DOUBLE YOUR STANDARD, DOUBLE THE FUN
The word on the street this morning is that I am to be the subject of a news conference at Kenndy-King Park at 17th and Broadway. Some “community leaders” are supposed to talk about “issues that threaten to divide our city.” From what I’ve been able to gather this will be about, in part, two of their least favorite young black men in Indianapolis, myself and former Star editorial writer Rishawn Biddle.
I expect to be chastised for my criticism of this town’s Black leadership in a veritable slew of personal attacks about my residency, my diction, upper-middle class financial status and anything else they can come up with. And you know what, I’m fine with that. First it gives me free publicity, which I am always for. Secondly, this is America and everyone has the right to express their opinion, no matter how uninformed it may be.
All I ask from my critics is just a little consistency. If you’re going to attack me or former colleagues for what we say and write, then please do a better job of policing your own. I would hope that at today’s news conference the leaders express their outrage at me, but also at City-Council attorney Aaron Haith for referring to me as the “grandson of Willie Lynch” the legendary slave trader who is believed to have written the book on slavery. Haith later denied making the remark in an exchange with Ike Randolph during Monday’s city-county council meeting. But if it’s bad for one person to say it, then I hope it would be just as bad for someone else to say it, even if they are of the same philosophical persuasion.
