by Dr. Steve Gallon III

About 5 days ago I spoke to the entire male student population at Miami Northwestern. I recounted my days as a student there and growing up only blocks away from where 15-year old Johnny Lubin was shot to death in broad daylight. He was shot on 77th street. I grew up on 74th.

Johnny was the fourth student from the school killed since August of this current school year.

I also recounted the different paths that many of my friends and schoolmates took---some that led to success and self sufficiency while others led to prison, poverty, or an early death.

My heart is heavy knowing that 15-year old freshman Johnny Lubin was in the assembly at the time. That he heard my voice and words, and placed some sort of stock in them that his future was bright, possible, and bound with opportunities that would enable him to seek and fulfill his life's goals and dreams. I'm thinking, knowing that when I speak I look into the eyes of my audience---did his eyes meet mine?

Yet, my greatest fear is that some who sat and listened among the crowd of nearly 700 male students know what happened, know who did it, or even worse, are the perpetrators of this act and thieves who, with the pull of a trigger, stole the life and future away from Johnny.

What is happening now in the urban core with the recent killings of four students is unprecedented. I know. I served 25 years as a professional educator in this space.

These acts debunk the notion that such violence only occurs in public housing, in the thick of poverty, and under the veil of darkness---and within a set of rules grounded in an unwritten code on the streets. And that the state of emergency in the urban core with respect to youth violence and homicide only applies to the Windy City of Chicago.

Senseless youth violence and homicide have quietly made their way to Miami---just a stone's throw away from the glitz and glamor of the Design District and the allure of South Beach. The deaths of two young black males on I-95 brought traffic to a grinding halt on Monday. When will our "State of Emergency" arrive?

This new breed of cowardly savages lives and kills with impunity. They have no rules.

And yes, while I pray for France, I also pray for the families, the student body, and the members of my community---in my own backyard--that are continuously affected by these senseless, cowardly acts of violence and forced to live among these terrorists in our home communities we know as the urban core.

I also pray that we as a community have not accepted the violent, snatching of lives as the new normal.

And I pray that the killer or killers were not among us in the auditorium about 5 days ago breathing the same air as Johnny and I only to take his last breath away with the pull of a trigger 5 days later.

‪#‎RealTalk‬

Thank you for your feedback on my original commentary on the racist internet chat incident among Palmetto High lacrosse players. Because of that incident, my friend Eric Pettus, who is a lacrosse enthusiast, former collegiate player and coach, shared his experience with a former Palmetto High lacrosse coach. Let me reiterate this was a former Palmetto Lacrosse coach, not anyone on the current coaching staff. Children live what they learn…  

In the late nineties I decided that I'd volunteer to coach Lacrosse at a public high school in Miami and I called Palmetto High. I gave the coach via telephone my Lacrosse Playing Resume (which started at the age of 10 and lasted until age 40). Long story short, the coach invited me to come and meet him at the team’s game that day. They were playing Ransom Everglades Academy in Coconut Grove. My office at the time was in Coral Gables just across US 1. The coach (not the current coach) gave me directions and while doing so advised me not to stop my car in the black neighborhood. Needless to say when I showed up as a black man and announced that I made sure not to stop in the black neighborhood he was quite embarrassed. Open mouth insert foot and crawl under the table embarrassed. I didn't let his ignorance stop me from volunteering I volunteered at Ransom Everglades!!!

I’m sure coach thought he was protecting Pettus who he thought was white. Surely he might have been attacked had he stopped in the black neighborhood. Obviously, Eric Pettus didn’t ‘sound’ black to the coach. Surely no black person would have so much experience in lacrosse, right? Wrong.

Again, though uncomfortable and embarrassing to many, this is a teachable moment. We can allow this to swept under the rug or we can talk openly and honestly about race. The incident at Palmetto High is not likely an isolated one in our schools throughout this country. Once the Palmetto incident became public, the school district should have held a town hall meeting to inform the public on actions it has taken and answered questions of concerned residents. This is a serious matter. Don’t forget that in addition to the racist remarks, threats to kill were made.

There is a passionate exchange of viewpoints regarding this situation on the Facebook page of Around Pinecrest. Some commenters, who know the boys, say the boys are not racist, they were following others, etc. etc. etc. Newsflash, the boys either made racist comments or went along with the racist comments. Did any of them show support for the one black player on the team who spoke up about the offensive chat? If they didn’t, that makes them cowardly racists. Those children knew better. Let’s acknowledge the truth and move on from there. On the other hand, Pinecrest Mayor Cindy Lerner, who I admired even before this incident, is livid and thinks the team should be suspended for a year.

Unfortunately, there are many perfectly innocent Palmetto students who have nothing to do with hate speech, who will be painted with the broad brush of being perceived as racist. I was reminded that only 8 of the 40 players on the Palmetto lacrosse team were involved in this incident. Hopefully the remainder of the team and the student body outraged by the comments of their schoolmates, will learn from this also. All of the students need to understand that this situation is NOT about “dumb actions” or “social media responsibility.” This situation is about racism. Period.

I strongly encourage everyone to join in the community conversation, RACE-STORATION, 6-8:30PM, Thursday, November 12, 2015, Charles Hadley Park Community Center, 1350 NW 50 Street, Miami, FL 33142. We can't fix what we don't face.

“The Holocaust illustrates the consequences of prejudice, racism and stereotyping on a society. It forces us to examine the responsibilities of citizenship and confront the powerful ramifications of indifference and inaction.” - Tim Holden

 @vbyers

Children live what they learn. Even in the exclusive, wealthy area of exquisitely gorgeous homes and perfectly manicured lawns of Pinecrest and Palmetto Bay, Florida, racism and lives and is perpetuated. We know this because of screenshots of excerpts of a GroupMe chat between some Miami Palmetto Senior High School lacrosse players that has been shared on social media.

Throughout the chat, the students cavalierly and hatefully drop the ‘n-bomb’ many times. Please take note of the attempt to distinguish between black people and niggers. The conversation is vile yet eye-opening. Some of the students have claimed to be friends with black students yet their hearts feel otherwise. Reality check. That’s the way the world is and it’s not likely to change. When children make reference to ghetto monkeys taking their tax dollars, you know they are regurgitating comments they’ve heard from adults.

After high school, these same young men that engaged in the conversation --- all white, except one black student --- are more likely to become doctors, lawyers, politicians and business owners than black children. Their decisions could affect the daily lives of many people that they think should be in cages or go back to their monkey habitats. And some folks take issue with the #BlackLivesMatter movement? If you are black, you feel the frustration of the black team member who tries to put the others in check for racists comments that have obviously been made before.

Some people, even black people, prefer to ignore race and racism. “After reviewing what has taken place at Palmetto High, I think it is time to have a conversation,” said Andre Joyce, whose team “the hope dealers” will discuss the issue tomorrow at 11 a.m. on 880 AM THE BIZ . “We will spend a portion of our time on the show talking about how the school and school system can address this matter. Additionally, we will spend some time talking with experts about the race and its effect on teenagers.” This incident is also on the radar of the local branch of the NAACP and branch president, Dr. Shirley B. Johnson has already notified Miami-Dade County Public Schools accordingly. The school district administration met with students on Monday to deal with the incident. The principal, Victoria Dobbs, posted a message about the incident on the school's website.

While I despise the racist rhetoric of the lacrosse players, the hateful, terroristic threats regarding killing blacks are the most egregious and deserving of consequences more severe than ‘counseling’ provided to the eight young men identified as conversation participants. The school district’s new emphasis on reducing the number of suspensions will likely preclude that as an option for punishment, especially for these students. If suspension is not an option, the young men should be required to do community service and the district should provide them mandatory racial sensitivity training.

While this article is about a private internet group chat among Miami Palmetto Senior High School students, rest assured, it is likely not an isolated incident in our schools throughout this nation. Schools are microcosms of our society. When our nation’s first black president is openly disrespected and blacks are subjected to police brutality with alarming frequency, why should we really expect anything different than the conversation of the Palmetto lacrosse players. Children live what they learn.

 @vbyers