Remembering the Life, Death and Words of a Natural Born Leader

Eight years ago today, Matthew Omisore was shot and killed at the corner of Prairie Avenue and Public Street.  It was the day before Valentine’s Day and the day before his 19th birthday.  As his former teacher and close friend, February 13th is always one of the toughest days of the year for me.  I deeply miss him and his death reminds me of so many of the things that are so messed up in our world.  One of the big ones, that took up several years of Matthew’s life is our racist, classist, corrupt juvenile “justice” system.  If the words I am using to describe it seem too extreme, check out this article from the New York Times (exactly one year ago):

Judges Plead Guilty in Scheme to Jail Youths for Profit

But more importantly, check out these words from Matthew.  This poem is the first piece he wrote with me…

Food for Thought

Politics is pricks

wallstreet the real nasty

far from classy dog

the real crooks

never snooze stay on topa books

more gangsta than any Crip

sips of high price Cognac

all the crack

comes from the great outback

and they try to scrutinize us

for maintaining some stacks

I don’t know stocks

I know rocks, blocks, and glocks

I know I’m only living once

and “just say no to drugs”

sucks

politics just wanna get rich

so the American dream they sold us

put a smile across everybodies face

with a couple a Coca Colas

Motorola phones high execs

they talk careless on they Startecs

but the feds in the streets

dealing with kids that’s heartless

insteada stopping the problem where it starts

I can never see a bush walking down my strip

screaming that his electorial votes

were clean by hand or machine

I’m a scholar but far from a dean

I’ll be damned if I spend one cent

on this American theme

little kids in other countries stay bolemic

they look towards America like we’re supposed to feed it

but what about all these homelss people untreated

that live in the streets starvin for something to eat kid?

politics are thugs and suits

sell drugs and push fancy coups

lust for women

put 50 shares in denim

now look at America

and tell me who’s winning?

c’mon you gotta know it’s the politicians

Rest In Peace Adewumi Matthew Renner Omisore, Jr.