I met a young, long-haired, good-looking Mexican-American man yesterday by the name of Alexandro. He was scribbling graffiti on a lamppost and I was curious what it was. It said “SLVR.”
He noticed me watching and said “Silver.” At first, I didn’t know what he was talking about, but then it dawned on me: Silver and Black. The Raiders. And so we had a conversation.
It quickly turned to the state of affairs in Oakland. The city is going down the drain, he said—it sucked that we lost the Raiders, although he remains loyal to the team. I asked him what he thought we could do about our town. He shook his head. “Nothing. There’s nothing we can do.” I said I couldn’t wake up in the morning if I thought everything was hopeless; as Jesse Jackson always said, “Keep hope alive!” I asked him if he votes. “No,” he said. “They’re all the same.” He went on at some length about the pointlessness of politics, of voting for corrupt people. I told him if he doesn’t vote, then he’s giving up his voice to people he might disagree with. But he didn’t really want to listen. His mind was made up: the whole system is rotten, controlled (he said) by “rich white people.”
It broke my heart. So much misunderstanding there, such a waste of an obviously intelligent, sensitive, caring mind. But what could I say or do? When our conversation was over, we fist-bumped, but I felt sad. So many young people feel the same as Alexandro. We adults don’t want to come across as holier-than-thou; at least, I don’t. I’m not going to lecture Alexandro, who was so polite and endearing. But the thought of him going back to East Oakland, thinking everything is pointless and hopeless, makes me weep.
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And while we’re on the topic of voting, here’s the headline from a new U.C. Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies poll: GARVEY NOW IN A STATISTICAL TIE WITH SCHIFF IN FULL-TERM U.S. SENATE PRIMARY
Although the leading Democrat, Adam Schiff, is likely to get his party’s nomination and go on to win the general election, the Berkeley poll ought to be sending shivers down the spines of Democrats. If Garvey, a Republican, even has a chance of becoming California’s next Senator, then the Democratic Party is in trouble. And the reason is because Democrats have allowed themselves to become identified as the party of crime and homelessness. People have had it up to here with both. They want leaders who will crack down on crime and end the encampments once and for all.
This is a wakeup call to the party—not the only wakeup call, but a strong one. Gov. Newsom in many respects has heeded that call; he’s become anathema to progressives. But the electorate is in a hurry: they want the mess cleaned up, and they want it done now. They’re tired of word games and excuses and kicking the can down the road. And frankly, so am I.
Steve Heimoff