Taking Responsibility

In case you have not been watching the news, we live in the era of accountability. With each passing days, many prominent individuals are being exposed for their transgressions. Whether your name is Jim Black or Marion Jones, everything you do will be exposed in the light. Martha Stewart, America's sweetheart, served prison time. If you are being deceitful and underhanded, eventually, you will get caught.

Clifford Harris, better known as T.I., was arrested this past Saturday hours before the BET Awards in Atlanta, GA on for attempting to buy firearms from an undercover ATF (Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms) agent. Harris is a convicted felon on probation, which means that he cannot own firearms. On several websites, there is information of how this investigation has been going on over a week and a half. Harris' bodyguard has been cooperating with ATF agents, as he was busted by the ATF a week and a half ago.

I was real intrigued to see what the reaction would be from various blog posts on All Hip Hop.com and The Atlanta Journal constitution. Yet, with the seemingly airtight case that the ATF has, some people are crying that the arrest was racially motivated and that this is another attack on hip hop.

For the record, I am of African-American descent and I am sick and tired of us crying racism whenever one of our young superstars find themselves in trouble. Granted, all of the facts have not come out as of yet, but, come on!!! Why does he need all of those guns in his house? When you have silencers, that means you are about send somebody's son or daughter to the grave. Why do we defend this nonsense? People are calling the bodyguard a snitch and a sellout. For all my hard core thugs, I guess you will ride or die for your boy, which means serving jail time because you don't want to be viewed as a snitch.

When, as a people, we will begin to take responsibility for our actions? Michael Vick, T.I., Isaiah Washington, etc. When are we going to stop using the race card and promote accountability within our community? We need to call things for what they are and stop giving people a pass because of who they are and because of the color of their skin.

Let us begin teaching accountability within our community.