Welcome friends to our amazing publication, 23.39/40, of writing and art from inside juvenile hall and beyond. This latest issue has our initial writings from our recent workshops inside Sacramento County Juvenile Hall and Sonoma County Juvenile Hall. We are thrilled about our new partnerships and all the potential. Like every issue, there is plenty to read and find inspiration from, if it’s the featured writings, POW writings, Community writings or the BWO, we know you will find something in this issue that speaks to you. All right, allow us to cut to the chase and hand over the keyboard to our old friend, OT. Oh, before we go to Nicaragua, we would like to inform you that our Ice Cream Social/poetry reading celebrating the life of our dear friend and colleague, Carlos Gutierrez, was an amazing success the other night. The event was held at HOMEY. The turnout was amazing as were our readers/speakers. A big thanks to all involved! Now we hand the keyboard to OT…
We would like to welcome back all you readers and writers to another stellar double edition of the one and only The Beat Within. This is OT, once again reporting live to you from the controversial country of Nicaragua. It’s always a blessing to hear from you writers, and it is more than a privilege to address you all right here on the very fine pages of The Beat Within community.
It’s truly inspirational to hear many of you guys and gals tell your stories and it humbles me and I think to myself, how can I not be grateful for my life, at this current moment. I think that one of the most important things to remember is that life will be a constant battle and struggle. Don’t let those Instagram pictures fool you or let those Snapchat filters let you see life like the struggle isn’t there. All that glitters ain’t gold and when you think that someone else may have it better, you never know what challenges that person has been or is going through.
One of the things that I have really noticed about how social media has changed the way people think nowadays is that people only put their business out on Front Street, only if it portrays to them looking great, having fun, or depicting that their situation as having fun, and having a great time. Hardly do you ever see people posted pictures of themselves crying or feeling sad because people don’t want to seem vulnerable.
When someone is behind a screen, on Twitter, on Facebook, they feel that power of being able to exorcise their first amendment to the fullest. What is the First Amendment, you might ask? It’s the Freedom of Speech. I’m not going to quote the whole Amendment here because of space but I will put some of it.
“The First Amendment to the United States Constitution prevents Congress from making any law respecting an establishment of religion, prohibiting the free exercise of religion, or abridging the freedom of speech, the freedom of press, the right to peaceably assemble, or to petition for a governmental redress of grievances…”
The reason why I am bringing this topic up is because this is a right and a privilege that I feel like some people have been misconstruing. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion and to think what they want to think. This does not mean that you can say anything you want and not suffer the consequences from the things you have to say. One of things that I want you all to realized is that words are powerful, and you saying things will always have a consequence, whether it be good or bad.
Think about it in this context. When you are mad, and someone pisses you off, you say all kinds of crazy things. “I’m gonna get that fool!” “Forget that person!”( that’s the nice way of saying, usually one uses that other four letter word.) “I’m gonna take him/her down.” “All the haters are trying to get me, so I keep my tooly…” and so forth and so forth.
Even when someone is threatening you and insulting you, maybe the best thing to do is to not even stoop down to their level. I’m probably boring you guys with what I’m saying right now, and my message is not getting across clearly to you but I’m just barely scratching the surface on this.
Freedom in speech doesn’t mean that you can go ahead and insult your peers, call them names, bully them, and treat them as if they are less than human. Freedom of speech doesn’t mean that you can state your opinions as if they were fact. Just because YOU don’t like somebody, it doesn’t mean that everybody else doesn’t have to like them also. Let others think for themselves.
Don’t think you are Donald Trump and can insult people and get away with it. The world is too small for that. Every negative act you commit will come back and bite you on the butt at some point. Because some of you may think you are slick and say something hateful and negative with the mentality of saying “So what, I have the freedom of speech.” Or “I can say whatever I want to say.”
Freedom of speech is based on a foundation of respect, meaning that we all are allowed to say whatever we want to say, and think the way we want to think but let’s keep it respectful. Let’s not be ignorant with one another.
We all come from different walks of life. This is the beauty of America. You have Latinos, you have African Americans, Asians, Irelanders, Canadians, Australians, Middle Eastern, European people, the list keeps going. There are so many diverse cultures in America, and frankly, besides missing my family and friends, I miss that about California. (Remember folks I live in Central America)
Being able to talk to people and get to know their history and where they come from is a such a great honor and privilege. So, before you decide to make fun of others, or before you open up your mouths to say something negative and insulting, think about how that makes you feel.
Does it really make you feel that good inside to dis’ someone? Is it something your parents, your grandparents, your counselor, your girl’s parents, if they heard you say it, would they proud of you or disappointed?
I’m not saying any of this because I want you to please people, but because I want you to realize that a person of respect, will always be a person of respect. That means, that even when someone else is being disrespectful, you will still be the greater person and show that person what a respectful young man or young woman looks like by REMAINING RESPECTFUL, regardless if one has disrespected you.
Don’t let someone else get you out of character. Stand your ground on your beliefs and make sure that they are positive. Be your own hardest critic, and wake up every day by saying good morning to the person next to you, and ask yourself what I can improve on today? “How can I be a better person today, from the one that I was yesterday?”
Improve, strive and push yourself to your limits. Yes, actions always speak louder than words, but you know where everything starts. It’s your word that counts. So, make sure that when you exercise your freedom of speech, that you keep it positive and most importantly respectful.
It starts with words and the words that are omitted from you will show everyone who you are and then your actions will do the rest. Some call it the freedom of speech, but me, I call it The Freedom of Respect.
Respect your elders, respect your peers, respect the laws and the authorities in charge, and most importantly respect yourselves. You will see a big difference in your lives once you do that.
One love to everybody going through some type of challenge or struggle. You are not alone! OT is signing out with much love and The Beat keeps going and going…