Mayor Stothert's Uncle Tom's are at it again!

On Saturday, January 29, 2022 the Empowerment Network conducted its 15th Annual State of North Omaha, which was supposed to accurately inform Black people living in North Omaha on the evolution of their socio-economic status from its past, to its present, and its projected future. It did not do so. At best, data was cherry-picked to give the impression of modest improvement, or more frequently, data was completely omitted.

Frankly, the really "big issue" when assessing the "state of Black people in North Omaha" is who or whom do you believe? Why is this important? If the "starting point or primary source(s)" for all data is not mutually accepted then "data reliability and consistency" cannot be established. Historically, the Omaha World-Herald (OWH) is recognized as the legal paper-of-record for public notices, and consequently, whatever it publishes is typically perceived as "the truth." As far as the overwhelming majority of White people who live and work throughout metro Omaha are concerned, and that's who really matters, for decades the most prominent source for information about Omaha's Black population has been the OWH, which includes its broadcast partners on local television and radio. The Empowerment Network's "15th Annual State the North Omaha" blatantly ignored what OWH has been "authoritatively" telling White people about Black people for decades. Why is that? As routinely and successfully used by Republicans and Democrats, a crafty statistician can manipulate data to say whatever they want, and to justify its "worth" the Empowerment Network must produce "good news" that showcases the value of its . . . existence.

There are numerous entities with greater subject matter expertise, more resources, and literally decades of hands-on experience conducting quantative data analysis than the Johnny-come-lately Empowerment Network and its "partners" who, likewise, not only lack expertise in data compilation and analysis, but also lack business acumen required to strategically and successfully convert data analysis into vibrant revenue streams that create "new" business development or "expand" existing businesses.

For example, recognizing their failure to achieve the original ten-(10) objectives, the Empowerment Network "negroes" in concert with their White partners reduced their objectives down from ten-(10) in 2006-07 to four-(4) in 2014-15, because they bit off more than they could chew. You can never score a touchdown if the goal post is constantly being moved. Note the following:
1. In 2006-07 . . .		2. Then, the "blending" in 2014-15 . . .
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3. Then, in 2014-15 "goals" are "redefined" and established as a wish list of "ideas," but not as "strategies"* through 2025. Notably, these "goals" are independent of and not aligned with the data analysis and "plans and outcomes" established by the "North Omaha Recovery Plan 2022 - 2025."		4. Then, a "Scorecard" was created that blatantly ignored the "failure to complete objectives" identified in "State of Black people living in North Omaha" between 2006 and 2014; and the score card does not identify individuals or organizations immediately responsible for achievement (i.e., "scoring") of strategic objectives.
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*Strategy - A plan of action or policy designed to achieve a major or specific outcome or objective; a strategy is achievable, measurable, quantifiable; and most importantly, achievement of a strategy is directly linked to an individual or entity immediately responsible for achievement of the established strategy. - So, let's be clear, if Apple launches a new software or hardware product, someone at Apple is "immediately responsible" for achieving strategic business unit objectives, including specific revenue goals, market share, customer satisfaction, shareholder stock dividends, etc. Failure to "deliver" strategic business unit objectives will result in the immediate discipline or "at-will" termination of the employee(s) and/or termination of contracts with designated third-party entities. Failure to achieve strategic business unit objectives has consequences! The aforementioned is a business FACT. Therefore, the 15th Annual State of North Omaha is nothing more than a dog-and-pony show with no real value except to those who engineered this facade, because no individual or organization is immediately responsible for achieving anything, which is a key reason why the socio-economic status for the overwhelming majority of Black people in North Omaha and throughout the U.S. never changes. Get it?

So, let's do an apples-to-apple comparison
of "Column A" against "Column B."

	COLUMN A (THEN)	VS.	COLUMN B (NOW)
	FACTS FROM: AND CLICK ABOVE IMAGE TO DOWNLOAD REPORT PLUS, OTHER SOURCES		WERE FACTS UPDATED BY DURING A ZOOM MEETING THAT LASTED 3 HOURS, 25 MINUTES, AND 23 SECONDS?
5.	Compared with Black workers nationally, metro Omaha Black workers disproportionately work in jobs that require fewer skills and pay far less! CLICK ABOVE IMAGE TO ENLARGE Even considering the size of Omaha's Black population, the percentage of Blacks who work in management positions is the eighth-lowest in the country, and while the number of Black managers has been on the rise nationally, Omaha's figures dropped 25% between 2000 and 2005. Source: Omaha World-Herald, May 2007 Jobs in which Omaha has more Black workers than U.S. average include beauticians, community and social service, food service, health suppport, transportation and material moving, buildings and ground maintenance, sales and telemarketing, and production workers, other menial jobs.		No accumulative, chronological update was provided by the Empowerment Network. As reported in the 15th Annual State of North Omaha, "Entrepreneurship" in North Omaha is primarily achieved through business relationships limited to a small circle of individuals connected to the Empowerment Network, or as usual, government handouts, or grants, or fundraising, but not through the robust creation of "new" business development, or "expanding" existing businesses located in North Omaha. CLICK ABOVE IMAGE TO ENLARGE a. The report did NOT identify specific vocations, jobs, or growth industries earmarked for people, especially Black people, located in North Omaha; b. The report did NOT identify specific employers creating "new" business development, or "expanding" existing businesses located in North Omaha; and c. At best, the "Pathway to Entrepreneurship" report (above) only identified "soft measures" such as ideas, planning, training, and consulting, but it did NOT identify "revenue generating business and growth industries" committed to creating "new" business development, or "expanding" existing businesses located in North Omaha. Instead, the report identified the "same ole players" who perpetually deliver the same levels of mediocrity. Notably, the Empowerment Network identified "AA Media" as an entrepreneurial resource; but such was not reported in the "North O Report" published by NoiseOmaha.com in 2017: >> Legacy print publisher The Omaha Star which primarily publishes outdated content regarding Black people in entertainment, sports, or human interest, but absolutely no relevant and regular content specific to creating "new" business or "expanding" existing businesses located in North Omaha. Equally important, The Omaha Star never publishes anything that might be perceived as too controversial or too "Black." Plus, content on the web site is not current and typically ranges from one-(1) month to more than six-(6) months old, and therefore, functions only as archival not as news. Given its current state of operations, The Omaha Star has absolutely no contemporary value to the socio-economic development of Black residents of North Omaha. >> One of the most enthusiastic responses we got related to media and North Omaha referenced a now-defunct programming schedule at Community Access TV on Cox Channel 22 (CTI22). For more than two decades, Channel 22 was the grapevine for North Omaha, according to this person. It shared essential civic information about what was happening in the city, and highlighted voices of local non-profits, activists, and cultural institutions. Most importantly, as independently validated by media consultants hired by the City of Omaha, CTI22's broadcast audience ranged from 12.8% to 22% of Cox's audience, significantly greater than the national average of 5% or less. Nevertheless, the City of Omaha and Cox Communications terminated the existence of CTI22 in 2013. CTI22 was the only broadcast entity in metro Omaha to regularly produce and broadcast weekly “prime time” content featuring women and men of all races; and CTI22 produced and broadcast more first-run and “prime time” public service announcements than all metro Omaha television stations combined. >> There are two-(2) Black-owned and/or controlled low power FM stations located in North Omaha, but these stations do not function as "wealth building engines" strategically designed to create "new" business development, or "expand" existing businesses located in North Omaha. > 101.3 FM, Mind and Soul radio, located in the Malcolm X Center and is focused on community news and information, with some music programming; > 95.7 FM, the Boss, primarily plays hip-hop music, which is coupled with early morning talk show. In each case, these poorly staffed broadcast stations use FaceBook.com or YouTube.com to simulcast their video broadcasts, typically with extremely poor production values, and a daily viewership consistently less than five-(5) at any time. Most importantly, no individual or organization is immediately responsible for achieving anything!
6.	Omaha’s percentage of Black children in poverty ranks No. 1 in the nation, with nearly six of 10 Black kids living below the poverty line Source: Omaha World-Herald, May 2007		No accumulative, chronological update was provided by the Empowerment Network. OBSERVATION 1: As reported in the "2020 Nebraska Minority Population Report Card" by the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, according to the U.S. Census, there were 92,902 non-Hispanic African Americans in Nebraska in 2018. This number represented approximately 4.8% of the total Nebraska population and saw an increase of 13.4% between 2010 and 2018. Compared to the White population, 30.3% of the African American population is under the age of 15, 75.4% were younger than 45 years, and 6.8% were 65 years and older. OBSERVATION 2: The Empowerment Network reported (below) there are only 27,173 Black people living in North Omaha. Numerically, 8,233 children or 30.3% of this population is under the age of 15. Additionally, the legal age of majority in Nebraska is 19, therefore, children between 15 and 18 must be included for an accurate data compilation and analysis. CLICK ABOVE IMAGE TO ENLARGE OBSERVATION 3: Clearly, the number of Black children living in poverty in for the entire state of Nebraska, not just Omaha, numbers only in the thousands, approximately 9,000 - but NOT millions. QUESTION: If the Empowerment Network was truly serious about removing Omaha's status for having the worst child poverty rates for Blacks in the U.S., it could coalesce its resources (revenue streams, funding, business partners, etc.), to: 1. Identify (target) the parent(s) or legal guardian(s) for every Black child living in poverty in Omaha; 2. Determine what (skills, training, jobs, etc.) and how much (income) is specificially required to elevate the child(ren), parent(s) or legal guardian(s) out of poverty; 3. Request (if appropriate) or require (if possible, perhaps contractually via a NDA) compliance to a realistic, well-structured, and timetable that "strategically" eliminates Omaha's status for having the worst child poverty rates for Blacks in the U.S., which would also reduce the wage gap between Black people and White people in Omaha. Most importantly, no individual or organization is immediately responsible for achieving anything!
7.	As reported by the U.S. Census Bureau (below), the overall poverty rate has been dropping for decades. However, as reported by the OWH in 2011, and United Way of the Midlands, “Poverty in the Omaha Metro, September 2012,” and The Women’s Fund of Omaha’s report, “How Are Women Doing in Omaha 2013?” Omaha has the third-highest Black poverty rate in the United States! Among America's 100 largest metro areas, Omaha has the third-highest Black poverty rate in the United States. CLICK ABOVE IMAGE TO ENLARGE FOR MORE INFORMATION, CLICK HERE.		No accumulative, chronological update was provided by the Empowerment Network. How is Omaha's Black poverty rate ranked against the 100 largest Black metro areas? CLICK ABOVE IMAGE TO ENLARGE However, in 2020 the University of Nebraska at Omaha provided a more robust assessement of the "characteristics" of Black people in metro Omaha (below). Black poverty has dropped in North Omaha primarily because of: (a) the decrease in Black residents (due to a perpetual lack of employment opportunities; dumping immigrants into North Omaha; and gentrification); (b) the continued higher incarceration of Black males; and (c) the extremely rare occurence of a "traditional" Black family household containing a Black man and a Black woman with child(ren). CLICK ABOVE IMAGE TO ENLARGE CLICK ABOVE IMAGE TO ENLARGE CLICK ABOVE IMAGE TO ENLARGE ASSESSMENT: The socio-economic status for the overwhelming majority of single Black females with child(ren) living in North Omaha has not improved and will NEVER improve given the continuation of past and current pseudo-strategies of the Empowerment Network. Most importantly, no individual or organization is immediately responsible for achieving anything!
8.	CLICK ABOVE IMAGE TO ENLARGE Blacks comprise 4% of Nebraska's population but 35% of all HIV/AIDS cases! Blacks comprise 4% of Nebraska’s population, but are 35% of all the HIV/AIDS cases. Blacks in Nebraska have the highest rate for HIV/AIDS at 59.3 per 100,000 vs. 5.3 per 100,000 for white males. Black females in Nebraska have the majority of HIV/AIDS cases at 54%. STD/HIV/AIDS and obesity, diabetes, hypertension, cancer, and other diseases at epidemic levels throughout Nebraska’s Black community, but Whites have closed public access to health care facilities in the minority community. Source: 2007 Nebraska HIV/AIDS Epidemiological Profile by the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services >> 2009-2013 Report >> 2015 Report		No accumulative, chronological update was provided by the Empowerment Network. Instead of directly addressing the continuing impact of HIV/AIDS on Nebraska's largest Black community located in North Omaha, the Empowerment Network presentation focused on COVID-19 vaccinations (below). CLICK ABOVE IMAGE TO ENLARGE In this regard, the Empowerment Network and its "partners" such as Charles Drew Health Center, can only be perceived as woefully neglient for perpetually and actively promoting obesity over healthier lifestyles; and equally important, their failure to lead, establish, and achieve strategic health and fitness objectives for Black residents in North Omaha. Despite the perpetually poor state of Black health, as validated by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Empowerment Network and its "partners" such as OPPD promoted the "Live! from 24th & Lake" as an ADA compliant event, which was not only ridiculous, but validated a blatant denial of the terrible status of Black health. OBESITY - The rates of overweight or obesity for Black men is 69.9 percent 82.1% of all adult Black women over 30 years of age are either morbidly overweight or obese. >> 57% of all adult Black women 40–59 years of age are obese. >> 61% of all adult Black women over 60 years of age are obese. >> Black women have more than double the rates of extreme obesity and breast cancer as White and Hispanic women. To sponsor a "community" event during the COVID-19 pandemic, where Black people have consistently lead in the number of deaths per 100,000 only established the Empowerment Network as blatantly indifferent, if not deceitful, to the health needs of the Black community. ORIGINAL (CLICK TO ENLARGE) HEALTH RELEVANT (CLICK TO ENLARGE) No regularly scheduled amateur or professional sporting events are earmarked for community participation in North Omaha. Events such as 5K runs (CTI22 sponsored North Omaha's 1st 5K Run to promote minority health and fitness!), 10K, Marathons, cycling road races, Mudruns, etc., only occur in West Omaha, South West Omaha, or even Council Bluffs, Iowa, which is validated by the absence of such events from the calendars of Active.com, Nebraska Sports Council, USA Cycling.com, etc. Given that the overwhelming majority of "key leadership" at the Empowerment Network, Charles Drew Health Center, and their health partners are all morbidly overweight or obese, its ridiculous to expect anything but "lip service" from them about health and fitness, because they have not demonstrated and sustained a personal commitment to health, wellness, and fitness objectives; and a corresponding proven commitment to and achievement of strategic health benefits objectives. Most importantly, no individual or organization is immediately responsible for achieving anything!
9.	SOURCE: OMAHA WORLD-HERALD		No accumulative, chronological update was provided by the Empowerment Network.
10.	SOURCE: OMAHA WORLD-HERALD		No accumulative, chronological update was provided by the Empowerment Network.
11.	A. The estimated national 2012-13 graduation rate for Black males was 59%. Nebraska had the next to the lowest graduation rate for Black males! CLICK ABOVE IMAGE TO ENLARGE Source: Schott Foundation for Public Education http://blackboysreport.org/national-summary/state-graduation-data/ B. Systemic racism and systemic sexism continue to define all operations of Omaha Public Schools as administration, faculty, and staff are primarily White versus a student population that is primarily minority. CLICK ABOVE IMAGE TO ENLARGE   QUESTION: Between 2007 to 2022, did the OPS graduation rate outperform the peer school districts below, or outperform local Westside Community Schools, Ralston Public Schools, Millard Public Schools, and Elkhorn Public Schools? RESPONSE: No.   A current assessment of the public school districts for the six-(6) cities with populations immediately larger than Omaha and the public school districts of the six-(6) cities with populations immediately smaller than Omaha reveals the average graduation rate is 82.68 percent, and that OPS is below this average with a graduation rate of only 77% for 2019 (which actually dropped to 73.46% for 2020), with OPS ranked 10th among the 13 per school districts. U.S. POPULATION RANK SCHOOL DIST 2022 % GRAD % GRAD RANK 33 Fresno 85.10 6 34 Tucson 86.00 5 35 Sacramento 85.00 7 36 Mesa 82.00 9 37 Kansas City 74.90 11 38 Atlanta 84.20 8 39 Omaha 77.00 10 40 Colorado Springs 71.00 13 41 Raleigh 90.50 2 42 Virginia Beach 94.20 1 43 Long Beach 87.00 3 44 Miami 86.00 4 45 Oakland 72.00 12           AVG 82.68		No accumulative, chronological update was provided by the Empowerment Network. Instead of directly addressing the graduation rate specific to Black male students, the Empowerment Network "allowed" the White-washing of data to present a "generic" dump (below). CLICK ABOVE IMAGE TO ENLARGE Likewise, although the "Graduation and Dropout Rates 2019-20" reported by Omaha Public Schools detailed the drop in graduation rates was most pronounced among Black students (-4.6%), OPS refused to address the graduation rate specific to Black male students. BLACK TEACHERS AND WHITE TEACHERS ARE CONSTANTLY LEAVING OMAHA PUBLIC SCHOOLS CLICK ABOVE IMAGE TO ENLARGE   The Omaha "city limits" include the following school districts: Omaha Public Schools, Westside Community Schools, Ralston Public Schools, Millard Public Schools, and Elkhorn Public Schools. Most importantly, as citizens of the City of Omaha the majority of these resident vote for the position of Mayor of Omaha, because their townships or villages were annexed by the City of Omaha. The "Big Picture" objective successfully achieved and sustained by "elite," politically powerful and affluent White people remains: (1) keep the cesspool of "undesirables" attending Omaha Public Schools and living in "redlined" areas from contaminating their districts; (2) prevent minorities from creating their own school districts (LB 1024); and (3) maintain sovereignty of their own school districts. They've been extremely successful!   BLACK STUDENT COMPOSITION AT OPS CONTINUES TO FALL CLICK ABOVE IMAGE TO ENLARGE   80% OF DOUGLAS COUNTY RESIDENTS ARE WHITE, BUT 80% OF INCARCERATED YOUTH ARE MINORITIES   Omaha Public Schools exists as the "feeder group" to populate the ever increasing urban cesspool of youth incarcerated at the Douglas County Juvenile Detention Center: As reported by Schott Foundation for Public Education and OPS, in 2012-13, ranked 49th of 50, OPS had the next to the lowest graduation rate for Black males in the United States. As reported by Public School Review, for the 2023 school year, there are 111 public schools serving 51,914 students in Omaha Public Schools School District. This district's average testing ranking is 1/10, which is in the bottom 50% of public schools in Nebraska. Public Schools in Omaha Public Schools School District have an average math proficiency score of only 30% (versus the Nebraska public school average of 52%), and reading proficiency score of 33% (versus the 52% statewide average). Minority enrollment is 76% of the student body (majority Hispanic), which is more than the Nebraska public school average of 35% (majority Hispanic).
12.	A. One of every four drivers pulled over by Omaha police officers in 2010 was black. Omaha Police Department stops and arrests Black drivers at rates higher than their proportion of the population. Source: Martha Stoddard, Omaha World Herald, April 6, 2010. B. As documented in the report, "Anatomy of Traffic Stops," by former City of Omaha Public Safety Auditor Tristan Bonn, Omaha Police are decidedly adversarial toward people of color, especially Black people. C. As published in the Omaha World Herald newspaper on February 21, 2010 (see graph below/click to enlarge), Omaha held the 3rd highest Black homicide rate in the U.S., and Omaha's constant "high Black male unemployment" and "poor educational achievement for Black males" continues to foster an enviroment of Black-on-Black crime that leads to incarceration. CLICK ABOVE IMAGE TO ENLARGE In 2011, the national Black homicide victimization rate was 17.51 per 100,000. For that year, Nebraska ranked first as the state with the highest black homicide victimization rate. Its rate of 34.43 per 100,000 was nearly double the national average for black homicide victims. D. Omaha Police beat the crap out of unarmed Robert Wagner - As captured in a video on May 29, 2011 and broadcast on Channel 22 (CTI22) and all local commercial television stations, Robert Wagner, a Black man, was beaten, stomped, kicked, and repeatedly tasered by Omaha Police Officers in the parking lot at Creighton University Medical Center. Robert Wagner beaten by Omaha Police in 2011, City of Omaha paid Wagner $32,000 in damages and an additional $68,000 for attorney fees, expenses and costs. Omaha Police beat the crap out of unarmed Octavious Johnson - Beaten by Omaha Police in 2013, City of Omaha paid Johnson $30,000 in damages and an additional $60,000 for attorney fees, expenses and costs. Is this the mantra for the Omaha Police Department? If we don't address it, it doesn't matter; and it never existed. More than 20 race riots occurred in major industrial cities of the U.S. during the Red Summer of 1919 - clearly, the Omaha Police Department was pre-warned. Nevertheless, in Omaha, Nebraska, more than 120 White people were indicted for involvement in the beating, stabbing, shooting, hanging, burning and murder of Will Brown on September 28, 1919. Conversely, after twenty-six-(26) children and adults were killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14, 2012, the residents of Newtown, Connecticut voted to demolish the murder site. However, in Nebraska, Black people are expected to ignore that 120 or more White people were indicted for involvement in the beating, stabbing, shooting, hanging, burning and murder of Will Brown, but not one person was successfully prosecuted, and all White people were eventually released after serving no term of imprisonment – but Black people (and White people) are required to conduct “judicial business” in the very same building where your predecessors failed to provide justice to Will Brown. Yes, the mantra for the Omaha Police Department must surely be: If we don't address it, it doesn't matter; and it never existed. For example, as a “fourth generation Omahan committed to serving “all” of Omaha’s citizens dating back to Mayor Hal Daub, what exactly, if anything did current Omaha City Councilmember Brinker Harding do, especially for people of color?  Daub was Mayor of Omaha from January 1995 – January 2001, and Brinker Harding was there as Mayor Daub’s Chief of Staff.  Again, Brinker Harding was there; so why didn’t he and Mayor Daub clean-up Omaha’s Police Department? 1982 - Can Councilman Harding provide facts that he and Mayor Daub did not ignore the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights ninety-two-(92) page report, which was produced during Michael Boyle’s term as Mayor of Omaha,  “Police-Community Relations in Omaha” from 1982 (below)?  CLICK ABOVE IMAGE TO ENLARGE     1994 - Can Councilman Harding provide facts that he and Mayor Daub did not ignore the “Community Policing and Special Operations Bureau” report, which was produced immediately before Hal Daub became mayor, during P.J. Morgan’s term as Mayor of Omaha from 1994 (below)? CLICK ABOVE IMAGE TO ENLARGE     2006 – If Councilman Harding possesses facts that he and Mayor Daub reviewed and implemented the research and recommendations from his political predecessors, why after nearly twenty-five-(25) years did Tristan Bonn, Public Safety Auditor for the City of Omaha, report the same character and scope of negative, abusive community policing in “Anatomy of Traffic Stops” in October 2006 (below)? CLICK ABOVE IMAGE TO DOWNLOAD As researched and published by Clare V. McKanna, Jr. in "Seeds of Destruction: Homicide, Race and Justice in Omaha, 1880 - 1920," The Black homicide rate didn't fall between 1880 to 1920; that's 39 years, that's Omaha's "brand," and nothing has changed. As researched and published by the U.S. Department of Justice and the University of Nebraska-Omaha, "Criminal Justice Policy Focus, Number 91-1," between 1975 and 1989, 55% of homicide victims were Black, and the remaining 45% were White; that's 14 years, that's Omaha's "brand," and nothing has changed. Despite the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights ninety-two-(92) page report, “Police-Community Relations in Omaha” from 1982, which was produced during Michael Boyle’s term as Mayor of Omaha, a reduction in Black homicides did not occur. Despite the creation of the “Community Policing and Special Operations Bureau” report, which was produced immediately before Hal Daub became mayor, during P.J. Morgan’s term as Mayor of Omaha from 1994, a reduction in Black homicides did not occur. Despite the report of former City of Omaha Public Safety Auditor Tristan Bonn's “Anatomy of Traffic Stops” from October 2006, a reduction in Black homicides and/or allegations of abuse by Omaha police did not occur. >> One of every four drivers pulled over by Omaha police officers in 2010 was Black. Omaha Police Department stops and arrests Black drivers at rates higher than their proportion of the population. Source: Martha Stoddard, Omaha World Herald, April 6, 2010. Plus, as documented in the report, "Anatomy of Traffic Stops," by former City of Omaha Public Safety Auditor Tristan Bonn, Omaha Police are decidedly adversarial toward Blacks.		No accumulative, chronological update was provided by the Empowerment Network. Instead of directly addressing the extremely well-documented predilection of Omaha police to arrest, beat, and incarcerate people of color, especially Black people, at levels significantly greater than White people, those negroes at the Empowerment Network "allowed" the White-washing of all data presented by Omaha's Chief of Police. >> All data presented was "generic" to the entire city of Omaha. >> An accumulative, chronological update on traffic stops was not provided. >> An accumulative, chronological update on Black homicide victimization was not provided. >> An accumulative, chronological update of police data specific to North Omaha was not provided. CLICK ABOVE IMAGE TO ENLARGE CLICK ABOVE IMAGE TO ENLARGE CLICK ABOVE IMAGE TO ENLARGE CLICK ABOVE IMAGE TO ENLARGE CLICK ABOVE IMAGE TO ENLARGE CLICK ABOVE IMAGE TO ENLARGE CLICK ABOVE IMAGE TO ENLARGE As usual, with regard to being held "accountable" to any perceived wrong-doings they commit against people of color in Omaha, especially Black people, the Omaha Police Department is like teflon, "nothing sticks to them." Most importantly, no individual or organization is immediately responsible for achieving anything!   Conversely, this writer researched, compiled, and produced the following facts on Black homicides due to the failure of the Empowerment Network and the Omaha Police Department to do so. CLICK ABOVE IMAGE TO ENLARGE Again, one might expect peaks and valleys in crime data, but the well-established "norm" for Omaha is the perpetual increase in Black homicide victims, from 43.13% between 1880 and 1920, to 55% between 1975 and 1989, to 57% between 2007 to 2022; that's 142 years, that's Omaha's "brand," where the overwhelming majority of homicide victims are Black, and nothing has changed. You got that?   CLICK ABOVE IMAGE TO ENLARGE   Ultimately, despite expected peaks and valleys in data, the Empowerment Network primarily functions for media relations and very selective community engagement, but offers no tangible, measurable, sustained evidence of having "miraculously" reduced crime or having improved the socioeconomic status for the overwhelming majority of Black people living in metro Omaha. >> Black homicide rate (i.e., gun violence) has increase every year since 2016 - from 48% (2016) to 50% (2017) to 68% (2018) to 74% (2019) to 76% (2020)! >> Between 2007 and 2022, the average number of White homicide victims was 16; conversely, the average number of Black homicide victims was 20. Keep in mind, Omaha's Black population has ranged from 9% to 11% of Omaha's population, against a White population of 85% to 90%. There will always be peaks and valleys in crime data, especially in the absence of obligatory blind obedience. Therefore, of greater importance is the norms, and if necessary, the implementation of strategies to reduce or eliminate norms that are not acceptable. Clearly, in Omaha, there has always been greater economic, educational, and cultural stability in areas populated by White people. Conversely, in Omaha, there has never been any economic, educational, and cultural stability in areas populated by Black people, which is why the per capita rate of homicide of White victims has never been as acute as the per capita rate of Black homicides. The "elite," politically powerful and affluent White people who created and sustain their sovereignty over all aspects of governance in Omaha, intentionally designed (redlined) Black people to live in areas with the absolute worst opportunities to advance economically, educationally, and culturally and Omaha Police Chief Schmaderer and Willie Barney have done nothing to change this dynamic. If Omaha Police Chief Schmaderer and Willie Barney had done "something" to eliminate the cesspool of Black existence in Omaha . . . >> the average number of White homicide victims would consistently be higher than the average number of Black homicide victims, but as validated by data for the past 142 years, that's never happened >> 80% of juveniles incarcerated in Douglas County Detention would be White, not Black and Latino >> Chief Schmaderer and Willie Barney's so-called "partnership" with Omaha Public Schools would propel and sustain higher graduation rates for Black male students equivalent to peer White male students >> Unemployment for Black people in North Omaha would not range from 12% to 30%, but mirror the White unemployment rate of less than 5% The Bottom Line: Omaha Police Chief Schmaderer and Willie Barney have done absolutely nothing to change Omaha's strategically planned physical, economic, educational, racial, and political landscape; and they've done absolutely nothing to change the configuration and distribution of criminal activity in metro Omaha. As captured in the following video, it remains the "status quo" of Omaha's "elite," politically powerful and affluent White people, primarily White men, to say and do whatever is necessary, to "flip-and-flop" on issues to intentionally, if not deceitfully, to manipulate the decision-making process.
13.	As documented in the "Socioeconomic Status of Nebraska Black or African-Americans" by the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services in December 2008:		Was an accumulative, chronological update provided by the Empowerment Network?
	A. Black or African Americans are the second-largest minority group in Nebraska. The 2006 American Community Survey estimated the number of Nebraska Black or African American alone or in combination to be 83,454, or 4.7 percent of the Nebraska population. The number of individuals who reported Black or African American as their only race was 72,095, or 4.1 percent of the Nebraska population. 6,346 Nebraskans reported their race as Black or African American and White. The Black or African American alone population also included 1,048 Hispanics.		A. Yes, a demographic update of North Omaha's racial/ethnic population was provided, but the presentation literally dismissed the drop in Black population as "insignificant," and "praised" the increase in Asian population as a "boon" to diversity and inclusiveness. This White-washing of data ignored the following: 1. the impact of perpetual high unemployment on Black residents of North Omaha; 2. the impact of gentrification to remove Black residents from North Omaha; 3. the continued higher incarceration of Black males from North Omaha; 4. the destruction of the traditional Black family due to the lack of eligible and available Black men for eligible and available Black women; 5. the extremely rare occurence of a "traditional" Black family household containing a Black man and a Black woman with child(ren); and most importantly 6. the fact that Omaha's White-controlled political and business sector, which includes the Omaha Land Bank, would never allow the DUMPING of hordes of poor, destitute, illiterate, unskilled, and poverty-stricken people including immigrants in Northwest Omaha, or Southwest Omaha, or anywhere that would prompt White residents to complain, terminate or relocate business operations (tax base), pursue litigation, or initiate White-flight. So, of course, these "undesirables" are DUMPED in North Omaha, duh. CLICK ABOVE IMAGE TO ENLARGE CLICK ABOVE IMAGE TO ENLARGE CLICK ABOVE IMAGE TO ENLARGE CLICK ABOVE IMAGE TO ENLARGE
	B. In 2006, about 84 percent of the Blacks or African Americans in Nebraska lived in Congressional District 2. Only 14.5 percent lived in Congressional District 1, and 1.6 percent lived in Congressional District 3.		B. No accumulative, chronological update of data specific to Black people residing in North Omaha was presented.
	C. The median age of the Black or African American population was about 10 years younger than that of the non-Hispanic White population. In 2006, Blacks had a median age of 29 years, and non-Hispanic Whites had a median age of 39 years.		C. No accumulative, chronological update of data specific to Black people residing in North Omaha was presented.
	D. The Black or African American population had a larger proportion of young people and a smaller proportion of older people than the non-Hispanic White population. About 33 percent of Nebraska Blacks or African Americans were children (under 18 years old), compared with 23 percent of non-Hispanic Whites. About seven percent of Blacks or African Americans were 65 and older, compared with about 15 percent of non-Hispanic Whites.		D. No accumulative, chronological update of data specific to Black people residing in North Omaha was presented.
	E. Nebraska Blacks or African Americans were less likely to be married than non- Hispanic Whites. In 2006, about 45 percent of Blacks aged 15 and older were never married, while about 31 percent were married. Non-Hispanic Whites aged 15 and older were more likely to be married (about 57 percent) and less likely never to have married (about 26 percent). Nebraska Black or African American women were more likely to have given birth in the past 12 months than non-Hispanic White women. About 129 out of every 1,000 Black or African American women aged 15 to 50 had given birth in the 12 months prior to being surveyed, compared with about 61 out of every 1,000 non- Hispanic White women aged 15 to 50.		E. No accumulative, chronological update of data specific to Black people residing in North Omaha was presented.
	F. About 72 percent of Nebraska Black or African American mothers who had given birth were unmarried, in contrast with about 20 percent of non-Hispanic White mothers who had given birth.		F. No accumulative, chronological update of data specific to Black people residing in North Omaha was presented.
	G. A larger proportion of Nebraska Black or African American households were maintained by women. About 30 percent of Black households were families maintained by women with no husbands present, compared with about 8 percent of non-Hispanic White households.		G. No accumulative, chronological update of data specific to Black people residing in North Omaha was presented.
	H. Nebraska Black or African American households (27 percent) were less likely than non-Hispanic White households (54 percent) to be married couple households. Nebraska Blacks or African Americans were more likely than non-Hispanic Whites to live with grandchildren. About three percent of Blacks or African Americans aged 30 and older were grandparents living in the same household with their co-resident grandchildren younger than 18. In comparison, about two percent of non-Hispanic Whites aged 30 and older were grandparents living in the same household with their co-resident grandchildren younger than 18.		H. No accumulative, chronological update of data specific to Black people residing in North Omaha was presented.
	I. Twice as many Nebraska Blacks or African Americans aged 15 to 64 had a disability, compared with non-Hispanic Whites aged 16 to 64 (20 percent versus 10 percent).		I. No accumulative, chronological update of data specific to Black people residing in North Omaha was presented.
	J. Approximately 90 percent of Nebraska Blacks or African Americans were native, compared with 99 percent of non-Hispanic Whites.		J. No accumulative, chronological update of data specific to Black people residing in North Omaha was presented.
	K. About 12 percent of Nebraska Blacks or African Americans spoke a language other than English; and five percent of Blacks spoke English less than “very well,” compared with only about one percent of non-Hispanic Whites.		K. No accumulative, chronological update of data specific to Black people residing in North Omaha was presented.
	L. About 19 percent of Nebraska Blacks or African Americans aged 25 and older had a bachelor’s degree or higher education. Among non-Hispanic Whites aged 25 and older, about 28 percent had a bachelor’s degree or higher education.		L. Yes, an update was provided. However: 1. Data terminology established rankings as "best" of, to suggest achievement, which is a misrepresentation when ranked 78th out of 100. 2. No accumulative, chronological update of data specific to Black people residing in North Omaha was presented. 3. Data does not reconcile with similar data analysis reported in "The State of Black Milwaukee in National Perspective: Racial Inequality in the Nation’s 50 Largest Metropolitan Areas In 65 Charts and Tables."   CLICK ABOVE IMAGE TO ENLARGE Data was not presented that addressed the impact of higher education on "Black flight" from North Omaha. CLICK ABOVE IMAGE TO ENLARGE
	M. The percent of unemployed civilian labor force among Nebraska Blacks or African Americans was almost four times as high as that of non-Hispanic Whites. About 11 percent of Blacks were unemployed in the civilian labor force, compared with about three percent of non-Hispanic Whites. SOURCE: OMAHA WORLD-HERALD .SOURCE: OMAHA WORLD-HERALD		M. Yes, an update was provided, but it did not detail any significant improvement to Black residents in North Omaha. CLICK ABOVE IMAGE TO ENLARGE
	N. In the age bracket 16 and over, smaller proportions of Nebraska Blacks or African Americans than non-Hispanic Whites were employed in managerial, professional and related occupations. About 25 percent of Blacks or African Americans and about 36 percent of non-Hispanic Whites worked in managerial, professional and related occupations.		N. No accumulative, chronological update of data specific to Black people residing in North Omaha was presented.
	O. Larger proportions of civilian employed Blacks or African Americans aged 16 and older (about 28 percent) than civilian employed non-Hispanic Whites aged 16 and older (about 15 percent) worked in service occupations.		N. No accumulative, chronological update of data specific to Black people residing in North Omaha was presented.
	P. The income gap between Black or African American and White families is significant. The median income of Nebraska Black or African American households in the 12 months prior to being surveyed was about $28,400. This was less than two-thirds of the median income of non-Hispanic White households, which was about $47,100.		N. No accumulative, chronological update of data specific to Black people residing in North Omaha was presented.
	Q. Nebraska Black or African American had per capita income of $15,077. In comparison, non-Hispanic Whites had per capita income of $24,920.		N. No accumulative, chronological update of data specific to Black people residing in North Omaha was presented.
	R. About 30 percent of Nebraska Blacks or African Americans were living below the poverty level in the 12 months prior to being surveyed, compared with about nine percent of non-Hispanic Whites. The poverty rate was generally higher for children (under age 18). About 39 percent of Black or African American children and about 11 percent of non-Hispanic White children lived in poverty. Among those aged 65 and older, Blacks or African Americans had a poverty rate of about 16 percent, compared with about nine percent for non-Hispanic Whites.		N. No accumulative, chronological update of data specific to Black people residing in North Omaha was presented.
	S. A majority of Nebraska Black households, about 65 percent, lived in renter-occupied homes and about 35 percent lived in owner-occupied homes. In comparison, about 29 percent of non-Hispanic White households lived in renter- occupied homes and about 71 percent of non-Hispanic White households lived in owner-occupied homes.		N. No accumulative, chronological update of data specific to Black people residing in North Omaha was presented.
	T. For Nebraska Black or African American households, the median value of owner-occupied homes was $102,500. This is lower than the median value of owner-occupied homes for non-Hispanic White households reported as $121,300.		N. No accumulative, chronological update of data specific to Black people residing in North Omaha was presented.
	U. Nebraska Black or African American workers were more likely than non-Hispanic White workers to use public transportation. In 2006, about five percent of Black or African American workers aged 16 and older used public transportation compared with less than one percent (0.4 percent) non-Hispanic White workers.		N. No accumulative, chronological update of data specific to Black people residing in North Omaha was presented.

OBSERVATION:

For over a decade Marc V. Levine Professor Emeritus and Founding Director University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Center for Economic Development, has reported his annual analysis comparing the local state of "Blackness" in Milwaukee, Wisconsin vs. similar sized metropolitan areas. You can compare his analyis from 2010 versus his latest update from July 2020, "The State of Black Milwaukee in National Perspective: Racial Inequality in the Nation’s 50 Largest Metropolitan Areas In 65 Charts and Tables." Unlike the rather amateurish and spotty analysis produced by the Empowerment Network, Professor Levine's research includes residential segregation; income, poverty, and intergenerational economic mobility; employment and earnings; the racial composition of private-sector economic decision-makers; mass incarceration; educational attainment; school segregation; and health care outcomes. On the other hand, there's the cherry-picked pseudo-analysis produced by the Empowerment Network.

The overwhelming majority of the Zoom presenation, which again, lasted for three-hours-and-twenty-five-minutes-and-twenty-three-seconds (3:25.23), involved "soft measures" that, frankly, don't amount to much, because they hold absolutely no critical value to Black people; and more importantly, these "soft measures" have absolutely no value to the overwhelming majority of White people who reside in metro Omaha. How do we know? Consider the following example, which is just as true in Omaha now, in 2022, as it was in fifty-six-(56) years ago in Omaha in 1966.

A Time for Burning
A White Pastor in Omaha, Nebraska tries to introduce integration into his church by arranging visits with a Black church of the same faith. The experiment is filmed as it happened. Discussions from all points of view take place, which included a young Ernie Chambers. In the end, as predicted by Ernie Chambers, the White pastor is forced to leave the church by a committee which did not like his attitude.		"A Time for Burning," Dir. Barbara Connell, Bill Jersey; 58 minutes; Not Rated 1967; Lutheran Film Associates

QUESTION: What do you accomplish when you put a bunch of Uncle Tom's, negroes, niggers, coons, buffoons, liars, and go-along-to-get-along colored people into a Zoom meeting lasting three-hours-and-twenty-five-minutes-and-twenty-three-seconds (3:35.23)?

RESPONSE: Not a damn thing. Mediocrity is not a measure of success.

Perhaps, you consider those negroes at the Empowerment Network nothing more than a bunch of honest do gooders who mean well? Okay, please send me an apples-to-apples comparison of the cumulative, chronological "good deeds" they've accomplished, facts not opinions, and I'll gladly post it. Let's start with basic business data such as:

>> The actual number of original, "new" for-profit businesses created in North Omaha by the Empowerment Network - that did not result from incestuous business relationships (crony capitalism) with/between members of the Empowerment Netork - and that have endured throughout its entire existence of the Empowerment Network;

>> The actual number of existing for-profit businesses located in North Omaha that "expanded" their operations and/or services, while generating, sustaining, and increasing profits greater than the annual CPI for each year of business after receiving "business acumen and guidance" from the Empowerment Network - and continue to remain in existence;

>> The actual number of completed (not planned, but completed) non-residential, major capital construction initiatives located in North Omaha that were entirely financed, insured, constructed, and ultimately owned by Black people; and

>> The actual number of regular full-time jobs directly created by the Empowerment Network in North Omaha that have endured throughout its entire existence.

Why would you, or anyone, believe the Empowerment Network can "empower" anyone if they are unable to provide evidence of the aforementioned?

The paucity of Blacks in positions of private-sector economic decision-making is a near-universal reality in metropolitan America.
"The State of Black Milwaukee in National Perspective:
Racial Inequality in the Nation’s 50 Largest Metropolitan Areas
In 65 Charts and Tables," page 65

To recap: If Apple launches a new software or hardware product, someone at Apple is "immediately responsible" for achieving strategic business unit objectives, including specific revenue goals, market share, customer satisfaction, shareholder stock dividends, etc. Failure to "deliver" strategic business unit objectives will result in the immediate discipline or "at-will" termination of the employee(s) and/or termination of contracts with designated third-party entities. Failure to achieve strategic business unit objectives has consequences! The aforementioned is a business FACT.

Do you honestly believe the Empowerment Network is about the "business" of
improving the socio-economic status of Black people?

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What did Omaha's very own Malcolm X say about Uncle Tom's?
To understand this, you have to go back to what young brother here referred to as the house Negro and the field Negro back during slavery. There was two kinds of slaves. There was the house Negro and the field Negro. The house Negroes, they lived in the house with master. They dressed pretty good. They ate good because they ate his food, what he left. They lived in the attic or the basement, but still they lived near the master, and they loved their master more than the master loved himself. They would give their life to save the master’s house quicker than the master would. If the master said, “We got a good house here,” the house Negro would say, “Yeah, we got a good house here.” Whenever the master said we, he said we. That’s how you can tell a house Negro. If the master’s house caught on fire, the house Negro would fight harder to put the blaze out than the master would. If the master got sick, the house Negro would say, “What’s the matter, boss, we sick?” We sick! He identified himself with his master more than his master identified with himself. If you came to the house Negro and said, “Let’s run away. Let’s escape. Let’s separate,” the house Negro would look at you and say, “Man, you crazy. What you mean, separate? Where is there a better house than this? Where can I wear better clothes than this? Where can I eat better food than this?” That was that house Negro. In those days he was called a house nigger. That’s what we call him today, because we’ve still got some house niggers running around here. This modern house Negro loves his master. He wants to live near him. He’ll pay three times as much as the house is worth just to live near his master, and then brag about “I’m the only Negro out here.” “I’m the only one on my job.” “I’m the only one in this school.” You’re nothing but a house Negro. If someone came to you right now and said, “Let’s separate,” you’d say the same thing that the house Negro said on the plantation, “What you mean, separate? From America? This good white man? Where you going to get a better job than you get here?” I mean, this is what you say. “I ain’t left nothing in Africa.” That’s what you say. Why, you left your mind in Africa. On that same plantation, there was the field Negro. The field Negro, those were the masses. There was always more Negroes in the field than there was Negroes in the house. The Negro in the field caught hell. He ate leftovers. In the house, they ate high up on the hog. The Negro in the field didn’t get nothing but what was left of the insides of the hog. They call them chitterlings nowadays. In those days they called them what they were, guts. That’s what you were, a gut-eater. Some of you all still are gut-eaters. The field Negro was beaten from morning until night. He lived in a shack, in a hut. He wore old castoff clothes. He hated his master. I say he hated his master. He was intelligent. That house Negro loved his master. But that field Negro, remember, they were in the majority, and they hated the master. When the house caught on fire, he didn’t try and put it out. That field Negro prayed for a wind, for a breeze. When the master got sick, the field Negro prayed that he’d die. If someone come to the field Negro and said, “Let’s separate. Let’s run,” he didn’t say “Where are we going?” He’d say, “Anyplace is better than here.” You’ve got field Negroes in America today. I’m a field Negro. The masses are the field Negroes. When they see this man’s house on fire, you don’t hear these little Negroes talking about “our government is in trouble.” They say, “The government is in trouble.” Imagine a Negro, “Our government”! I even heard one say “our astronauts.” They won’t even let him near the plant, and “our astronauts”! “Our Navy.” That’s a Negro that’s out of his mind. That’s a Negro that’s out of his mind. Just as the slavemaster of that day used Tom, the house Negro, to keep the field Negroes in check, the same old slavemaster today has Negroes who are nothing but modern Uncle Toms, 20th-century Uncle Toms, to keep you and me in check, keep us under control, keep us passive and peaceful and nonviolent. That’s Tom making you nonviolent.
What was Malcolm X's assessment of how China dealt with it's Uncle Tom's?
The Chinese Revolution, they wanted land. They threw the British out, along with the Uncle Tom Chinese. Yeah, they did. They set a good example. When I was in prison, I read an article. Don’t be shocked when I say I was in prison. You’re still in prison. That’s what America means, prison.		When I was in prison, I read an article in Life magazine showing a little Chinese girl, nine years old. Her father was on his hands and knees, and she was pulling the trigger because he was an Uncle Tom Chinaman. When they had the revolution over there, they took a whole generation of Uncle Toms, just wiped them out. And within 10 years, that little girl became a full-grown woman. No more Toms in China. Today, it’s one of the toughest, roughest, most feared countries on this earth by the white man, because there are no Uncle Toms over there.

Again, do you honestly believe the Empowerment Network is about the "business" of
improving the socio-economic status of Black people? Well, do you?

Sometimes the usual-and-customary "warm and friendly" words just don't get the "point" across, so you have to use words and phrases that provide both clarity and potency.

Given the previous statement: The manifesto for those negroes at the Empowerment Network should mirror Willie Lynch's "Cardinal Principles for Making a Negro," because they've been so successfully brainwashed with their tongues so far up the butts of White folk like Mayor Stothert they can't tell the difference between chocolate and feces. Harsh language?

Jessica Wade's March 28, 2023 article in the Omaha World-Herald boldly stated, "Despite Stothert's pledge, City of Omaha's boards see little change in diversity."

>> Back in 2020, in the wake of George Floyd’s murder by a Minneapolis police officer, Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert pledged to expand diverse representation on city boards and commissions.

>> Nearly three years later, however, it appears little change has been made in the racial and ethnic makeup of Stothert’s appointees to the city’s more than 40 boards and commissions. In fact, the Mayor’s Office isn’t even keeping track of appointee demographics — and doesn’t intend to.

>> “If you ask me right now, the diversity, the percentages of all the boards and commissions, I will honestly tell you, I don’t know, because I don’t pick them according to the color of their skin,” Stothert told The World-Herald. “I pick them because of expertise or qualifications or skills or experience. These are the things that we’re looking for.”

According to Stothert, Black people and other people of color do not possess the "things" Mayor Stothert is looking for. Some might consider Mayor Stothert's statement rather condescending if not racist, especially from a White woman who rose from an extremely limited vocational background as a nurse, with no prior experience managing any aspects of urban municipal government, to deploy her "privilege" to become Mayor of the thirty-ninth-(39) largest city in the United States.

As represented by the graphic below, the Empowerment Network has done nothing to improve the socio-economic status for the overwhelming majority of Black people living in North Omaha.

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Again, as represented by the graphic exhibits below, the Empowerment Network has done nothing to improve the socio-economic status which would reduce the perpetually high rate of homicides involving Black people living in North Omaha.

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If you perceive this assessment of the Empowerment Network as too harsh, or offensive, you should be equally offended by Negroes and White people who think you're too stupid to assess their contempt for your intelligence.

I welcome your feedback.

Trip Reynolds
trip.reynolds@yahoo.com

Reynolds' Rap February 11, 2022 - Updated April 10, 2023 © 2017-2023 Tripoetry. All Rights Reserved. First Amendment to the United States Constitution - Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.