Open Letter to the Buffalo News

Dear Buffalo News,
I assume that the intent of your article “Private party led to City Grill shootings, police say” was an attempt to establish some sort of motive for the senseless act of violence that took place last week. Indeed the concerned citizens of Buffalo would like answers, yet your article seems to provide anything but. Instead, you’ve distributed a racially charged article based solely on opinion, insulting and infuriating many law abiding citizens within Buffalo’s minority community. In your article you allow personal accounts from the Buffalo Police Department and the Buffalo Entertainment Group to portray private parties that “target the black community” as “gangster parties”. In addition, you allude to the notion that private parties are a breeding ground for “gangsters”, “drug dealers”, and “violence”.
As a former citizen of Buffalo, I rely on the news to keep me informed about my hometown. I expect to read facts and truth about what goes on in the community. After reading your article, I was left truly disappointed. If your intent was to establish a motive for the murders, you have completely failed. As opposed to slandering the name of Marlando Brannon, a young black entrepreneur who has positively influenced the community, why not search for real answers and stick to the facts?
Allow me to share a few facts with you that may better help you in establishing a motive for Buffalo’s violent crime statistics, and provide a more accurate account of the kind of people who attend Mr. Brannon’s parties. The facts are that I have patronized several of his parties whenever I come home to visit my family. I am an alumna of City Honors School, I have an undergraduate degree, and I am currently pursuing my Master’s level degree. Most importantly, I am not a “gangster” or “drug dealer”, I have no affiliation to anyone of such description, and I have no criminal background. While patronizing these parties, I have encountered a MAJORTIY of peers with similar backgrounds. People who come from loving families, are educated, community involved, LEGALLY employed, and are NOT criminals. The facts are that many law abiding citizens within the black community patronize Brannon’s parties because of the positive connotation associated with his name and True Life Entertainment. Personally, I have always felt safe while attending any of his parties and have never witnessed anything similar to the events that took place outside of City Grill last week.
Although this heinous act of violence is extremely disheartening and tragic, it is unfair to attempt to classify Brannon’s parties as “gangster parties” that are responsible for the City Grill shootings. Perhaps there may have been gang members and or criminals present at the party last week, as there are ALL kinds of people who attend parties. However, to label Brannon’s parties as gangster parties is a reckless, unfounded generalization. If the Buffalo News wants to determine a motive for the murders, why not go back to the Buffalo Police Department and anonymous “law enforcement officials” and ask the right questions? Question’s such as why the presence of police on Chippewa far exceeds the presence of police at “private parties that target the black community”? Why local political officials state that crime in Buffalo is statistically down when the number of murders from 2008 until now have significantly increased, including the 60 lives that were taken last year? Why tax payer money is being wasted on putting surveillance cameras throughout the city, yet most of the crimes in areas with these cameras remain unsolved? And IF the police have so much knowledge of the “private gangster parties”, why did four more people have to lose their lives before such parties were investigated? Most importantly, when can the citizen’s of Buffalo expect to see an arrest made of the person(s) TRULY responsible for the City Grill murders?
At best, your article is a ridiculous attempt to divert the attention from the real issues at hand. At worst, you have slandered the name of an innocent young black entrepreneur, insulted several members of the black community, and allowed the Buffalo Police Department to waste time that could be spent on solving this crime by speculating and making biased statements. It doesn’t take “gang associates who like to show off how much money they have” to want to celebrate with friends by spending $100 to $200 on bottles of alcohol. Nor does it require “gangster parties” for violent criminals to commit such brazen crimes on the streets of Buffalo. Perhaps, the police should focus on getting a handle on the spiraling crime that is seemingly spreading like wildfire throughout the city. Maybe this would send a message to criminals that their crimes won’t go unpunished, and discourage them from committing them in the first place. The Buffalo News, as providers of NEWS, should probably focus on gathering facts instead of distributing blog-style, offensive material. Buffalo News, I must say that you seem to have something in common with the Buffalo Police Department when it comes to this case…you’ve got the wrong guy.
Sincerely,
Mechelle Verse

D.O.A.P!

David Banner has always been one of my favorite rappers. Not just for his music but because he is one of the realest dudes in the industry. I'm LOVING this new track to death! Banner always spits that real shit with a smooth flow. And you gotta love the bark! AYYYEE! (DB raspy voice) lol. Enjoy...

"Oh Leh Do It"

Wacka Flocka on ATL radio post-shooting, states someone was sent to kill him. Glad he's gonna make it. He's definitely my favorite guilty pleasure right now. I don't know what else me and my girls would ride to when we doin #hoodrat shit if he passed. Ok seriously, glad he's alright and cant wait to hear what he puts out once he's back in the stu. Yeeaaahhhh! Oh leh do it!

For Hip Hop News & Entertainment at DimeWars.Com

"WHO DAT?!"

So my girls and I decided to take a last minute weekend trip to New Orleans for my bff's B-Day. This was our first visit there and we had a blast! I love this city! The food, the culture, the music, the spirit, was like no other. I mean I heard "Who Dat?!" enough times to brainwash me into thinking it should be said on an hourly basis.

We stayed at the Wyndham right off Bourbon St. and had an excellent view of all the festivities from our balcony. Determined to experience all of the most talked about N.O exclusives, we started our night with beads and daiquiri's. The Hurricane Daiquiri is really the truth (just 9 bucks to get you sauced). In the morining, walked throughout the French Quarter and had beignets at the infamous cafe Du Monde. These french doughnuts were great, but we all agreed they weren't a far stretch from a funnel cake. We also visited the French Market which is a cool little spot to pick up cheap souvenirs and walk around with your beer in hand. I was so excited to find out that one of my favorite brews (Abita) is made in the N.O. The artwork being hand-painted along Decatur St. was really cool too.

The food was nothing short of delicious. While there I made sure I indulged on all of my creole favorites: seafood gumbo, crawfish, soft shell crab, fried alligator etc. And to top it off, we found the infamous "Hand Grenade" (a mystery alcoholic beverage, said to be the strongest in the N.O) for $5 at the walk-up window on Bourbon St. The hip-hop club scene looked pretty cool too. If your a single lady, there were definitely some nice looking guys in all shapes, colors, and sizes. We hit up a club called Republic, although they shut the line down due to capacity issues and didn't let us in. Don't worry, that didn't ruin our night though ;-)

Overall, I had a ball. We rode the trolley down Canal St. (which has a striking resemblance to Harlem), visited Harrah's casino, ate crabmeat cheesecake (where else can you get that?!), and rocked out to live bands. The people (of all ethnicity's)were extremely friendly and helpful. I love the spirit this city has. The only things I didn't care for were: the extreme humidity (yes even in January), some of the restaurants that were a little "less than clean", and the fact that the 9th ward still looks terrible 5 years after Katrina. All that said, I will definitely be returning soon "ya'eard meh!"

Do The RIGHT Thing for Haiti

In the wake of the earthquake tragedy in Haiti, I stumbled across some rather disturbing,yet unsurprising news. The video above sums up the reasons why geologists are not surprised by the devastating earthquake that has shattered Haiti. Apparently, experts have known for quite some time that Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince lies along fault lines that were bound to produce heavy earthquake activity. It is also well-known that Haiti is the poorest country in the northern hemisphere.

With this public knowledge, I can't help but pose the question: Why not make efforts to help these people BEFORE such tragedy??? Of course I am happy that the world has reacted so quickly and abundantly to such a terrible situation, however I cant help but think of the productivity that could have been influenced by such donations PRIOR to this disaster. Why is it that we are conditioned to band together only in the wake of extreme devastation? I suppose that is a question with a life-long answer.

Nonetheless, in effort to do everything within human power to help the people of Haiti, it essential that we band together and donate now. My only reserve to this is that we make sure our money, food, clothing etc. reach the right place. Unfortunately, people often see tragedy as an opportunity to capitalize from good samaritan efforts. The FBI is already reporting several cases of donation scams, and warning people not to respond to spam emails soliciting donations. As you rush to make your donation, please read the fine print. Know how much of your money will actually reach Haiti, where it will go, and how it will help. It is easy to say, "I've donated, I've done my part", but donating to the wrong organization is as good for the people of Haiti as a shot in the dark. Think of how much your donation could have helped before this tragedy, and how much every donation counts for them right now.

Here are a few places to make your donation count(feel free to post any other reputable organizations you are familiar with):

redcross.org
yele.org
Hosea Feed the Hungry (Atlanta Area) is also accepting non-perishable and monetary donations that will be shipped to Haiti.

Dear Momma

Today is the born day of the greatest woman in the world...my mommy! As me and my siblings celebrate her on this day (and everyday) I take a moment to reflect. I know everyone says that their mother is the best mom in the world, but mine truly is. Not because she's perfect, or because she spoon fed me everything I ever wanted (far from the case, mom made us work!). My mother is the best because she is the most selfless person I've ever known and she encourages greatness in me and all of my siblings. Happy Birthday Mom! We Love you ♥

Music Monday Throwback

If you look at all the random things going on in this video, you would have to be instantly tickled. The ghetto white chick, the random ballerina kids, and my personal fav: the ghetto black lady doing sign language, who turns into a panther. lmao

AMEN

Sometimes I ask myself, "does prayer really work?" Wait. Lemme back up. Sometimes I ask myself, "HOW does prayer really work?" I mean don't get me wrong, I never question God or his plan, but sometimes I feel like "excuse my language God, but am I asking for the wrong shit?" By now I know some of you are thinking "is this chick blasphemous?" No! Not by far. What I mean is, why do we pray for things over and over and feel like there is no result? It took me a while to realize God never ignores your call,you may just be overlooking your answer...and most of the time that answer is staring you right in the face. The other part that we fail to understand sometimes is, what you decide to do with the answer God gives you is up to you...My lesson for the day I suppose. :-)

Chris Henry Follow-up

I'm not quite sure how I feel about this. Why would you tell the media he jumped from the truck? What do you mean you couldn't stop? And how do you not know how fast you were going? I know this was a tragic accident but something doesn't add up...

When Auto-tune Goes Wrong...Again!

Please enjoy the laugh of the day. Bwahahahaha



Thanks @ItsTheBAUCE for the link

All The Single...Black Ladies

So I know this post is old, and about every blog under the sun has posted it, but I just wanted to post it on mine to remind myself that I'm not the only one lol. Just one of the 42% of black women whom the love odds are against. The only percentage of men they forgot to exclude from the available pool are the one's that feel way more comfy with a basic chick than a successful woman...oh yea and the "how you doiinn"s. I think that lowers the odds quite a bit more:

Kanye + Daft Punk =Musical Genius

So my new DJ Hero Game has me expanding my musical intelligence. I know I'm a bit late, but I never knew that my all time favorite artist Kanye, had sampled from the French musical duo Daft Punk in order to come up with one of his biggest hits. "Stronger" was composed using samples from "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger". I thought this was really cool and pure musical genius! Check out both video's below.

Daft Punk-

D.A.N.C.E

One of my favorite video's and songs, "You were such a PYT catching all the lights". Kinda makes you wanna go and buy a really cool T-shirt

Unsigned Hype:Buffalo Edition

I can always appreciate grinders from my hometown. Check out this Buffalo local artist (G5Gi) and let me know what you think.

"Now Thats Pimpin, Pimpin"

I thought this was a very entertaining video of a "real pimp" by the name of Payroll, goin' in on Ice-T for claiming to be a pimp. In a way I'm thinking like you gotta have hate in ya blood to spend 9 minutes talking bout the next mf...But if you listen to what dude is saying, he has quite a few points. Some notable comments @ 2:05-2:33, 5:33, and 8:20 lol. Check this out and let me know what you think.

Club Life: How We Ended 09'

HAPPY NEW YEAR ERRBODY! I have to say my girls and I brought the year in right. "I got a feeling...I got a feeling...that this year is gonna be a good, good year!" No resolutions over here, but I will say I have goals to be better and do better...starting right after this last party of '09 lol...






HAPPY NEW YEAR ERRBODY! I have to say my girls and I brought the year in right. "I got a feeling...I got a feeling...that this year is gonna be a good, good year!" No resolutions over here, but I will say I have goals to be better and do better...starting right after this last party of '09 lol...