PICK THAT SHIT UP…



It’s time for a moment of socially responsible conservative thought. I told my new home girl the Golden Child, that like her, I too am a left-leaning liberal with right-wing views.

One day in 1942 East and West Oakland were beautiful places to live and raise your kids. As a matter of fact so were Compton, the Bronx, Bedford-Stuyvesant and many other places. Lawns were well kept. Trash was deposited into cans and picked up. People had pride in themselves and their neighborhoods. But a funny thing happened one day; somebody dropped a piece of trash on the sidewalk by accident. They new they dropped it but they were probably in a hurry to get to work. They probably thought to themselves, “It’s ok, someone will pick it up.”

Well someone never did.

And then an hour later while someone else was taking their trash out a diaper dropped out of their can and onto the ground. That person probably thought, “It’s ok, I’ll pick it up later.”

But they never did.

And the next thing ya know people just started leaving stuff in the street. Bags, used condoms, used tampons, soda bottles, food wrappers, leftover food and all other manner of human indignity. Soon a sure symbol of urban decay started to leave its ugly trail in the neighborhood: urine stains.

I love my people, but I will not tolerate any talk whatsoever about white people ruining the ghetto. I won’t tolerate any talk whatsoever about a secret society of white conspirators who scheme and plot day and night on ways to make black people look bad. There is no excuse, none at all for our neighborhoods to look the way they do.

I remember when I was 14 years old and I was hanging out with some friends, who shall remain nameless. We went to Mickey D’s, ordered our food and ate while we were walking down the street. When we were done we threw our trash right there on the ground. I was taught better, but you know what happens when you’re a teenager right?

One day while I was out with my mother I had something in my hand and threw it on the ground and kept walking. My mother, in disgust said, “Fool, what are you doing?”

“Nothing”.

“If you don’t pick that shit up…” she said as her eyes became a fire at the same time her index finger pointed to the ground.

“Ma, everyone throws their trash on the ground”, I said as stupid as can be.

“Oh, so that makes it right?”

“I dunno”.

Then she said something I will never forget…

“Mark, how do you think the rest of the shit got on the street?

Hmmmmmm…

Then she said, “Now pick that shit up.”