Chickens Come Home to Roost in Ferguson

For years, the Ferguson Police Department has humiliated, harassed, profiled, abused and oppressed black people. When Ferguson Officer Darren Wilson shot and killed unarmed black teen Michael Brown, the police left Mike's body laying in the street for hours as if his life had no value. Instead of the prosecutor actually prosecuting the case, he essentially served as counsel for the killer. When the prosecutor announced the grand jury's decision not to indict Darren Wilson, that arrogant prosecutor practically gloated and talked down to the people of Ferguson.

Our elders tell us that what goes around comes around. Today, the Ferguson is reaping what it has sown. Following the release of the Department of Justice's report, the Police Chief and other officers have resigned. A municipal judge has resigned as well. Last night, two Ferguson police officers were shot. This is only the beginning. In the words of Malcolm X, the chickens are coming home to roost.

Selma and the Embodiment of Hope

Good morning, family. When those protesters faced the police clubs and dogs in Selma in 1965, the idea of a black President of the United States of America was probably unimaginable. Yesterday, a black President, President Obama gave a powerful and inspiring speech at the foot of the Edmund Pettus Bridge to commemorated the 50th anniversary of the historic Selma March. In many ways, the election of Barack Obama is the embodiment of our hopes and aspirations.

The Struggle for Voting Rights is Not Over

Today marks the 50th anniversary of the historic Selma March. American democracy is basically in its infancy. Fifty years is a relatively short period of time. Within that short period of time, African Americans have made great progress in the political arena. We have black city council members, black mayors, black governors, black Congress members and black senators. Now, we even have a black president. At one point, the idea of a black president was unimaginable. Today, it is a living and breathing reality. That progress is the result of struggle. Our elders and ancestors were beaten, gassed, bitten, shot and killed. They sacrificed everything for our right to vote.

Unfortunately, our struggle is not over. The U.S. Supreme Court gutted the Voting Rights Act by declaring Section 4 of the Act unconstitutional. Section 4 of the Voting Rights act established the formula for determining which states and jurisdictions are subject to preclearance. Under preclearance, the covered jurisdictions were required to submit all proposed voting rights law changes to the Department of Justice or to the federal district court in the District of Columbia. The covered jurisdiction included states and cities with a long history of using tests and other devices to prevent African American from voting. Covered states included Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas and Virginia. Parts of  California, Florida, Michigan, New York, North Carolina and South Dakota were also covered.
Sections 4 and 5 of the Voting Rights prevented discrimination before it could occur. Without lengthy and costly litigation, Sections 4 and 5 stopped discriminatory voting laws from being implemented.

Sadly, that safeguard is no longer in place. Immediately after the disastrous Shelby County v. Holder decision, formerly covered states and jurisdictions began erecting second generation barriers to voting such as voter ID laws, third party voter registration restrictions, elimination of early voting and other similar measures. In addition, right wing extremists continued deploying unscrupulous challengers at the polls to intimidate voters. They continued launching deceptive campaigns targeting black communities. All of those measures are designed to suppress black voters and others who tend to vote for the Democratic Party.

We have come too far to allow anyone to turn back the clock of progress. Instead of simply celebrating and reenacting the past, we must vigorously push for the passage of the Voting Rights Amendment Act. That Act will restore Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act. It will preserve what our parents and grandparents fought, bled and died for.  Also, we must use this moment to encourage our people to register and vote.

DOJ Report Shows Why Ferguson Exploded

The New York Times reported that:

Ferguson, Mo., is a third white, but the crime statistics compiled in the city over the past two years seemed to suggest that only black people were breaking the law. They accounted for 85 percent of traffic stops, 90 percent of tickets and 93 percent of arrests. In cases like jaywalking, which often hinge on police discretion, blacks accounted for 95 percent of all arrests.

The racial disparity in those statistics was so stark that the Justice Department has concluded in a report scheduled for release on Wednesday that there was only one explanation: The Ferguson Police Department was routinely violating the constitutional rights of its black residents.

The report, based on a six-month investigation, provides a glimpse into the roots of the racial tensions that boiled over in Ferguson last summer after a black teenager, Michael Brown, was fatally shot by a white police officer, making it a worldwide flash point in the debate over race and policing in America. It describes a city where the police used force almost exclusively on blacks and regularly stopped people without probable cause. Racial bias is so ingrained, the report said, that Ferguson officials circulated racist jokes on their government email accounts.

In a November 2008 email, a city official said Barack Obama would not be president long because “what black man holds a steady job for four years?” Another email included a cartoon depicting African-Americans as monkeys. A third described black women having abortions as a way to curb crime...

Those findings reinforce what the city’s black residents have been saying publicly since the shooting in August, that the criminal justice system in Ferguson works differently for blacks and whites. A black motorist who is pulled over is twice as likely to be searched as a white motorist, even though searches of white drivers are more likely to turn up drugs or other contraband, the report found.

Minor, largely discretionary offenses such as disturbing the peace and jaywalking were brought almost exclusively against blacks. When whites were charged with these crimes, they were 68 percent more likely to have their cases dismissed, the Justice Department found.

Ferguson is analogous to Soweto or Johannesburg during the Apartheid era. Although Ferguson is 67 percent black, most of the political power is in the hands of the white minority. The mayor and the police chief are white. Only one city council member is black. Only one school board member is black. Out of 53 police officers, only 3 are black. Similar to Apartheid South Africa, the lack of political power inevitably paved the way for racist oppression. The Justice Department report reveals the extent and nature of that oppression. Other than institutionalized racism, there simply is no rational explanation for the stark racial disparities in the force usage, arrests, vehicle stops and vehicle searches.

Now, one  understands why Ferguson literally exploded. For years, African Americans were alienated from power and racial profiled by the police, harassed by the police and brutalized by the police. Those explosive ingredients have been present in Ferguson for years. Ferguson was a powder keg waiting to be lit. The killing of Michael Brown and the grand jury's failure to indict were simply the sparks that the ignited the powder keg. Sadly, if things to do not change soon, there will be more rebellions in America's streets.

The Justice Department's report validates our outrage. It validates the marches and protests in Ferguson and around the country. It absolves the protesters who were arrested. If the people did not march, protest and raise hell, there would be no investigation. Contrary to the rhetoric of some, demonstrations are not outdated. They were still needed in the 21st century. Even relatively progressive administrations need to be pressured to affect social justice.

Elections matter as well. Moreover, if more African Americans voted in Ferguson, there would probably be a black mayor and a black police chief. Perhaps, there would be a predominately black city council and school board. Maybe, there would be no Mike Brown and Darren Wilson.  There would be real black power in Ferguson.  In addition, the election of President Obama made U.S. Attorney Eric Holder's appointment possible. Another administration may not have conducted such a thorough investigation of the Ferguson Police Department. A Romney Administration probably would not have issued such a report.

The Department of Justice's report has the potential to completely transform the Ferguson Police Department. Hopefully, it will eliminate the systemic and institutional racism that plagues the police department. Perhaps, it will prevent another senseless police killing. Justice for Mike Brown and everybody else.

Trayvon Martin, We Will Never Forget!!!

Yesterday, we received some extremely disappointing news. The U.S. Department of Justice determined that it did not have sufficient evidence to prove that George Zimmerman intended to violate Trayvon Martin's civil rights. In video below, I share my thoughts about the decision and I briefly discuss the continuing struggle for justice.



By the way, although George Zimmerman is not incarcerated, he will never be free. For the rest of his rotten life, he will be known as the real thug who followed and killed an unarmed African American teenager based on a false and racist assumption. In fact, given George Zimmerman frequent acts of violence and run in with the law, it is only a matter of time before he kills or hurts someone else. Sadly, the blood will be on the jurors' hands. The blood will be on the American criminal injustice system filthy hands.

Islam is Not Your Enemy

The President is correct. Islam is not America's enemy. Terrorism and extremism are the enemies of America and Islam. ISIS, Boko Haram and other similar terrorist groups pimp religion to justify their barbarism and brutality. They exploit and hijack Islam in order to achieve calculated political objectives. 

Their primary targets are other Muslims. ISIS is killing Muslims in Iraq and Syria. Boko Haram is killing Muslims in Nigeria. Both groups kidnap, enslave, rape and massacre innocent civilians. That is not Islam and they are not real Muslims. That is evil and they are devils. They do not belong in the modern world.

Islam represents enlightenment and guidance, not darkness and ignorance. We cannot allow anyone to commit such sick and demented atrocities in the name of God and Islam. They must be challenged, condemned and ultimately destroyed.

White American Terrorist Kills Three Muslim Students

The Grio and the AP reports that:

HAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — A man, his wife and her sister — all college students — were shot to death at a quiet condominium complex near the University of North Carolina, but police had not yet given a motive or released details about the suspect.

Craig Stephen Hicks, 46, was charged with three counts of first-degree murder in the Tuesday shooting, Chapel Hill police told local news outlets. He is being held at the Durham County Jail and was expected to make a first court appearance Wednesday morning.

About 5:15 p.m. Tuesday, police responded to a report of gunshots. They found three people who were pronounced dead at the scene. They were identified as Deah Shaddy Barakat, 23, of Chapel Hill; Yusor Mohammad, 21, of Chapel Hill; and Razan Mohammad Abu-Salha, 19, of Raleigh.

Barakat and Mohammad were married, and Abu-Salha was Mohammad’s sister, according to UNC.

Barakat was a second-year dental student there, and Yusor was scheduled to begin dental studies in the fall.

Both had graduated from North Carolina State University, school spokesman Mick Kulikowski said. Barakat graduated with a business administration degree in the spring of 2013. Mohammad graduated in December with a biological sciences degree.

Abu-Salha was a freshman design major who had started classes last fall, Kulikowski said.

The neighborhood where they were found — immediately east of campus — consists mostly of apartments and condominiums rented by students. Neighbors there said Wednesday morning that never before seen police or had crime problems.

This is truly despicable and heinous. Although the investigation is not complete, it appears that Craig Hick committed an act of terrorism. However,  the mainstream media probably will not refer to him as a terrorist. They will probably describe him as mentally ill, depressed or lonely. As far as the media is concerned, only Muslims and Arabs commit acts of terrorism.

Instead of calling him a terrorist, some people will quietly consider that blood thirsty killer to be a patriot or a hero. Will there be any Charlie Hebdo style marches of solidarity in the streets of America for those three slain students? I doubt it.