“When do our elders stand up and reach out to the productive young people because all of us(young people) aren’t criminals” — I wish we did see more of this. However, what we may have here is a failure to communicate. Tons of older Black people are still trying to find ways to encourage younger people to complete their education; the problem is that some younger people know first-hand that the old “go to school, get a good job, and get a secure retirement” model that many elders remember just isn’t working anymore and want something different. But the streets, while offering something different, aren’t offering anything better… so the young and the elders stare at each other trying to figure out what’s wrong with the other side. The solution may be for both sides to learn together the reality of how wealth is made and lost in the world (LEGALLY), and to then work together to better their collective condition. The elders tend to have more resources, and the young fresh energy; we all need each other. I count myself blessed that I have encountered many peple older than me (middle-age and upper) who are more than happy to help me advance in a positive way both creatively and in terms of learning to build wealth… but it is certainly true that the teachers do not appear until the students are ready. A lot of younger people are so caught up on expressing themselves that they are not in a learning mode — and I have to check myself every day to make sure I am not expressing when I should be listening and learning. Sometimes, we do need to turn the music — whatever that may be for us — down or off, and just get quiet and really hear what those older than us have to say. For there are those that are reaching out, but they are not going to shout over us.