Pt-4 ( Final Part ) Las Vegas and African Americans ( 2013 ) !

My fellow entrepreneurs you can not set up a table on public property and sell anything, especially if you are African American ! A policeman will drive up and ask for I.D , business license and permit, missing any of those, your product will be confiscated and you will receive a ticket to show up in court ! So Brothers and Sisters here is the Kicker, it is okay for are Latino brothers and sisters ( NO PAPERS ) to sell what ever and were ever they want ? It is hard to get research on successful blacks in Las Vegas, because from my 13 year perspective, blacks with money stay among them selves. Doctors, Lawyers, Politicians, Businessman, Athletes and Entertainers keep and network among them selves.We have only 3 media outlets in the African American community, two publications and both of them cater  or only publish articles on blacks that are already successful,  not the struggle.! We have one radio station KCEP Power 88 and I have mad love for them, they are truly down for the community and the struggle ! Finally hear is the good news Brothers and Sisters there is plenty of opportunities for us African Americans in Las Vegas ? We can start by investing in rebuilding the West Side infrastructure starting by remodeling homes. We can start having  our own African American Town, with shopping centers and Black owned retailers, that also own the buildings ! We can start non profit Entrepreneur Groups to raise capital ( venture capital ) to invest in black business.We can pull our wealth together to start the first African American Community Bank on the West Side ! We can start buying all available land west and north to expand our African American community ! Invest in job training, health clinics, and make sure we start policing our own neighborhoods to keep our kids safe ! There is so much opportunity for us African Americans in Las Vegas we just have to want it, do it and believe it !

Pt-3 Las Vegas and African Americans ( 2013 ) !

When I first got to Las Vegas I found out that in order to get a job out here you needed to invest about $200.00 dollars in getting all your cards. Health , Sheriff, Tam and a card that lets you work around alcohol, plus as of 2009, you need to have a OSHA 10 card to work on any construction site . If you are a felon you can forget about a job unless you no someone or willing to work day labor. Also, if you  are single there is no Welfare, G.A, or G.R check, you be lucky if you qualify for food stamps ? The thing is, this is a right to work state, so employee rights is very shaky, example many people tell me they do not get there second breaks. They are afraid to say something, because there employer can legally fire them with no reason !Also they are big on hiring and firing people before there 90 days, so they do not have to  pay for benefits. There biggest hustle is hiring people for a full time positions and then giving them 28 hours a week ! There minimum is now 8.25hr but in 2005 it was 5.15hr, so they continue to cry about that, if they had it there way we would be working for food? Listen I am pro-business as the next person, but paying a person a decent wage is the right thing to do for grounds of  humanity.The bottom line is, most people who have jobs do not have any money, the Bus drivers only make 11.00hr and they have to deal with drunks and thugs all day. So I thank the bus drivers because a lot of people need them and if it cost $5.00 a day to ride the bus, they should get a raise ! Las Vegas says that the cost of living is low is the reason they pay low wages, but the facts are it is cheaper to live in Arizona, Utah, Oregon, Washington and Colorado and four out five pay more then the minimum ! The number one rule out here is you better have a savings account or you will be one of the 14,000  thousand people who are homeless and that is a guarantee.!

Pt-2 African Americans and Las Vegas ( 2013 )

Majority of the jobs here are as you guess are casino oriented , and us blacks who do have jobs in this industry are still bus boys, porters, cooks, dish washers and some of  us might be even  valets. Now do not get me wrong they will always have the token black in management, it depends who your family is or how physically attractive you are and do not for get, if you are really a Mandingo a security job ? Now Brothers and Sisters all legitimate work is a blessing do not get me wrong, we got to eat .
My opinion is  a lot has changed for the better, but not as much . Las Vegas natives are about 30% percent and people who moved here are from all over the country.  My personal experiences, most of the Brother and Sisters I have met are from L.A , Bay Area, Chicago and New Orleans ( Katrina ). Now back to jobs, oh yeah did I mention that our second biggest industry was construction and that those jobs are predominately are our Latino brothers and sisters.The  Majority of us Brothers are not mad at them, most of us are not getting on a roof in 120 degree heat, so more power to them ! So like every body else we get work were we can, either you have money in Las Vegas or you do not, the only color that matters is green. And Please if  any of you Brothers and Sisters are coming to Las Vegas to be Big Pimps , Madams, or Drug Dealers and run things, you can for get about it ! Law Enforcement is no joke ( Metro ) and the Nevada Criminal Justice system are use to giving Brothers a 100 years, ask O.J ? Do your research on how many so call justifiable homicides there are by Las Vegas Police. You see,  I have all respect for the police, when they tell you not to move, you  do not move ! Like a black cop told me one time, he said Brother I may be a cop, but this town is still run by good ole boys ( prison system ) and the Mafia, do not get it twisted, there is a lot of desert out there ? ( to be continued )

Pt-1- Las Vegas and African Americans ( 2013 ) !

On Feb-4th-2002 ,  I arrived in Las Vegas via Greyhound at 3am in the morning ( Downtown ), the first thing I did was get a cab and asked to be taken to the cheapest and nearest hotel ! I was taken to
The Purple Sage Motel on Fremont St and the first thing I noticed was the number of prostitutes and drug dealers around and I knew I was in Sin City. I was 35 years old and single and my whole life at that time had fallen apart back in Dec-1997 and May 1998 as my family of 10 years moved out of state and my business of 10 years failed 6 months after that ! I lost everything 6 months apart and from 1999 to 2001 , I moved to So Cal and out of state for two years to Las Vegas from my native home of Bay Area ( Hayward-Oakland ). This Post is about the pros and cons about Las Vegas and being African American living and surviving here ! First of all, Las Vegas is and is not what you see on television , movies and CSI, my opinion more CSI then The Hangover ? If you counted from Jan-1- daily on any given year on how many homicides there are you will most likely have a minimum of 400 homicides and that is the ones they know  about ? Of course if you do not live here, you will not hear  about them, we can not let the tourist know ? I guarantee you I will hear from the media soon, on  how dare I say anything ( TRUTH ), WHAT THEY WILL DO IS GOOGLE ME, look up my past and discredit me in the media , but hey its not like they give African Americans ANY positive press anyway ! Las Vegas is geographically surrounded by Mountains , it gets 27 degrees in the winter morning and by 5 pm in the summers it could be 120 degrees. The population is around 2 million with us being about 10% or 200,000 with are Latino brothers and sisters being 40%, Caucasians 45 % and our Asian and Middle Eastern brothers and sisters around 5 %. One of the good things about Las Vegas is, if you got money you can live anywhere in Las Vegas and will not be discriminated against, money talks !  ( to-be continued )

Las Vegas - Mississippi of the West ? ( By - Ed Koch, Sun Reporter-2005 )

1905- Utah Pioneer J.T McWilliams establishes modern day Black West Las Vegas :

1931- Gambling is legalized on March 19. As wealthy Southerners begin frequenting the town,
they pressure casino owners to keep blacks out :

1939- The City of  Las Vegas passes and ordinance that limit black residents to West Las Vegas:

1946- Black Entertainers Bill " Bojangles " Robinson and Nat King Cole are major headliners on
the strip can not stay in hotels or gamble ! Instead black stars are shuffled  to and from West Las Vegas
boarding houses.

1947- Singer Lena Horne tells Benjamin " Bugsy " Siegel owner of the Flamingo, that she either stays in the hotel as guest or she will not perform there ! She is allowed to stay but her linens that are changed daily are
purportedly burned.

1955- Sammy Davis Jr is allowed to stay at the Sands, because of his friend Frank Sinatra.The Moulin
Rouge Casino is the first intergrated casino in Las Vegas on the west side, is closed after 6 months !

1959- Interacial marriage is legalized in Nevada !

1960- The Las Vegas NAACP agrees not to march in front of the strip casinos, after the Larger casinos
agree to end practice of segregation and allow blacks as guest !

Business Success ?

There are many different opinions now days on what is considered business
success. After spending my last 28 years and 8 Companies later, I understood
that who you are as a person, defines how you live your life and treat people is success.
Now you are probably saying what does that have to do with business. ? Well every thing,
your character, morals and lifestyle could be a blessing to you or a curse ? How you carry your self, the friends you associate with and attitude can get you that big deal or no deal. I have had plenty
of opportunities financially in business to make my self more wealthy, but i turn those down because i refuse to sell my rights all these years . I still own 28 years of copyrights and publishing but my point is all money is not good money and in the entertainment business most money offered is not good money but  each to there own ? When you start a business its smart to start with the 101 class on a 5 year business plan, product or service, market ability, self- finance, taxes ( important ) copyrights ( important ) and access to a lawyer on retainer. Before the internet, I started all my businesses from gorilla marketing and selling my products on street corners,swap meets and consignments with local retailers and to this day I still do , even though i was blessed to be retired financially. No please its not about me, it never was, its about my personal faith and calling to do what I was born to do regardless about peoples opinions or perceptions.!

Be Thankful For What You Got - ( William Devaghn )

Though you might not drive
a great big Cadillac.
Gangster white walls,
tv-8-track in the back.

But remember Brothers
and Sisters, you can still
stand tall. Just be thankful
for what you got.

Diamond in the back
 Sunroof top
Digging the scene
with a gangster lean !

Can not Beat President Obama, Beat Any Blackman.

Brothers and Sisters our spiritual enemy has little time left as it is written, so let"s keep our one GOD first , hold on to our love ones, and remember our spiritual enemy is a liar and he will come like a thief in the night. Remember all ways keep the Faith and treat each other like Kings and Queens, regardless if you are Hebrew, Muslim or Christian we are all God"s children !

What happened to our soul ?

As an African American as I get older, I started looking back to the state of us African Americans and ask my self what is happening to our soul ? I am talking about are one GOD and self respect of our ancestry and our roots.We have nothing to be ashamed of coming from Africa we were Kings and Queens before and if you believe we are King and Queens now. We just need to carry our-selves and  treat and talk to each other as Brothers and Sisters respectfully ! Also what I am about to say  I hope I do not offend anybody, is it me or do you see a lot of Sisters romantically involved with each other with one dressed as a guy ? Each to there own, we are all God"s children but please some one educate me, is it  because the failure or lack of Black men ? And what about the Sisters who have kids ? I bring these hot button issues up for us African Americans to communicate respectfully, because half of our prisons are still Black and the majority of our house holds are still single parents. These issues are not for us to point fingers at each other, just to understand each other and respect each other more so our children will grow up loving themselves and there fellow Brothers and Sisters. I think personally as a people we should sit our family down once a year and watch Roots, so we will not for get we are Kings and Queens, please if you like this pay it forward.