Missing My Brother A Lot

                    My Brother Mano (left), and Me in 1986

EDITOR'S NOTE:

I originally posted the piece below, several weeks ago, in memory of my brother Mano.

I'm reposting it, because I find myself thinking about my brother, and missing him a lot.

Especially at this time of the year.

A time when families come together.

I love you Mano.

Not a day goes by that I don't think about you.

I miss you.

​

By Davy V.

It's been one year since my brother "Mano", my only sibling , passed away.

And not a single day has gone by that I don't think of him.

I miss him so much.

But he was so much more than my brother.

He was a great uncle to my children.

And he was a GREAT FATHER.

As a single dad, he sold his house, which he bought cash when we won a lawsuit against the City of Rochester, New York, and the Rochester Police Department, so therefore he had no mortgage, but he sold it and moved into a small, overpriced, outdated apartment in Brighton, NY just so that his daughter could attend what at the time was a top school district.

And in doing so, he gave her a great launching pad, which in turn propelled  her to having the professional career she has today.

NOTE: I will write more about that another time, because there are some things that need to be said, and because he deserved so much better, but that's for another day.

Simply put, my brother loved his children, and he was always there for them.

My brother was also my first cameraman.

In the early 1990's, we traveled to East Orange, New Jersey in his Toyota 4 Runner, on a shoestring budget, to interview Naughty by Nature for the debut episode of my cable access TV show KEEP IT ON THE REEL.

My brother believed in my passion for video production, and without his support, that episode, and the classic interview with Treach, a legendary HIP HOP lyricist, would have never happened.

Me and my brother were almost a decade apart in age.

So his taste in music varied from mine.

Where my music of choice was HIP HOP, my brother's was The Beatles, John Lennon, Billy Joel, Thelonius Monk, and Billie Holiday, to name a few.

Growing up, I remember playing Rakim on my boombox in my bedroom, while just across the hall, my brother would be playing John Lennon in his room.

At times it sounded like the battle of  the bands!

But as we both got older, we shared our music with each other.

I introduced him to Public Enemy, one of my all time favorite rap groups.

He introduced me to Billy Joel and The Beatles.

And interestingly, we actually started liking each other's music.

In fact, my brother liked Public Enemy so much that he bought their album "It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back"!

And to this day, Billy Joel, John Lennon, and Steve Millet are on heavy rotation on my music playlist.

Me and my brother shared a love for film and television series.

He got me into Breaking Bad, Dexter, The Last of Us, Game of Thrones, and House of The Dragon.

I haven't really been able to watch a complete movie or series since my brother passed.

And it's going to be especially hard to watch the new Dexter series or the new The Last of Us.

I MISS MY BROTHER.

I miss talking to him.

I even miss the normal sibling arguments and disagreements.

I just miss having him in my life.

In my children's life.

They also miss him.

My sons will often text me:

"Pops, I miss uncle."

"Me too.", I reply.

They say that when you lose a loved one, a part of you dies as well.

That statement is so true.

It's just not the same without him.

Especially being that he was my only sibling.

It's actually a surreal feeling because with his passing, a connection to my Cuban roots (my brother was born in Cuba) and our overall family history is also gone.

Please cherish  the time you have with your loved ones.

Appreciate every moment you have with them.

Let them know how much you love them, WHILE THEY'RE STILL HERE!

I know that advice may sound so cliche, but I mean it.

Trust me.

You will miss them when they're gone.

And you'll regret not doing more.

You will also regret not spending more time with them.

I know I do.

Mano we love you and we miss you so much.

Your brother,

David

How YOUR TAX DOLLARS Have Turned Beautiful Towns Like Brighton, NY into Suburban Ghettos

               EVERYONE KNOWS A SHANIQUA

BY DAVY V.

Almost 20 years ago, I moved to Brighton, New York, a suburb of Rochester, New York, to give my children a better, safe alternative than their mother was giving them in one of Rochester, New York's worst, crime and drug infested neighborhoods.

Shortly after moving to Brighton, I was able to get full custody of my boys, and enrolled them in the Brighton Central School District, one of the best school districts in New York State at that time.

Having lived in Brighton for almost two decades, I have seen the town change so much.

And not for the better.

In fact, if you follow my YouTube channel DavyVTV, you may have come across my "BRIGHTON, NY IS CHANGING" videos.

Speaking of which, I think it's time to do a refresh on that title and change it from BRIGHTON, NY IS CHANGING, to BRIGHTON, NY HAS CHANGED.

Because it's a done deal.

The Brighton, New York that I moved to almost two decades ago, is long gone.

Replaced by some of the most GHETTOEST of GHETTO TRASH.

Up to now, I have only talked about how Brighton, New York has changed, on my DavyVTV YouTube Channel.

Up to now.

That's because, starting today, I will be writing about it here, on The Davy V. Blog.

And I was thinking, what better way to start, than with something that no one really ever talks about.

How YOUR TAX DOLLARS are destroying beautiful towns like Brighton, New York, by enabling GHETTO TRASH individuals to move to the suburbs.

Let me explain.

You may have heard about Section 8, a Federally funded housing program, paid for by YOUR TAX DOLLARS.

Section 8 allows folks to  basically live anywhere the United States that they choose.

And Section 8 pays for 60-70% of their rent.

Ok.

Let me make something clear.

I'm not against programs thar help those who are willing to help themselves.

NOT AT ALL.

I'm all for a hand up.

NOT A HANDOUT.

And trust me, there are some folks who don't deserve any help.

Individuals who are leeches.

Opportunistic scum who don't contribute anything to society.

TRASH.

AND THEY COME IN ALL COLORS.

WHITE TRASH.

LATINO TRASH.

AND BLACK TRASH.

And we've all seen these folks.

Ok.

Let me tell you a short story.

About a woman.

Let's see... we'll call her Shaniqua.

Shaniqua is on Sectiion 8.

She applies to move to an apartment complex in Brighton, New York.

The apartment complex approves her

After all, they see that she's on Section 8.

And that tells them the only thing they care about.

That rent payment is guaranteed.

Money in the bank baby!

CHA-CHING!

So, they never bother to check Shaniqua's background.

Including her criminal history.

Or her rental history, for that matter, before she got on Section 8.

You see, if the apartment rental company wouid have bothered to check those two things, here's what they would have found.

Shaniqua has a long criminal history, which includes assault.

And incarceration. 

And before Shaniqua was approved for Section 8, she was known to be a nightmare tenant at each of her previous apartments that she rented.

She would stop paying rent.

And I'm not talking about the occasional late payment.

I mean like she would just completely stop paying rent.

Shaniqua knew exactly how New York State housing eviction laws worked.

And boy would she work the system.

She knew the landlords couldn't just throw you out.

She knew they would have to jump through a bunch of legal rings, hoops and obstacles, before they could get a judge to issue and sign an eviction order.

And Shaniqua knew how to delay court proceedings by not showing up to the first court hearing.

Shaniqua also knew how to stall the eviction process.

In order to drag it out.

Dragging out the eviction process meant buying more time.

And so that's exactly what she did.

And by the time the judge finally did sign that eviction order, several months had passed.

Several months of Shaniqua not paying rent.

And by that time she already had her next place lined up.

Shaniqua was also known to damage rental properties.

And every landlord who rented to Shaniqua, ended up paying for repairs once they were finally able to take possession of their property back.

We've all heard the term "Slum Lord", referring to bad landlords.

And it's true.

There are many landlords who neglect their rental properties, and refuse to fix violations.

But you rarely hear anyone talk about GHETTO TRASH TENANTS.

Like Shaniqua.

So, fast forward many years, thousands of dollars in unpaid rent, and countless evictions, and Shaniqua THE GHETTO TRASH QUEEN reaches the Master Level of the renting hustle.

She's approved for Section 8.

That's like hitting the jackpot!

I mean it's an instant 60-70% FREE RENT CARD!

ANYWHERE IN THE U.S.!

But as you'll see in a second, Section 8 comes with a few other benefits as well.

                SELF ENTITLED GHETTO TRASH

Ok, back to Brighton, New York.

Shaniqua moves in to her new suburban apartment.

And almost immediately, it begins.

The loud noises.

The yelling.

The screaming.

The constant barking of her dog.

Her harassing, threatening, and intimidating other neighbors.

Her complete and utter lack of respect or consideration for other tenants, including parking her huge GHETTO SUV, taking up two parking spaces, in a complex where parking is already limited.

She even parks blocking the sidewalk where older tenants walk, and young children walk to catch their school bus.

The police are called.

Several times.

They can't do much.

This goes on for almost a year.

All the while good tenants who once enjoyed a peaceful renting experience, have had to put up with a low class, uneducated. GHETTO TRASH individual.

Until the apartment complex finally realizes they fucked up.

Now they realize that in their excitement when they saw that "SECTION 8" on Shaniqua's rental application, yep, they fucked up.

And they realize they should have done a background check on Shaniqua.

But they didn't.

So they send her a 10-Day Lease Correction Notice.

Several of them.

They're basically warnings to change her behavior, or they will start eviction proceedings.

PURE GRADE A BULLSHIT.

Shanequa is CERTIFIED GHETTO TRASH RATED.

She knows the rental hustle.

So she wipes her big GHETTO ass with the notices.

More months pass.

And the good innocent tenants continue to have their quality of life affected by this GHETTO TRASH.

Then the rental company decides to not renew Shaniqua's lease.

Which basically means that until her lease expires, Shaniqua can continue to threaten, harass, intimidate, torment, and continue to affect the other tenants' quality of life.

But then the rental company realizes something else.

Remember the part about Shaniqua's mastery of the rent hustle?

SECTION 8?

That's right.

 

Since Shaniqua is on Section 8, basically she's afforded some extra rights and protections that hardworking folks who pay their rent on time and just want some peace and quiet, are not afforded.

You see, Section 8 is a government program.

And Section 8 rules and guidelines can affect an apartment complex deciding not to renew someone's lease.

Someone who's on Section 8.

AKA SHANIQUA.

And while that doesn't necessarily mean that Shaniqua is immune from eviction, or non-renewal of her lease, let's just say that the rental company now finds themselves in a situation where they have to make extra sure they dot all their i's and cross all their T's.

Not to mention, and of course rental companies will never admit this, but since Shaniqua is Black, the rental company fears a discrimination lawsuit.

YEP.

You guessed it.

That means Shaniqua will be afforded even more rights and protections.

I mean can you really blame them?

The last thing the rental company wants is a discrimination lawsuit from an angry Black woman.

Meanwhile those innocent tenants?

YEP.

They  have to continue to put up with a GHETTO TRASH BITCH.

And now you know how YOUR TAX DOLLARS have turned once beautiful towns like Brighton, New York into GHETTO SUBURBS.

We've all seen a Shanequa.

In fact, next time you're in the checkout line at Walmart or Wegmans, or at your local supermarket, and you find yourself adding up the prices of the items in your grocery cart, making sure you have enough cash to cover everything, or enough on your debit card without getting hit with an overdraft, take a look at the individual in front of you.

Or in the next checkout line over.

You see her?

With the weave, and the gaudy nails, and the gold chains and rings on.

Talking on her cellphone.

With a shopping cart of groceries filled to the very top, spilling over with items.

And an EBT card in her hand.

Getting into a brand new Cadillac Escalade.

That's a Shanequa!

Oh wait.

I didn't tell you?

In addition to getting Section 8, yes, they also get public assistance including food stamps.

Which means that in addition to basically living pretty much rent free, Shaniqua eats for free too!

Not to mention they often drive better vehicles than you do.

I mean why wouldn't they?

YOU PAY FOR IT!

The Davy V. Blog is a RAW and UNFILTERED independent media, opinion, and commentary platform run by Cuban-American writer, filmmaker, content creator, and police accountability activist Davy V.

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