Political articles | Hip-Hop and Politics

Minnesota court rules Democrat Al Franken won Senate seat

June 30, 2009 By mrDaveyd

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Minnesota court rules Democrat Al Franken won Senate seat

Al Franken

MINNEAPOLIS (Reuters) – The Minnesota Supreme Court on Tuesday declared Democrat Al Franken the winner of a tight U.S. Senate race over Republican Norm Coleman, which should give Democrats the 60-seat majority they need to overcome procedural obstacles and push through their agenda.

Coleman has said in published reports he is unlikely to appeal the state court’s decision to the federal courts. Under state law, the court’s decision gives Franken the right to occupy the seat, which has been up for grabs since last November’s election.

Minnesota Republican Governor Tim Pawlenty has said he will certify the election winner based on what the state court decides.

If the decision holds up, Democrats will control 60 of the 100 Senate seats — enough to overcome Republican procedural roadblocks in a clear boost to President Barack Obama‘s agenda.

Democrats hold a solid majority in the U.S. House.

However, Senate Democrats may not be able to count on Arlen Specter’s vote. Specter, a former Republican from Pennsylvania, switched parties in April but has said he will vote his own way and not necessarily along party lines.

The Minnesota contest has seen several switches. Coleman, seeking a second term, held a razor-thin lead after the November 4 election over Franken, a well known satirist and a former writer and actor for the popular Saturday Night Live television show.

But the close vote triggered an automatic recount of the 2.4 million ballots cast for the two men, and Franken edged to a 225-vote lead. That result was challenged by Coleman, and a judicial panel agreed to add only a few hundred previously rejected absentee ballots. That tally expanded Franken’s lead to 312 votes.

(Reporting by Todd Melby and Andrew Stern)

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Cynthia Mckinney Kidnapped & Detained by Israeli Government-Free Cynthia McKinney

June 30, 2009 By mrDaveyd

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CynthiaMckinneyred-225 Green Party: President Obama and the US State Dept. must demand release of Cynthia McKinney and 20 other human rights activists on Free Gaza relief boat seized by Israeli gunboats
• The Free Gaza’s ‘Spirit of Humanity’ was delivering medical and other supplies following Obama’s call for relief to wartorn Gaza; the boat was in international waters

WASHINGTON, DC — Green Party leaders are calling on the White House and US State Department to intervene and demand the immediate release of 21 human rights activists, including former US Rep. Cynthia McKinney and Nobel laureate Mairead Maguire, who were taken prisoner by the Israeli navy after gunboats surrounded and seized the Free Gaza Movement relief boat ‘Spirit of Humanity’ on Monday.
“This is an outrageous violation of international law against us. Our boat was not in Israeli waters, and we were on a human rights mission to the Gaza Strip,” said Cynthia McKinney, the Green Party’s 2008 candidate for President of the United States. “President Obama just told Israel to let in humanitarian and reconstruction supplies, and that’s exactly what we tried to do. We’re asking the international community to demand our release so we can resume our journey.”
Read Cynthia McKinney’s latest statement here: http://www.freegaza.org/en/home/hope-fleet-news/970-call-off-your-attack-dogs-cynthia-mckinney
Ms. McKinney had earlier sent appeals to President Obama and the State Department for assurances of protection for the relief mission. The Spirit of Humanity was sailing in international waters when it was seized. Greens stressed that the relief boat represents no threat to Israel and must be allowed to continue its voyage to Gaza.
For more information and updates, see the Free Gaza Movement web site (http://www.freegaza.org), including the latest release on the seizure of the relief boat (http://www.freegaza.org/en/home/hope-fleet-news/976-israel-attacks-justice-boat-kidnaps-human-rights-workers-confiscates-medicine-toys-and-olive-trees).
For communications and updates from Cynthia McKinney, visit her Green Party page (http://www.gp.org/cynthia/index.php) and blog (http://dignity.ning.com).
The Spirit of Humanity was carrying medical supplies, cement, olive trees, and children’s toys to Gaza after the Israeli invasion in December and January damaged or destroyed 50,000 homes, 800 industrial properties and 200 schools damaged or destroyed, 39 mosques, and two churches. The supplies were confiscated by the Israeli navy.
The Green Party of the United States condemned the invasion and massacre of Palestinians and has endorsed the call for boycott, divestment, and sanctions against Israel until the Israeli government guarantees full human rights, including political rights and democracy, for all Palestinians and non-Jewish Israelis.

MORE INFORMATION
Green Party of the United States http://www.gp.org
202-319-7191, 866-41GREEN
Fax 202-319-7193
• Green candidate database for 2008 and other campaign information: http://www.gp.org/elections.shtml
• Green Party News Center http://www.gp.org/newscenter.shtml
• Green Party Speakers Bureau http://www.gp.org/speakers
• Green Party ballot access page http://www.gp.org/2008-elections
• International Committee of the Green Party: http://www.gp.org/committees/intl
Green Party releases:
• “Breaking news: Cynthia McKinney aboard detained Free Gaza Movement relief boat,” June 25, 2009 http://www.gp.org/press/pr-national.php?ID=228
• “Greens join Global Day of Action for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions on March 30 to end the Israeli occupation,” March 26, 2009 http://www.gp.org/press/pr-national.php?ID=192
• “Green Party: Israel-Palestine truce must include end of Israeli occupation and observance of international law or violence is likely to resume,” January 19, 2009 http://www.gp.org/press/pr-national.php?ID=169
2009 Annual National Meeting of the Green Party, Durham, NC, July 23-26 http://www.gp.org/2009-ANM
• North Carolina page http://ncgreenparty.org/2009-ANM.html
• Media credentialing page http://www.gp.org/forms/media
Green Pages, Vol. 13, No. 1
The official publication of record of the Green Party of the United States
http://gp.org/greenpages-blog

EMERGENCY DEMONSTRATION
Against Israeli Piracy & Kidnapping
Free Cynthia McKinney and all kidnapped human rights workers!

WEDNESDAY 4-6 PM

at the

ISRAELI MISSION
800 Second Avenue
(Second Avenue @ 43rd St.)

Last night, Israeli Occupation Forces attacked and boarded the Free Gaza Movement boat, the SPIRIT OF HUMANITY, abducting 21 human rights workers from 11 countries, including Noble laureate Mairead Maguire and former U.S. Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney. The passengers and crew are being forcibly dragged toward Israel.

The seizure of humanitarian supplies and abduction of human rights workers is an act of piracy, a crime under international law. When the boat was attacked, it was not in Israeli waters and was on a human rights mission to Gaza. Israel’s deliberate and premeditated attack on an unarmed boat in international waters is a clear violation of international law. Join us tomorrow from 4 to 6 pm at the Israeli Mission to demand an immediate and unconditional release of the SPIRIT OF HUMANITY, all 21 human rights workers, and the humanitarian supplies.

According to an International Committee of the Red Cross report released yesterday, the Palestinians living in Gaza are “trapped in despair.” Thousands of Gazans whose homes were destroyed earlier during Israel’s December/January massacre are still without shelter despite pledges of almost $4.5 billion in aid, because Israel refuses to allow cement and other building material into the Gaza Strip. The report also notes that hospitals are struggling to meet the needs of their patients due to Israel’s disruption of medical supplies.
Let the Humanitarian Aid through!
Free Cynthia McKinney and all kidnapped human rights workers!
Stop the blockade of Gaza!

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~ END ~

Filed Under: 2009-Daily Hip Hop News, Political articles, Southern Shift Tagged With: Cynthia Mckinney, Cynthia Mckinney Arrested & Detained by Isreali Government-Free Cynthia McKinney, Cynthia Mckinney Kidnapped & Detained by Israeli Government-Free Cynthia McKinney, Davey D Hip Hop Corner June 30 2009, Davey D Hip Hop news June 30, Free Gaza Movement, Gaza, Green Party, Isreal, Noble laureate Mairead Maguire, SPIRIT OF HUMANITY

White Cop Calls Oscar Grant a ‘Bitch Ass Nigger’ -Moments Before He was Shot

June 30, 2009 By mrDaveyd

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(06-28) 17:20 PDT — Overlooked in the court hearing that ended in former BART police Officer Johannes Mehserle being ordered tried for murder in the slaying of Oscar Grant was testimony about another officer’s explosive outburst just 30 seconds before Grant was shot.

Matier & Ross

BART ‘N-word’ bombshell waiting to go off 06.28.09

More Matier & Ross »

One of the videos made by riders at the Fruitvale Station in Oakland early New Year’s Day caught Officer Tony Pirone standing over the prone Grant and yelling, “Bitch-ass n-.”

Pirone and his attorney say he was parroting an epithet that Grant first hurled at him – though Grant’s voice is not audible on the tape.

The sound-enhanced tape shows Pirone delivering a shoulder chop to Grant and bringing him to the ground. Pirone can be heard saying twice, “Bitch-ass n-, right?”

Prosecutors showed the tape in court on the last day of Mehserle’s preliminary hearing, but the headlines went to the judge’s decree hours later that there was enough evidence to send Mehserle to trial for murder.

Under questioning from Mehserle’s attorney Michael Rains, Pirone insisted it was Grant who had first “called me a bitch-ass n-.”

Asked if he had repeated the slur to Grant, Pirone testified: “I don’t remember, but it very well may have happened.”

“Is that something you would have initiated on your own, calling him names?” Rains asked.

“No, I don’t talk like that,” Pirone said.

Oakland attorney John Burris, who is representing Grant’s family in a lawsuit against BART, called Pirone’s words “shocking and disturbing.”

“Pirone was out of control,” Burris said, “assaulting Oscar Grant and taunting him with racial slurs, and none of the other officers seemed to put him in check.”

Pirone’s attorney, William Rapoport, dismissed Burris’ assertion – reiterating that Pirone, who is white, was simply reacting in surprise to being called the “N” word himself.

Mehserle, who is white, was not accused by prosecutors or Grant’s family of a racial motive in the shooting of Grant, a 22-year-old African American whom BART officers pulled off a train after receiving reports of an onboard fight.

A spokesman for the state Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training in Sacramento declined to weigh in on whether Pirone’s comments would be cause for discipline or even firing, citing an internal BART probe of the shooting.

Peter Keane, a Golden Gate University law professor and former San Francisco police commissioner, said that determining whether Pirone’s comments were grounds for discipline depends on whether he was intending to use a racial epithet or just echoing Grant in a “sense of incredulity.”

But without Grant’s voice on the tape, Keane said, “the burden of proof moves heavily to Pirone.”

The race is on: State Attorney General Jerry Brown bests San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom by 20 points in a new, two-way poll for next year’s Democratic gubernatorial contest.

The poll by JMM Research of 525 Democratic and decline-to-state voters is the first snapshot since Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa announced last week that he wasn’t running.

With Villaraigosa in the lineup, the numbers read:

— Brown, 33 percent.

— Newsom, 20 percent.

— Villaraigosa, 17 percent.

Take the L.A. mayor out, and it’s:

— Brown, 46 percent.

— Newsom, 26 percent.

Brown does best with the voters over 40, who tend to turn out in bigger numbers on election day. Newsom thrives with the younger crowd, which he hopes to turn out big time, a la Barack Obama.

Geographically, Brown beats Newsom everywhere but the Bay Area.

Whichever candidate they support, the one thing Democrats overwhelmingly agree on is the sad state of the state, with 73 percent saying California is headed in the wrong direction.

Budget bingo: Publicly, San Francisco’s budget battle is being pitched as a fight with Mayor Gavin Newsom, cops and firefighters on one side, and the Board of Supervisors and advocates of social programs on the other.

But behind the scenes, the fight is also between two major labor groups: the Service Employees International Union, which represents most of the city’s health and social workers, and the police and fire unions.

Service worker unions have helped elect a number of the supervisors. The police and firefighter unions are big backers of the mayor, and opposed many of the supervisors.

The first round went to the service workers when the supervisors voted to cut $82.9 million from the police, fire and sheriff’s departments and use it for health and social services.

But now, it’s dawning on everyone that the city will probably need even more money to keep everyone happy, which means going to the ballot in November with some kind of tax hike. And any kind of tax hike is going to need police and firefighter support to pass.

Which may explain why the service and firefighters unions have been meeting on the QT in the hopes of working out a compromise.

And if they do – City Hall will follow.

Banmiller bows: After taking a good, hard look at the numbers, business newscaster Brian Banmiller has decided to stay out of the race to replace outgoing East Bay Democratic Rep. Ellen Tauscher.

“They weren’t kidding around when they redistricted the 10th,” the Republican said of the district, which includes portions of Solano and Contra Costa counties. “They said they were going to make it safe for Democrats, and it is.”

EXTRA! Catch our blog at www.sfgate.com/matierandross.

Chronicle columnists Phillip Matier and Andrew Ross appear Sundays, Mondays and Wednesdays. Phil can be seen on the KPIX morning and evening news. He can also be heard on KCBS radio Monday through Friday at 7:50 a.m. and 5:50 p.m. Got a tip? Call (415) 777-8815, or e-mail matierandross@sfchronicle.com.

source: http://www.sfgate.com/columnists/matierandross/

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Filed Under: 2009-Daily Hip Hop News, Political articles Tagged With: Davey D Hip Hop news, davey D's Hip Hop Corner, Osca Grant update June 30 2009, Oscar Grant, Tony Pirone

Beneath Low: BET, Lil Wayne Set the Stage for Child Pornography

June 30, 2009 By mrDaveyd

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Beneath Low: BET, Lil Wayne Set the Stage for Child Pornography

By April R. Silver, June 29, 2009

www.aprilsilver.com

AprilSilver Last night, live at the BET Awards in Los Angeles, a room full of head-bobbing, consenting adults bounced to Drake and Lil Wayne’s back-to-back performances of the hit songs “Best I Ever Had” and “Every Girl.” I watched, underwhelmed. I wanted more “Michael” in what was supposed to be this award-show-turned-Michael-Jackson-tribute. I watched, ever puzzled by the Lil Wayne phenomena that has captivated the music industry. I watched, wondering when the set was going to end.

Then the little girls came onstage…literally the little girls. “Are those children?” I asked out loud, in disbelief. Then the camera panned the audience. Everyone was still head-bobbing as the little Black girls huddled around these superstars.

“Are those little girls on stage…for this song?!?!” I, still in disbelief, lost breath and forced myself to exhale. “Why are these little girls featured on this performance? Is somebody going to stop this?” Again, the show was live, though for a nano-second, I was hoping that a hunched-over stage manager would bust through from back stage to scoop up the children, rescuing them from harm’s way…from being associated from this song. But instead, what those girls witnessed from the stage was hundreds and hundreds of adults (mostly Black people) staring back at them, co-signing the performance. These girls, who all appeared to be pre-teens, were having their 15 minutes of glam on one of the biggest nights in televised Black entertainment history, with two of pop culture’s biggest stars at the moment, with millions of people watching. They must have been bubbling with girlish excitement, shimmering like princesses all night. Pure irony: one of them wore a red ballerina tutu for the special occasion. And we applauded them.

I’m told that one of the girls is Lil Wayne’s daughter. That doesn’t matter. In fact that makes it worse. Last night we were reminded that there are few safe spaces for our little girls to be children; that some of us are willing to trade their innocence for a good head nod. BET and Lil Wayne are beneath low because, in effect, they have given premium assurance to these and other little girls that their best value, their shining moment, their gifts to display to the world, all lie within a context that says they are fuckable.

I’m also told by industry insiders that Lil Wayne was continuously sexually molested as a child, remains in a psychologically abusive relationship with the molester, and for that reason his understanding of what’s appropriate and what’s not appropriate for children is terribly skewed. I don’t know if that is true. If it is, help is needed. If it is true, it might explain something regarding Lil Wayne’s compliance in this offense. But what about BET’s nickel in this dime?

BET President and CEO Debra Lee has come underfire over the years yet many see the network as one hell bent on showing the worse pathologies of Black people

The programming at BET has been heavily criticized by artists, concerned citizens, college students, parent groups, social justice organizations, media reform activists, and many others for over a decade now. Their programming seems hell bent on broadcasting the worst pathologies in the Black community. Some have joined the anti-BET movement by simply tuning out. Others have been more pro-active. National letter-writing campaigns and other activities designed to shame and/or pressure the network into improving its programming have been in play for some time now. Boycotts have been called as well. Two years ago, for example, the network found itself in the line of fire as it planned to air the very controversial series “Hot Ghetto Mess.” Advertisers, such as State Farm Insurance and Home Depot, responded to pressure and requested that their ads be disassociated with the series (though, their ads could be placed in other programming slots). None of this has made a difference. In fact, it seems to have emboldened the network, for it is now expanding. In the fall, BET is due to launch another channel.

But millions of Black people are not offended by the network and welcome anything BET has to offer, no matter how much it continues to unravel the fabric of our community. Imagine, if you will, BET as a human being and the viewers as the community. You would have to imagine BET as a drug dealer, with his swag on…perhaps outside standing atop a truck, the community crowded beneath him. Imagine him throwing nicely wrapped gifts into the crowed, or giving away turkeys at Thanksgiving. Or maybe it’s Mother’s Day and he buys dinner and teddy bears to all the single moms and grandmothers around the way. Despite his best efforts and despite the approval of his fans, he is still a drug dealer, pimping death to the masses.

Proverbs is full of sacred text that teaches us that there will always be fools amongst us. Some of them will be highly paid, protected, and given world-wide platforms to show off what they do best. And these fools (be they performers, corporate executives, or others), will have fans and loyal supporters, and a place to call home, like a BET.

But as long as there will be fools amongst us, there will also be wise ones – a small group of people concerned about the long term health and well being of the community. This small group will often go unheard and they will be outmatched. They will struggle over which problem to address first: the child pornographer, the batterer, the pimp, the prostitute, the thief, the slumlord, or the system that enables it all. They will get tired and their defense will pale in comparison to the almost crushing offense. And they will be betrayed from within. Historically and universally, this is what happens in the struggle for what is right. But eventually, with continued pressure, something will shift. A radical new thinking will emerge, and the fools will lose their stronghold.

The sure expectation of victory, however, can not be understated. It is a concrete ingredient in the struggle against the death that is being paraded in our community…as necessary as letter writing campaigns, economic boycotts, symbolic and actual protests, and other pressure-oriented activities. It is indeed possible to bring more life into our community.

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As a social entrepreneur and activist, my entire life/work has been dedicated to standing up for what’s right, especially within the culture of hip hop. When identifying what cancerous elements exist within the Black community, many fellow activists agree with Chuck D (of Public Enemy), and even Aaron McGruder (of The Boondocks), when they targeted BET as one of those elements. That said, I didn’t think that we would ever have to take the network to task for what amounts to child pornography.

Lil Wayne shocked many with his performance at the BET Awards when he allowed little girls to come on stage

But did no one care that Lil Wayne’s song Every Girl is about grown men and their sexual escapades with women? Did the meaning and intent of the song matter to anyone, this song whose hook and other lyrics required a re-write in order to get air play? “I wish I could love every girl in the world.” That’s the radio-friendly version of “I wish I could f–k every girl in the world.” But Lil Wayne’s BET performance was the clean edit of the song. Perhaps he (and the show producers) thought that there was nothing wrong in featuring the children in the clean version. Perhaps we were supposed to see the whole bit as cute and innocent. Absolutely not. There’s no other way to cut it: in presenting little girls in a performance of a song that is about sex, group sex, and more sex, BET and Lil Wayne set the stage for child pornography. It doesn’t matter what version of the song was played, much like a man who batters women is still an abusive man, even if uses flowery phrases while battering.In the song, Lil Wayne mentions superstar Miley Cyrus, but Cyrus gets a pass on this lyrical sex escapade because, as he acknowledges, she is a minor. Huh? Why, then, is he comfortable with featuring four minors, these four little Black girls, in the show? How deep exactly is this inability of some men to respect women, and how deep is Lil Wayne’s disregard for the safety of little girls?

Filed Under: 2009-Daily Hip Hop News, Political articles, Southern Shift Tagged With: April Silver, Beneath Low: BET, BET Awards 2009, Child pornography, Davey D Hip Hop news, davey D's Hip Hop Corner, Debra Lee, Lil Wayne and Drake, Lil Wayne Set the Stage for Child Pornography

Another Police Terrorism Incident-This Time in Baltimore-Transit Cop Rapes Girl

June 29, 2009 By mrDaveyd

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MTA officer charged with raping girl, 15

By Justin Fenton and Michael Dresser Baltimore Sun reporter

A Maryland Transit Administration police officer has been charged with raping a 15-year-old Elkridge girl who asked him for help finding her way home on the light rail, according to charging documents.

Officer Donald Brown was taken into custody June 24 after Howard County police were contacted by a case worker for a local foster care organization. The girl told police that she thought she was being escorted to a police station to make arrangements to get home but was instead taken to Brown’s apartment in downtown Baltimore, where they had sex.

He then gave her $25 to get back home and told her to leave, according to police.

Brown was charged with first-degree rape, various sex offense charges, use of a handgun in a violent crime and kidnapping a child under age 16. He was initially ordered held without bond, though a District Court judge on Thursday set a bail at $500,000. He remained in custody as of Monday afternoon.

MTA spokeswoman Jawauna Greene confirmed that Brown is a member of the force and said he has been suspended without pay. She said the agency could not comment further.

“We do take these charges very seriously,” she said. “These charges are troubling, but we need to allow the judicial process to work its course.”

Greene said Brown had been an MTA officer for about two years. She said the MTA works closely with the Baltimore City and Anne Arundel County police departments, whose academies are used to train MTA officer recruits, screen applicants and conduct background checks.

The MTA police is a force of 165 sworn officers and about 90 civilian workers. The department is the primary law enforcement agency on the light rail and Metro subway systems and aboard city buses.

An attorney for Brown, Parkville attorney Perry London, did not return a phone call seeking comment Monday.

According to the girl’s statement to police, she got lost on June 20 and ended up on the light rail in Linthicum. She saw three uniformed police officers and asked if she could use a phone to call home.

One of the officers let her use his phone and asked her what she needed. She said she needed to get back to Elkridge, and the officer told her to come with him to a police station and that he would help her, according to charging documents.

The girl said they rode the light rail to the Lexington Market stop and walked to a parking garage, where they rode the elevator to the 17th floor. The officer then led her into an apartment and locked the door, she said.

“He then asked her what she would do to get home,” according to charging documents.

The girl said the officer began to touch her inappropriately and that she told him to stop, but he became mad. He was wearing his gun belt, which made her nervous, and she complied. During intercourse the girl said she noticed the officer’s name plate on his uniform read “Brown.”

Later, he gave her $25 with a piece of paper with the name “Donald” on it and told her to leave.

City police checked police agency personnel rosters and found a Donald Brown employed by the transit police, and a check with the agency revealed Brown may have been working the area on that date. Transit police ordered all video connected with light rail cars, the Linthicum stop, and the Lexington Market stop as well as a list of officers working on June 20.

The girl, meanwhile, picked Brown out of a photo array of six people, and took police to the Avalon Centerpoint apartment building where she said the rape occurred.

Court documents list Brown’s address in the 300 block of W. Fayette St., though property records show he owns a $470,000 home in Perry Hall.

According to electronic court records, Brown was issued a citation and charged with “hacking,” or operating an unlicensed taxicab, in late 2007. The charge was dropped a month later.

source:http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-city/bal-mta0629,0,14096.story

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Filed Under: 2009-Daily Hip Hop News, Political articles Tagged With: Another Police Terrorism Incident-This Time in Baltimore-Transit Cop Rapes Girl, Baltimore MTA, Davey D Hip Hop news, davey D's Hip Hop Corner, Officer Donald Brown, Officer Donald Brown raped girl

Thoughts on the Jena 6 and the Recent Verdict

June 29, 2009 By mrDaveyd

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Free the Jena 6-My Thoughts After the Verdict

by Jasiri X

Radio host Michael Baisden and Jasiri X

Now that the Jena 6 case has come to a close with the final 5 members pleading no contest to a misdemeanor (remember the original charge was attempted murder) and having to serve no jail time, I have a few thoughts on the whole experience. First of all I am thankful this situation has come to a close for all of the families involved. I was introduced to some of the parents of the Jena 6 at the CR-10 conference in Oakland CA last year by brother Jesse Muhammad, the writer from the Final Call Newspaper who introduced the injustices that were happening in Jena to the entire world, and I could see the extreme pressure that they were still under. I pray they can move on and live productive lives away from the angry racial rhetoric and media scrutiny.

I am very proud the song I wrote helped to shed light on a tremendous injustice and mobilized people to take action. I have absolutely no regrets. In fact I can’t think of a better use of my time and talents than helping my brothers who were victims of a wicked and racist system. I was never bothered by any of the actions of the Jena 6 that some people found inappropriate. These were young men that were caught up in a very terrible predicament. They never claimed to be the next new revolutionaries. They never claimed perfection either. I can only imagine how I would act as a 18 year old from a very small town in Louisiana that gets to attend the BET awards and interact with all the entertainers I idolize on TV. Some of yall “grown folks” would loose your mind. ‘But yeah Jasiri one of them was flashing money on his MySpace!’

Have you seen what people put on MySpace? That was mild by comparison. Were they supposed to all of a sudden not be young teenagers? Did we think overnight they would turn into Malcolm X?

Nothing those young men did changed the fact that in Jena specifically and in America as a whole there are two different forms of justice for whites and non-whites. I wrote the song Free the Jena 6 to help expose these injustices. That why I stared the song of with:

Justice for Everybody Not African
Indians and Latin Kids
Lock em and pack em in
Crime pays so the DA will trap em in
It’s the new millennium slave trafficking

And I think this brings up a larger issue that many groups have begun to organize around which is the School to Prison Pipeline that has ensnared many of our children in this injustice system. It was the arrest of a 5 year old girl in Florida that prompted Harry Belafonte to start the Gathering for Justice an organization dedicated to ending child incarceration of which I’ve had blessing of being apart of.

The Jena 6 were able to avoid the long jail sentences that were meant for them when the LaSalle Parish District Attorney J. Reed Walters threatened to take away there lives with the stroke of a pen. This was do to all of those individuals and groups who brought this issue to the forefront. So thanks Brother Jesse and the Final Call Newspaper Brother Deric Muhammad of the Millions More Movement, Color of Change, and Reverend Al Sharpton. Thank you Michael Baisden for risking alienating your advertisers and audience by taking up this issue and for having the heart play my song (CNN chose not to use it for the Jena 6 special they did because it was to “controversial”).

Mychal Bell is finally putting his problems behind him and headed to college

Lastly I am very happy to see Mychal Bell is overcoming is difficulties and headed to college. I can’t image what it must have been like to walk in his shoes in prison and when he came out. I can’t image how it must have felt to become a symbol and be expected to be flawless when your as fallible as every other human being and then be almost forgotten. I pray that Almighty God bless the Jena 6 and their families. And I pray that we are able to see what we were able to accomplish with a unified effort.

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Filed Under: 2009-Daily Hip Hop News, Political articles, Southern Shift Tagged With: Final Call Newspaper, Free the Jena 6-My Thoughts After the Verdict, Jasiri X, Mychal Bell, Thoughts on the Jena 6 and the Recent Verdict

BET Missed the Mark Last Night w/ Their Michael Jackson Tribute

June 29, 2009 By mrDaveyd

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daveyd-raider2 Over the past week many of us have sat in seething anger as news show after news show and pundit after pundit have been granted large platforms and an abundance of air time to come and trash Michael Jackson. I’m not talking about raising a couple of controversial issues here and there, but some of the folks who have been dragged out the sewer with the express purpose of going all out not to just to smash on MJ, but to do so in such away that it would hurt us. It was like some diabolical mind sat in a room and said ‘Here’s how you can really totally demoralize Black folks-take their biggest icon and treat him like shit while the body is still warm’ Watching the coverage of Michael Jackson on many of these mainstream news outlets has me wondering if MJ did something personal to some of them. Simply put, OJ Simpson got and gets better treatment.

Now if it was just a Michael thing most of us wouldn’t care. Most of us would keep it moving and call it a day, but MJ’s music was the soundtrack for so many people around the world and for a variety of generations from the late 60s up to the 90s and beyond. Jackson’s videos, music, concerts all had deep meaning-and because of that we hoped that the criticism would be toned down and the hatred would be put away for another day.

I’m old enough to remember when Beatles’s legend John Lennon was shot and I don’t recall such hatred and long winded conversations about his drug use or anything like that. Right wing nutcases who found him to be this anti-war subversive figure dialed down their rhetoric and Lennon was allowed to be seen as this popular worldwide icon who impacted the lives of a generation of Baby Boomers. People understood with the passing of Lennon was the passing of an important era for millions of people and so his memory was treated with respect and dignity.

When the King of Rock, Elvis Presely died the world was allowed to remember him as a handsome icon who touched lives all around the world, not as a overweight substance abuser who's life was filled with controversy

When Elvis Presley the King of Rock died, even though he was a drug abuser and about 300 pounds over weight at the time of his death, the tributes paid to him were stupendous. He was seen as royalty and people rightfully recognized that his persona and music meant a lot to a grieving nation. People dialed back the critiques. The Elvis who symbolized an era and exemplified several generations of music lovers was much bigger then the Elvis who one could trash all day and so space to properly grieve was created.

No such respect has been given to Michael Joseph Jackson. And too be honest in today’s climate of ‘gotcha’ media one shouldn’t be surprised. We shouldn’t be shocked but for many the hurt is there and damage done. Its hard to avoid. There are many commentators and pundits who I will never respect again because they went there and gave no room for a nation to grieve and reflect on the meaning of man who meant so much to so so many over the past 3 decades. As I said earlier, these folks seemed to be a part of a much larger game plan where psychological warfare is at play.

Enter BET-Black Entertainment Television.

Last night (Sunday June 28th) , all eyes turned to the Viacom owned music TV network as many of us perhaps naively hoped that those running the ship would use their platforms and immense reach to correct the wrongs we saw within the mainstream. After all, Michael Jackson helped put Viacom (MTV) on the map. I just knew CEO Sumner Redstone would see to it that one of his properties which has become the worldwide symbol for pop culture and music would ‘do this right’. All of wondered what sort of surprise Viacom/ BET would put forth.

Leading up to last night’s event the rumors were circulating. We heard Chris Brown was going to do a tribute with Usher as part of his comeback. We heard Justin Timberlake was coming in to do a special routine. We heard Beyonce had changed her routine around. We heard some of the Jacksons themselves were going to be there. (We later saw father Joe Jackson and sister Janet Jackson who left us in tears when she finally took the stage) The word was BET was gonna deliver and deliver big and deliver like only BET can.

It would've been nice to have seen an iconic figure like Motown Records founder Berry Gordy on hand at the BET Awards last night to share some thoughts about Michael Jackson. If not in person why not via satellite?

We already knew BET was scheduled to pay tribute to the O Jays and so one figured they were already in the zone. Perhaps the O Jays themselves would set the tone having known MJ and coming from that important era in our history where music and social causes all merged together. Who better then the O Jays to say a few words and put a grieving nation at ease. We figured some icons from the Motown era would be on hand last night to say a few words-Diana Ross, Barry Gordy, Quincy Jones, Gladys Knight, Stevie Wonder, Harry Belafonte, Smokey Robinson etc would maybe come on board-not to perform, but to offer up their own insights and share in the tribute/ celebration for Michael Jackson. And if they couldn’t show up in person because everything was so sudden and so last minute then Viacom with its worldwide reach and set ups in every country on planet Earth could’ve sent a camera crew to Timbuktu if needed and get some insightful words from the aforementioned and beyond.

We thought every record industry executive from Clive Davis to Tommy Motolato the people who run the Grammies to Bono from U2 on down would’ve been on hand to say a few words and talk about how Michael Jackson saved their industry. We thought we would’ve heard more about the charities he so generously gave to over the years so folks would better understand that he was more than the white glove and moon walk.

We thought maybe BET would have a correspondent on hand in Gary, Indiana where MJ was from to give us a historical perspective of what that city meant, why they did a song called ‘Going Back to Indiana’, and how people are fairing there today. We thought maybe the Mayor of Gary, Rudy Clay who is an outspoken gentleman who we had on our radio show during the primaries could speak to the issue. Or perhaps BET could’ve gotten former Mayor Richard Hatcher to come out and stand alongside the current Mayor of Philadelphia, Mississippi James Young who was honored last night and together they could’ve loaned some context to the Civil Rights struggle past and present and where Michael Jackson and his ability to transcend race sat within it.. Imagine if something like that went down last night.

With the whole world watching the BET Awards to see how Black folks would cover the passing of 'one of our own', it would've been ideal to have heard a poem or words of wisdom from Maya Angelou

We figured our best and brightest commentators would be on hand. Tavis Smiley, Michael Eric Dyson, Bill Cosby, Tom Joyner, Maya Angelou, Alice Walker, Julianne Malveux. We figured there would be some of our best would be on hand to stand tall and proud and let the entire world which was watching to see how we do. They could’ve set the record straight and established BET and Black America as the ‘go to place if you wanted to grieve, celebrate and talk in earnest about Michael Jackson.

We figured there’d be pictures, vintage footage and a somber moment of silence for Michael Jackson. Did we have a moment of silence last night- I may have missed it? All I know is we wanted more for our ‘King’. This was our true king when it came to pop culture and music. As I mentioned so many of us were grieving, so many of us felt like we were being assaulted, so we really looked to BET- Black Entertainment Television to rise to the occasion in ways we had never imagined.

Look, I been a part of big productions on numerous occasions and I know the hard work that goes into them. Award shows are not put together overnight, the really good ones are being planned hours after the current one ends. Stephen Hill the man behind the scenes at BET was probably up to his ears putting together last night’s show as originally planned and believe me when you have a production like that you simply can’t change course midstream. It’s not easy. To the degree that he was able to carry that additional load as was acknowledged by BET President Debra Lee, he deserves his props.

With that being said we can’t forget that BET is part of Viacom..It’s the giant among giants. Debra Lee’s boss is Sumner Redstone and at their disposal they have more resources then most countries both 3rd World and Industrialized. Viacom has positioned itself to be the number one when it comes to Music Television-This is what they do. This is how they make their billions. So quite naturally we expected alot more.

Michael Jackson was not some beefing rapper from the streets who got shot over some petty nonsense. He wasn’t having a war of words with 50 Cent, Rick Ross, Suge Knight or some other artist. He wasn’t some Johnny come lately who had one or two hit songs and that’s it. He was Michael Jackson-worldwide icon and when he died in spite of controversary or what me and you may have thought about him, the music world needed to stop. All the stops needed to be pulled out.

When John Lennon died the world stopped. It came to a halt. I was in school and we suspended our lessons to talk about John Lennon. When Elvis died the world stopped. All hands were on deck. People cancelled whatever they were doing and they flew to where ever they needed to go to to pay homage. When 2Pac and Notorious BIG died the music world stopped. We suspended our programming on the radio station for two days as family friends and whoever flew in to honor them.

I recall a day after Biggie died our radio station owned by Evergreen/AM-FM and later Clear Channel did a a special simulcast with Emmisowned Hot 97 in New York City. We had on air personalities like Sway and the Breakfast Club and damn near our entire staff on one end and the Hot 97 crew on the other. Right there while we were on the air coast to coast grieving over Biggie, the folks from Hot 97 worked it out to do a nationwide program honoring Biggie and to bring attention to stoppingthe violence. Everything was pushed full steam ahead. Two days later a nationwide co-ordinated broadcast took place.

I usually like Lil Wayne, but last night the profanity laced routine he and up and coming superstar Drake did was totally inappropriate for a show that said it was paying tribute to Michael Jackson. The pair needed to fall back on that one

My point in referencing that scenario is that with the death of Michael Jackson and all eyes on the BET Awards show owned by the biggest music network in the world and one of the biggest media companies in the world, this should’ve damn well expanded beyond BET. The call should’ve went out; ‘Stop what your doing-All hands on deck… the King of Pop died and proper tributes must be paid. If the show goes over an hour so be it. If Lil Wayne and Drake can’t change up at the last minute and use their incredible talents to do something more fitting versuses the profanity laced bs routine they did last night about wanting to screw every girl in the world and have what appeared to be 12 year old girls on stage-then its time for them to fall the hell back. Save that nonsense for another date and time. Alicia Keyes kept mentioning the spirit in the room was enthralling and that everyone was feeling Michael’s presence. It was hard to tell on TV. We wanted more than a shout out to MJ after each song was sung. We wanted more, needed more, expected more from a network so powerful.

We understand people didn’t have time to prepare and hone things to perfection. We understand that that it was last minute, but the rule of thumb in show business has always been when in over your head keep it simple. Where was the film montage like they did for the O Jays? To be honest that was all that was really needed. Imagine if we were treated to a 15 minute film montage and then Janet came out to speak followed by Jamie Foxx andNeyo singing? That would’ve been butter- pure butter. Imagine if this was done with a nice set up away from the regularly scheduled routines which at times seemed mediocre and totally in approapraite if MJ was being honored?

If extra money was needed to get Stevie Wonder on via satellite from Milwaukee where him and John Legend where doing a concert last night then extra money needed to be spent. If Quincy Jones was in another part of the world then a camera crew needed to find him and put him on on so he could speak eloquently to the moment at hand. If the BET staff was overwhelmed as was mentioned numerous times throughout last nights broadcast then the rest of the Viacom team needed to be brought on to do the extra lifting. If they can spend time and money flying actor Sasha Cohen aka Bruno from a harness during an award show to land on Eminem to shove his balls into the rapper’s face and garner world wide attention they could’ve harnesses some meaningful tribute to uplift us. It was what the world that needed. We needed them to them to step up and be counted.

Tyrese teamed up w/ Johnny Gill & Trey Songz and killed it during their OJay Tribute, Tyrese lost me when he did this corny skit of from the movie Baby Boy which went on way too long and became a bit painful to watch.

Tyrese teamed up w/ Johnny Gill & Trey Lorenze and killed it during their OJay Tribute, Tyrese lost me when he did this corny skit of from the movie Baby Boy which went on way too long and became a bit painful to watch.

In closing I will tip my hat to the tribute that Johnny Gill, Tyrese and Trey Songz did for the O Jays that was an example of us really shining. Those guys should form a group and maybe try to see about doing something similar for MJ in the future. That’s was how a tribute should be done. Neyowas on fire and I’m sure with more time can do MJ justice and Jamie Foxx although he was over the top with plugging his concert was good. I liked the opening act with New Edition and while I understand they didn’t have the singing down to perfection they got busy on the dance routine-I wanted to see them do more in that vein.

A Few things to Ponder….

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Filed Under: 2009-Daily Hip Hop News, Davey D-Words to Ponder Blog, Political articles, Southern Shift Tagged With: BET Awards 2009, BET Missed the Mark Last Night w/ Their Michael Tribute, Michael Jackson, Review of BET Awards 2009 davey d hip hop news, Tyrese BET Awards

White House Is Rather Mute on Jackson’s Death

June 28, 2009 By mrDaveyd

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White House Is Rather Mute on Jackson’s Death

By Jeff Zeleny

President Obama spoke with his top aides on Friday morning about the death of Michael Jackson, but the White House chose not to release a statement of condolences that it commonly does upon the deaths of many prominent Americans or global figures.

“I talked to him about it this morning,” said Robert Gibbs, the president’s press secretary, speaking to reporters at the daily press briefing. “Obviously, Michael Jackson was a spectacular performer and a music icon. I think everybody remembers hearing the songs, watching him moonwalk on television during Motown’s 25th anniversary.”

“The president also said he had aspects of his life that were sad and tragic,” Mr. Gibbs said, adding that he did not believe either Mr. Obama or Michelle Obama had ever met Mr. Jackson.

And that seems to be the first – and the last – word from the White House on Mr. Jackson’s death.

source: http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/06/26/white-house-is-rather-mute-on-jacksons-death/

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President Obama has been strangley silent in the aftermath of Michael Jackson's death. We wonder is it because he is assessing public opinion about whether or not he should say something favorable about the 'King of Pop'.

Filed Under: 2009-Daily Hip Hop News, Political articles, Southern Shift Tagged With: Davey D Hip Hop news, Michael Jackson, President Obama, White House Is Rather Mute on Jackson’s Death, White House silent over Michael Jackson's death

Look at How Society Works-Remembering Michael Jackson

June 27, 2009 By mrDaveyd

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Look at How Society Works

by Pen Harshaw

(originally published for Youthradio.org)
http://www.youthradio.org/news/a-little-black-boy-a-world-renown-iconlook-how-society-works
Michael_Jackson_Ben_FrontBlog … After all the jokes are cracked, and the dancing moves have been reenacted, and the voice has been mocked to the point of annoyance…. a subtle sober moment of clarity arises: damn yall, a little Black Boy was born into the worst Black community in America- and grew to be a world renown icon…

Michael Jackson passed on Thursday June 25th, 2009, at the age of 50. And the world mourned. Literally the world. People used social networking sites and mass text messages to spread the rumor turn truth. People relied on the technology of yesteryear as they turned to television and radio broadcast for confirmation of the fallen pop icon. And some people used the primitive method of walking through the street informing passing citizens. The world mourned.

I watched as people argued via facebook.com statuses: “what happened to MJ”… “he’s dead”… “he’s not dead, he’s in a comma- CNN said it.”… “TMZ says he died”… “don’t believe the media”

Some cracked jokes: ” this is bad, real bad-Mike Jackson!”, as a play off a popular Kanyae West lyric…

Some thought it was a joke:
person 1:”a, you heard Michael Jackson died?”
person 2 (sarcastically): “ha-ha, i heard that one before.”

…and some looked past the jokes…. His long list unquestionable works of art is forever unified with his long list of questionable extra curricular activities, but the duality of his benevolent artistry and scandalous actuality are nullified when looking at what Michael Jackson meant to America.

The list of world renown African-American icons is short. The entertainers on that list is even more brief…

They said at the height of Muhammed Ali’s carreer, you could drop anywhere in the world, and people would recognize him. Through all of the alterations to his appearance, MJ was the same way. As the King of Pop music, his popularity could be quantified: over 125 million records sold worldwide (before death, I know the number has skyrocketed since then)…but still MJ, arguably the most known man in the world… admitted to being a lonely man…. this is nothing new, everyone knows its lonely at the top, and just that’s the way society works…
Man, if he was around now to see the worldwide video feeds of candle light vigils, or even able to look out the hospital window back in Los Angeles, where mass gatherings of supporters stayed even after the body had been moved to the coroners office- maybe the little Black boy who once portrayed a scarecrow “getting on down” the yellow brick road, in search of a heart, would have been less lonely before his heart stopped beating…. But you know how society works: you’re not paid your proper respects, until you’re paid your final respects…

Many of us chose to look at him, bypassing the artistry, and casting our media slanted judgments. In death, the jokes still linger, but more disrespectful than the jokes will be society’s appreciation manifesting in the most capitalistic form: t-shirts will be sold at swap meets, his autographed paraphernalia will be an E-bay hot item, and every entertainer who’s career has taken a turn for the worse will be making a comeback… (somebody que Chris Brown…).Unreleased tracks will manifest, and the people that bought Mo-town from Barry Gordy will eat as if they were King’s… of Pop. And finally, Rev. Jessie Jackson and Rev. Al Shartpon will speak. We almost wait for them to chime in, by now, we’ve grown to know: that’s the way society works.

In his greatest moments- that’s what Mike wanted us to do…. look at ourselves in relation to the greater society… and after a full life of childhood stardom, dancing like no other human being, performing and recording sounds that influenced the world over- he still managed to set societal precedents in death: its expected that his death would overshadow headline trades in the National Basketball Association. It’s acceptable that the news would lend more airtime to his passing, than domestic and international political scandals. But I looked at society in amazement: this little Black Boy from the worst Black neighborhood in America grew to a level where his death is bigger news than the death of a pretty white girl’s… damn, that’s not how society usually works….

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Filed Under: 2009-Daily Hip Hop News, Political articles, Southern Shift Tagged With: Davey D Hip Hop articles, Davey D Hip Hop news, Look at How Society Works, Look at How Society Works Pen Harshaw, Michael Jackson, Michael Jackson tribute article

The Dubious Arrest of Homies Unidos Leader Alex Sanchez

June 25, 2009 By mrDaveyd

The Dubious Arrest of Homies Unidos Leader Alex Sanchez

By: Roberto Lovato

Alex Sanchez is one of the most respected gang intervention leaders in the country. LA Police Chief Richard Bratton has been jealous and been targeting Sanchez for years.

Today’s FBI arrest of Alex Sanchez, one of the most respected gang intervention leaders in the country, has raised major concerns in Los Angeles and around the country. As his wife and children watched, Sanchez, who leads Homies Unidos, a violence prevention and gang intervention organization with offices in Los Angeles and El Salvador, was arrested and taken away by FBI agents this morning at his home in Bellflower. The federal charges- being a “shotcaller (someone who manages narcotics operations) for Mara Salvatrucha (MS) and conspiring to kill Walter Lacinos, an MS member shot and killed in El Salvador in 2006- have raised fears and great concerns among the many who’ve known and worked with Sanchez over the years, including myself.

First and foremost among the concerns in the community are concerns for Alex’s immediate safety. As a former gang member who works to help others leave gang life, Alex faces great danger in whatever LA County facility he’s held in-even if he’s put under Protective Custody (PC). Law enforcement authorities have an axe of historic proportions (see Rampart scandal) to grind against Alex and some have demonstrated a lethal propensity towards retribution. Known as “Pecetas”, those held under PC are considered by many gang members to be informants and, therefore, legitimate targets for direct retribution from gang members -and direct and indirect retribution from police.

For more reasons than I have time to enumerate here, I for one do not believe the charges. Rather, I think that these recent accusations are but the most recent in the long, rotten chain of attempts by law enforcement officials to frame Alex, who was regularly beaten, framed, falsely arrested, deported and harassed by the Los Angeles Police Department since founding Homies Unidos in 1998. First and foremost, I spent the evening calling those who know and have worked most closely with him, and they ALL share that sense that, as one of his best friends told me, “He really is a good person.” I’ve known him for years and will be sending a strongly worded support letter like the many I’ve sent over the course of the many years and many frame-ups law enforcement has ravenously pursued. Those close to Homies and Alex know and are again feeling that cloud of anger and concern that comes with being harassed by authorities abusing the power delegated to them.

Also, Alex is alleged to have conspired to kill Walter Lacinos, who sources in the Salvadoran and gang communities tell me had, in the words of one gang expert interviewed, “many, many enemies in the U.S.-and El Salvador.” While most of charges levelled against most of the the 24 other plaintiffs point to physical acts and evidence, the one and most serious indictment (see full indictment here) naming Alex alleges that he participated in “a series of phone conversations” in which the possibility of killing Lacinos is discussed. No proof is offered to corroborate the charges relating to managing narcotics operations for MS.

Lastly, the sensationalistic judgements of many media and some law enforcement officials raises serious concerns, as well. Close scrutiny of the media coverage reveals an definite disposition to judge and convict Alex even before his trial begins. For example, almost all of the coverage follows uncritically the logic laid out in the indictment. No attempt is made to notice that, for example, Alex is not named in most of the 66-page indicment. Other plaintiff’s names appear throughout. Those reading reporting in the LA Times and other outlets might come away believing that Alex might be involved in the murder of seven people or in conspiring to kill another 8. Consider this note from today’s LA Times:

The arrests cap a three-year investigation into the gang and its cliques, which operated in the Lafayette Park area, west of downtown. Among the most serious allegations contained in a 16-count federal indictment unsealed today was the claim gang members conspired to murder veteran LAPD gang officer Frank Flores.

Those named in the indictment include Alex Sanchez, a nationally recognized anti-gang leader and executive director of Homies Unidos.

Notice how there’s zero attempt to clarify or give greater context to Alex’s story, even though he headlines most of these stories. Even worse is the way that law enforcement authorities like L.A. Police Chief Bill Bratton, who the Times tells us has a big “I told you so” for the city, use Alex’s case to build the case for punitive-and failed-anti-gang policies,

LAPD Chief William J. Bratton said the Sanchez case reinforces the thinking behind the city’s efforts to consolidate and more strongly regulate anti-gang funding.

Bratton is no stranger to racially charged policing policies in New York or in Los Angeles (ie; Bratton was roundly repudiated when he first tried to apply the “terrorist” frame to L.A. gangs). Neither he nor any other L.A. official has accepted responsibility for helping create Mara Salvatrucha in L.A. and El Salvador, a country with no previous history of gangs before LAPD collaborated with immigration authorities to deport Mara members. Adding fuel to the fire burning to replace the anti-gang work of Homies Unidos with more punitive, law enforcement-centered approaches favored by Bratton and his, boss, L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, are reports like this one which have begun a non-profit and politico witch hunt even before Alex has seen a single day in court. Rather than look more deeply into the charges, media, political and police personalities appear bent on assuming Alex’s guilt and then waving this alleged guilt as if it’s a flag at the front of the contemporary equivalent of a witch hunt.

Although the story of Alex Sanchex touches upon people and issues-immigrants, gangs, Salvadorans- that are explained-and dealt with- simplistically, dangerously, the leadership of Los Angeles must speak out in defense not just of Alex, but of a fundamental principal of a just society: that you are innocent until proven otherwise.

Much more on this important issue in weeks and days to come.

written by Roberto Lovato | Of América | June 25, 2009

source=http://ofamerica.wordpress.com/2009/06/25/arrest-of-gang-intervention-leader-alex-sanchez-raises-questions-concerns-in-community/

Added note here’s an excellent assesment of things.. it was in the comment section of LA Times

Is it so hard to believe that the LAPD targets Gang Interventionist? Remember Rampart? Lawsuit paid by us, the tax payers, to victims of LAPD range in the $100 millions for years! If im not mistaken, it’s now down to about $60 to $75 million in 2008 because of the Descent Decree, Community Activist and Chief Bratton ( in that order).

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Due in large to the “Gang Peace” movement and activist like Alex Sanchez ( Sanchez using his influence to stop many, many killing and retaliation), Los Angeles is not even on the most violent city list after 20 years! Do you know how much the City allocate toward high risk Intervention program like Homies Unidoes annually? about $3.5 million…..and that’s for the entire City! (Check it for yourself). I bet you thought it was $24 million, the bogus number that you here in the media. Compare that to what “WE”, the tax payers paid in lawsuits for LAPD last year….. I say “we” because for some reason some of you who commented of this story speak as if you are the only one paying taxes! There is no comparison when you analyze $3.5 million to $60 million (these are lawsuit, im not mentioning the Billion dollar budget that LAPD has)! Rather you are Liberal or Conservative…..we are all being taken advantage of because we fail to do our research. So what’s the real issue? Over paying Law Enforcement for a job they cant do? or under-investing in PEOPLE in communities to resolve their own problems? you choose.

Im not trying to find someone to blame, im only laying out the facts. I, like Alex and many other Fathers in our community are seeking to find balance and alternative solutions to the conflicts that have raged out of control for decades in our neighborhoods. Yes, we take responsibility for the role we played in our own wounding. And Yes, we are equally prepared and skilled to provide the solutions to our own healing. Why is this not exceptable? who is more qualified to provide healing and solution to urban street gang wars then those who have healed from their childhood truama that had them gang banging in the streets? Oh, you think that gang violence is the problem? Sorry, Gang violence is only the symptom of the real problem which is rooted in the sexual, physical and psychological abuse we have ALL suffered, in many cases at HOME first. You think your different because you grew up on the “West Side” or Signal Hills? In South Central the Sexual, Physical and Psychological abuse expresses itself as HOMICIDE, in affluent communities SUICIDE. Just opposite sides of the same coin. WE ARE THE SAME! You know why, because sexual, physical and psychological abuse are all tools of COLONIZATION…..The U.S. was built on violence, starting with the Manifest Destiny (massacre of Natives, enslavement of people of Africa Descent and the spoon feeding of the lie of “supremecy” to people of European Descent) and still is the most violent country on the planet. Have we forgotten? I consider gang culture the “shadow” of our great nation:-)…..neither perpetration of violent acts are right, however to blame is to sustain the ignorance that duality has created.

We are still playing out the slave masters games on each other. Whether Alex is here illegally or not ( We are a country of immigrants!), he is a good man, a GREAT Father and a TAX PAYER! He deserves the right to have his day in court to prove himself innocent against these allegation. I admire him for the sacrifices he’s made in his community to stop the killing against all odds. and the message of peace he has taken back to his mother country(El Salvador) under death treats…For those who have something to say negative about this man and dont know him…Your feet would dangle in his shoes!

He is Innocent until proven guilty……That’s American!

Filed Under: 2009-Daily Hip Hop News, Political articles Tagged With: Alex sanchez, Chief Richard Bratton, LAPD, Mara Salvatrucha, MS 13, The Dubious Arrest of Homies Unidos Leader Alex Sanchez

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