blackmattersus.com
You’ve decided to run for mayor of Atlanta in the upcoming Local 2017 election. You’re a civil rights activist, a member of the NAACP, and you’ve also participated in some Black Lives Matter rallies. We’ve seen over the years that the voice of the Black community has not been heard. What do you think you can do about this by running for mayor of Atlanta?
Tommy Youngblood
First, I want to say that running for the mayor of Atlanta is a very big deal for me. My community is being affected by the recent uproar of police brutality, and race issues are distressing the Latinos, Mexicans, and the predominantly Black community. However, in order to keep our people safe and to stop lives from being taken away from their parents and their loved ones, we would have to join forces with community leaders and politicians. We would also have to start running for different positions, like becoming the next district attorney, or the next mayor to take back control because our voices are not being heard. There’s a difference between understanding and hearing something. Our people are fed up. We need to put in place a system, which I have, to stop all of the madness. If we were to raise thousands of dollars to help fund the Black Lives Matter greater Atlanta chapter and we used that money to send our people to law schools, so they can get the proper education to be fit to be an attorney and to represent situations like this that occur too frequently. And if we start to do this over time, the system will then have a solid foundation and will be effortlessly supported. You see, Atlanta has someone like myself who believes that our younger generation should run for mayor, they have someone who believes in young African-American people should run for judge, prosecutor, and for District Attorney. Those who are in power today, are not actively doing anything. Well, for what I have seen over the years. They are misunderstanding our voices, so we have to get active in the community and make things right. If we aren’t finding a way, we are going to make one. If you can’t beat them, you join them.
blackmattersus.com
You are absolutely right. No one is listening to our voices and something really needs to be done about it.
Tommy Youngblood
Yes, I agree. What I have experienced over the past weeks involving my campaign is, “You’re too young, or what experience do you have in working for the city? What experience do you have in politics?” Now, I’m not trying to step on anyone’s toes, and I’m not trying to cover up anything. I keep it very straightforward. When Black men first obtained the right to vote, we didn’t vote for who had the most experience because the ones who had the most experience didn’t have our best interest at heart. Who we did vote for was the person who fought and took a stand for us in the community. I am 25-years-old and I’m running for mayor. I have 25 years worth of experience understanding my people, not just the Black people, but the white people, the Latino people, the Asians, and the Chinese. I have experienced 25 years of growing up in a broken economy. I also have experienced 25 years in a segregated city where people are still biased and racist of one’s color. I have 10 years of experience of researching the governmental system and politics. Let me say this, we’ve been voting for people for the last century who claim to have experience, but somehow we’ve been getting the same results for problems that should have already been resolved. We need to start holding our local officials more accountable since they have so many years of experience. My question is, where were local officials when the old lady down the street had to make the decision whether she was going to purchase her diabetic medicine or pay her rent? Or the single mother who raised five Black boys and when it rains she reminds them to not walk to the bus stop wearing a hoodie because she doesn’t the police to stereotype them.
blackmattersus.com
There was an award ceremony (The Triumph Awards) at the Tabernacle concert in Atlanta on September 18th and you were present there. I see you had the chance to meet the late Trayvon Martin’s mom, Sybrina Fulton. What kind of message did you get to share with her? What did you get to talk about with her?
Tommy Youngblood
It was more of a painted picture that spoke to me than a verbal message. When I hugged her she said, “Hey, I want to get a picture with you.” And I said, ok. When I touched her, I felt pain, I felt hurt, and she looked at me and she said, “You’re running for mayor,” I said “yes ma’am.” Knowing about such tragedy that had happened to her son, I believe I gave her hope. You know, statistics show that most Black men, that are 25 and younger are most likely to be incarcerated or in jail. But boy am I making that statement false. Anyway, as I looked into her eyes, I felt her pain, and also when I felt that pain, I knew running for mayor of the city of Atlanta was ordained for me to do. I am supposed to break the cycle for our young black men, and show them what is possible. With God all things are possible. She was so proud to see a young Black man tell her, “Hey, I’m running for mayor for the city of Atlanta!”
blackmattersus.com
Bearing in mind what went on in Charlotte, North Carolina, where protests led to nights of violent unrests, what’s your take on police brutality?
Tommy Youngblood
What happened in North Carolina is ridiculous but it starts with your mayor and it goes down to your chief. From my understanding out of all the police brutalities that have happened, I only know of one officer that was charged and sentenced. Everybody else walked. But when they’re walking, not one time has the mayor of the city gone out into the community and represented the people in the community that was affected by such tragedy.
blackmattersus.com
Concerning the police brutality issue, yeah, something must be done about it and the police officers who commit those crimes have to face the music because there have just been too many cases where they just walk free and it’s very unfair. So a positive change has to come.
Tommy Youngblood
Yeah, change has to come and we have the power to become the change we want to see. Again, we have to start running for these positions, making it our duty to appear at city hall meetings, and during both governmental and local elections, we are making sure our names are on the ballot as well as make sure people are coming out to vote. Over time, there have been people outside jurisdiction and outside of the communities that making decisions for us on our behalf. Why? Because we’re showing up at the city town hall meetings to hear and see what’s going on and what laws are being passed.
blackmattersus.com
As I have come to understand, you’re running for mayor to make a change in the community, and your platform is completely geared towards creating a healthy, safe Atlanta by teaching the people how to. Could you shed more light on your idea on how to make Atlanta a safer place?
Tommy Youngblood
My platform is geared to creating a health-safe Atlanta by teaching the people how to, and that how to specifically is how to control the economic system in our city, how to control the unemployment system in our city, how to control the FDA raising the prices of the prescribed drugs for our residents, and how to control our education system to ensure all students in the city of Atlanta are getting the proper education with the most updated technology that we have can provide. So when I use the word how to, it’s because I’m teaching them how to do these things. You know, there’s a saying that we’re all familiar with that says, if you give a man a fish, he will only eat for a day, but if you teach the man how to fish, he will eat for a lifetime. I look forward to seeing my city eat for a lifetime.
blackmattersus.com
People have doubts about the civil rights movement conflicting with the LGBT community which you are an advocate for. What do you think you can do to make both of them work together?
Tommy Youngblood
When we mention the LGBT community and we mention the civil rights community, we see the division between the two. But if they strip me down naked and they strip you down naked, and they cut across our wrists, we bleed what color? We’re all going to bleed the same color. When I first came to the city of Atlanta and I witnessed all of the homeless people living on the street, I did my research and come to find out 85% of those homeless men and women are retired veterans. And out of those veterans, some were homosexual and some were not. And what I have done over the years is, I have opened up my home to give these people who are homeless and less fortunate a place to lay their head and a place to shower. I referred to t them as ‘my people,’ but some current active politicians will refer to them as strangers. So it’s not a division issue, well not with me at least. No matter what we do, we still bleed the same. However, what we see today is a system of division. And to be honest with you, the system has become or always have been a form of modern day slavery. We fought to desegregate schools, so why can’t we fight to join forces?
blackmattersus.com
Finally, how do you intend on building a connection, a better relationship between the police and the Black community?
Tommy Youngblood
Building a connection with the police and the Black community is going to be a difficult task and we’re going to have to have someone that’s willing to take on that task like myself. First of all, we need to understand the Black heritage and we need to understand the white heritage. We need to have town hall meetings where we can bring our community and law enforcement officers together, so we all can sit down and discuss issues that our people are facing within the community. But one thing I know is, there are a lot of people who are not attending these important town hall meetings simply because some of them are afraid to speak out and often times, residents are aware when and where these meetings are being held. We need to start advertising these assemblies all over the radio and newspapers. I hear all the time, “Atlanta is hiring new police officers every Monday.” However, with so many people going down to the station to apply, that doesn’t change the wage of an officer’s salary. For instance, say Atlanta hires a thousand police officers, out of that thousand, you have 1,000 underpaid officers, and 1,000 stressed police officers. But if you could give me 500 police officers and I can make sure they’re all properly trained and earning a decent salary, what I now have is quality over quantity. When someone is stressed and are underpaid and you authorize them power, you then will see poor results like we see today. Do not get me wrong, I want to give thanks to what some officers have already done here in Atlanta for Chief Turner. He’s a man all by himself. If there’s a problem, we as residents of Atlanta have the right or privilege to say, let’s go down to chief’s office and ask him what can we do to make whatever the situation is better? Do you need our help? Do you need us to volunteer? Do you need us to take action? Because I know that without action or accountability, we can’t expect to get any results. So it goes deeper than just race and it has been time for us to march to the beat of our own drums. I tell my brothers and sisters, “let’s not just tell them Black Lives Matter, but let’s prove to them Black Lives Matter by going out into our community and getting in formation.”
I am Tommy Youngblood, your future mayor of the city of Atlanta, support me! Be sure that we all get out there and vote for me, a Black man that is 25 years-old striving to make Atlanta great again. And soon, we will see the results of my leadership become a domino effect. We will the younger generation start stepping up to take over these positions that have been withheld by political veterans who’ve been running our system for years. We need to line up, sign up to be on the ballot, so we can run for office like we line up to go purchase these Jordans.
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