The Indianapolis Star calls it Tempered leadership. They say this black man helped pave the way for other black leaders. They say he played a key role in helping the city rebuild a neglected Downtown. Yet, the Black Accountability Project - Indianapolis (Indy) is reporting there is a Black Leadership Crisis.The Black Accountability Project -Indianapolis (Indy) is concerned about the Future of Indy's black community. Rozelle Boyd steps down from City-County Council, blacks in Indianapolis and the Indianapolis Star are looking back at changes in Indy and the leadership he provided. OK, I must admit I don't know a lot about Indianapolis politics, but this brother seemed to be a mover and a shaker.
A framed newspaper article from 1965 reflects one of the more historically significant moments of his and the city's life. Its headline: "Boyd elected first Negro on county council."
Today, after 42 years of public service, Boyd is spending his last day in office, having lost his bid for another term in November. He was the longest-serving member of the council, its elder statesman. Despite the history-making nature of his political career, Boyd's time in power can be defined more by his work-within-the-system rather than a rock-the-establishment approach.
Eloquent, dignified and low-key, Boyd pushed for change on politically charged issues but took the reasoned and methodical rather than strident course. Critics say Boyd was sometimes too slow and too patient, but he was nonetheless widely respected. "He was always a gentleman," Mayor Bart Peterson said. "He elevated the council's dialogue, and civility was one of his core leadership values." Boyd's manner is credited with helping Indianapolis prevent the racial violence that consumed other cities during the civil rights era. More HERE
Black Accountability Project: Why are so many black men and woman getting convicted for crimes they did not commit in Massachusetts? What is the (black) Governor of Massachusetts doing about it? Who should be held accountable? How?
Adrian Walker writes: Marlon Passley didn't know his destination on the morning in April 1999 when he was awakened by guards at MCI-Cedar Junction.
His life sentence without parole for first-degree murder had been recently affirmed by the Supreme Judicial Court. Yet he was headed for a courtroom.
When he got to the SJC, he discovered that the Suffolk district attorney's office was about to argue for his freedom. In the course of an investigation into another crime, strong evidence had been uncovered that Passley was innocent. The state that had put him away was now asking the court to let him go.
Passley was released on his own recognizance that afternoon, and the charges were formally dropped a few months later.
Homicide prosecutors generally consider their work done once someone is behind bars. David Meier, the head of the Suffolk homicide unit, wasn't satisfied with that. Not even close.
"It was important to the integrity of the system, to the defendant, and to the victim's family," Meier said yesterday.
Meier will leave his job at the end of the year, closing the book on an exemplary 24-year career as a prosecutor in Middlesex and Suffolk counties. By no means are his greatest triumphs releasing the wrongfully convicted; he has sent dozens of murderers to prison.
But Passley's case - and at least five others that followed - exemplify his devotion to truth over expedience. Not everyone who works in law enforcement can claim that. More HERE
Massachusetts - State authorities have given a controversial special education school in Canton a one-year extension of its authority to use electric shock treatments on students, provided the center makes a series of significant changes. Report says orders went unquestioned; No checks of teens
This In the state of Massachusetts in which the Governor is Deval Patrick. You know the guy that understands the needs of the poor. This just proves that just because he is the the Governor and the first black Governor of Massachusetts (2nd black Gov. in American history) does not mean he will protect the poor and those in need. Was he not the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights at the Justice Department under Clinton? Maybe the Gov. needs to stay at home and handle this situation instead of stumping for Obama I hope Obama does not start this type of program nationally inside public schools and Federal prisons.
Massachusetts - State authorities have given a controversial special education school in Canton a one-year extension of its authority to use electric shock treatments on students, provided the center makes a series of significant changes.
more stories like this
Among them, the Judge Rotenberg Educational Center must prove that it uses shock treatments only for the most dangerous and self-destructive behaviors and that the aversive therapy actually led to a reduction of those harmful actions.
The center must also stop electric shocks for "seemingly minor infractions," such as getting out of a seat without approval or swearing. And it must show greater commitment to phasing out shock treatments, especially for those about to leave the school to enter mainstream society.
Past reauthorizations have been for two years, rather than the one year given this time.
Jean McGuire, assistant secretary of the state's Office of Health and Human Services, said the state has issued this conditional reauthorization well aware of the events last August in which two teenagers wrongfully received dozens of electrical shocks at the direc tion of a caller posing as a supervisor. The caller told staff to wake up the teenagers and give them dozens of shocks each based on alleged behavior that had occurred at least five hours earlier.
McGuire said the center has promised to eliminate delayed punishments and end the delivery of shocks to students who are sleeping. While the school's critics want the state to ban any form of shock treatment, McGuire said the state also had to consider the many parents who defend the school as the only effective place for their hard-to-teach youngsters. More HERE
You remember The Black Pregnant Black Women who was tasered in Ohio. The Tasering occurred Nov. 18 when Valreca Redden, 33, went to the police department and asked officers to take custody of her 1-year-old son, the report said. well here is some good news. Source: WCPO.com
A probationary police officer who shocked a pregnant woman with a stun gun has been fired, and four others have been disciplined following a departmental investigation, the safety director in this Dayton suburb said Friday.
Officer Michael Wilmer, who joined the police department in December 2006, had already been terminated for unrelated reasons, which included driving city-owned vehicles at excessive speeds and posting unauthorized pictures on his MySpace.com account, said Safety Director Michael Etter.
The investigative report prepared by Trotwood Police Maj. Quincy Pope said Wilmer was justified in using a Taser stun gun to subdue the woman but committed an error in judgment and violated department policy by administering the device to the woman's neck, an area reserved for the most violent subjects.
Wilmer also failed to summon medical help or ensure that photographs were taken and documented inaccurate information, all in violation of policy, the report said.
Sgt. Richard Wright was suspended for one day for failing to see that photographs were taken of the woman's neck and to ensure that she received medical evaluation.
Another sergeant was given a written reprimand for disseminating unprofessional messages, Etter said. An officer received a reprimand for failing to document a domestic violence complaint, and another officer was given a counseling form for failing to properly log the use of a stun gun, Etter said.
He said all the disciplinary measures had been served. More HERE
Black Accountability Project: The firing and disciplinary action would not have happened if there were no video and no bloggers like Tasered While Black.
Well, It appears that the Congressional Black Caucus Not Bringing Home The Bacon, beef, or veggies. While other lawmakers are getting their special projects from the earmark feast over the past 10 years, black communities have suffered. Check out this important article in diverse education.com
Black Lawmakers Urged to Join Earmark Feast Despite presidential veto, earmarks are likely to stay and be accessible to minority-serving institutions under Democratic-controlled Congress. By Charles Dervarics
After a short break, the U.S. Congress again wants to earmark some of its education funds to members pet projects, a commitment to pork-barrel spending that has led to a presidential veto as well as calls for more equitable treatment for minority-serving institutions.
Called earmarks, these special funding requests are tucked into annual spending bills at lawmakers request. Universities successful in this endeavor generally get around the peer review process required to seek funding under federal grant programs.
They're creeping back, and that's an inevitable fact of life, said Barmak Nassirian, associate executive director of external relations at the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers.
Congress took a break from the process when Democrats vowed to cut back on the practice after taking control of the House and Senate. But some projects reappeared in the 2008 education and health spending bill, and President Bush cited the practice as one reason he vetoed the measure last month. The House and Senate could not override the veto, and the spending bill is still languishing in Congress.
But since most earmarks appear to go to large, traditionally White institutions, one expert says Black and other lawmakers should seek a greater share of the pie.
I don't know why Black legislators haven't done it more often, said Dr. Ronald Walters, a political scientist and director of the African American Leadership Center at the University of Maryland.
According to Walters, Republicans broke the bank on earmarks when they controlled Congress from 1994 to 2006. But Democratic control of Congress and, as a result, increased power for minority lawmakers should give MSIs more leverage than before to seek their share of projects. More HERE
AAPP: What should we do to hold the Congressional Black Caucus accountable?
I need to definitely get a hold of this book...and so do you. It is something I have tried to articulate for years and has made me ambivalent about my entrance into public policy work. I majored in public policy analysis with the intention of learning how the system works so that I could create an alternative sustainable model. At the end of my four years, I felt "trained" and primped to sit an in an office to draft policy memos, sip coffee and speak calmly about urgent issues, rather than work with people on the ground. I was told that the only "real" change would come through working with the government and through non-profit organizations. I am not saying that change (whatever that means) can not come about through non-profit work. However, what I am arguing is that a revolution--sustainable transformation will not be funded--it cannot be funded. During my last year of college, I spent a lot of time dealing with the reality that the path I wanted to take would not be supported by those I expected to support me. I realized that if I domesticated my dreams and life choices there would be many people to help me along. I noticed the smiles when I spoke in a certain way and drafted my papers in a particular tone. More HERE
AAPP: Here is a great post by Fahim Knight regarding Barack, Oprah, the Democrats. Fahim talk in very clear terms about how "from 1865 to 1932 blacks overwhelmingly were republicans but in 1929, blamed the Republicans and Hubert Hoover’s administration for the Great Depression and the economic decline of America. Blacks left the Republican Party in wholesale numbers and this historical coincidence has worked to their long-term political detriment."
Fahim also talks about how, "in the deep recess of our minds, black Americans seem to think that we have a moral obligation to unconditionally support and vote the democratic ticket. It seem logical to me that since 1932, there should be enough historical evidence, which documents political betrayal and broken promises made by the Democratic Party to black Americans. In essence, we love the devil because he gives us nothing." Fahim asks the tough question, "Why don’t the so-called black leadership come to understand and advocate the power of voting the issues and leverage the black vote as an uncommitted and non-partisan bloc whose main interest is negotiating the best political deal for black Americans regardless of candidates’ party affiliations?"
BARACK OBAMA: WHO DOES HE REPRESENT?” OPRAH WILL SOON FIND OUT"
by fahim knight
“I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States”. If Barack Obama just happened to get “selected” (elected) his Oath of Office as all past, present and would-be future United States Presidents have an obligation to preserve, protect and defend the Elitist, as well as to serve at the disposal of the International Banks and Bankers----Morgans, Oppenhemiers, Rothschilds, Rockefellers, etc. If Obama like the other democrat and republican candidates are willing to expand and preserve the POWER ELITE’S wealth and stranglehold over humanity, then without a doubt Obama will be their presidential servant.
The Oath should read something like this, “I Barack Obama do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and to the best of my ability to preserve the wealth of all the DYNASTIC FAMILIES located throughout the world, protect their FINANCIAL INTEREST and DEFEND AGAINST all would be enemies foreign and domestic that might ask for EQUAL DISTRIBUTION OF THE WORLD’S WEALTH. Lastly, and furthermore, I will continue TO DESTROY and ERODE THE RIGHTS GIVEN TO THE PEOPLE IN THE U.S. CONSTITUTION and DEFEND THE PATRIOT ACT, MILITARY COMMISSION ACT, ANTI-TERRORISM ACT to the BEST OF MY ABILITY TO SERVE THE ELITIST SO HELP ME POWER BROKERS”.
These are some of the non-negotiable pre-conditions that Senator Obama and any other presidential candidate must obey, if they desire to be appointed to head the nation and the world. Someone may say this writer is downplaying the U. S. Constitution; we all handed this most precious document over to a Cabal of vipers 43 days after 9-11, which they have rendered this to a mere piece of paper with no jurisprudence weight and post 9-11 the Constitution has proven to be just a symbol without the legality to protect its citizens. The Masonic framers of the Constitution are perhaps turning in their grave, as they witness “Light” turn into “Darkness” under “King” George Bush’s administration. Thus, as stated above they have rendered the United States Constitution to a useless piece of paper with no power to confound and control wickedly wise
It was reported on November 28, 2007 that television talk show host extraordinaire, Oprah Winfrey who has been on record of endorsing Senator Obama since he declared his presidential candidacy; However, Oprah’s recent endorsement commitment went even a step further by committing more of her resources and consigned to going on the road with Obama in order to influence American voters and to use her high profile image to garnish a cross section of support for this African American candidate.
This writer does not think that this strategy will translate into astronomical electoral dividends for Obama nor will it bring him any closer to the White House. My wife is a huge fan of Oprah Winfrey and believes that everything this television Diva touches turns into gold. It has been widely recorded that Oprah has a net worth that places her in the income bracket of a billionaire. To some this would sound like a lot of money and power; however, relatively speaking THE DYNASTIC FAMILIES would not give Oprah the time of day and would be insulted that someone were suggesting her as their financial equal. Oprah does not understand this reality but she will soon find out. More HERE
“What to a Slave is the 4th of July?” by Frederick Douglass
Frederick Douglass (1818-1895) was a prominent black leader of the nineteenth century who worked on many causes, including abolition, women’s rights, and social reform. He was also a journalist and newspaper editor. But before Douglass was any of those things, he was a slave, born in 1818 to a female slave impregnated by the plantation superintendent. Douglass changed hands many times, teaching himself to read and write against the wishes of his owners and largely in secret. This passion for books led to his owners lending him out to a “Negro breaker” (a term referring to a slave driver known for a level of abuse and torment that would crush the spirits of a rebellious slave) from whom he escaped in 1838. His escape was orchestrated by a free black woman who he eventually married, and the two settled down in Massachusetts. Upon escaping his shackles, Douglass (formerly named Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey) renamed himself after the hero of “The Lady of the Lake” by Sir Walter Scott; the renaming process was a common way for escaped slaves to shed the shackles of their former owner’s name.
Douglass did not take his freedom lightly, and immediately went to work learning about injustice in America. By 1841 he was an eloquent and popular black leader, and was encouraged to become an agent for the Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Society. Here, Douglass began to run into some problems. Though self-educated, Douglass was incredibly articulate and poised in his speech, and his mentors became concerned that his eloquence was damaging to his credibility. He was urged to pepper his speech with “plantation language,” which he had no interest in doing as part of his project was to illustrate the equality of black and white in every way. In response to questions of his authenticity, Douglass penned his Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave, Written by Himself, which appeared in 1845. The publication of his book, which explained his escape in great detail, left Douglass open to the threat of capture and re-enslavement, so he fled to England for a time where his supporters and friends raised enough money to buy his freedom. Through it all, Douglass kept speaking — for him, the only answer to the brutality of slavery was force, and he welcomed the Civil War as such a means. He, along with Sojourner Truth, encouraged Lincoln to allow blacks to enlist in the fight against the South, and worked tirelessly to encourage blacks to actually go forward and enlist.
In “What to a Slave is the 4th of July?,” Douglass starts out by painting himself to be incredibly shy and nervous. I think this is a conceit of modesty, given that by this point in his career he was an accomplished speaker. He begins by discussing the meaning and importance of the day, Independence Day, at which he has been invited to speak. He comments that he is pleased America is so young (only 76), because the youth of the country gives hope for the future of it. He reflects upon the Revolutionary War, noting that 76 years on it is easy to see how wrong England was, but in the early days of the unrest with Britain this was not so. There was a time, he says, when the quest for liberty against England was not a fashionable cause to promote. People still did, though, and the movement began slowly. He points out that the revolutionaries started peaceably, but when peace failed they were not afraid to turn to force — and it was force that changed the future and solidified victory.
Douglass points out that black Americans gained nothing on July 4, 1776. The feting of independence is an ironic thing for a man like Douglass, who had to rely on the kindness of citizens of the supposedly oppressive England to buy his freedom from an American slave owner. The freedom embodied by the day is not accessible to black Americans. Douglass is very careful to set up an adversarial relationship, here. He separates himself from the crowd, saying that this is “your” holiday, but not “his.” He does this to illustrate the different perceptions of reality for white and black Americans. He asks if he has been invited to the day in order to be mocked, such is the ridiculousness of asking a black man to celebrate a freedom he was never granted by his government. More HERE
Jesse Jackson and other liberal black elites understand well that the only power they possess comes through their influence within and over the black masses. To guarantee their success as brokers for their own elite class, for whom they extract sundry affirmative action perks, they must appear to maintain a firm attachment to the "downtrodden underclass." It is this underclass that is held up to whites, to preserve white fear of potential riots and mayhem. And it is the prospect of turmoil and pandemonium that underlies all the successful wheeling and dealing pulled off by these black elites.
Jackson & Co. understand that, in order to keep a firm fix on the loyalty of their followers, uppermost in the minds of the black masses must be the belief that their "leaders" are always there for them. "We are here for you when those bad white people don't serve you quickly enough in a restaurant; we are here for you when those mean whites arrest you for crimes you've committed; and we are here for you even when they kick you out of school for being menaces."
Decades of white cowardice and acquiescence have come about due to fear of possible black rioting and social disruption. Through ongoing demonstrations and protest marches, black elites keep the apprehension alive that mass bedlam is still the bottom line--that black leaders still have the power to unleash "black rage." In the Decatur case, when the heads of the NAACP saw that Jackson's usual ability to intimidate might be slipping, and there might be a compromise of sorts, they realized they had to get involved. Not being fools, they understand that the status of black leaders, from Jesse Jackson to Al Sharpton to Kweisi Mfume, is dependent upon their image--not only among the black masses, but among whites as well. The public image of black leaders is one that shows them with a mastery for getting whites to capitulate to demands.
Who could fail to be impressed, and even a little cowed, when observing the ability of black bigwigs to summon powerful men like Donald Trump, Alan Greenspan and other chiefs of mega-corporations to financial extortion sessions, and make these men look happy to be there? [See Lawsuit Gravy Train: Doing It the Black Way] Who would think of challenging the will of such an apparently mighty black leadership?
Over several decades, whites have meekly submitted to blackmail and racial chicanery for the sake of peace, and the assurance that there will be no future "long, hot summers." But peace at what price? A dubious peace that has brought the country insidious laws that pervert the Constitution, in order to appease the elites of preferred groups. A peace that has set legal precedents for the persecution of whites especially. A counterfeit peace that transforms all opponents into "racists" and "white supremacists."
In a press release of Nov. 15, Jesse Lee Peterson, black writer and head of Brotherhood Organization of A New Destiny, calls for a "national repudiation" of Jesse Jackson and his ilk. Says Peterson: "It is time this man is exposed for what he is--a cold, selfish manipulator. Really just a racist demagogue." He describes Jackson as one who waits for the next ugly race episode. "Time and time again, he lays in wait, only to spring up when he can inflame a racial situation. He does not care a whit about those thugs he is protecting, or the rest of the students. These boys need to be dealt with properly, not encouraged to be wrong."
Peterson calls for all Americans to stand up against Jackson. "We must set aside the color issue, which often causes people to tread lightly, and simply deal with the wrong actions of this man. If a white man were advocating lenient punishment on six white thugs, this country would not stand for it." Peterson wryly claims, "We shall overcome Jesse Jackson." Isn't it about time for Americans to overcome this man and his entire conniving entourage?
Elizabeth Wright is an African-American writer and editor of the Issues & Views Magazine and blog. Her articles were also published in Issues & Views.
Now this is what I'm talking about when I think of black folks coming together to use their political power. Shut Down the City Government! Let's hope this show of political will makes things happen. My good brother, Villager, at Electronic Villager has been following this story of good versus evil. His post reports on how the fallout from the killing of 12-year old DeAunta Farrow continues to mount in West Memphis, AR. Sgt. Erik Sammis resigned his job on the police force four months after he shot the innocent youth [video report]. Francis Holland and the Police Brutality Blog has also been following The Killing of Deaunta Farrow. Read more of his post and how the Killer Cop Resigns While City Council Boycotts.
The folks at WREG TV have also been following this case and have provided great coverage of the case. Here more here and below. don't forget to send any comments you have on the WREG coverage to: shaun.chaiyabhat@wreg.com
DeAunta Farrow
Is the police shooting of 12 year-old DeAunta Farrow the reason several seats at West Memphis City Hall were empty Thursday? Every black council member was a no-show at a regular meeting of the city council, and some say it was no accident.
There's talk of a boycott to force the resignation of the city's police chief after one of his officer's killed Farrow. The officer was cleared of any wrongdoing, but that hasn't stopped calls for the badge of the city's top cop. Now a threat of a boycott to bring city business to a standstill.
Mayor William Johnson says, "I've been in office nine years and this is the first time that we've had to cancel a council meeting because of a lack of a quorum."
It may be coincidence that every black city council member was a no-show, but operation HELP says it played a role.
"We asked our councilmembers not to participate because of the indifference and the insensitivity of the African American community from the Mayor," says Hubert Bass with Operation HELP. "And whatever other reasons that the council felt that they should not participate, that's on them. But we believe that they responded to us."
Other council members were shocked, and some think a boycott may be underway. Thursday's meeting was supposed to cover passage of a city budget as well as possible discussion of pay raises for council members. More HERE
AAPP: What do you think? Should the black city council members shut down a city, in order to get a police commissioner to resign?
File this under: I will be President of the United States I don't care who I have to smear to get there. For Hillary this Includes any black man that would even have the audacity to run for President against her and her so called black husband. H/T Carolyn Kay at the blog Make them Accountable
AAPP: Check this out. ABC reports the Clinton campaign intends to use these new Web sites to paint Obama as cowardly.
The folks at ABC News has learned that the campaign of Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., has registered the names of two Web sites with the express goal of attacking her chief rival, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill. It's the first time this election cycle a presidential campaign has launched a Web site with the express purpose of launching serious criticisms on a rival.
It's the first time this election cycle a presidential campaign has launched a Web site with the express purpose of of launching serious criticisms on a rival.
Votingpresent.com and Votingpresent.org are domains hosted by the same IP address as official Clinton Web sites, such TheHillaryIKnow.com, which was launched with much fanfare this week.
The Clinton campaign intends to use these new Web sites to paint Obama as cowardly. Like a black minstrel or Steppin Fetchit character. You know how many folk like to consider most black men as minstrel characters, no matter how old we get or what level of education we achieve.
This strategy will not work! It will backfire.I guess Hillary wants to show Obama as a servile, shiftless, simple-minded black man in early of the 20th Century American film industry. I guess she wants to deny Obama's status by pretending he is unintelligent coward so she can fulfill the low expectations of some whites and blacks about a black man going into SuperTuesday. Hopefully black bloggers and others will make sure it backfires. The only coward in the Democratic field is Hillary for supporting the War in Iraq, and not admitting she was wrong!
Black's holding new white majority city Council in New Orleans Accountable. Tasered by police. Get the latest video's on New Orleans Housing Crisis HERE
More HERE What should be done about the crisis in New Orleans? Did the demonstrators go to far. Or is this another part of a plan to eliminate black people from New Orleans? What do you think?
A new African American Opinion Video Channelhas been launched. The new channel will be a place where black people can upload and view positive videos for and about black people - all videos will be screened and approved.
Bloggers are encouraged to join African American Opinion Video Channel today. Don't forget to provide webcam as a AfroSpear Freedom Technology Christmas or Kwanza gift to someone who has a computer but just does not have a webcam. Webcam's are very economically now, they go for as little as $30.00 Consider giving a gift to economically disadvantaged youth or a low-income senior to connect to others via the internet. We want our communities to begin to broadcast their opinions and solutions on important issues impacting their own communities. You are also encouraged to visit the new African American Opinion video Channel and join today! Leave a video message if you have a webcam, or buy one as a AfroSpear Freedom Technology Christmas gift for a family member or for yourself. Don't forget to Grab a Video Widget to place on your blog to spread the word.
There is a crisis of black leadership in Indianapolis.
Simply put, we have very little of it. Across the board, black led organizations are almost incapable of exercising principled, effective, strategic leadership. This phenomenon holds true across the spectrum of black organizations, from churches, to social service organizations to community development corporations. Whether you're talking about homeowners associations, civic organizations, local chapters of national organizations, greeks, or political organizations, effective, accountable leadership is few and far between. Read More Here
Dear Supporter of the Empowerment and Revitalization of African American Men and Boys:
The Black Star Project*, a Chicago-based organization devoted to the prosperity and empowerment of African American men and boys, in partnership with the Black Male Community Empowerment Forum in conjunction with 100's of local groups, organizations and individuals will convene a historic Community Town Hall Meeting in Atlanta to address the current state of affairs of today's African American men and boys. We would like to extend a special invitation to you to become a cornerstone of the planning and organizing committee for this exciting event and the empowerment movement.
The goals of this Town Hall Meeting is to develop concrete grassroots implement able solutions to the many issues facing today's black boys and men, document realistic and measurable solutions, create community based partnerships and models and to bring black men and boys together across religious, social, economic and political lines. This meeting will not be your regular talking head gathering, media event or lots of talking with no follow-up actions or energy.
The theme/focus of the Town Hall Meeting will be; Reversing the Deepening Plight of African American Men and Boys In America: Vision, Unity and Healing, the proposed date is during Fatherhood Day Weekend, June 16-18, 2008, with conclusions and action plans resulting from this Town Hall meeting contributing directly to a master document of key grassroots solutions and models which will be compiled and shared with all participants, all African Americans and all Afrikans worldwide.
We believe that you and/or your organization will make a valuable contribution to this discussion. Attached is a sponsorship form please completed and return. Other background information will be sent to those who confirm participation. Let's be perfectly clear we must be highly prepare, organized and work efficiently. If you feel you are not able to fully commit to this, please do not step forward.
The movement to reverse the current trends in African American boys and men is a key future vision for our communities. The Creator and our ancestors want us to step forward and deal with our future in a focused manner. Universal Law and Spirit are with us. In Unconditional Love,
Warren B. Green A Humble Servant of the Creator Founder, BMCEF
A man tasered by Austin police last year is now suing the officer and the city.
Cpl. Thomas O'Connor arrested Darryl Snelling on Thanksgiving day in 2006 after he was pulled over for speeding on MoPac in West Austin. His mother and cousin were in the car at the time.
O'Conner clocked Snelling's Hyundai Accent going five miles over the speed limit.
He asked for some ID and insurance information, and 45 seconds later, Snelling was pulled from his car and shot with a Taser. Snelling claims he did nothing wrong when he got out of the car and O'Connor used excessive force when he didn't have to.
The lawsuit, filed on Dec. 7, claims assault and battery, false arrest and false imprisonment for charges the officer levied on Snelling. Damages include medical expenses, pain and anguish and lost wages.
"I was a victim of something I couldn't believe, that an officer would go to that extent and that aggressiveness. He did," Snelling said. More HERE AAPP: More black folks should be holding police accountable for their actions.
I recently posted on what I considered a video that showed the brutial tasing and torturing of a black man in Georgia back in 2004. No I'm not talking about 1904, I'm talking 2004. And no I'm not taliking about the 3 words, "hi tech lynching' used politically by snow flaker Clarence Thomas during his U.S. Supreme Court nomination. (you remember Clarence Thomas, who was nominated by, get this, Republican President George H.W. Bush).
I'm talking about a real High Tech Lynching, torture and killing of a black man in Georgia just a few years ago. After watching the video in horror, I decided to look into the federal laws against this type of high tech lynching, if any. Then I started to wonder what was the history of prosecution of lynching in America? As there seems to be no prosecution of African Americans taser torture victims, who are being tortured every day in the streets of America by means of the new high tech lynching tool, the taser.
AAPP: Now it appears the threat of lynching has been influenced by another major event, internet activism.
For most of the history of the United States, lynching was rarely prosecuted, and when it was, it was under state murder statutes. In one example in 1907-09, the U.S. Supreme Court tried its only criminal case in history, 203 U.S. 563 (U.S. v. Sheriff Shipp). Shipp was found guilty of criminal contempt for lynching Ed Johnson in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Starting in 1909, over 200 bills were introduced to make lynching a federal crime, but they failed to pass. During the Roosevelt Administration, the Civil Rights Section of the Justice Department tried, but failed, to prosecute lynchers under Reconstruction-era civil rights laws. The first successful federal prosecution of a lyncher for a civil rights violation was in 1946, and by that time, the era of lynchings as a common occurrence was over.
Many states now have specific anti-lynching statutes. California, for example, defines lynching, punishable by 2-4 years in prison, as "the taking by means of a riot of any person from the lawful custody of any peace officer," with the crime of "riot" defined as two or more people using violence or the threat of violence. Read More about Lynching HERE
Rewind!
Although lynchings became much more rare in the era following the civil rights movement, they do still occur sometimes. In 1981, KKK members in Alabama randomly picked out a nineteen-year-old black man, Michael Donald, and murdered him in retaliation for a jury's acquittal of a black man accused of murdering a police officer. The Klansmen were eventually caught, prosecuted, and convicted, and a seven million dollar judgment in a subsequent civil suit bankrupted a subgroup of the Klan, the United Klans of America.[20]
In 1998, James Byrd, Jr. was murdered by Shawn Allen Berry, Lawrence Russel Brewer, and John William King, in Jasper, Texas. Byrd, a 49-year-old father of three who had accepted an early-morning ride home with Berry, King, Brewer, was instead beaten, stripped, chained to a pickup truck, and dragged for almost three miles (5 km). An autopsy suggested that Byrd was alive for much of the dragging and died only after his right arm and head were severed when his body hit a culvert. [3] The three men dumped their victim's mutilated remains in the town's segregated Black cemetery and then went to a barbeque. [4] Many of the aspects of this modern lynching echo the social customs surrounding older lynchings documented in Without Sanctuary. King wore a tattoo depicting a black man hanging from a tree as well as Nazi, Aryan and Confederate Knights of America symbols.
Local authorities immediately treated the murder as a hate crime and requested FBI assistance. The murderers were later caught and stood trial. Brewer and King were sentenced to death. Berry received life in prison.
In 2006, five white teenagers—Justin Ashley Phillips, 18; Kenneth Eugene Miller Jr., 18; Lucas Grice, 17; Christopher Scott Cates, 17; and Jerry Christopher Toney, 18—were given various sentences for the second degree lynching of Isaiah Clyburn, 17, a young black man in South Carolina. South Carolina law defines second degree lynching as "[a]ny act of violence inflicted by a mob upon the body of another person and from which death does not result shall constitute the crime of lynching in the second degree and shall be a felony. Any person found guilty of lynching in the second degree shall be confined at hard labor in the State Penitentiary for a term not exceeding twenty years nor less than three years, at the discretion of the presiding judge."
I have been wondering, how come there are has been no American Crusade Against the Tasering of Black folks, like there was an American crusade against lynching?
Fast forward - 2003,04,05 and 06. There were limited voices being raised in the states concerning the high tech lynching of black folk. But at least the United Nations was looking at what has been going on. They saytasers are a form of torture.
I guess most white bloggers are scared of getting labeled by the FBI and or Homeland Security. i must give up some respect to bloggers like The Liberal Journal.
I'm glad Einstein was not scared, even though he was branded as a communist sympathizer.
But I guess black folks can't be scared, the only fear we may have is the fear of our children or our children's children getting branded, tortured and Tasered While Black.
I wonder why Obama, Edwards, Hillary and the rest of the Democrats (that's who we vote for by over 80% every 4 years) have gotten a free ride on the question of black folks being Tasered 'and tortured' While Black.
It appears no one in black leadership, except local branches of NAACP and the afrospear have been concerned. Maybe it's because older black leaders are more concerned about Bill Clinton being every bit as black as Barack or get this, how many black women Bill Clinton has made love with?
Thank God for the afrospear, and thank God for local branches of the NAACP.
The police routinely lie to get confessions, to force defendants to accept plea bargains, and to thereby get convictions. But look what happened when a defendant secretly recorded a police interrogation and then sprung that recording on a police officer in court: NEW YORK - A teenage suspect who secretly recorded his interrogation on an MP3 player has landed a veteran detective in the middle of perjury charges, authorities said Thursday.
Unaware of the recording, Detective Christopher Perino testified in April that the suspect "wasn't questioned" about a shooting in the Bronx, a criminal complaint said. But then the defense confronted the detective with a transcript it said proved he had spent more than an hour unsuccessfully trying to persuade Erik Crespo to confess — at times with vulgar tactics.
Once the transcript was revealed in court, prosecutors asked for a recess, defense attorney Mark DeMarco said. The detective was pulled from the witness stand and advised to get a lawyer. More HERE
Officer Erik Sammis, who shot and killed 12-year-old DeAunta Farrow, and his partner, Jimmy Evans, returned back to work on the West Memphis police force. They were cleared by three separate agencies of any wrongdoing in the killing of the youngster. You'll recall that DeAunta was not doing anything wrong at the time ... just walking over to his cousin's house. Sammis shot him dead. Now Sammis is back at work. Ain't police justice grand?! West Memphis City Council member Lorraine Robinson was not happy about the return of the officers. "I think it's a slap in the community's face, 'cause the whole nation is looking at West Memphis, Arkansas," she said. "These men have committed this act, and it has gotten to much notoriety, and these men can just go back."
The West Memphis City Council took an unusual step. They voted 6-4 to remove the two officer and Bob Paudert, the police chief. The Mayor has five days to make a decision, but he doesn't plan to announce anything until Monday. William Johnson is the mayor of West Memphis, "I support Bob Paudert totally 100 percent. I always have." He says, he can't think of any reason why he would not keep the Chief.
You must see the racially-charged remarks of the West Memphis police chief. It was these heated comments made to News Channel 3 that set-off the firestorm. More HERE
Now the reason why black folks (and other folks, usually poor whites and Latinos) will be killed by police taser is because of Death by Excited Delirium.Hat Tip Over Analyze It
Yes you heard me, as reported NPR : Death by Excited Delirium may just be the greatest new diagnosis or coverup. You see, excited delirium is a controversial diagnosis increasingly used by medical examiners to explain why people die (mostly black) are suddenly in police custody.
Police agencies and police training groups are warning police: "During the restraint process, the subject will often be grunting and making animal-like noises." More HERE
(CBS) You may not find the diagnosis "excited delirium" in a medical dictionary, but it’s popping up more and more around the country, especially when people die right after brawling with the police. More HERE Get this, The PoliceOne website says, excited delirium (ED) episodes most likely occur between Thursday and Sunday, with Sunday the most common day, Lawrence has found. The hot months, May through September, are the most common time of year. Male subjects in their early 30s are most frequently afflicted, with subjects under 20 or over 50 least likely; female ED subjects are "extremely rare." Of illegal substances potentially involved, cocaine is most common (more than half the cases). Alcohol is common, too. More HERE Sounds like the time black folks are out having a good time to me.
So, watch out black folks, police department accross america are training about excited delirium, and black folks are the target. Warn your babies, warn your children, black males are warned. Don't forget if you get zapped by 50,0000 or so volts in succession, never grunt or make animal-like noises you will be zapped, again, and again, and again, until you are dead.
My question to you. Who is holding the police accountable in your community?
On November 20th, a man by the name of Donnell Williams, 39, was at home alone . Mr. Williams is hearing impaired, has a glass eye, and walks with a slight limp. He was taking a shower when 4 officers responding to a call of 'shots fired' knocked on his door. Mr. Williams did not (and could not) hear them and he continued to shower.
When he exited the shower, he walked into his living room, dressed only in a towel to find 4 Wichita Police Officers, one of which was carrying a bullet proof shield. Mr. Williams saw the officers gesturing to him, but could not hear what they were saying so he motioned towards his hearing aid which was sitting on his dining room table. When Mr. Williams turned to get his hearing aid from the table, he was shot with a taser gun by one of the officers. (remember; he was wearing only a towel, and motioning towards his hearing aid which was sitting on the table) more HERE
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As reported by Electronic Village, Chioma Gray is a 15-year old girl abducted from her hometown of Oxnard, CA.
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