The Barbershop was crowded and everybody was talking about “the debate.” The networks were charging about $250,000 per 30 second ad. Remember, this is all Benjamins, U.S. dollars. Why is this important? It costs $130 Canadian to buy a 100 U.S. dollars.
Dropout was first up, he said: “Now when we all watched the debate we were asking ourselves: ‘Is this the best they can do in the USA with 350 million people [that they know of]?’ And one of these two people in the debate, Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton will be the next president of the USA.”
Money raised his hand, “Whether we like it or not the elections will affect us in Canada because our biggest trading partner is the USA. So no matter what you say or think about the USA they are our #1 trading partner.”
Professor said, “I wish Bob White was around. I heard he’s out there in Montreal North working with some people. Every Sunday they go to church and bring a can of food for the needy. In a church, called the Church of What’s Happening Now, there’s an Interac machine to do transactions.”
“He told us a story last week about what happened at church. The minister asked the congregation: ‘how many people own their own home?’ A lot of hands went up. He told them when you leave here look around for a 4-story building with no elevator, with tenants who have been living there for a long time. Approach the landlord and find out if he wants to sell the building. If he says yes, offer him $500, take him to a notary and draft a document to the effect that if we cannot get the money in 30 days to buy the building, tell the landlord to keep the $500. We will pay the notary fees.”
There were rumbles of “Oh boy, here we go again…”
So the minister continued. “Knock on every door in the building and show the tenants a stating that we are the new owners of the building. We’re going to give you two months free rent. The person who wants to buy the building will end up with 20 post-dated checks. If the checks do not add up to enough money to buy the building, go to a mortgage broker, show him the amount of money that you have, and tell him how much you need, introduce him to the three co-signers then go the bank. Secure enough money and buy the building.
The three co-signers do not have to like each other; it’s all a business deal. So once all the liabilities are taken care of the building is mortgage free. You can then move on and try to purchase another one. By the way, the maintenance people are all members of that church’s congregation.
This is what’s happening at the Church of What’s Happening Now up there in Montreal North.
There was an Amen in the barbershop.
“The Genius raised his hand and started talking about visible minorities. When a white Quebecer takes a Delta flight and goes down to Atlanta Airport they will see who are the visible minorities at Atlanta Airport.
The real visible minorities are white people; they are less than 10 percent of the world’s population, and shrinking. This is not an opinion; it’s a fact.
Another fact is this: there’s a new Afro-American museum in Washington, DC housing with over 3000 objects such as leg irons and handcuffs used to shackle the slaves on that long voyage to North America. I hear Black and white people alike who have toured the museum have ended up with tears in their eyes at the end of the tour.
President Obama, a man who knows something about Black history was delivering the commencement address to the graduating class at Howard University a while back. He told them that “the country is a better place today” than when he graduated from college more than 30 years ago. He cited his historic election as the first… as one indicator.
“I’m not saying gaps do not persist. Obviously, they do,” he told the Class of 2016. “Racism persists, inequality persists.” But he urged the 2,300 grads to work toward closing the gaps.”
Nice, uplifting words from the president, whose time is running out. But are Americans listening?
School Boy put up his hand, “America has a Black president, but not even he can stop the police killings of Black people, what’s with that?”
“Here’s another story. Friday, September 23, Globe And Mail. It reads Charges in Oklahoma. The white Tulsa police officer who fatally shot an unarmed Black man whose car had broken down and blocked a road was charged with first-degree man slaughter and a warrant has been issued for her arrest…Court papers filed by Tulsa County said the officer, Betty Shelby, escalated the situation and overreacted in shooting Terence Crutcher. If convicted she faces at least four years in prison… If convicted, she faces four years in prison…”
“That’s a joke,” Professor interjected.
“Hold on, let me finish,” School Boy said. “Here’s the good part. Ms Shelby told investigators “that she was in fear of her life and thought Crutcher was going to kill her.”
An “Oh boy” resonated in the barbershop.
Yardie put up his hand and said, “What about that guy in the wheelchair in downtown Montreal? Did anyone see the article in the Friday, September 23 Gazette? Treatment of disabled man in video horrible: Witness.
According to Katherine-Marie Albisi… it all began when the man in the wheelchair found himself in the middle of a downtown intersection with the light about to change… An officer confronted him and started pushing him aggressively to the sidewalk despite the man’s repeated requests for him to stop… It was really horrible…”
Read the article yourself.
Not one city councilor made a remark about the incident down at City Hall.
Remember, a Black guy, vulnerable, sitting in a wheelchair. He was fortunate someone videotaped the whole incident. Or else Downtown Don, Joe and Yvonne at St, Mary’s Hospital would never have known about the incident. And thousands of other Montreal’s who saw [our] finest react to an unarmed citizen in a wheelchair would not have known about the incident.
There was a loud “Amen” in the Barbershop.
To be Honest put up his hand and said, “What’s the big deal, don’t you remember back in the day when some Black school kids were playing in Westmount High School yard. Remember what I said, they were innocent kids playing… A police van pulled up and asked the kids they want pizza. “They all said yes, got into the van, which passed many pizza restaurants on the way to the police station, and put them in a line-up. I don’t know if the kids eventually got their pizza…
There was another “Amen” in the barbershop.
A financial advisor was getting a haircut and an Uncle Tom who was waiting for his cut said he’s retiring next year. The financial advisor told him, “My advice to you is to not retire or go to England because I heard you don’t like Black people. People like you who want to retire should forget the ‘golden years’ and just keep working.“
If you are or were a teacher and getting ready to retire you should get together and think about starting a school. The next time I come back to the Barbershop, I will explain more what semi-retired or retired (especially Black) people should be doing with their time.
Ole Timer raised his hand and said he was talking to Professor and the Ways and Means Committee. They were talking for days and days about “the event” one of the most successful galas ever held in the Black community. It was a corporate affair. I hear some people were planning to picket the event if the former MNA from the West Island and the rest of the Blacks and whites that were invited but should not have been should’ve sneaked (snuck) in by the back door. Also, someone should’ve talked to Egbert Gaye, Publisher of the CommunityCONTACT and organizer of that successful gala should’ve had two categories of recipients: the ones who helped destroy the Black community—they know who they are—because everybody can start in a marathon but not everyone can finish.
The other category would’ve been for those people who helped build the community. Just think of the late, great Jackie Robinson who once said, “A life is not important unless it has an impact on other peoples’ lives.”
A few that stand out are Judge Juanita Westmoreland Traoré; George Grant, Honourary Council to Jamaica; Dr. Dexter Johnson and Dr. Keith Matthews; Melissa Ross (who owns a successful Pharmaprix drug store in Montreal West). And yes, props to Egbert Gaye, no relation to the late, great Marvin, who started his own newspaper, called CommunityCONTACT.
Anyways, the Ways and Means Committee called off the picket because there was inside information that a lot of negative types would not be there because they shouldn’t be, a lot of them are just wannabes.
The word is out that next year, or the year after, it might be Michelle. (If you don’t know who she is, you’ve been living in a cave). I’m talking about the woman who soon will be the former First Lady of the United States. Or perhaps her husband.
When he comes to Montreal he will have two Secret Service people with him because that’s how they do it in the USA. Former presidents have Secret Service agents assigned to them for a certain period of time.
If Barack Obama comes, because he is a person of color—Black—he could have a gun put to his temple if he’s shopping in downtown Montreal like was done to former Montreal Expos Hall of Famer, Andre Dawson. There was another resounding Amen in the barbershop.
It’s unfortunate that racism is still big business, and always will be, because it’s like cancer, you don’t always know that you have it.
If there were no racism in North America, Donald Trump, presidential candidate would not be as popular as he is.
Which is why Sean “Puffy” Coombs, a.k.a. P. Diddy, says “it’s all about the Benjamins.”
And regardless of the situation we’re (living in), remember what Albert Einstein said, “Next to oxygen money is everything.”
