It is the Fourth of July weekend 2016. People are in a festive mood as America once again celebrates its Independence. For the past few nights, I have been hearing the laughter and excitement of children as they set off their (illegal?) fireworks all in the name of fun. This is a time for cookouts, parties, and of course the Macy's annual Fourth of July fireworks display. I am one of the millions of New Yorkers invited to a cookout. Although there is no set dress code, people come in their summer best to this annual event: crisp linen, sun dresses, designer sandals, and sunglasses. People sporting newly twisted locks, arriving clean shaven with tight hairlines, while ladies make certain to get their hair and nails "did." All of this in preparation for a fantastic evening!

This BBQ is an annual event that takes place in an eloquent setting, the home of one of our church members. There will be plenty of food, music, loved ones, and church members. The decor will be amazing and, of course, there will be plenty of drinks to go around, dancing, and children running about. Happy guests will make certain to bring home leftovers. Yes, the food IS that incredible! So, having just graduated from Medgar Evers College with a new job, I decided to temporarily let go the worry of rent and reward myself by buying something brand new to wear this year.

I am hanging at a friend's house this holiday weekend in order to get "turnt up" early. He and his nephew will also attend the cookout. He lives near a collection of stores, where designer duds are sold (often on sale). The stores are literally at the end of his block. As I left early Saturday morning to find some new gear to wear to the cookout, I saw something I had not ever noticed in this area before gentrification reared its ugly head. A mere three minutes from my friend's apartment, I saw plenty of homeless people. There were a group of four to five just at the end of the block. As I turned the corner, there was a woman covered in dirt asleep on the sidewalk on the south side of the street. Directly across the street, was a man sleeping on the sidewalk. He too was covered in dirt. In front of one of the stores, was yet another homeless man covered in dirt begging for change. It was then that I realized something about my own neighborhood.

Gentrification has already set in reducing my status from the majority to the minority in a once Black dominated neighborhood. What I realized is that the homeless have become hidden (or chased away) from my neighborhood. I know it is only a matter of time before this happens in my friend's neighborhood. Homeless people, often people of color, are chased off in order to beautify the streets. People forced from their homes and then chased away from the streets they once lived. I count my Blessings.

Once the festivities of the BBQ are over, I, along with the 60 plus guests, have the collective ability to do something we all take for granted. We are able to leave the cookout and take our partied out behinds to our prospective homes and lay our heads down for the night. Aside from the occasional blurb on the news, and stepping over someone on the street, no one is really conscious of the seriousness of this grave issue plaguing NYC. Currently, there are over 60,067 and counting homeless people in the city of New York. These beautiful souls won't be but a thought during Independence day festivities, as they are no longer considered an important part of our society. It may be out of fear, anger, or even pity, that these people are constantly overlooked. So who will rescue them if not us?

The fight to help the homeless is more of a grassroots movement, as the people in the offices are too busy pointing fingers instead of coming up with solutions. This, coupled with the fact that landlords thrive on taking financial advantage of tenants, exacerbates the problem. The Coalition for the Homeless explains in the online article "Basic Facts About Homelessness: New York City" that the homeless problem in NYC is 90 percent higher than it was 10 years ago. They argue that this problem is the worst it has been since the Great Depression. I don't even have to mention that people of color find themselves on the short end of it all as the vast majority of the homeless are minorities. The article informs that "African-American and Latino New Yorkers are disproportionately affected by homelessness." The coalition cites evictions, unsafe living conditions, and domestic violence among some of the reasons. To paraphrase Karl Marx's conflict perspective of society, the proletariat (working class--us) is at the mercy of the landlord class (property owners--them), who in turn have the power and ability to affect the lives of those who pay rent. The landlords are not worried about survival, they are out to make a profit, plain and simple. It's all about that dolla dolla bill, y'all! This is the very fuel that keeps the homeless crisis fire raging.

Keeping it real, we all know and collectively understand that the true reason for the uptick in the homeless situation here in NYC is nothing more than pure unadulterated greed. The landlords are greedy as hell and they will charge as much as they can to anyone who is willing to pay for it. To quote former politico Jimmy McMillian, "the rent is too damned high," and unfortunately, it is people of color who find themselves being priced out. I was made aware by a member of my church that there are currently college students in NYC living in rooms for $1000 dollars a month. These rooms are half the size of the rooms that used to go for $400 dollars and less per month. $1000 dollars a month to share a kitchen and bathroom. A room just big enough to accommodate a bed, as the original rooms have been CUT IN HALF so that what was one room, is now two. Of course, these students need a place to stay, and this mixed with the landlords lust for fat pockets price out many (minorities in particular) who will never be able to pay. We search to no avail for help in our elected officials.

The current mayor, who appears to be dragging his feet on this issue, has promised upgrades to the dangerous and hazardous homeless shelters. They proclaim they are running out of room to house the homeless and they have had to close many shelters down due to poor conditions. This is understandable, yet everywhere I turn in NYC, there are new buildings going up with no one offering to house anyone affordably or to even assist in the homeless epidemic. The builders, owners, and landlords don't care that salaries are shrinking or stagnant while food prices, utility bills, and transportation cost are constantly on the rise, with no help or relief in the near future from elected officials. Some officials are blocked from helping while others feign help while continuing to flap their lips and talk a lot of crap. Still others talk a great game plan, yet once elected, sit back and feed off of the fat of the land. One may agree with the premise Jimmy McMillan presents, one of the problems is that we as voters are brainwashed. We fall for the rhetoric and are constantly let down. Until we put someone in office who will seriously make it their mission to look out for those less fortunate and tell the fat cats to PUT THE PROVERBIAL FORK DOWN, this problem will continue to grow. Before you know it, there will be all of these wonderful new buildings sitting around NYC empty, because no one will be able to afford the rent.

Someone must step up to the plate and seriously challenge the status quo. NYC men, women, and children, whole entire families are living out in the streets. This is gradually becoming the norm. I pray that someone somewhere in office will get up off his ass, face these greedy bastards, and do something soon. If anyone is questioning, yes, I plan to do my part. I have to continue with my education before I get into the ring and "get ta swingin" once I obtain my degrees. Mark my words, the very moment I pass the bar, you can bet your bottom dollar the political arena will be my next step. I plan to (as we say in my circle of friends) show my Black ass in a huge way and I will make a serious difference. I am going to get loud and I will NOT kowtow to any idiot who has a few more dollars in the bank than I do. Stay tuned, and please, have a happy and safe Independence day. I also ask that you take a moment and pray for those Americans who find themselves without a home and no one to turn to.