The Welfare Queen Redux


As I returned to my state of Michigan a few weeks ago, I was greeted with the image of a dark skinned man sporting a fedora tipped to the side with a magenta shirt, and a white striped suit strolling out of the courthouse. In a matter of moments, for better or for worse, I knew I was home. As I visited my favorite Internet sites, I saw the image of Nathaniel Abraham splattered around. Abraham’s flamboyance in dress attracted heavy media attention, but just 8 years ago his use of shotgun grabbed national attention. As I turned on the news, video of him strolling in the parking lot in his suit was accompanied by voice overs discussing how residents were up in arms that Abraham was going free and would live in an apartment and attend college on the state’s dime. It was almost as if I could her the music entering as the news described the scary welfare queen in redux, this time only in the form of the cold blooded Black male killer. Let me make this clear up front, this piece is not about supporting Nathaniel Abraham’s killing, nor his dress, nor anything of that sort. This piece is about understanding what Nathaniel Abraham means to us and what he should represent to us, not what we’ve come to represent him as.

The heresy with which Michigan residents were disgusted by the prospect of Abraham being eligible for programs designed for abandoned youth, is the same disgust they should have felt when he was tried as an adult. It is the same disgust that we should hold when young men and women of color are released back into a society with few social supports. To me, it’s not a mystery that when a person, is isolated from social opportunities from childhood, and then you force them to “participate” fully there will be issues. As the old adage goes, “you gotta crawl before you ball.” Spending nearly half your life in prison cannot prepare you to succeed outside of prison. As the cameras snapped images of a man in outlandish attire, I could only see a manchild.

Recently when I was spending time with my little brother who is 11 and we began talking about independence and what his mother let’s him do. A typical conversation among pre-teens. As we talked, eventually we ended up telling him the story of Nathaniel Abraham, he looked on in shock and disbelief. My little brother is smart, top of his class, has his “head on straight” and I quickly realized the idea of leaving society and returning in 9 years was unimaginable. He, probably like most 11 year olds, found the prospect hard to swallow. As we talked more he repeatedly asked me questions like, “What happened to Nathaniel?” “Why’d he do (the murder) what he did?” These were difficult questions to answer. I still cannot fully answer them, but even my inability to answer speaks volumes.

I wonder about Nathaniel, not simply because he’s a human, but because I wonder what kind of world produces a manchild like him. I remember reading Fox Butterfield’s account of Willie Bosket and thinking that he told part of the story. Though I may not be able to retrace Nathaniel’s life, I’m sure there are more than enough elements that would trouble us. While the national cameras usually fixate on Detroit as a city in decline or post decline, seldom do people think of Pontiac. Pontiac, which sits not far from Detroit, is just as ripe with social ills and dangers: high amounts of crime, drugs, unemployment, and single headed households. While we all love the stories of “beating the odds” and want to highlight the exceptions to the rules of poverty, these stories are in many ways disingenuous. I think Nathaniel represents the rule, the rule that we need to grapple with, simply put: Your chances for success (however you define it) are severely limited (if not eliminated) if you grow up poor, Black, and male in America.

As the media spins images of Nathaniel “pimping the system” and people grow concerned that a “monster” lives on state support, we still have to ask, what/who created this “monster”? In reality, we all did. When we neglect and ignore the conditions of the youth, particularly poor and Black youth, we are assured that Nathaniel will not be the last Nathaniel. When there is bipartisan support for cutting social programs, we assure the development of the manchild. When we assume that things “aren’t that bad” because we can see downtown Detroit open a few shops, we ink poor children’s fates. Unfortunately, there will be more Nathaniels, people locked away with little ability to transition back into “society.” So the next time you hear of them getting “social support” before you ask “How could this happen?” you should ask “How did this happen?” In my estimation, his apartment and some tuition are a pittance compared to the life that we allowed Nathaniel to live before. Lastly, ask yourself, if you were Nathaniel, could you live up to the request of Judge Eugene Moore, “Show us all that you have become a caring, productive member of society”, without assistance.

Filed under: Black Men, Prison, Public Policy, Sociology

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  • Dancewithme2

    I most definitely agree with you. I remember this case. I remember seeing a misguided child bound for an even more misguided adulthood. I truly hope that he’ll move on with his life and become a prosperous and contributing member to society. Unfortunately he has been a witness to the cruelty and uncaring nature of humankind more than he has the nuturing side. A part of me wonders how we can expect him not to be angry and resentful of the world that put him behind bars as a child for a crime he could not have possibly understood. The other part of me has hope that he will transcend the negativity that has been so much a part of his life, take a positive spin on it all and move forward to be successful. Sidenote: 1st bad move – NO MAGENTA GATORS (what are those seude>??)!

  • Dancewithme2

    I most definitely agree with you. I remember this case. I remember seeing a misguided child bound for an even more misguided adulthood. I truly hope that he’ll move on with his life and become a prosperous and contributing member to society. Unfortunately he has been a witness to the cruelty and uncaring nature of humankind more than he has the nuturing side. A part of me wonders how we can expect him not to be angry and resentful of the world that put him behind bars as a child for a crime he could not have possibly understood. The other part of me has hope that he will transcend the negativity that has been so much a part of his life, take a positive spin on it all and move forward to be successful. Sidenote: 1st bad move – NO MAGENTA GATORS (what are those seude>??)!

  • meredith

    You might be interested in this blog–related to gangsta rap and pulpit greed.

    http://www.theosyst.blogspot.com

    I wish you much success…

  • meredith

    You might be interested in this blog–related to gangsta rap and pulpit greed.www.theosyst.blogspot.com I wish you much success…

  • BobbyV

    The photo of Mr. Abraham dressed in what most whites would call “pimp clothes” reminded me of the way images play into our biases. One must surely remember the 2 photos of New Orleans victims, one black and one white, trapped in the flood waters with what little belongings could be salvaged. One caption essentially said, “Looter escapes with stolen goods;” while the other caption said to the effect, “Flood victim escapes with few personal effects.” I’ll leave it to you to guess which victim was labeled as the looter.

  • BobbyV

    The photo of Mr. Abraham dressed in what most whites would call “pimp clothes” reminded me of the way images play into our biases. One must surely remember the 2 photos of New Orleans victims, one black and one white, trapped in the flood waters with what little belongings could be salvaged. One caption essentially said, “Looter escapes with stolen goods;” while the other caption said to the effect, “Flood victim escapes with few personal effects.” I’ll leave it to you to guess which victim was labeled as the looter.

  • BobbyV

    Found a previous post of mine that addresses the issue of jailed Black American males.
    http://bobbyvhowell.blogspot.com/2006/12/weapons-r-us.html

  • BobbyV

    Found a previous post of mine that addresses the issue of jailed Black American males.http://bobbyvhowell.blogspot.com/2006/12/weapons-r-us.html

  • Malaki the Most Hi

    Now he’s dropping “NI$$A” 250 times in his rap album and talking about murder and pushin dope…
    I’m from Pontiac and knew the kid he shot, I’m also a Hip Hop artist, notice I didnt say rapper.
    This kid needs to be turned on to the true culture of hip hop!!!
    And I also think he may not even be doing the vocals himself. he sounds alot like a young rapper from pontiac named cutty, who I was unfornately in the bullpen with in OCJ…
    Sidenote: I have a year and a month sober, no weed, no alcohol since my last stint and only rhyme about empowerment of our inner-cities which i barely escaped…
    Sidenote 2: I’m white…LOLOLOL

  • Malaki the Most Hi

    Now he’s dropping “NI$$A” 250 times in his rap album and talking about murder and pushin dope…I’m from Pontiac and knew the kid he shot, I’m also a Hip Hop artist, notice I didnt say rapper.This kid needs to be turned on to the true culture of hip hop!!!And I also think he may not even be doing the vocals himself. he sounds alot like a young rapper from pontiac named cutty, who I was unfornately in the bullpen with in OCJ…Sidenote: I have a year and a month sober, no weed, no alcohol since my last stint and only rhyme about empowerment of our inner-cities which i barely escaped…Sidenote 2: I’m white…LOLOLOL

  • Kim

    I find Malaki the most Hi’s comment re:Nate dropping “n*gga” 250 times on his album interesting, because Nate just featured on Channel 2 News. He just got a recording deal, and the newscaster states he WON’T be using that word. I’m a Detroiter and I remember being appalled that this 11 year-old boy was being tried as an adult. Where was the counseling, and rehabilitation? What he did was wrong, but he was a child. How much understanding of the finality of his actions could he possibly have had?

  • Kim

    I find Malaki the most Hi’s comment re:Nate dropping “n*gga” 250 times on his album interesting, because Nate just featured on Channel 2 News. He just got a recording deal, and the newscaster states he WON’T be using that word. I’m a Detroiter and I remember being appalled that this 11 year-old boy was being tried as an adult. Where was the counseling, and rehabilitation? What he did was wrong, but he was a child. How much understanding of the finality of his actions could he possibly have had?

  • MALAKI THE MOST HI

    UPDATE:
    THE CAT I MENTIONED “CUTTY” IN THE POST ABOVE WAS JUST MURDERED A WEEK AGO IN PONTIAC…
    WHO’S GONNA DO NATE’S LYRICS NOW?
    R.I.P. CUTTY!!

  • MALAKI THE MOST HI

    UPDATE:THE CAT I MENTIONED “CUTTY” IN THE POST ABOVE WAS JUST MURDERED A WEEK AGO IN PONTIAC…WHO’S GONNA DO NATE’S LYRICS NOW?R.I.P. CUTTY!!

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