Ineligible? NOT FOR LONG!

I've been talking about it for a while, and the progress is minimal, but it is happening. The petition drive, which amassed 300 signatures in 4 days, was given to my council woman, Donna reed Miller. They were promptly ignored. I wrote everyone on City council about this, and aside from Frank Rizzo's office actively trying to help at first, no one else has tried to help or contact me.

So what's next?

I am currently talking to a lawyer, and we are looking at the issue as, quite simply, an age discrimination issue. As the only major city in America with an actual age requirement for office (New York City, the nations largest city, has none), and since the state has said that being registered to vote is old enough to run for office anywhere else, we have a lot working in our favor.

Trust me when I say this; In the next few months, this is not only going to become one of the biggest issues in Philadelphia, but this will happen sooner than later! If your reading this and wondering what you can do, please CALL CITY COUNCIL AND COMPLAIN!!!

If I'm old enough to fight and die for this country I love, why am I not allowed to even run for office legally? If I am old enough to vote, drive, and own my own house, why can't I run for office?

NEVER SAY NEVER!

You can only imagine how aggravating it is to wake up and see people declaring Nutter "Mayor-Elect"; that, despite the fact the actual mayoral election isn't for another 6 months. All the local media outlets began to join in the chorus, Fox News calling him just that, and all the other stations reminding viewers that Philadelphian's have not elected a non-Democrat in over 50 years. But trust me when I say this, I intend on changing that.

When I announced I was running, it was done staring into the face of modern day Philadelphia Corruption in the form of Milton Street. I started out by demanding a change to the way things were done in this city, and I am still going to continue doing so today! I intend on fighting to the end!

There are still 6 months left in this election. I intend on making sure every single day is a day that you learn more about Larry West and my campaign for mayor! I want you to know I intend on making this election one to remember, and one you will tell your children and your children's children about. The story of a young man with a dream, and that dream was to make Philadelphia the single greatest city in America, if not the world. Many have told me that my youth will lead to fresh ideas, fresh takes, and it is a benefit, not a burden, for running for office. I have been through much in my short life, and every single time, I have come out on top, ready to fight until the end and prove myself the best!

A lot can happen in 6 months. I know I've seen my life change in a heartbeat. Being robbed on the street, losing my mother, and becoming the center of the media's attention when I announced I was running... the entire view on something can be changed so much so shortly. I am going to make the most of it all, and even if I can't get TV ad's, you will know the name Larry West by November.

While many may see Nutter's victory as a sign of change and reform in Philadelphia's Democratic party last night, I did not. When you look at the City Council races, it become painfully clear and obvious; the normalcy of corrupt City Council officials already in office remains intact. The reformers, the progressives, the people new to this field of politics, those who had experience elsewhere and those who had the same enthusiasm and want for change that I did, largely lost last night. It is a major disappointment, and one that should give many pause. Just how, exactly, is the next mayor going to clean up city hall if the voters are not with him eye to eye?

The Council Races remind me of commentary relating to the 2006 Mid-Term elections. Everyone in this country demanded change and an end to the glad-handing the President was getting from those in the Senate and Congress. But as someone put it, "People may hate the people in the Senate, but they think their Senator is doing great!" This is, in a nutshell, what we saw last night; No one is content with the people in City Council now, but they like the person they have.

I said it before, and I will say it again; I am the Dawning of a New Age for Philadelphia! An age where we do end corruption, where we can live in peace and harmony, and an age where we can live in a clean and safe city. We will fix our education system, we will fix our neighborhoods, and we will make Philadelphia great together!

To quote a great man, "Do not go gently into that goodnight. Rage, rage against the dying of the light."

Larry West Makes KRAFT DINNER!- Annihilator

What better way to show Larry west is serious about becoming mayor than with a video paying homage to one of his favorite foods, Kraft Dinner! Well, actually, he's making Mafalda Pasta by San Giorgio and adding Kraft Cheese on top of that... This video was inspired by my love of Annihilator's song "Kraft Dinner." This instructional video will teach you everything you ever wanted to know about how to do this, with an awesome tip or two, too!

How I'm Spending my Time Until after the Democratic Primaries are Over

It's a bit boring right now. I'm talking to people, a lot of people, about just what the plan is after the primaries are over. I know I won't make an official announcement until May 29th, but I'm sure I'll make some sort of announcement of what I want to do. Until then, I'm mainly working on revisions to my platform. The primaries are great for Independents; It let's us look at what everyone else is doing and learn from their mistakes! I'm also working on a strategy to help get out the Larry West vote between June and November, as well as a way to get on the ballot.

Ah yes, the ballot in November. Well, let me say thank you to Sam Katz for dropping the GOP when he did. At this point, I now know how many signatures I need to get on the ballot: 1,967. Not bad, huh? That doesn't seem to hard for me, and I'm sure I can do it. But, oh yes, the age requirement. I'll be frank; If any lawyer is willing to work Pro-Bono, I plan on fighting for my right to run for office. If it has to, I will go to court for this.

Other than that, it's still is dead overall. As you can see, fund-raising is low right now, so please give to my campaign. Everyone else have tons of cash, and we don't. I've been playing the guitar a lot, playing Super Paper Mario for the Wii (Which is AWESOME! Get it if you can!), and watching Reno 911. I've been reading a lot, too; Mostly comic books, like Preacher, Alan Moore's run on Swamp Thing, and Hellboy. Oh, and Noam Chomsky, the book Fixing Broken Windows, and some other things here and there. I've done some spring cleaning, mowed the lawn, and started getting ready for, brace yourselves... to take my driving permit test.

Also, I just want to extend congrats to the 2007 graduating class of Hussian School of Art! The Senior Showcase was incredible and I sincerly hope you all get work soon in your respective fields! Thank you all for the support, and good luck!

Larry Reveals his Endorsements

Over the last few months of running for office, I've met a lot of really nice people... and I also learned about the true nature of some other people. As a registered Independent, I can't vote for anyone this time around, let alone in the heated Democratic Primaries. But since most people in this city are Democrats, I'll leave it to just the Dem's.

1st District: Vern Anastasio - OK, I have a reason for Vern. I first heard about him through a YouTube video called "The Anastasio Team". I had a good laugh but I didn't know much about him. After a while, I went to his site, and simply put, the man is a dedicated reformer. I met him before the Shame of a City preview and he genuinely is trying to make Philadelphia better. He wants to make the streets safer, clean up City Hall, and redo the zoning code. Plus, he's running against Frank DiCicco who has been caught up in the Pay-to-Play Scandal. 'Nuff said!

2nd District: Damon K. Roberts - I heard of Mr. Roberts through MySpace. I got a Friend Request from him. Normally, for politicians, I always have to look at their MySpace page and after seeing that he considers mental health on the same level as other diseases and he is also looking at different solutions to the crime problem. He's running against Anna Verna, who has seen her district become the most crime ridden since being elected in, and I kid you not, 1975.

8th District: Irv Ackelsberg - Irv? A poster named clivden on the Phillyblog.com board, sums the reason to support Irv Acklesberg better than I ever could:

Only Irv Acklesberg so far has actually gone on the record that he would end the relationship between the "protected and connected" and named the Germantown Settlement as the front for much that is wrong with 8th District politics - - and he is absolutely correct. Irv's background as a community legal services attorney working in the most neglected and politically manipulated section of the District (Germantown from Chelten Avenue to Wayne Junction - interestingly this is Paulmier's ward) gives him insight into what his challenges will be, but they must be amplified to all voters in the entire district in order for folks to focus on the fact that the 8th district, just like the city government at large, has wasted and misappropriated millions and millions of dollars and fallen way short of serving its constituents.

Irv, on top of all that, has 30 years experience in fighting corruption. He stood up to SEPTA and demanded fair customer policies, led the fight against casinos from building next to schools, cleaned up slumlord properties, and helped families avoid foreclosure. After speaking with him personally and hearing what he had to say, I support him! And, he also is in favor of changing the age requirement to run for office!

City Council At-Large:

Frank Rizzo: In the 2 months I have been crying out and trying to change the age requirement to run for office, Frank Rizzo is the ONLY person to respond to me and offer support. The man cares about the citizens of Philadelphia, and he deserves another term!

Music: BANNED IN PHILLY!

Rittenhouse Square/Philadelphia -- Last week, we told you about a young man arrested in Rittenhouse Square for singing. He refused to stop singing when a police officer ordered him to do so. No he faces possible jail time for the musical offense. As FOX 29's Gerald Kolpan reports, Anthony Riley says public singing is everyone's right, so he returned to the square. So did the cops.

Read the Full Story Here

I know these guys pretty well; They started supporting me the day I told them I was running for Mayor, and when I heard about this and the protest, I was more than happy to help. Anthony is a great singer, and the link has a video that explains everything.

I went over to Delworth Plaza at 3PM Wednesday, May 2nd, to go out and play my guitar a little bit. To my knowledge, there is no law stating you can't play there. After about 20 minutes, an officer came over and told me to leave, and I did.... and went across to the little island across from the plaza to play instead! It was only another 5 minutes there, but it was fun and there was support for the right to play in public. Later that day, after speaking to some officers, they said that it is permitted in certain places, and the place I was playing was perfectly legal.

So, there you have it; The police have been stepping-up efforts to enforce the arbitrary Musician Ban in what I call "Operation: Silence is Golden". And, my friends, it blows!

So, what can YOU do to help? EASY! CONTACT CITY COUNCIL!



CALL CITY COUNCIL! - Admittedly, this is a link to my "Refuse to be Denied" site, so PLEASE tell them about the age requirement, too! But, seriously, we now have 2 stupid laws that need to be changed! LET'S GET TO IT!

Also,fell free to call 5th District Councilman Darrell L. Clarke's Office about this: (215) 686-3442, (215) 686-3443.

...And Equality for All.

Sunday, April 15th, I went on 900AM WURD. I would like to thank both the host, David Barnes, and the people in the studio for being so great! They were wonderfully polite people and I have to say, it offered me some new insight into my current platform! I always love hearing new ideas, and I heard some good ones yesterday. Congressman/Mayor Candidate Chaka Fattah was supposed to be in the studio with me, but instead phoned in. I would like to extend my gratitude to Congressman Fattah for being part of the show. It was nice to hear from him again!

But I must publicly state that I am displeased with a comment that was made by one of the callers, Queen Nzinga Ratibisha Heru, International President of The Association for the Study of Classical African Civilizations, or ASCAC. While she made some great points and comments, namely about focusing on helping the poor and the youth by giving them hope and a chance, something I agree with and consider a cornerstone of my platform, the Imus controversy was brought up. Along with the fact that she felt felt bad about the comment Imus made, she said this:

"...this brings to light that, deep down, all white people feel this way."

I asked her, "Did you basically just say that all white people hate blacks?" "Well, " she replied, "I'm sure you could play the tape back, but yes, I do believe that."

Let's all just stop and step back for a moment and reflect on how I felt when she said this. I'm 1/4th white. The bassest in my band is white. Some of my best friends are white. But all that aside, more importantly, the people who support me includes whites. To say something as hurtful, mean, and ill-informed as "all white people feel this way," that they all hate blacks... that is highly disrespectful! Not just to me, my friends, or the people I know and love, but also to all the people, no matter what race, who support me.

I am 100% in favor of trying to have more African-American / Black studies in school and to integrate them with overall high school curriculum. If high schools wish to have African-American / Black History courses, I believe they should. I don't agree with it being mandatory because we live in an age where we strive for equality, and to integrate it with the rest of the history courses does allows all of American History to be taught. But I can not believe that this is what the leader of this organization truly thinks about whites! It is racist, bigoted, and shows a lack of respect, let alone tolerance, towards whites and possibly other races as well.

I will never demand an apology for someone using their god-given right to express themselves and I do not want an apology, nor do I speak for anyone other than myself (right now; when elected, I speak for the people of Philadelphia), but I am asking that she resigns as International President of the ASCAC for her comments. How could someone who wants to promote African American History make her point or further her cause when she does not show toleration for other people's history's and culture's?

This is exactly the type of thinking that made me want to run for office in the first place. The antiquated ideas that one race is better than another is another example of how those of our nations past simply wish to stay content with the way things are and, despite cries for progress, would rather see things remain the same. We need to look forward and realize that if we are to move ahead that instead of focusing on our differences, we need to all focus, instead, that the future of not only Philadelphia, but our country, depends on being able to work together towards our goals instead of constantly fighting amongst ourselves.

I'm asking everyone to contact this organization and tell them how you feel:

ASCAC Contact Page
E-mail Nzinga Ratibisha Heru Directly!