Where are we now?

This is my main and very apt question. Recently we see an attempt by 3 men to change the very fabric of the way that we think and how we act and how those actions effect your progression and standing in our community. It was called the favor system. It was, if nothing else a brave stance and a massive shift of focus. Albeit a tough sell but one that was starting to take some kind of effect. I know my linage ventured out here much more and they were enjoying being out here. I think though that for some people, it was too much, too soon. Ultimately that it was more than likely the author of their demise.

We're creatures of habit, such is the way of our life. Its been that way for a very long time and will be like that long after most of us are rotting 6 feet under. Thats not to say that they were wrong to try and inflict a change of that magnitude, as we have seen, it had a lot of positive effects on the community as a whole.  

We're now post that regime and ill ask the question again; Where are we? Where are we as a community, as a crime organisation and how do we progress forward? 

Has the favor system died with those who lead and believed in it or will it be accepted and adapted by those who sit at the top now. Do we simply revert back to type, go back to being the creatures of habit that we are or do we accept that in part, the favor system was very good and was quite possibly achieving what it was supposed to do- out here in the streets anyway.

We were left with 3 open cities, places of opportunity. Are they still classed as open? 

For me, there are many questions from the last regime that haven't been addressed by the new leaders of this world. Im almost certain that talks behind closed doors must have taken place, as someone who likes to understand logistics it would be nice to have some kind of clarification on who this world will be re-shaped. I cant help but feel like we have buried our heads in the sand, hoping that someone else will step up and take charge.

I have plenty more that id like to offer on this subject. I invite you all to listen to me and to offer your words, more or so those that sit on the top to maybe offer some insight to the direction in which we are going. 

I can't speak as to the final decisions regarding the free cities, as to my knowledge that decision has not yet been reached. 

What I will happily do, however, is declare public support for both the favor system and the concept of free and open cities. I think this was a positive shift in this thing of ours, moving us towards a much more stable time. Just my two cents. 

I'm glad to see that your lineage will be returning to the streets as well, Space-pole. 

I think someone forgot to remove the crown from RobOakheart's head before they buried him, and now we are sitting in limbo, waiting around for someone to step up and decide how things are going to be. For me, that decision needs to be made sooner rather than later, because everything seems to just be on hold which isn't particularly interesting nor productive. 

I think someone forgot to remove the crown from RobOakheart's head before they buried him, and now we are sitting in limbo, waiting around for someone to step up and decide how things are going to be.

Hi LuciusSweet i dont know how true that is to be honest. You have to look at what was left after they died and how the landscape had changed. There was many, many knew policies and approaches that were introduced, its not like this was a normal killing spree and nothing would change if these specific people died.  There is so much to look at and understand to see whats for the betterment of this world. We need to find a balance of new, old and history. Some of things that where in place before would still work great now and others wouldnt. The trick would be to find a medium, not an easy task. 

I do however agree that something needs to happen and that could be as simple as few small communications to give an idea of the steps being taken etc. That would be the very least i think we cold come to expect. 

Roland its good to see a RHM come out and offer some conviction, thank you for that. My stance on the open cities is the same as my fathers, they are good for our world- three might have been too much to handle and i still think thats the case. You could have one open city and we wold still get the desired effect that we want to see with the idea of an open city. 

Right away, even with the two opinions that we have had, you can see that this might take some time to build. The systems that were put in place, divided many and taking them completely out or still allowing them to exist will do exactly the same thing. I do however think, in the interest of public demand id like to see something offered. I think something, is better than nothing at this point.  

I agree with you, Space-pole, that an answer should be more forthcoming. However, due to several circumstances and the general hazy confusion following the death of 3 pillars, the answer has been slow in coming.

I do not wish to overstep my place, however I can let you know some important information without doing so: there is a meeting among the CLs scheduled, and topics such as this are on that agenda, so we will have an answer soon. 

What's untrue about it? RobOakheart, together with Gato and Nakamura pioneered certain policies and he's been dead for over a week and we don't really know what, if any, still remain in force.

Roland, i agree i dont think any resolutions can be easily and quickly found here. I think if snap decisions are made, we will come out with the complete wrong set of answers and that will then be counter productive to what we would like to achieve, going forward. Rome wasn't built in a day, i think the saying goes. We as a community have shown that we are capable of allowing change to happen and welcome it. Even if that takes time to produce, we're open to knew ways.

Thank you for the insight to the meeting, i know for me, that goes some way to helping me to take solace from the fact that steps are happening behind the scenes. That can only be a positive thing. Ive spoken to some people at length and they too have this perception that maybe nothing is happening and that certain people have buried their hands in the sand. I suppose its an easy assumption, especially as to the circumstances and the prospect of more change. 

What's untrue about it? RobOakheart, together with Gato and Nakamura pioneered certain policies and he's been dead for over a week and we don't really know what, if any, still remain in force.

Whats true about it? we haven't had any communication at all, so you cant assume anything. It might be that it is true and we're riding off the back of dead people ideals and if it is, so be it. The problem is for you and a lot of people i would imagine is that not much has been offered in the way of, well pretty much anything. So i can see your point but i do think that to presume anything it, would be negative thinking. Have you gone to your Crew Leader and put them to task, have you asked and showed your concerns? Thats why i am out here, im not fully disagreeing with you, i just think instead of sitting there and being blatantly unhappy about things, stand up, ask, put your crew leader under the spot light. Thats what they are there for, you get nothing out of this world if you dont go and seek. 

From what I can see, "The Pillars" had a vision for the state of our country and now The Pillars are dead. In the week since RobOakheart died, we've seen, if we are honest with ourselves, nothing really of note from anyone at the top, which is why, I assume, you have come here and asked where we are.

In my opinion, we aren't anywhere, we are just a week older. Nobody has said if the cities are still free. Nobody has said if the favour system is still in play. Therefore, my assessment is that Rob's dead and nobody has stepped up to replace him. Your opinion of that is that [you] "cant help but feel like we have buried our heads in the sand, hoping that someone else will step up and take charge".

So, given that we seemingly feel the same way, I'm not sure what part of my statement you felt was untrue, what point you're actually trying to make to me now or what relevance my conversations with my Don could possibly have. I don't feel my outlook is particularly negative, just an accurate assessment of what has happened (which isn't a lot).

Mikhail overheard Space-pole slightly over the other street story regarding green's death. HighPitchEric had a voice that could travel, it just kept on going... Mikhail listened to the others and finally heard something official regarding the countries leaders.

It may have been a week since the pillars of this country were knocked down, but I do think with time, we'll know what is in store for us. Roland mentioned a meeting, I'd wait to see how things go from there. I do think everyone in around the country wants to continue what they previous regime started. One thing I had noticed was that no one disliked their ideas. It was new, different, sure. But no one pushed back against it and wasn't for it. Maybe I didn't see it in an open forum, but that was the jest of it. I hope we continue things like the favor system, and the open city. I think both can be used at a rebuilding time like ours at the moment. 

I guess we'll see what comes of this world after the meeting of the city heads.

So, given that we seemingly feel the same way, I'm not sure what part of my statement you felt was untrue, what point you're actually trying to make to me now or what relevance my conversations with my Don could possibly have. I don't feel my outlook is particularly negative, just an accurate assessment of what has happened (which isn't a lot).

Untrue might not have been the best wording to use. A closed way of thinking might be more apt. The overall point was that nothing at all has been communicated so you saying the crown hasn't been removed off his dead body is the closed thinking i was referring too. How can you make any kind of assumption when nothing has been communicated?  

You obviously have very strong opinions about the subject, which is excellent, so you should. the reference to communicating with your Don is that because of your strong thoughts you could have gone to him and asked the question; "is the crown still on their heads" and offer your concerns. He could then have in turn given you some insight into the movement going forward or the lack of it. Its relevant because he is of high stature in this world and if anything happens he would be privy to such meetings.

I can not disagree with what you are saying, we are not anywhere other than post gato and co regime. The hierarchy of this world could have done much more in the time since they died. We are saying the same thing. 

Unfortunately I don't have much time to give a long response to all of the topics brought, but I do have one statement I wanted to touch on briefly and that's the idea that the leaders of the community are being too silent. Perhaps they are not what the Pillars once were, coming out to the streets to make broad announcements on a regular basis. Whether that's good or bad remains to be seen. However, as Mr. Space-pole indicated, if you have a concern about the silence or if you have questions, why not speak with your crew leader? I am not a member of the upper structures of this world but I am aware of a meeting happening between them because my crew leader communicated such. 

There's also the fact that decisions are simply going to take longer to make with more people involved. We no longer have three leaders who are guiding the discussion and making the final decisions. We have two standing Godmothers and what, 15 or 16 crew leaders? Detroit has declared that Ms. Logan is the head of their city and Godfather Nakamura established Don Kurgan as the leader of Chicago before his retirement, but in the free cities there is no real city head. That means decisions are being made by a whole forum of people and that takes much longer and much more discussion. Discussions among the crews within cities undoubtedly needed to be held before discussions among the cities as a whole would be able to make much progress. 

Would people feel better if someone came out here and soothed them with empty words of "we're working on things, we're meeting, we're discussing, be patient"? Perhaps. I'm not going to say that it's a bad idea. But every leader is different. 

Personally Daniella, I would rather they came out here with words and followed them up with actions.

I'm tired of people pretending like they don't have time to send a mail out to everyone with an invitation to meet in a back alley somewhere. Why is that hard? That could have been done the minute RobOakheart died. It could have been done at any point since then, and it hasn't. Deces, Kurgan and Senza have between 30-70 hours of activity this week - couldn't one of them got something together as to what they want to happen now? Every leader in the free cities has been here for at least 30 hours in the past week too, most more so. Therefore, I hardly feel like 15-16 people have needed wrangling; they are all present every single day. Someone needs to just stop doing the same old shit and be proactive.

I don't know. I'm sure some of you will think I'm expecting too much, I deserve nothing and should be patient etc. etc., but I really don't think I'm being unreasonable. I'm not asking for them to come to the Streets every day and tell me a story, I'm asking them to take 10 minutes out of their day to make some very important decisions. We've lost some leaders, actual leaders and now we need someone (preferably more than one) to step into the void. 

I would agree that the silence since the deaths of the three pillars has been deafening. The previous regime had its pros and cons, but being champions of the streets could never have been seen as a weakness.

However, where the previous regime quickly came out with a new way of doing things (which was necessary given the great uncertainty in the community at that time of rebuilding) things today are stable.

In light of this stability, behind the scenes there has been an opportunity for families to get their own houses in order (and I can assure you that there has been much to do on the administrative side - as mundane as this may sound), before turning to the bigger picture topics (including that of the free cities, and by extension the now unoccupied city of New York).

I have every confidence that over the course of this next week we will see a little more strategic direction - and in the grand scheme of things it won't feel like we were off-course for all too long at all.

Space-Pole, one of my dearest friends. I hope that you continue your ventures into these wild streets. I hope you never lose the tenacity in speaking so boldly to the masses. I do enjoy your words brother. 

I cant speak about many of those things that you have brought up. I want you to know i hear you. I agree with you. I know our city heads are trying to find a time where we all can come together and meet to discuss these topics. As far as im concerned i dont believe the free cities should be free any longer. I think Philly should be handed to the Tellerium and her family and LA to those in charge there and i believe Vegas has there people as well. My hope is that business can continue to conduct itself with stabilized cities. 

Also, we have to stop using the term Regime unless your speaking about my family its so confusing for me. The three pillars or Godfathers that were here prior held one of the best leaderships this world has ever seen. They worked together. They desired growth for every city. I personally was a fan of them and have so much respect for what they attempted to accomplish. 

In time, and by that i mean soon, however i think we will see what directions the new pillars of the community look to establish. The new directions they wish to set us on. They first have to meet amidst their busy schedules and come to agreements on the issues brought forth. So be patient as i am being patient dear friends. 

I think the last thing i want to say is to the people who are flustered about lack of activity in the streets from crew leaders. I understand why you feel this frustration. Life gets dull when leaders are not around. In my opinion if the leaders are active within their own families and building their own cities i think it is good they are where they are. I do not think they need to vocalize their presence by speaking in the streets. For example, i spoke about leadership just the other day and a young man came out and completely disrespected me. I held nothing against him because he was probably hurt over the war and still frustrated. I can understand that. What leader or person even wants to be regularly belittled or humiliated by individuals when they just come out to speak?  Now i cant say this is the reason why the majority of leaders do not come out but i do think it plays a part. People hang on every word looking for the right moment to criticize you or insult you. If a person, Gangster or Godfather, chooses not to speak in the streets, i think that is okay. 

I'm not necessarily disagreeing with you LuciusSweet, nor do I think you're being unreasonable at all. I do think the varying events of the past week have taken a toll and the community is recovering from that. Everything that I've learned from my mother's journals indicate that things were done the minute that GFC Rob passed away; peace was offered and cities started to reorganize. We already heard the supposed reason that Syn was killed was because the other NY leaders met in the days following GFC Robs death and didn’t like the outcome. And then a second war happened and more leaders were killed. 

I would like to see strong leadership emerge from the mess of the past week; it's simply a matter of when, who and how. However, it seems like you think the leadership that we do have has come around and simply...not done anything. Just because what they're doing isn't visible. I would be far more concerned if you had stated that leadership was hardly around or spending a few measly hours with their families and nothing more. Again, I'm not disagreeing on if they should or shouldn't be visible - that's a matter of opinion and personal preference. 

It's easy to see the clear leader or leaders in a situation of a planned takedown, like the manner in which the Pillars rose to power. They had plenty of time to plan, to make arrangements, to decide how to move forward. They had time to write their victory speeches. This past week wasn't planned or expected. Sure, it was common knowledge by the end that GFCs Rob and Nakamura were retiring. But clearly the plans they laid in place were ruined by the wars. The people they envisioned carrying on their legacy are mostly gone. It was never anticipated for GFC Gato to be killed. And even inside the least damaged city, CH, many of their upper structure was killed in the two wars, including two of their prominent leaders. Don Karen was perhaps the most prominent leader in CH when it comes to street presence and she was shot down; it was a clear blow to Chicago leadership.

So I, personally, don’t fault the leaders for taking care of their own crews, districts and cities first and for ensuring all the kin of the fallen have found homes and that there were enough homes available for those kin. But that doesn’t to say I have unlimited patience either, and I’m sure I will be just as frustrated as you if more isn’t heard in a few days time. Perhaps my expectations were limited because I was informed of the scheduled meeting; maybe my reaction here would be different had I not known.

Excusing himself for being without long introductions and stuff, WD expressed his opinion on the matter in his brief talking way:

Some standards were set really high. RIP to those who have set 'em (a minute of silence)...

After a short break overseas, I was really surprised when hitting those shores again, to find myself in a country that was populated by quite an adult population on the average, and living in some sort of organized harmony. Things were very pleasant to rediscover. But you see, friends, when a bacon of overpopulation is reached, it seems that those higher structures, unknown to us lower beings, decide it's time to make some change. Is it the natural way things evolve, circumstances, paranoia, or power/money hunger, we don't and shall not know. We just know an era is over and it's the beginning of a new era. Now how it will be, only Gods know. One thing is sure, it will be written in history, as another chapter in the Book of the human kind. Will it be a short or a long chapter, it's main actors judged positively or negatively, we shall see.

But dear colleague  Space-Pole, I must agree with you on a sure thing: human kind evolves very little, even with a lot of time...

I believe we are in limbo.

We have had leaders state elsewhere that they wish to uphold the vision that was started, except you have seen neither hide nor hair of them since these declarations. I am sure they have a lot going on. I am also sure the men that initiated this change also had a lot going on as well.

So the limbo as I see it is currently we hear the words but do not see the actions. No one really knows where the world is at right now besides maybe a couple of people. No one knows if the streets are still as open as they once were or if we have limitations. The powers that currently sit in power are not ones you heard from often. I think it may be a stretch to expect that they would change that suddenly when they did not previously.

I hope that we do see more action that lines up with the words though. I do hope that there is something brought forward that explains exactly where we are currently sitting and very soon. I do not find limbo to be great for any aspect of our business besides staying behind closed doors.

That is just my two cents though. Here's to seeing what the future holds at some point.

My father witnessed how these three leaders tried to impose change in our community. He witness the creation of the free cities and how each cities tried to flourish. My humble opinion is that...the future of these free cities...and our community as a whole must be decided by those who are now tasked to lead. Those three leaders did what they could. It is now up to those in power to chart the course of our community.