Alim Howell Activist Advocate Men of Action Brothers of Faith

Yeah, yeah, But then you have it, ladies and gentlemen, Our next, our next guest is here. Um, so why don't you tell us who do we have to day? Who do we have to day? So we have mister Eliene Howell. He is an activist and advocate for three Philadelphia local nonprofit organizations name Race for Peace, Urban Navigation and Men of Action Brothers of Faith. And all three organizations which this is awesome, we're developed to form positivity between youth and police officers in addition to giving them mentorship to all the youth. So welcome to the show, mister Elie Howell. Absolutely, how are you, my friends? I'm doing all right, I'm doing all right, fantastic, fantastic, you know, So why don't we go ahead and start there? Um? So you know, um, what what's going on in the city, right, you know everything that's going on in city? Right now, Let's let's start with the crime and you know all of the murders and things of that nature. Right, Um, how how do you believe we can, as a community or organizations like itself fixed that or I'm sure can never be totally fixed, right, but we can do something to curb all of the violence and all that. What do you think we can do to fix that? See, the thing is it's really up to our political leaders. Like the mass shooting that just happened, Um, I think that was in their fifty six story. Yeah, and that was a big mass shooting. The Philadelphia Police Commissioner outlaw and every all, they're all out there. You know. Um, I've seen the show before, and I've seen you guys have David O on here before and other great politicians and stuff and Amon Brown. You know, it's just it's really up to our political leaders. So that's the thing where the three organizations you guys just name Race for Peace, Urban nav Men of Action. You know, we're basically small organizations throughout bucks Chester, Delaware, in Montgomery, in the city of Philadelphia. We're just a small organization that's small events in local areas, you know. But when you talk about these mass shootings and things like that, in gun violence especially, it's really up to them. And then when you hear it, when we all hear it on the news and stuff, it's like, what are we doing? Like, look what we're doing now, We're doing something productive of our time and our lives and stuff. But when we look at these political figures, it's really like, what can they implement in the system to make these get these guns off the streets? I said, And local letters should have Philly Tribune, I said, more gun buyback programs, stuff like that like Kenyata Johnson, the councilman like what they do. And then just you know, more ways to get the guns off the streets, because that's what we're all confused about. How do we get the guns off the streets, because that's the problem because people don't people kill people, but then it's the weapon in their hand. No one's fistfighting. You can argue all this, but it's really the politicians. They got to get the un off the streets. And what we do is race for pieces of police organization to bridge the gap between police and community. Urban navigation is the same thing, except that one thing to add extra is that they help ATV dirt bike riders. So when you got to see a TV dirt bike riders riding around, you know, they helped them out with that and stuff. And then that's at Billy Penn Studios and Old Kensington, Philly. And then Men of Action is basically a mentoring organization for young boys. We just had an event late June and then Senator Anthony Hardy Williams came out to that event and that was an event to just help mentor the young boys and stuff like that. But another thing is, no matter how many people show up to our events, you know, the youth and people, they have to show up. That's the thing. Sometimes nowadays stuff is so different nowadays with these events and stuff. It seems like there's not a lot of people that come out to events. Sometimes it has to be like the like in a celebrity there or something like that to gain people's attention. But when we have small events and stuff, people have to show up, you know. That's the like this twenty twenty are stuff has been very difficult and different of people showing up to our events. And that's what we try to do. We we think, will we invite the politicians like the senators and state representatives, the council people, we think more people would show up, But then sometimes they're just looking at us like, well, we're all the young boys at, we're all the young girls at you know, where all the people and we're just like, you know, people have to show up, and people have to want change. That's my point. People, Well, I'm gonna tell you now, nobody is showing up because of those public officials, are there? Especially the people? Right? I think, Um, I think people have lost hope and I also believe that in our politicians specifically, But there has been and I always forget this this that uh sizzle that um people believe it's what's this that I believe sixty five percent of the people believe that Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Philadelphia, that the public officials has missed the mark or don't really know, you know, what the issues are for the people, right, And so when it comes to fixing some of the issues, right, you know, is there a way not necessarily around political figures, but is there more conversation that needs to happen by way of community and targeting community versus public officials or do you feel like they're all kind of one and the same and it should be kind of one in everyone. It's the second part. It's really one and everyone. Because now when you look at the news and you look at these conventions and forums, and then you look at the maryld debate and stuff, we're all having these conversations, the politicals and then us as regular citizens and stuff. Correct, it's really everyone as a whole needs to you know, come up with something. Us as regular citizens in the Philadelphia Tristate area, we have to maybe give more options and then but the public officials and the politicians, what they have to do is point the put them in the system. Though sometimes there's certain bills, like these gun violence bills, some of them were passed through legislation, and then some of them weren't passed through the legislation, and that's the problem. Sometimes they have to pass all the bills that we need, and then there's there's stuff out in the world with gun violence, and there's student loan depp and then there's a lot of stuff going on and stuff, and then these bills. You see what the what is it the Supreme Court just did with the student loans, you know what I'm saying, and this affirmative action, yeah yeah, right right, and then that that's another big thing that's going on. So like it's it's a lot of things, but you notice how it all goes back to our political You can do all you can do, and then everyone can do all they can do. But it's really up to the political leaders I agree with don't get right, I agree with you. No, it's no debate. I agree with you because we can talk all we want, but they're the ones who's actually pushing the pins, creating the bills and passing them law. Got you so so understanding that. Right, we have this new election coming up, right, there's a lot of things that are in question, a lot of policies and issues that are in the public sector right now, to public space that everyone is talking about. We have m the LGBTQ plus population with their issues and policies that that needs that they feel they need protected when we have firmative action. Another huge policy that's out there right now. We have the student student loan and debt. That's another thing that's happening right now. These huge conversations we have even within safe example, the social space, you have this argument now should TikTok even be banned? Right? We have conversations based around you know, what's going on with the industry, the food industry and the food deserts and certain demographics and population is getting the good food versus you know what they throw to the inner cities, right, and so we're do we start, you know, if all of these issues are on the forefront. All of these issues are affecting the community, specifically black and brown community. Where do we start in terms of trying to get those political figures on board. Where do we say this is the first or the most serious issue, this is the most serious concern. Where do we start? Because to some it's just kind of like, okay, everything is my step, I might as well give up you have. Sizzle spoke earlier today, and I know this is a layer question, but Sizzle spoke up today and said that, you know, some of our youth feel like they're not even being hurt and listen to, so they don't even want to come out and vote or support anything. So where do we start with all of this? Yeah, my age group, I'm in a millennial age group. And then when I talk to senior citizens sometimes and they say, just like what you just said, they lost hope. Yeah. And another thing they said is that, well, our youth under the age of twenty one, in a way they have the whole world at their fingertips because of the smartphone technology and stuff. So when they say they're not being heard, how can they not be heard if they're on their smartphone? All they have to do is post a post or post on Facebook or Instagram or something, and then they'll be heard right there through the comment section. All this stuff on social media. It's easy for them to be heard because back in their day, just like they said, there was no social media or technology or any of this. So they're obviously being heard. But when I talk to senior citizens, they basically say, yeah, we pretty all the left is more prayer because everything has really had everyone's fingertips in a way, except the laws have to be through the political system. They have to be bills and stuff implemented in the system to pass, and then they have to get the guns off the streets. And at this point, you know, I'm just going off of what senior citizens tell me because they're the older generation than all of us. You know, it's just just what can we do besides pray more? Yeah, there's no real Yeah, no, I got you, I got you. And but that's the thing. Yeah, I just want to kind of pivot a little bit back to what you were. You know, when I was reading your bio and I just had a question about how difficult is it for you guys to form some sort of alliance between the youth and the police, because we know that the black communities distrust the police. Has gone back hundreds of years from slave patrols to the first police district created in the United States, now to the post George Floyd error that we live in today. Like, how does this affect your organizations success rate in you know, being able to form some type of you know, as you said, positivity between youth and police officers. The way we do that is basically be have events that can respond to the youth. So we have less controversial events. So then sometimes back in twenty sixteen, we would have forms. We have one form at forty eighth Street, Mount Pleasant Baptist Church, and then we had one at my grandmother's church that's um near North twelfth Street, Harold O'Davis at North Philly, the big church right when you get off the highway and stuff that to the left, Harold O'Davis. So then we had a forum there. So then less form events and more sporting events can draw the youth, and that's how we draw the youth in positivity with these youth. So then we have basketball events, ice skating events, barbecue events. So we have more events like that it's less controversial and it's less like, oh, this is just gonna be our parents and our grandparents and other police officers talking in a room and complaining about all the problems. But the sporting events don't do that. It's a young boys and young girls playing basketball with police. And then a lot of them showed up to the Darby Recreation Center in April. It was more than sixty youth there playing basketball and stuff like that. So then and then at the Della Accounty distric Attorney Jack came out there. So a lot of events with the sports that's how we draw that and break the bond and break the negativity with the police in the Yeah, because um I know one time we had posted um I believe, um see you shared a video on our social media on the Facebook page where there's this kid that he's out in I guess his driveway of the front of his house and then he sees a police car up he hid. Because you know, we don't our young kids. We don't look at, you know, the police the same way that our white counterparts look at police. They look up to them like oh, they're heroes and there, this and that, and their job is to protect and serve, but we don't get that same type of you know, uh service, so to speak that the white people or white children. See, what do I want to make a comment on that? And this is just my small opinion and my little perspective when you just said, you know, it's always been a racial tension with us and the police, with black brown people. But then sometimes if you're getting stopped by a cop, right, and then if you're in a car or young teenage boys just out on the side, whatever they're doing, it's the attitude. Sometimes sometimes you don't have to be like, oh, yes sir, yes sir, but you gotta be like at a certain point because no one's perfectly behaved. We used to get stopped out of cops in the suburbs of Philadelphia. It doesn't matter. It's just like, but we would know, like, we're not gonna talk too much back to them because they still have that badge and that gun and the handcuffs to put us in the cell. So sometimes we would just be like, you know what, all right, I'm just gonna show you my ID and then we keep it moving. But sometimes when you talk back and stuff like that to a cop, it's it's they're only gonna want to put you in the cell even batter like, you know, tensions are rising. It's the animosity, the attitude, the tension. You gotta just like be chill with it. Sometimes it's a you gotta draw the line. You gotta be like, all right off, sir, I'm gonna give you my idea. And going about my day with traffic stops in our age groups, you know, you can't have that white or black sometimes that attitude with that police officer at your window. That's just gonna shut. And then when the police get mad and it gets personal, so you want to respond to it, and um, well I was you know, I see what you're saying. I know a lot of times that our parents have too. Black parents have to have that conversation with their children about how, you know, what you do whenever you're pulled over by the police, like have your hands on the wheel, Um, you know, don't reach for this and don't do that and this and that and the other. But white parents aren't having that conversation with their children. So if if we don't have that conversation with our children, then our children are going to unfortunately be a victim of and this is not one hundred percent, of course, but like they could be possibly a victim of police fatality. And I want to and I want to add to that, and because because I want to address kind of what you say, because I hear what you're saying. However, that said, there's a reason for the frustration that a lot of copsy that a young man might respond to, right, because of that conversation that he has to have with mom that Lauren said, Right, So he's already anxious. That's the trauma already within him as soon as he stopped. Oh, here we go again. So that's where that back and forthcome. So I always say, I always say that some of it may just be additude. I get it. However, we have to address the issue, right, We have to address what happened to make someone get there, right, And until we can fix what's going on with the I guess the disparity, right, the disparity between how you know, our boys and Blue treat black folk as compared to white folks, then you're always going to get those few people who are very frustrated because why did you stop me in the first place. That's where they so they already have the issue to try mother. You know that the layers of frustration of here I go again. I got stopped just because he's saying that my my light is out, which I know I just gotta fix. So literally, you're just stopping me because you just want to stop me, right, And so I just say that to say as a retort, uh, that it's not just you know, the the disgruntled you know, black boys that's in a car that's ready to go back and forth for the police person, right, And so I just want to make sure that we kind of get the understanding of the why behind and how can we fix it? Right, because we're always talking about solutions, right, so how can we stop that the feeling of here we go again? How do we stop that so they don't do exactly what you said? And also too, if I could just add quickly, I think that, uh, the police districts need to do a better job when it comes to the hiring process. And I know this is something that we've discussed in the past, like how can they kind of like, um, really delve deep into who these people are that they're hiring, like, um, you know, we even said like should they do um a lot of detective tests and stuff like ain't dead even though like we were just trying to figure out, like what can be done so that the police officers, the Derek Schouvin's that are going to other districts after they fire from another district, they move to another state and then they are that same type of um aggressive police officer that you know is thinks they're above the law and they're just doing things to target a specific the graphic of people of color, like how can they do a better job on their in as well even if like we're as as parents we're talking to our children, we'll tell we're telling them how to behave and how to um respond to police if they're faced with that, you know, not if when Yeah, that so I feel like, you know, on both ends of the spectrum that you know, something can be done as far as that, and I know that they're trying to do little things, but hey, what can be done is um just like anything morestructional support classes, like when they go to the police academies. You know, I'm I'm familiar with the police academies at Dalk and Marco and you know, when they when they go to the police academy, certain um classes need to be taken, and I don't know what you would call that, like um, but certain racial type of classes. When you're stopping a black or what they're probably called a minority person, and in the street when you're patrolling, learn how to be learn how to cause less friction and less tension if especially if it's a white police officer. So I guess that would only be targeting the white officers and the police academy trying to be police officers between the street. They have to do certain classes, just like you know a college curriculum, high school curriculum. They have to do certain classes so they can avoid certain things like that, and then they have to pass the class, right, I don't know what you would call that, like a racial type of class, you know, kind of like the their program. And then now with the I mean they had they have cultural competency. That's literally what that would underscore, right, And so I think they're falling short with what the inclusion is in the culture right, how they're defining culture, because that's where I believe they're falling short, not understanding and being able to amplify what those issues are so they can be more inclusive within the idea of what culture is. But one thing they did do that was positive on the police and now is they have these body cams. And that's been Yeah, those bodycams. That was an excellent thing add to their uniform. Without those body cams, there's no proof. Now everything's on our smuth front, right. They have those bodycams on them, and the body camps turn on. But sometimes the evidence and stuff you can record on your end too. But then those bodycams on their end, that's one thing they added that was excellent for the whole America. But um, and then the George Floyd Act bill, see what happened with George Floyd. That was tragic. Every the whole world was upset about that, every color. So that I never that was like, what do they call it? A modern day lynching? Yes? Really, you know we have our organization Race for Peace with the police. But still even the police officers can see that that happened in Memphis, Tennessee. Was still just like we would thought in all our age groups, that would never happen. I never see something like that ever, So that was you know, that was the most traumatic thing you'll see on a television probably, Yeah, I don't know if you get worse than that. Could you could you give us a snapshot of what the typical youth looks like, UM, not physically, but like that, the ones that you encounter from UM, you know, your organizations, like what what what are their backgrounds? Where do they come from? UM? Or from what you've seen, what I've seen in our past event in UM late June twenty twenty three this year, UM, it was about a dozen youth came out to the Derby Rec Center and that most of them are black and brown boys. They're not It would be nice to see some white young men come too, because you know, everyone can use some mentoring. But most of them are black and brown boys and they just want to have a talking to you know. You know we're talking about Delaware County, you know, and then even Philadelphia. Every parents. Sometimes it's not like the old saying in the old stereotype of a black boy at home with the mother, a single mother. It's not like that at the events all the time. Usually it's a two parent household that got a mommy and a daddy. It's just that in their mindset with all this violence happening, and all this changing and just the social media and all that stuff. A young man just needs them talking to, just like I had a two parent household myself, you know, but I always needed some mentorship from an outside source, you know. So that that's what that's about. And that's what we see at our events. Boys. The ages of that was between nine and nineteen, and majority of them are black and brown. I would like to see some young white men come. They come to our Race for Peace events basketball versus the police. But you know that's what I see though. Fantastic, fantastic, that's I'll tell you. These interviews go really fast. That's on Tom mal Freddy. Look, so how can someone get in contact with you about your organizations? How to even join? What will be the process to join? To support? Contact you, find out more information? How would they do? Then they all have websites Race for Peace dot org, Urban nav dot com, m o A boa dot Com, Race for Peace, Urban Navigation, Men of Action, Brothers of Faith, and they also all have Facebook pages at RFPC social Media, at urban nav and then at m o A BLF on Facebook. On the search bar, everyone can type that in and that's how they can find everything. On Facebook, fantastic. And as far as youth, how can they get involved. The youth can get involved by calling the phone number on the website or on the Facebook pages, and the parents of the youth. We like to go through the parents first, and then that's how the youth can get involved with all the three of the organizations. The phone numbers on the Facebook or the websites. Fantastic, fantastic. Well, then you have it, ladies and gentlemen. We talked weeklies after the talk on WPPMLP Philadelphia one or six point five fen We talked weeklies after Talk with your boy Charles Britny and beautiful Laurence Sizzle and my guy, I appreciate a great interview, my friend. And one thing that we're saying on the show was once you come to the show, you're a friend to the show, and you're more than welcome to come back and yeah, let's talk. We get Schiller, bring you back on and we can talk some more on how we can fix some of the issues that's going on in Philly. Man. That's the that's the biggest thing. So don't go anywhere, ladies and John. When we come back, of course, we got the sealsl Yard. We'll beat right back after this. Doctor doctor, doctor, doctor chouctor doctor doctor doctor doctor doctor