom:medium none;background:transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%;" id="lw_1276093544_8" class="yshortcuts">Black Leadership Development Institute</span>, BLDI, and Board member of The Black Wall Street-Chicago Project. <span style="border-bottom:#366388 2px dotted;background:transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%;" id="lw_1276093544_9" class="yshortcuts">449 East 35th Street, 1st Floor, Chicago, Illinois 60616</span> (312) 624-8351 or <span style="border-bottom:#366388 2px dotted;" id="lw_1276093544_10" class="yshortcuts">(773) 392-0165</span></p></div></div><div style="font-family:'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif;font-size:12pt;"></div></div><br /></div>Father Pfleger Agrees That National Guard In Chicago Equals More Shootings and Death - Why Do media and leaders ignore economic and social conscious solutions?https://www.theblacklist.net/profiles/blogs/father-pfleger-agrees-that2010-04-26T10:57:23.000Z2010-04-26T10:57:23.000ZMark S. Allenhttps://www.theblacklist.net/members/MarkSAllen<div><h1 class="entry-title" align="center"><a class="smedia stumbleupon" title="Stumble this entry" href="http://www.stumbleupon.com/submit?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.chicagonow.com%2Fblogs%2Fand-the-ordinary-people-said%2F2010%2F04%2Ffather-pfleger-agrees-that-national-guard-in-chicago-equals-more-shootings-and-death---why-do-media-and-leaders-ignore-economic-and-social-conscious-s.html&title=Father%20Pfleger%20Agrees%20That%20National%20Guard%20In%20Chicago%20Equals%20More%20Shootings%20and%20Death%20-%20Why%20Do%20media%20and%20leaders%20ignore%20economic%20and%20social%20conscious%20solutions%3F"></a><font size="3">The Chicago Tribune recently had a forum hosted by WVON's Cliff Kelley, and there were no major headlines in the days after the forum, like many others that have put any kind of dent in the continued rise in Chicago Violence. Is one reason that major media seems to make more of the headlines of calling in the National Guard than they do to local community groups who have identified solutions "on the ground" that could truly help stop the rise in Chicago violence, shootings, and killings. It's not possible that major media or various leaders actually enjoy reporting on more violence and death than they do examining and promoting what somew of those who actually participate anmd are at risk for the violence, as real ways to get them away from the gang, drug, and illegal street economies that are employing and killing our people !?</font></h1><p class="entry-content" align="center">I had the chance to meet briefly on Sunday with my longtime friend, religious leader and activist Father Michael Pfleger of The Community Of St Sabina. We were both attending a charity basketball game in the St. Sabine gym, and of course took the time to step aside and talk about the street violence and what we could do better at stopping the increase in those who partcipate and are most at risk for being participants. One of the things that we ABSOLUTELY AGREE that drives most of the violence is the fact that far too many of our young people and adullts have found the gang, drug, and illegal street economies as the source to provide an income for themselves and their familes, and the battle and tensions rise over those economies then result in acts of senseless violence, shootings and death.</p><p class="entry-content" align="center"></p><p class="entry-content" align="center">Father Pfleger and I talked about how crime continues to increase at time when the Chicago Police has continually offered new ways of increasing and deploying police in what they describe as scietfically targeted areas to decrease crime. Father Mike and I agreed on the facts that many young people and others have somehow lost their social consiousness, respect for life, and respect for law enforcement that has been clearly shown in the number of deadly confrontation between heavily armed street offenders and police with those in the street showing absolutely NO FEAR of facing death in their attacks on law enforcement who threaten their battle to survive economically through their various illegal street operations. With that Father Pfleger and I agreed that the presence of The National Guard would only increase the tensions with law enforcement and the streets and would only set the stage for even more potential deadly armed confrontations with our young people and innocent people being killed!</p><p class="entry-content" align="center"></p><p class="entry-content" align="center">During the recent National Action Network Convention and 12 Month National Action Plan launched by Rev. Al Sharpton, Wallace "Gator" Bradley and I were lobbying Chicago's Warren Ballentine, Jeff Johnson of B.E.T. and others on the significance of adopting community gardens in urban areas of the country that could deter our youth and others this summer from being drawn into the illegal street economies as their way to be employed and thus help save thousands of lives by the creation of these Green jobs! This week, in addition to Father Mike, I met on this Summer Green Jobs concept with Ronald Holt (father of Blair Holt) and others who are actively involved in crime intervention and prevention work, who all must recognize that the DESPERATE ECONOMIC CONDITIONS facing urban youth and families force good people into bad situations trying to survive, and our remedies to stop the violence has to be more than debating new Chicago Poilce and the potential of The National Guard, without dealing with the economic and social conscious issues!!</p><p class="entry-content" align="center"></p><p class="entry-content" align="center">As predicted, ALL of Chicago's media is focused on the latest proposal by two Illinois State Reps, John Fritchey and LaSahwn Ford for consideration of The National Guard patrolling Chicago streets to stop crime -- As Chicago's Mayor Daley, Governor Quinn, Jody Weis and others are going to asked yet again about another law enforcement increase., Can we for FOR ONCE PLEASE ask the "economic" question of whether or not Chicago could take hundreds if not thousands of our young people OUT of the illegal street economies this summer for jobs in life threatening works, OR using public and private funding to create summer green jobs by creating community gardens in targeted Chicago empty lots.</p><p class="entry-content" align="center"></p><p class="entry-content" align="center">The Chicago Tribune, CNN, other major media and others who keep asking for "solutions," WHY keep asking and then when you get them not bring it up for major discussion?? There has been far more people who have supported this community gardens concept than two State Reps who called for The National Guard, so WHY are we focusing on one and not the other?</p></div>