| There is no
doubt about it : Chuck Turner for City Council
By: Jacques Dady Jean |
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Chuck Turner, a long-time Roxbury militant, seeks the district 7 seat
vacated by City Councilor Gareth Saunders. How many of these candidates will the black
community have to tolerate before the most popular Mayor of Boston, Thomas M. Menino,
decides to accept a diplomatic position and make his legacy history? Shame on Tracey
Lithcutt…! It’s like a tragedy, every election season, to see how low a black
man can bend for the sake of power. Tracey is another joker, with his very
attracting slogan: "There is no racial problem in Boston."
Tracey seems to be relying only on Mayor Menino to come forward to help him win a district election, although there is no marked indication so far that the Mayor is making any efforts to boost Tracey’s candidacy. Nevertheless, Tracey is not the first candidate in Boston to claim of being the Mayor’s chosen candidate, Caleb Derosier, Vicky Middleton and Barry Lawton all used this same losing tactic. Tracey’s attitude has surprised the community. According to Roxbury resident Charles Gifford, he was always considered as a decent citizen until he preferred to lag his community behind rather than losing an election with dignity. Gifford said: "If Tracey would like to challenge the heroes of his community for the purpose of making a name for himself, he should have come along with his posse . . . the Roxbury residents will still laugh at him but black to black, they will advise the jokers to see counselors. The fact that he is trying to intimidate the community by pretending that he is a downtown candidate makes him look like a traitor." Gifford thinks that it is disrespectful to this community for a Roxbury candidate to use his alleged acquaintance with a white elected official as an electoral issue. The residents of Roxbury seem to agree that Tom Menino is a good Mayor, but many have said they are not more likely to support a candidate just because he is the Mayor’s friend. Samuel Durand, a native of Haiti who moved to Roxbury 19 years ago, considers Chuck Turner as a great revolutionary activist and a friend of the people, he is a patriot and he believes in unity and tolerance. |
Professor Yves A. Isidor, of UMASS, remembers the days when Chuck Turner was fighting the government to stop them from putting up a super highway through the middle of Boston. Chuck Turner fought for minority entrepreneurs; he formed a diversity alliance that included Blacks, Latinos, Asians and others to advocate on behalf of small construction companies. The result of Chuck Turner’s leadership has had a positive impact in this community. Turner and his friend Mel King, a living hero of Roxbury have together encouraged young black people to go to college. According to the testimony of Professor Jim West of Wentworth Institute of Technology, Chuck Turner and Mel King used to knock the offices of the private colleges and universities to urge them to admit more black students. Chuck’s contribution to end domestic violence cannot be denied there are so many families in Roxbury that are still thankful to him for saving them. He used to provide counseling to families affected by domestic violence. As a candidate, Turner has a very impressive agenda; he does not rely on the shoulders of downtown giants. Of course he will work with the mayor, but his first concern is his community. He promises to continue to work to end domestic violence. He will continue to work to improve the quality of city services. He will work with his community to make education work for the children of his district. He plans to develop realistic job strategies for the district seven residents and develop Land Use Policies for city owned land in the communities that benefits District seven. Besides his historic past and his extensive accomplishment as a community organizer, Chuck is not alone; he is surrounded by the best community leaders and activists of Roxbury. A smart community replaces a great man with another great man, not with a house slave. In addition, if Mel King recommends this community a candidate, there is no doubt he deserves your vote. It is unfortunate that my friend and partner Arthur Sutton jumped on the wrong train and threw his support to Tracey. Chuck’s train is large enough and it will never leave any one behind no matter the skin color or country of origin. Sutton, you still can meet us in Jackson Square. After all, it is only elections time in Boston . . . See you brotha and sistah in the victory party. ¨
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