Cali State Laws Prevent Abusive Police from Being Banned Like Donald Sterling

Davey-D-brown-frameThe NBA is banning Donald Sterling for Life for his outrageous remarks which they know and fear could manifest into abusive behavior and policy effecting the team and the overall image of the league. It’s pretty straight forward. People are cheering and saying this is a good way to go.

With this being the case, lets’ imagine and then push for similar zero tolerance policies for police officers who are abusive and over the top with their attitude and behavior toward innocent citizens. We all heard the stories and saw the disturbing pictures when NYPD brass decided to do a feel-good PR blitz and took to twitter asking people to send photos of them with a NYPD officer.

The brass thought they would be inundated with photos of smiling police officers standing next to jovial tourists. Instead they were bombarded with thousands of photos showing NYPD beating or choking out people. They were blitzed with endless amounts of videos showing NYPD in unsavory, abusive situations.  There is no doubt many of the people pictured in those videos were hoping that what befell Sterling and his ban for life, could be applied to rogue police officers. Sadly in many places that won’t happen..

Oklahoma PoliceFor the past two years we have been alerting people to an insidious law that shields police from being held accountable. It’s called the Policeman’s Bill of Rights… The law is on the books in many states, but its strongest and most impenetrable in California.

In the past when we’ve written about POBOR, many have dismissed the conversation and called it overacting and conspiracy theory. It’s hard for many to accept that those they trust with authority would routinely cross the line. It’s either that or they mistakenly think such abuse will only visit ‘those Black and Brown folks who they feel probably ‘deserve it’..

Well that was backwards thinking and now we are seeing such practices are habitually happening to good ole white bred citizens who like to profess they have nothing to hide, have done nothing wrong and thus should not be wary of the cops having ‘too much’  power. Here’s what prompted an in depth investigative news report on NBC affiliate KNTV. SFPD went HAM on two techies and unjustly arrested them. Here’s an excerpt from their report:

Tech entrepreneurs Peretz Partensky and Ben Woosley came up against POBOR when he complained about what he says was an unfair arrest. He says he saw two bicyclists injured along Folsom street in San Francisco near his house. He didn’t even know the two bicyclists, but he called 911 for medical help.

“The next thing I know, [the police] grabbed me from behind and wrenched my arm back,” said Ben Woosley. He said he and Partensky were trying to get answers from the police, but the two were handcuffed and set on the ground.

“Since then,” Partensky said, “I’ve not actually been able to get any information about the incident.”

It’s not an uncommon story. Retired Marine Garret Bondaug was also left with unanswered questions when police unexpectedly showed up at his mother’s Santa Clara home one night.

“We were literally watching PBS,” Bondaug said. That’s when the police showed up at about 11pm. “As soon as we ask ‘what for?’, [the officer] whipped out his ASD, aluminum baton, and started beating me.”

Police Riot gearWhat was described here is just the tip of the iceberg.  A former elected official is pushing for new laws to scale back the Policeman’s Bill of Rights, which last year was strengthened with more provisions added, making it virtually impossible for anyone to know if a cop has shoddy record of abuse.

Check out the story below and lets re-imagine what a just community looks and feels like when abusive people who we pay with our tax dollars are banned after coming at folks sideways… http://www.nbcbayarea.com/investigations/State-Law-Hides-Investigations-of-Police-Misconduct-from-Public-Scrutiny-257080571.html

Donald Sterling Should Be Kicked out Real Estate World He Has Long Dominated

Davey-D-brown-frameIts good to see that folks are stepping up around this nonsense with the Clippers. Big shout out to ColorOfChange.org who have already been hard at work going after sponsors and hitting the Clippers where their pocketbook is. Thus far a number of corporations have already pulled their money.

With that being said, what should not be lost on us is the fact that Donald Sterling impacted folks above and beyond his harsh words. He’s a real estate mogul who discriminated against folks trying to get housing in LA.. The fines he paid in settling he lawsuits against him were among the highest in the country.

Sterling seriously hurt folks. he hurt hard-working average ordinary folks who found it difficult to get housing and the fact that he’s been allowed to operate in LA w/o too many sanctions and that he was being honored by the NAACP in a city where foreclosures and housing shortages are at all time highs, one needs to be asking, how many more think and act like Donald Sterling but haven’t been caught on tape?

SterlingIf the NBA moves to kick him out of the League, we should be asking why hasn’t he been kicked out of the real estate world, with licenses revoked, permits pulled and those done wrong given free housing in return for his transgressions? We need to be asking what elected officials in LA County green lit any of his projects and why?? We need to know if he’s been given tax breaks or special consideration and perks from any of the cities where he owns property. All that needs to be rescinded. When we deal with that issue, that’s where meaningful transformation will take place.

With respect to the NAACP, LA Chapter president Leon Perkins held a press conference stating that Sterling was a guy who provided tickets for over 1000 young Black youth to come to the Clipper games and he donated some money to the chapter. Forget the basketball games, Perkins should’ve been asking what affordable or better yet, what FREE HOUSING has Sterling provided for the poor and underprivileged he is said to despise?

Sterling PlazaSterling owns a lucrative piece of property in Beverly Hills that houses his office known Sterling Plaza. It has that has 7 stories. There was an article that came out a few years ago stating he was the only resident. Has he moved in any of those underprivileged families he sends to his games? Has he granted office space to some Black/ Brown businesses?  That’s something he should’ve been pushed to do  to make amends as part of his housing discrimination settlement.

The point I’m getting at is we must not fall into the trap of seeing Sterling and his words in isolation. He’s part of institutions that have long run roughshod over a lot of folks who don’t get to hold press conferences when done dirty. They unfortunately don’t have Snoop Dogg, Magic Johnson or Michael Jordan speaking out on their behalf. But those folks should be uplifted and the companies and corporations headed by racist individuals like Sterling should be held accountable and made to truly compensate folks. Tickets to a Clipper game don’t cut it..

If Sterling is forced to sell the Clippers he will most likely get close to get at least half billion dollars for that team. He paid 13 million for them. He already worth 1.9 billion dollars. Homeboy will live comfortably. As for the people upended by housing discrimination, foreclosures, redlining etc in a world that Sterling is very much apart of, they may not be doing all that well. How will we champion their plight??  We know the name Donald Sterling, but do we know Thomas J. Barrack, Jr or Penny Pritker and the damage they done in the housing market?? Reflect on that for a minute….

The NAACP is Just As Backwards as Clipper Owner Donald Sterling

SterlingThe NAACP was set to give Clipper’s owner Donald Sterling a Lifetime achievement Award… Yes you read that right…On May 15th he was to be honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award along with Al Sharpton and the good folks from Walmart who are set to get a Corporation of the Year Award…

Let’s give this some perspective. This Cali NAACP was set to give Sterling a Lifetime Achievement Award even after he paid one of the highest fines in the state for housing discrimination against Latinos and Blacks in LA.. He is on record saying Blacks are vermin who shouldn’t be living on his property. You can look up Sterling and Housing discrimination to get a better understanding of how ratchet this man is… http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2009/11/donald-sterling-to-pay-2725-million-to-settle-housing-discrimination-lawsuit.html

As for the NAACP.. This is the same outfit that in the 11th hour sided with Monsanto in the 2012 elections to defeat Prop 37 which would’ve required big food companies to label any and all food products that contained GMOS.. The NAACP came out swinging in support of Monsanto..Don’t believe me? There are dozens of articles about the sellout move like this one here–>http://bit.ly/1hCbRhp

(UPDATE) As of this writing the NAACP has decided to rescind their award…That should be a no brainer.. Given Sterling’s record why was he being honored in the first place?? It was backwards thinking even before he made these racist remarks. Shame on them!

ClippersWith respect to Sterling, there are far too many folks who are trying to excuse this by saying that ‘all NBA owners are racists’ ..Not sure what that means?? Do we have them all on tape saying the madness Sterling said?? How many of these owners have been fined for housing discrimination? Is that an excuse for players to take the court today without addressing the issue??

Folks should keep in mind that the NBA routinely suspends players for the slightest infractions.. From dress code violations to talking greasy on or off the court about ref.. Players have been fined and suspended for not standing up and singing the national anthem.. Y’all remember Mahmoud Abdul- Rauf? Players have been suspended for making homophobic remarks such was the case with Kobe Bryant and Tim HardawayDwight Howard was fined for criticizing the refs on his blog a few years ago..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_esLsfWPe30

But in this egregious case with Sterling  you have a circling of the wagons. When the story first broke,  ESPN dragged their feet in reporting it.. They didn’t go in on this until they had Jesse Jackson on the air with them.. We have NBA commissioner Adam Silver doing an ‘investigation’.. Whats to investigate? Homeboy said those inexcusable remarks-end of story..

The only way for this to be resolved is for sterling to be banned from the League..This means he doesn’t get to buy his way out by giving hush money to Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, the  NAACP or any other ‘leader’ who may pocket the loot and then tell us we should forgive him. F— that!  Since Sterling is a real estate mogul, maybe suitable payment will be paying for all the Black homes foreclosed on in LA. That would be a good first step to atonement…

Miami Heat HoodiesAs for the NBA players?? Those who wore hoodies in support of Trayvon Martin, need to wear hoodies.. (KKK type hoodies ) to protest Sterling. They need to hold a press conference denouncing his remarks and demand he be kicked out of the league.. Trust me if any NBA player transgressed the way Sterling did , there would be no hesitation in financial punitive actions being levied on them.

Black players from the Clippers should hold a press conference and demand to be sold … oops I mean traded or auctioned off. No NBA team should play against the Clippers until Sterling is kicked out! If any Black player tries to defend him, they should be sent a copy of Malcolm’s Message to the Grassroots speech.

One has gotta wonder if the owner of the Clippers was a George Zimmerman supporter or an advocate for killer cop Johannes Mehserle if players on either team would show up to play ball? Sadly we already can guess what the Cali NAACP would do??Instead of playing nice with Sterling, the NAACP should’ve been holding a press conference demanding the players and Black folks in general boycott the Clippers and the NBA until Sterling is gone. They should’ve done this after he paid all that money for the housing discrimination case back in 2003.

May this be a lesson for all.. The owners of some of these teams see Black folks as glorified field hands in stadium/ arena plantations…Don’t look for an apology, get ownership and transform the power dynamics in play…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTL944sdlrE