mrDaveyd | Hip-Hop and Politics

An Interview w/ Dhoruba Bin Wahad from 1990 on Cointel-Pro and the Rise of Fascism

August 6, 2018 By mrDaveyd

Former Black Panther and political prisoner Dhoruba Bin Wahad gave an incredible, insightful and prophetic interview with Harold Channer shortly after he was released from prison in 1990. He had just spent 20 years in jail on what he saw as trumped up charges. Dhoruba saw himself as a political prisoner who was caught in the cross hairs of the FBI and other law enforcement agencies after he and his fellow comrades known as the Panther 21 successfully defended themselves in court.

In this interview Dhoruba talks in great detail about Cointel Pro and how it impacted the Black Panthers and his life. He talks about how the FBI attempted to cause a civil war with East Coast and West Coast Black Panthers. He also talks about the rise of fascism, and the ongoing impact of white supremacy. he also talks about an emerging class of people called Technocrats.

Here is that 1990 interview which aired on hard Knock radio: 08-06-2018

Filed Under: 2018 News, archived story, Hard Knock Radio Intv

Davey D Interviews Jabali Smith about Human Trafficking

August 6, 2018 By mrDaveyd

Jabali Smith was a 6-yr-old in Berkeley, California when he was trafficked along with his sister over the border into Mexico and held captive by a messianic doomsday sex cult. SLAVE courageously and boldly chronicles his journey as a child slave; the escape and the eventual rise from the ashes of tragedy.

Jabali spent years being beaten, tortured, starved, sexualized, brainwashed, and confined to a dark closet in both Mexico and the United States. His disappearance and re-emergence years later with no alarms set off within our societal system represents the current fracture of communication allowing human trafficking to flourish into the fastest growing business & commodity in the World…. SLAVE exposes not only the suffering of human trafficking victims but the indomitable spirit of survivors and all that is possible when faith survives the ultimate challenge.

Below is our Hard Knock Radio Interview which originally aired: 04-30-2018

Filed Under: 2018 News, archived story, Hard Knock Radio Intv Tagged With: Davey D, hard Knock radio, Jabali Smith, Social justice

Davey D: Some Thoughts on Lebron James Opening Up His School

July 31, 2018 By mrDaveyd

It’s great hearing the news about NBA star Lebron James opening a school and doing some great things, giving back to the community with his millions.. There is nothing to fault him on.. He should be applauded along with numerous other athletes and entertainers who have stepped up and used their platform and money to try and make a difference in our communities..We should honor these folks, uplift them and encourage more to follow suit..

With that being said, we should never lose sight, that what Lebron and others are doing is filling a big economic void in our community that has been intentionally created by the rich and powerful. There is an economic injustice that exists that needs to be corrected..

We should never lose sight of the fact that the owners of these sports teams and other power brokers make BILLIONS to the millions Lebron and other athletes are laying out.. One NBA owner, Steve Ballmer of the LA Clippers is worth 34 BILLION dollars.. How has he helped the LA community? Who is he sending to college for free?

We should raise similar questions about Lebron’s former team owner Dan Gilbert who is worth close 6 billion. We know he’s making a killing ‘redeveloping’ (gentrifying Detroit and Cleveland..) How has his billions helped our communities? How is he matching Lebron’s efforts? Did he put some money toward this school or the scholarships?

Richard DeVos owner of the Orlando Magic who is husband to Education secretary Betsy Devos is worth about 5-6 billion What are they doing to help the community other than shutting down and privatizing public education? How are they helping us and should we expect them to step up to the plate the way we insisted that Michael Jordan and others should?

In short, we should be asking who are these Billionaires Helping especially when many are getting incredible tax breaks and other economic perks to build new arenas and keep an NBA team around? We should not only ask ‘Who are these guys helping, but we should also ask what policies are these NBA owners pushing that result in dire economic situations that require a guy like Lebron to step in..

While we applaud Lebron and other athletes for doing this heavy lifting to send kids to school or other charitable works, we should be asking why aren’t our tax dollars doing that? We pay good money in taxes that should be opening schools and providing opportunities for those in need..

We should be asking why aren’t our tax dollars being used to make college free for everyone? The UC (University California) system and Cal State college system used to be free here in California..With companies like Apple and Google worth trillions sitting in our backyard, why are students facing a lifetime worth of debt just to go to school?

The sad reality is Lebron is making millions to spend millions to send kids to schools that charge more than most will make and save in a lifetime…

Banks make trillions in student loans..Colleges make hundreds of millions in fees.. The average graduate after taxes and loan repayment is lucky if he/she brings home enough to pay rent much less raise a family..

Yes Lebron has stepped up, but lets not lose sight that with the passage of this recent tax bill it will be extremely difficult for ordinary folks to write off charitable donations to education and other organizations and activities that are surely needed in our community. I think one would have to itemize and donate something like 12k to start writing things off..

While Lebron gives his hard earned millions to the community, we should not lose sight that some of those BILLIONAIRE owner fought for and lobbied for the tax bill that will decimate so many of our communities..

So again lets applaud Lebron and instead of comparing him to Michael Jordan or some other athlete and debating who gave back the most to the community, lets compare Lebron to some of these NBA owners and raise critical questions of how they are using the money they make off us..

Filed Under: 2018 News Tagged With: billionaires, Davey D, Lebron james, NBA

Is Bruno Mars a Culture Vulture? No, He is Not!

March 20, 2018 By mrDaveyd

So as of late, there has been a lot of discussion around singer Bruno Mars and some folks insisting that he is guilty of cultural appropriation.

The definition of this term Cultural Appropriation means: the act of taking or using things from a culture that is not your own, especially without showing that you understand or respect this culture

Bruno also borrows heavily from singers Michael Jackson and James Brown who without question have major footprints on lots of popular music. Jackson popularized dance styles that he got from the streets here in Cali while James was the unintended blueprint for a variety of genres most notably Hip Hop. Those of us who are old enough will recall James was not too keen on folks sampling his music and not giving him credit and even said so in a couple of songs. We won’t even get into the dance steps that many borrowed which are now part of Hip Hop key dance moves.

Back in the days, folks said that James Brown, Sly Stone, George Clinton, and others who were being sampled should be happy. In fact, they should be thanking Hip Hop for bringing back to life a sound and style that had essentially been dead.

Artists like Daddy O, lead emcee for Stetsasonic laid out that argument excellently in a song called ‘Talking All That Jazz’…

In the case of Bruno Mars its crystal clear that he clearly understands the roots of the music genres that have influenced him. In fact, he probably knows it better than most. It’s also crystal clear that he has profusely given credit to the originators of the sounds he uses.

Here’s the larger point, when folks accuse Bruno Mars of cultural appropriation, they are basically saying ‘dude is ‘Not Black‘ and he’s getting over doing Black music’. Now we can get into a long discussion about who is Black and who isn’t from a Diasporic perspective. Don’t Puerto Ricans have African blood in their veins? Are they not part of the diaspora? But for some, no matter what is said or proven folks are gonna fall back on the notion that Black music is being exploited and thus Bruno should be the target of their anger.

What’s interesting is that while folks will focus all their attention on Bruno, they will remain silent and even compliant with the real exploiters and cultural appropriators of Black music. We can start with the many of the major record labels who got generations of young, easily influenced and naive artists to sign away their copyrights and publishing. If you really peel back the onion there are lots of stories of Black artists being forced to give away their creations.. This is a sordid history that’s been outlined in a variety of books like:
‘Hit Men: Power Brokers and Fast Money Inside the Music Business’, by Fredric Dannen. Another one is ‘An Autobiography of Black Jazz‘ by Dempsey J Travis. ‘Death of Rhythm and Blues’ by Nelson George outlines this exploitative relationship as does ‘Blackout: My 40 Years in the Music Business’ by Paul Porter.

This sordid history of exploitation has been spoken about very publicly by everyone from Prince to Michael Jackson to Ice Cube to Gza… The list is long. The stories are detailed and really show the depth of cultural exploitation and appropriation within the music industry. The stories detail the unapologetic boldness and epitomize the notion of someone Not Giving zero f–ks which is an attitude that’s alive and well today within those corporate structures. These entertainment conglomerates are the ones who really ‘cake’ off Black music.

Bruno Mars dancing like Michael Jackson or using a Teddy Riley-inspired beat is him paying homage. What’s exploitation is corporate music outlets from the IHeart Radios of the world (formerly Clear Channel to the Viacom’s) that peddle a particular type of narrowcasted musical Blackness that is steeped in harmful and demeaning stereotypes that nets these corporations billions while having us collectively looking like savage baboons.
It gets really insidious when those executives and gatekeepers will invest millions of marketing dollars and define these negative expressions and market them as ‘Authentic Black Culture‘.

That’s cultural exploitation and it’s rooted in the legacy of Blackface minstrelsy where white actors donned Blackface and adopted stereotypical speech patterns and Black mannerisms and entertained millions. Black face was the country’s biggest form of entertainment for over 100 years.

This industry really took off when Black actors desperate for money, fame and economic opportunity started wearing Blackface and enhancing those negative stereotypes. These Black minstrels were marketed to white audiences as authentic. They were the equivalent of a certain type of heavily promoted artists who today are advertised as ‘keeping it real and being ‘true to the streets’.

Filed Under: Essential Hip Hop Articles, Feature Tagged With: Bruno Mars, Cultural Appropriation, Culture Vulture

HKR: 01-08-18 Davey D Interviews Kali Akanu of Cooperation Jackson

January 8, 2018 By mrDaveyd

Hard Knock Radio 01-08-2018: Davey D speak with long time activist and freedom fighter Kali Akuno of Cooperation Jackson about a recent article he co-wrote with Gyasi Williams an article that talks about the Third Wave technology Revolution and the Fabrication Divide..

We talk with Kali Akuno about the ways in which the current trends toward automation and 3D printing is adversely impacting Black folks. We talk at length about the moves being made by Cooperation Jackson to provide a technology hub which will be accessible to the average person and ideally counter the impact of Net Neutrality protections being stripped.

Filed Under: 2018 News, archived story Tagged With: hard Knock radio, Kali Akanu

Terror in Charlotte- Who Killed Justin Carr?

September 27, 2016 By mrDaveyd

Who shot Justin Carr? You are right now watching unapologetic ‘gas lamping’ take place, where folks who stood next to this young brother Tuesday night while they were out protesting police terror, are being made to feel like they are somehow crazy for what they witnessed..

You’re seeing people who should know better automatically accepting police narratives without question and adapting and normalizing police lingo..

Many were eager and quick to adapt police lingo and not present fair hearing and space for eyewitnesses who had differing accounts who witnessed Justin Carr’s murder..

Anyone using the term ‘protestor on protestor‘ violence, ‘civilian on civilian‘ violence or any variation have been pimped and seduced by the possibility of have proximity to power….

Anyone adapting and attempting to normalize ‘police speak‘ sounds just as backwards as those deceitful corporate backed journalist and media outlets who adapted military terms and tried to sound official when selling the public the false notion that weapons of mass destruction existed leading up to the War in Iraq..

Justin Carr was not a ‘civilian’ needing to be ‘contained’ or ‘ordered around’. He was not some faceless ‘civilian’ engaged in ‘protestor on protestor’ violence..

Justin Carr is not ‘collateral damage’ that was involved in a riot.. He was a young brother calling out police terrorism in his community..

You start to refer to him like the police as a nameless ‘civilian’ or ‘protestor’ you detach yourself from his humanity and his human response to the trauma they caused..

Compare the way Justin Carr is described in the police narratives being pushed on us vs the way he was described by the young sister named Sharleeen who Rosa Clemente interviewed who was with Justin and witnessed him die the other night.. Don’t f–kin lose sight of your humanity people..

https://soundcloud.com/mrdaveyd/hkr-rosa-clemente-sharleen-in-charlotte-nc

And as a friend of mine most recently noted.. Justin Carr was a Black man.. He was a brother from the community who would not be dead if Charlotte police never shot and killed Keith Lamont Scott..

Justin Carr would not be dead if police weren’t shooting rubber bullets and tear gas at peaceful protestors..

Justin Carr would not be dead if those who we entrusted to protect and serve us physically, politically & culturally were not doing death dances with the devil….

Filed Under: 2016 Daily News, Uncategorized Tagged With: Charlotte, Justin Carr, Police terror, Rosa clemente

A Tale of 2 People Billy Jones & Jesse Romero and a DOJ Report

August 12, 2016 By mrDaveyd

Billy Jones

Here’s a tale of two people and a DOJ Report (Department of Justice ) about a police department.. One story is about a man named Billy Jones, age 34. He’s from Sebastian County, Arkansas The boy was named Jesse Romero age 14. He lived in East Los Angeles, Boyle Heights to be exact.

Yesterday Billy Jones shot and killed a sheriff deputy named Bill Cooper in what police are describing as a possible planned attack. Jones who is career criminal was in a stand off for over 5 hours but when all was said and done, Jones was taken alive and will have his day in court.

We will find out what was behind Jone’s action. Was he mentally disturbed? Did he hold a particular anti-government/ anti police philosophy? Was he in trouble and defending himself? Whatever questions we have we will eventually find out in a trial.

Korryn Gaines

The police who are no doubt suffering from the loss of their colleague Bill Cooper opted not turn off Facebook feeds and shoot Billy Jones to death like they did Koryn Gaines in Baltimore.

The police didn’t send in a robot with a bomb to kill Billy Jones the way Dallas police did Micah Xavier Johnson.

To date police union reps did not hold a press conference and blame the killing of Deputy Cooper on Black Lives Matter like they did in New York, Dallas and Baton Rouge..

The police for the most part, even with their lives in danger, handled a tough, tragic grueling situation professionally, fully aware there’s a possibility the day not end the way they want.. They eventually got their man.. Again Billy Jones who killed a cop will go to court..

Jesse Romero

In Los Angeles, 14 year old Jesse Romero who attended Hollenback Middle school, was accused of tagging a building. It’s not a cool thing to do, but it happens everyday in cities all over the country. People when caught are usually made to pay for the damage caused..

In this case members of a police gang unit saw Jesse who promptly ran away. Because Jesse wears sagging pants, as he sprinted he pulled up his pants and according to witnesses tossed something from his waistband. Police say it was a gun and lit Jesse up killing him on the spot. They claimed Jesse fired at them and they feared for their life.. Witnesses say otherwise. They say Jesse did not shoot at anyone..

Snoop and Game Meet with LAPD

This is the same LA police department about a month ago held a highly publicized meeting with rappers Snoop Dogg and The Game. Supposedly a truce was established and LAPD would be showing more restraint. Our people would be taken into custody and not killed. I guess the police who patrol Boyle Heights didn’t get the memo.

We heard this story before. It’s a a textbook boilerplate tale. All you have to do is fill in the blanks for name and location. 14 year old Jesse Romero becomes 13 year old Andy Lopez in Santa Rosa carrying a pellet rifle to return to a friend.

Andy Lopez becomes 12 year old Tamir Rice in Cleveland playing by himself with a toy gun..

Aiyanna Stanley Jones

Tamir Rice becomes 7 year old Aiyanna Stanley Jones sleeping in bed with her grandmother as police storm the house in the dead of night with a camera crew in tow looking for a murder suspect who was hunkered down at an adjacent house.

In the case of Tamir, Andy and Ayanna, the parents and victims themselves were blamed for their deaths. We blamed them for scarring seasoned officers who we pay to be trained so they can discern kids with toy guns and hardened criminals. We blamed them for running. We blamed them for not being perfect. We blamed them for living in bad neighborhoods where cops according to statistics, are rarely killed.

We cheered the police and even promoted them as we just saw in the Andy Lopez case. Anyone protesting these shootings are told they should be focusing on Black on Black / Brown on Brown crime.

Freddie Gray

This is also a tale about a police department in Baltimore where 6 officers were charged with killing a man who they falsely arrested named Freddie Gray. The police were accused of breaking his spine by driving him around unseatbelted in what is known as a ‘rough ride’..Although 6 cops were charged, all got off free. A man died in their custody and no one is going to jail.

That same Baltimore Police department was investigated by the Department of Justice who just issued a scathing report. It was discovered that the goal of this department was to stop and dehumanize as many Black people as possible. The report brought to light that many on the Baltimore police force did not see themselves as part of a community in which they were to protect, but instead saw themselves as people who were to control the community. The report noted that the culture of the police department was us vs them..I’ll let what was written in the report where an excerpt is shown below in the photo speak for itself..

God Bless ‘Merica
Baltimore Police department

Filed Under: 2016 Daily News Tagged With: Baltimore Police, Billy Jones, Jesse Romero, Police brutality, police terrorism

How Far Have We Come Since Mike Brown’s Death Two Years Ago?

August 9, 2016 By mrDaveyd

Two years ago today (August 9th 2014) Mike Brown an unarmed teenager on his way back home from a local store was shot and killed by Fergurson police officer Darren Wilson…

The residents of the Canfield Gardens complex where he lived were subjected to the spectacle of his dead body being left in the middle of the courtyard which is not all that big for all to see in the hot blistering sun for 4 1/2 hours..

It was like the police wanted to send a message of fear and terror to a community that had found itself constantly under siege, not just by Ferguson Police, but by the 50 or so police municipalities that resided nearby that routinely preyed upon residents with impunity.

Black people in Ferguson and North County were used as ATM machines by cash strapped cities and police departments who would issues tickets for anything and everything under the sun and then issue bench warrants when folks weren’t able to pay. At one point over 500 people in the St Louis area had bench warrants stemming from these tickets..

The ticketing of folks was the least of people’s problems. Folks in the Ferguson are were routinely subjected to all sorts of police terror ranging from humiliating remarks to beatings to false arrests. More than a few had met their fate at the hands of police. The killing of Mike Brown was the final straw. Police provoked stunned, grieving residents during a candle-light vigil and all hell broke loose.

The world bore witness to heavily militarized police rolling army tanks through neighborhoods, shooting tear gas, arresting journalist and shredding the constitution, Bill of Rights and any other human rights law. The people of Ferguson rebelled for more than 100 days and forced the world to stand still for a moment in time..

Since Ferguson, we seen scathing reports issued by the Department of Justice. We’ve seen President Obama lay out Blue Ribbon Commissions We’ve seen scores of proposed laws both locally and on the federal level. We’ve seen police accountability activist visit the United Nations on 4 different occasions. We’ve seen scores of gatherings, conventions and panel discussions..

We’ve seen TV specials on the topic. We’ve sen hunger strikes…We seen the removal of several district attorneys and police chiefs and the election of others to office by those determined to win. We seen the development of a robust platform of demand from the Movement 4 Black Lives. The push back and organizing around ending police terror has been tremendous

We’ve seen hundreds of protests from coast to coast. Bridges have been shut down, freeways shut down and Presidential candidates interrupted and political rallies disrupted by those demanding an end to police terror.

We also seen since the death of Mike Brown an estimated 3k people shot and killed by police around the United States. We’ve seen no cops go to jail and very few indicted.

There’s a long list of names that have been killed in the most egregious manner, some even caught on film, by police who been set free. From Freddy Gray to Andy Lopez. From Sandra Bland to Rekia Boyd to Tamir Rice. From Mario Woods to Mariam Carey to Alex Nieto. There has been no conviction of the cops who killed them. In fact some have even gotten promoted.

What we have seen since the death of Mike Brown is a number of activists, freedom fighters and organizers demanding police accountability get sent to jail. We should not forget the name of someone like Ferguson’s Joshua Williams who is serving 8 years. That’s longer then the sentence handed down to any cop who have killed any of our folks. Reflect on that for a moment.

Hardly any of the proposed laws to reign in police terror outside of body cameras have gotten passed. Since the killing of Mike Brown we’ve seen President Obama reverse his position on militarizing police.

Two months prior to Brown getting killed all but 7 members of the Congressional Black Caucus rejected an amendment put forth by Florida Congressman Alan Grayson that would’ve stripped the police of its military hardware. After Ferguson erupted many of those same lawmakers including some who had the nerve to speak at Brown’s funeral rushed to pass laws to stop police militarization even though they rejected the Grayson amendment.

Last month President Obama announced that he would reverse himself on banning military hardware to police. Police can now gear up again. We are back at square one. Its as if we have buffer class of people who are supposed to be on ourside who carry water for police departments and police unions and at every chance seem to hold up progress.

Over the past few months we’ve seen a flurry of laws Blue Lives Matter laws be proposed and in some places pass from coast to coast would give the police more power, make their actions less transparent and in some cases make it a hate crime to not only attack them, but speak ill of them.

On the 2cd anniversary of Mike Brown’s death, we should all be asking what’s really changed since 2014? How did and why did the US become more of a police state under a Black president and Black Attorney General? Where do we go from here?

Lastly as we reflect on today , lets not lose sight of the family of those who have been gunned down by police. far too often in these aftermath of their loved ones being killed, the family members become political commodities.

Mike Brown’s Parents

For some, the constant attention and movement around them as folks fight for justice may help keep their minds off what is unbearably painful. But its on days like this and in those quiet moments that the loss of a son, daughter, husband, wife, mother & dad all comes rushing back.

How they get through it one can only guess. So lets’ be sure to show them love and not treat the death of Mike Brown or any other person as just another casualty that can easily be brushed aside.
#staywoke #turnUp #shutemdown

Filed Under: 2016 Daily News Tagged With: Canfield Gardens, Ferguson, mike Brown, Protest

Dream Defenders Speak Out Against Pro-Israel Groups Who Condemned M4BL

August 9, 2016 By mrDaveyd

So apparently it’s ok for someone like Democratic stalworth Bakari Sellers at the urging of AIPAC to gather 60 Black Democrats who remained anonymous to sign a letter condemning the platform proposal put forth by Bernie Sanders and Cornel West around the treatment of Palestinians by Israel. You can read that HERE

Sellars’ effort was cheered, yet when a larger group of Black activists and leaders representing over 50 organizations including the Dream Defenders put forth an agenda with an opposite view that outlines a vision for the Black Lives Movement, they are not only deemed anti-semetic, but there were threats to economically and politically upend them in as many ways as possible. How lame is that?

This weak response by AIPAC and Sellars to political debate reminds me of what took place last week when actress Rosanne Barr went ape shyt on myself and fellow journalist Chali Bay when we had an online discussion about Zionism and the treatment of Africans in Israel. The discussion didn’t even involve Barr, but she saw it on her timeline and waded into the conversation and made a bunch of unsavory offensive remarks and then blocked us before we could respond. Not only did she block us, but our accounts were down for a period..

We can only imagine what sort of strings are being pulled around this bold platform put forth by the Dream Defenders and the dozens of other groups who signed on for M4BL. Check out their statement below…

Davey D

Dream Defenders Statement on the Condemnation of M4BL Platform by Some Pro-Israel Groups

On Monday, the Dream Defenders along with 50 other organizations, representing hundreds of Black people across the country launched A Vision for Black Lives, an agenda that clearly defines policies, organizing tactics and resources to advance Black liberation. The platform included a call for the US government to divest from military expenditures and US aid to the State of Israel and instead, invest this war-making money towards building infrastructure to support Black and Brown communities in the US. Since our launch, some Zionist organizations have condemned the platform and have announced that they will cut all ties with the Movement for Black Live, going so far as to label some in the BLM movement anti-semitic.

Their response has made it all the more clear why we stand in solidarity with Palestine and with Black and Brown people around the world fighting for justice.

Those who have previously claimed to be allies of the Black lives matter movement have shown us that they are comfortable with our resistance so long as it fits within particular confines and restrictions. It is convenient to endorse black lives matter when it benefits you. And as long as we stay silent about Israeli apartheid, they will “stand” with Black liberation in the US. Now that our movement has taken a stand against all forms of white supremacy and oppression, Black lives no longer matter. We want no part in this quid pro quo form of politics. True solidarity does not come with strings attached.

We’ve been dealing with this type of hypocrisy with our supposed “allies” for generations. On the American left, there are many wolves in sheeps clothing. You have revealed yourselves. And now that we know who you are, we will not forget.

We remain steadfast in our condemnation of the State of Israel and their illegal occupation of the Palestinian people’s homeland no matter the consequence. “Solidarity with Palestine is not a requirement, it is a choice” and is rooted in the basic understanding that the state violence we experience is directly tied to the violence facing Black and Brown communities in Palestine and around the world. While our struggles are not identical, we recognize that we are up against the same systems. What is happening in Palestine is a genocide and we will not allow anyone to bully us into sanitizing our words. In 1948, the State of Israel created a Jewish majority by destroying approximately 500 Palestinian towns and driving over 700,000 Palestinians out of their homeland. Ethnic cleansing continues today in the form of expulsions, Jewish-only settlements, massive attacks in Gaza and across Palestine, in addition to over 50 Israeli laws that sanction discrimination and apartheid.

As Black and Brown people living in the US, the heart of global empire, we bear a particular responsibility for global liberation. It is our taxpayer dollars that are funding Israeli apartheid and a military industrial complex that is devastating entire peoples and communities throughout the world. Having an international analysis, means we must call for the divestment of our support of Israeli apartheid and to the wars being waged in Africa, Latin America and throughout the Middle East, just like we are calling for a divestment from the policing of our neighborhoods and incarceration of our people. This is both an ideological and a strategic decision. Resources are needed to advance the Vision for Black Lives platform and there are plenty of resources to be distributed, they are just being spent on waging war against, rather than stabilizing, our peoples.This is why the Dream Defenders believe in Black and Brown solidarity and why we fight for the liberation of Palestine.

We have more work to do now than ever before. In moments like these, we must double down and fight on. Check out A Vision for Black Lives – it is full of information about potential legislative action at the local, state and federal level and campaigns to support our efforts to advance global liberation. Launch a Campaign in support of the Boycott Divest and Sanctions Movement to show the State of Israel that we do not support their oppression of the Palestinian people. If you want to see it for yourself, look to organizations who run delegations with a principled stance that would allow for a real look at the situation on the ground, not a manicured one. Read more about what Black Palestinian solidarity means and looks like here. Do not stay silent. We applaud Jewish organizations like, Jewish Voices for Peace, If Not Now and the Jews of Color Caucus that have spoken out in this moment in solidarity with the Movement for Black Lives and have called upon others to do the same.

The Dream Defenders remain committed to a world in which ALL people are free. As Black people fighting for our freedom, we are not thugs and our Palestinian brothers and sisters are not terrorists. For the children who are met with tear gas and rubber bullets as they walk home from school, for the families of those we have lost to police violence, for the communities devastated by economic violence and apartheid walls, we fight. To all those who believe in a world in which all people are free, join us. For those who no longer stand with Black people because of this belief, goodbye. We do not need nor want you in our movement.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dq6Y6LSjulU

Filed Under: 2016 Daily News Tagged With: Dream Defenders, Middle East, Movement for Black Lives

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Dream Defenders Statement on the Condemnation of M4BL Platform by Some Pro-Israel Groups