Just One More Thought on the Reason Why

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There are millions of blogs on the Internet offering news from the proverbial FRONT, where the cause is waged by the experienced “insider” who has taken on the mantle of “Citizen Journalist”.

While it’s just a thought, the above more or less outlines the reason why so many people engage in this effort.  The purpose; to fill a void in the information matrix.  And its characterization is fitting for all blog publishers.  Even for individuals broadcasting their daily life experiences on Facebook and Twitter.

The need to TELL precedes the need to know!

Why then have so many people embarked upon this effort to inform?  Well, its definitely not a new human impulse.  Rather, to TELL is human.  Sharing information with those we care for, the audience, and, at times, shedding light on those who mean harm.  Of course this shouldn’t figure as a new concept.

Anyone who has ever referred to Sacred Scripture, a Textbook or Assembly Instructions will confirm that this information was available long before they recognized there need to know.

The desire by a few to bring the masses unfiltered information is a demonstration of the good will that exists by most of  humanity on the world wide web.  Which is why I started MyBrooklynReport.com.

Throughout my career I’ve witnessed how real estate deals are negotiated and financed.  Inside those experiences are the untold stories about the process and the players responsible.  I’ve also seen the vital role real estate plays in a city like New York and where politics can often become involved.

When I examined my career I learned that the real estate business is not only about the property available for lease or sale, but also the people involved who have a say.  And there are more people involved who have a say than you think.

Today, there are countless blogs on the Internet providing content about New York City real estate and they all do a fine job of presenting the issues and opportunities.  However, the majority of coverage by major and local media outlets, as well as blogs, tend to cover neighborhoods that have achieved a favorable quality of life as a result of their transformation.

The neighborhood transformations achieved in Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, South Park Slope, Gowanus,  Williamsburg and the like, occurred as a result of a community forming and forging alliances to reclaim their streets, parks, commerce, schools and right to quality city services.  The community also achieved political maturity and made their elected officials accountable.

If the blogosphere was around as prominently as it is now, we would be able to read the testimonies of unsung heroes who actively sought a change in their surroundings and banded together in community rooms, hallways and basements.  I was fortunate to have known a few of those unsung heroes in the late Vincent Jones and the late Mildred Scott, my neighbors in Crown Heights.

Mildred Scott, a former New York City teacher, was active in community affairs in Bedford Stuyvesant and Crown Heights. She focused her energies on improving the quality of life for community residents through her efforts as a block association President, participation in numerous organizations and serving on the local community board.  Inspired by the Honorable Shirley Chisholm, her obituary read 4 pages long, recounting her contributions to her community.

Vincent Jones, a former professional song and dance man and Korean War veteran, returned to East New York, Brooklyn, during the race riots of the late 1960’s.  Fed up with the hands off approach by elected officials and local police precinct, he decided to approach white community activists to begin crucial dialogue to end the violence and to begin building the bridges of understanding and tolerance.  His heroism was heralded by then Mayor of New York City, John Lindsay, who grew up in East New York.  His obituary read 5 pages long and included original press articles from the Daily News and New York Times.

While both Vincent Jones and Mildred Scott shared many things from their experiences with me, I’ve managed to distill them all into the following statement;

The condition of a community is intricately tied to what it owns; that being its streets, Its parks, its commerce, its schools, its politics, its government and ultimately its property.

Which is the impetus for MyBrooklynReport.com, to present the property ownership proposition and how to utilize the financial, community and political resources available to engage in “Enlightened Capitalism”;  channelling peoples natural desire to create wealth through enterprising endeavors to improve their quality of life.

Without a profit motive, its difficult to arrange the resources and galvanize the support for an enterprise of any type to be successful.  Charity has only been able to accomplish only so much.

And only poor communities have local not for profit development corporations and remain tragically poor decades after their creation.  I know this first hand.  I grew up in Bedford Stuyvesant where The Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation was the first community development corporation in the United States.  Its mission;

To improve the quality of life for residents and businesses in central Brooklyn.

I won’t beat the point into the ground.  It speaks for itself.  And to offer an explanation for why these efforts fall well below their best intentions lies in why people do anything in life:  for personal gain.

Even the parable of the talents endorses this notion by elevating it to a universal truth with a higher calling: do unto others as you would have them do unto you.  If you can’t do, you can’t get anything done.

Which explains why this blog post, as well as my avatar, is a picture of me at the tender age of 4 years old in my Sunday best.  Dressed for an event with anticipation in my eyes.  Anxious to see what I had hoped would soon come.  Impatient for the day to arrive.

The realization that YOU are the change we’ve been expecting.

The change that’s needed.

This article is authored by Michael Corley for MyBrooklynReport.com ©, All Rights Reserved under the U.S. Digital Millenium Copyright Act and International Copyright Law.