December 23, 2011: 20TH Year Anniversary of The Formation of CAC: Cartoonists Against Crime ©1991.

20TH Year Anniversary of The Formation of CAC: Cartoonists Against Crime ©1991

So where were you 20 years ago today? Any idea? If you weren’t born, then you may not recall. If you happen to be a person who ‘rates’ experiences in their Life(times) as I do, then the day may stand out. And this is why December 23 (1991) stands out for me:

Today, Friday, December 23, 2011 is a date that I may not have seen. That’s because 20 years ago today @ 6PM exactly, I was beat up, robbed & left-for-dead in the lobby of my apartment building – 2 days before Christmas in 1991. Twenty Years. That’s nearly 1/3 of my life. What a shame if it would have happened – that I would have succumbed at the hands of a ne’er do-well, croppy and sweat bee who then grabbed my black tote bag and made off – with not too much – since I’m Jewish & wasn’t carrying a single Christmas Present.

Being a Victor & not a Victim is one concept that I have always kept in mind since that Ordeal happened. One of the Creative & Positive Endeavors that came out of that Incident was that I created CARTOONISTS AGAINTS CRIME ©1991 whose Motto was: CAC: We Draw Cartoons – Not Guns! ® which later developed into an international constituency of Cartoonists, Illustrators, Comic Artists and aficionados – and some of its members were even ‘in jail’ who were remorseful. Go figure that one out…Striking a nerve is what definitely happened with the Formation of this Group, bound and determined to deter Crime and the harsh realities of what can happen – in a moment or less.

At that time, Crime Prevention was #1 on President Bill Clinton’s Agenda. Being a Writer & local Personality, the Media immediately ran with my Story as I realized what happened to me could definitely happen to anyone else. Just returning home from work, one evening when I was ‘followed’ in to the lobby of my apartment by a stranger. IF I had only closed the wrought iron gate behind me & not ‘dilly-dallied’ in the lobby looking for my key to retrieve my mail, NONE of that horror would have happened.

Yet, it changed my life FOR THE BETTER.

Robin George of NBC – Channel 5 in Chicago did an interview. Harry Porterfield of ABC Channel 7’s ‘Someone You Should Know’ spotlighted by efforts launching CAC. Dahleen Glanton of the Chicago Tribune ran a lengthy & pictoralized Account in an April, 1992 issue of this Paper, rated as #6 in the nation. At my urging and/or suggestion, Mayor Richard M. Daley made October 25TH of each year: CARTOONISTS AGAINST CRIME Day ©1993 – in 1993. Governor Jim Edgar declared December 3 as ‘Day Without Crime’ © - also in 1993 for the Citizens of Illinois.

And, sorry to say: 20 years later, Crime is still amongst us. White Collar Crime is out of control. The Criminals seem to be getting younger, bolder, fiercer and the proliferation of hand-guns has sky-rocketed. If there’s a moral conscience left, it’s often not seen (enough). Still in all, it is every person (all of us – from the youngest to the oldest) who can make a difference and I urge and encourage all of you to take a stand in whatever Crusade you feel strongest about!

So, what can be done in 20 years besides:

Blinking 189,382,684 times
Sleeping 5502 Days away
Sleeping 130,054 Hours away
Hearing your heart beat 1,937,286,000 times
Eating 45,472 Meals (this does not include snacking)

A LOT: Knowing that each day is a Blessing, I began:

EVENTOLOGY®
The Art of Event-Making
ASK’s Campaigns For Humanity ©1990

That today contains over 1900 Holidates to Celebrate covering 34 distinct Categories. There’s something for all of us to celebrate – LIFE itself – between all the commercizlized Events & Holidays that are considered ‘Traditional.’

FAST-FORWARDING TO DAY: With a background in The Arts & Event-Making, I am creating the 7-Part Literary, Cinematic & Toymatic Franchise known as:

SKiN: Sacred Kinship in Nature™
How 10 Beloved Plush Toys Redefine Race ©2009

that is a natural Extension of the Cartoon Empire that I built in the formation, development and distribution of CARTOONISTS AGAINTS CRIME ©1991.

After all, when there’s something that needs to be fixed, Fix it! It will be interesting to see what unfolds next…

WOW: Words of Wisdom by:
ASK: Adrienne Sioux Koopersmith
Screenwriter – Author – Eventologist – Promoter
STUDIO 1437
Chicago – IL USA

12-23-2011 – 2:02 PM CST