Stillreppin'

I remember the sound of a high speed camera shutter. Click, click, click, click, click click… I remember thinking don’t give them the satisfaction of any emotion on your face for them to print over and over. I remember feeling a man walk up behind me and almost instinctively, putting my hands behind my back. I remember thinking, “damn, no stay of execution? Jail? What the fuck?” I remember nodding to my brother and my close friend Melanie. That camera shutter still click, click, click, click. I remember being taken back to the holding cell, having to remove the laces from my black dress boots and my belt. Then the clerk emerges and says, “damn shame, everyone in that courtroom knows you’re innocent” – And that’s when it was etched in my brain permanently that the court system ain’t shit.

I remember saying to myself “damn, you shouldn’t have skipped breakfast this morning”

To encourage leadership, civic engagement and competition in and around electoral politics, I have spent hours with others creating an eight week course to help prepare candidates, campaign operatives and civic leaders to understand and lead both electoral and civic campaigns. Each cohort will be intentionally small and provide adequate time for Q&A and sharing.

The information shared has been gathered and practiced for over 20 years on the ground experience in various capacities not limited to but including (customer service management, training specialist, volunteer, board chair person, candidate, legislator, consultant) on electoral and civic campaigns.

This effort is separate from any private consulting offered to clients through http://www.CH2group.com

If you are interested in a seat in this or future cohorts, please email me: Los@stillreppin.com

There are less than 5 seats left for our cohort beginning Tuesday December 15, 2020

more background:

I currently operate a small consulting company called CH2 Group.

I have been in and around civics and politics for most of my middle aged life in Boston and parts of Massachusetts. As I previously mentioned, along the way before I crossed from civics to electoral politics, I was the benefactor of a training course that delved into many different elements of campaigning, public life, governing and more.

After speaking to past instructors and participants, I am offering to share much of that training as well as my personal experiences.

To quantify some of my experience I will list the types of campaigns I’ve been a part of:

• Carlos Henriquez Boston City Council District 7 (2007)
• Carlos Henriquez Boston City Council District 7 (2009)
• Carlos Henriquez State Representative 5th Suffolk District (2010)
• Carlos Henriquez State Representative 5th Suffolk District (2012)
• Carlos Henriquez Boston City Council (2017)

• Michael Flaherty Boston City Council At-large (2005) Roxbury coordinator
• Deval Patrick Campaign for Governor (2006) Canvasser, coordinator
• Frank Baker Boston City Council District 3 (2011) – cabinet and ward 15 coordinator
• Linda Dorcena-Forry State Senator 1st Suffolk District (2012)
• John Barros for Mayor (2013 primary) – kitchen cabinet
• Marty Walsh for Mayor (2013 final) – kitchen cabinet
• Liz Miranda State Representative 5th Suffolk District (2018)
• Rachael Rollins District Attorney Suffolk County (2018)

• Numerous others

Each campaign is different from the last but all of them with the same structures, systems and similar goals. It is the aim of this training to educate you on these and make them easier for you to navigate.

for more info: Los@stillreppin.com

In part one, I shared parts of my life both highs and lows that I felt needed more balance.

Even those things that happened in the past left their mark and I wanted to know how to carry them better, put some of them down for good, etc.

I needed a coach. Same way I would use a fitness trainer or a basketball skills coach is how I use my therapist. To coach me on better practices for controlling my mind, emotions and perspectives.

In this episode, I detail a few different experiences, what worked and what didn’t.

press play

 

Dear Sheriff,

I initially shook my head when I saw you post this. I wondered to myself if you are willfully ignorant of the fallacy you offered or whether you remain unaware.

I wondered as Suffolk county sheriff, if this is your lens, how much empathy and understanding you possess around civil unrest.

Then I looked to see all the people liking the post, many of whom would have probably at a minimum verbally assaulted Rosa Parks if they were on the bus. Because you and they seem to be all about “the law”. Whether just or not.

I get it though, you are now a law man.

I call this post bullshit. Rosa Parks is displaying a defiant act of civil unrest. She was met with violence. But you, through this post portray it as her peace created a peaceful resolution.  Bullshit.

It took over a year of a community boycotting and marching and carpooling and walking miles to work to change the racist policy. But you dishonor that sacrifice, that pursuit of justice with a graphic that almost trivialized the risk she is taking by just sitting.

I know, and I hope you know if Rosa Parks had set that bus a blaze, she probably been killed or critically wounded.

But here you offer her as a docile black woman when in fact she and others before her are taking a defiant risk so your ass could choose a seat.

Recommended listening to move us from protest to policy change. This is a very quick overview of how a bill about “qualified immunity” decertification of police” or “escalating power” gets regulated…

 

When thinking about my encounters and battles with racists and racism…

“At times, I feel sad, hurt, upset, angry and helpless. At times, I feel like I’m going insane in an effort to maintain my sanity. At times, I feel tired. Sometimes, I then  beat myself up mentally for feeling this way. I’m tired of that too!”

We may not agree on what needs to be done.
We may not know what needs to be done.

I hope we can agree more needs to be done because nothing to date has created meaningful, lasting change.

Somewhere deep down I fear becoming remembered through a hashtag.

But we’ll come back to the hashtag activism later…this recording discusses some of the mental health impacts the tens of thousands if not hundreds of thousands of murders like Ahmaud Arbery’s I believe has on myself and others.

 

A few headlines and a few opinions

May 7, 2020

Boston, MA

Mentioned links:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdE3sDG0DclqI4zVorGYxj7BB4Z7NArzZRD4YcFtManzOazhg/viewform  (via Jamarhl Crawford)

https://www.lindawellnesswarrior.com/  (via Linda Wells)