http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDjp66NdiNY
I found this latest ad from the NRA (National Rifle Association) featuring a Black man named Colion Noir stating that African-Americans needs guns to protect themselves to be intriguing on a number of levels. He talks about how the government which has a history of racism will not be there for us, hence protecting one’s family is on us..
A couple of things to think about..In the ad Colion mentions the racist government but then tells us how the proverbial hood thugs ‘Ray Ray‘ and ‘Pookie‘ got guns and that President Obama and the govt wont be there to protect us hence.. He says its best we get our guns..
To a degree some of that may be true, but lets look at the sleight of hand Noir and the NRA pulls..While many African-Americans need protection from inner city crime, they also need protection from the government that also terrorizes Black folks..
Colion Noir
In the ad Noir omits and redirects an important part of history, by inferring that the racist US government allowed white supremacist groups like the KKK to come after us.. Let’s keep it real many of those folks in wearing those hoods were police and government officials. In their height during the 1920s when Black folks were being lynched left and right, the Klan was a major force in politics..
Black folks if they were to use guns to defend themselves as suggested in the ad, would have to do so against the police and many within local and national government.. That would include mayors and governors who referred to us as ‘niggers‘ while standing before us with state troopers preventing us from attending segregated schools or voting.
When civil rights advocates like Fannie Lou Hammer spoke about being dragged off buses and beaten for trying to register folks to vote in Mississippi, it wasn’t hooded KKK members doing the beatings.. It was the state troopers.. If guns were needed for protection it was against those troopers.. What was the NRA’s take on incidents like that in the 1960s?
What was the NRA really saying with this Noir ad and how does it stack up with their historic actions in the past when gun laws were passed by the government to disarm militant Black groups like the Black Panthers Party for Self Defense? In 1967 after the Black Panthers following the letter of the law, armed themselves and began patrolling their neighborhoods to make sure the police would cease brutalizing law-abiding citizens, the Mulford Act of 1967 was passed in California to disarm them..
The person who pushed for that law the hardest was lifetime NRA member then Governor Ronald Reagan who is quoted as saying “We will never disarm any American who seeks to protect his or her family from fear and harm.” ..Well a big middle finger to Reagan and the NRA who stood silent when the disarming of Panthers, SNCC and other groups happened. Having a slick ad with an African-American talking about Black history and racism while neglecting the racism of the NRA and its most visible members when it was needed most is the height of disingenuousness..
Over the past 40+ years since the Mulford Act was passed where we’ve seen a sordid legacy of police in Cali shooting, killing and brutalizing, African-Americans, the NRA has been nowhere around to offer comfort, resources or solutions.. Where was this nice NRA ad with Colion Noir when unarmed Oscar Grant was shot point blank in the back by an out of control BART cop? Where was the NRA when the infamous Riders scandal and the Rampart scandal were jumping off in Oakland and LA? How was the NRA helping citizens who needed to protect themselves from a tyrannical government represented by the police?
Where was the NRA when John Burge was torturing Black folks as a Chicago Police commander?
In Chicago, a city with one of the strictest gun control laws in the country, where was the NRA during the reign of terror of Chicago Police Commander Jon Burge? Between the years 1972 and 1991 over 130 African-Americans some as young as 13 were tortured.. (note not beaten.. tortured) by this Burge and his men.. You can read about that HERE ..The 135 cases is what’s been documented, many believe its was hundreds more.. When Chicagoans made their plight known, where was the NRA? Where was ads like the one with Noir? Nowhere to be seen..
We can go on and on citing police brutality incidents on unarmed citizens and the NRA being ghost.. So why are they visible now? Did they have a change of heart or are they walking a razor thin line in terms of how they describe the enemies African-Americans neeed to protect themselves against? Yes many folks in the community have to deal with crime.. Pookie and Ray Ray do cause problems.. I’m not sure if shooting them is the answer, but if it is as the NRA suggests, then we have some other enemies to get at as well.. Will the NRA be standing with us the next time an unarmed Black youth is shot and killed by police? Will they have an ad advocating we protect ourselves or will they remain silent like they did in the past?
written by Davey D
Hmmmmm…checked him, Colion Noir, out on FB. He is a gunfreek in Houston w>34,000 (!!! WTF?) followers (uh…why?). His name…? for real? Hhmmmmm. In French, Colion doesn’t translate straight out, but “couillon” is basically a jerk while “couille” means balls (yeah, those kind…); “noir” …we know that, but just to complete the point, means black. Bottom line, this is some weird s#t. Leave it to the NRA to conjur something like this up….Just sayin….
Reblogged this on Dogma and Geopolitics.
I think both sides of the debate are pandering to the Black community when they have both screwed them in different ways. The fact is, the Black Panthers and the Deacons for Defense were intellectual forebears to the gun rights as self defense movement (as per WInkler’s research) when the NRA didn’t give a damn about self defense in the Black community, but the patrons of the gun control movement like Mayor Bloomberg will court the parents of Black victims of violence while passing policies that screw Black folks. None of the proposals to push for better community development, better investment in anti violence programs for Black working communities are part of the liberal proposals for gun control. And the NRA is just weird. But it is clear that the “sides” in this debate care more about their stances than about Black communities.
WOW! What is the solution?
Colion Noir is a handkerchief head negroe who sold his soul for a few pieces of silver. (Army Green)
o ok i see now – jeezy
I dont care if its politically correct to say or not but I side with NRA. I’m not gonna feel comfortable in a world where only the government has weapons. The Right to bear arms is important to preserve.
the nra is the one who disarmed you.. and will continue to disarm u..
There is nothing stopping black people from legally owning weapons. The requirements are no different for black or white people. Things were different 40 yrs. ago. Quit using the past to justify the present. Live in the here and now where the field is level. Quit using the past as a crutch. Damn man, our President is black. It’s like your scared of failing and not having racism to blame.
Reblogged this on .
I’ve been following Colion Noir on YouTube for a while and I can say that the comments made in the video are clips from videos made before his partnership with the NRA. Though I do not agree with all of his views, I respect all of his points. He himself has acknowledged the fact that the same government that gives us our right to arm ourselves has tried to remove said right and has allowed many injustices to blacks transpire over the years.
I like to consider myself a progressive individual. So I can look at an organization like the NRA and recognize that, given it’s history, there may be new people in charge. Young people that are somewhat removed from its clouded history. I would be wary to fully trust them because that’s just intelligence but if the main point is to spread knowledge and opportunity to Black people, I’m all for it. Though it may just be a gift horse…
To quote a BRILLIANT Poet and one of the most Inspirational Leaders of OUR times: Turn OFF the news and READ…READ…READ…[Immortal Technique]…Read OUR history…
Remember that WE fought TOGETHER at Lexington and Concord; in 1775; Minutemen were black and white. So, the African American contribution to the defense of FREEDOM by taking up arms in defense of the RIGHTS of the people of these United States of America PREDATES the American Revolution.
http://www.history.org/history/teaching/enewsletter/volume5/images/reference_sheet.pdf
Take, for example, Crispus Attucks, one of the brave ‘Americans’ who fell to the British in the Boston Massacre of 1770. Or, William Flora, who successfully fought off the British incursion on the Great Bridge, Virginia in December of 1775 ‘amid a shower of musket balls.’
How about, the First Rhode Island Regiment, a racially-mixed unit comprising 200 ARMED men that included Black, Mulatto and Natives fighting side-by-side as free men with their European comrades-in-arms in a colorblind spirit of revolution. Among them was Lemuel Hayes, the first black Congregationalist Minister. This is just one example of a call-to-arms that united men [and women] from all backgrounds, fused together, weapons at their sides, in one of the greatest historical examples of the pursuit of an amalgamated purpose: freedom.
In a war in which thousands of brave men and women gave their very lives to procure and defend the inalienable rights promised to all AMERICANS through the 2nd Amendment in the Bill of Rights, armament was not a choice, but a promissory note for the future protection of all peoples.
Viewed in light of his track record, castigating the call-to-arms of Colion Noir is unfair; his work on empowering and educating folks of all cultural/ethic/racial/religious backgrounds didn’t just start two days ago.
P.S., Colion actually derived from the word collions, which in turn is taken from the French verb, coller; the loose translation is to collect. As a family name, perhaps this was applied to someone who levied taxes, with the double ‘l’ removed in the translation through the immigration process. http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/collions
N.B., Couille[s], Couillon or Couillard, while vulgar expressions, are not necessarily derogatory terms; the translation for which ranges anywhere from having a sudden fright [oh, les couilles] to someone who has courage, bravery, bravado, etc. [qu’est-ce qu’il est couillard]. I would not necessarily turn to Wiktionary when trying to understand how a word is used in France today.
Wow, this was interesting….
The KKK became the NRA.. Do some research.
what Truth said….
damn real
Oh oh now what..(RED)
Clearly a ton of cops are NRA members, so they’d be isolating a huge part of their membership if they did this, but I guess the real point is that the NRA usually supports the powers that be, especially if those powers are Republican.
I wonder how do some crime measures compare between a city with strict gun-control, like Chicago, versus a city with little in the way of gun-control (Houston?). I’d guess the NRA would argue that Houston should be much safer because everyone is assumed to be armed and ready to defend themselves and their homes?
You cite the figures for police torture which average out to be something like 6 people a year (130 total), but during that same period, there were probably 15,000-20,000 murders….I agree that the state committing these acts is total unacceptable and completely different, but it’s not completely surprising considering how out of control crime was at the time.
(The crime stats I can find for Chicago don’t list murders between 1974 and 1998, so it’s a bit of a guess. It’s scary to think that the murder rate was nearly 2x what it is today….).
The NRA was founded just after the end of the Civil War, in 1871, by two former UNION Army Officers because of the deplorable LOSS OF LIFE that was witnessed due to the inability of Union Soldiers, both black and white, to shoot their firearms efficiently. Its first President was a Union Army General, Ambrose Burnside, from Rhode Island [the state of the First Rhode Island Regiment, a multiracial composition of men who ALL fought valiantly against the British during the American Revolution [see posting above]]. In 1864, at the Battle of the Crater, Burnside commanded an elite force of black combat troops from the IX Corps, a specialized tactical unit that had been specifically trained for the mission at Petersburg, VA; when General George Meade countermanded Burnside’s plan and forced his black force to stand down, untrained white Union forces were decimated inside of the crater.
http://www.nrahq.org/history.asp
there is some true….black
Great article thank you for this. ur articles keep me on my toes BIG
Why is it so hard for us to see beyond our nose missing the bigger picture every time. Focus on what they don’t disclose
mixed emotions about this one
Very interesting read.
This is serious
must be nice really jeezy
Time to get strapped (RED)
This topic is going to catch plenty of attention
FYI: in December of 1960, Bo DIDLEY released his FIFTH album: BO DIDLEY IS A GUNSLINGER, with the title track, GUNSLINGER from the Chicago-based Chess Records. Just to show that a call-to-arms and the Black Community did not coalesce in response to the Black Panther Movement, but was a healthy and vibrant notion that was integral to life, evidence for which has reemerged elsewhere in our history. I don’t recall anyone from his community castigating him for his album or his choice of cover photo; of course, this is when the exercise of the First Amendment was viewed as a healthy expression of one’s political position[s].
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bo_Diddley_Is_a_Gunslinger.
so crazy
So…what you’re saying is, we shouldn’t have guns to protect ourselves? Colion has has been an advocate for 2A rights long before the Sandy Hook shooting. He is someone who tells it like it is and someone we can all (the average young American, minority or not) relate to. Maybe if there were more people like him educating our sons, daughters, mothers, fathers, aunts, uncles, etc then there wouldn’t be as much unsafe use of firearms (legally obtained, of course) and accidental shootings. Just my two cents.
With respect, this article is actually omitting some VERY important historical facts! The NRA actually has a well documented history of fighting the KKK including Robert F. Williams support from the NRA in 1957 in defending himself and his local branch of the NAACP from repeated KKK attacks. Williams wrote a book about it titled “Negroes with Guns”. After its inception the NRA fought for African Americans to be able to own guns to defend themselves from the KKK with great success. The NRA led the charge in overturning racist laws in the south that made it illegal for African Americans (this is post civil war, so who were full US citizens) to have guns. Prior to these challenges racist Democrats (yes they were the racist ones back then) had a violent and oppressive relationship with the southern African American communities.
Disclaimer – I am neither a member of the NRA or any sort of gun rights activist. Just interested in this part of our nations history.
Thomas, this is what I call selective history… allow me to explain, my good friend rapper Killer Mike is an NRA member.. Mike is about freedom and making sure Black folks are armed to fight oppression.. Mike has been w/ the NRA for years and notes as a member he has considerable advantages as a gun owner… This same NRA pushes for policies and politicians including Reagan who Killer Mike vehemently opposes.. 10/15 years from now are we going to have the NRA claiming Killer Mike? What have they done to support him? Hell, they didn’t even know enough to highlight Mike or other artists like Easki or Ice T to the world..who are stuancly pro-gun.. and members.. (not sure if Ice T is member..)
So lets connect this to Robert Williams.. Williams was member and a chapter leader with the NAACP who opposed his stance to use violence..They didn’t ride with him, but chapter members who Williams brought into the NAACP did.. Same with the NRA.. it was Williams who filed for a chapter and then formed his own militia.. the Black Guard..When Williams fought agst the KKK, it wasn’t white folks with guns standing alongside him.. It was Negros with guns..Black folks.. When Williams was exiled to Cuba where was the NRA? Lets take a quick walk through history from the time that Williams was doing his thing in 1956 to the Panthers who did their thing 10 years later 1966 when they formed and went to Sacramento with guns.. That same NRA was nowhere to be seen.. they supported the Mulford Act which was a law designed to get the Panthers disarmed..
lets walk through this some more.. prior to the Panthers forming in Oakland, many of their members came from the South.. in fact the original panther Party was from Louisiana.. SNCC members who later merged with the Panthers did work throughout the south.. where was the NRA?? They weren’t there for Black folks in liberal California.. and they weren’t there for Black folks in the South where much of the civil rights action was.. Williams and his people were.. but not the rank and file NRA..
You keep bringing up the panthers being disarmed as if they alone have been disarmed. What about the more recent groups in Waco and Ruby Ridge? These were majority white groups who armed themselves and weren’t just disarmed,they were killed. My point is that it’s not a race thing it’s a citizens right thing and all colors need to work together against those who would like to disarm us all.
crazy BIG
that guy’s not black….officially. If his mom were alive….tsk tsk tsk
“Coullion” is not a jerk; it is someone who is goofy; makes dumb mistakes, but is also somewhat of a joker.
The problems with Blacks and Police were a POLICE problem. Police must treat ALL non-criminal citizens equally. We are trying and we are getting there, albeit slowly and irregularly. A citizen using a gun to “protect” himself FROM the police just can’t win; so it is a really, really bad idea.
We must tackle this problem by acting civilly with officers, but demanding that they follow our laws.
Where I live, over half of our officers are Black. We have had similar problems with Black officers, too.
Perhaps the writer doesn’t understand the NRA. NRA is the World’s oldest and largest Civil rights Organization. As such, the NRA NEVER promotes criminal activity, no matter who does it.
NRA is not a racial outfit. NRA welcomes members of all races and religions. NRA has Black Directors and Black employees.
Please do not form an opinion on the NRA based on what others tell you about it. Instead, go to the NRA website(s) and read their print publications.
We, in the NRA won’t be diverted by side issues or racial concerns. Our aim is to preserve the Second Amendment RIGHTS of ALL non-criminal citizens !
We welcome and actively recruit Black Americans to join us.
Rick