The details herein are beyond complicated. I have tried to make the information tangible by including visuals that I think are relevant to the overall big picture that I am presenting. This read demands reflecting so the images are placed intentionally to help any imagine.
(Digital image cartoon show The Simpson’s has had five disposable cats. I have made a second cat Coltrane named Snowball number six.)
Before reading my perspective reviewing my own interactions with various human beings I want to hyper emphasize that no one is perfect. We all mess up making errors. The problem sits as such because there are too many people ignoring casual mistakes. There are damages that add up making long term neglect. It is easier to politely nod in agreement with complete ignorance right now than to have a backbone and stand up against what is actually wrong.
Do humans blackout terms intentionally? No one has noticed the game of pool has a black eight ball than can win or lose the game. And this eight ball term is also the exact language used when discussing a single purchased quantity of cocaine which is a white powder.
A simple Google search for the worst joke produces an orange stuck in the middle of the road because it ran out of juice.
(Image found using Google altered to fit the present day times).
This same analogy can be placed over the California’s first black Legislator William Byron Rumford the father’s bronze located on Sacramento off of Julia in the crosswalk here in the City of Berkeley. Note there is a bronzed plaque (no photos here https://cezmoore.wixsite.com/lookaway) on the site for his son who held the same name & who was a City Councilman. His son’s claim to fame was removing the old unused railroad tracks that ran through this neighborhood. Site specific this doubled imagery of father and son figures creates a dualism that the black family has influence and stability here. The only off factor is this powerful family doesn’t even live in this town or area anymore. The funniest part is not one soul cares why they don’t live here.
(Rumford bronze speaks concerned words luv love. The letters reveal UO in the middle understanding that the letter E is most frequently used letter).
(Two words posted for Valentine’s Day 2022).
The real question for any person walking by or driving past Sacramento and Julia in Berkeley is why is a black man stuck in the middle of the road?
The statue is an awkward eye sore made specifically for that location. If the artist was an actual artist versus a fame seeking local media celebrity the statue would have real discernible dignity. Any real artist would have demanded real placement for the subject matter by placing the statue at Ashby. Had this statue been placed at Ashby his presence would amplify growth for this neighborhood. Please understand this statue does nothing but have driver’s thinking someone alive is in the middle trying to cross the road.
Respect dignity and understanding however is not anyone’s intent. The homeowners with buying power are all white and most do not care. In fact until a bunch of white people get together agreeing that it is a actual problem nothing can or will be done. My problem with this statue is that it is a weak copy of a photograph any white male artist can write up a simple proposal to make a better statue. The artist isn’t trained in making real statues she is a decent commercial artist copier making 3D photographs that have pleasing heads to family only. Her sculptures are seeking attention rather than respecting the subject or feeding the community with any joy. I personally spoke with the artist while she was still working on her Huey Newton sculpture and she expressed hope that “they like it.” No actual artist makes real art hoping it is liked. Seeing I was speaking with a black woman married to a retired white football player I had to question to myself who is the “they” that she is trying to please? I assume she was implying that she has to cater to impressing families memories with zero art comprehension. This finalized Newton statue to me looks like a busted hind and quartered dismembered slave. This is my perspective others may feel something different.
Now what has recently been presented to me is that a retired Councilwoman pushed for this bronze crosswalk Rumford statue. Personally I never saw or heard of any legitimate search for a real talented artist. Given that this project was the artist’s first project it holds a lot of mistakes that she is continuing to use. This artist’s amateur works fits perfectly inside the seafood lounge Scott’s located in Downtown Oakland as posh dining.
Every time I pass this bronze statue I am flashed subconsciously with the eyesore of why is a black man stuck in the middle of Berkeley’s road.
Condoned tokenism amplifying racism might be the only actual appropriate answer. Anyone living in the City of Berkeley can respond to the question of why is there a black man in the middle of the road by saying he was the only black man given real juice and is stuck out in the middle of the crosswalk because this city refuses to give any other black people juice. No joke or pun intended. For him to acquire the property and position of power his family has to have had committed white allies. Interestingly his housing project sets a real standard for maintaining modernized affordable living while the rest of the neighborhood is on a downward spiral pushing out any black family awareness locally.
Today white allies are playing both sides in a very clever manner if one studies what is actually happening. Specifically I am meaning there are individuals using white privilege to its fullest while claiming to support people of color as actual community. Personally I am not toying around catering to people who disrespect the pain and struggle that being black holds. This South Berkeley neighborhood was designed and redlined to be an exclusive black owned neighborhood. All the really good strong black families have been pushed out and moved away. Today the decent people that are left or move here are hidden trying to maintain their households expenses without real collective visible community support.
(The taco truck originally this wall started out orange someone came and imposed the silver paint which was not legible. I wrote the green words love which initiated a paint battle. This person has a lot of money and paints a lot of whining if one actual reads typography fonts).
(A few blocks away at Dwight & Sacramento this tag looks like it says fans and or font).
I need any reader to process that I am not a graffiti artist nor do I want to be affiliated or profiled as just an artist. I am an imagination lobbyist and demand to be described as such. I am pushing for people to think and I am trying to educate everyone that everything is connected especially living in this neighborhood. Having Afro-Caribbean blood in my family tree I can relate and display the word soy. Soy is a major part of the Asian diet reviewing soy beans and soy sauce. Also soy is Spanish and interprets as I am. If we reverse these three letters we get the word yos singular yo indicates the word “I.” My cousins grew up in Spain so my family has very complex extraordinary dynamics that interlace us to all nations. Just reviewing my surname is Moore the actual meaning is ample surplus and the face value is simply an addition indicating more.
(I am hyper aware that children will view this wall. Longfellow Middle school is two blocks away).
Painting has different levels and most art production has an attention grabbing factor that lures the viewer. Graffiti has different levels as well. There is street smear to large format visuals that impact areas. I have made this street art specifically because education is required. It is problematic that this Bay Area is referenced as the Yay Area and that there are billboards advertising child prostitution and human trafficking as an ongoing increasing problem. The City of Berkeley is stuck presenting that it is a hip liberal town while no one has noticed that there is a marry anyone but another black person or be lighter than a paper bag try to present self as white to be accepted as a an actual black person. This simple spouse color pattern can be placed over City Council members who are of color. Also there is a real conservative quiet racist air that operates openly. I say this specifically because I had a 15 year old girl’s mother tell me that I didn’t know my place like it was 1930’s segregation separate but equal living here in 2019.
(Oakland’s largest mural on the downtown Marriott Hotel painted by an artist who lives in another state. The biggest problem is she doesn’t have hands that are intact. This image speak miles to disabling the female youth).
As humans we all make mistakes and errors. I am going to discuss my perspective of recent interactions with different white allies. I want to be very clear that their perspectives are very different than mine. I am explaining my perspective because I hope that others can relate. I am not stating I am correct. I am only presenting that I conduct my conversations differently. I try not to place my assumptions telling anyone what they should or shouldn’t do. However that is exclusively only how I think that I conduct my communication with people. How my actual conversations plays out to other people may be viewed completely differently than what I think especially if I am
triggered. I am not a perfect person and I do not pretend to be such.
The first interaction is with a man who is a local famous musician. This person communicates with me holding zero compassion and no understanding of my life when we talk. If this person admitted that he understood my circumstances he would have to change his whole process in communicating with me. When we talk he has to compare every factor that I address with him through himself comparing himself to me while never acknowledging his white male privilege. Our last conversation he told me that every time he talks to me he learns something as if I didn’t know what I talk about and present as my very own exchange. And the amusing part is he felt compelled to tell me to channel my energy while he has zero respect that I actually hold the advance degree in being aware or consciousness. Our last conversation I asked him to describe or name an African toy. He couldn’t. I told him that is because the dreidel is the top stolen toy. The religious story of exodus took knowledge spinning twisting the atlas as we know it today. He didn’t acknowledge that that example alone taught him something right then and there. He felt very secure in telling what I should do with my energy while ignoring me as a valid person capable of thinking beyond his advise’s capacity.
The second interaction was with the owner of a community nonprofit garden on site where I painted. November 2021 in passing no real conversation exchanged I told him that I had painted his exterior wall with the giant eyes. He was very precise in telling me that it wasn’t his wall. I only mentioned it to him just in case someone wanted to know who painted the large eyes on the exposed plain black wall. At that point and time I knew that the wall belonged to Taco Truck. In January I spoke with the owner of taco truck informing him that I had painted the eyes. I explained briefly that I wanted to paint the wall for Black History Month with zero apologies. The owner is of Mexican descent and he gave me extreme respect fully honoring me by allowing me to use my judgement to impart what I saw as fit. As I was photographing final stages to finishing this painted wall the keeper of the community garden decided to impart his unsolicited wisdom. He told me he used to be a graffiti artist and he wished I hadn’t painted the wall. Clearly I told him I didn’t ask for his opinion. I informed him that real art doesn’t ask for likes or dislikes. He projected so much negativity in a matter of seconds onto me it triggered me. He then had the nerve and audacity asking me why I was triggered. I lost my composure and told him I wasn’t sleeping under him and didn’t need his approval. And emphasized my position by telling him to “completely F*CK off.”
(Turns out this community garden has been hit by random graffiti tagging with no efforts to clean or remove this bleed that reads as, “Oh babe” reading the green paint and unreadable black paint that appears to be a letter m with an arrow possibly).
At this point I saw there was no reasoning with him. So to confirm my immediate suspicions I asked him if he was white. He responded pointing at his arm stating that he is pink and freckled. I explained to him that his pink slip nature was imposing on a conversation that was being presented as something for all races everybody. I explained that I am mixed with everything already and I am part white. I told him he couldn’t see anything beyond the two spaces that operate as his business. He then tried to tell me his business is a non profit and there is no profit. What is really sad is this is a very 1980’s uninformed way of defending a nonprofit. In 2022 any non profit that hasn’t figured out how to operate making profits isn’t legitimately working well as a non profit.
My personal issue with the man is he approached me with only the very worst negative assumptions. He didn’t ask any questions and thought I would value his opinion automatically. He assumed didn’t use any pink on the inside of his body to think I would have spoken with the owner after he told me it wasn’t his wall. I bring this incident up because this man has created made actual people with a black woman despite his denial of being white. He has figured out how to pretend to be an ally while only respecting people only if they defer to him as the expert present. Personally I felt raped by the incident instantly because to me he was being a violating greedy pig imposing the worst exclusively Eurocentric values. His pink is on the outside only. My pink on the inside pumping my brain heart and lungs. If he has to pick claiming a color he washes his white down using blood of others never owning his privilege and dominance.
(Not clear if this was condoned or just posted up this location is parallel to the Sacramento taco truck wall this can be seen on San Pablo Avenue this is signed by mural visionaries).
I want to describe another situation that I witnessed with my next door neighbor. My neighbor is a white male who owns a home next door to the apartment building I live in. Every person in my building defaults to this man like he owns the only right way. He recently married a woman of color and produced a second son. His second wife is Hawaiian. He has an older son with a white woman. The first son is teenage. This man is living the beach life. I personally first hand witnessed this man tell man an older white woman who was walking her dog that yes his infant son’s name was difficult weird and that his mother had picked it out. Later on when he was alone I told this man that I wanted to meet his son. Fact is he never introduced me to his child. The mother finally introduced me to their son explaining that his name means strength. Now what is interesting and why I explain this observation is that this family is technically mixed but holds zero support for people of color. Three years ago when I chalked the street at the beginning of covid-19 lockdown they assumed this simple act with chalk was illegal. And informed me that they went to some place secret to chalk. If this family has zero support for me as their neighbor who rents they certainly have no concern that the statue of a black man who established low income housing locally is down the street from their home indicating their neighborhood and household is racist. No one cares that black people have been marginalized and robbed so that white and mixed families can own a house and privilege over actual original native black families.
(Chalk Art that I initiated with a neighbor child who left their chalk out. I brought them more chalk two rulers and two stencils. I wrote out “kid dream big mark my two lips.” The words luv love are by me. I’ve tried to go by and introduce myself twice).
Black People have an autopilot respect that operates to please white people’s feelings first. Quite frequently when I have worked with local Youth of Color I have seen that caucasians/people of European descent/or white people are elevated as the only talent and only authority present. I mentioned these incidents because black people do not have anyone playing for their team or side. Every black person is seeking to not be associated as low class and conducting competition to be the only worthy black person pursuing the illusion of being the master of their own domain. There is no unity being black which exacts why Black Lives Matters is so very important. The only thing promoted consistently is hustle and getting over on whomever to stack personal riches. It is impossible for everyone to have their own empire. If everyone is willing to exploit and dominate only consumption is nurtured. This nosh makes it inevitable that growth becomes stagnate and halted. The math is simple to create growth. One doesn’t plant a fruit tree and expect the fruit to appear the next day. Growth has to be nurtured and it requires lots of time to develop the actual productive cycle. Love doesn’t place limitations. Sincere real love cares and allows for even more and doesn’t weigh out errors over success. Kind real love holds a space for any and everyone that is what makes community. The fact that people are excluded and deemed as unworthy is beyond problematic and explains why homelessness is growing versus decreasing.
In closing I would like to emphasize my deepest appreciation to Tacos Sinaloa’s Berkeley location Shrimp Taco Truck. My goal in painting their wall space was to also create an environment that the food truck workers are excited to enjoy and bring good food to. This is a small ecosystem that should be all working together on every level. Black People are forced to play ignorant dumb & cower to those who are deemed as our allies.
We are in year eight of a decade designed by The United Nations to celebrate Africa. Personally I have not heard one word spoken publicly about this honoring by any American politicians or any other World Leaders. My actual congress person Congresswoman Barbara Lee was appointed by President Biden to have special service to the UN. I haven’t heard one word about the UN since she was given that position. The only thing that has happened is Maya Angelou was thrown on the reverse of the quarter versus Harriet Tubman on the twenty dollar bill.
I am trying to be as upfront as possible because Africa doesn’t have any real allies. Viewing the global lens covering all black people all are forced to be allies to other people exclusively proving themselves to be that one and only special black friend. This special treatment isn’t good enough anymore. And currently every white person knows they don’t want to be racist because it is the worst positioning to hold openly while being human. However the harsh cold facts are that they are not giving up a single thing they have to allow any other people access.
This subtle selfishness is why black people still only operate actual financial successful holdings while having handlers. This contractual bond is a legal loophole that has evolved as a result of dismantling slavery and is referenced as today as being a “sell out.” Human extinction is visible just examining the lack of care operating by other people that covers Black People’s lives.
Black People need not only epic financial compensation but protection as the planet’s people that are a physical treasure. The actual basic math that is required to make multiple options for any human being able to flourish is being completely ignored. Black people need strong allies that are disgusted with standard operations dealing bias and exclusion.
Black People need strength unity and alliances with all any people who are willing to back the demand to be more than mere tossed aside coins that don’t add up as currency while flipped inside this masked pandemic change. Four Latin letters make a sentence: (say out loud) FUYT. The final two letters YT indicates a rhetorical quest: why tee should any square up?!
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