A kid is looking for a home while adults want to party, party, partaaay…
Benjamin Wh
ite and a few of his friends organized and founded Veterans Taxi Company. This is not Black history; this is part of Montreal’s history, where Blacks are concerned.
Professor raised his hand up and said, “We should be talking about the summer, summer camps, not about P.K Subban, the hockey player. There are many years to talk about him. He’s rich, Black and something will happen for everybody to talk about him… But I agree, summer camps are important.”
Professor put up his hand and asked everybody to be quiet.
He said, “Do you know that if you’re retired, you better keep in touch with Veronica because she has the resources to help you.”
Oh My God said, “Who is Veronica and how can she make a difference?”
“Veronica is in charge of the Cavendish Seniors day Centre on Cavendish, the old CLSC building, just below Sherbrooke Street.”
Now That’s Been Said, stated, “It’s about time Veronica got her own place, she will make big changes in people’s lives.”
There was an “Amen” in the barbershop.
Just Chillin said, “You can say that again.”
“It’s about time…”
There was another “Amen” from everyone.
Professor said, “Something is happening in the USA, and believe me, when something is going on in the U.S. it affects us (Blacks) too. A lot of “Uncle Toms” will not admit it, and that’s why they’re called “Uncle Toms” but something is going on.
It was better in the old days for white folks; you could hang Blacks, throw them into rivers and drown them (Emmett Till); you could shoot them dead and say it was an accident. You could think of all kinds of creative ways to kill, murder and do what you want to Blacks and get away with it, but now (2015) a lot of people have cell phones with cameras, and because of that, when Blacks or whites get killed/murdered by the authorities, footage of the incident is all over.
Dropout said, “I was reading the Contact, April 30, 2015, Mark Saunders is Toronto’s first Black Police chief.” So what! Look at Baltimore, the police chief is Black, there are many chiefs of police in the USA who are Black. Now if the mayor is Black, good, and if the executive committee at the City Hall has some Blacks on the Executive Committee and they are Black, but not “Uncle Toms” great. I like what the article said about the “Community workers” in Toronto, not “community leaders” because Toronto, like Montreal, has leaders who are Black and Toronto has about 500 thousand Blacks.
Toronto has a Caribana festival that generates 400 million dollars and the “brothers” and “sisters” don’t get a big piece of the money. White folks are still benefitting from Black culture. Jazz festival, owned and run by whites, and we all know Jazz is rooted Black music.
Now That’s Been Said said, “A lot of times it’s difficult to read Contact, when you read an article about Jim, 3, a rambunctious child who is full of energy and very gentle with younger children. He’s looking for a foster home, call Batshaw Youth and Family Centers at 514-932-7161, local 1139. Then you turn the pages of Contact and read about Montreal Caribbean Fashion Week. When all Jim, 3, needs is a home to grow up in, with loving, caring adults… This is another reason why society does not take Blacks seriously. A kid is looking for a home while the adults want to party, party, party… When will it stop?”
Avalon, the hairstylist to the stars, said “Oh My God” is not a hairdresser she’s a hairstylist, when you leave her you look like a star. Maybe that’s why she’s always very busy. There was an “Amen” from the baby mothers in the barbershop.
Everybody on the Ways and Means Committee agreed that Boucherie Notre-Dame is the best place to buy goat and oxtails and the rest of the food from “back home” (the Caribbean). “Down home” is Nova Scotia. But nobody could agree on who makes the best Jerk chicken, souse, hard food or sorrel. Everybody came up with a different restaurant, or house or church.
Professor said, “We’re going to have apply for a government grant and do some research.”
Did you know that back in 1979 in Saint-Henri/Little Burgundy, yearly income per capita was $4,920 (Statistics Canada); Juvenile delinquency ratio ranges from 60 to 80 percent. The highest in Montreal theft and property damage account for the majority of crimes committed.
The telephone rang in the barbershop, Rufus the barber told Now That’s Been Said to answer it. It was Hampstead Harry; he said he was going to stop by then pick up some rents from a few of his Black tenants. He wanted to be in the barbershop alone, he wanted to talk about the new police chief in Toronto, a Black guy. Fifteen minutes later Hampstead Harry pulled up in his SUV. He entered the barbershop and said that he doesn’t like to go anywhere where there are too many Blacks, because a lot of Blacks are wearing very expensive brand name clothing, lots of jewelry, that’s all good, but they have no visible source of income.
Then Hampstead Harry started talking about the new police chief in Toronto. He said, “a new police chief, so what!” I’ll tell you why, he’s Black and Toronto has about 500 thousand Blacks and now in this year (2015) a police can walk up to any Black man or Black woman and ask them information about themselves, their identity, who are you, show me your ID. It’s called Carding. They don’t do that to whites. What’s bad about this is that the new police chief endorses this policy, which means he has no power to help Blacks. And you can believe that same policy will be coming to Quebec for “you guys” (Blacks). The new police chief of Toronto is not or near as powerful as the president of the USA, and the president of the USA is Black and has no power.
Then Hampstead Harry said, “You guys (Blacks), Black faces in high, powerful places, but with no power.” Your youth have been spoon-fed with the election of Barack Obama, the first Black President of the USA.
Look at the protests in Philadelphia, New York City, Baltimore, and Ferguson. I know all about “you people” (Blacks); my housekeeper is Black. I collect rents from a few of “you guys. Believe me, you guys (Blacks) can protest, march all day and night, pray and pray, you will get heard, but who cares. You have to get organized and build economically; it’s all about the money.
“You people have no community, no leaders; leaders must have followers, the people leading your youth are getting their funding from the “system,” so your youth are getting an NSF cheque. I don’t feel sorry for “you guys” because you have access to all the information that you need to build something bigger than yourselves and I don’t mean your churches, unless you own the building.
I read Community Contact, my housekeeper picks it up for herself, but I read it. So I know all about you guys (Blacks.)”
Hampstead Harry then said, “I tell my housekeeper that the most dangerous Black in society is one that has a library card, why? Because a lot of information is at the library. She listens to me, but she’s still my housekeeper, why? Because she needs money. She is from the Caribbean, but she likes Luther Vandross, Nat “King” Cole, Bob Marley, Miles Davis and a lot of music created or sung by Afro-American artists. Her favorite is Patti Labelle, and her favorite music from the Caribbean is Bob Marley’s. She didn’t know that “my people” are the distributors of the music she listens to. She thought it was “her people,” because they sang it. I told her, “It will always be like this. It’s called, organization.”
I don’t mind helping my housekeeper, because she is paying for her children’s education with the salary that I give her.”
Then Hampstead Harry said, “I should charge you guys for talking to you, because I’m giving you too much information, but I know all about you guys, you would not pay. We have our own library, you guys don’t. I’m getting depressed talking about what you guys don’t have. I have to go and collect more rents. It was your pleasure talking with me. Bye.”
Dropout came into the barbershop, and he said, “Did you know that squirrels are looking for us? They think we’re nuts.”
Professor said, “Don’t get angry with what Dropout said, he’s right. The squirrels are looking for us, they think we’re nuts.”
